Book 3: Chapter 13 - Too Smart to Be Manipulated

The Cruel Ivy Killer isn’t an unprecedented danger to Prism City.
He barely makes an impact at all, truth be told.
As far as crime and death per capita, I mean.

People are afraid now. Not because this is the first killer to walk their streets.
But because this is the most sensational killer they’ve ever heard of.

The news talks about little else.
Chromatic has closed their doors to the police.
Deaths are gruesome, and public, and they are discovered in quiet homes instead of forgotten alleys.

Perhaps another way of saying it is...
More people aren’t dying.
The wrong people are dying.

The people with the luxury of fear.

So, yes. I think the Cruel Ivy Killer should be stopped.
But no. I do not think he is the greatest threat this city has ever seen.
—Anonymous, Prism Bulletin Public Opinion Column

“Fuck, Violet,” Kiera murmured. 

“This really isn't the time or the place, sweetie,” Violet joked.

Kiera groaned. “Don’t be a bitch, you know what I mean,” Kiera snapped. “This is all… Shit. This is a lot. Are you sure about this?”

Both girls were sitting side by side on a swingset in a public park. It was late, so they were the only ones there, which was convenient. Considering they were waiting to commit literal murder together. Not that it would matter if they were spotted. In the red district, no one would be able to see through Kiera’s illusions. No one who hadn’t used a talent to sneak in, anyway. To the outside eye, both girls looked completely unrecognizable. 

Interestingly, this was what seemed to push Kiera over the edge. The fox had expressed concern, but had listened patiently when Violet explained how dangerous Koral was. She’d agreed almost eagerly when Violet asked for help before as well. But it was that extra moment it took to exit the train. The moment Violet scanned her ring to let Kiera off.

The train always took a few seconds to play the recorded introduction the first time someone was recorded exiting a train. And, of course, the persona Violet invented for Kiera had never been on this train before. The door to the red district taking that extra moment to open seemed to spook the kitsune. When it opened readily for Violet, something seemed to settle into place in Kiera’s mind. This had been the straw that had broken Kiera. The moment the reality of the situation settled onto the girl’s shoulders.

Violet was hoping Kiera would use her talents to handle any doubts. Apparently, the fox had no intention of doing so. That was annoying, but Violet would let it pass. Certainly, after the deed had been done, Kiera would wash any guilt away. Especially considering her personal involvement in it. Violet just needed to convince her to push through until then.

“It’s alright if you’re not up for this,” Violet assured. “I understand. I don’t have a choice, as you know. But you do. And honestly? I envy that. So if you want to make the choice I can’t, I encourage you to do so. I can handle this on my own if I need to.”

Kiera grimaced. “No, it’s not that. I want to help, I just...” she glanced at Violet’s hair. She obviously wasn’t completely sold on Violet’s plan. That made sense, all things considered. But that was alright.

“I told you, Kiera. I promise it’s true. I only hurt abusers, and only to save their victims. You know that. I wouldn’t so much as risk hurting someone if I wasn’t completely certain it was necessary to protect someone else. I wouldn’t hurt anyone in any way. Not physically, not emotionally, and not their reputation. I only do what must be done to protect whoever I can. And to keep myself alive,” Violet insisted.

Kiera bit her lip. She flicked her tail and flattened her ears as well, but Violet was likely the only person in the district who had any chance of noticing that. Finally, she clenched her fists and nodded.

“Alright, Vi. I trust you. You’ve earned that much. I just... I don’t want to do more harm than I help, you know? That’s a mistake I’ve made before,” she explained.

Violet nodded in understanding. “I get it. I do. It is hard to know what the right thing to do is. And considering your past, I recognize how brave it is to trust even me. After your dad... well. I get why you’d be hesitant to do something so drastic after your role in that. I won’t even tell you you’re wrong. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, you can’t trust anyone to order food for you, much less tell you who should live and who should die. In fact, I strongly suggest you don’t trust anyone else with something like this,” Violet responded, a humorous chuckle skewing her voice for the last few words. As one corner of Kiera’s mouth tilted up, Violet resumed her serious tone and met the canine’s eyes. “But you can always trust me, okay?”

Kiera was quiet for a moment. “I do. I just... Listen. This is more of a self-doubt issue than anything. Because of my own mistakes. So sometimes I wonder if I should trust myself to trust you, if that makes sense. Like, if I can be so thoroughly fooled, maybe it’s safer that I don’t engage with anything risky. Even when I know for a fact I can believe you. Does that make any sense at all?”

Violet reached to her side and put one hand on Kiera’s shoulder, pushing her friend in the swing just a little. “I absolutely understand. Which is why I think you should back out now if you aren’t completely comfortable with this. But... well. You’re being vulnerable, so I’ll open up a little in return. You are the smartest person I know. Maybe not in math, or science, or whatever other nonsense they pretend we need to know to be lancers. I wouldn’t know if you were, since I get pretty consistent Cs,” Violet joked. “But emotionally? You’re fucking genius. You have been through more and seen more manipulation than anyone I’ve ever met. And it’s left you brilliant. You know you can trust me, but you don’t know if you can trust yourself? That’s alright. Then lean on my belief in you. Trust that I see who you are. How sharp, and how weary. And trust that I know I couldn’t lie to you if I tried. You’ve seen it all before, and you are too smart for me. Can you do that?”

Kiera replied with a half-smirk. Then, much to Violet’s surprise, both the fox’s hands slapped her own face from either side. “Right,” Kiera responded with determination. “Sorry for getting so caught up in my head. I’m all here now. Let’s get fucking started!” 

Violet laughed out loud and began to kick her legs to actually swing. “Good job psyching yourself up! But we still have to wait for this guy to make it home, remember?” 

Kiera paused with her mouth open to respond, then looked down at her feet in embarrassment. They weren’t waiting in the park because Violet loved swings, or even because Kiera was spiraling. They were waiting there because their target wasn’t home yet. Kiera knew that, but had apparently forgotten. “Right. Well, just so you know, I’m not blushing because I’m embarrassed or anything. I just slapped myself in the face too hard. My cheeks are flushed,” she lied.

“Thanks for clarifying, babe. That’s way more dignified,” Violet teased.

This resulted in a longer back-and-forth. As usual, the two best friends said horrible things to one another in a friendly and loving manner. Kiera had returned to her usual foul language, having only tried to clean up her vocabulary for maybe a few weeks. This decision was on full display for the next hour. Violet didn’t correct her anymore. That particular persona wasn’t useful with Kiera anymore. On the other hand, being the one person Violet didn’t lecture despite her language, Kiera felt closer to Violet than ever.

The sun had set behind the barrier and the mist for hours by the time they were done waiting. But finally, the man they’d come for arrived home. He wasn’t a high-priority target, exactly. There were few in the red district that Violet was overly worried about. All of them could be left alone without altering her plans. They would just help a little. But that wasn’t the point of this particular trip. If it were, Violet wouldn’t have needed Kiera’s help. Rather, this particular trip into the mist was about investigating the watchers. 

Kiera started shaking almost imperceptibly when the target showed up in the dark. Both she and Violet could see him long before he could see them. They could both hear through the walls if they got close to any buildings, and they could spot just about everyone a mile away. Even so, the kitsune’s nerves were obvious. Violet realized she’d need to ask for help more, just to get the girl accustomed to these conditions. She didn’t want Kiera making a mistake when they were after someone more dangerous, after all.

“What did he do?” Kiera whispered. There was no reason to speak quietly. Not with Violet’s necklace protecting their privacy. But Kiera still seemed terrified of being overheard.

“I thought you didn’t want to know?” Violet asked. 

Kiera didn’t respond right away. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on the lonely man walking down a quiet red street. The swings squeaked around them, and the smell of mulch and dirt seemed to grow more prominent as the silence began to stretch. Finally, Kiera sighed. “I didn’t. But now, I’ve seen his face. And I need to know why, or I don’t think I can go through with this,” she said.

Violet nodded, then slowly stood from her swing. She stepped between the man and Kiera, cutting off her friend’s line of sight. She leaned forward so her eyes were hovering only a few inches from Kiera’s, and her breath warmed the shivering fox. For once, she didn’t double-check if Kiera was certain or not. She simply told the truth. She’d picked this specific target for a reason, after all. And if everything went well, it would be the last time Kiera bothered to ask.

“He sold his daughter,” Violet replied. “Not as some sort of slave or anything perverse like that. And he would likely not characterize it as such. But he did it all the same. He sold her future, and her dreams, and everything she was working for, and he sent her to work for an organization that would eat away at her soul. To protect himself. He pulled her out of school, he spent her inheritance with her mother, and he promised her labor to a group of killers and loan sharks. Because he owed them money, and she had a calling they could use. She still works there. Miserable and with no safe way to leave. Stuck in a career she hates while her father, still red even at his age, lives comfortably. And she doesn’t even realize he’s the one who killed her mother.”

Her interpretation of events was... admittedly creative. But it was close enough to reality to light Kiera’s blood on fire.

“I’m ready,” the fox agreed. The trembling hadn’t left her skin, but there was more heat than cold behind it now. 

Violet nodded, then stood up so their victim could be seen again. He was still small on the horizon, but he was getting closer. Without another word, Kiera shifted from girl to two-tailed fox. Violet could see the orange crystal fur and the single mismatching tail, but she knew that was a sight for her alone. To everyone else in the district, Kiera would look like an orange tabby cat. It wasn’t necessarily common anymore, but pets did still exist. More so in Prism than in smaller cities, where a hedron’s kittens could be saved from the mist before crystallization. This had happened enough times that Prism did have a wild cat population, if not a large one. Kiera wouldn’t draw too much attention.

With that, both girls let the shadows swallow them as they proceeded to follow the man down the road. They weren’t far from his apartment, so it wasn’t long before they watched him walk inside. Everything was going well so far. Violet simply needed to wait for a few moments until she spotted what she was looking for.

The red district was a bit irritating, since she could essentially hear everything that happened around her. At Category Yellow, the red walls were little more than tissue paper to her senses. She couldn’t see through them, but every sound was a distraction. She thought it was this, rather than any laws, which actually kept the higher categories out of lower districts. She’d reactivate her necklace just for the quiet it provided if she didn’t need to focus on her surroundings. 

So she heard arguments from angry couples, and private moments from happy couples. She heard boiling pots and abandoned TVs. She listened to altogether too much noise for such an empty urban street, and she listened for too long. But she did spot exactly what she expected. The one person who didn’t make sense. She only caught a glimpse of him, but he was there. Not too close to her target, but too close to ignore. 

A lone man had leaned out from the alley behind her target’s apartment. Just to spit, it looked like. There was nothing terribly strange about this, except that he’d only appeared the moment her target opened the front door to the apartment building. That and the various fresh cigarette butts on the ground near where he’d appeared. He’d been waiting there for a while. She was certain of it. This was another watcher, keeping an eye on one of her targets. Protecting them. And irritating her.

“There,” Violet whispered. Kiera tilted her head and yipped at the corner Violet was pointing at. There was a brief moment of silence, then a hand appeared to drop another cigarette. With that, the kitsune darted away and left Violet to her work.