The weight of the situation weighed on jason like emily stomping on him.  he knew they needed a knock out punch, but with Mya presumably not talking to them, and Rachel m.i.a, their chances went significantly down.


Jason could do nothing but sit on his thoughts for the next few hours as Clyde napped. Every second they wasted was one that Emily was getting closer to them, or to Mya or Rachel or Steve or Malcolm. Standing idle and waiting was worse than trying and failing in the long run Jason decided.


Around 4 o'clock, Jason finally convinced Clyde to take him to find Rachel. They drove to her house, parking a block away and sneaking up to the bushes across the street. They surveyed to make sure none of Emily's friends were on guard, before Clyde sprinted across the street and knocked on the door.


Jason was hidden behind Clyde's back as they heard a light thumping come to the door. Clyde took a step back as it swung open, revealing Gracie, standing with her arms crossed and her hip cocked.


"What do YOU want." She asked, not bothering to hide her distaste for Clyde.


"Uhh. . . . Hey there Gracie! I'm. . . . .just here looking for. . . .for your sister." Clyde stammered, not even sure why this little girl was making him nervous.


"Why?" Gracie asked, in the annoying way that kids do.


Clyde wasn't about to go down that road, so instead he just yelled over her head.


"Rachel! You here!? We need you!" He called.


There was a heavier thumping before Rachel came walking down the hallway. She put her hand on Gracie's head and moved her out of doorway. Rachel said nothing, but signaled with her head and Clyde followed her to her room. She closed the door, before turning around and glaring at him.



"Seriously, you're still mad at me?" Clyde asked, taking a step back like she might slap him again.


"No, IDIOT! My dad will kill both of us if he catches you here!" She said, looking out her window to the back garage.


"Shit! I'm sorry. We just didn't have your phone number. We thought that Emily took you! "


"Oh. . . . Well no, right as I walked outside to blow off steam, a taxi was leaving the gates so I caught a ride out."


"You left us there with that psycho, Mya!" Clyde said, putting jason on Rachel's dresser.


"That sounds like an over-reaction boys." Rachel said, picking Jason up and sitting down on her bed.


"He's telling the truth. We got into a fight with her as soon as you left." Jason confirmed.


"What did you say to start it though?" Rachel asked, knowing there was more to the story than they were telling her.


Clyde sat down beside her and put his hands up in a gesture of peace." Dead serious, I just told it like it is. One minute she is giving Emily tips on how better to flatten Jason's face, the next she is all gung-ho to help us and act like any of us matter to her, just because she got a bad grade. I think it's bullshit."


Rachel sat rubbing Jason's back with her finger for a moment, before she spoke.


"It. . . IS kind of suspicious, but go through all the work of driving us around and helping with that disgusting bomb and letting us stay at her house?"


"Because she's using us! She knows that she can't physically do anything to Emily, so she is going to team up with us until we are all crushed, then move on without a scratch!" Clyde said, passionately.


"So what did she do when you said this to her?" Rachel followed up.



"She fucking body slammed me and slapped me until I almost blacked out completely!" Clyde shouted.


Rachel looked to Jason, who nodded that it was the truth.


"Jason tried to break it up, and she sat on him for it. Then she kicked us out, and made us walk all the way home, with all of Emily's goons looking for us! "



Rachel was silent.


"That just doesn't sound like something she would do you guys." She said finally, in disbelief.


"Jesus Christ! Jason, let's get out of here. This was a huge waste of time. Now that we know that Emily didn't get her, we can go. " Clyde said, standing up and putting his hand out for Jason.


"Hey! CALM DOWN, you little turd! I'm just trying to understand why Mya would try to fight you!" She said, pulling Jason away.


"Look, she beat us up, and Jason had a not so flattering dream about her! That is all you need to understand. Plus the evidence at my house, that something fucked up is going on around here and this whole thing makes Mya look pretty fucking sketchy!"


"Woah, woah, woah! What do you mean Jason was dreaming about her!" She demanded, paraphrasing the whole statement. She glared at the boy in her palm.

"Rachel! It wasn't like that! We just need to get back to Clyde's and I'll explain everything.

"I.. I can't, I'm stuck watching Gracie until my dad gets home."


Everyone was silent for a few seconds.


"Before anyone suggests that Rachel brings Gracie over. . . . . Just no." Clyde said suddenly.





"Ok. . . Don't touch anything, don't ask any questions, don't say anything and don't touch anything!" Clyde said, laying down the ground rules.


"You already said don't touch anything!" Gracie whined as she sat in Clyde's bean bag chair in the corner.


"I also said don't say anything didn't I?"


Gracie gave him and Jason a death glare, but said no more.


"Will you guys knock it off!" Rachel snapped, as she thumbed through the year books. Her face was getting paler by the page.


"What. . . .what does this all mean?" She stammered.


"It means that the girls in this city are getting continually bigger for some reason." Jason said. "And at a younger age. Only. . . . There has to be some type of gestation period or something. Girls who moved here from elsewhere don't seem to be effected as heavily.


"So. . . Do you think that is what makes Kylie so tall? I mean, your parents aren't really that tall, so the fact the Emily AND Kylie are tall, is kind of weird." Rachel asked, drawing conclusions as she thought about all the details.

Jason looked over to Gracie, who was eyeing him like a hungry wolf. "Uhhh, yeah. I. . I think . . Maybe." He stammered. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Just to bother him, she blew him a kiss. Upon seeing this, Jason almost threw up, causing Gracie to break out laughing.


"So. . . You think Mya is affected by this too? She IS really tall." Rachel asked, rubbing her head.


". . . .yeah, I'm pretty sure. She has lived here long enough to be in the window." Jason said solemnly.


"Not to mention her aggression!" Clyde added, speaking up for the first time.


"Hey! It wasn't her fau-" Rachel began, "Well. . . . I'm aggressive too! So does that mean you think I'm under the influence of this drug or whatever?!" She asked, accusingly.


"It means I think you're kind of a bit-" Clyde stopped himself, looking at Gracie.


"Oh fuck you!" Rachel said, before covering her mouth. "Tell dad I swore in front of you and you're dead Gracie!" She snapped, pointing a finger at her sister.


"Am I going to be really big someday? Like Emily?" Gracie asked, to no one in particular.


"Nope, not possible!" Clyde said quickly, trying his best to shut her down.

"Well I'm already bigger than Jason! He KNOWS I can squash him! Once Kylie is bigger than you, you're next Clyde." She answered, grinning evily.

"Oooh, sounds like you're gonna get it Clyde!" Rachel said laughing her ass off.

"That. . . That's not funny!" Clyde shot back, a bit of nervousness in his voice.

"It won't be long now! We always talk about what we're gonna do when we get you!" Gracie continued. "Both of you."

She looked between the boys, fear in both of their eyes. She continued to grin as she sat in the bean bag chair.

"Seriously! You guys are gonna let a little girl scare you like that?" Rachel asked, still laughing.

"Fuck off Rachel! She said didn't humiliate you and stomp you into the floor!" Jason shouted at her.

"Well. . . . I did beat her up for that, if it makes you feel any better little guy. " Rachel answered, baby talking him. "You guys are technically even now."

"Not for long!" Gracie sneered, rubbing her hands together. "Emily told us that you will have to come home some time. And that when you do. . . ." She finished her sentence, stomping her bare foot on to the carpet and twisting it. "Like a bug!"

This time Jason did puke as he listened to her, all of his emotions flooding in at once.

"Ok, I. . . Think it's time to go!" Rachel said, standing up and helping her sister out of the chair. "I'm sorry for my sister Jason. Just like Clyde, she doesn't know when to stop!" She added.


"I left you my number, call me tomorrow and we will figure out how to get Mya what she needs." Rachel said as she began to walk out with Gracie in tow.

"Whoa! Hold on! There is no way we're still gonna work with her!" Clyde said, standing up.

Rachel gave him a look of frustration.

"Gracie, can you go wait in the living room please. " She said, before closing the bedroom door.

"What the fuck, you guys!?" She said, pissed off.

"He's right. She crossed the line." Jason said, folding his arms.

"Seriously guys! You need to pull your heads out of your asses!" Rachel said, her voice raising and her hands moving to her hips as she stepped up to them.

"We already decided Rachel. We aren't going to let you bully us into it either." Clyde said, defending their position.

Rachel was taken aback by the statement.

"I don't. . . I don't bully you guys!" She said, shocked, but she noticed her dominant pose and backed off.

"Look, we are prepared to do what we need to do, but it's going to have to be without Mya." Jason said, firmly.

"Emily can have her for all I care!. . . Let her burn." Clyde said, looking away from Rachel.

"I can't believe you guys. I honestly can't believe you." Rachel said quietly, covering her mouth.

"Listen Rachel, because it's simple! A: I didn't do shit to her and she attacked me. B: giant, aggressive females are the enemy right now, and she fits that description to the T I would say! And C: let her burn. You don't just hang around here for 2 days and suddenly give a shit about us!" Clyde finished his rant, his voice almost in a shout.

Rachel instincually raised her hand to slap him in the moment, but caught herself. Clyde didn't even flinch this time, he only stared down at her.

"Go ahead, do it. . . .prove to us you are exactly like they are." Clyde challenged, pointing out his window.

Rachel was silent for a moment, before she turned and walked out the door.


"Dude! How the hell did this turn to shit so quickly! We had such a chance." Jason said, holding his head in his hands.


"I don't know man. We are surrounded by crazy women! Seriously, you have super sketchy Mya, who you know for damn sure is hiding something or at least, bending the truth on what she knows about this whole thing. Rachel, who's mood changes with the wind and who doesn't want to pull her weight. And fucking Gracie, who HAS to be psychotic. If she isn't under the influence of the Hg. . . Whatever, I dont know who the fuck is. Little girls talk about dolls and boy bands and shit! They're over there plotting how their going to kick our ass, when their height and weight is up. Fuck this, man!


"I know, I know. We just need to stick to the plan and take Emily down." Jason rationalized.


"What's the point? You proved that the rabbit hole goes way deeper. Emily is important right now, but she won't matter tomorrow, you know. Someone is churning out. . . .essentially . . . .captain America style super bitches, and you are on the right track to figuring out who. You could just lay low here for the next 2 days, get to your parents, and end this Jason. "

Jason said nothing, just weighing his options.

"Plus. . . Think about it. You COULD. . . Take down Emily, ruin her reputation, etc. OR. . . or. . . You could SAVE Emily. Expose whoever is planning to use these girls and save them all from whatever fucked up, probably man crushing plan, that is in the works here!"

"Really? All this from the guy who literally just told Rachel to "let Mya burn!", suddenly wants to save all the girls. . . . . That's such bullshit Clyde." Jason said, shaking his head.

"I just think that it's not too late to stop man! We. . . We got in over our heads with this one. When it was the 6 of us, I admit that it felt like we could do anything, but now it all fell apart. Divided we fall, dude. Divided we fall."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Clyde quickly put Jason up on the shelf and opened his window.

"Hey, it's me!" Clyde's brother said from the other side of the door.

"Fuck!" Clyde said, closing the window. "Come in."

Tyler opened the door and stepped in. He had a panicked look on his face. "What was. . . What was Gracie doing here!?"

"She was here with her sister dude, calm down. " Clyde said, sitting down in his computer chair.

"You don't understand, her and Jason's sister Kylie have been on a rampage at school this week. They've been going to the front of every line, taking everyone's stuff, and Kylie's beat up anyone who didn't do what they wanted. " Tyler explained, looking over his shoulder to make sure Gracie was truly gone.

"Seriously? Isn't Kylie normally pretty nice to everybody? " Clyde asked.

"Yeah, usually! She doesn't seem like herself. She usually says hi to me in art class, but she hasn't said anything at all this week. She wrecked bryan's sculpture too."

"What the hell." Clyde said, just leaning back in the chair.

"She isn't coming back, is she. . . . Gracie I mean?"

"Nah, we uhh. . . I. . . Pissed her sister off again. " Clyde explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Good dude. Gracie gives me the creeps!" Tyler said, before he walked out, and shut the door.

Clyde helped Jason down from the shelf, noticing his face was red.


"Fucking Kylie is bullying her classmates now?! She knows better than that! She's gonna get it whenever I see her next!" Jason said, fuming.


"I don't really think that taking her on right now would be in your best interest buddy. But if it makes you feel any better, I have your back." Clyde said, taking it all in stride.


"No Clyde! She knows it's not right! I don't care what she does to me, but it's not fair to her fucking class, just because she caught a growth spurt early. "


"Believe me man, you're preaching to the choir here. I just think that it would be wise to maybe gain a few inches and a few pounds. . . Before you chew someone out who entertained themself by stomping on your face?. . I guess is what I'm trying to say.


"Can we get out of here man? Take a drive or something." Jason asked, feeling deflated.


"Yeah, let's go. I need some time away from this heep of bullshit." Clyde agreed as he grabbed his car keys. He was just about to pick Jason up, when his phone went off, signaling a text. He checked it, and his eyes went wide.


"Oh shit!" He said, staring at the screen.

"What is it?" Jason asked.


Clyde flipped the screen and showed him. The image showed an open front door, and was shot in such a way that 4 shadows were cast on the front of the house.


"Isn't that. . . " Jason began.


"Yeah. . . . Mya's house."


"What the fuck." Jason said quietly.


"That isn't the most fucked up part. . . Look at the number it came from." Clyde said, pointing it out.



"Seriously! Emily is using MY phone!?" Jason shouted. "She was always bitchy, but that is some like. . . Horror movie shit! We need to. . . .we need to help her!"


"We don't NEED to do anything. Mya made the choice to push us away and cross your sister. She has it coming." Clyde said, not a hint of uncertainty in his voice.


"Clyde. . I" Jason started.


"Bro. . . We dont have to play the hero this time. We are the little guys in all of this. We can walk the line and do what we need to, to get by. Mya is smart, I'm sure she has a plan or something in case this happens. Besides, I don't have her number, and it will be over by the time we get there."


"So we can at least help her through whatever happens to her!" Jason shouted.


"Nah dude. As sketchy as she has been. . . I don't even want to be involved. It feels. . . It feels like there are heavier consequences to being close to her. You know it's true."


Jason couldn't deny that. He didn't know exactly what his brain was telling him, but the fact that he was right about the twins being missing, meant that it could be some type of heightened intuition. In his dream, Mya had known about the lab, and didn't have any problem handing him over, so it might be a sign of things to come."



"Ok. . . Alright. She can fend for herself I guess." Jason decided. He couldn't push the thought from his head, but he needed to draw the line somewhere.


"It's like I said dude, Mya can burn. Let's go cruise. I need to clear my head." Clyde said, and with that, they left.