Jericho, Sheriff's Office - Several hours before William's party.
"How on earth could you let it all end like this? You had 25 experienced armed men, it should have been a simple job, track him down, find him and kill him."
Mayor Noble paced back and forth in his office. Last night's operation to eliminate the Bear threat was a complete failure, and complaints from the families of the injured were quick to arrive.
"We have one guy missing an ear, one missing an eye, and one missing a finger. What is this, some bloody jigsaw puzzle you're trying to put together?" (Noble)
"And that's not the worst part. David is in a coma, missing an arm. He's a hunter. What is he supposed to do now, assuming he survives his injuries? Did you see that poor man? He looked like a half-eaten meat skewer when they brought him to the hospital. I wouldn't be surprised if he killed himself after seeing his body in a mirror." (Noble)
Mayor Noble's fists banged angrily on the table. The officers in the office lowered their heads, pretending to pay attention to their computers, but each one was trying to hear Mayor Noble's words.
Police Station Break Room
*Clench*
"You'll hurt yourself if you keep clenching your teeth like that."
Ritchie couldn't take it anymore and stopped his hands from searching for snacks in the cupboard. He held his hot coffee cup with both hands and turned to look at Garcia, who was clenching his fists in frustration.
"It was my fault. If I hadn't had that nervous breakdown, we would have arrived on time, stopped Steve from entering the cave, supported his team, and prevented David's current condition."
"It was my mistake too. I shouldn't have included you in the search. I realised you were nervous from the moment I picked you up at Mrs. Rocher's farm."
"It was more than a nightmare, Ritchie. It felt so real. I could even smell its stench on my clothes after I woke up. It's sulphur. I did some research."
"I believe you..."
"I know it sounds crazy... do you believe me?"
"I checked the shotgun register when you came back. You wrote down the cartridges. Then I checked Mrs. Rocher's farm. Not a single shotgun shell. I searched more thoroughly. The ground looked disturbed, and some of the barn boards had been replaced with new ones."
"You did all that!"
Ritchie nodded gently and continued.
"Then I spoke to Mrs. Rocher. She looked different, less scattered, more lucid. I know her family has a history of early dementia, but now she seems to have improved overnight."
"I..." Garcia tried to say something, but when he saw Ritchie's look, he closed his mouth and sighed heavily.
"Strange things always happen in Jericho. Now I believe you, but we have more important things to deal with. Try to put this matter behind you."
Ritchie walked over to García after taking a couple of chocolate biscuits and patted him on the shoulder.
(I would if it were that easy.) (García)
Galpin Sheriff's Office
"Three people suffered minor injuries and two were seriously injured. There were 25 people with hunting dogs and guns."
"I told you it would be a bad idea, but you went ahead with it anyway. We should have asked the neighbouring county for help from the start. They would have experience with this type of situation."
"They're no better than us. It's my town, my responsibility."
"Then it's your bloody mess. Instead of standing here yelling at me like a little kid who failed a test, you should let me think about what the hell to do next."
"Watch your language, Galpin. I'm your boss, and you're my subordinate."
"I can let it slide once, twice, but not a third time."
(I know work is your whole damn life, don't make me take it away from you.) (Noble)
Noble stormed out of Galpin's office, slamming the door behind him. The blinds made a plastic noise against the glass. Noble left without looking at any of the officers.
*Pschhh!*
Galpin slumped into his recliner after opening a beer. He always kept a pack of beer in the bottom drawer of his desk for situations like this.
Nevermore Second Art Gallery.
''Let's recap, the mermaid herd is suffering internal problems after Bianca lost this year's Poe Cup' (Ajax)
''Puck Hall had been undefeated for three years, I understand the anger of some of them'' (Divina)
"So Bianca planned this exclusive party by the river for the older students, and she asked you to buy some bottles for them." (Ajax)
"Using your special privilege to go to Jericho whenever you want, which Weems gave you to finish your mural with William." (Enid)
"That's right, I tried to get them, but the liquor store manager wasn't willing." (Xavier)
"Did you give him extra money?" (Yoko)
"Of course I tried, but he said he wouldn't accept money from an Outcast, let alone someone from Nevermore. So how did you get them, Will?" (Xavier)
Everyone looked at William, who was still struggling with a slice of blueberry pie.
"Did a pretty older girl help you?" Divina smiled mischievously.
William remained silent.
"Who is she? What's her name? Is she pretty?" (Enid)
Enid ignored the rest of them and jumped on William, who hurriedly put down his plate and hugged her.
"I'd say average. Her name is Valerie." (William)
"The girl from Veleta. She's quite pretty and popular." (Ajax)
"What's the problem? She already has the bottles, and with the festival, most of the students and teachers will be away from the academy for a while." (William)
William continued the discussion after taking Enid's hand and intertwining his fingers with hers, her multicoloured nails standing out against her white skin and William's perfectly manicured nails.
"Here's the problem: the bottles disappeared from where Bianca kept them, and only two people knew where that was, me and Bianca." (Xavier)
"I don't blame myself for what happened, but I wanted to ask you to get more for her." (Xavier)
"Once is fine, but twice makes you her errand boy, whom she can command with a snap of her fingers." (Yoko)
Yoko snorted in disgust. This wasn't a favour for her friends. William didn't even know all the mermaids gathered around Bianca, let alone the older students, and his relationship with Bianca wasn't exactly close. Now, after what had happened, William didn't even look at her.
*Applause*
"Enough of this, I think it's time to go. Tomorrow is the unveiling of Xavier's mural. According to Weems, there will be a short ceremony and a photo session, so everyone to their dorms."
William was the one who dispersed everyone. It was a somewhat depressing topic for Xavier and unimportant to him.
Jericho Bakery 'El Milagro'
"A lot more people came than I thought would." (William)
"William, you're quite popular among the Normies, especially the young girls, and Jean's mum promoted the event to all her bakery customers." (Weems)
"The young girls brought their parents, and they brought their friends, and in the end, they managed to gather this huge crowd." (Xavier)
Headmistress Weems smiled happily. Her plan to strengthen relations between Normies and Outcasts had been successful this time. A large crowd gathered in Jericho's main square, and the farmers' market was the busiest it had been in quite some time.
The children ran from side to side playing with each other, the fathers drank beer at the picnic tables, and the mothers gathered in small groups to discuss gossip.
Some food stalls had been set up in a row, the merchants seeing a business opportunity with so many people gathered together.
"This is the first I've heard of this" (William)
William adjusted his sunglasses, a birthday gift from Enid. They were a very good brand, and Yoko had helped him choose a rather elegant model.
"Lots of girls gather at the Veleta in groups to watch you work on the mural. I saw several of them secretly taking photos of you with paint on your face." (Xavier)
William and Xavier smiled at Headmistress Weems, while the reporter took some photos of the three of them together in front of the mural. It would be on the front page of the newspaper the next day. The mural was so big and beautiful that Mayor Noble planned to promote it as a tourist attraction for Jericho. People could come by, take a selfie, and while they were here, they would help our economy by buying souvenirs and that sort of thing. Those were his words to William and Xavier.
"All right, William, Mr Thorper, it seems the mayor wants to discuss a few things with me privately. You can go with your friends, but remember, don't get into any trouble." (Weems)
(Catherine will be very happy when I tell her about this, and upset that she isn't here with her son.) (Weems)
Weems hurried away, her perfectly styled platinum hair and elegant suit accentuating her attractive hourglass figure.
"Let's take a photo. The mural probably won't be there next year."
William patted Xavier on the shoulder to go and meet up with Enid and the rest. They would take a group photo in front of the mural.
"What do you mean?" (Xavier)
"It's nothing, come here." (William)
"Will, Xavier, Ajax, stand in front. Especially you, Will, you're too tall, you'll have to crouch down." (Enid)
Enid quickly set the camera to automatic mode and ran to join Yoko and Divina behind William and the boys.
"3, 2...1"
"Whisky!!!!" X 6