B3 — 36. Setting The Stage

AuthorSME

POV:  Rachel Sung Park (Our Lunar Hare that's been on that wrath train)

Recap:  Using Tom's influence, Rachel had the support to give her a bit of slack on the close-eye the Police had on her.  She discussed the difficulty of the situation with the general (Tom was woken up in the middle of the night by her call; he was still pretty tired), and Rachel prepared the agents to follow her lead in spinning the situation away from the Police and onto the villains of the story, the human traffickers.  Now, she's ready to talk to the press; who will she choose?

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Rachel texted Scarlet, telling her it was okay to come back; she could hear her teleporting onto the roofs of random houses and businesses, occasionally pausing a moment to scan the area.

Scarlet looked down at her phone as she received the message; she was a little more than a mile to the north.  A low groan shot through her mouth.  “Rachel … some of the things I saw; people do weird things when they’re alone.”

Oh, I hear them.  She snickered, and a smile touched Rachel’s lips.

She called her father, knowing he’d more than likely check his phone in case of a business emergency.  No one approached her as the phone rang, and her wide field of vision followed the officers.  They were trying to take statements from anyone that might have seen Relica.  Bree and Serah talked to each other about the incident; David put Bree on hold to speak to Tom.

How will dad take this?  I didn’t tell him about all the targets on my back.  He likes to know the facts about a situation to plan a way to deal with it, so he may be angry I left it out.

A loud sigh blew through her lips, and she folded her left arm across her stomach as her dad answered, speaking Korean.  “Sung … what time is it?  Wait, why are you calling me, and not … it sounds like you’re out?”

Rachel cleared her throat, responding in kind.  “Hey, dad … umm, yeah, I ended up going out with Scarlet to help a friend.”

“Ah,” he groaned softly, trying not to wake her mother; the bed creaked quietly as he sat on the edge of the bed.  “Is everything okay?  You sound a little nervous.”

“Yeah, I’m fine, but, umm, some MPs are coming to pick you guys up.  They’re going to take you to the FBI facility here in Miami, and I’ll meet you there.”

“FBI?” Her father mumbled.  His tone hardened.  “Should I contact the lawyers?  You’re safe right now?”

“Yeah, no, I’m fine,” Rachel giggled nervously, hand tightening around her stomach.  “I’ll explain when you get there, but it’s for your safety.  There’s just a dangerous person that might show up; it’s not that likely, but just to be sure, I asked that they take you to the FBI building.”

She held her breath as her father fell silent on the other end, thinking through her statement.  After a few seconds, he straightened his posture, bed reacting to his shifted weight.  “MPs, you’re saying Military Police are coming to pick us up and bring us to the local FBI facility for our protection, and you’ll explain everything to us there?”

“Yes.”

Another pause followed, and after a long sigh, he yawned, “Okay.  How long?”

“Just for the night; I doubt they’ll stay in the city for long with the waves they created.  Umm … please don’t tell mom that there could be a dangerous person around.  Let me explain it to her in more detail; I don’t want her to worry.  Just let her know that I was out helping a friend and needed to do some stuff with the FBI.”

“I understand.  Two pairs of clothes to be sure, then,” he muttered, reaching over to shaking her mother.  “Chan-hee…”

“Mmh?”  Her mom stretched out; Rachel could hear her sharp intake of air, the shift of sheets, and half the blanket fell off the bed’s side.  “What’s—wrong, Gwon?”  She mumbled between a yawn.

“It’s Rachel.  She says there’s a police escort coming to take us to the FBI building to meet her.”

“W-What?”  She pulled herself up against the headboard, shoving the pillow out of the way.  “Did something happen?  Are they okay?  Wait, they’re not in the house?”

She paused as her dad held up a hand.  “Sung said she went out to help a friend and needed to take care of some stuff with the FBI.  She’ll explain why when we get there, Sung suggested we take two-days change of clothes, just in case it takes too long.”

“So … she’s not in trouble; we don’t need to call the lawyers or anything, and what about Scarlet, will she be there?”  The quiver in her mother’s voice made Rachel’s throat constrict.

“Yes,” Rachel quickly responded, “Scarlet will be there.”

“Sung says, Scarlet will be there.  There’s no need to panic; let’s get everything ready…”

“No, but what if that’s what the government’s forcing her to say?”  Molly pressed.  “They’ve kept us locked up for a week, and now my girl’s just randomly telling us we’re supposed to go to some building in the middle of the night?  I just … it sounds so strange, and that there’s nothing wrong?  It just isn’t Sung, Gwon!”

Her father took a long breath.  “It’s okay, Chan-hee, here … talk to her yourself.”

Molly’s concerned voice amplified as she took the phone.  “Sung, what’s going on?”

“It’s me, mom, and no, the government isn’t forcing me to do anything.  I mean, they’d have to do quite a bit to compel me, right?”  She chuckled, masking the nervousness she had when talking with her father.  “Don’t worry about a thing, and … umm,” she wanted to bite her tongue, “Anthony will be there.”

She couldn’t stop her ears and tail from twitching as her mother’s tone shifted on a dime.  “Oh ... the Legendkin that Scarlet told me about?  The one with a ripped body and charming face?”

Rachel’s smile turned strained.  “Ripped body, she said?”  Was that all she was looking at?  No … freak, chill out…  The sudden tightness in her chest eased as she took a few long breaths, her mother shooting off rapid-fire questions.

“Your father said we may be there for two days?  Will there be beds, or should we bring the air mattress?  No, who am I kidding, it’s the FBI, not a hospital … but do they have a medical center there?  I mean, they might.”  She mumbled to herself.

“Maybe we should pack for a few more days, then,” she giggled, “just to be sure, and clothes … we should bring you some clothes … make-up, definitely bring make-up if Anthony’s there.  Oh, and we can fit two air mattresses in the car, too, for Nam and Alexa, and … wait, do you and Scarlet need one?  We could stop off…”

“Chan-hee,” her father chuckled.

“What … oh, umm,” she forced a laugh, “I guess I’m getting a little carried away.”

Her dad seemed to be smiling by his tone.  “Why don’t we ask her what she’d like us to bring?”

“Yeah, okay, umm … wait, you can hear him, too, right?”

“Yeah, mom, my ears can hear miles away, so this is easy.”

“So … what do you need?”  She asked, and Rachel could practically see her sparkling eyes through her enthusiastic voice.

“I can get clothes from my modeling contract on my way over to meet you,” Rachel said, trying to act as casual as possible.  “An extra air mattress would be nice; we had to sleep on the floor last time, and I don’t think I need make-up.”

“Oh, bold!”  Molly mused.  “I suppose not with how you look now, and I saw how much your, ahem, figure has changed.  You have me a bit jealous; I’m sure he couldn’t keep his eyes off you!”

For some reason, unlike everyone else, that statement made her blush; Rachel’s thighs pressed together as she bit her lip and stared down at her lap.  “Mom … stop, it’s embarrassing when you say it.”

“Hm-hmm!”  Molly’s tone perked up.  “Moms get to play the embarrassment card, but you know I’ll be like a shadow.  I’ll just be watching for him, and silently judging!”

Okay … it’s beginning to look like mom’s been reading too many of her manhwa romances.  Maybe Scarlet, plus the lockdown caused her to crack a little, or perhaps this is just her being a little more forward since she thought she’d lost me.

It took a second, but Rachel breathed and said, “No, Mom, I’ll introduce you to him; he’s a nice guy.”

“Not too nice, I hope,” Molly pushed.  “There’s gotta be some yin in him to keep it interesting!”

“Oh … he’s interesting,” Rachel sighed, letting her head fall back to the brick wall, and Scarlet appeared a few feet away, arms folded with a hint of frustration touching her black lips.

“Don’t give me a sugar overdose!”  Her mother pleaded.  “I’m already salivating at the image in my head; no, I can’t wait to see how he acts around you.  I want to take pictures!”

Her dad forced a chuckle.  “C’mon, Chan-hee, let’s not interfere too much.”

Too much, huh, Dad?  Gah … at least this is distracting her.

“Well, Mom, Dad, I need to go.  I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Okay, love you!”  She turned to her father with a soft cheer.  “Oh, Dear, it wouldn’t be too much to casually sit across a room and record some pieces, for generational purposes, of course!”  The call quickly ended.

Rachel closed her eyes, having to dip into her Grandfather’s basic breathing exercises to calm her nerves while lowering the phone to her lap.  I just opened myself up to … wow, I don’t think I’ve opened myself up that much to almost anyone since changing.  I can deal with a bit of embarrassment … I know she can’t help herself, but … just please don’t be that much.

Scarlet’s annoyed frown turned into curiosity as she bent down to sit against the wall.  “Who in the world got you to blush?  I’ve been trying so hard!”  She huffed.

Rachel gave her a look.  That feeling I had … I’m pretty sure I was jealous of just the thought.  Well … this is new.  “In a roundabout way … you did.”

“Wait; what?”  Scarlet’s eyes shifted to the side.  “Mmmh, how?  You were on the phone with your parents, right?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Rachel shook her head, releasing a short groan while getting to her feet.  “Let’s get all this other stuff dealt with.”

Scarlet’s blue eyes widened.  “No, I need to know!  C’mon, you know, like … all my triggers … give me one, just one!”

Rachel turned to give her a dubious smirk.  “You didn’t so happen to check out Anthony?”

“Anthony?”  Scarlet’s eyes narrowed as she glanced at the ground.  “Anthony … check out … you mean…”  On queue, her face brightened.  “N-No, no, n-not like that, umm … wait, you’re just trying to distract me, aren’t you?”

“Maybe,” Rachel shrugged while stretching her arms high into the air.

Scarlet’s lips tightened, giving her a playful glare.  “Not cool!  You need to give me some ammo.”

“It’s not my fault you keep missing the ship.”  Rachel mused while walking to Bree and Serah.

“Ship … the board game Battleship?  That actually sounds pretty fun; we should play it,” Scarlet muttered while getting up to follow her.

Bree caught their approach out of the corner of her eye, turning to face them.  “Finished up with what you needed to do?”

Rachel nodded.  “Yeah, I updated Tom, and he’s sending some MPs to pick up my parents and bring them to the office.”

“Oh, so we’ll get to meet your family?”  Bree asked with a smile.

“The whole crew.”

Serah gave her a thoughtful hum.  “I’ll say that it has crossed my mind what your family is like.  I mean, after seeing what you managed to do, what must your parents be like?”

“I hope they don’t disappoint you,” Rachel chuckled.

Scarlet hopped into the conversation.  “Oh, Molly’s super nice; her mom’s the best!  I don’t know much about her dad, but he seems cool.”

Serah folded her arms, brow furrowing as she glanced between them.  “Wait, I didn’t know you two knew each other before The Oscillation.”

“Oh, no, we didn’t,” Scarlet quickly addressed.  “I just met them yesterday, but they were really nice to me.”  Her smile became forced.  “I guess it might not seem like a big deal, but—but people don’t usually treat me like that when they learn I’m a Vampire.  Most people give me scared looks … I know how they really feel,” she mumbled, rubbing her left arm.

Her blue eyes widened.  “Oh, not that I blame them!  I just—it’s just hard sometimes.  I’m sure it will get better, though … I hope.”

“No, yeah,” Bree’s soft smile fell.  “I’m sure It will get better in time!  You’re a really nice girl—wait, you said you had a clothing sponsor?”  She asked, turning to Rachel.

“Mhm, speaking of which,” Rachel glanced to the side, noticing the crowds of people recording or taking pictures of them behind the police lines.  “We should hurry and make this statement before some other upstart wannabe journalist tries to jump the gun.”

She gave both agents an innocent grin.  “So, could you foot the bill for us?”

Bree grasped her left elbow, glancing at Serah.  “I guess, we could … I don’t think we could really justify using DDA funds for something like this, and it’s only one set of clothes, right?”

Yeah … probably should only ask them to buy us one pair.  We can come back down tomorrow night and grab some clothes.  It’s good that Martial Law seems to have businesses open longer than usual after all the lost revenue.  Mom would probably like to join us, too.  Man … she’s going to freak when I ask her.

“Yeah, just one pair of clothes that can be easily represented by the company.  It’s a pretty popular brand, so it should be easy to find in a store.”

Serah shrugged.  “Sure, I can get it, Bree.”  A smirk lit her cheeks as she nudged her partner.  “Besides, you gotta save up for all that lingerie you’ve been talkin’ about.”

“Don’t make it sound like I’m buying the store,” Bree mumbled, cheeks flushing slightly as she turned away.  “Nothing wrong with getting some new stuff.”

“Right?”  Serah hummed.  “Gotta impress your fiancé, huh?”

Rachel found Scarlet’s bright eyes and eager expression far more amusing than Bree’s cute blush, but the woman’s shifting feet and brushed back brown hair was straight out of a movie.

“Cute,” Rachel laughed before Scarlet could get started on her own poke.  “Why don’t we try the store we were going by earlier?”

“Yeah, let’s do that!”  Bree urged.  “It was, umm … that way.”  She pointed back the way they’d come, taking a few strides to push them along the way, and Rachel fell into step.

Rachel couldn’t help but shake her head at the Vampire as they walked past the officers getting statements; Scarlet’s sharp blue eyes were trained on Bree, and Serah’s dolled up features, moving from their dresses to their purses to their make-up and hair.

Yeah, I think she’s the one getting mom so worked up about this couple drama, or … maybe it’s mom bringing it out in Scarlet?  They definitely play off each other with these manhwas stories rolling around their heads.

The crowd still seemed a bit shy of her glow as they parted to let her by, and she entered the shop, but that didn’t stop a few from following several paces behind, hoping to catch news of what happened inside.  There were reports already cycling about people being carried away by MTs into multiple ambulances.

They found the Tempest brand area quickly enough next to the other big-name products, and Rachel promptly picked out a sports outfit.

Scarlet pursed her lips, glancing back at the group of people, only partially pretending they weren’t loitering around to listen in on their conversation.  “Umm … does it have to be sportswear, Rachel?”  She mumbled, glancing at the sports bras and shorts with reserve.

Rachel gave her a small smile.  “Wouldn’t wearing a skirt be just as bad?”

“No … because I like wearing skirts,” Scarlet mumbled.  “I just never felt comfortable wearing form-fitting things in public.”

“Why not?  It’s not like you have anything to be ashamed of.”  Serah said, eyeing a few sports bras herself.

Scarlet clearly didn’t mean for the woman to hear.  “I, umm … I just feel a little—self-conscious.”

Rachel kept her voice low enough where the other two women couldn’t hear.  “Self-conscious, and you want to wear cosplay and sailor outfits?”

“That’s different…”  Scarlet moaned, left fang poking out as she looked at a rack of tight spandex biking shorts.  “I’ll just do some jogging stuff.”  She said loud enough for Serah and Bree to hear.  “Umm—do you have any suggestions?”

They quickly went through options and chose out their apparel.

Bree pointed out a black padded sports bra with a cross back and pink Tempest logo while Serah brought Rachel a Tempest Dri-Fit embossed attack training shorts with a pink waist strap and logo on a black base.

At first, Rachel didn’t like the pink but reconsidered when Bree pointed out that it matched the four-leaf clover pattern in her eyes.  The Tempest Embossed Attack Air-Kicks were their best running line-ups, and Rachel quickly snatched a pink and black pair to go with the style.

Scarlet rejected several proposals with sports bras and settled on a red Tempest sportswear long-sleeve dress; the three girls gave her a lifted eyebrow as she held it up to check the size.

“What?  I like dresses, and I’ve never had a sports dress; it’s also red, which matches the whole Vampire theme,” she defended while rolling her blue eyes.  “That’s why they’re employing us, right?  You got the whole Lunar Hare theme, and I’ll have the Vampire look.”

Bree and Serah shot Rachel a questioning look in response.

“I suppose,” Rachel hummed before giggling.  “It’s not like you exercise much anyways, so a dress should be fine.  I just think it’s a little odd … a sports dress?  I mean, maybe for tennis?”

They laughed and joked about it as they got everything ready for checkout after trying on the clothes, Scarlet selecting the same shoes as Rachel in black and red to match her dress and hair.  It was a bit more than what Serah had expected, but Rachel assured her that they’d compensate her.

Rachel and Scarlet went into the back and changed into their new attire, using the bag the sales clerk gave them for their previous items.

“So,” Bree sighed, glancing around the corner to the girl’s dressing room at the crowd of people waiting outside.  “Seems it’s gotten bigger.”

Serah gave her a dubious smile.

“No, don’t say it,” Bree warned while shaking her head, but there was a slight curve to her lips.

“I expected as much,” Rachel said, giving a slight moan as she stretched her legs and arms; there was something about the tight fabric rubbing against her skin and the slight burning sensation the motions left that she liked.

Scarlet poked her head around Serah’s to get a better view.  “Wait, are those all reporters?”

“No,” Bree sighed.  “Wannabes, most of them, bloggers, or they want something cool to post on their Instagram or Facebook pages.”

“Just follow me,” Rachel said, giving the women a wink.

Rachel strode out of the changing room with Scarlet, Bree, and Serah by her side.  The throng’s chatter died down to a whisper between people or silence as they waited for her to choose a direction, and she knew the rumor had been spreading that she was the Mythickin involved in the South Beach incident; how many glowing girls with big ears, a tail, and pink-hued hair that fell to their butt were there?

She walked straight through the crowd to a woman that appeared to be in her mid-twenties with sandy blonde hair that fell to her shoulder blades.  They nearly passed her, and the woman looked slightly surprised as Rachel paused, turning her bright red irises on her.  “Wait,” she glanced back to Bree, “isn’t she the news anchor for CNABC; it’s Harley, right?”

Harley blinked her brown eyes a few times before a smile touched her cheeks; she was more cute than beautiful and seemed younger than her muscle movements told Rachel.  “Um, yeah, yeah, I am, and you’re…”

“Rachel,” she promptly replied.  “I’m a big fan.”

“Oh,” Harley smoothed back her hair.  “Thank you, that means a lot.  So,” her smile turned curious, “you wouldn’t happen to be that Lunar Hare I’ve been hearing about that cleaned up South Beach?”

“I am,” Rachel replied with an unassuming grin, and both Bree and Serah gave each other concerned looks, probably afraid she was going to say something that hadn’t been cleared for public release.

Harley licked her lips, giving the four of them a studious glance before scanning the crowd that surrounded them.  “Eh, would you mind giving me a statement about it?  We can go somewhere private if you prefer.”

“Oh, absolutely, but wouldn’t you want something a bit more recent?”

“Like this event?”  Harley pressed, pointing at the police line barely visible through the crowd.

“Yeah, I was there, and it’s pretty disturbing, to be honest,” Rachel sighed.  “Although, I think it really should be brought into the light, we need to expose these types of people.”

Harley’s eyes lit up like a dog fixated on her favorite toy, held just outside her reach.  “Please, I don’t want to push you if you feel uncomfortable talking about it, but what do you mean, we need to expose these types of people?  What was happening inside?”

“Mmh,” Rachel frowned, glancing back at the crowd.  “I’d rather not talk about it with so many people around.”

“No, I totally understand!”  Harley nodded, raising her hands in protest while glaring at the mumbling throng.  “They’re vultures, aren’t they?  Shameless.  Why don’t we go into one of these restaurants and talk?”

“Sure!  I’d really like to talk to you about it over any of these other people,” her features fell.  “I’ve just been feeling … I don’t know, terrible about what I had to do; I know they were human-waste, I mean, Demi and human traffickers,” she whispered just loud enough so Harley could hear it over the crowd’s noise.  “And that’s just the beginning, but … no, I wasn’t just fighting for myself but the other victims; those poor girls, some no older than fourteen!”

Scarlet, Bree, and Serah tried their best to follow along as Rachel shifted the atmosphere, staying silent while nodding or shaking their head to mimic her direction.

“I-It is—really hard thinking what could have happened to us,” Scarlet swallowed, and she played nervous Vampire-girl perfectly, which was more likely due to her actually not acting the part.

“Oh,” Harley’s brow creased with concern, but she was very careful with her words, opting for, “why don’t you sit down with me and tell me your side of the story?”

“I don’t know if the police…”  Rachel trailed off, glancing back at the line, masking a smirk as she dangled the bait.

Harley swiftly shook her head.  “Wait … Demi and human trafficking?”  She whispered.  “No, no, no, freedom of information!  Don’t worry about the cops; they’re just bullies,” she huffed.  “Let’s go somewhere we can talk in private; that is if you still want me to hear your side of the story, which is totally up to you!”

Rachel bit her lower lip for a moment, glancing back at Scarlet before asking, “Mmh, we really should expose them.  Shouldn’t we?”

“Umm … it was pretty disgusting,” Scarlet mumbled.  “I mean, I don’t want to talk,” she giggled nervously, “but you can!  I’m just … I can’t really…”

“No, I get it,” Rachel groaned, running her hands through her hair.  “Umm … maybe we can help others from not having the same experience?”

Scarlet’s lips pursed, and she avoided eye contact, staring at her shoes.  “Maybe…”

After a few moments of silence, Rachel groaned, “Yeah … I think I’ll feel a lot better if I talk with someone about it.”

“Okay,” Harley motioned to a sit-down restaurant.  “Why don’t we go here?  My treat; I’m just really curious and concerned now.  I want to help if I can!”

Rachel’s demeanor brightened as she turned to Scarlet and back to Harley.  “That—that would be so kind of you!”  She nudged her head toward the building.  “Yeah, let’s go talk; we need to drag these dirtbags through the mud!”

Now, how much do I want to milk this?  I don’t know her that well, so I’ll need to be careful how I approach the topics.  Still, I’ve heard the network’s stance on politics more than once around school, and this is like catnip for this network.  It shouldn't be that hard of a spin.

AuthorSME

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