Ooh, shiny!

[Wraith]

Wraith hadn't had such a workout in months. Ershey might not know how to hide, but she really knew how to try and shake a tail. Quick and stealthy though she was, it was all Wraith could do to dart through the alleys, creep down the side streets, edge around the buildings that Ershey passed through, all without being spotted by her stalkee. The route was so complex, in fact, that it wasn't until the warehouse loomed into sight that Wraith knew where they were going. Then it hit her like a sledgehammer in the gut.

She knew this place. She'd found it before. Staked it out, watched it day and night. Always guarded, always. There they were, a couple of beefy men standing outside the door, but Ershey didn't go to the door. She went to the window. Wraith had seen people tap at that window before; she knew what it meant. Standing in the shadow of a shop awning, just a few feet from where Ershey was standing, she watched in horrified silence.

***

Detective Bud Ericson opened the window and peered out with a leer. "Little Adrianne. What do you have for me today?"

[Ershey]

"Ericson," muttered Ershey, frowning as she grabbed the bracelet in her pocket and reluctantly handed it over to him. Whatever she stole never stayed with her and she hated it. "That should cover it for a couple weeks."

She took a step back, ready to leave. She disliked being around the warehouse, especially when Ericson was near.

[Wraith]

The cop snorted as he examined the bracelet. "A couple is stretching it." He could see its value, all right, but he wasn't about to let on. Instead, he looked the girl over slowly, still smiling. The pleasure he felt in his power over them, that never got old. He would've liked more than money from this one--hell, from any of them--but her regular "donations" were profiting him more just now than a little fun between the sheets. "I'll see you next week, Adrianne."

***

Wraith had gone to a calm place.

There were only two things that could bring her there over the past year or so. One was opium, and the other was focus--clear, crystaline, absolute focus--on a goal. As she watched Ershey and Ericson's brief exchange, she took in everything: the warehouse, the guards, the window, the smile, no, not the smile, she couldn't let herself focus on his smile. The window--she'd thought of the window before, but that required range, and Wraith didn't have a gun. She had no idea where to get a gun. Besides, she wanted to deal with him up close, the way she'd dealt with the others. But she couldn't do it. He was too damn smart, too damn careful, she couldn't touch him. Goblin could figure it out, but she couldn't let him know about Ericson. She'd told him she took care of all of them. That was for the best.

Yes, she was calm, totally calm and rational, except that she was so lost in her rational thoughts that she didn't move from her post, even as Ershey headed in her direction.

[Ershey]

Ershey kept her eyes on her feet and nodded, listening for the window to slam shut and Ericson to step away. She breathed a sigh of relief that that was all he wanted for the time being. She learned it was best to just hand it over and quick, no need to argue or say anything else. Because if you do, something else comes back to you altogether.

Glad for the ordeal to be over, Ershey hurried back to the alley she passed by. Before going through her usual route, she suddenly caught a glimpse of blonde hair. Ershey stopped in her tracks and glared at the person in front of her.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She grabbed Wraith's wrist and pushed her against the wall. "You followed me all the way over here? What are you trying to pull? You better tell me now!" Ershey growled, trying her best to keep her temper.

[Wraith]

Wraith jumped practically out of her skin, flinched, and sent a very anxious glance in the direction of the warehouse. She opened her mouth and nothing actually came out of it. They couldn't get into this now. She was nowhere near trusting this girl, not with any of it, and certainly not with what she'd done. Besides, he was right there, for God's sake! What if he heard them?

In a burst of panic, she pulled free of Ershey and took off in a random direction. Unfortunately, she now had no idea how to get back to the lodging house or anywhere else familiar, so she was just kind of running and hoping that Ershey wasn't right behind her.

[Ershey]

This girl is crazy, thought Ershey. Almost every block was patrolled or monitored by Ericson's men in some way, at least within a couple miles. She watched Wraith's attempt to run away, wondering how in the world she was going to get back to Manhattan. There was a reason her route was complex (she had a different one going there and going back), she didn't want people following her too easily and finding their way around.

"You'll get caught," muttered Ershey, loud enough for Wraith to hear. Ershey was still paying attention to her surroundings, making sure Ericson didn't notice anything strange.

[Wraith]

Wraith heard Ershey's words. She saw the sense in them, too. She knew about the patrols; they'd been a source of endless frustration. She came to a halt, took a deep breath, and made her way back to Ershey's side, trying to recover the calm, calculating trance she'd sunk into minutes before.

"I followed you," she said softly, looking back and forward, right and left, but never at Ershey, "because I thought you were in trouble. He has something on you, huh?" She didn't bother asking what. The girl would never tell her.

[Ershey]

And he has something on you too, thought Ershey. No wonder why she was so paranoid about the cops earlier.

"You know Ericson?" asked Ershey, completely avoiding Wraith's question. Either the girl was simply curious or had nothing to do. Ershey didn't think it was either. Oddly enough, she wasn't surprised. Ericson was one to screw over whoever he wanted just to get things going his way. The world would've been a lot better without him at all.

[Wraith]

She nodded, strolling through the neighborhood beside Ershey, doing nothing to attract attention. She even tossed her hair a little and smiled at the older girl as if they were best friends, just a pair of carefree schoolgirls taking a walk. She knew the transformation must be unnerving, but it was the little gestures that made an effective disguise--and Wraith, thank God, had slipped into stealth mode, a mode where her ever-present fear and neurosis temporarily faded away.

"I know him," she admitted cautiously, so softly that anyone watching them might've thought she was sharing juicy secrets about a boy. "Better than I'd like to. Has it been going on a while, for you?"

[Ershey]

Did she really just toss her hair? Ershey knotted her brows and looked at her in confusion. This girl was definitely full of surprises.

"Too long. Years," whispered Ershey, a sinking feeling growing in her stomach as she recalled how it started. She had tried running and hiding but, eventually, he was always there. She linked her arms with Wraith, playing along with her but mostly to lead her back out. She wanted to leave as soon as possible.

[Wraith]

"A year, for me." She almost stopped then, fearing she'd said too much, but logic prevailed. Ershey wasn't going to go digging through year-old newspapers and link Ericson to the two dead cops. "Ever thought about trying to...you know...shake him off?" Caution, caution, carefully chosen words.

[Ershey]

"Of course I've tried. I know more than the average person does about Ericson," said Ershey, hoping she hasn't said too much. "And he's not one to shake me off that easily. Handing him over money has been keeping me alive."

Ershey turned around the corner, spotted a fire escape and started walking towards the roof. She knew this place like the palm of her hand and knew the best way to get back to Manhattan without being spotted by any of Ericson's goons. Thankfully, they were almost back. She could see Central Park not too far away already.

[Wraith]

"I've tried too." She eyed the girl closely, wishing she could trust her, wishing she had her brother's talent. Goblin could spend a little time with Ershey and know her inside-out, but if Wraith asked him to do it, he'd ask why. "There's probably nothing we can do," she admitted flatly, almost ready to detach and drift away, dismissing the brief fresh hope that had flared up when she found someone else who shared her enemy.

[Ershey]

Ershey kept quiet, unsure of what to say. Of course, she didn't want to give up. She didn't want to keep doing this her whole life. She wanted to be able to do what she wanted without anyone breathing down her back, expecting payment. It wasn't a way to live.

"Nothing for now," she said, her eyes scanning the street. The Distribution Center was right around the corner. They were back. "Look, it'd mean a great deal if you kept this to yourself for now. Not that I'd expect you to go blabbing it around, but... well, y'know what we're dealing with."

[Wraith]

"Of course," Wraith said.

She'd ask Goblin. She'd tell him everything, make him swear to do things her way, and ask him how far Ershey was willing to go. And if he thought she had the same dark place in her heart that Wraith did--well then, they just might be in for a deadly partnership.