Jackie exhaled and opened her eyes in the real world, just in time for the group to go into the diner, following them seamlessly.

Even without the aid of expanded hearing, the girls could practically listened to the proverbial pin dropping once they entered. Funniest, and scariest, thing was that they could faintly hear the chatter of some lively dudes at a booth, but the silence was louder.

The place was styled in a cozy 1950’s American diner, just outfitted with modern seating and leisure sensibilities. But versus the typical reds of the seats or the checkered floors, it was drenched in moodier colors and color palettes, giving it a… Distinct aura.

Considering that the diner’s called “Dead-End’s” and the meal in question they’re getting is called “Depressive Flakes”, Jackie figured this was all apart of the package…

Then nearly everyone in attendance just started to stare at the girls. And continued to.

“Look here—” a highstrung, frazzled and shorthaired waitress scrolled up to the girls. Stopping just shy of them, keeping distance, yet stares them down ferociously or at least tried to. “We don’t want any trouble.”

“…What the hell kind of trouble you think we’re capable of--?” Maddie instantly fired off.

“To say,” Jackie instantly cut her off, just to stop the possible flames from igniting. “That we’re not here to cause anything… We just came here to eat. Nothing more.”

“W-we’re full,” the waitress lied out of her trembling, chattering teeth.

“Damn… I didn’t know you guys went full roleplay with the whole 50’s thing,” Maddie joked. “Shit guys, I have to eat outside off the streets, see ya’—”

“I’M NO—WE’RE NOT—There’s no reason to assume that this is the problem!” the waitress was turning red, tugging at her smock.

“Madison,” Jackie sounded strict. “For once during this damn journey, can you not fucking get into a verbal spat with people?”

“It’s more like verbal Chicken,” Maddie continued on, looking relaxed. “I’m just proving a point. I know this isn’t a race card situation—but it is discrimination. Lady? We’re not Nathan Fuuki, we’re not N’atural Savage. Fuck, we’re not even on the damn Trend list to begin with.”

“I…I didn’t say that you were. I just don’t want any trouble.”

Maddie looked to the rest, with a plain expression. “Wanna show her how fucked up we are?”

Jackie paused at the idea. She then nodded. “Don’t go overboard with it.”

She let go, letting her still-healing injury slant out of place, retear open, double over each other, all over her body. Glancing around, she’s seen the rest of the girls letting go as well—causing the waitress to gasp, cover her mouth. Looking on the verge of tears.

“Heh hehe... We’re just victims,” Tracy spoke up. “Not siVictims really… Because we couldn’t even get that right.”

Maddie just stared at the waitress. “We just want to eat, lady. That’s it. For the first time since all this crazy shit happened, we just want to be normal for like, an hour again. That’s it.”

The waitress was clearly overwhelmed, clearly trying to hold back any and all emotion. All she croaked out was, “Booth’s opening near the back—” before excusing herself away from them.

Jackie was once in her shoes, and it was just weeks ago. Overwhelmed, no idea what or who to trust—and the reality of the situation constantly hitting her in areas where she was exposed. To see that live, right in front of her… Is it only proving that she’s now further away from where and who she was? …Is?

The girls got a hold of themselves, with respective grunts, and continued to go further in the back, arriving to a booth of wrapped around couch-seats with a circular table in the middle. Maddie, Tracy, and Aiko got in first, River at the end and as well as Jackie sitting on the other side.

“Aaaah…” Maddie started taking off her new leather jacket, putting it on her ripped jeanned lap. The table cutting off her “BITCHES AIN’T SHIT” red-tee. “Finally. Legs were sore as fuck, standing in line…”

“Uh,” Aiko took off her cream paperboy cap, letting her pigtail free as it dangled from the side of her head. She wore a comically cartoony Hawaiian shirt with cream shorts. “The fact we just stood there, unable to move for an hour, was more draining—”

Tracy was adjusted and pulling at her cuffs of her long sleeves, “It was more draining thinking about if we could’ve gotten in or not… Glad that we have…” Her outfit was near identical to the one that she wore when Jackie first saw her in. Admittedly, Jackie found this funny.

“Sod’s law,” River just wore a brown, featureless tee with black pants. If anything, she finally got to replace her glasses with one’s said to be better reenforced against Shift troubles. “We could’ve been totally thrown out.”

“Mm,” Jackie could only respond. Most of the conversation was stilled, leading her to think that the others are trying to dance around the same thing, but too prideful to not let it get to them.

Jackie averted her gaze from the rest, looking at the shiny, silver napkin dispenser.

Her reflection stared back. Then it turned towards her, as it was falling apart into pieces.

“What are we going to do?”

Jackie jumped in her seat, tensed up. Judging by the stares she felt coming from the others, they only got startled by her flinch, not hearing that voice.

She was unravelling. Screw dancing around it.

“I want everyone to listen to me.”

“So you’re finally gonna explain what’s been go--?” Maddie begun to answer.

“Maybe if you listen to me, you’ll get your answer.”

That managed to shut her up. Was it the tone of voice? The fact it was so controlled, direct, to the point?

Detached.

“What happened—what you all said back then… It revealed that every single one of you were people I hated the most. Or the worst parts of people that I’ve always hated, wanted to fight against… Scared shitless people that’s willing to do anything if that means surviving. Don’t care of how ungraceful or-or even disgusting they look doing it… We called each other names, fucking threatened each other—we can’t just move on from that. Who can give us any bit of sympathy after seeing that shit? We were fucking pathetic weaklings in the face of someone that could’ve killed us, then and there, and our fucking last words would’ve been “NO, HER, KILL HER FIRST AT LEAST”. It was wrong. We were fucking wrong and we should be fucking ashamed. That was a watershed, it’s time we acted like it was. And we can’t let weakness drive us that insane ever again. Because if we’re going to survive this—maybe even have some semblance of a life after this, no one can’t be a weak link. Because guys? The things we barely fucking got through so fucking far? It doesn’t care if we plead, beg or kill each other. It’s just is. All of you have to promise me, right now, that we’re going to address this shit, get better, and maybe have a greater chance of success. And if you don’t? Fine. I’ll give you some credits and you can just dip and leave us alone. Goodbye and good riddance. But if we’re going to be a group, then we need to fucking act like one.”

Jackie paused. She wanted to catch her breath, her heartbeat was making her vision waver. She waited until someone spoke up.

“I was kinda hoping that we swept all of that under the rug,” River begun to say. “But you’re right. It would’ve came up or bubbled over at the worst time and. Iunno.”

Yet again, the uncomfortable silence screeched louder than any argument could have.

“Oh, you know…” Tracy was stuttering, nervous. “That outburst was just… S-sugar imbalance, anyways! W-water under the bridge! Willing to s-stick together, just don’t throw me out or anything if I slip up, Ms. Jackson—”

“Wouldn’t be just my decision if it ever came down to it, anyways,” Jackie said. “You’re good as long as you’re trying, Tracy.”

“As long as we’re doing supremely cool stuff and none of the dangerous junk, I’m always going to be onboard! Especially since you’re taking charge, Jackie!” Aiko chirped.

Jackie laughed a bit, “Again, group effort, but thanks Aiko…”

Maddie felt the instant pressure of being the last to respond, then shrugged. “Whatever, sure.”

“That’s a non-answer and you know it,” Jackie said. “Again, as I said, you’re free to go if we’re annoying you too much—”

“I’m not gonna crawl on my knees, make my lip quiver and shed a tear over something I fucked up,” Maddie stated. “I fucked up, I accept it, and I’m better off with you guys. I’m agreeing.”

“Then sound like you’re sincere for once…” Jackie pointed out.

“Again, there’s no need. You tell me to shut up? I’ll shut up. There really isn’t anything else to do other than say sorry.”

Jackie sighed to herself. “Yeah. Y’know what? Let’s just end all this with a group ‘I’m sorry, shit sucks’?”

“Sounds good enough to me,” River agreed, with the murmurs of everyone else.

Jackie counted down from three to one.

“’I’m sorry, shit sucks!’” they all said in unison.

“…We’re gonna get fucking kicked out of this place, aren’t we--?” Maddie laughed, then looked to see if the waitress was returning or not.

“So, since we’re a group now… What are we going to do…?” Tracy asked.

Jackie stroked her chin, pondering. “Well, what do you all feel like is a pressing issue?”

“Other than ‘fuck, we’re weak when everyone’s OP like a Light Novel Protagionist?” River begun. “I think information’s the main issue. We’ve been caught flatfoot ever since we met that day. And we don’t have phones, we don’t have wikis or videos to fall back on. We can’t just rely on me because, as shown and said multiple times, I kinda suck.”

“Mm…” Jackie pondered still.

“That and we have to figure out how to get on the siVis playfield in the first place!” Aiko brought up. “We have abilities now, but they’re all…”

“Weird?” Jackie guessed.

“Shit?” Maddie just said.

“Weirdly shit?” River just found an opening. Tracy giggled at that.

“Yeah! We don’t have a training or testing ground—or can stand up to anything that could push us to the next level! So unlocking this stuff fully, whatever that means, needs to happen too!”

“But we can’t aim too high either…” Tracy chimed in. “That costed us last time… Our plans kept changing or it was clear that we weren’t ready for it. We didn’t know what to do, and that added in our near-death experiences…”

“… Maddie?” Jackie had an idea.

“Jackson?”

“…Can we get to Evermore’s Foundations from here?”

Everyone at the table got wide-eyed.

“…I thought we weren’t doing anything stupid anymore, Jackson--?” Maddie asked.

“I know, I know… But they are the only school here that would’ve gotten the Noumena History material, right?”

“Mhm,” Aiko added surprisingly. “Parents were going to enroll me into it before the school shutdown. They might still be in the building due to N’atural claiming that space as her own—"

“Yes, but there’s one fucking N’atural problem,” Maddie said. “If we fucking go there and if she gets wind of that shit? We’ll get maimed. We can’t take on a Trend!”

“That’s only if she gets word that we’ve been there,” Jackie pointed out. “It is risky yes, but most of our options involve staying here—where resentment looks to be commonplace, go BACK to Future Plains where Nathan and possible Nulgarrt roam there—or do something else while being blindsided about what’s near there. We need information and actual data about what we’re in right now.”

“Yeah but…” Tracy looked stressed, face melting 10 years older. “What if she’s there somehow, making this all moot anyways?”

“Oh, then instantly run,” Jackie said bluntly. Call it a failure and figure out something else.”

Jackie glanced across the table. Very mixed reactions from everyone presents.

“We’ll plan better, we’ll adapt as we go on… But I feel like thinking that every plan has a safe space is a flawed hope to have. I think that’s crippled us, all of us, and why shit gets bad as it does… We think we can outthink and only try viable things, be proactive before the threat can even blink—but the Shift Noumena doesn’t care about all of that. All we can do is adapt…”

“…Fine, sure, whatever,” Maddie conceded. “We’ll at least talk about it during lunch—unless that shit’s outlawed here, Jesus…”

“Hm?” Jackie asked.

“I swear… People haven’t said shit since we walked in. It’s fucking creeping me out…”

Jackie saw Maddie’s face change in real time—confusion to concern within seconds.

“…I just thought it was us, but…”

The waitress came to their table, her hand trembling by her notepad and assortment of menus.

“So, how can we help you all…?”

“…What, no catchy catchphrase?” Maddie asked.

“F-forgot it… Please,” the waitress was sweating. “Can… Can I just get your orders, please?”

Jackie noted that she wasn’t shivering and sweating at them. But rather, the booth before them she keeps glancing at.

The only booth that had chatter coming from it, other than the girls.

Jackie was going to get up, but Maddie put a finger near her mouth, playing it off as if she needed to scratch her upper lip. Jackie stood down, and watched what she was doing.

“…I guess this doesn’t, like, this isn’t totally the way to do it, but—” Maddie motioned at River. “My friend here? She thinks you’re super hot.”

The waitress looked at Maddie with strain, as if she’s scared of what’s going to pull. Wariness. Jackie herself didn’t know what the hell Maddie was getting at, until she saw the LGBTQ+ rainbow pin on the lady’s smock.

“She’s a massive disaster lesbian—”

“B-bi—” River said under her mountain of blush.

“She’s a massive bisexual disaster area and wanted me to confess to you! But she’s really weird… She likes her girls that can personalize their phone numbers when they give them? Y’know, hearts and swirls and shit coming out of the numbers. So you’re giving yours or are you giving yours~?”

Jackie could only squint and stare at Maddie. She was making a massive fool of herself when urgency was needed here…

Then Jackie heard the pen scribbling, her head snapping towards the waitress who was actually writing something.

“Yeah—keep that shit personal, shit from the heart, y’know~?” Maddie acted like she was egging her on.

Jackie put two and two together.

The waitress gave a sheet of note paper to Maddie. “Call me whenever you’re ready… Also, the rest of you—signal if you’re ready to order.” She gave out the menus and walked off.

Maddie read the paper. Then she put it at the middle of the table.

“They’ve been here for hours. They threatened to trash everything if we say anything.”