Destruction by Seduction

Author Note: Sorry this took so long to add. Enjoy kiddies.



Ch. 3 Just a smidgen more please.

He had to admit he was impressed with Mayo. “I can’t believe you paid those poor innocently minded girl scouts selling ice cream bars to freeze a huge glob of mayonnaise on a Popsicle stick…You’re a brilliantly sick man Mayo.” Grinning like an idiot from ear to ear he licked the frozen food condiment “I know…Damn this is good…No I’m so good.” Rolling his eye’s at Mayo’s vain behavior Ketchup took a bite of his triple fudge bar smothered in ketchup. It dripped all over the ground and Ketchup himself mockingly yelled “Ah! Help me! I’m dieing, my chocolaty goodness is oozing out my ears! Someone save me before the monster eats me Ah!” With a shrill scream ketchup chomped a huge chunk off the top chewing happily he stared at the horrified children in green skirts. Mayo cleared his throat licking his lips “that was awesome man but maybe we should head out now.” Ketchup sighed licking his fingers “Yeah I guess.” They both sauntered back towards the car. Leaving behind them a crowed of mortally horrified and disgusted children. Mayo smiled cleanly his teeth gleaming in the L.A smoggy sunlight. Pockets full of condiment packages he gently tore one open sucking on it’s gory insides today was going to be an interesting day they could feel it in there guts or maybe that was just the cracker triple fudge and cheese alamode they had topped with mayo and ketchup also lightly dusted with rainbow sprinkles. Can’t forget the sprinkles.
The sun set with the velocity of a mans shaving razor. The pieces to the new born puzzle were slowly forming together ever so carefully the ice was reforming. Bobbing his head to the music Ketchup knew the others would throw a fit if they were late for the big shindig arrival party. So he softly stepped on gas and winked at a seventy year old woman driving a Honda brand crap car besides them in the next lane. He giggled when she blushed profusely and glared at him through her coke bottle glasses. The day was interesting indeed.
Acelin tried to ask once just where Navarro’s dad went to and the only answer he received was two simple words “Meat Factory” shrugging he sat back the car felt snug and very homey considering they’d spent a good entire days worth of hours inside it. Gwen had only gone with them because her dad had said he’d meet them once he could get away from the office. Which could be awhile people were just dieing to see him. She was quiet and humble looking as if they were in a dream world on there way to pick up a quart of milk. Navarro finally stopped yelling at traffic like a loon and pulled into a freshly redone parking lots entirely free of weeds in the cracks of the luscious gray pavement. The two behind him looked confused at one another but piled out of the car none the less. All three stood in front of the door staring at it’s welcome sing in bright red letters it read “Enter at own Risk.” Navarro couldn’t help but smile it felt right here as if he’d found his place in the word. He’d heard of this place a million times in his childhood bedtime stories. This is where his father became legend. This was The Playground.
When Navarro threw open the doors they were met face to face with tons of bodies swarming around one another. Intertwining and twisting into each other as if they were all one large breathing sweating mass. Ace found himself against Nav’s hips now and Nav himself grinning like a mad man tilted his eye’s to a dreamy sighing waver, Gwen cursed her non existent belief in God. There was no turning back the door was open and no one would ever be able to shut it. They were all pulled by there sleeves blistering heat met them and cool sweet tasting music covered them completely in melodramatic emotions. Suckling there skin and nursing against there souls. The place looked freshly done on the inside exterior. Clean crisp white and light blue tiles covered almost every single surface. Huge metal meat hooks were the fierce focal point of the ceiling, they were massively dangerous looking yet strikingly beautiful in a scandalous sort of style. Strobe lights pulsed thickly inside the places confines nuzzling against tit’s walls and hugging those inside tightly bidding them welcome. The playground was indeed better then ever. Not much in any aspect had changed, they had meant long ago to replace it with something in Vegas but lives change, and as easily as the heat died down they were looking to deal with new heat. When the children had there fill of the three they were released and shoved forward. They found before them a row of men all decked out in what each considered to be the very fanciest décor. The tallest stepped forward and proved to be Ian himself he smiled and allowed Navarro to hide inside his coat slip beneath his skin and kiss his lower jaw. There’s nothing like a fathers love and adoration specially in things you love or will come to. Ace and Gwen felt out of place and awkward Gwen more so then Ace who was quietly humming to himself he was happy to be away from home. Loving families were great but after awhile you needed new one’s because the crisp vegetable like sound with added induced flavor never lasted. Like cheap gum from the gas station he looked up at Navarro who looked back rather dreamily. The other two beside Ian looked down at the charming boy in Ralph Lauren clothing. They grew in size for only a moment as Ace realized they were sitting down in front of him one reached out to touch his face “And who might you be babe?” Ace couldn’t help but blush at the new attention. “Babe?…Navarro calls me that all the time. I’m his best friend at least I think so. I promised him I’d take care of him on this trip.” Giving a cute slight nod he added “Oh my names Acelin.” Mayo nodded “Smart boy. Nav needs someone to look after him specially in this line of work.” Ketchup joined in “True , true but detail later would you care to dance Ace I’m like that boys millionth uncle and I just have to dance with the bride.” He found himself giggling as he stood “You all seem like wild people I’ve never met anyone like you all here, I think it’s dandy.” Ketchup twirled him gently to funky German pop music.” Yep Ace were a dime a dozen and the names Ketchup and the crazy cheese ball still on the floor that’s Mayo were a duo.” Ace nodded his head gently “like Batman and Robin?” “Exactly only four and half times more sexy.” After the song was over ketchup paused “no offence intended Ace but you seem…how do I put this… from what Ian’s told us your from a rich background we pictured you to be more uptight not so smooth.” Staring at the man he curled his lips into a childish smile “Nah My families always been cool about stuff they never raised me to hate people. They left that decision and ability to me.”
After awhile of talking Ketchup escorted him back to where Gwen sat now listening closely to Mayo’s intense history lesson of the Playground and it’s owners. They soon left the children however and disappeared into the swimming mass of people. Gwen kept her arms around herself muttering that she wanted to go home and that the man named after food dressing had to be out of his mind. In Gwen’s eye’s there was no way here father would have done anything of the sort this place was weird. Yet her father was anything but normal. When she thought about it things were moving so horribly fast and the music would stop throbbing through her veins her father and uncle were of no blood relations of course and had rarely ever talked about the times when they were kids. This was a world they left behind for the sake of half normal lives. Sometimes however your old life just won’t let go even if your willing to do so. Her uncles friends his own close knit family had rebuilt this place after supposedly running off an unknown host renting it out. They claimed to be homesick to the old days. Navarro seemed to have an idea more then the others did on just what those old days were like. He wasn’t talking to them yet just quietly resting with his father they looked like lopsided twins years apart from one another. Ace glances at Gwen noticing her discomfort he reached out touching her arm mouthing something to her in distress but she only stared at him. Navarro had watched the failure to exchange words and he grew uneasy sliding out of his fathers seat he kneeled before her. Tilting his head he tried to catch her eye but she stood up sharply almost taking him out with the top of her head near his own face that had been craning over. Watching her tear outside Ian inwardly sighed she was so much like her mother and yet she had no idea just how close she was to her. He knew exposing them to this world was deadly . Gwen might not even make it through the time she stayed here since by the look of it Mayo’s history lesson had taken a nose dive into molten lava. The day of Jacks death had marked the turning point, addicts were flooding the street ways again worse then before not the mention the left over kiddies no longer had the effect they so charmingly produced years before. Lacking in leaders it had been hopeless. It didn’t matter if past problems were over and done. New ones were arising. Then there was Twitches conversation with the ever mysterious Alan. He’d been thrilled to see Ethan thought seeing how tall he’d gotten surprised him the accent he’d adopted over the years amusing him even more greatly. The reunion had been short lived however things had gone straight to business in a slam bam thank yea type way. Ian remembered being called to the morgue office at the crack of dawn stepping inside and sensing them before he ever rounded the corner. He’d spotted Ethan first who’d showered him with golden praise over the business Twitch had started and how well he’d looked. Tracing his vision he’d felt a hard lump develop inside his throat all he could taste was copper pennies. The hate for Kurtis has long since gone because Kurtis himself though standing before him was gone as well. Not a drop of him left at least not on the outside. Now there was only Alan. A man in a way Ian had given the power to create. Alan had stared for the longest most hopeless moment of time taking in Ian’s hardly changing features. But as quickly as he seemed to grow interested in him he’d turned away and begun to speak once more. He kept things plain and simple but in a way it spelled their doom. Jolene had been given the chance to discharge herself from the mental hospitals care. They’d all held there breath on the verdict. Crossing there fingers she’d chosen to walk out. And asked for taxi to head out towards L.A. No one forgot what she did to Don the night Ian came home, a new girl at his side and anger seething from his teeth. So when the kiddies caught wind of her return they quickly set out rebuilding The Playground they needed to know what she was going to do, where she planed on staying etc. and most importantly whether she was coming for Gwen. The woman had missed her daughter entire life and not by choice either. It was expected she be angry and Ian couldn’t blame her. He’d been the blame for much of her unjust treatment while living with him and the gang but she’d known she could leave at any moment and yet she’d stayed causing her very own demise. Navarro and Ace were worried about Gwen that much was clear and Ian knew she’d have to come to terms with her fathers past life as will as his present. When Twitch finally made the trip down that is. She was his niece in a way and he knew he’d better at least try to comfort her the best he could. They boys watched him walk out and neither made a move to follow. He found her crunched up eating her self pity and confusion like buttered thumb tacks on rye. Pulling her up he was shocked when she slapped his face her rings stung his skin. He looked into her big green eye’s and hiccupped a cry. Thirty some years old now and the sight or even vague memory of Jolene caused him to blubber. She was surprised as well to see him break down “your mother she once hit me as well it was the worst thing she could have done to me.” Rubbing his nose “Why’d did she hit you?” “Because I loved her …because I did to her what I’m doing to you and Navarro. Bringing you all into a world that never should have been allowed to get out of hand.” He slowly let go of her a hiccup racking his thin frame. “I’m so sorry Gwen I swear we tried your father and I we tried so hard , We left everything behind to keep you safe. But the people we knew kept calling us back we couldn’t bare to hear all our hard work was unraveling. It’s why I started training Navarro in the thin s I knew. What kept me alive out here.” he paused to breathe. “Gwen you know your father and I love you?” She stared blankly taking in the information “yes uncle Ian I love you both how could I not” He straightened his back “Because when this is over if it’s ever over you might hate us both just like your mother did or well does.” Gwen licked her dry upper lip tasting salt tears “Why would you say that uncle Ian, my mother can’t hurt any of us she’s locked away still.” Shaking his head he coughed roughly “no she was released yesterday…if she headed where we think she’s headed she’ll be here sometime tomorrow or possibly tonight I have no idea.” Shifting his weight he went on “Gwen we’re just scared you’ll leave us that you mother will turn our words against us. Your father and I went through hell to get you I don’t know what would happen if he lost you.” bringing her into his arms again this time without a sight “Uncle Ian I’d never leave you and daddy or Nav… I don’t understand you and daddy’s past totally but I swear I’m trying to.” He nodded his chin against her scalp. “Uncle Ian?” “yes” his voice was quiet and smooth as glass “What is Navarro training to be?” Ian had to smile sadly at this “to be a Basher.” Her voice felt hot and prickly against his chest “that’s what the ‘B’ on his coat stands for… is he doing this for Jack, Ian? He loved Jack so much and he died because he couldn’t stop doing drugs… I thought you’d have to really love or hate someone to do this job…did you do it for love?” Ian shook his head “no I did it because I hated my mother and father for the chaos that caused my family and myself so much pain that they and I would never stop feeling. I’m proud of Navarro for doing it for love more so then hate it’ll help him in the long run when he has to figure things out.” Gwen closed her eye’s smelling Gardena’s on her uncles clothing. “Ian I have a feeling I should pray for him…should I?” He smiling sweetly he kisses her hair with his chapped lips “Praying has nothing to do with this sweet heart but if your going to you’d better pray for us all.”
Bleached by the sun her skin felt like hot white seal fat, lips blackened by coal soot lipstick. She looks like a schizophrenic honky-tonk dancer lost on a binge. The world keeps sliding out from under her feet and now that she thinks on it, it feels like a trillion needles stabbing underneath her toe nails. It felt weird to be home again. Well this wasn’t really home it was just L.A just a large city nothing more. It’s scary when you catch sight of yourself on a reflection of a building window or in the mirror of a parked car. Because when you spend 17yrs or so in a mental hospital you sure as hell don’t come out looking like the Mary K makeup mob attacked you on the way to the exit door. In a way you feel dead, yet just peachy keen as if your made of foam freshly squirted from a child’s soap bottle. Extracting the bodily oils and dirt. As if someone tried to drown you in peroxide. The world around you see you as the bloody knurled wound totally infectious through coagulated pores. You’re the disease and it’s the cure. Wipe you out before you even get to see Disney Land. Miscreants. Spotting a cheap clothing store up ahead she fingered the stolen money from the cabbie she road with for a couple hours around town just killing time he was a chump and hadn’t even seen his wallet taken. Funny what happens when they don’t close that little glass window dividing the seats. It was time for a clean look and a nice walk to the nearest Denny’s that she knew of hopefully it hadn’t been torn down in the past years. She was in the mood for something to eat. Hoping to catch up with a few good ole friends she decided she’d order some French fries. Perhaps spoil herself and go for a diet coke. It’s amazing what you can do with other peoples money.
Time passes differently for us all. For Twitch it had no affect nor did he care about it as far as he was still concerned it didn’t exist. But to Gwen it was dragging by as slowly as tar on a Tuesday. She groaned for the thousandth time as Navarro circled her just wearing his baggy jeans and a trench coat bare feet slapping the floor. He kept eye contact with her never faltering his steps. One two three, One two three. The numbers echoed off behind her eye’s and when she let out a yelp of surprise falling back right on her butt it told Ian and Twitch for the twentieth time this morning she wasn’t clutching the concept of Nav’s assaults. Navarro himself wiped sweat off his chin, his chest heaving he watched for further instruction but received none. Twitch shook his head “I knew I should have taught her something besides the anatomy of the average corpse. Also letting her go to physics camp was a mistake.” Ian rubbed his arms “What does physics camp have to do with it?” “nothing at all really I just wanted to blame something else while I was at it.” Twitch looked down at his daughter she wasn’t cut out for this. Her life had been to sheltered even for his own taste but they’d planned on such a different life only to find themselves right back where they started to no avail. Ian helped Navarro up from his seat against the far wall of The Playgrounds empty dance floor. “Dad did I do okay? I’m not totally screwing up am I?” Ian smiled seeing Navarro in some way would always need to be reassured he was cared for and did alright in tasks that would never change. “No your doing fine it’s just good you’re a fast learner I learned most of what I know from first hand experiences, They don’t tickle, You’ll learn more as you go along it’s just better to know now a little more then when you go out blind and get your ass handed to you a couple times before lunch time.” Navarro giggled a little and Ian shook his hands in the air “No really I’m not kidding it’s happened.” Navarro paused his lips closing to a thin line “oh…wow…well that sucks.” Catching his breathe he chose carefully built words “”Can I walk down to Denny’s and meet Ace , he said he’d wait for me there ketchup took him to breakfast already.” Ian nodded ruffling his hair “Alright but be careful and stick together your uncle and I will be here as usual if were gone when you both get back make sure Gwen’s alright.” Navarro tugged his thin t-shirt over his head it’s sheer cotton fabric stretching just slightly. “Can’t she come with me?” Ian slowed his pace towards the doorway to the newly furnished back bedroom “Twitch wants to work with her more if he’s done anytime this century he’ll send her down with Mayo.” Craning his head Navarro understood what his dad was saying. What they were getting ready for was no simple task or job. Gwen didn’t ask for this and yet she didn’t deny it either if anyone had told her she’d be training to run The Playground someday and what this place dealt with everyday she would have laughed in their faces and told them they were totally bonkers and needed to stop sniffing glue. She was attending Yale in the fall she would brag she had a life already and nothing was tearing her away from it. This new skin being sewn over them felt more comfortable to Navarro he had the distinct feeling she’d go down screaming.
Denny’s was packed millions of slobbering towns folk ready to clog their insides with fatty lard grease. Ketchup and Ace were no where to be seen. Perhaps they were in the back? He sure as hell hoped so the new faces made his skin itch and his body nervously panicked. Surveying the people he sighed unhappily they must have left him behind. As he turned around to leave he came face to face with a cheeky red headed waitress. She smiled wide and with a practiced friendly tone started to shoot him with words. “Hello there sweetie! You are just the man we’ve been waiting for a friend came in and asked for you to be seated in the back they’d be waiting and by the description they gave us you ’must’ be the guy right this way sir would you like a menu? A coke, juice, coffee Hmmm”
Navarro felt his bones melt and his veins freeze like a sinister rush of clarity in one ear and out the other. The ability to hear was suddenly erased. He looked to each side of himself everyone mouths were moving but they were all stuck on mute. Silence was eating his insides and his skin was screaming. He found himself sitting in a booth with a plate of French fries in his way. Golden stems of oil with a side of brick red goop. Sitting in front of him was a woman probably around 34yrs old. She wore a tank top with ruffled sleeves against her sharp boned shoulders. Her lower half was a second skin of polyester, feet slapped down with flip flops. They dangled childishly from her toe’s which were painted a lime green. It’s highly humorous how the most unusual people can be the most simply dressed. It took him a moment to realize her voice was licking his ear drums which threatened to bleed down the side of his neck. Staring forth the sound turn to a bitte4r smooth lemon taste “You can imagine my surprise when I happened to see one of your fathers moronic friends leaving with a real cutie and then stumbled upon hearing they were waiting for a friend and just got to damn impatient and left them.” Sipping a soda in front of her gently with a stray delicately placed between her fingers “I almost didn’t stay to see who the friend was so I had the dimwitted waitress look for you, you’re an easy spy specially with those drop dead looks of your daddy, by the way how is he?” Navarro held his breath feeling like he was going to throw up “My dad?…He’s fine just dandy.” Smiling she set back the diet coke “Not hungry honey? I used to love French fries, So does your daddy he used to take me here all the time sit like a real high priced prince and ogle the waiters.” Stealing a fry from the cheap ceramic plate she chewed off the tip watching him closely he looked like Ian, but didn’t sound, move, or quite act the same. As if he were secretly more destructive for example Ian had trouble keeping eye contact his mind ran to fast to slow down for long. This kid he was certainly different he stared you down kept your faze as long as he could without blinking. “So where’s your mom, did your parents have a fight or something cause I figured only Ian would let you go down town alone.” Playing with the silverware Navarro reasoned his chances of getting out of the restaurant alive, whether she ate a dry herself he had no idea what could be on them, He knew only past history of Gwen’s mother and he wasn’t taking chances not after what the others had told him. “My mom’s back home she has to work at the office” He took his time in changing his _expression, ever so slowly with untrained ease Jolene watched as his face paled even more and his stomach heaved enough to make his throat catch. He gripped the rim of the table slightly between his fingers and soon started to gag. Once he started however he found he couldn’t stop. He was going to lose it any second and the last thing Jolene e wanted was everything living soul in this place to watch her sit helplessly with some sick teenager she didn’t even hardly know. It was over before it hardly had the chance to start Navarro found himself starring to the bottom of a metal bucket outside the restaurant. Only Jolene was still with him cursing and muttering to herself holding hair away from his face and soon enough pulling him forward and towards a parked car it was a shimmering yellow and reminded him of crushed bumble bee’s ground up to a fine paste and spread over hot angry metal. He had no idea where she got it but it didn’t seem to matter. Sitting him down in the back seat, she began to roughly wipe his face off, his hands felt stiff and foolish, he knew his make up was all rubbed off now and Jolene begun to notice subtle changes in his features. Studying the soft barley there scar that graced his face, it lay just underneath his lower lip it looked like someone bit him hard enough to break the skin. Rubbing his lip gently she watched his big green eye’s “Where’d you get that scar honey?” Tasting nothing but bile and stomach lining inside his mouth. It was an interesting sensation he voted she should try it sometime. “ My friend Jack, he bit me on the mouth.” Raising an eyebrow she didn’t quite follow “Why would …Jack be biting your mouth?” “he was saying goodbye and time ran out. He was so scared I guess he didn’t know his own strength.” Navarro said humbly as if openly forgiving the person for some wrongly done deed in life. Getting on her knees in front of him “What’s your name I’m guessing you know who I am.” He nodded tiredly “your Gwen’s mommy and I’m Navarro some people just call me Nav, like Navel but without the ‘e’ and the ‘l’ of course cause that would just be stupid.” quietly staring at him she had to nod gently “I’ll tell you right now Navarro I’m not a nice person I lost that quality over the years, living in a mental hospital will do that to yea.” “But your being fairly nice to me now, I mean you haven’t blown my brains out yet.” Narrowing her eye’s she coughed “you’re a sick kid you know that” Shrugging Navarro laid backed against the seat feeling his spine relax “Tell me something I don’t know.” Jolene stood up “Well I do know that I should let you go home since I’m the enemy and all.” He cleared his throat feeling the torn area’s of his inner flesh, “but I don’t feel like going home. I’m mad that they left without me.” She had to marvel at him now he knew she could kill him or cause him discomfort in general yet he stuck around after what seemed to be a failed attempt at getting away. His mind was jumbled and easily upset. Jolene had figured Ian wouldn’t let a fly with atomic breathe hurt his baby but it seemed something had done it already regardless of her suspicions. She was asking for al ot of trouble if she took the kid any place but to his father. There was no telling what he’d do if she just kicked him out and said beat it. Navarro really didn’t feel like going back he wanted space away from the others even for just a few hours, he was already sick of everyone focusing there attention on Gwen who wouldn’t focus on the task at hand she didn’t take anything seriously . At least no to him. The passing days had been great but his parents were having issue’s, he’d been expelled from school, and now he was sitting with a woman who unwillingly missed her daughters whole life, loved his dad and probably still did to this day, and even if she was mad at him people can’t be held responsible forever. He secretly wondered if his mom had ever personally met Jolene. He was taken back to reality when Jolene touched his face stroking the scar he flinched at her touch. “Well what do you propose I do with you Navarro all I’m doing this afternoon is getting a motel room and watching crappy black and white romances.” Navarro knew he was cutting it thin by even speaking to her but it wasn’t like he had many friends and she certainly wasn’t one she was more like his step mother or his aunt “That sounds fine to me I won’t bother you for long and I can get my own ride home they wont know I even talked to you” Shrugging she got into the drives seat taking them a quarter of a mile down the busy street ways and turning into a motel 8 parking lot. What’s it like to lay on a cheap motel bed with a woman twice your age who’s might as well be your aunt/stepmother? It’s nice actually in a weird twist your eyeballs out of there sockets sort of way specially when she orders room service with nothing but chocolate ice cream. Sucking on the spoon Jolene swiveled her hips “So what’s Gwen like?” asking softly half wondering if he’d even answer since he seemed lost at the bottom of the ice cream dish. “She’s a bookworm, likes to watch nature shows, listens to cruddy music and thinks the government is killing society.” He took a large bite of pure chilly goodness “Oh yeah her taste in cloths sucks.” Jolene looked surprised honestly puzzled. It figured, that her first and so far only child turned out like this. Shifting her body on the bed she didn’t know quite what to say and with the on going non-vocal silence the TV blared forth sending mechanical, radiation wave lengths into there brains, she decided it was best neither spoke for a moment. Somewhere inside Navarro’s mind he was thankful for her decision and once again today he let his mind take control and slowly allow it to slip away into the crevices of his own inner hell.
Everything was peaceful. Just for a moment it was paradise, the calm before the storm. There’s a point in everyone’s life when things suddenly stop making sense and they get so real you think your going insane and want to pluck your hairs out one by one with needle nose pliers. That’s how Navarro felt when his eye’s suddenly snapped open, he was screaming he knew that much there were far to many people crowded around him. The world took a counter clockwise turn as he fell from the bed tousled up in bed sheets still fully dressed. His body rolled in the air, floating for just a fraction of a second black hair, like feathers they flared out in front of his eye’s he was sure he’d see silver plated mega stars when the ground rushed up to meet his backside. Air fleetingly left his little lungs burning his nostrils and esophagus. He could taste pennies inside his mouth they churned and sparkled against his tongue tickling the roof of his mouth. The sound of breaking plates and glasses reached his ears there was screaming besides his own and fairly soon as he tilted his head just to the side to catch of a dainty look at what was happening a silver toed boot connected with his face cutting into his mouth and slicing up the bridge of his nose jaggedly stroking his forehead and cutting it’s way across the plains of his temple and scalp. He put his pain aside and let the world around him slide away into nothingness. Somewhere on the floor he would find he was really disappointed. He never got to see stars. The pain had eaten them away like acid poured onto a brand new paint job. Shutting his eye’s Navarro wondered if he’d ever wake up and somehow he came to the conclusion deep down he didn’t want to.
Jolene sat upon the tattered bed frame the mattress half way across the room feathers all over the floor, the TV was busted smashed into a million shards of glittering black glass. Curtains torn from there hinges on the window seals, broken plates scattered along the cheap carpet. She licked her own chapped bleeding lips it was 2am and she wondered how pissed Ian was. How worried he was that his son didn’t come home. She also wondered how quickly he’d gut her, when he learned his son was laying in a bathtub water to the brim steaming blistering hot, fully clothed and beaten to a bloody pulp. He’d live she was sure of it but what they’d done to him was so unjust. She hadn’t been ready for them she felt petty and stupid inside as if her intestines were turning into oatmeal mush. He had the beautiful face of a Basher and for having that lovely shinning face he was torn from his perch in the sky and clipped of his wings. They could have done far worse to him of course. But they hadn’t, druggies always give a warning like in those silent thriller movies the bad guy always gives a warning for the good guy to catch the next train out of town or else face off in the street. Navarro would pull through just to spite them. He was in fact his fathers son. Jolene was cautious upon stepping into the bathroom the floor was covered in towels to prevent any damage to the floor or to anyone walking on it. Navarro had been laying stock still for the long time several hours actually and she wondered if they’d cracked his skull open. His fingers kept twitching and she prayed he wouldn’t start screaming when he woke up again. It would be twenty minutes later when he finally opened his eye’s they were dark and dreadfully pained though he spoke not a word. She helped him peel out of his clothing and wash the blood out of hair and pores. It was a difficult job because he was in such a discomforting mode of living at the moment she could not turn him over or help him stand up completely. Two days would pass before Navarro fully turned up again. Walking with the living he looked like hell. He felt like it to. Jolene had done her best to patch him up from the medical skills she learned from living with his uncle and father, he’d thanked her in his own way and gone on his way promising to stop by again and hopefully have a happier visiting hour. Because they both knew once he stepped into The Playground he was going to have to explain very thoroughly what happened to him and why he’s been as some might say M.I.A.
Public transportation is a real hoot whoever invented it should be shot.Was probably the first conculsion Navarro cam eto when he first stepped onto the great steel monster. It hummed beneath his feet that felt as heavy as lead inside his thick leather boots. The poor souls abored the bus stared at him intently with no friendly eye’s they carrsed his face with open digust. He couldn’t blame them either he felt dirty still despite his bath, and he must look like the walking dead. He had to smile though at least he was still standing. Taking a seat next to a girl who was probably 14 and extremely short, with terribly thick brown hair her shandeleer earrings swung invoulentarly around her face as if to shred her ear lobes in order to escape. Navarro pited them quietly because they were so close to her rambling mouth. She had exactly 3imprefect teeth bisable in her smile. If you could even call it a smile. She watched him closely and proceeded to explain the following items wrong in her life at this very moment in time. Item one, Her real biological father called her last night and she didn’t feel like talking to him because she’d heard a songo n the radio that reminded her of him. So she became angry and hung up on him Item two. People were always ticking her off in school and even on the bus right this minutes, because she had work to do and couldn’t concentrat and al but not least Item 3, Her boyfriend and she had broken up and now she had no reliable connection to get any pot. Half way through her rambling he’d noticed his fingers began to twitch and he knew if she didn’t shut up he was going to hit her into the next galaxy. When he noticed what part of town they were drivig through now he became thankful his wait to escaping this child wouldn’t be long now. Navarro almost humped out of his skin when the rambling girl smacked his fore arm and told him to listen. He wondered if anyone had ever tried to kill her just for how bloody annoying she was. He hated it when people touched him without warning and worse yet she was a drug fiend at 14yrs old had no life and thought she looked just fabulous in her horrible tennis shoe’s, lemon yellow mini skirt and matching sunshine colored t-shirt. She made him think of sunflowers. He was highly allergic to sunflowers. When she finally slowed down he was still staring at her wondering if someone had ever removed her brain with an electric saw. Like the one’s they use to carve turkeys. After a moment a clammy hand clamped down onto his flesh he followed her face and he noticed she was staring right at his face. “Did you get into an accident or something your face looks really bad.” Navarro decided to have some fun while he was on this god forsaken hell hole of a vehicle “No I got caught in bed with my friends mother. Afterwards we all sat down and ate ice cream and watched old 1970’s movies until she told me I had the ass of a toddler and should leave.” Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand he waited a moment before smiling behind it. The rambler unfortunately had nothing more to say then “that’s horrible you must have felt like shooting her.” He raised a brow in a sultry way that caught her malnutrition struck eye’s as if she’d played bloody knuckles with her eyeballs. “If I had a gun I might have but I hate them and I think I much would have preferred killing you your very annoying you make my blood boil inside my veins it’s freaking uncomfortable.” Now she had nothing to say and he was thankful for it. He was getting better at shutting people Navarro couldn’t remember what day it was nor when he left for Denny’s . Humming song by Marcy Playground a band that has been around since his father’s teens. He calmly stilled inside The Playground death warmed over never looked so good. No one noticed him at first and in the truth he hardly noticed himself. He waltzed into the back bedroom and stopped in mid stride as if the week couldn’t such any more then he thought it could it was becoming progressively worse. There before him stood his angelic mother and model beauty queen father locked in heated argument. He didn’t have to come off selfish or have been in the room from the start to know what the fight was about. Why was he so popular? Somehow being a simple peasant didn’t strike him as anything overly fun so being painfully popular would have to do . He leaned against the closed heavy doors and silently wondered if he started screaming would they stop and take notice or would it be nothing more then a distant car alarm to them. Someone could be breaking into his brain right now and they probably wouldn’t even notice. So he thought better and picked up a glass bottle that sat lonely against the wall. Balling a fist around the bottles long neck he gave it a nasty thrust against the wall. Thousands of lonely pieces of glass shattered like his attention span across the floor. He was lost in his own dream world when his mothers painful nails reached his hands. Swirling toward open mouthed touches acknowledging just faintly. When his fathers voice reached his ears he was asking how he got so beat up looking as if he’d gotten into a fight with a steel toed boot wearing shopping cart. He couldn’t entirely lie to his father, but he could certainly lie to his overpoweringly protective mother. Sure hel oved her but something about her just turned him sour sometimes and he just wanted new people to cater to him the old faces were dull now. He simply decided they need to go to the unemployment office and collect the check already. So he told his father everything but Jolene and the hotel. He changed the idea a little and made it out that they’d beaten him senseless behind Denny’s . He swore it was a freak accident a totally misunderstanding. His mother however thought it was the most awful thing in the world she shoved Ian aside and cupped his face in her hands. He stared at her and then at his dad “Daddy do you mind telling mom to stop touching my face its rather sore and I just want to find Ace play some go fish or something” Naomi was shocked at her sons indifference “No Navarro” His mother said sternly “Were going home your father has some issue’s to work through so he wont be joining us I want you to find Gwen and Ace I’m taking you all home.” The words fell to the floor with pale stuff ignorance . Navarro pulled away from her and moved backwards his petite feet crushing glass to a sand like powder he softly tried to think if he gathered it up and sold it to some idiotic cocaine usher would they snort it even thought it sparkled unnaturally? Ian was standing so tall he seemed to touch the ceiling Naomi was treading on thin ice and she seemed to have forgotten the importance of Ian’s past and the lover he had for his son. Navarro smiled inwardly “I think you’d better leave now mommy this place isn’t for you and I’m happy here with daddy I’m learning so much and making all sorts of friends. There’s nothing for me in Vegas not anymore anyway.” Ian stepped forward “Naomi I want you to know I’ll always love you but even if I’m retired from my title these people need me because even if it’s not my job It’ll be Navarro’s” Her face went pale yellow the color or gently burnt marshmallows. “No! you will not put him through this Ian don’t you see what it did to you.” Navarro watched as his seemed puzzled then tiredly shook his immortally black hair “I’ve always been this way deep down dearest.” She seemed to shake with defeat “mother I want this job it’s not easy and the pay stinks but after what Jack did I can’t go back to anything normal because nothing was normal to begin with.” She’d lost the battle the most she could do was be thankful for the time of being newlyweds, the soft sound of pattering infant feet across the hall way floor, the sound of screams in the middle of the night. She’d loved wholly one of the most feared men in all of the underground L.A. He’d given her more then she’d seen him give anyone. He’d cried some night and hid away on the rooftop of there large apartment. Twitch had silently watched the marriage sky rocket only to swan dive the moment Navarro showed his father features and exceptional talents with a mixture of his strange temper tantrums. He’d talk about it with Ian telling him he’d better make sure they were in L.A by the time the marriage fully fell apart, crumbling like feta cheese on a molding Greek salad. The morgue meant close to nothing to Twitch, and he’d give it up in a heart beat. He could probably start a new one here but he’d rather not draw attention to himself his looks weren’t as easily forgotten he and Ian shard a similar problem. Even years later the scum of the underworld still hated them. The punks.
Ian kissed his wife goodbye and Navarro did the same promising to visit when he had the chance if ever had the chance. She hugged them both and strangely enough left the building without a fuss. But Ian could faintly hear her tears out the walls through the pounding music. Oh well it’d been a good rude and he’d always love her she’d have a job soon and in a week he’d be mailed divorce papers which he would calmly sign as well as custody of Navarro for himself. Another week with urgent phone calls would come along and Ian would make a two hour flight cross state to a hospital east of where the old home lay. He’d sit at her battered side and hold her hand for hours on end whispering how much he loved her and watch cheap sounding music channels with her. The doctors would explain she’d been hit by a care the driver had run a red light he’d been high off his rocker. Mistaken her for a pretty bird and hit the gas pedal like a nimrod. Ian would quietly remember to himself the last time he’d been in a hospital save for Navarro’s birth. He’d been with the first real female lover of his life. Her agony due to his pathetic insecurities that caused him physical weakness. Naomi would cry late at night full of tubes and needles, She’d beg him to let he ride in peace. But Ian just stared at her as usual lost in her illogical reasoning. He’d hold her hand and calmly tell her she wasn’t going to die. But Ian was wrong. Her light was long since dead inside and it was mostly due to major head trauma from the accident. Not to mention there failed marriage. She’d cry and curse his existence until he’d had enough and quietly slipped away discharging her to her own intentions at the nurses station.. He bought her flowers and wrote nothing on the card. There was no way of washing his hands of this tragedy he’d had the respect to race to her side and now he had to swallow his pride, and let her go without compromise. He’d informed the other of her condition and choice to shut them all out. She hadn’t even asked about Navarro who in turn did not ask about her. Navarro spent mornings working out and learning combat techniques from his uncle he played video games and went to the mall with Ace who would follow him to the ends of the earth. Gwen would suck down into herself and watch those around her and for the first time in her life she wanted to fit in. Navarro would visit Jolene every single Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, he could. He’d crawl under the covers of her bed and eat whatever she made for him, he always came in secret and always let her play with his hair while they watched late night horrors. Jolene was patient with Navarro, he was quite different from his father and yet wonderfully the same. He smelled of baby powder and candy apples, She found he craved contact with the human race with such crushing force that it made his hate of people surprising and it crackled against the fact deep down he needed these people. He’d sit at the foot of the bed dripping wet and only dressed in a long bath towel. Oil black hair like soaked saturated crows feathers in his face coolly dripped across his features skirting up and around towards his cheek bones and down towards the sharp knife blade edge of his lower jaw. He was hiding from the world in this dank little hotel room and he wouldn’t dare move. Every now and then Jolene asked about Jack and how he died but it was never long before Navarro’s temper rose and boiled against the ceiling leaving behind in it’s small wake a soft crinkling paint job with mental fire singed it’s layers of flesh. Jolene never pried into his mind after that and she never asked why he kept coming back thought she clearly knew why none of it made sense that’s all. She didn’t see the need in visiting Gwen quite yet she had a feeling the time would make it self known to them all and that’s when she would decided her place. In a small place near her tiny bundle of inner comforts Jolene placed the facts that she enjoyed Navarro’s company. One evening he lay in her bath tub playing with bubbles he playfully splashed her legs as she sat on the rim “Nav you’re a tremendous tease and have no dignity whatsoever.” She said smiling in her own way. He blew a floating bubble off the tip of his nose watching it explode in a glorious whimsy pop “I keep telling you Jolene tell me something that I don’t know.” Her smile growing into a snicker she tossed a rubber ducky at his head and it bounced off with a sad squeak “I saw it at the local Safeway and I just knew it was for you” He only smiled now sitting up and delivering to her a sloppy rather soapy kiss on the cheek as thanks for the ridiculously silly gift. Leaning back into the tub he noticed her surprised look but ignored it “Jolene do you think if I said I loved you in a way you would destroy me like my father?” Jolene was rather taken aback but she answered him with pure fattening truth “Never would I love you like your father he’s one of a kind as are you I might destroy you but I highly doubt it because I think you’ve been hit with enough emotional atomic bombs that I couldn’t make a whisper of a mark.” He gave her a charming smile “What would you love most about me.” She had to giggle and roll her eye’s now wondering what he was getting at exactly. “Oh only your shameless charm and vain domestic qualities not to mention how you run like a toddler and enjoy famine bubble baths.” He felt his ego grow a size and licked his lips tasting her cherry lip gloss he’d stolen two hours ago from the quickie mart down the lane. “is that all?” She laughed now and fiddled with the knobs of the tub suddenly pouring cold water all over his feet causing him to squeal like a girl and she grinned broadly. “Oh yeah I’d love the way you smile.” He made a pout face “your unusually mean to me Jolene your like a snarling pit bull.” She insultingly rolled her eye’s in an oddly cute rotten sort of way. “Shut up Navarro you brat you know you love it.” Licking his lips again and smiling smugly he looked at her in a gentle candid way. “Damn Straight I do.” She shook her head at him and went to stomp out of the bathroom, but not before she turned on the shower attachment spraying him with icy cold water, he shrieked loudly and fairly enough fell clean out of the tub shivering and covered in goose bumps. Jolene only snickered. There was no chance anything soon Navarro was going to get over himself he was just that way. Oh well. She knew he was pulling at something inside her, prying at information. Somehow at this moment she didn’t really care. Flopping down on the bed she sighed she was always a sucker for green eye’s. It was probably why she kept him around still. Damn that little punk. He slept half dressed laying at the foot of the bed like a bloated kitten full of non fat low carb cream curled in a fetal ball. She swore she could hear him purr.
Ace was bored out of his mind and Gwen kept begging him to help her find some way for her to fit in with the rest of them. She’d been mumbling constantly that she wanted to change to be like they were. Finally he caved in maybe he’d get something good out of this if he lived through her mediocre shopping skills. He vaguely wondered what Navarro was up to. He could bet his right foot he was having a hell of a lot more fun then he was. Gwen nervously exploded when he silently agreed and they piled into the nearest free car and peddled themselves to the mall. She stared at him confused once they stopped and he shut off the engine. “Ace how the hell is the mall going to help me?” He put his hands on his hips gently. Laying out the expensive truth “no offence intended Gwen but we all think your cloths suck in the worst kind of way and none of us had the heart tot tell you. So I thought id start helping you find your way by getting you a new wardrobe, new cloths always help me feel better.” She rocked on her heels “You spend to much time with Navarro, I can totally tell.” He smiled “And you spend to little. Now lets go I’ve suddenly developed a fetish for silk and I’m simply going to be sick if I don’t buy something over a hundred dollars.” They day sped by with the speed of butter on toast. Gwen felt slightly guilty at the fact Ace spent $300.00 on her. Not to mention how much he spent on himself. Ace was beaming as they made it back to The Playground Gwen was worn out and quietly putting her things away the moment they stepped in. Ace was bounding around looking for Navarro and found not an eye blink of the boy. Pouting he rested a hand on his left hip “Ketchup do you know where Nav is I got him something at the mall and it’s hard to give it to him if he’s not here.” Ketchup stood still taking in Ace’s hopeful stare. “No Ace babe I know not where he could be hiding.” The boy dropped his head looking at the floor kicking at the tiled floor, Ketchup had to frown now, Navarro did everything with him but lately he’d been sneaking away and not returning until everyone was dead asleep and to curl into Ace’s bunk. Ketchup also noticed he was making frequent trips to the back bedroom, at night. At the moment only Twitch occupied it and he estimated Navarro and his father had similar sleeping patterns as far as nightmares went. He closed the gap between he and Ace wrapping an arm around his slender shoulders, He was an unusual boy and ketchup wanted to test something. He had Ace stand beside the wall and he carefully pulled from his pocket a set of two metal claw rings similar to Twitch’s. They always had spares lying around. Taking his hand gently in his own the slipped them on one at a time onto his right hand.. Ace looked confused “ketchup um…what are you doing?” He ignored him for a second “make a fist Ace and then open your palm when you do I want you to try and jab me with one.” Ace was slightly appalled “Why on earth would you..” “Just do it Ace trust me” he shrugged “Okay it’s your brilliant idea not mine.”
They moved out into the empty dance floor and ketchup slowly began to circle him Ace picked up the pace and followed the carefully placed steps, soon enough eventually he found his own . The end result was Ace flat on his back with ketchup holding him down. “Ace you have to concentrate I know you you can knock me down.” Ace sighed heavily “I can’t knock you down and I don’t even know why your doing this.” Ketchup paused “Did you ever play games like this with Nav?” Ace thought on the subject carefully “Once or twice I only managed to knock him against the wall never to the ground.” Ketchup sighed. “Well see if you can pin Nav against the wall you can do the same action to me.” “Where are you going with this” Ace said. “No where now lets try this again this time pretend I’m Navarro if it helps at all.”
Ketchup was taken totally off guard this time around and found himself pinned to the thick two foot wide support beam in the building one of many of course, He gasped at the sharp insecure feeling of the claws gripping his second to last rib and gently pulling on it playing gentle like a sweet ex-lover. Ketchup saw the look in his eye’s and smiled real nicely “Twitch” he yelled starting to laugh “You should really see this kid move it’s like looking at your twin, only much more attractive” Twitch snorted descending from the throne steps sniggering in a smooth fashion. “I don’t know about that last part but I always did want a twin.” Ace let go of Ketchup, standing tall he clinked the claws together finding he liked the way they felt. They felt natural to him. He soon felt Twitches hands touch his hips through the cotton Levi’s leaning close to his ear until his lips touched his earlobe tickling down his throat in a quivering tendrils “Acelin my dear friend I do believe we’ve stumbled upon something, you promised to take care of my nephew did you not?” Swallowing dry dust Ace nodded “Yes I swore I’d take care of him when he needed me.” Twitch now shook his head in agreement most carefully touching Aces navel with his own metal claw rings causing Ace’s mind to wane. “Well Ace darling your going to be doing a whole lot more and I’ll be here to guide you so no worries now then lets see just what you can do.” Ace stared at Twitches eye’s they seemed to glow as if he were inhuman. His face inches from his own he smiled sweetly. He’d found his place in the group and Twitch seemed ultimately confident in him and he hoped he could meet the standards of the Albino King.