Chapter Text
Violent shaking was the first sensation Riley felt as they were yanked out of a deep sleep. Their first thought was that they were crashing, which instantly instilled panic in them, even as they were quickly clawing out of the depths of their slumber.
However, once they were a little more awake, the helicopter didn’t feel like it was actually crashing. Instead, it was the co-pilot who was shaking them. He didn’t seem terribly concerned, so their next thought was that they were getting close to landing.
Regardless of the reason, that was quite the scare to be getting immediately after waking up. Their chest hurt and their blood pressure felt like it had skyrocketed through the roof. That was not a good feeling to have right after waking up. Or… well, in general, really.
“I apologize for frightening you like that, but we’ll be landing in a few minutes.”
“Okay… good to… know.” Riley replied through heaved breathing.
“I’ll leave you alone so you can calm down…” he said as he glanced over at the kids. “And I’ll let you wake the little ones up yourself. I don’t wanna spook them like I did you.”
“Appreciate it…”
The co-pilot then silently returned to his seat beside the pilot. What the hell was his problem to be waking them up like that?
They needed some time to calm themselves down before they even thought about waking the kids up. If any of them saw that the adult in the group was panicked, that would one-hundred percent instill panic in them as well, which was the exact opposite of what any of them needed.
They scooted away from Luna just enough to be able to look outside the window. Thankfully, that proved to be an easy task since Luna had already stopped leaning on them at some point during their sleep.
It had gotten dark outside, evident by the fact the sun was gone, but they couldn’t tell whether it had just turned night or if it’d be morning soon. Their watch had stopped functioning long ago, and there were no clocks in the cabin, so they couldn’t really figure that out.
It didn’t really matter though. The time wouldn’t have made any difference. Whether it was day or night, the first thing they were doing when they could actually go home was crashing into their bed and falling asleep for a while. They needed it after everything, and they’d certainly need it even more after dealing with everyone and everything after landing.
They looked down and noticed the lights from the city below. There weren’t many lights on given the time of night, but there were enough to make out shapes of buildings. Even in the dark, many of those shapes were familiar, and they could even identify some points of interest by their silhouettes.
As uninteresting as something like that would usually be to them, they still took great interest in it. After all, they’d been abandoned out in the wild for several days, so at the moment they reveled in any signs of civilization.
Then it hit them: they were close to home. They were safe. They were free.
Staring out the window did favors in helping them calm down. Their chest didn’t really hurt anymore and it felt like their blood pressure had returned to a more normal rate. They hated feeling like that, so they were certainly glad that was over with.
With that rude awakening behind them, they figured it was now a good time to get the kids up. They were going to need to be ready to get going as soon as they landed. The quicker they could get somewhere quiet, the better.
However, once they turned around, they noticed that Luna had woken up on their own. That was a bit strange, given the kid seemed like such a heavy sleeper, but at least one of the three kids were taken care of.
“Hey Luna, we’re going to be landing soon. I’m gonna go ahead and wake Jade and Jamie up, okay?” Riley whispered.
“Mmkay…” Luna groggily replied.
They had a feeling that Luna didn’t really process any of that. The poor kid was still trying to wake up after all. Oh well. They’d probably come back around to them after getting Jade and Jamie up.
They approached Jade first, who they assumed they’d have better luck with. They reached out a hand to gently shake them but paused as they recalled not being happy about being woken up that way. However… the co-pilot was also a lot more rough, so…
They once again reached out to Jade and placed a hand on their shoulder. They gently shook them a couple times, to no avail. They then shook them ever so slightly harder, but not enough to cause any panic.
Fortunately, Jade seemed to start showing signs of life after that. They didn’t say anything, instead just constantly looking around until their eyes landed on Jamie. Their eyes then met Riley’s, seemingly slightly irritated by the fact they were woken up.
“Sorry. We’re landing soon so I just need all of you awake for it.”
Again, Jade didn’t say anything. They did slowly nod in understanding but didn’t do much else beyond that. They did, however, hold Jamie a little closer to them.
Riley assumed Jade would handle waking Jamie up, so they didn’t pursue that idea any further. Jamie would probably be more positively receptive to it if Jade was the one to wake them up anyways.
That much was confirmed when Jade started rustling Jamie the same way Riley did to them. Jamie whined in protest and only held onto Jade tighter.
“C’mon, Jamie… we’re leaving soon,” Jade said.
“I don’t wanna…” Jamie whined.
“I know…” Jade seemed… sad? “But we have to.”
“Why…?”
Jade didn’t respond.
“Why?” Jamie asked again.
“I… don’t know.”
Neither of the siblings said anything beyond that. There wasn’t anything that could be said that could make it any better. They both knew very well they were returning to a life they didn’t want to return to, and neither of them could do anything about it.
Luna left their seat and squeezed themselves between Jamie and the wall. However, neither of them seemed to mind. They then wrapped Jamie in a half-hug and placed their free hand atop Jamie’s. Jamie turned that hand so they could interlock.
“I’m sorry. I wish I could’ve done more for you three,” Riley reluctantly stated.
It hurt to say that. It hurt to acknowledge they realistically couldn’t do much. It hurt to let them all go back to lives they didn’t want to go back to. It hurt…
“You’ve done more than any of us could’ve asked for,” Jade replied.
“But…”
“You weren’t obligated to help us when we crashed. You weren’t obligated to form such a bond with us so we could work together and leave. You weren’t obligated to rescue Luna with us. You weren’t obligated to do anything with or for us, and yet you did.”
“I…”
“And who knows what will happen at the airport?”
“…”
“Just… try to think more positively of yourself… of everything, okay?”
“It’s hard to when the negatives heavily outweigh the positives.”
“I… suppose I’ve never really looked at it like that before.”
Riley didn’t really want to continue the conversation so they stopped talking there. Wallowing in their guilt wouldn’t make things better. They should be happy for crying out loud! They were going home!
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to strike a nerve.” Jade then slouched back a bit in their seat and focused on Jamie and Luna again. That… did nothing to make Riley feel better.
Riley once again looked outside the window, but in that time, the lights and shapes from the city had been replaced by runway lights and vague silhouettes of planes.
They were at the airport. The end of the line with these kids.
“Looks like we’re here,” Riley sighed. They weren’t ready to do this, but they didn’t exactly have a choice.
They watched as they slowly descended closer to the ground. They couldn’t see any people from their window but they knew better than to think it was going to be quiet there. This wasn’t something that could just be swept under the rug.
They felt a slight bounce as the helicopter landed on the ground. Once secure on the ground, all of the mechanical whirring inside stopped and the blades on the outside slowed to a halt. However, the silence that followed was a little too eerie for their liking.
That was, until the co-pilot once again entered the cabin. “Morning, folks. As you may have guessed, we’ve just landed. Me and the pilot, Judy, will help you all get out shortly.”
“And your name is…?” Riley asked.
“Todd.” Todd then put out his hand to shake Riley’s, but Riley didn’t return the gesture. “Ah… tough crowd.”
“Sorry. Not really in the mood for formalities. Name’s Riley, by the way.”
“I’m aware. News about all of your disappearances spread quickly.”
“It has?”
“Yeah. I’d expect a lot of paparazzi waiting for you out there… and some friends too.”
“Any family?”
“Hmm… not that I can tell. At least, nobody identified themselves as family members.”
“Todd!” A woman, presumably Judy, called out from outside, muffled by the glass.
“Ah… guess it’s time for me to go. I’ll chat with you later if you’d like.”
I wouldn’t like that, actually… What I would like is some peace and quiet…
“Sure. See you around, Todd,” Riley replied listlessly.
“Likewise.” Todd then exited the helicopter, leaving the four scouts alone.
Before any of them could do anything though, the cabin door suddenly swung open.
In the forefront stood Judy with her hands on her hips. She seemed quite annoyed, but for what reason, they were uncertain of. They assumed they wouldn’t ever figure out why, so the next best thing was to just simply avoid confrontation. They really didn’t need any drama now.
Behind her was the paparazzi behind held back by two police officers and a flimsy fence. The crowd could’ve easily plowed through that “blockade,” but it somehow managed to keep them at bay. They all had their own camera crews and microphones, so clearly they were there to probe for attention.
They were really hoping they could just avoid all of that noise. They didn’t want to have to deal with the media, and they certainly didn’t want the kids to have to deal with them either. Maybe they’d come back around to the idea in the future, but now…?
“Get moving, people!” Judy urged. Jeez, these pilots are just total pricks, aren’t they…?
Riley reluctantly complied and walked out of the cabin. The children piled out behind them. It felt good to be on stable ground again, even if their feet were still sore.
They didn’t get much time to take it all in though because they were nearly tackled by someone in a hug.
“Holy sh—crap, you’re alive, Riley!” a female exclaimed. That voice sounds familiar…
It wasn’t until she backed off that they noticed it was their best friend, Evelyn. Or Eve, for short. Only they could call her that though.
Her skin was lime-green and she wore a galaxy sash. Much like Riley, she had almost every badge aside from a few of the most difficult or time-consuming ones. She had a scar over her left eye, which truthfully came from an encounter from her cat, even if she tried to hype it up as something cooler. Her outfit was the regular scouting outfit but in the Cookie Scout color scheme. Her shirt was white with green accents. Her skirt and shoes were the same green as the accents on her shirt.
Her hair seemed a little messier than usual. She usually had it wrapped up in a ponytail, but instead, it draped to her shoulders. However, given the time and given they were a mess themselves, they decided against teasing her for it.
Based on the fact there were a lot of people both on the runway and in the airport, it seemed she took their advice and made some noise when they went missing.
They had no reason to believe she wouldn’t have done so but… she was forgetful at times. That much was understandable given she was busy training to become a Scoutmaster but it would’ve been rather unfortunate if that was one of the times she forgot.
Wait…
A galaxy sash? That means she’s already a Scoutmaster? But how…?
“Hey, Eve…”
“Morning, sunshine! How are you feeling?”
“Tired, hungry, thirsty, dirty… but I’m alive.”
“I guess that’s to be expected,” Evelyn said. “Oh hey! Check it out!” She tugged on her sash. “I’m a Scoutmaster now!”
“I noticed. Why’s that? I thought you were still training?”
“Yeah… long story.”
“I’ve got plenty of time.”
“Do it somewhere else. You need to clear the area,” Judy flatly stated. Right… she’s still here…
Evelyn glared at Judy. “Jeez, okay. We’re moving.” She then put out a hand, which Riley grabbed immediately. “Let’s get you and the little ones somewhere quieter.”
I’m glad I’m not the only one that has a problem with Judy…
“I’m not little…” Jamie refuted.
“Whatever you say, Jamie.”
“You… know them?” Riley asked.
“Uh… yeah? Duh? Maybe if you didn’t sit around and hide from people, you would’ve met them sooner too!”
Riley rolled their eyes. “Whatever. Let’s get out of here.”
Evelyn smirked. “Sure.”
Evelyn then led all of them to a hatch leading back into the airport. More climbing…? She entered first, then the children right after her. It was only after everyone else had entered that Riley finally climbed up.
Thankfully, the airport was much quieter than the runway. There were still a few people inside, many of which tried to approach the group as they entered, but Evelyn shooed them off.
It was only then that they finally saw a clock with the date and time: June 11th. 5:57AM.
They were gone for an entire week. At least they got a full night’s rest on their way back.
“Well… I guess it’s not really a long story necessarily… just… I dunno.” Evelyn motioned towards a set of seats. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll go find some food and drinks for all of you.”
The four of them complied and sat down in their seats. Immediately, they noticed the seats were much more comfortable than those in the helicopter. That wasn’t a necessarily high bar to clear but they still appreciated it nonetheless.
Evelyn quickly returned with four bottles of water and bags of chips. “Sorry. I know it’s not much but not many places around here are open yet. This stupid airport only has vending machines…”
“It’s fine. I appreciate it, Eve.” Riley then took a bottle and bag and dug into it.
The chips were bland, and truthfully almost stale, but it was better than nothing. And… they couldn’t even recall the last time they had something to drink aside from coconut water, so they were glad they could have actual water again.
Evelyn then sat down across from them and sighed. “So… a lot has happened in the time you’ve all been missing.”
“We’re a pretty big deal, huh?” Jamie asked sarcastically.
“Yup, totally, kid,” Evelyn replied in a similar manner.
“So, uh, anyways. After I started making calls, rumors of Scoutmaster Edmond’s involvement started to circulate.”
“You don’t say,” Riley scoffed.
Evelyn seemed confused at the remark, but paid no further attention to it. “Long story short, turns out he was trying to kill that kid.” She then pointed directly at Luna, who shrunk in their seat. “Apparently, before that, he treated them like crap too, like—”
“Yeah… we’re aware,” Riley said.
Evelyn’s brow furrowed. “You… are?”
“Yeah. Hey, Jade, you still got that note?”
“Hmm… let me check.” Jade then set down their water and snack and dug into their backpack. They soon pulled out Riley’s coat and dug around in the pockets. They found the note from Edmond and handed it to Evelyn. “Here’s the note we found on the pilot’s corpse.”
Evelyn took the note. “Pilot’s corpse…? You’re saying…”
“The pilot died by the time we found them, yes,” Jade replied.
“Huh… okay.” Evelyn then scanned the note and grimaced. “Yeah. This is the exact same note that we found in his office… What the hell…”
“So… what happened to him after all that?” Jamie asked.
“Given that he bribed the pilot to try to kill the kid and the fact that there were four of you on that flight… he’s currently looking at one count of bribery and four counts of attempted murder. So, uh… he’s probably not coming back for a while. Or ever.”
“And that’s why you’re Scoutmaster now?”
“Yeah. They needed someone to take his place and it seemed like I was the only person that could take on that mantle, so now I’m Scoutmaster of that kid’s troop.”
“Luna,” Luna flatly said.
“Huh?”
“M-My name is Luna…”
“Oh. I thought your name was…” Evelyn shook her head. “Nevermind. Guessing that’s the name you prefer?” Luna nodded in response. “’kay, noted. Nice to finally meet you, Luna.”
“So… Edmond’s out of the picture… what about these two’s grandparents?” Riley pointed towards Jade and Jamie.
“Those old hags—”
“Watch it,” Riley warned.
“Those old folks? Haven’t seen ‘em. I did hear quite the commotion from them about… something, I dunno. Didn’t quite catch any of it.”
“So I guess that means they’re with me then.”
“I guess so. Seems like today’s your lucky day!”
“Works for me. That’s kinda what we all prefer anyways.”
“If I was in their shoes… I would too, honestly,” Evelyn’s eyes widened as she remembered something. “Oh, yeah! We’ve got a few Headmasters here too but I think you’ll have more important problems with—”
Suddenly, a man in blue jeans and a dress shirt appeared in Riley’s line-of-sight. He was holding what appeared to be a clipboard in one hand. In spite of the time, he seemed ready for… whatever he was there for. They couldn’t quite pinpoint who or what he was there for.
Well, at least, that was until they saw the letters “CPS” on his shirt. That meeting could only go one of two ways then, one of which made their stomach drop.
“Him. Lemme… get out of your hair now. I’ll catch up with you later, ‘kay Riley?”
“Sure. See you around, Eve.”
The man then sat down where Evelyn previously sat. “I apologize for breaking up your re-union, Riley. I assume you remember who I am?”
It only now registered in their head that he was Dave. The agent they had dealt with before both in fostering and having Melody, their previous foster child, taken from them. They… couldn’t bear to think about her again.
“Dave, yeah… You here to take these three from me too?”
“Hmm… not quite,” Dave replied.
“Huh?”
“These are… very extraordinary circumstances, Riley.”
“Elaborate.”
“Well, first of all, the guardian for Amber—”
“Luna.” Was Amber their real name…? Luna flinched when they heard it so… hopefully not… Regardless, they’re Luna to me.
“The guardian for Luna tried to kill them and got arrested, so he’s no longer got custody of them. Second of all, the grandparents of Jade and Jamie decided to expedite surrendering custody of them for… some reason. Third of all, from what I can tell, it seems they really like you and finally, we don’t really have anywhere to hold them at the moment, so…”
“You’re saying that they’re mine?”
“Well… not quite, no. I am saying that you can keep them for the day, but we’ll need to get some paperwork done tomorrow if you really want to take them in. That’s the soonest I’ll be able to see you,” Dave smiled. “You seem like a good person, and last time I was at your place it was in great shape, so I assume you’ll be able to handle these three for the day at the very least.”
“Alright!!!” Jamie exclaimed.
“You, uh… heard him, right Jamie? You’re not actually my kid yet,” Riley replied.
“Who cares! Even if we’re just with you for a day, it’s better than… uh, wherever we’d end up.”
Riley sighed. “I guess so.” They then smiled. “So… Dave. Is it really that easy?”
“Well… assuming everything goes well tomorrow and nobody has second thoughts… sure. You’ll be able to foster them soon enough.”
“That’s… hah. Incredible. That’s exactly what we want.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” He offered a hand for them to shake, but they hugged him instead. Surprisingly, he did return the hug.
Riley suddenly backed off, embarrassed by the act. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to do that.”
“I get it, emotions are high. I’ve seen it plenty of times. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m just… wow! I didn’t think… I thought this would end much differently.”
“Well… like I said, extraordinary circumstances. If even one of those factors were absent… Well, it doesn’t matter now.” He then pulled a paper from his clipboard and offered it to Riley. “Here’s the court order saying what I said, basically. I strongly suggest you hold onto it.”
Riley took the paper but didn’t bother to read it at the moment. Their mind was too all over the place to process it anyhow. They instead folded it up and shoved it in their right pocket.
“With all of that out of the way… I’ll leave you all to it.” He then started to walk away.
Riley patted their pocket where there phone would usually be but noticed it was gone. “Dave, wait!” they called out.
“Hm?”
“I don’t have a working phone right now. What time do you want us to come in tomorrow?”
“Let’s see…” Dave tapped on his phone, presumably looking for an opening. “Uh… 2PM?”
“Sure,” Riley agreed. The kids nodded in unison. “Works for us.”
“Wonderful. I’ll see you all then.” Dave waved and continued walking away.
It was only then that Riley noticed Evelyn was close-by. “Gee, didn’t take you as an eavesdropper, Eve.”
“Congrats, Riley.”
“I’m not their parent yet.”
“Yet. I have a good feeling that will change.”
“I appreciate your confidence in me.”
“Someone’s gotta be confident in you.”
“The hell is that supposed to mean?”
Evelyn scoffed. “You know exactly what I mean, Rye.”
“I hate it when you call me that.”
“I love it.”
Evelyn broke out into laughter, causing Riley to follow suit. As much of a pain in the ass she could be at times, she was still a great friend to them. They couldn’t ever truly hate her.
Jamie cleared their throat. “Ahem.”
“Huh?” Riley turned around and was tackled in a hug by all of the kids.
“Aww. Seems like they love you!” Evelyn cooed.
“Yeah! We do! They’re super cool!” Jamie replied.
“Sounds about right,” Evelyn replied warmly. “I’ll leave you all to it then. I’ll be waiting in my car.”
“Huh? But I have mine—”
“You got your car keys? Or… any keys, as a matter of fact?”
“Uh…” Riley patted their pockets then realized all of their keys were missing too. “No… You have the spare key to my place, right?”
Evelyn waved the spare key around. “Yup, I sure do. Please give me another when you can replace yours.” She then handed it over to Riley. “Like I said, I’ll be waiting in my car. I’ll give you all a ride back to your place as long as you let me crash on your couch.”
Riley shrugged. “Sure, works for me. What about my car?”
“I’ll have my dad tow it, free of charge.”
“I’ll pay you for it—”
“No you won’t.”
“But—”
“Blah blah blah! I can’t hear you! I’m leaving now!!!” Evelyn then ran off towards the exit of the airport before Riley had a chance to argue any longer.
“Heh. Rye…” Jamie muttered.
“Jamie… don’t even.”
Jamie put their hands up. “Okay, okay! Jeez…”
“So… other than tomorrow, that’s it then? It was really that simple?” Jade asked.
“I guess so. I’m glad it was that easy though.”
“Y-Yeah… I didn’t w-wanna go back…”
Jamie nodded. “None of us did, but look at us now! We get to hang out forever!!!” they shouted.
Riley caught a glance of the crowd that was slowly growing larger. It seemed their window to escape was narrowing.
“I think we should get going. More people keep coming in and I don’t really want any of us to be bothered right now.”
“Aww, okay,” Jamie whined. It seemed they had their eyes set on the rock-climbing pillar.
“I’m sorry Jamie, but we’ve all gotta get showered and in some clean clothes and I’ve gotta figure out food and a lot of other stuff for us. You’ll have time to lounge around back at my house, okay?”
“Fine…” Jamie grumbled. “Let’s leave then.”
Riley let out a deep sigh. They weren’t ready for all that noise, but they needed to get out of there. “Alright… let’s do this.”
And then they set off towards the exit. They ignored all of the paparazzi as they walked by and gently pushed the kids onward every time they stopped. The sooner they could leave, the better.
They finally made it outside to Evelyn’s car. It was a shoddy looking van, but at least it’d comfortably fit all of them.
“Shotgun,” Riley said.
“Dang it…” Jamie whined.
Riley sat down in the front seat while their children scrambled into the back seat. Once all four of them were buckled in, Evelyn turned on the car.
“Well, how do you feel, Riley?” Evelyn asked.
“Nervous? But also… happy? For several reasons.”
“Makes sense. You’ve got nothing to worry about though! I’ve got your back and so do they.”
“Yeah… you’re right. I appreciate everything you’ve been doing, Eve.”
“Anything for my bestie!” she chirped.
Evelyn then turned on the car and started driving. Riley caught a quick glance in the rear-view mirror and noticed the kids had somehow fallen asleep again. They couldn’t help but smile at the sight. They were finally safe, and as long as Riley was alive, they’d do anything to ensure their safety.
They weren’t really tired themselves, nor were they in the mood to talk anymore, so they instead opted to just watch the scenery as it passed by them. They never really got the opportunity to do a lot of sightseeing before, considering they were usually the one driving.
Most of the smaller businesses were still closed but some were just starting to open up. Life was starting to poor into the city too as the morning people started making their commutes. The street lights were still on, though they imagined that’d change soon with hints of the sun creeping up towards the horizon.
After a few minutes, the sun finally peeked up over the horizon, shining a nice orange-golden hue on everything it touched. It was truly a pretty sight. They made a mental note to watch the sunrise more often.
For the first time in a while, they too felt at peace. They were safe and they finally had a new purpose in life again.
Fulfilling that purpose would be far from the easiest thing they’ve ever done. They were certainly nervous to be taking on such a massive undertaking too. However, with their best friend and their new family cheering them on…
They were ready to carve out a new path in life, both for themselves and their kids.
No matter what.