Rise of the Ecto-Mistakes
The very next morning Sollux was shaken awake by Eridan.
The first rays of dawn were peeking through the trees, the stars yawning tiredly, their light dimming. The moon began to far away into the sky, which became brighter by the minute. The deep indigo of the summer's night sky was paling into a deep, ocean blue. In one big cluster of sleeping bodies, the ecto-mistakes (as they had begun calling themselves), slept peacefully, strewn about with blankets and pillows and big jackets covering their bare skin. In Equius's strong arms lay a sleeping Nepeta. In a straight line, Vriska, Kanaya and Rose slept side by side, confusing everyone with their three-way matespritship. Jade slept like a puppy near Tavros, who's hands unconsciously clung to the shirt cloth on his stomach. Even Karkat had a sleeping partner- he and Gamzee Makara slept near enough to be considered a cuddle. The only one who had slept that night alone, no one near him, was Eridan Ampora.
He sat on his heels, carefully shaking Sollux awake. Sollux blinked upon his bland white eyes and looked around, his eyes finding Eridan's blue ones looking down on him. He flashed a glare. "What're you-"
"Shut up." Eridan cut him off. "Hurry up and follow me." He then rose to his feet, looking directly down at Sollux, propped up on his elbows, and swiftly walked off, his cape brushing the top of Sollux's nose as he did. Sollux, with a roll of his eyes, put on his glasses and kicked off his blanket. As he was about to sit up a hand gently rested over his. He looked over at the beautiful girl sleeping beside him, her glossy black hair falling over her shoulder as she slept on her side, her bag used as a pillow. She had moved her hand in her sleep, reaching for Sollux's, and she had found it. As she slept her nimble fingers curled around his hand, ensnaring his hand in a sweet, warm trap. He slipped his hand from her and a frown crossed her face. She made a little noise as she scrunched up her face and her fingers crawled like a spider's legs over the spot where his hand used to imprint the dirt. He smiled a little and, to reassure her in her dreamy state, he traced her jawline softly with his open hand. Her face relaxed, and a tiny smile crossed her lips. He tucked her hair behind her ear and resisted the urge to plant a little kiss on her forehead as he rose to his feet, his shoes already on. He followed after Eridan, who by this time was well out of sight. He hurried to catch up.
Eridan had stopped at a fallen tree, sitting upon its trunk and flipping through his black diary. Sollux approached him carefully. "What do you want?" He asked grimly. "Why did you wake me up?"
"The third of July, 2007." Eridan answered with the slight his tongue. "Followed by the Seventeenth of July, 2012. From what I understand those digits are 07032007, 07172012."
"What th' hell do you mean?"
"I'm talking coordinates." Eridan glared at Sollux like he was stupid, like he should have understood.
"For Atlanta?"
"No, for Cairo, Egypt." He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Atlanta."
"Okay, what are you talking about?" Sollux snapped loudly.
"Does July 3rd, 2007, ring ANY bells? Eridan said.
"2007...that wath our eighth birthday, right?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I get it." Sollux folded his arms. "When a friend becomth an enemy? You honethtly think Dirk ith talking about uth?"
"Us and Fef, yes."
"Thatth tho thtupid, why would Dirk be talking about uth?"
"Because those coordinates are exactly pinpointed at..." He tapped a bit on his phone. "237 Lafayette Parkway, zip code 30306. Midtown, Atlanta."
Sollux was a bit taken aback. "So we have the first and thecond quethtion done, right, what about the third?"
"Who's fault it is?"
"Yeth."
"It's your fault, obviously."
"What?!" Sollux seethed. "YOU shut me out! Thith ith your fault! Ever thince you thtarted hanging out with Feferi you-"
"It's not my fault! If it weren't for your stupid dumb birthday present I-"
"My fault?! For giving you a DIARY?! You thtarted hating me over a diary?!" Sollux practically screamed.
"I didn't hate you! It was Feferi!" Eridan countered. "She fucked everything up because she glubbin' disposed of me all of a sudden and acted all fuckin' helpless around you and-"
"Don't you dare pin thith on her!"
"Who the fuck is out there?!" Karkat's voice called from afar. For a moment Eridan and Sollux stopped screaming at each other and stared blankly. Eridan gave him a look, spit at him, missed, and started back toward the camp. Sollux followed him reluctantly.
"Well, we found our location." Kanaya said, looking over the coordinates on her gps. "It's an old house. Big. Lonely. Hidden. It's been previously bought out by...hold on...Daniel Strider."
"That's Dirk, alright." Dave nodded. "He never was too good at incognito mode."
"So we got directions." Karkat folded his arms. "How did you figure it out?"
"I have my ways." Eridan answered.
"How do we get there?" A voice asked.
"Foot, I guess." The answer.
"Too slow. We need food and water. The rest got burned."
"Hitchhike?"
"It might be the only way. The money must be at the house. We need it now."
"Stick to the college kid story?"
"Affirmative." Kanaya said. "Let's go."
In minutes they were packed, their blankets beneath their arms, Nepeta piggybacking on Equius. As the sun rose and began its steady climb into the sky they hiked back to the road, where the rubble and scraps left behind by the wrecked bus still lingered by the side of the highway. Cars raced and whizzed by, and the sixteen kids stood by the road their thumbs out, as they were passed by car after car. The Doppler effect wore itself out so much that Karkat grew to despise the zooming sound that followed each rejection by the road. That is, until, they lucked out. Barreling down the highway was a flatbed truck, eighteen wheels and all, practically screaming deus ex machina. They leapt up in air, begging the truck to stop, their hands franticly waving until- yes! It was slowing. Coming to a halt. Karkat dashed up to the passenger side and threw open the door, panting out his gratefulness and his situation. After thoroughly baffling the truck driver the kids climbed aboard the flatbed and clung tight to the ropes securing the bed. They barreled along.
Vriska laughed wildly, her legs kicking over the side as she leaned back and let her hair fly. With a mighty fist pump she let out a long drawl of laughter. She felt it, adrenaline, coursing through her veins. Her muscles relaxed as she felt the laughter in the pit of her stomach, loosening her soul and liquefying her very being. Daring girl, she raised both hands in the air and kicked both feet, balancing on her sitbones. "Woo-hoo!" She sang out, a crying of victory, encouraging those around her to join in her laughter. Nepeta let out the roar of a mighty tiger and faced the racing cars behind her, on her knees, her legs spread. Tavros clapped and laughed. All the rest seemed to join, daring each other to stand up on two feet and cheer. Feferi took it a step further and bounced up and down, her black curls flapping at her back. Yes, they thought, we've been through a lot of shit. But this is where that all turns around. This is our time! This is our world! This is the rise of the Ecto-Mistakes!
And yet, this was only the beginning.
In celebration Kanaya persuaded Karkat to authorize a night's adventure in big Atlanta Georgia. Quoting Karkat directly Kanaya gave everyone permission to do whatever the fuck they want, as long as they don't turn up dead. This, of course, was exciting news to a group of fourteen other teenagers that had never ventured outside of their secluded little home in the forest. And when you let loose a bunch of teenagers unto a city shit is bound to go down. Hiding inside their new home was a case of 20,000 dollars cash, and Kanaya fairy dealt out a cut of the money to each of the sixteen kids, which, ended up being 1,250 dollars apiece. And off they went, out into the night, to go buy BB guns and pints of ice cream and other shit they don't need. All, that is, except for Eridan.
Eridan stayed home.
His room wasn't big- but it was alright for him. He didn't much care. His room consisted of a twin bed with old gray sheets, a pair of dusty curtains, and a nightstand. The floor needed sweeping. The corners needed de-bugging. The ceiling needed patching. But Eridan was simply too tired to start. In a cloud of choking dust he flopped onto his bed, wrapping himself up in the ratty old sheets, and for the first time that trip he began to cry.
He didn't know why, exactly. It had been a long time since he cried. But reading through his old diary entries that day had made his stomach turn, to think that he could have done something so awful to someone so close to his heart, even if they had broken each other. He buried his wet eyes in the gray sheets and curled up, crying when no one could see him.
july 17th, 2012
diary-
i did somethin glubbin awwful today. i really did. i don't wwanna see tomorroww anymore.
i fought wwith sol today. i just...i glubbed up. i fell and i thought he pushed me wwhen he didn't and so i hit him. and then i took off his glasses. and noww evveryone knowws wwhat he looks like. wwhen wwe wwere kids i promised him i wwould keep it a secret and i didn't. i embarrassed him in front of evveryone. it seemed right at the time, i don't knoww. i glubbed up, you knoww?
and then fef stepped in to protect him and...and i really think she's done with me. we're over.
i'm alone now.
if sol evver reads this, i'm really glubbin sorry. i acted in the moment and i didn't knoww wwhat to do. i really do hope that someday wwe can patch things up and be friends again. i knoww it's nevver gonna go back to how it used to be but...i really miss howw it used to be. i don't wwant to choose betwween you and fef.
i don't think I really havve that choice anymore.
Watching him from his doorway as he cried, a clown videotaped his tears. With a sad, concerned look, the clown decided that it was time to fix this. He might be the only one who could.