Masquerade Ball

[Street]

Irish nodded, he followed her, taking his mask off and handing it to Mercury, who was passing again. Mercury threw it away from him. "Poet? Where are ye?" He called. Then he saw her, hurrying up the street. He started into a jog, but then lost sight of her as she was pulled into the alley way. A man was talking. Irish took a deep breath and looked around the ground. There. A milk bottle. He picked it up, smashed it on the ground, wrapped a large piece in his hankerchief and slipped into the alley. "Let her go." Irish said, pointing the makeshift knife at the man. "Let her go or so help me, Oi will cut you from your navel up." Irish said angrily.

Killer rolled his eyes. He banged back on the wall. "Nice try kid. I could kill you with my thumb. It's actually very simple. I'll explain it to you sometime. These two are going to play a little game with me," He explained lazily. "First, it involves a knife, and then it involves some blood, and bada bing, bada boom." He smirked and laughed quietly. Eli whimpered, Killer kicked out at him. "I said to be quiet. You, shut him up!" He barked at Ophelia, she nodded and clapped her hand over his mouth.

Street and Asher looked at Chase in confusion. Street looked unsure. "It-It wasn't my secret ta tell..." She told him, looking at Asher carefully. The boy had his head down and it seemed he was crying.

But when Asher lifted his head up, he looked defiant. "I knew that if I told you I was what I am, you would be disgusted and never look at me again. I am tired of being judged and avoided... Do you know what it meant for me to be your friend? Do you know how much it hurt me when you looked at Street the way you did?" Asher demanded of him. "First it was Samuel and then Moira and then Tyler... I thought I had finally found my place in this world..." He looked at him sadly. "Why didn't you figure it out? Samuel dropped hints, I was never with a girl... How could you believe Levi was gay. The signs were there. I didn't have to tell you anything. Maybe you're just stupid." Asher said.

Street shook her head. "No. Chase. I'll make up for it. Asher loves you, he really does. Levi loves me and I love him. Nothin' can change that, no matter how much ya want Asher ta just be yer friend... It's impossible because of who ya are and who he is."

[Poet]

Poet's eyes looked up as the man turned around and pulled her with him to face Irish. She was still crying and she felt the man move his hand down briefly before she felt the familiar coolness of what she knew to be a blade.She cringed as she heard the man laugh softly at Irish,"really now? I believe yer the one at a loss hereh boy, I'm the one with the girl and if you take one more step she gets it,"he said. Poet gasped feeling the blade run up the back of her dress, she could hear the stitching being cut loose from her waist up her back as the man slowly pulled the blade up her back. She could feel it just barely graze her skin as the fabric was cut and in a moments notice, the top half of her dress fell down hanging loosely around her waist and exposing her bare skin. The man laughed again,"Ain't she a beaut.....I think I may convince Killer ta keep her alive....but of course he likes his goils abit beaten...."he hissed his breath in her ear, his lips way to close to her neck for comfort. His hand fell from her mouth at this point and wrapped around her waist leaving his other hand free to do as he pleased with the knife. She did not speak though, her eyes set on Irish's fear filled and wide as she cried. The man brought the blade up her back once more, this time leaving a long cut up it and she groaned and screamed in pain feeling the blood drip down her back as he brought the blade across the back of her shoulderblade before pulling it back and holding it up to her neck. "Ya still wanna try and save her?"he asked Irish. Poet was afraid to breath the blade was so close she felt that if she breathed it would meet her skin and she'd be dead.

Lucky looked at Mercury and tilted her head,"So....I never realleh understood ta be honest.... what's yer relationship with Scarlett?"she asked absently as she rested her head n his shoulder and followed his every move.

[Chase]

Chase looked down at the ground, ashamed. He looked back at Asher. "Asher i'm sorry ya feel tha' way. But, i'm not gay. I don't care if ya are. I'm still yer friend, right? I'll always beh. I'm just not that type of friend ya know." He took Ashers shoulder and shook it slightly. He kept trying to make amends, and he hoped it worked. Then, his hand dropped at Asher's next words. "I'm not stupid." He looked away from them and grabbed a drink. Making amends, he thought, was not going to work right now. He gulped down his drink and grabbed another, avoiding a conversation.

Mush was getting frustrated. He pounded on the locked door again. "Come on! Open the door! What the hell are ya doin' in there?" He pulled on the door knob again. He knew it wouldn't work, but he had to try. Ophelia was in there. And so was Eli. He couldn't let either of them get hurt.

[Ophelia]

Irish narrowed his eyes, he watched disgusted at the man. He was trying to figure out what to do... Then it hit him. Him and Sean out the park with Levi, Levi was showing them how to kill a rabbit with just a knife. As he remembered, he placed the glass in between two fingers and brought his fist up to his chest. He watched in his mind's eye as Levi drew the knife back and flung it out, the knife sinking deep into the rabbit's body. Sean was good at it. Irish had never gotten it. But he needed to now... It was dark and he was sweating. He could hear Poet's terrified breathing and the man's too. He thought of everything he had ever done wrong. Working to much, sleeping to much. Getting drunk, Abby. All of that. He had to make up for it. He closed his eyes and focused, then opened them and focused on the man's heart. He flung his fist out, listening for the sound that would let him know he'd hit his target...
*****
Killer laughed. "We're just having fun." He told the boy through the door. "Tell him, girl."

"Mush, just go away!" Ophelia yelled at him, scared out of her mind. "I do not need you!" Eli whimpered, Killer moved forward and grabbed Eli around the neck. Ophelia dashed away from the lounge, towards the door, she unlocked it.

"You leave and the boy dies." Killer said. Eli looked at her with his wide, brown eyes. She took a deep breath and flung the door open and ran out. Killer kicked the door shut, locked it again, and looked at Eli. He released the boy's throat and raised his knife. "Any last words?"

"Shoe shine, Mister?" Eli asked, trying to win the man over. Then he screamed.
*****
Asher shook his head. "Don't touch me..." He said slowly, his face full of pain. Street tried to hug him, but she was pushed away. "No. None of you touch me!" He cried. "I could careless what you say, you're lying!" He yelled at them, wiping his tears away. "I can't change, I can't. I've tried... Believe me I tried." He finished softly. Then he stopped. Someone had screamed.
****
Levi heard the door unlock, he rushed forward to try and force it open when Ophelia flew out and collapsed in his arms. Him being the gentleman, he threw her to the side and ran at full speed at the door. He slammed into it, being only seconds late. Inside, someone screamed. "Eli!!!" He yelled, pounding at the door. "Dammit! I can't break it open." He swore. "Street!" She came over. "Can you pick the lock?"

"Yeah. I think so." Street pulled the pins from her hair, her blonde tresses flowed around her shoulders. She bent and shaped on the pin and stuck it into the lock. "Just be quiet, Levi." She told him.

"Of course." He said, sitting beside her. She pressed her ear against the door and listened for the door to unlock.
****
Mercury looked surprised at her question. "Why... She's my wife. Been so for about six years now. I thought you knew..." He started. Then he paused. Someone was screaming from one of the extra rooms. He looked over. Street was on her knees in front of the door; Ophelia was on the floor, fainting; Asher was crying. Something was wrong... Where was Poet and Irish? Someone came barreling into the hall. A young man.

"Mercutio! Scarlett's gone into labor!" He cried.

"Tybalt?" Mercutio asked, stunned to see his younger brother in New York. "Why aren't you in Scotland."

"Ophelia wrote me and said she had found you and Rosalind... But your wife's in labor. I went to your store and a hysteric young girl told me. I came straight here." Tybalt explained lazily, use to being a Lord. "What's going on here?" Mercury shrugged. "Who's your friend?"

[Spade]

Poet cringed in a moment feeling the glass graze against her shoulder, but it met it's traget and she was dropped and fell to her knees. The man fell backward cursing under his breath but was silent a moment later. Poet looked up at Irish, her eyes red with tears, her body aching and crying out in pain. She couldn't bring herself to move. She looked down her hair draping into her face like a curtain, her whole body shaking, she could still feel the blood leaving her wounds and dripping down her back and shoulder and a small cut now on her neck. She dare not speak, she didn't know what to do, she didn't know what to say, how to even get to her feet, so she knelt there in her traumatized state. She found words, very briefly but she did,"Irish...I....."she stammered, in all the panick and the worry and fear, she had remembered the one thing she had yet to tell him, the one thing that would normally make him happy, but at this moment she knew it was not the best time but it was the only thing that kept running through her head. "I'm....I....I'm pregnant...."the words fell out of her mouth, it was the truth and everything had happened so fast from them being engaged to this point that anything could ruin it...she had to tell him now, no matter how bad the situation was.

Lucky nodded but turned when Tybalt came in summoning Mercury,"Merc...go now, jesus run,"Lucky told him shoving him toward the door where the boy had come from. She stepped back from him and eyed Tybalt for a moment before turning and walking toward Street and Levi,"what's goin' on? can I help, I got a knife here somewhere..."she muttered her hands rummagging down her dress before she extracted the knife and handed it to Levi.

Walking into the building, late after doing as Poet had asked him, Spade looked around to find a panicked scene, Mush, Street,Lucky...Ace all by a door. He tilted his head in confusion and walked up behind Ace,"What's goin' on?"he asked her in a hushed tone as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Ace looked over her shoulder at him in slight surprise,"Spade!"she whispered excitedly but quickly hushed herself to answer him,"I dunno nobody realleh knows..."she murmured worriedly.

[Abby]

Mush pounded on the door some more. "You son of bit-" Ophelia ran out of the door and Mush stepped aside. He was startled then shook his head and came back to earth. He tried kicking the door in as it slammed shut. It wouldn't work. Levi tried, but no go. Street came up and began picking the lock. "Come on come on." Mush whispered. He was eager to get to Eli, to hurt the guy that had tortured him. He began his pacing again.

Chase turned back to Asher and Street. Asher looked like he was going to break down right there. And then, a scream. Everyone took off towards it. Chase walked up, they were all hudled around a door. He could see Street trying to pick the lock. It's not going to work, he thought, picking a lock is too slow. "Hey is there a window in there?" He asked. He looked around waiting for someone to answer him.

[Street]

Irish pulled Poet up quickly. He wrapped her up in his coat and lifted her into his arms. "Just be quiet for now, huh? Oi'm gonna get ye some help and then we can talk. Just stay with me." Irish murmured to her. He rushed her back to the hall and laid her on the couch he had previously vacated. He looked around. He was confused, what was going on? Right now he had to help Poet. He began to work over her injuried. "Sorry about yer shoulder. Oi had to get the guy..." He tried to explain. His hands were shaking viciously.
*****
Asher sat by the drink table and began to down drinks hurriedly. Sean hovered around the door, trying to see what was going on. Street was a good pickpocket, she could also break into any lock. As long as she had time. Sean shook his head at Chase. "Nah, the room's an interior one. One door, one way in or out." Sean took a deep breath.

Levi took the knife and nodded to her. "Thanks. Ophelia and Eli were locked in there by somebody. Ophelia got out." He glanced at the unconcious girl on the floor. "Eli's still in there. We heard him scream. I wonder... Who's doing this?" He asked the room at large.

"It's Killer." Street said suddenly. "I just know it. I got this feelin' in me gut. I-I'm afraid of what we'll find..." Her voice broke and she attacked the lock more viciously.
******
Mercury nodded, kissed the top of Lucky's head and left quickly, without glancing at his brother. Tybalt followed Lucky, checking his nails calmly. "I'm Tybalt Lexeme, by the way." Tybalt said. Street glanced at him and almost lost the pin, but she kept going.

"Everyone back up." She said slowly. The door clicked. She swung it open. "Nobody move." The room was dark. "I think he got away." Street took a step. Nothing. Then another. Still nothing. She went five steps and then bumped into the lounge. She felt around. Two small feet, legs, torso, face. Eli's face. "He's-he's not breathing...!" She called. Then Levi found a lantern and the room was filled with a dull light. Street screamed.

Eli was laying on the lounge, his throat slit deeply. His face looked terrified and tears still remained on his cheeks. She looked at her hands, they were bloody. A hole in the wall with a swinging door was visible. Levi nodded and followed after Killer. He returned moments later. "Nothing." He refused to look at Eli. His knife was stuck in the wall with a note.

"'Girls who sleep around don't deserve to live. Children out of wedlock are a sin. Killer.'" Levi read aloud. Street shook her head.

"Goldie's gonna kill us." Sean muttered weakly.

Nobody laughed.

[Chase]

Mush walked in slowly after Street. He knelt beside her next to Eli. He stood up quickly and walked over to the hole in the wall. He shook his head. "Levi- we can't let this guy go wandering around killin' people. I know what yer gonna say. We can't go afta him, but let's get someone, huh?" He doubted the blues would do anything. Mush had to do something, anything. Goldie was gonna kill them.

Chase gave up on Asher and walked over to the large group. He walked in and looked around. The kid that had pushed past him, running around with other kids was lying on the ground. He looked terrified, even in death. Chase swallowed hard. Who would do that to a kid. Eli looked so small. Smaller than he had when he was alive.

[Ace]

Poet let Irish lead her back, even though she wanted nothing more than to be alone with him and not surrounded by a crowd of people. As he lay her down and worked on her injuries she heard the commotion from Street's cries and screams and everyone's panic and she couldn't move. Her eyes closed, she could feel herself slipping away from conciousness. She reached her hand toward Irish but it fell and she couldn't see anymore, she blacked out, her breathing shortening slightly with every passing minute.

Ace was behind Levi and as he read the note she cringed and turned burrying her face in Spade's chest, he wrapped his arms around her in a concerned manner, he had no idea why she was upset. He hadn't heard of her being one of the girls who had been attacked. "Ace...are you ok?"he whispered. She shook her head viciously and pushed him out of her way but she bumped into Chase and couldn't take it. She absent mindedly found herself wrapping her arms around Chase and burried her face into his shoulder, her whole body shaking. This was all too much to handle.

Lucky looked at the scene and barely heard the man's voice but she nodded,"Ummm...I'm Lucky...is this really a good time for introductions though?"she asked him as she turned to face him. She tilted her head slightly and smiled vaguely but she knew the crisis at hand was abit more important.

Buttercup had arrived and saw Asher at the bar, he sighed and felt horrible for not being around lately. He walked up to the bar and sat next to Asher,"Ya shouldn't drink so much ya know....my ma used ta say drinkin' makes ya die young, I'd hate ta see ya die Ash..."he murmured softly as he looked down in regret.

[Killer]

Levi hurried over to Street and helped her up. He took a deep breath. "Mush watch her. I'm gonna go get Goldie..." He said softly, he kissed Street very gently and ran from the hall.

Street found a napkin and wiped her hands off. "Somebody's gotta get the police..." Street said, her voice shaking. Sean nodded, he kissed Brooke and left after Levi. She didn't look at Ophelia. "Mush... How could Feely be so cruel? To leave Eli with him..." She started to cry when she said Eli's name.

Tybalt nodded. "Nice to meet you Lucky." He said. "Why would it not be a good time?" He glanced around. "Oh, because the Negro died? Dear, they die all the time..." He said, trying to comfort her. "I am just glad it was not Ophelia... How would I have told Grandmama? Though I would have recieved her share of the inheritence, it would not have made up for my sister's death..."

Asher blinked and looked up. He upset his drink. "Ty-Tyler? Is that you? God, where have you been?! I missed you so much..." Asher hugged him tightly. "I-I messed up Tyler..." He said. He glanced at Chase and frowned. Ace. Asher shook his head and looked back at Tyler. He bit his lip. "What-what happened?" He looked at the room where everyone was gathered.

Moments later, Goldie arrived, looking fit to burst. "What the hell, Akecheta? I leave him with a few hours and you get him killed?" She shoved Levi into the room ahead of her. "It's all because of that b**** over there!" She pointed at Ophelia and then lifted her up the front of her dress. "How could you? How could you leave an eight year old boy with a maniac?"

"I-I was scared." Ophelia said softly.

"Scared? How do you think he felt?" Goldie screamed at her, making her look at Eli's face. "Huh? What do you got to say now?" She asked, crying hard.

Sean then arrived with the police in tow. Levi handed over the note and the police shooed everyone from the room. They all moved to near the stage.

[Ace]

Lucky glared at Tyblat,"Try telling that to his family hmm? You ever think of them as mre than animals? They're human too....maybe your sister deserved to be in Eli's shoes..."she spat turning around and walking away from him. She saw Irish and Poet and she looked over at them concerned again at this point. She rushed over to the two,"Irish.....she's....what happened to her?"Lucky asked him as she knelt next to the couch and looked down at an unconcious Poet. She examined her briefly before realizing how low her breathing was,"Irish...she's barely breathing...."she told him worriedly.

Tyler grinned as Asher hugged him,"I've been extremely busy, haven't even stayed at our Lodgin' house lately, Poet's been lettin me stay at their lodgin' house....I missed ya too Asher...I'm sorreh I haven't seen ya...are ya gonna be alright? I mean...I still love you...ya know that right?"he asked concerned.

Spade looked around for Abby in the crowd and wasn't sure what she was wearing,"Abby?"he hollered out not caring at the moment, he wondered if she was ok with everything that was going on at the moment, he figured the kid Ace ran to would take care of her and he himself could at least take care of Abby.

Ace cried into Chase's shoulder and mummbled softly in her shaken up state,"That could've been me...that could've been anyone...damnit....Chase.....I can't do this... I can't let this happen to anyone else, I know what he does, he doesn't just kill...he tortures, makes you watch...it's brutal..."she cried.

[Chase]

Chase held onto Ace. He tried to calm her. "It's okay. They're gonna find him. Yer safe, i'll protect ya." He stroked her hair. Chase was happy it wasn't her. But he was upset by what happened to Eli. Poor kid.

Abby was wandering around trying to get away from this horrible place. She'd been pushed around by a crazy phsycopath and rejected for the second time in her life. SHe heard someone shout out her name. She looked around. "Spade? Spade!" She saw someone looking around and knew automatically it was him. She ran towards him and hugged him.

[Street]

Irish looked up. "She was attacked. Dunno by whom. Not Killer though, since he was here. Oi'm guessin' somethin' happened to Eli since Goldie's tryin' to kill Levi and Ophelia. How bad is he hurt? Did he fall off the stage or something?" Irish asked absently as he worked over Poet. Tybalt glared after Lucky and pulled out a cigarette. He spotted someone familiar.

"Ace, right? Can we talk? Away from prying ears?" Tybalt asked, glaring pointedly at Chase. "I something... Important to talk to you about." He smiled at her, taking a long draw on his cigarette.

Asher nodded. "I-I know Tyler. I know you do. I've been having issues lately... Like I said, I messed up." He looked at Tyler beseechingly. "Can you forgive me? First Moira and then Chase. I'm sorry, I'm not good at this thing, am I?" He laughed weakly.

Goldie slapped Ophelia. She was still crying, they both were. Ophelia was clutching her stomach, feeling like she was going to throw up. Goldie was screaming, not saying anything, just screaming. Street stood by with Levi, Sean, and Mush. Levi was hugging her tightly, and she reached out to Mush with a hand. "Why'd it have ta be him? Why? I wish it'd been me... So he could've grown up and been a great man. He was worth somethin'. He was somethin' special." She sobbed, refering to Eli only as 'Him'.

[Chase]

Chase hugged Ace protectively. He glared at Tybalt. "Anythin' ya can say ta Ace ya can say ta meh." Ace was still upset about the whole Killer thing and Chase didn't want her to hurt anymore than she already did. "That is, if ya want meh ta stay with ya. I can go if ya want ta talk ta him alone." Chase whispered in Ace's ear. He refered to Tybalt as him and said it like a disease.

Mush took Street's hand and squeezed it. "No Street. We need ya here. I-." He didn't know what to say about Eli, and he was pretty sure that anything it could say would only hurt Street more. Mush looked at Goldie beating down on Ophelia. He knew he should do something but something kept him standing there watching, holding Street's hand.

[Ace]

Ace shook her head at Tybalt,"Like Chase says, ya have somethin' ta say ya can say it infront of him too, I ain't leavin' Chase right now...he's all I have and ta be quite honest I don' exactly trust ya righ now...why don't ya tell them Tybalt....tell them why this happened...."she said as she looked over her shoulder at Tybalt, her arms still wrapped tightly around Chase. She leaned against Chase feeling that if she let go, she'd collapse.But she let go of Chase and turned to face Tybalt,"TELL THEM THE TRUTH!"she screamed at him, she wasn't going to keep his secrets for him, she had gotten away and he had priced her head at 3 thousand to Killer, and she had listened to him list off his siblings like they were nothing,"OR I WILL"she warned him.

Lucky looked down at Irish's words,"He...he's dead Irish...Killer killed him an' took off....Ophelia left Eli in there ta die...."she muttered as she looked Poet over slightly. She rested a hand over Poet's forehead and tilted her head examining her for a moment,"Ya may wanna get Poet outta hereh Irish...get her ta the lodgin' house or somethin' if not ya could take her backstage, get her away from the crowd at least.."she suggested.

Tyler shrugged and wrapped an arm around Asher,"Hey it's ok Ash....I love ya, anythin' ya do isn't gonna push meh away i promise, I'm hereh fer ya and always will be,"he assured as he looked into Asher's eyes.

Spade held Abby and sighed,"Ya wanna get outta hereh? away from all this? ya seem shaken up doll...."he muttered in her ear. He was worried about her and he looked down at her for a moment before he looked over to Ace and Chase and some guy he'd never seen before, Ace seemed pretty upset and lashed out at the other man and he smirked, poor basterd, Ace would chew his head off if he did something wrong.He saw Ace snap and he slowly let go of Abby,"Tell us what?"he demanded as he stepped away from Abby and stood behind Tybalt.