FANFIC: Missing Sister, the next generation (15 years after) (Chapter 1)

[creativeannie]

TITLE: Missing Sister, the next generation (15 years after)
CHAPTER: 1/?
PAIRINGS/CHARACTERS: Most of main cast feature in this. As for pairings, some you might be able to guess, others will surprise you. A lot has happened in 15 years.
RATING/WARNINGS: I'll go with PG-13, just in case.
SUMMARY/NOTES: A next generation fic. Three years ago Brady was kidnapped by the Chosen, and the Mallrats still don't know where she or the Chosen are. Now things are set in motion, bringing the Mallrats and the Chosen towards their final battle, while the next generation of Mallrats are forced to come to terms with their parents' past.

As a way to make it easier to keep track of timelines in terms of flashbacks, I'll be using Year (insert number) AV in the headings to let you know when it takes place. AV = After Virus, so s1 is year 0. S1-s5 lasted about 3 years in the timeline of this story.

CHARACTER PROFILES
(my advice is to try and read the story before looking at the profiles, they are there mainly to help avoid confusion with the amount of new characters.)



CHAPTER 1: Sunrise

Sunrise, sunset, you wake up then you undress, it always is the same.
The sunrise and the sunsets, you're lying while you confess, keep trying to explain.
The sunrise and the sunsets, you realise then you forget what you've been trying to retain.
Bright Eyes - Sunrise, sunset

YEAR 15 AV (After Virus)

Lex woke up with a groan. His hand went to his head, finding something wet and sticky at his temple. He stared at the blood on his fingers perplexed for a second, before it all came crashing down on him; Tai-San’s grim smile (that even after all these years sent a pang of pain through him), the Guardian’s laughter, the terrified screams of his deputies, then pain and nothing. A moment of panic hit him as he looked around at his deputies strewn across the ground around him. A few were, like him, groaning in pain, a couple of them were wobbling around to try and help the others. But they all seemed to be alive; the Chosen hadn’t taken the time to kill.
May was holding her left hand tightly over a bleeding wound at the back of her head. She glanced at Lex and their eyes met. The accusation and anger was clear. Suddenly it dawned on him. He had screwed up. He had really screwed up.

Without a word to anyone he jumped to his feet, for a moment swaying as his head spun from this sudden movement. As soon as he could see straight he ran. He ignored the calls behind him from his deputies. Inside the city there were a few people walking around with confusion evident on their faces. Lex ignored their calls to him, their many questions about where the Chosen had gone, why had they suddenly taken off? There was only one thing on his mind.

He was first to reach the mall. The other Mallrats had been situated further out, holding the outer line with many other tribes. They had always known someone would manage to get through, so they had put up two lines of defence surrounding the city. It was the plan Lex had not only approved of, but heavily been involved in the planning off. How could he be so stupid? His deputies had only followed his orders, they had realised too late he had gone of the official plan and made his own. That they had gone out to face them rather than hold the line. As he raced inside the mall, the alarm bells blearing in his ears, the accusing eyes of May swam through his head again.

He stopped inside the hall, shouting their names before running around like a headless chicken. He stopped by the market stalls, staring at the entrance to the sewers. The lifeless form in front of the doorway was covered in blood, the floor around a large puddle of red. There was no doubt that Darryl was dead, long before Lex even reached him. The Chosen had not killed him, they had slaughtered him. No compassion had been shown; someone had brutally attacked him with a knife several times, sending a clear message to the rest of them.
He felt like crying. Lex, of all people, felt like crying. He had done this. He had made Darryl do the baby-sitting duty, to keep him out of the way. It would have been a brilliant idea, if only Lex hadn’t been so foolish.

Lex forced himself to look away, jumped over the body and hurried into the sewers, hoping beyond hope that Brady had managed to escape that way. There was no sign of her down there, but there was sign of a struggle. A piece of torn white fabric that looked like it could be from a Chosen robe was on the ground. Someone had dropped a bloody knife. Lex saw something on the ground and bent down to pick it up, it was a heart necklace on a broken chain. Brady had put up a fight. Lex gritted his teeth. Tai-San’s face appeared in his head again. Had she known that he would do anything to get her out of the Guardian’s grasp? Had that been their plan all along, depend on Lex to screw up?

He put the necklace in the pocket of his sheriff’s vest, and marched back upstairs. It wasn’t long before he heard running footsteps. Soon there were heartbreaking cries as the other Mallrats saw the dead body of their friend. He was suddenly grateful that Gel and her daughter were at the farm with the other kids and out of harm’s way; that she wasn’t there right now to see her husband like this. Lex stared into Darryl’s lifeless eyes. He kneeled down and put his hand over to close them. As he moved to stand up again, something in the corner of his eyes caught his attention. Under a cart was a little boy, the bright red hair being what had caught Lex’s attention. His wide terrified eyes were locked on Darryl and all the blood. Little Dal. What was he doing here?

There was no time to ask that question out loud before the scream Lex had feared took his attention away. Trudy had fallen to her knees just a few feet away from him.
“My daughter! Where’s my girl? BRADY!”

YEAR 18 AV (After Virus):

Cazandra ran through the uphill forest ground as fast as her legs could carry her. She could hear the sounds of fighting behind her, screams of pain, roars in defiance, and orders being yelled. Sickening noises she knew came from the Chosen’s iron canes connecting with some body part of a fighting opponent. For a moment she stopped, looking back in the darkness behind her, the sun still a couple hours away. It felt so cowardly to be running away. She had been taught her whole life how to fight them, albeit with her mind and not her fists, and now that the act was over for her family and friends she was running away, turning her back on them. But what choice did she have? They couldn’t do it alone, they needed the Mallrats. She turned around again, and without another glance back she hurried through the thick mossy ground leading her slowly upwards towards the mountains.

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As the sun rose in the city the only sounds that could be heard were the wind rustling the trees and the twittering of the birds. The usually busy city was still asleep this Saturday morning, gathering strength for another day.

A young girl, only a few months past her fifteenth birthday, swung gently back and forth on the swings by her home, the mall, where she had lived every day of her life. Her short blonde hair was swept back by the wind, and then forward again as she went back and forth on the swing. She felt like a little child again, gaining speed until she felt like she was flying, like she and her friends used to do when they were little, her green eyes shining with joy for a moment as she laughed softly to herself. Finally she slowed down, breaking with her feet in the dirt under her until the swing only swayed lightly.
Jayda looked up at the sky where the sun was now high up and shining down on the world again. Usually by now she would have been back in bed, under the covers and drifting back to sleep, until she was woken up by her mother coming to check if they were awake. No, to check that they were there, that no one had snatched them during the night.
Absentmindedly she picked on a new hole in her worn jeans. They were already covered in brightly coloured patches that she had sown on herself every time there was a new hole. Her mother had tried to make her throw them away, but she couldn’t do that. They had been Brady’s once. With a sigh she planted her feet to the ground to bring the swing to a complete stop. As soon as the thought of her mother getting worried entered her mind, she heard her calling for her.
“I’m right here.” Jayda called back.

Trudy hurried around the corner, relaxing first when she saw her daughter. For a moment Jayda thought she looked just like the young woman in the pictures she had seen from earlier days of the Mallrats. But then the worried look returned, these days it seemed etched on her face. Trudy looked older than her years now, all the time spent worrying about her children had given her a few wrinkles in her pale face. Her four pregnancies had left clear traces on her body, she was rounder and not always so well-kept as other things took priority over such things as grooming. She kept her hair short, though longer than before, usually pulled back in a messy bun at the back of her head. Now it was flowing loose in the wind, still the same purple colour that had become her trademark.
“I wish you would use the roof to see the sunrise, it’s not safe out here so early.”
Trudy glanced over her shoulder quickly as she said it. Jayda wondered sometimes if she actually thought someone might jump out of the bushes, or if it was just a habit she couldn’t get rid of. But she didn’t say a word, just gave her mother a smile and followed her inside.

Up on the roof another young girl, about a year younger than Jayda, peered over the edge to look down at them.
“Mommy’s little girl.” She said to herself in a mocking voice as she sat back up.
Monique snorted and shook her head slightly as she turned back to her newsletter, and the “In or Out” pages of Mode Mag, Gel’s fashion newsletter. Her eyes narrowed when she saw “braids” on the Out list. Instinctively her hand went up to her own hair; she had gotten rid of her own braids just a few weeks ago. She twirled a strand of her hair around her fingers as she scowled down at the page in front of her. She knew Gel had only done it because she was mad at her mother; they had an argument just a few days ago where Gel had stormed off in a huff, and Ebony had been left behind smirking. Monique had enjoyed that moment. She glanced down at the page again, the clear image of her mother’s triumphant grin, as Gel slammed her door shut, came into her mind. It was a very rare moment these days to see her mother smile, even if it was an arrogant smirk. Monique tore out the page, rolled it into a ball, and threw it off the roof.

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In the café Jason was busy cleaning after the party the night before. Despite the adults letting them stay up late, Jason had been the one going to sleep earliest of the older kids, and apart from Jayda he had been the first up that morning. Absentmindedly he scratched his head, forgetting his hand was covered in foam. He quickly grabbed a towel to dry off his blonde hair.
Amber walked in at that moment, smiling at the sight of her son.
“You do know we have showers, right?”
Jason jumped, but smiled in relief when he saw it was only her.
“I got foam in my hair.” He explained.
“You’re such a good boy, Jason.”
Amber kissed him gently on the side of his head, before attempting to straighten out his messed up hair.
“What did our little saint do now?” Bray walked in with his stepdad Jay in tow, a teasing smile on his face.
“He is cleaning after the party,” Amber beamed.
“Such a good little boy,” Bray teased, walking closer and splashing some water at his brother.
He hurried away, before Jason could get him back.

Instead, Jason’s retaliation hit Riley who entered the café just then. Jason froze, as Riley’s dark brown eyes glared at him. You never knew when she’d blow up at you. Quickly he threw the towel over to her.
“It’s only water,” he said, hoping this would calm her down.
She tugged at her purple shirt and examined the stain, before looking back at him. She threw the towel back, and turned her focus away from him. The danger was over.

“Why don’t you sit down and eat with us?” Amber smiled at Riley with her head tilting a bit to the side as she did so.
Riley tried not to snap at her, despite her annoyance at the never-ending sympathy smiles.
“I’m not really hungry.”
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you really should eat something.” Amber insisted, her head now tilting to the other side. Riley grabbed an apple to please her.
“A little too much to drink last night?” Jay grinned, and then actually winked at her.
Riley resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and glanced at Bray, the only one to really ever drink too much. She had seen him lying over toilets, bushes, fences, while throwing up after one too many shots at a party.
“Did you have fun, Riley?” Amber ignored the comment from her husband, and once again turned to Riley with that smile almost painted on her face.
Riley somehow managed a smile in return, and nodded. She quickly bit into the apple so she wouldn’t have to say anything, before hurrying out of the café as quickly as she had entered, regretfully dropping the idea of having anything more for breakfast. Whoever came up with the idea that birthdays should be celebrated deserved many years of torture, in her opinion.

It was supposed to be a joint birthday party, for her and Chris. It was tradition, since their very first one. They had been born only three days apart, somehow this meant they just had to celebrate it together. Of course, it had been two years since Chris actually bothered staying more than a few minutes, and even longer since he had bothered staying for the birthday cake. This year he hadn’t shown up at all. She didn’t really blame him (for this anyway, there were enough of other things to blame him for), she hated it herself. But it would have been nice to have someone else take some of the attention, especially after Slade’s death. Somehow this being the first birthday without him was supposed to mean something to her. Riley had become an orphan the day her mother, Ruby, died. Her father being alive or dead made little difference in that sense.

These days the birthday party was only there as a distraction anyway, everyone knew what happened the day after her twelfth birthday. The one thing on everyone’s minds was really the fact that three years earlier they had been in panic preparing for an attack, and failing to keep Brady from being taken by the Chosen. Having a party seemed so wrong when they all knew they’d be waking up the next morning knowing it was the anniversary of the day Brady had been kidnapped and Darryl brutally killed. No one in the mall had seen Brady since, and no one knew where the Chosen had taken her or what they were planning. Riley saw no point in celebrating that.

On her way to her room, the sound of heels clicking on the floor made her look up. The heels belonged to a pair of ankle-high boots. The legs had fishnet stockings on them, leading up to a brown leather mini-skirt, and a corset top that left little to the imagination. The brown eyes that met hers when she finally came to the face were glaring, before Riley received the same once-over in return, though Monique was much more skilled at making the receiver feel about two feet tall.
“Going to see your boyfriend?” Riley asked with as much venom in her voice as she could muster. Monique only smirked.
“Not jealous are we, sis?”
Riley narrowed her eyes at that last word. Monique only ever acknowledged their shared genes if it was to mock her. Riley didn’t care that they supposedly had the same father, sisters were supposed to have some kind of connection, but that was missing between them.
“Of Chris? Please, I wouldn’t touch him if he were the last man on earth.”
“Well, you’re the one missing out”, Monique said with a wink as they passed each other.
Riley snorted, not at all convinced of that.
“You’re probably right though. Maybe you should go for girls instead, your track record with men isn’t much to brag about.”
Riley turned around. “What are you on about? I’ve never even had a boyfriend?”
Monique gave her another once-over with a smirk on her face. “No surprise there.”
Riley crossed her arms and glared.
“I meant your daddy issues, honey. One left, one didn’t want you around. Dad never cared about you, you know.”
Now it was Riley’s time to smirk. “I didn’t care about him either, so I guess we’re even then. And Ram had his reasons for leaving.”
“You just keep telling yourself that.”
Monique raised her head and swung around, walking away with her hips swinging from side to side.

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Meanwhile, Allie was still lying in her bed in the room she shared with her sister Jayda and their friend Riley. It was Saturday morning and she saw no reason for getting up early, even if she had been awake for an hour already, just staring out into the air. She had never been one for lazy mornings, but today of all days she really didn’t feel like facing the world. Her mother would be even more skittish and emotional than usual, her dad would lock himself in his workshop the entire day. Dal would be the same as every day, which was painful enough. And worst of all, Jayda would want to talk. She always did that, wanting to talk about Brady and look at the pictures plastered all around the walls of their room.

Most of them were taken by Jack, after every time he found and fixed a new camera he would excitedly annoy everyone by snapping pictures at every opportune moment. Allie’s eyes fell on the wall opposite her bed, where an enlarged photo of four girls and a little boy hung proudly in a frame. On the left was Riley, sat next to Jayda who had her arms around Riley and Allie in a loving embrace, though the look on Allie’s face was slightly annoyed. Brady sat on Allie’s other side, her eyes looking straight into the camera and with an angelic smile on her face. On Brady’s lap was Dal, his smile as bright as the red hair on his head. Allie looked away quickly.

She had managed to sit up in her bed, wincing as her bare feet hit the cold floor, and dragged on her camouflage trousers, when Jayda entered the room.
“Been sleeping late?” Jayda asked as she sat down in front of the mirror in the corner of the room.
Allie just murmured something in reply as she continued getting dressed. She looked at her sister as she applied her make-up. Jayda always dressed like a girl, in girly tops and fitted jeans. She styled her hair, and used make-up, she put effort into her appearance. Then again, unlike Allie, she had a body to dress up. Allie was thin and shapeless, puberty hadn’t yet made much impact on her looks. Allie caught sight of herself in the mirror, her eyes glancing over her own baggy camouflage trousers and slightly-too-big black sweater under an old corset top that was also a size too big and looked more like a vest on her, and the wide red belt Jayda had given her for her thirteenth birthday. Her eyes travelled up to her hair, short and half-braided with colourful beads in every braid, dyed in a dark purple to mimic her mother. Her hair was really the only part of her appearance she had ever spent time on, and even then it was usually more out of necessity than vanity. If she left it alone it tended to turn into a large bird-nest that only got in her face.

Their eyes met in the mirror, two pairs of an almost identical shade of green. Jayda smiled as she put the lipstick down.
“Want me to do your make-up, Al? Something other than dark green or black for once?”
Allie grimaced, making her sister laugh.
“Alright, alright. Just the markings, then?”
Allie bit her lip, but finally nodded. She sat down on the free stool, letting Jayda paint her left cheek with red symbols neither of them knew what meant, but that Allie had found in a book somewhere in the mall.
Riley walked in, looking annoyed and aggressively taking bites off an apple.
“Did the apple offend you somehow?” Jayda asked with a small laugh.
“Monique!” Riley grunted, her dark eyes narrowing just at the thought of her half-sister.
No more explanation was needed for the other two. It seemed unreal for Jayda and Allie that two sisters could be so distanced from one another, when despite their own differences and arguments they would never dream of being so venomous and cruel towards each other.
Riley fell back on her bed, sitting in silence as Jayda sang softly on one of those cheesy love-songs she liked so much, that Allie couldn’t stand. They weren’t so bad when Jayda sang them though.

Jayda finished just as Jack knocked on the doorframe, giving her stepdad a smile as she started to pick up the clothes the other two girls had thrown on the floor the night before.
After giving her a smile in return, his eyes searched out Allie.
“You want to help out in the workshop? Trudy said she would bring breakfast down for us.”
“Sure,” Allie said quickly. She could think of no better way to spend the day. Her mind would be occupied, and she would have an excuse to avoid everyone else.
“Jack?” By the way Jayda dragged out his name in that innocent tone of voice, Jack knew she wanted something.
“Did you talk to mom about that party tonight?” She tried to make it sound casual.
“Yes, and she will let you go.”
Jayda let out a squeal that drowned out the groans of the other two girls.
“As long as everyone else is going.” He added quickly.
Jayda’s smile faded a little. She knew Riley and Allie would go simply because she asked them to, Jason as well, but she was unsure of the trio of tree-huggers in Audrie, Charlie and River. Jack shrugged apologetically at the slightly dejected look on her face, before following Allie who had already hurried out of the room before Jayda had a chance to beg her to go.

At the bottom of the stairs they passed Audrie. She was leaning against the railing, sighing loudly to herself as she twirled a strand of her curly black hair around her fingers.
“Waiting for someone?” Jack asked casually, but not managing to hide the smile on his face. Audrie rolled her eyes, but returned the smile. Charlie was always late.

A few minutes later he finally emerged, sprinting out of their room towards her, his red hair styled carefully to make it look as if he just rolled out of bed, with it sticking it out in spikes in every direction.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” He repeated as he came to a halt in front of his twin sister. He flashed his usual grin, knowing perfectly well that she could never be mad at him.
Without another word spoken they turned to go just as they heard Jayda call for them. Charlie lit up as she walked down the staircase towards them, stopping a couple steps from the bottom.
“I was just wondering if you’re going to the party tonight?” she asked.
“Actually, we’re…” Audrie began, but was interrupted.
“Of course!” Charlie said.
Jayda looked confused from one to the other, but then settled for the answer she wanted.
“Great!”
She smiled at Charlie, whose face reddened immediately. Audrie excused them both quickly, and dragged him with her down the last few steps and towards the exit.
“I thought we were camping out tonight?” She asked in a low voice.
Charlie shrugged. “I just thought it would be fun to go to a party for once.”
He gave her that smile again, and Audrie sighed in defeat. “Fine.”
Charlie’s triumphant grin faded when he turned to look at Jayda again. Audrie looked in the same direction, to find Jayda talking to Chris. He was leaning in close to her, and she was melting under his charm. As usual. Audrie dragged her brother away from the sight, just as Monique came hurrying towards her boyfriend. Right in front of the now dejected Jayda she planted her lips on Chris’.

“She doesn’t deserve you.” Audrie said as soon as they were outside. Charlie snorted.
“She’s the prettiest, kindest girl in the universe. If she’s not good enough, then who exactly does deserve me then?”
Audrie didn’t reply. When he glanced over he saw a thoughtful look on her face. “Can’t think of anyone?”
She shook her head, and put her arm around her brother’s shoulders. “That girl simply does not exist, dear brother.”
“Oh well…” Charlie sighed dramatically. “I guess I will just have to live with you and River when you get married.”
Audrie removed her arm and used both hands to push him away, trying to send him her best glare though unable to hide a smile. She heard his laughter behind her as she hurried on ahead of him.

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As soon as Jayda had wandered off, Monique came up with an excuse to leave him as well.
“We’ll have some fun later,” she said and winked.
Chris just shrugged in reply. They were all about fun, that’s what he liked about Monique. She expected nothing from him, and promised no loyalty herself. It was uncomplicated, just sex. Chris had no want for anything else.
He turned to walk towards his room as he heard footsteps coming towards the stairs. He looked up to see his mother and Sheriff Lex on their way to work. He stopped for a second, watching until May’s eyes met his own.
“Happy belated birthday,” she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “Maybe next time you could actually show when they have a party for you.”
Chris snorted. As if the party was for him. “My party is tonight, mommy dearest.”
She rolled her eyes and turned her focus back to her boss, who finally turned his usual glare away from Chris. Lex always had a way of looking at him as if he was expecting trouble. Chris couldn’t blame him though, usually he got what he expected.

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Far away on the other side of the mountains, though not as far as the Mallrats thought, life at the castle now belonging to the Chosen was in full swing for another day.
Brady had spent a long time already on the terrace belonging to her rooms. It was a perfect spot to watch the sunrise, and as usual she didn’t want to go back inside to face her reality once the sun was up. She looked up at the building that had become her prison, the gray stone walls seeming to stretch out forever in one direction. It wasn’t really a castle, even though that was what the Chosen preferred calling it. It was an old mansion that the Chosen had built further on, with help of slaves and loyal servants that carved stone out of the mountains nearby. Brady shivered slightly as she thought of all the people who had met their end in the camp the Chosen had sent their prisoners to all those years ago. Some of them people she had known, though when she was still too young to remember them now.
She could see almost the whole village nearby from here, and the courtyard belonging to the castle. Her kingdom, apparently. It seemed ironic now, remembering the many fairytales her mother had read to her and how she had wished to be like the princesses in them. Now she had a castle, she was treated like a princess and could have everything she asked. Except one thing; her family.