Ominous

'Hey, is everything okay?'


'As fine as possible.'


'Indigo left some of her belongings at my house, she wants to pick them up.'


'You sure...?'


'Just do me a favour and keep Wed company, huh? It's a few hours to that shithole and back.'


'Is that the guy you were talking about?'

'Yeah. I don't really wanna challenge him in case it causes problems.'

'Gross! I know you can't, like, judge on appearances, but he looks super sleazy.'


'Okay, I can spend time with her.'


'Cheers.'

'Yes, thank you, I'm sure Wednesday will enjoy having company until her sister returns. Who are your friends, anyway?'


'I'm Tate's grandson. He hates me because he's racist.'


'Uh, oh. I'm sorry to hear that. And her...? I don't recognise her race?'


'...Ugh. Great, is he just going to stare until I say something?'

'Poor you.'

'I'm a dysadin!'


'So what is it you like about him? Because I struggle to find anything, really.'


'Our relationship is business mainly. We don't very often get to speak on a personal level.'


'Hi, I'm not sure why you're giving me such sour looks, but I'm Abraxas. Are you okay?'


'I get that, like, dysadi are super rare in these parts, but I don't like being stared at.'


'I'm sorry, I should know better. It's nice to meet you though.'

'Yeah, um. I'll pass, thanks. I heard you're a porn star and frankly, I don't know where that hand's been.'

'....'


'Are you sure you're okay...?'

'I'll be fine.'


'Of course. The city is a dangerous place, but I'll take care of her. As for your friend's remarks, I'd like to say that I'm very conscientious about hygiene.'


'내 딸이 빌어 먹을 것 때문에 좋음, 알고.'

'...I don't speak Korean.'

'Weren't anythin' important.'


'That's good...'

'When can we expect Indigo to be back?'


'Tomorrow, I'd say. With the distance between the city and here, it'd be preferable to spend the rest of the afternoon and some of the evening travelling there, and once we arrive Indigo can sort through her belongings, stay overnight and head back here in the morning.'


'So on that note, we had better get a move on unless we want to get caught in traffic.'


'Can't wait.'


'Find a safe adult to talk to.'


'Catch you tomorrow Wed.'

'Bye...'


'See you later.'


'He's gonna kill her!'


'Oh God, what happened?'

'Th-They had guns on them! Dad's taken her off so he can kill her and I didn't say anything because I thought they might threaten to shoot us and it's all my fault she's going in the first place!'


'What the fuck?! Um, okay, uhh, maybe we should, like, go somewhere quieter...?'


'Hey, it's not your fault.'

'I think we need to tell someone.'


'I-Indigo said to find an a-adult I trust, s-so either Mr Bolton or Mr Farrington.'


'Aunty Nal's boyfriend's a Farrington, right? Because, like, we should totally tell Aunty Nal, she's got loads of practice seeing off dickheads.'

'Yeah, he's our uncle. We can definitely trust him.'


'Let's go back to mine then.'


'Hey, look, so like I don't know what's going on as much as the others, but if those assholes were threatening to shoot people, it's not your fault.'


'Of course not. It sounds really scary...'

'There's nothing you could have done.'






'Hello, everyone.'


'There's a crisis.'


'Oh good Aunty Nal, you're already here, I was gonna call you.'


'What's going on?'


'I think Dad's going to kill Indigo!'


'What?'


'We saw him leading her away in a car.'


'And it's all my fault!'

'Hey, no -'

'It is! I-Indigo told him where to go when he insisted she go back to the city with him and he pointed his gun at me so Indigo chose to go with him so he wouldn't shoot me! And - and it's my fault Dad kicked us out in the first place because I told Mr Dowsdell about him hitting us and he said that Indigo was going to attack him because of my lies and he had to protect himself and that I made her homeless and that she's a stupid bitch, and - and -'

'- Holy shit, no, none of that is your fault!'


'...I see.'


'Wednesday, please don't think you've done anything wrong. This is all because of what he's done. You weren't wrong to tell anyone else about his abuse, and Indigo made her own choice to protect you.'


'He's right. We can't control what other people do, you didn't make him abuse, threaten or kick you guys out, and you didn't make Indigo choose to go either.'

'She shouldn't have to face death for me. I'm not worth it.'


'...Oh Wednesday.'


'Well, she, like, clearly disagrees...'


'She loves you. You're her sister. I'm sure you'd do the same for her, wouldn't you? I'd definitely do anything to protect my brothers.'


'That's what siblings are for.'


'Okay, so tell us everything that happened, in your own time.'


'They came to the door and Indigo started mouthing off.'

'How did they find your address, are you on any sort of public records?'

'Indigo reckons Tate told him...'


'...Oh, for the love of God.'


'He was over at ours earlier. He said it was "partly a social call, partly business related".'


'He was creepy. And he was totally looking at Mum's boobs...'


'Ewwwwww.'

'Yeah... He's a total womaniser, that doesn't surprise me...'


'Business related?'


'...We found out that they own a brothel together.'


'...Ah yes, Ellis told me about that.'

'..........................................Nope.'


'I feel sick when I think about it... Dad's so disgusting.'


'...How did you figure that out?'


'I don't think we ought to continue this line of conversation. I was thinking of another business, not...that, fucking Christ alive.'


'What wonderful families we have.'

'So...do you think Abraxas learnt about our, uh, recent group excersion?'


'I dunno... Maybe. He just said that Indigo had stuff at his to pick up... Which is a lie, because when he threw us out, he gathered the rest of the family at the front of the house to watch as he burnt any of our belongings that we couldn't take...'


'What a prick!'


'I'm sorry, he really is a vile man.'


'What do you suggest?'

'Some of us will have to go over, find his house and take her back before Abraxas can hurt her. If you all came straight here after them leaving, then they'll have only just started travelling, so if someone here takes off soon, then hopefully we can arrive in Devil's Port not too long after Abraxas and Indigo. Alternatively, if I can calm my mind enough, I can try using a meditative teleport. Buuuut I'm far from being a zen master.'

'Aria is capable of that, but... I can't ask her to do anything right now.'


'I could see if Anstine's free, then perhaps he and I could go together.'

'Yes, I do believe he would probably be willing.'


'I'll give him a call.'

. . .


'Anstine's on board, so back in a while. Try not to worry too much Wednesday, I know it's easier said than done. But we'll get her back.'


'Can't you just arrest him? And like, this Tate prick too?'


'It's not that simple, unfortunately. If it was, I would've already served Tate with arrest papers by way of wrapping them around a sledgehammer and smashing it straight into his bollocks.'