Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everything had gone to shit, and Ekko had waited too long to act. He had tried to give the sisters space to talk and work through their issues, but then the stupid enforcer girl had shown up and set Jinx off. Maybe he was just delusional and holding onto the memory of the girl he had once viewed as a big sister, but he still wasn’t convinced that Vi had malicious intentions for Jinx. He was, however, pissed that she would even consider defending not just a Piltie, but an enforcer. Had she forgotten everything those people put them through?

When he saw the enforcer— Caitlyn— raise her rifle, aiming it directly at Jinx’s head, he had no other choice except to jump in and get her out. After he jumped onto the hoverboard, everything happened faster than he was able to process. He flew into the path of both guns, but Jinx’s arm lowered as soon as she spotted him. His focus was locked onto Jinx and getting her to safety, he didn’t pay attention to Vi or Caitlyn. Once Jinx was securely in his arms, he heard the deafening crack of a gunshot and he felt a sharp sting of a bullet scraping across his flesh. He only faltered for a second, briefly hissing in pain, and then refocusing on getting them the hell out of there before something worse happened.

They were almost to the safety of the labyrinthine streets of the Lanes when he heard Jinx’s shaky, rapid breathing, and her body started to grow too heavy in his arms. She was trembling as she stared at her bloody hand in horror. His heart lurched for a moment, thinking it was her blood before he glanced toward his arm and saw her bloody fingerprints staining his skin. He had been too focused on getting away, he hadn’t focused on his arm, but he was certain it looked worse than it was. The bullet had grazed him, leaving a deep gash that was oozing blood, but it was nothing that would kill him. He probably just needed a few stitches and a bandage, but then he would be fine.

Jinx gasped for air in between broken sobs as she continued to stare at the blood on her hands in horror. Ekko wanted to try to soothe her, but he wasn’t sure that she would hear his words in this state, anyway, so instead he focused on flying back to the Firelight base. He needed to get them both to safety so he could make sure she wasn’t injured too, and to show her that he was fine.

He held her tightly, doing his best to keep the board steady as he steered them through the dark tunnels, racing toward the distant light of the sanctuary. As soon as he flew out of the tunnels, he took a sharp turn toward his workshop, praying that nobody saw them. He hadn’t noticed too many people out since it was already after dark, so he figured they were probably in the clear. He bursted through the door of the workshop with Jinx in his arms, searching for a spot to lay her down and hopefully get her to calm down.

Isha and Heimerdinger looked up in alarm as Ekko stormed in. Isha had been sitting and playing quietly with a pile of toys and trinkets surrounding her as Heimerdinger tinkered and studied the Hextech. He allowed her to he a mini lab assistant and occasionally asked her to pass him tools and test out new items to keep her busy, but he always made sure that she was following proper safety protocols. Heimerdinger had grown quite fond of the little girl’s help and company. He had even made some progress with encouraging her to practice writing and sign language when Ekko and Jinx weren’t there.

As much as Isha preferred being with Jinx and Ekko, she didn’t mind being with Heimerdinger either. She liked that he let her help with stuff and made her feel useful. Despite that, though, she was always on edge and waiting for Jinx and Ekko to return. She had spent her whole life alone without anyone to really look out for her or take care of her, but now she had something almost like a family, and she didn’t want to lose it. As soon as she heard Jinx’s cries and saw the blood that covered her and Ekko, panic set in and Isha wailed. Without a second thought, she tried to run toward them, but Heimerdinger’s small, gentle hand pulled her back.

“It’s okay, lass. Let’s just give them a moment and then we can figure out what happened,” Heimerdinger did his best to reassure Isha as he gently patted her hand. Isha looked back and forth with wild eyes, debating whether she should break away from the yordle and pull toward Ekko and Jinx. Jinx’s distress made Isha’s chest feel tight and her muscles went rigid with worry. She had just gotten Jinx back after days of being apart, and now, she was terrified that Jinx was badly injured. She wanted to check on her, but Heimerdinger held firm and shook his head. With an anxious, frustrated huff, she sat back down, but her gaze remained locked on Jinx as Heimerdinger made his way over to examine them and offer assistance.

Jinx was hysterical and her breathing was stuttering and labored. Ekko wasn't sure what to do. He tried to lay her on the small sofa to try to get her to breathe, but as soon as he tried to pull away, she wailed and lunged forward, clinging to him like their lives depended on it.

“What happened, my boy?” Heimerdinger asked as he headed over to assess the situation.

“I don't know,” Ekko snapped as Jinx sobbed against him. He knew Heimerdinger was just trying to help, but his temper was short because of his fear for Jinx. She wouldn’t calm down, and if she kept hyperventilating like this, she would make herself pass out.

“Is she hurt?” Heimerdinger questioned as he tried to get a better look at them. He tried to find a source for the blood, but it had been smeared across both of them, so it was easier said than done.

“I don’t know!” Ekko repeated as his worry and frustration boiled over. He knew his reaction wasn’t helping, but if he knew why Jinx was so upset and whether or not she had been injured, he would be responding to things very differently. Right now, he was doing his best to figure out what was wrong and how to calm her down. She was his priority, and all Heimerdinger was doing was distracting and agitating him.

Heimerdinger continued to examine them, though he kept his distance to avoid causing any additional stress. He watched Ekko move to attempt to soothe Jinx, and he caught a glimpse of the long gash across Ekko’s bicep. He watched as blood continued to drip from the wound, but Ekko seemed unbothered.

“My boy, your arm is injured,” Heimerdinger stated with mild concern as he attempted to get a closer look. It appeared to be relatively deep, but certainly not anything life-threatening as long as it was cleaned and stitched up properly.

“It’s just a scratch,” Ekko replied sharply. He wasn’t the one to be worried about. A scratch on his arm wouldn’t do anything to him, but if Jinx didn’t calm down, bad things were bound to happen. Truthfully, his own injury was just about the furthest thing from his mind at the moment.

Jinx’s arms were locked around Ekko, holding tightly to him like that was the only thing tethering her to reality. In a way, it was. Her vision and hearing had been corrupted by the cruel monsters of her mind, and she couldn’t tell what was real and what was just a product of her damaged mind. All she could see were the angry, scribbled ghosts that had haunted her since that day. She supposed a new one would probably be joining them soon, at least that’s what she had deduced from the thick, sticky blood that coated her hands. Everyone she got close to and loved died— she always got them killed. It didn’t seem that far-fetched to assume that Ekko would soon be joining the others.

Jinx….

Jinx?

SHE JINXES EVERY JOB!

YOU’RE A JINX!

Voices blurred together in her head, and she whined as she reached her free hand up to cover one of her ears. Everything was too loud. Her head sounded like The Last Drop on its busiest day, except instead of the steady pulsing of upbeat music and eager voices, it was just memories of people she had once loved screaming blame and reminders of her trauma. She wanted it all to stop, but she couldn’t let go of what she was holding onto— no, who she was holding onto. She couldn’t let go of Ekko. She couldn’t lose him, too.

You can’t save him. He’s already dead.

You killed him, just like you killed us.

“No!” Jinx wailed as she thrashed in agony, pounding her fist against her forehead in an attempt to make the voices stop.

Ekko’s eyes widened with concern at her loud cry, and he glanced toward the door, praying nobody had heard her. The situation was already bad, but if someone discovered that she was there, things would get even worse. There were plenty of Firelights who would be happy to put a stake through her heart, and he wouldn’t be able to fight off a crowd while injured.

“Heimerdinger, what’s wrong with her?” Ekko finally turned to the yordle to ask for his advice. His voice rose with panic as he continued to search for injuries. He knew seeing Vi had been a lot for her, and things hadn’t gone well, but he had never seen her this panicked. He had seen her trapped in her mind, lost somewhere that he couldn’t reach, but he had been able to coax her out of the panic attacks before. This time, though, it was like she couldn’t even see or hear him. She was totally unreachable, and it terrified him.

He glanced across the room over to where Isha had obediently remained in place like Heimerdinger had told her. Isha rarely listened when she was told what to do; she was stubborn and independent, which meant she was staying away out of fear, not out of obedience. He could see the wild look of worry in her teary, golden eyes, and her hands trembled, threatening to break the small gadget she was holding.

Regret churned in his stomach as he continued to hold tight to Jinx and watch Isha with apologetic eyes. He wanted to carry Isha away to somewhere she was out of view and earshot so she didn’t have to watch Jinx suffer, but if he moved away from Jinx, it would only make things worse. He looked down at Heimerdinger with exhaustion and desperation. Normally, he prided himself on being a problem solver, but this time, he was at a loss. He had no idea what to do.

He had pushed Jinx to find Vi, even though she wasn’t ready. Then, he had chosen to bring her back to the Firelight base and risk blowing their cover, potentially putting all of them in danger. All around, he had made a series of poorly planned choices, and now they were suffering the consequences.

“She’s having a panic attack, my boy,” Heimerdinger said calmly. Three hundred years of life experience would be wasted if he didn’t know how to remain calm in a crisis. Emotions and tensions were running extremely high, but for Jinx to be able to come out of her panic attack, he needed Ekko and Isha to calm down as well.

“Ekko, if you want to help her, you must breathe and calm yourself as well,” Heimerdinger instructed. He took a slow, deep breath in demonstration, prompting Ekko to follow his actions.

Ekko wanted to snap at the yordle again and remind him that he wasn’t the one actively in distress and seemingly being assaulted by unseen adversaries, but he knew there was no point in arguing, and if it could somehow help Jinx, it was worth a try. He obeyed Heimerdinger’s instruction and followed his lead. Air rushed into his lungs as he inhaled, and then he slowly exhaled, only letting small amounts release across the span of four seconds. He repeated several times until his heart slowed in his chest, his muscles relaxed, and his own mind went quiet. He hadn’t been aware of the irritating buzzing that had taken hold in his head until it was gone, and he was relieved that the worst of it was over.

As reluctant as Ekko had been about listening to Heimerdinger, it seemed like he had been right, and already there were small improvements in Jinx’s condition. She was still whimpering and muttering panicked nonsense, but she wasn’t physically struggling as much as she had been moments before. He gently stroked her cheek, trying to get her to look at him.

Heimerdinger patted Ekko’s hand in reassurance, and his eyes wandered toward Jinx’s bloodied hands once more. He tried to further assess and make sense of the situation. Neither she nor Ekko was in the right mindset to provide context, so it was up to him to make sense of the clues and predict what had happened. After finding the gash on Ekko’s arm, he now knew it wasn’t her blood that covered her hand; it was Ekko’s. He didn’t know a lot about Jinx, but her care for Ekko and Isha was unmistakable. It made sense that Ekko’s injury would be a source of worry for her, and if she was already in an emotionally vulnerable state, it would’ve been a final push into what he suspected was an episode of psychosis.

“My boy, I believe she thinks you are gravely injured. I suspect she was already in a state of distress, and when she saw the blood, it caused her to spiral and jump to the worst conclusions,” Heimerdinger explained his suspicions based on the little evidence he had. He hadn’t studied psychological and medical sciences as much as he had studied engineering, but he knew enough to provide some additional insight and perspective to the situation.

Ekko blinked and let his eyes drift between the bleeding gash on his arm and the bloody streaks that panicked fingers had left behind. It made sense. She already blamed herself for the death of her family and had been stuck reliving that trauma from the moment he told her that Vi was alive. The more he thought about it, the more the dots connected.

Her breath was still ragged from her sobbing, but Ekko gently caressed her face and leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. He reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together to let her feel that he was there.

“Jinx, I’m okay. I just got grazed. You need to breathe, though,” Ekko muttered under his breath, only loud enough for her to hear.

Jinx leaned into Ekko’s warmth, her vision finally beginning to clear. The angry scribbles and monsters started to fade away as Ekko’s face came back into focus. She saw his lips moving, but her ears were still full of screeching accusations from her crew of ghosts, so she couldn’t hear a word he was saying. Mylo’s grating voice was especially loud and countered every reassuring or rational thought she had. He whispered taunts in her ear, pushing her for a reaction, and finally, she turned to snarl at him, spooking Ekko.

He thinks you’re crazy.

Jinx shook her head and tried to bring her hands up to her ears. Ekko wouldn’t let go, though. She couldn’t decipher what was or wasn’t reality. Deep down, she knew Mylo and the others weren’t real. She had seen their corpses; she had been the one to kill them. In moments like this, though, they certainly felt real. Her stomach lurched with the fear that Mylo’s cold, bony fingers would reach out and latch onto her throat to strangle her. That’s what all these complicated fears and grief felt like, anyway. It felt like she was always on the verge of collapsing and drowning in a sea of her sorrows.

The voices might not be real, but the blood that coated her hands definitely was. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Ekko was right in front of her, at least she was pretty sure he was. She had been certain he was about to die, but now, it seemed like her mind had been playing tricks on her yet again. She reached a shaking hand up to his face and gently cupped his cheek the same way he liked to do to her. His skin was warm beneath her fingertips, and she sobbed in relief. Her mind was troubled, but even she couldn’t fully imagine the warmth of someone’s skin against hers— he had to be alive.

“You’re alive?” she choked out, staring at him with pleading eyes, silently begging him to confirm what she was praying was true.

“Yeah, I’m okay. The bullet only grazed me,” Ekko sighed, relief flooding his body now that Jinx was finally starting to calm down. Her episodes scared him. He was terrified that one day she would be trapped too deep inside her head and he would lose her forever. He gently put his hand over the back of her head, pulling her close to his chest so she could hear his heartbeat.

She pressed her ear against him and listened to the steady thumping against his chest— a sound and feeling her mind couldn’t replicate, at least she didn’t think it could. Sometimes she worried that she would truly lose her mind and begin to believe in the voices and shadows that weren’t there. For now, she knew they were just a product of her troubled mind, but how long before they got too convincing and even she started to believe and fall into their trap?

Ekko held her tightly as she slumped against his chest. He could feel her warm tears dampening his shirt, but she had calmed down and was breathing a little more normally than before.

Isha couldn’t wait a moment longer. She had obediently remained in her place despite every instinct in her body screaming at her to go to Jinx, but now that Jinx was calming down, she refused to wait anymore. Her boots thudded against the wooden floor as she ran forward and crashed into Jinx and Ekko. She climbed onto the couch and nestled close beside them.

She pressed against Jinx’s side and rested her head on her lap. Gentle fingers tangled in her hair, and she felt Jinx start to carefully detangle and braid her hair. Isha wondered if doing hair was as soothing for Jinx as it was for her. Distant memories resurfaced in her mind of another set of soft hands, though she couldn’t remember the person’s face. She had been far too young to truly remember her parents when they died.

Love and family were still relatively foreign to Isha. They were almost like fairy tales— nothing more than stories the older kids would tell in the mines. She had never expected to get out, much less to find anyone who cared about her. Somehow, for the first time in her whole life, she had gotten lucky. Not only did she have Jinx, she had Ekko and Heimerdinger, too. Sometimes it was weird to get used to having adults who cared so much about her, but it was nice, too. She hugged Jinx tightly, refusing to let go. Ekko always seemed to come back, but Jinx didn’t. It scared her. She was scared that one day Jinx wouldn’t come back. Now that she had Jinx, she couldn’t imagine her life without her. She needed to make sure that Jinx was okay and that she wouldn’t leave again.

Heimerdinger watched the little family with a soft expression. He hadn’t been in Zaun for long, but already he had learned just how important family and community were to the Undercity. It was something he wished were valued more in Piltover. Family was important, especially amongst the high families and houses, but not in the way it was in Zaun. Ranking and nobility didn’t matter in the Undercity; all that mattered was love, even in the face of conflict and chaos.

The yordle quietly hummed to himself as he gathered the supplies to stitch up Ekko’s wound. Now that Jinx had calmed down, it was imperative that the boy’s wound be treated to reduce the chances of infection or other complications.

“May I stitch up your arm now, my boy?” Heimerdinger asked as he pushed a chair over toward the trio. He would have to stand on it to get the best vantage point for the stitches, but that was assuming the two girls who were nestled comfortably in Ekko’s arms would be willing to allow him access to the wound.

Jinx lifted her head slightly, looking at the dried blood on Ekko’s arm and then over at Heimerdinger. She shifted to the side, guiding Isha along with her to make space for Heimerdinger to work. Ekko’s hands never left her back, he continuously traced circles against the fabric of her shirt as Heimerdinger began to work on his opposite arm. It was a gesture she greatly appreciated as she attempted to ground herself back in reality. Her ears still felt like they were stuffed with cotton, but everything else had finally cleared and faded away.

The room was silent apart from Ekko’s occasional hiss of pain as the needle pierced his skin. Jinx watched intently as the needle slipped through his skin, dragging the sutures along with it. Heimerdinger was much better at stitches than anyone else she had ever met. Normally, if she was injured, she just used her staple gun and called it a day. She had some pretty gnarly scars along her legs because of it, and it landed her a trip to Singed’s lab a few times because she let the wounds get infected. Honestly, she was surprised Silco hadn’t taken the staple gun from her yet.

Jinx looked down at the little girl who was resting peacefully on her lap. It didn’t take Heimerdinger long to finish Ekko’s stitches, but the brief moment of calm and quiet had been enough to lull Isha to sleep. Her head rested comfortably against Jinx’s chest, and even in sleep, her small fingers still held firm to Jinx’s hand. It had been a long couple of days for the little girl. Her entire life had changed, and as long as Jinx was around, things would never settle down. Already, she had almost gotten Ekko killed. How long would it be before someone came for Isha, too? She would never forgive herself if something happened to the little girl.

Ekko sighed in relief as Heimerdinger finished the stitches and wrapped a bandage around the wound. He hadn’t noticed the pain while he was worried about Jinx’s episode, but now that the adrenaline had worn off, he could feel it aching. The stitches had been less than pleasant, and now that they were done, he could still feel the sutures uncomfortably tugging his skin to close the wound. Exhaustion washed over him, leaving him slumped against the couch with heavy eyes that threatened to fall shut at any moment.

As soon as Heimerdinger was done, Jinx shifted back into her original spot and rested her head against his chest. For a moment, she let herself appreciate the temporary calm and quiet. The only problem was when things started to feel too quiet, the ghosts liked to creep back into her mind. As soon as she felt the incessant whispers begin to rise in volume, Jinx slowly pulled away from him and glanced toward the door. She had already made up her mind and decided that she wouldn’t be staying, and the sooner she got away, the less opportunity there was for her to get Isha and Ekko hurt.

“Hey, Buster, you and Isha should go to bed,” Jinx suggested as she stood up and carefully lifted Isha into her arms. The little girl remained asleep, and her head lazily rested against Jinx’s shoulder.

“You need to rest, too,” Ekko replied skeptically. He caught the shift in her demeanor almost instantly, and her lack of eye contact told him exactly what she was planning. He couldn't let her leave when her mental state was so fragile.

“Why don't all of you head to bed for the night? You've all had quite the day,” Heimerdinger briefly interrupted their silent standoff to offer his recommendation. All of them needed to rest and recover, though he was quickly learning just how stubborn they all were, and it was easier said than done.

“I can't believe I’m agreeing with a talking teddy bear from Piltover, but he's right,” Jinx quipped as she adjusted her grip on Isha and nodded toward the door.

Ekko watched her warily. Jinx easily agreeing to anything was a cause for suspicion, but Jinx agreeing with Heimerdinger was definitely a red flag. He was almost positive she was up to something, and he wanted to figure out what. He wanted to trust her, but it was hard when she always seemed to be plotting and wouldn’t open up to him.

He turned back toward Heimerdinger with exasperation, but the yordle just shrugged and gestured toward Jinx. Ekko sighed and reluctantly followed her out of the workshop and back to the treehouse. The walk back was brief, but Jinx was unusually silent. Sometimes, he swore she was trying to get herself caught with how obnoxiously loud she could be. Tonight, though, she stayed quiet and avoided eye contact with him. He knew she was avoiding a much-needed conversation about everything that had happened and how she was feeling, but he wasn’t sure whether tonight was the time to push her into talking. He followed her into the apartment, observing as she carried Isha into the bedroom to put her to bed. It really had been a long day for all of them.

Jinx hummed softly, just barely loud enough for herself to hear, as she gently laid Isha on the bed and draped the blanket over her, carefully tucking the little girl in. It reminded her of all the times Vi and Vander would put her to bed when she was little. Vi would help tuck her in, and then Vander would come in to read them bedtime stories and kiss their forehead just before he left the room for the night. She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Isha’s forehead. Sharp nails dug into the tender skin along her thumb as she fought to keep the tears from welling in her eyes. It felt like every tender moment she allowed herself to have with Ekko and Isha was one step closer to sealing their fate.

The sudden weight of a hand resting on her shoulder made her jump and flinch, but the tension instantly faded as she realized it was just Ekko. She quickly sniffled and wiped her eyes, pushing her feelings away. The more she let herself be vulnerable with him, the more dangerous it became for all of them. She never should’ve let things go this far. If Silco didn’t already know, he would find out soon enough, and they would all be as good as dead.

“Hey, I’m sorry about how things went down tonight,” Ekko said in a hushed voice. As soon as she turned to face him, he gently cupped her face. He could still see that almost feral look in her eyes, like she was a wild animal caught in a corner and waiting for the first chance to escape. He was worried about her. When things got bad, she liked to shut down and push him away. He didn’t want to lose her, but trying to persuade or control her was about as productive as arguing with the sky on a rainy day.

Jinx refused to meet his gaze. Leave it to the boy savior to apologize for saving her and only narrowly avoiding his own death in the process. Her eyes drifted down to the bandage that Heimerdinger had wrapped around his arm. She reached out and tenderly touched it, tracing her fingers over the spot where she knew the wound was hidden beneath.

“I thought I was gonna lose you,” Jinx mumbled, her voice breaking from the fear that clawed at her chest.

Ekko’s eyes softened, and he leaned closer to her, pressing his forehead to hers as he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her in so she couldn’t run away. It was so much back and forth with her; an endless ebb and flow like she was the moon and he was the tide being pulled in every direction, controlled by her every movement. Pieces of him still resented her for all the things she had done, but in these moments, it was easy to forget. He had dreamed of a world where their lives didn’t fall apart and they got the chance to grow up and build a life together. Things were more complicated and risky than he would’ve liked, but just having her, any of her, was enough for him.

“I’m okay, Jinx. I’m not going anywhere,” Ekko whispered as he stared deeply into her stormy blue eyes. To him, her eyes were one of the most beautiful colors in the world. Even across the battlefield when she was aimlessly firing at his people and surrounded by smoke and flames, he still always caught himself searching for her eyes.

Tears slipped down Jinx’s face, and she fought the urge to tear away from him. He didn’t get it. He couldn’t make that promise. As much as she wished she could control death and fate, nobody could. Truthfully, she would trade all of Zaun if it meant protecting Isha and Ekko, but that wasn’t how it worked, either. If death came to take them, there would be nothing she could do. The best thing she could do to keep them safe was to leave. If she stayed, either Vi and her enforcer friend or Silco would find them, and it would put everything at risk. She needed to remove herself from the equation in order to keep them safe.

All of this had gotten too complicated. She should’ve stayed away from him, and she certainly never should’ve let her feelings get tangled up in the mess. She knew there was still so much they hadn’t explicitly told each other, and years of conflict between them, but he was the only person she felt like she could truly trust. Silco had lied to her, Vi abandoned her, and everyone else was dead, but Ekko stayed. He had seen the good and the bad, but he still came to her rescue every time she needed it.

Her eyes scanned his face, lingering on his lips. The previous times had been less than ideal circumstances, but this time, her mind was clear, and there was nobody to interrupt them. This was never going to last forever; things with her never did, but she could savor it for one more night before she left.

Jinx tilted her head up and reluctantly let her lips find his. She waited for his reaction, bracing to be pushed away like she always did to him. Her eyes fluttered closed as his grip on her tightened, pulling her closer until their bodies were pressed together like carefully carved puzzle pieces. She melted into his warmth, and the anxiety momentarily faded away as she allowed her feelings for him to swallow her. She draped her arms over his shoulders as he deepened the kiss.

A tear slipped down her face, dripping onto her flushed skin as she realized that she would have to be the first to pull away. She had to push him away from her to make it easier when she left. If she were a better person, she would warn him or at least leave him with some kind of explanation, but all that would do is make it harder for both of them.

Ekko flinched as Jinx quickly pulled away from him, just like she always did. It felt like she was always just within his grasp, but as soon as he went to close his hands and catch her, she slipped right through his fingers. He let her go. He never wanted to cage her or chain her; he knew she wanted her freedom and independence, but she didn’t seem to realize that she was her own worst enemy. She kept herself caged with her fear and self-hatred, and all he wanted was to set her free.

“Jinx…” he muttered softly as he took a cautious step forward. He watched her carefully, searching for signs of an episode, but this time her eyes were crystal clear.

“I can’t.”

The words hurt, but they were the truth. She would never be what Ekko wanted or needed. He deserved so much more than her. She would just keep hurting him and holding him and Isha back.

Ekko’s brows furrowed at her response. He wanted to argue with her, but he knew better than to push the issue. Mostly, he was concerned about her. She was acting weird, and he knew it had been a hard day for her. He cursed himself for pushing the stuff with Vi. Either way, it was bound to be a messy situation, but he should’ve given her more time to process. He should’ve kept scouting and figured out the story behind the enforcer that had been following Vi around like a lost puppy. There were a million things he should’ve done, but now, he had to watch as she pulled away from him and hid her emotions.

“Let’s just go to bed, then,” Ekko responded, the disappointment evident in his voice even as he tried to push it down.

Jinx followed him to the bed and climbed onto the mattress beside Isha, watching as Ekko sat down on the opposite side. She turned over, purposely keeping her back to them. She was worried that if she looked at them for too long, she wouldn’t be able to make herself leave. She couldn’t stay, though. She didn’t belong. This wasn’t her home, and she couldn’t risk destroying everything they had built— everything that Ekko had tried to build. Vi left her for a reason, after all. She was a curse, and she could only outrun that truth for so long. Even if she stayed, it wouldn’t be long until they died or realized just how much of a monster she was, and then, they would leave her, too.

She stared blankly at the wall, waiting for the sound of Ekko’s soft snores to fill the room. Once she was certain he was asleep, she would take the opportunity to make her escape. She felt Isha try to shift closer to her, and a tiny hand reached out, searching for her. She pulled away, making sure she was out of Isha’s reach. She couldn’t let anything rope her into staying, even if her heart longed to stay with them.

As soon as Ekko’s breathing evened out, she slipped out of the bed and crept out of the room. The wooden floor creaked beneath her feet, but she knew exactly where to step to avoid the obnoxiously loud spots. She made her way over to the window and carefully pulled it open. She took a deep breath as the night’s cool, fresh air filtered into the room. Clean air was such a rare thing in Zaun, she figured she might as well take advantage of it for a few more minutes.

She finally sighed and crawled through the window, carefully climbing across the tree branch and dropping onto the balcony that wrapped around the tree trunk. She quickly dashed through the remainder of the Firelight base. Her goal was to get out of there quickly and unnoticed, like a lonely ghost in a haunted house. She just wanted to get to the safety of her hideout.

As soon as she made it out of the soul-sucking darkness of the tunnels that surrounded the Firelight base, she ran the rest of the way home. She focused on the sound of her feet pounding against the rooftops and uneven cobblestone as she dashed past the neon city lights.

Jinx huffed for breath as she stumbled into her hideout, her footsteps echoed as her heavy boots thudded against the metal platform that connected to the closest fan blade. Before everything went to shit, she had been planning to just stay with Ekko to avoid the risk of seeing Silco or Sevika, but now it felt like she needed to stay as far away from him as possible. She didn’t want him or Isha to end up dead.

Like us.

She sighed tiredly as she sat down at her desk and stared at her broken reflection in the shattered glass of her mirror. There was no real rhyme or reason to when the voices chose to torment her, but they always seemed to be louder when she was alone, especially at her hideout. As much as it was a safe space, it was full of memories that haunted her. She was surrounded by objects of her past; some were good and others were bad, but all of them left her full of guilt and regret if she thought too much about it.

She reached out and ran her fingers over the broken shards of glass. It felt appropriate that her mirror was broken; it was an accurate reflection of her psyche and soul. The stupid mirror had been broken for years now— a product of one of her episodes, as were most things in her life. Mylo’s ghost had been incessantly taunting her after a failed attempt at building a new bomb, so she launched her broken prototype at his apparition. Unfortunately, it hit her mirror, instead, making Mylo cackle with laughter and taunt her even more.

It’s broken like you.

Jinx gritted her teeth and forced herself to look away from her warped reflection. Shiny gold glinted in the corner of her eye, catching her attention. She reached for the little butterfly toy she had saved for Isha, running her finger along the patterns she had painted onto the gold. Maybe, just once, she could go back to give Isha the toy and give her an explanation of why she wouldn’t be coming back. Jinx knew the feeling of abandonment all too well, and she didn’t want to do that to Isha. The little girl deserved better than that.

She’s better off without you. They all are. You should’ve been the one to die.

Pale hands curled into fists, and Jinx lifted them to her forehead. She repeatedly slammed her fist against her head, not even caring if she left bruises on herself. At least if she were in pain, the voices would quiet down. They wanted her to hurt— to die. The worst part was that she knew they weren’t really the ghosts of her family; they were just a manifestation of her trauma and self-hatred. It was easy to blame them like they were some separate entity that controlled and influenced her actions, but really, it was all her subconscious.

When the deafening voices finally momentarily silenced themselves, she reached over with a shaking hand to put a record on her phonograph, quickly turning the volume up as loud as it would go. It wasn’t a super effective solution, but it was better than nothing. The loud beats echoed through the cavern, and Jinx focused on tapping her foot in time with the song as she leaned over the desk, resting her chin against the hard surface.

Her eyes wandered back to the other painted butterfly toys. She had saved the blue and pink one specifically for Isha, but the others could still serve their original purpose for her. She opened one of her drawers and pulled out vials of chemtech, studying the soft glow of the green liquid. It reminded her of the Firelights— both the bugs and the people. The hoverboards were powered by Chemtech, she had easily figured out that much. She always wondered what made the bugs glow, though. It didn’t seem very healthy that something living could make itself glow.

She focused her attention on attaching the Chemtech vial to the little butterfly. Once she made sure the chemtech was in place, she attached the fuse, the trigger, and a timer. It was a perfect weapon. With some programming and planning, the mechanical bugs could be detonated from far away or even planted in various buildings.

Once she started successfully making weapons for Silco, she built up a reputation for being trigger-happy and explosive. People feared her, and Silco told her that fear was power, so she played into the persona and let people fear her in the name of making Silco proud. It wasn’t that she liked being violent; it had just become a part of life and a way to get praise and validation. Not to mention, her real passion was in the building. She had always loved tinkering— she and Ekko both did. Keeping her hands and mind busy helped keep the monsters away, and the accomplishment she felt when she created successful inventions was thrilling. Tonight, though, even as she clicked the final pieces into place, she just felt numb.

As soon as the final pieces were in place, she wound up the butterfly’s wings, activating the timer in the process. After letting it tick and aimlessly flutter around her desk for a few seconds, she snatched it out of the air and tossed it into the darkness below. A second later, there was a distinct clink as the wings shifted into place, and a colorful explosion lit up the cavern.

They never work.

They will.

Tears stung Jinx’s eyes as the memory played in her head. Vi’s voice had always been the most supportive; that was how she preferred to remember her sister. While the others mocked and tormented her, pushing her deeper into the pit of guilt, laughing as she struggled, Vi was always there to pick her up and offer her encouragement. There were so many times she wished she could just end it all and eagerly run into the spirit realm, but Vi’s voice always whispered small reasons to keep going. Even while apart, Vi had been there to protect her and keep her safe, even if that meant protecting her from herself.

She curled into herself, wrapping her arms across her chest and digging her nails into her skin. Vi’s words felt meaningless now. Vi didn’t care about her anymore. She had chosen an enforcer over her… hadn’t she?

For a moment, it had seemed like everything would be okay. Vi had hugged her, and it felt like the world had come into focus for the first time since that horrible night when she ruined their lives. All her resentment and sadness briefly drained from her body the second Vi hugged her, but then that enforcer had shown up. Vi had replaced her. That’s all she could think about as the anger boiled inside her once more, driving her to act on violent impulses— anything to let her release the pain and protect herself from being hurt again.

She wouldn’t have actually shot Vi. Even if her life depended on it, she wouldn’t be able to pull the trigger. She would rather die than live with the guilt of killing another person she loved, especially Vi. She was stupid, though. She should’ve known that enforcer would pull out her gun, too. Her impulsivity had nearly cost Ekko his life. This time, the bullet may have only grazed him, but she wasn’t foolish enough to believe that he would get that lucky again. If anything, it felt like a warning from the universe telling her to stay far away before it ripped him away from her, too.

A tear trickled down her cheek, and she slammed her hand against the desk, swiping some of the metallic butterflies off the desk and pushing the remaining ones away from her. She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on top of them.

She hadn’t felt this alone since that night. It felt like she had lost everyone again. Back then, at least she had Silco to look after her, but now she knew that he had betrayed her and lied about Vi for years. Countless hours of mourning her sister— being haunted by the memories— and Silco had never once uttered the truth or any real comfort. He spewed bullshit about the pain and anger making her stronger, but she never felt strong. Pretending could only take her so far, and she had always been weak.

You’re stronger than you think.

“Shut up!” Jinx shrieked as she grabbed one of the butterflies and threw it in the direction of Vi’s ghost. She panted heavily as she stared at the empty space beside her, watching as the toy fell and clattered against the floor.

For once, the voices actually listened to her, and she nearly sobbed in relief as the room went silent and the dull ache in her head faded. She forced her limbs to move, prying herself from the chair to move toward the couch. Staying awake all night would do nothing except further fuel the voices, and truthfully, she was exhausted after all the day’s events. She lay down on the couch and stared up blankly at the rocky ceiling. Maybe one of the stalactites would fall and impale her. Honestly, the thought sounded nice compared to being alone and cursed to doom everyone who got close to her.

She closed her eyes and curled into herself as she let her thoughts drift away. She tried to imagine that Isha and Ekko were there with her, their warm bodies pressed close to her like they would be if she were there. Normally, she hated how warm it would get when lying next to them; the heat made it hard to sleep, but now, she felt bitterly cold as she only had herself and a small blanket for warmth. She sat up and looked over to her box of memories and important items, specifically searching for the bunny stuffed animal. Vi was the last thing she wanted to think about, but without Ekko and Isha’s company, the soft toy was the only source of comfort she had. She quickly grabbed it from where it was sitting atop the chest and wrapped her arms tightly around it. The soft velvet tickled her skin as she rubbed the ear between her fingers. It was a self-soothing habit she had picked up years ago and had never fully been able to break.

Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to ignore the racing thoughts about the evening’s events and force herself to sleep. The deep, aching exhaustion eventually took over, and Jinx had never been more relieved to be pulled into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

…………..…..…………………………………………………

Vi stood frozen in place, staring at the spot where her sister had been standing only a few minutes before. Things weren’t supposed to go like this. Seeing Powder again was supposed to fix things. They were supposed to be sisters again, but instead, she had lost Powder again. Everything had been going fine until Caitlyn showed up. She knew Caitlyn meant well, but she also understood why Powder had reacted so badly. Their whole life, they had been conditioned to fear and hate enforcers, and after years of being apart, she had shown up with an enforcer at her side— it made perfect sense that Powder had freaked out.

My name is Jinx! Powder fell down a well!

Vi blinked as Powder’s voice taunted her. Even though she wasn’t there anymore, the memory of her words and the way things had fallen apart lingered. She had been so close to making progress and apologizing to Powder, but now, she had pushed their relationship back even further. As the shock, concern, and grief wore off, anger reared its ugly head, clawing into her chest. Her fists clenched at her side as she whipped around to face Caitlyn.

“What the hell was that?” Vi snapped harshly, finally releasing some of the tension that was threatening to crush her.

Caitlyn’s finger was still trembling over the trigger of her rifle, and the gun fell from her hand, clattering against the ground. She was no stranger to shooting. Since she was a little girl, she had been trained in target practice and was a near-perfect shot. She had fired at countless targets and dummies, but she had never actually shot a person. Even when she had saved Vi from those thugs, she had been in control and calculated their moves. She knew exactly when and where to shoot without causing any harm. This time, though, she hadn’t been focused, and she had no idea what she shot at. Jinx had been a threat, but killing her wasn't the answer— she knew that. She raised her gun out of self-defense— a foolish attempt to try to regain control of the situation. She should’ve known better. All she had done was make things worse.

“I was protecting you,” Caitlyn answered shakily as she crouched down to grab her gun from where it had fallen. She understood why Vi was frustrated, but she didn’t appreciate it being taken out on her.

I was saving you…

Vi turned away to hide her flinch as Powder’s childish voice rang in her head. That final conversation between them before she had been dragged away and thrown into prison had played like a broken record in her mind. The words repeated over and over again, reminding her of her mistakes and ultimate failure.

“I don't need protection from an enforcer,” Vi seethed through gritted teeth, trying to push away the heavy sorrow that threatened to drown her. She was supposed to be the protector, not the protected.

Before her life fell apart, her world revolved around looking after and protecting her siblings, especially Powder. It had seemed like it was her life’s purpose, but she had failed and broken everything. When it mattered most, she left Powder, and now it was too late to protect her— possibly too late to get her sister back at all.

“She had a gun pointed at your head,” Caitlyn argued with rising frustration. She couldn’t understand how Vi was failing to see the danger of the situation. Even if Jinx was her sister, she had threatened them, and things could’ve ended very badly.

“She’s my sister! I had the situation under control!” Vi countered, trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Caitlyn. Vi shook her head and paced like a caged animal as she recalled Powder’s wild gaze as she had carelessly waved her gun around. She didn’t want to admit it, but she knew she hadn’t had the situation under control; if she had, then her sister wouldn’t have slipped away from her again. Not to mention, she’d be lying if she said that Powder’s sudden flare for violence hadn’t caught her off guard. As a child, Powder had almost never engaged in fights. She was more likely to flee the scene and run home to Vander than stop and fight. Vi never criticized her for it, and truthfully, she had never wanted Powder to be subjected to life as a fighter. She had just wanted a better life for her baby sister.

“Well, you failed to mention that your sister is Jinx!” Caitlyn exclaimed. It wasn’t fair that Vi was getting defensive and upset with her when the confrontation and conflict could’ve been avoided if she had just been honest.

“That’s not her name!” Vi snapped in response, as her hands curled into tight fists. She took a harsh step toward Caitlyn, sizing her up. The Piltie knew how to shoot, but when it came to hand-to-hand combat, there was no question who would win, and they both knew it.

“She certainly seems to think it is,” Caitlyn replied with a raised eyebrow. She wasn’t afraid of Vi. If Vi had wanted to hurt her, she would’ve done it already.

“You don’t know anything,” Vi grumbled as she turned away from Caitlyn. She should’ve ditched Caitlyn when she had the chance; maybe then she would’ve been able to reconcile with Powder.

“You’re right! I don’t know anything because you won’t tell me anything. Maybe things wouldn’t have gone so poorly if you had just been honest about your sister being Jinx.” Caitlyn scoffed as she followed Vi. They were both clearly out of their element, and they were never going to get anywhere without communication.

“You expect me to trust you? How was I supposed to know you wouldn’t just try to arrest her?” Vi accused as she turned back around. She was grateful that Caitlyn had gotten her out of prison, but she would rather let the world burn than subject her sister to that fate. She had only narrowly survived, and she knew in her soul that Powder wouldn’t survive the torment of that hellish place.

“I trusted you, didn’t I? You have no reason not to trust me, I-“ Caitlyn protested, only to be interrupted by Vi.

“No reason? I think being an enforcer is a pretty damned good reason,” Vi retorted with a sharp glare. She knew it wasn’t entirely fair. Caitlyn had done nothing but try to help her, but she needed an outlet for some of the blame before it suffocated her. The reality was that she had nobody to blame except herself for losing Powder, but she needed to lash out at someone to keep the guilt from destroying her.

Caitlyn gritted her teeth and mumbled under her breath in annoyance. Vi was so stubborn, and she was half tempted to take the bait and fight, but endlessly arguing wasn’t helping anyone or getting them anywhere. She took a deep breath to calm herself before turning back to face Vi.

“You’re right. After what you've been through, you have every right not to trust an enforcer, but I'm not here to hurt you, Vi. I just want to fix things and try to keep the peace between our cities,” Caitlyn explained with a carefully calm tone. She didn’t want to upset Vi more; she did understand Vi’s wariness, but she also wanted Vi to know that she wasn’t the enemy.

“What peace? You've lived up there your whole life, never having to worry about the air you’re breathing or when you'll get the chance to eat again. You get to live an illusion of peace, but down here, life has always been a fight to survive.” Vi shook her head, but some of the anger had drained from her voice. She knew it wasn't Caitlyn’s fault. Nobody had control of where they were born or the cards they were dealt in life, but it didn't make it any less fair. Caitlyn had a home and family to go back to, and unless she managed to find Jinx again and somehow manage to get through to her, Vi had nothing left. Silco had taken control of The Last Drop, so she couldn't go back there, and the only other home she had ever known was probably little more than rotted, crumbling planks of wood.

“The only thing that ever mattered to me was protecting my family, and now they're gone. I didn't tell you about Jinx because finding my sister was the only reason I survived in that hellish place. I fought so hard to find a way out so I could come back and save her, just to find out that she hates me and works for the man that ruined our lives.” Tears pooled in Vi’s eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. She wouldn't cry over this. There were plenty of more important ways she could channel her anger while also making productive moves toward her goal. She couldn’t wait to find Silco and kill him for what he did to Vander and Powder.

Caitlyn didn't know how to respond. She stood in silence for a moment, watching as Vi started to turn away from her again. This was the most vulnerable she had seen Vi, aside from the brief glimpse she had gotten of her with Jinx. She could already see Vi trying to close herself off again, so before she could question or overthink her choices, Caitlyn stepped forward and pulled Vi into her arms. There was nothing she could say to undo everything that had happened to Vi, but she could offer a small moment of comfort.

Vi stiffened at the sudden contact, her mind jumping straight into fight or flight. Her fists immediately tightened and began to rise until she realized it was just a hug. Aside from her hug with Powder, it had been so long since anyone had hugged her. It almost felt foreign, but she reluctantly allowed herself to relax and melt into the embrace. A few tears escaped her eyes, and she quickly pulled away to wipe them off, refusing to let Caitlyn see her cry.

“Let me help you find your sister,” Caitlyn offered as she watched Vi distance herself again.

“Why?” Vi asked skeptically. Things were so tense with Powder, she was afraid that letting Caitlyn interfere any more than she already had would make things worse. Truthfully, she didn’t know what to do. She had no idea how to get through to her sister or even where to find her.

“I’ve only known you a few days, but I can tell you have a good heart. You’ve had every opportunity to abandon me or sell me out, but you haven’t. I may not trust Jinx, but I do trust you, and I can see how much you care for her.” Caitlyn watched Vi with hopeful eyes. Her mother would call her a fool for how easily she was allowing herself to trust Vi, but she could tell that Vi was a good person, and she found herself drawn to Vi in ways she couldn’t explain. Fate had led her to Vi and tied them together, and she wasn’t ready to let go just yet.

You’ve got a good heart. Don’t ever lose it, no matter how the world tries to break you.

Vi flinched as Vander’s words mixed with Caitlyn’s. Sometimes, Vander’s voice was the push she needed to keep going even when life seemed meaningless, but right now, it just made her feel worse. She didn’t feel like she had a good heart. None of this would’ve happened if she hadn’t left Powder alone in that alley. She had sealed their fate with one sentence— one cruel insult that she knew would hurt Powder, and now she could never take it back.

Take care of Powder.

She had failed. It had been his dying plea, and she had failed to keep her promise. She had let down her parents, too. All those years ago, she had promised to protect Powder while they were gone, but she had never expected that they wouldn’t come back. Vander took care of them, but somehow the pressure only grew as she got older. Time passed, but their lives only got harder and harder, and Powder struggled more and more. She just wanted to protect her sister and make Vander proud, but she had failed. She was a disappointment. When it mattered most, she walked away and left Powder alone, allowing that monster to sink his claws into her.

“Just go back to Topside, cupcake. I can take care of myself,” Vi mumbled as she turned to walk away. She couldn’t let Caitlyn in. She was just another person she could lose, and Vi wasn’t sure she could handle any more grief.

Caitlyn wanted to argue, but instead, she decided to just quietly follow Vi. She stayed far enough behind to give Vi some space, but remained close enough that Vi knew she was there. While it seemed like there were plenty of people in the Undercity who knew who Vi was, she didn’t seem to have any remaining family or friends she could rely on for support. Caitlyn didn’t want to leave her there alone, so she stayed, and if they arrived at their destination and Vi truly wanted her to leave, she would respect her boundaries.

Vi could hear Caitlyn following her, but she chose not to say anything. She figured that the climb down to the sumps would be enough of a deterrent to the Piltie. Truthfully, she was impressed that Caitlyn managed to stay on her trail through the Lanes and pleasure district. She didn’t bother to look back, but she smirked at the thought of Caitlyn squirming as they passed Babette’s. She stood at the edge of the fissure and glanced down into the darkness below. The sumps had always been the worst part of Zaun, but it hadn’t always been this bad. It used to be a community of the poorest miners and workers, but people looked out for each other. Now, people hid in the darkness with their hands out as they begged for food and shimmer.

She sighed and stepped over the ledge, letting herself fall until she could catch herself on the various wooden and metal pipes and platforms. She landed on the ground with a thud and walked toward the crumbling shack that had once been her home. A bright purple sign featuring Silco’s symbol was hung above the house, and she gritted her teeth. He had managed to leave his mark everywhere that she cared about. He had taken her home and her sister, and he was the reason most of her family was dead. Powder’s bomb may have been what dealt the final blow, but none of it would’ve happened if he hadn’t taken Vander.

She supposed it was equally her fault as it was Silco’s. None of it would’ve happened if she had never dragged the others to Piltover for a job they were never going to be able to pull off. She should’ve known better, but her stubbornness got in the way and brought the downfall of her family.

A yelp and loud crash caught Vi’s attention, and she turned around to see Caitlyn pushing herself to her feet. Vi was both annoyed and impressed by Caitlyn’s persistence. As tempted as she was to send Caitlyn away, the sumps weren’t a safe place even for people born in the Undercity, much less for a Piltie. Vi stepped forward and held out her hand to help Caitlyn up. Caitlyn gratefully took it and allowed Vi to pull her up from the ground.

“Thank you,” Caitlyn said, only to be promptly interrupted.

“Why’d you follow me?” Vi asked accusingly as she studied Caitlyn’s face.

“I’m not going to just leave you after everything that’s happened. I told you I’d help you find Jinx again, and I meant it,” Caitlyn answered sincerely. Being with Vi made her feel more alive than she had felt in a long time, and she wanted to help Vi find some happiness after so much had been taken from her.

For a long time, Vi didn’t respond. She stood with her back toward Caitlyn as she stared at the crumbling building in front of them. Eventually, she turned and gestured for Caitlyn to follow her into the crumbling remains of her home.

She hadn’t been back to this place since the day her parents died. Her mom had told her to stay put and keep Powder safe. Nobody had expected things to go so badly that day. Her parents had kissed their heads as they left with promises they would be back soon, and Vi had believed it. She could still remember the dread that had clawed at her chest when the explosions started and smoke filled the air.

The home had been stripped of anything that would be deemed as useful, but ghosts of the past still lingered in the form of drawings on the walls. She could almost hear Powder’s excited laughter as she sat on their dad’s shoulders to draw her creatures on the highest sections of the wall. A pit formed in Vi’s stomach as previously forgotten pieces of her childhood resurfaced. Despite everything, they had been a happy family, but now all that was left was the rotting, haunted husk of home.

Caitlyn looked around the room, nervously examining the unstable roof above them. The whole building seemed like it would collapse on them if they breathed too hard, but she supposed that was the case for most buildings in the Undercity. She jumped slightly as a large bug skittered across the rotting wooden floor, making her skin crawl, but she tried not to let Vi see her unease.

“What is this place?” Caitlyn asked, though she had a strong suspicion she already knew the answer.

Vi moved away from the wall she was standing beside, revealing a collage of childish doodles and delicate handwriting that confirmed what Caitlyn had suspected.

Violet. Powder.

“It was our home. Before our parents died,” Vi answered as she ran her finger along the marks on the wall. She finally moved away and sat on the broken wooden bed frame in the corner of the room. She could almost see little Powder curled on the bed, waiting for their mom to come sing them to sleep. They had always shared a bed, in part because they couldn’t afford more than two beds, but also because they had been inseparable as kids. Every sleepless night she spent in prison left her longing for the days of snuggling and sharing blankets with Powder.

Caitlyn hesitantly sat down beside Vi, half expecting to be pushed away, but Vi stayed quiet and moved over to give her more space. She took in every detail of the small home. It was so incredibly different than what she knew as home, and it was hard to imagine a family living there, but to Vi, this was home.

“What was it like growing up here?” Caitlyn asked curiously as she turned to face Vi. She wanted to hear more about Vi’s life; she wanted to understand the mysterious girl she had broken out of prison.

“My parents found ways to make things fun and to shield us from all the bad stuff that happened. I mean, sure, we knew we didn’t have a lot of money and there were times we’d go a few days without food, but my parents would always find a way to distract us and make the most of the situation.” The ghost of a smile tugged on Vi’s lips as she remembered all the good times.

“My mom would always come up with games for us to play, and she would color on the walls with us. My dad gave the best piggyback rides, and every night he would tell us a bedtime story, and then our mom would sing us to sleep.” Vi’s voice grew quiet as she focused on the fading memories of times lost long ago. Some things were easier to recall than others, but she was grateful that she still had most of her memories. She wondered if Powder could even remember their parents’ faces anymore. The details had grown fuzzy with time, but she could still vividly picture her mom’s blue eyes, the same eyes that she had inherited, and vibrant purple hair that she always kept neatly braided. Now that she thought about it, Powder had grown up to look a lot like their mom.

Caitlyn listened intently to Vi’s words. It was such a different picture than she ever would’ve imagined. She had grown up in a house so big that there were still rooms she had never seen before, and her parents had focused on teaching her manners and professionalism. Sure, she had toys to play with, but her parents were there as reminders of the shoes she was meant to grow into, not as playmates. The understanding of what Vi’s life had been before tragedy struck made the situation all the more devastating.

“Your parents sound wonderful,” Caitlyn commented quietly. For so long, Caitlyn had been exclusively told stories of the Undercity’s crime and depravity, but seeing the city herself was quickly changing her perspective. These were just people born into unfortunate circumstances and doing their best to survive. Sure, there were plenty of bad people, but she was beginning to realize that there were many good people, too.

“Yeah. They were,” Vi mumbled as she turned her head away to hide the tears that were beginning to form. Sometimes, she could still see their broken, bloody bodies lying out across the bridge of supposed peace and progress. To her, the only thing that godforsaken bridge represented was violence and grief. It was her first experience with loss, and maybe, if she had never dragged her siblings across the bridge to rob that Topsider’s lab, she wouldn’t have lost everyone else she loved.

Caitlyn saw the tears trickle down Vi’s cheek, even though the girl tried her hardest to hide them. She had been lucky enough that her experience with grief was minimal. She had been devastated upon hearing of Sheriff Grayson’s passing, but it was far from the same as losing your parents or your entire adoptive family. Caitlyn couldn’t even imagine the pain.

It was another instance where words would be meaningless. Instead, she gently reached out and caressed Vi’s face. It was a cautious, fleeting touch at first as she waited for Vi’s reaction. She was only half surprised when Vi melted into the touch and let her eyes fall closed. Caitlyn wondered how long it had been since anyone had shown Vi any semblance of kindness or affection, but she was almost certain she didn’t want the answer. She let her thumb brush across Vi’s cheek, gently wiping away the tears that had fallen.

Vi’s mind screamed that she should pull away— that she didn’t deserve Caitlyn’s gentleness— but her body said otherwise. She was so exhausted from always being on edge and ready for a fight, just for one night, she wanted to be able to rest. She let herself lean against Caitlyn, craving the warmth of another person to remind her that she wasn’t trapped in that cold, desolate cell anymore.

“What was your sister like?” Caitlyn asked tentatively. She still didn’t know what to think of Jinx. The girl still seemed like a threat to her, but maybe if she could understand how Vi saw her, things would begin to make more sense. Aside from collecting information, Caitlyn wanted Vi to be able to sleep. Judging by the constant edginess and dark circles that rimmed her eyes, she suspected Vi didn’t sleep very often. Perhaps tonight her company could offer Vi enough comfort to finally lower her guard and get some much-needed sleep.

There were a million things Vi could say about her little sister. All her most important memories featured Powder at their center or by her side. She had hundreds of stories of both good and bad times, but the most important part was that they were together, at least until that night. There were only so many times she could subject herself to the torment of reliving that night, and she had done it to herself enough times, starting the moment she saw Powder again, so for now, she chose to recall the good stuff. She told Caitlyn stories of shared beds, pillow fights, dance parties, and Powder’s sweet smile that had always made the world seem a little brighter even on the darkest days.

Eventually, her words began to trail off as her eyelids drooped. She leaned heavily on Caitlyn as years of exhaustion swept over her, finally forcing her to sleep. Caitlyn listened to the sound of Vi’s soft snores and did her best to stay awake to stand watch. After everything she had been through, Vi deserved a night of undisturbed sleep, and Caitlyn would make sure that she got it, even if it meant sacrificing her own sleep. 

She hummed softly to herself and traced her fingers over the drawings that Vi had said that Powder, or Jinx, had been the one to make. After hearing stories of such an innocent and joyful little girl, it made their encounter with Jinx that much more jarring. It was almost easier to believe that Jinx was nothing more than a trigger-happy lunatic, but the story of her past painted a very different picture. Years of being conditioned to see things in black and white left her reeling as she processed the much more complicated reality. There was no certainty on what would happen with Jinx, but she hoped that for Vi’s sake, they were able to find her and talk some sense into her. She could see just how much Vi loved and missed her sister, and Vi deserved to find some happiness after years of pain and misery.

………………………………………………………………….

Every day, Sevika grew closer and closer to quitting her job and jumping on the first airship out of the sister cities. Ionia or Shurima seemed like they would be decent places to move to, but truthfully, anywhere away from Silco, Jinx, and the suffocating weight of trying to win independence for Zaun would be a hell of an upgrade.

Jinx had run off again, which meant she would be the one to deal with Silco’s wrath once he found out. She prayed that he hadn’t heard about the sister yet, though, because as soon as he did find out, her life would go from miserable straight to hell. Even worse, if he found out that she knew about Vi being back and had told Jinx about the deal he made with Marcus all those years ago, she would be a dead woman.

As she stepped into The Last Drop, she ignored the lingering eyes that watched her as she headed straight for the bar counter. It wasn’t unusual for people to keep a wary gaze on her, being Silco’s second in command had that effect. She was almost as feared as he and Jinx were, which meant people tended to stay out of her way, something she greatly appreciated, especially on days like today.

Sevika swiped a bottle of whiskey from behind the counter and nodded in greeting to Thieram. How he managed to get hired by Silco, she had no idea. The man practically froze in fear every time he saw Jinx, and the girl made sure to use that knowledge to her full advantage. For years, Jinx had been terrorizing the poor guy with pranks, and though she would never admit it, a few of them had even gotten a chuckle out of Sevika. The brat was a menace, but she did have a sense of humor, one that Sevika appreciated much less when it was targeted at her.

“Hey, uh, Sevika… I think the boss wanted to see you,” Thieram muttered nervously just as Sevika had turned to walk away.

The news wasn’t surprising in the slightest; however, Sevika was still beyond irritated about it. If Silco was summoning her, that meant he had figured out that Jinx had run off again, or he had gotten word about Vi being back. Either option spelled bad news and problems for her, so all she could do was brace herself for the shit storm that awaited her upstairs.

She groaned and popped the cork off the bottle so she could take a long swig of the burning, amber liquid. She savored the burn of the liquor trickling down her throat, and she wiped her face as she headed toward the staircase. This meeting would be less than pleasant, and she had to figure out what she was going to say to save her own ass. She may as well kill herself if he found out that she had let Jinx run away. Aside from the Vi situation, there was also the problem of Jinx’s little boyfriend. That girl was digging her own grave, and Sevika was getting tired of pulling her out of it. With the way things were going, they were both going to end up buried in the same grave.

The first thing she saw as she pushed open the heavy door to Silco’s office was Dustin and Ran, or dumb and dumber as she liked to call them. That was never a good sign, and she could anticipate the look of fury on Silco’s face without even seeing him.

“Where is Jinx?” Silco hissed as soon as Sevika stepped into the room. His fists were clenched tightly, trembling with the urge to lash out and hit something. Jinx’s loyalty was faltering, and it was creating massive problems for him. Janna only knew where she had been running off to and what she had really been up to, but his problems had just gotten a whole lot bigger with the news of her sister’s return.

Violet, or Vi as she liked to be called, should’ve been dead seven years ago, and yet somehow she had returned. Regardless of the impact on Jinx, Vi’s return was a problem. The girl had a temper and was undoubtedly out to avenge Vander. She was undeniably his brat, though there had been a time when she would’ve been Silco’s first choice as an heir, but Jinx had proven to be a far better choice than Vi ever would’ve been. Vi was too old and stubborn; the only way he would’ve been able to get her on board with his cause would be to drug her into submission with shimmer. Jinx, though, he could shape with simple praise and affection. There was also no doubt about which sister was more intelligent. VI had brute strength and combat skills, but Jinx was a perfect shot and weaponry genius. Her talents were much better suited to his cause.

The biggest concern with Vi’s return was her impact on Jinx. Despite his years of influence, he knew Jinx still missed her sister, and there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t throw away everything they had built just to join her sister again. Just the thought of losing Jinx was enough to make him want to murder someone, but he had to keep his cool. There was still a chance that she didn’t know about Vi yet, and if he could get to her first, he could twist the narrative and make sure she wouldn’t leave him. The question was where she was hiding today. He had long since given up keeping track of her whereabouts, but lately, he was tempted to tie her up and lock her away so he always knew where she was.

“Why would I know?” Sevika replied gruffly as she pushed past Dustin and Ran, confidently approaching Silco’s desk. If she wanted to get through this without getting caught in her lies, she would have to act as normally as possible.

Silco studied Sevika’s expression, searching for deception. So far, she had remained loyal to him, but he knew better than to fully trust anyone. People could turn on you at the drop of a hat, and if she had turned so easily on Vander, who was to say she wouldn’t eventually turn on him? He believed that she didn’t know where Jinx was; typically, she tried to keep her distance from Jinx, so he was not surprised by her response. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was hiding something from him, though.

“Did you know the sister was back?” Silco accused as he kept his gaze carefully trained on Sevika’s face.

“From the dead?” she questioned with faux surprise that she hoped was convincing enough to get Silco to let his guard down. If he kept up this interrogation act through the entire meeting, she would be fucked.

“It seems Marcus failed to do his job,” Silco answered with annoyance. He had known the Sheriff was losing his allegiance and questioning his morals, but this had crossed a line. Marcus had been lying to him for years and happily taking the money he gave. When Silco had the chance, he had every intention of killing the idiot himself.

“Shocking,” Sevika muttered sarcastically. She had never liked Marcus. Really, she had never liked Silco’s partnership with the enforcers, period. She failed to see how Silco’s methodology was much different than Vander’s, aside from being more corrupt, but she would never dare to say that. The longer she spent at Silco’s side, the more her mistakes weighed on her. Vander had grown weak as a leader, but he had done so out of a desire to protect his kids and the community. Silco protected Jinx, but not in the ways that mattered. He twisted her and corrupted her, trying to turn her into a mini version of him, while things for most people in the city continued to get worse. She felt stuck between a rock and a hard place, and she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do.

Silco stood up and pushed his chair away from the desk. If Sevika didn’t know anything about Jinx or Vi’s whereabouts, then this meeting was useless. He didn’t have time to sit around and complain; he needed to find Jinx before she found Vi.

“I need to find Jinx,” he announced as he headed toward the door.

“Pressuring her is only going to push her further away,” Sevika said abruptly, surprising both Silco and herself. She rarely spoke back to Silco, but when it came to Jinx, she was becoming bolder. The brat was gonna end up dead if things didn’t change. She had seen Jinx let herself wither away in the darkness of her hideout, and if Silco kept pressuring and manipulating her, she was going to do something drastic. Silco couldn’t see the warning signs, but she could.

“I don’t care. I have to do damage control and deal with the sister situation,” Silco scowled as he pushed past Sevika. He was already spinning the words he would say to keep Jinx on his side. Things would be much easier if she didn’t already know, but with as much as she has been running around, he knew the odds were not in his favor.

“And what if she already knows? Lying to her will only make things worse,” Sevika advised, knowing her words would be ignored. Silco preached about trust and betrayal, but he was one of the biggest liars of them all. The truth only mattered when it affected him, but if lying worked in his favor and kept Jinx tied to him, he wouldn’t even hesitate as he whispered false comforts to her.

“Then I’ll remind her of her sister’s betrayal. I will not allow her to betray me,” Silco snapped as his patience ran short. He clenched his fists as the thought of Jinx betraying and leaving him resurfaced. He would do whatever it took to make sure that didn’t happen. She was his.

“You know she’s not you, Silco. What happened with her and Vi isn’t the same as what happened with you and Vander. They were just kids.” Sevika knew mentioning Vander was a mistake, but it wasn’t fair that Silco was pushing his trauma onto Jinx as if she didn’t have enough of her own.

Silco stopped in his tracks, fury burning through his veins. How dare she bring up Vander? He turned around to face her, his mouth already twisted into a snarl.

“Watch yourself, Sevika. Everyone is replaceable, even you,” Silco snapped. The threat was just about her job, and they both knew that. He would have no problem having her killed if he decided she was no longer useful to him. That was how he worked, and she knew that.

Sevika knew he wanted her to regret her words and back down, but this time she didn’t. She was smart enough to keep her mouth shut, but she didn’t regret what she had said.

“Find the sister and deal with her,” Silco commanded as he pushed open the door. The threat still laced his words, but she wasn’t fazed. He was fighting a battle he wasn’t going to win. Trying to interfere and pull Jinx away from Vi would only make things worse with her, and if he lost Jinx, everything would crumble. He was already losing his influence over the Chembarons, but he refused to face that. Jinx and Hextech couldn’t fix everything, especially when all he did was break her more. Soon enough, things were going to come undone, and Silco was going to be digging his own grave.

She watched as Silco stormed out of the room, and she sighed as soon as the door swung shut. She had no intention of going after Vi and getting wrapped up in this mess. She suspected Vi would have it out for her because of what happened with Vander, and she didn’t feel like picking that fight.

As she walked out of the office and headed back down to the bar, she took another long swig of the whiskey, letting the stinging heat melt away some of the tension. There was no doubt about where Silco was heading, and she almost hoped that Jinx wouldn’t be there. No matter the situation, there was no way the conversation between them was going to go well, and Sevika couldn’t help but pity the brat. For the briefest moment, she considered going after Silco so she could defend Jinx if it came down to it, but she decided to stay out of this battle. This was between them, and anything she had to say would land on deaf ears anyway, so she would stay out of it and let them deal with it themselves.

Even as she drank herself into numbness to dull the day’s stress, she couldn’t quite get rid of the subtle tug of concern for Jinx. She would give things time to blow over, and then she would go check on the brat. That was the best convincing she could do to get rid of the anxious knot in her stomach as she let herself go back to playing cards and downing her bottle of whiskey.

………………………………………………………………….

Soft sunlight trickled through the window of the bedroom, warming Isha’s face. Her honey eyes fluttered open, but she squinted as the bright light momentarily blinded her. She reached across the bed, searching for Jinx’s warmth, but she was met with empty space and a cold mattress. Immediately, Isha sat up and glanced around the room as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Jinx was nowhere to be found, and anxiety gnawed at her mind. Even as she climbed out of bed and ran into the living room, she knew that Jinx wouldn’t be there, but she let herself hope.

The first thing she spotted was the open window, and her heart dropped. If there had been any doubt, this was her confirmation. Jinx was gone. Tears pooled, and she sat on the windowsill, searching for any evidence that Jinx had been there at all. Sometimes it felt like she was just a figment of her imagination— there one moment and gone the next. There was a constant tug of worry that one day Jinx would vanish for good. What if this was it? What if this time, Jinx didn’t come back?

Isha sniffled and ran back to the bedroom, leaping onto the bed to shake Ekko awake. Did he know she left? Could he find her and bring her back? She whined as she firmly shoved his shoulder and patted his cheek.

Ekko groaned and opened his eyes, but the morning grogginess instantly faded when he saw the tear marks on Isha’s face. Her eyebrows were furrowed in distress, and without even asking, he knew what had happened. He looked over to the empty bed beside him and sighed. Jinx was gone. She must’ve slipped out while they were sleeping, without even a note or sign that she would be back.

He gritted his teeth in frustration, but tried not to let it show for Isha’s sake. She was already upset, and he didn’t want to worry her anymore.

“C’mere, kiddo,” Ekko said softly as he opened his arms to offer Isha comfort. She hesitated for a moment, but eventually decided to crawl into his lap and rest her head against him.

He knew she wanted Jinx, but he was trying his best with her. There were about a million reasons why he was pissed at Jinx for leaving. Every time she left was a twist to the knife she had buried in his chest years ago, but he could survive it, and he knew what to expect. Her abrupt absences weren’t fair to Isha, though. The least she could do was tell them when she was leaving and if she’d be back.

Isha cried quietly and buried her face against Ekko as he gently rubbed her back. They sat like that for a while before Ekko patted her back.

“Hey, why don’t we go see what Heimerdinger is up to?” Ekko whispered, trying to keep his tone light. Usually, Isha liked to hang out in the workshop, but if she was already upset about Jinx leaving, there was a good chance she wouldn’t have any interest in cooperating. He needed to talk to Heimerdinger, though. The yordle was surprisingly good at giving advice, and since sucking Jinx back into his life, he needed lots of advice.

Isha finally pulled away and looked up at Ekko. She didn’t really want to leave, but she knew that sitting around and staring out the window wouldn’t make Jinx come back. Reluctantly, she shrugged and crawled off the bed, waiting for Ekko to follow. At least at Heimerdinger’s workshop, there were plenty of toys for her to play with and things to keep her busy. It wouldn’t make much of a difference, though; thoughts and concern for Jinx were always stuck in her head. She just wanted Jinx to stay so they could be a family. She couldn’t understand why Jinx kept running away.

She obediently followed behind Ekko as he headed toward the workshop. A few people watched them curiously, and she quickly looked away and stayed close to Ekko. She didn’t like being watched by so many people. In most of her experience, people were bad. Ekko and Jinx were the exception to that rule. Heimerdinger was, too, but she wasn’t entirely sure he counted as a person.

When Jinx was with them, they had to confine themselves to the safety of the treehouse or move under the cover of darkness; they could never just freely walk around. Isha almost preferred having to be sneaky, though. At least then, there weren’t so many eyes on her.

Ekko politely knocked on the door to the workshop, and as soon as the door swung open, Isha bolted into the room to escape the prying eyes of strangers that surrounded them. She went straight to her pile of toys and crayons and sat down next to it.

“Good morning, lad,” Heimerdinger greeted as Ekko stepped into the workshop. He watched as the little girl ran straight to the corner that was quickly becoming her designated spot. Both Isha and Ekko looked upset, and Heimerdinger could only guess that their concern was related to the absence of a certain blue-haired girl.

“I take it Miss Jinx left again?” Heimerdinger inquired while he hopped onto a chair and gestured for Ekko to sit in the chair beside him.

“She always does,” Ekko grumbled as his fists clenched in frustration. He tried so hard to make her feel safe and welcomed, but it was never enough to make her stay. It was like trying to keep a wild bird caged. He didn’t want to trap her there, but the thought of her leaving and never coming back again terrified him.

“She’ll come back,” Heimerdinger said as he gave Ekko’s knee a reassuring pat.

“I’m not so sure,” Ekko huffed as the memory of their gentle kiss came back to haunt him. His chest tightened as he realized that it was likely a goodbye kiss. Was this really it? Was she gone for good this time?

“She didn’t even leave a note,” Ekko finished, turning to face the yordle as he waited for Heimerdinger to respond. There wasn’t much that could be said about the situation. Ekko just wished she trusted him enough to say something before she left. He tried so hard to show her he cared, but she still kept her emotional distance.

Across the room, Isha paced back and forth in her corner of toys as she thought about Jinx. She heard Ekko talking about Jinx, and she tried to distract herself with her toys and crayons, but none of it was enough to dull the anxious thoughts. The same question played on an endless loop in her mind: Why did Jinx keep leaving? She didn’t have a good answer, aside from the one she feared the most.

She doesn’t want you.

The quiet voice whispered in her head, and she whined in frustration. She had too many thoughts in her head and no good outlet for them, so she threw the toy she had been holding against the wall, watching with satisfaction as it broke into small pieces. It wasn’t enough to completely get rid of all the negative emotions, but it helped release some of the pressure.

Ekko and Heimerdinger quickly looked up as they heard Isha’s quiet whine, followed by the loud clatter of the toy hitting the wall and then the floor. Ekko quickly got up from his chair and walked over to the little girl, prepared to comfort her. He knew Jinx’s absence was hard for her, too. It wasn’t easy to explain everything to her either; there were still so many things he didn’t want to tell Isha in an attempt to preserve what little remained of her innocence.

“Hey, kiddo, what’s wrong?” Ekko asked gently as he knelt to the ground. He gathered the pieces of the toy as he waited for Isha to respond. He knew there was a chance she would shut him out and refuse to respond, so he was beyond relieved when she reluctantly lifted her hands and began to sign.

“Jinx doesn’t like me,” Isha signed as she looked away from him, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Oh, Isha. Yes, she does,” Ekko replied as he beckoned her over, allowing her to sit on his lap. She hesitated for a moment, but eventually decided that some comfort— even if it wasn’t from the person she wanted— was better than nothing.

“Then why does she keep leaving?” Isha signed as she looked up skeptically. Sometimes grown ups just said things to make kids feel better, even if it was a lie. She didn’t want a lie, though, she wanted Jinx to come back.

Ekko flinched as he interpreted Isha’s words. He didn’t have a good answer for her. He had been asking himself the same question, but kept coming up with nothing. It had seemed like she finally realized that Silco wasn’t a good person once she found out he had been lying about Vi, but for whatever reason, she still went running back to him. He didn’t understand it, and he didn’t know how to explain any of it to Isha.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I do know that it’s not because of you though,” Ekko answered confidently.

Isha looked unconvinced by Ekko’s words. He hadn’t been there when she first met Jinx. The only reason she had ended up there was because she chose to follow Jinx even after she had been told to scram. Jinx hadn’t wanted her around, but she hadnt had anywhere else to go,

“Actually, I think you’re the only reason she keeps coming back. She cares about you, kiddo, more than I’ve seen her care about anyone in a long time,” Ekko added, hoping that this time his explanation would put her mind at ease. It wasn’t even just a means to comfort Isha, he knew it was the truth. He didn’t know why Jinx kept disappearing, but he did know that it wasn’t because of Isha. He had seen the way her eyes softened and some of her barriers came down when she was with Isha.

Isha pouted and shrugged. She still didn’t get it. Why would she leave if she cared so much? Didn’t she know that she was missed when she was gone? Isha hunched over and rested her chin on her knees. She just wanted Jinx to come home.

“Can you find her?” she signed as she looked back toward Ekko with a hopeful, expectant gaze.

Ekko sighed. He knew Jinx probably didn’t want to be found. If she did, she would’ve come back, or she wouldn’t have left at all. Isha’s pleading, owlish eyes stared into his soul, making him go against all rational thought. Even if he knew things wouldn’t go well, at least if he went out he could say he tried.

“Okay,” Ekko reluctantly agreed. Isha’s look of pure relief was enough to make the useless quest worth it. Her warm hug was an added bonus that Ekko savored, too. She still wasn’t normally as affectionate with him as she was with Jinx, so anytime she willingly offered him affection, he cherished and appreciated it.

When Isha finally released him from the hug, he got up and ruffled her hair. She grunted in disapproval and pushed her lips into an exaggerated pout, but he saw her lips twitch up into the faintest flicker of a smile. For Isha’s sake, he hoped he was granted a miracle and was able to convince Jinx to come back with him. He didn’t want to face the little girl’s disappointment if he couldn’t find Jinx.

He gave Heimerdinger a look, and the yordle gave a firm nod. He didn’t even have to ask anymore, Heimerdinger knew the drill.

“I’ll be back soon, kiddo,” Ekko said as he strapped his hoverboard to his back and shoved open the wooden door. Isha gave him a firm nod and watched him with those sparkling golden eyes as he walked out of the workshop.

As soon as he was in the open space of the sanctuary, he hopped on his hoverboard and zipped into the dark tunnels, already making a list of places to search. He didn’t realize that a pair of wary green eyes had spotted him and watched his departure with disappointment. Scar had quickly grabbed his own hoverboard and decided to follow close behind in order to keep Ekko from doing anything stupid. He knew exactly why Ekko was leaving, and he was getting tired of having the same fight with the boy when they had so much at stake.

Flying through the narrow streets of the city normally helped to clear Ekko’s mind, but today it only brought more frustration. Hours passed by in the blink of an eye and he swore he had flown past every spot he could think of that Jinx would potentially be spotted, but there had been no signs of her. He had even sat on a rooftop watching the alleyway where the entrance to her hideout was, but if she was in there, she hadn’t emerged even once. Part of him wanted to barge in there and question her, but he knew there was no scenario where that would end well. He would just have to wait her out and hope that she decided to come back eventually. Unfortunately, patience was not one of his talents, at least not when it came to her.

He was almost ready to just give up and head back to the base when he spotted a familiar head of pink hair. He quickly turned his board around and trailed Vi and Caitlyn from a safe distance, trying to collect any information that he could. Neither girl was talking much, though, they were just quietly heading toward the Lanes. As they got closer to The Last Drop, Ekko pieced together what they were doing. Just like him, he was sure Vi wanted revenge on Silco, the only problem was Vi didn’t really know what she was going up against. There was no way, even as a stealth or spy mission, that Vi and Caitlyn would be able to take down Silco alone. He had no choice but to interfere before they got themselves captured or killed.

Ekko flew around the two girls and landed in front of them, blocking their path. He stepped off his hoverboard and strapped it to his back.

Vi and Caitlyn looked up in surprise as the same masked stranger that had whisked Jinx away blocked their path. Caitlyn reached for her rifle and Vi lifted her fists, instantly ready for a fight. Odds were, if Jinx was working for Silco and this guy was associated with Jinx, then he was probably working for Silco too.

“Who the hell are you?” Vi snarled, taking a menacing step forward to size up whoever was hiding under the mask. She watched as a gloved hand lifted and the white mask was pulled away, revealing a face that was foreign and familiar at the same time. She almost wouldn’t have recognized him, but the striking white hair gave his identity away.

“Little Man?” Vi called tentatively, almost as if she didn’t believe what she was seeing. As soon as she recognized him, her voice grew softer and her hands dropped to her sides. She was so relieved to see him, and even more relieved to know that he was the one who had taken Powder. She had known that Ekko had feelings for Powder even when they were kids, so it wasn’t too surprising to piece together their connection. The only uncertainty was whether he was working for Silco, too.

“You look good for a dead girl,” Ekko called as he tucked his mask into his belt and cautiously approached.

“You know him?” Caitlyn questioned as she glanced back and forth between Vi and Ekko. She was trying to make sense of the situation, but was quickly beginning to resign herself to the fact that everything in the Undercity was far more complicated than Piltover liked to make it out to be. The sense of family and community ran deep in Zaun in a way that Piltover didn’t have. While Zaun was rooted in connection and unity, Piltover thrived on individualism.

Vi ignored Caitlyn’s question as she surged forward and pulled Ekko into her arms. He had grown up. He wasn’t the scared little boy she remembered anymore.

Ekko melted into the hug and he couldn’t stop the tear the trickles down his face as he buried her face into her shoulder. He had almost forgotten how much he missed Vi. She had always been like a big sister to him, and he had missed her affection. She had always given some of the best hugs, she was second place only to Vander and Benzo. Any lingering distrust faded away as he held tight to her and let himself have a moment to be the little boy that had been forced to grow up too quickly. Just for that moment, all his worried and responsibilities got pushed aside, and he just savored the feeling of comfort.

“I missed you, Little Man,” Vi said tenderly as she cradled the back of Ekko’s head. It was such a surreal experience seeing Ekko and Powder all grown up. It felt like she had been spit into an alternate universe. Time had seemed to stand still for her, but it kept moving for everyone else, and now her little siblings weren’t so little anymore.

Caitlyn watched Vi, patiently waiting for an explanation of who this boy was. She was particularly curious about how he was connected to Jinx. Without a doubt, he was the one who had swooped in and flown her out which raised the question of whether he worked for Silco, too.

When Vi finally pulled away, she noticed Caitlyn’s questioning gaze.

“Oh, right. Cait, this is Ekko. Ekko, this is Cait,” Vi said as she awkwardly gestured between them.

Ekko watched Caitlyn warily. He didn't understand why Vi would be with an enforcer. As kids, Vi had always been ready to fight back against the enforcers and get revenge for her parents and the oppression they had grown up under, but now she was parading around with one. It didn't make any sense to him.

“What are you doing in the Undercity, anyway?” Ekko asked accusingly as he sized Caitlyn up. It only made sense that she had some ulterior motives. Enforcers always did. Had he not watched Caitlyn threaten Jinx, he would've assumed that she had been bought out by Silco, too.

“There was a robbery and two important gemstones were stolen. I was conducting an investigation to track down the thief, and I have reason to believe Jinx and Silco were involved,” Caitlyn explained the initial catalyst that had led her to this adventure.

Ekko paled at the mention of the stolen Hextech. Part of him was relieved that he hadn't been identified as a suspect, however he knew it wasn't fair to put all the blame on Jinx when he had been just as involved as her. He stayed carefully silent as Caitlyn explained. He couldn't get caught and deal with Piltover’s wrath. The Firelights needed him, and more importantly, Isha and Jinx needed him. He wouldn’t let himself, or Jinx, get arrested.

There was a moment of tense silence following Caitlyn’s words. Vi’s mind reeled with questions she wanted to ask. She still felt so out of the loop and she had clearly missed so much. If Ekko had any information that would help her reconcile with Powder, she desperately needed it. Most importantly, though, was the lingering concern of loyalty. Vi didn’t want to believe that either Powder nor Ekko would be capable of working for Silco after everything they had been through, but she had a pit in her stomach that only continued to grow with the silence. 

“Do you work for Silco?” Vi finally broke the silence with the question she had been dreading the answer to.

“Hell no,” Ekko sharply retorted, instantly offended by the accusation. 

“He’s been tearing the Undercity apart and hunting my people for years,” Ekko continued as he stared down Vi.

“What about Powder then?” she asked with a hushed voice. She had a feeling she already knew the answer, but she still didn’t want to believe it.

“It’s… complicated. And word of advice, she goes by Jinx now,” Ekko answered, trying to offer what little advice he could. He was far from an expert on Jinx, but he could give Vi that much.

“Her name is Powder. Does she work for him or not?” Vi scoffed, ignoring Ekko’s words. She was tired of being told to call her sister that horrible name. She never should’ve said that about her.

“Technically, yes,” Ekko sighed, unable to look Vi in the eyes. He knew it wouldn’t be easy for Vi to hear about her sister working for the man she despised, but it was a complicated situation. 

“Then why were you with her?” Vi probed as she watched Ekko with suspicion. She knew he had always cared deeply about Powder, but she was still protective of her little sister, especially considering the circumstances.

“Uh, that’s also complicated,” Ekko stammered, his cheeks flushing as he thought of their endless game of back and forth. One second, they were at each other’s throats, and the next, they were holding each other like there was no tomorrow. He didn’t feel like explaining any of it to Vi, though.

Vi rolled her eyes as she heard the nervousness in Ekko’s voice, and for a minute, she could almost picture him as the little boy from all those years ago. Even back then, she had known that he was in love with Powder. It was cute when they were shy, innocent kids, but now she was more than happy to spare herself from the details, so she dropped the subject.

“Did she steal those crystal things?” Vi asked hesitantly. Once again, she already knew the answer, but she wanted to be wrong. Ekko didn’t even bother to answer; he just guiltily looked away, and it was enough of an answer for her.

“I take that as a yes,” Vi sighed in exasperation. She couldn’t care less about some stolen Piltie junk, but it was so hard to imagine Powder embracing a life of violence and crime. That was what the Undercity did to people, though. You had to do whatever it took to survive, and for Powder, that was embracing chaos and living alongside the man who had ruined their lives.

“It wasn’t just her,” Ekko reluctantly admitted. It was a stupid idea to admit to the crime in front of an enforcer, but the more he thought about things, the more he was starting to realize that he might have bitten off more than he could chew. So much had happened with Jinx, he had barely had time to keep up with Piltover’s reaction to their theft, but as expected, they weren’t taking it well. He didn’t like the thought of trusting an enforcer, and really, it wasn’t her that he trusted. He did, however, trust Vi. It had been a long time, but Vi had always been loyal, and she had always taken care of them. He trusted that she wouldn’t let Caitlyn do anything to him or Jinx.

“The whole thing was my idea. We were at a disadvantage, so I thought taking the Hextech would even the playing field. I thought that maybe it could be used as leverage for negotiations, but I should’ve known not to expect that much from the council,” Ekko scoffed in frustration. He hadn't kept up with everything that was happening with Piltover, but he expected it wouldn't be good. If they knew Jinx was involved would they come after her?

Caitlyn’s eyes widened as she listened to the confession. Had she discovered this news any earlier, she would’ve been ready to report the crime and complete her investigation, but now that she had seen the state of the Undercity and its people, she understood where Ekko was coming from. He was trying to protect his people in a battle with the odds stacked against them. She couldn't fault him for that.

“I might be able to help with the council…” Caitlyn reluctantly announced. Revealing herself as a councillor’s daughter was a huge risk while in the Undercity, but Ekko and Vi had both taken risks in trusting her, so it was only fair she was honest with them, too.

“How do you plan to do that?” Ekko questioned with a raised eyebrow. At this point, he wanted to avoid the council.

“My mother is a councillor,” Caitlyn confessed, keeping her gaze locked firmly on the ground.

“What?” Vi and Ekko said in unison as they turned to stare at her in a mixture of shock and horror.

“You were mad at me for not telling you about my sister, but you just happened to forget to mention that your mom is a councillor?” Vi scowled in irritation.

“It never came up, and I knew it would be a sore subject,” Caitlyn attempted to explain herself.

Vi sighed and shook her head. She wanted to be mad, but she would be a hypocrite. They had both kept things from each other, but now it seemed like most of their secrets were out in the open. It made no sense that Caitlyn hadn’t turned on them, and why she had willingly chosen to spend days in the Undercity, but Vi decided not to question it, at least for now.

“I can talk to my mother and ask them to consider negotiations,” Caitlyn offered as she looked between Ekko and Vi.

“That can be a problem for later. I need to find Powder,” Vi interrupted as she turned back toward Ekko. She had hoped that since he had been the one to take her that he would know where she was, but her hope and was crushed when she saw the flicker of disappointment on his face.

“She’s not with you? Weren’t you the one who took her last night?” Vi pushed him for answers. She could care less about the stupid gemstones or whatever was happening with Silco’s gang wars, she only cared about finding Powder again and getting the chance to explain things.

“She took off in the middle of the night. That’s kind of her thing,” Ekko grumbled.

“So you don’t know where she went?” Vi asked, her voice full of exasperation. Of course, the last person to have seen her sister had no idea where she could be. With the way things were going, she was never going to find Powder.

“No. I’ve been trying to look for her, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to be found,” Ekko muttered, the frustration and disappointment creeping into his voice.

“Did she leave because of me?” Vi’s voice was hushed, and she grimaced as she spoke, as if the words hurt her to say.

Unlike with Isha’s concerns, Ekko couldn’t confidently say no to Vi. There were probably a million reasons why Jinx had run and hidden away, but odds were that Vi was one of those reasons. He knew she still cared about her sister, but he also knew she was hurt and paranoid by their tragic and complicated past. He didn’t know what to say, so he chose to stay quiet to avoid upsetting Vi more than she already was.

“I left her, and now she hates me,” Vi said with a broken voice. She had never regretted anything more than that night. She had been so stupid. If she had just controlled her mouth and her temper, maybe none of this would’ve happened.

“She doesn't hate you. Actually, she thinks you hate her for what happened that night. She lashes out because she’s scared, and she pushes people away to protect herself.” His words were as much of a reassurance for himself as they were for Vi. It was his attempt to make sense of why she kept running away and leaving him to question everything about their relationship.

“I messed up that night. I was scared and hurt and just so angry at everything, and I took it out on her. I never meant to leave her. I tried to go back, but they grabbed me and next thing I know, I’m waking up in a cold, dark cell,” Vi’s voice cracked as she fought off the tears and the sob that was building in her throat.

“Vi, you were just a kid back then, too. You can’t blame yourself for everything, and you can’t change the past, but you can rewrite the future,” Ekko attempted to comfort her. It was a strange experience; normally, she was the one who would comfort him as a kid, but now that they were older, he knew she had been just as afraid as they were.

“She wants nothing to do with me. We don’t even know where she is,” Vi argued as she shook her head and clenched her fists. Her stupid choices had run her sister off for good. Her chances of reconnecting with Powder got slimmer and slimmer with every new detail she learned, and her heart broke a little bit more each time. What was the point of living without Powder? She fought so hard to survive solely so she could get back to Powder, but now that didn’t even matter.

“I don’t know where she went, but I think eventually she’ll come back to my place…” Ekko trailed off as he revealed a piece of what he had been hiding.

“It’s a long story, but we’ve kind of been taking care of this little girl. She’s about the only thing that has managed to break through Jinx’s walls, so I don’t think she’ll stay away for too long,” Ekko clarified as he carefully watched Vi’s reaction. He braced himself for more questions, but there were a lot of things he wasn’t ready to mention. Some of it was Jinx’s story to tell, anyway. He hoped that things would work out and that all of them would have the chance to sit down and fill each other in.

Vi’s eyes widened at the new development. In her mind, Powder and Ekko were still babies themselves; the thought of them taking care of a kid seemed foreign and unnatural. Powder had always been the baby. Everyone knew to watch and take care of her, but now, Powder had her own kid to look out for. A bitter sense of nostalgia burned in Vi’s chest. She had spent so long trying to survive prison so she could protect Powder, and for the first time, she was realizing that her sister might not need her protection anymore. She had grown up and could take care of herself. She didn’t need her anymore. 

“I can take you to our sanctuary. She has to be blindfolded, though. I’m not taking any chances of enforcers showing up to raid our home,” Ekko said sternly, leaving no room for arguments.

Caitlyn pressed her lips together in displeasure, but she reluctantly agreed. Ekko carefully tied a rag over her eyes, and she felt Vi take her hand to guide her. Heat burned her cheeks as she walked beside Vi, but if the other girl noticed, she politely kept her thoughts to herself.

The walk back to the base took an obnoxiously long time, at least to Ekko. He was used to being able to fly through the streets and make it back to the base in a few minutes with minimal effort, but there was no way he could fit three adults on his hoverboard, so he had resigned himself to walking so he could guide Caitlyn and Vi. He was beyond relieved when he finally spotted a subtle glow of light in the darkness of the tunnels, marking their destination.

Ekko pulled them toward the pipe opening to the side of the main entrance that he had shown Jinx to use as a way to avoid the guards at the main entrance. He didn’t need to worry about hiding them as much as he did with Jinx, but he still didn’t want to flaunt the fact he had brought an enforcer to the base, even if he had taken precautions to ensure she wouldn’t know where they were. He gestured for Vi and Caitlyn to jump down from the pipe and took a moment to savor the satisfaction of their awe as they saw the massive tree for the first time. It was his favorite part of bringing any new people to the sanctuary.

As he leapt down from the pipe, he was startled by a tall shadow looming over him. He flinched and slowly turned around, already knowing who was behind him. Scar dragged him out of Vi and Caitlyn’s earshot, his green eyes narrowed in exasperation.

“Are you trying to get us all killed?” Scar growled. He had continuously let Ekko get away with protecting Jinx, but bringing an enforcer to the base and finding out that he had been letting Jinx sneak in and out in the middle of the night was too far. People were going to get hurt, and Scar cared too much about Ekko to let him be the cause of his own downfall.

“Scar—“ Ekko started, but was quickly silenced as Scar held up a clawed hand.

“She knows where we live. You’ve been letting her sneak in and out,” Scar scolded.

“So, what you're stalking me now?” Ekko rebutted with disbelief. He knew Scar was pissed about the Jinx stuff, but how much more did he need to do to prove that she wasn’t a threat to them? If she wanted to hurt them, she would’ve already.

“You’re predictable, Ekko. I knew you were going after her again, and I wanted to make sure you didn’t bring her back. Not that it matters since she apparently knows how to get here, anyway,” Scar scoffed in annoyance. Ekko could be irritated, but until he snapped out of it and realized how much danger he was creating by letting himself get close to Jinx, Scar didn’t trust him.

“Why is this such a big deal? You’re the only one that knows, and it’s not like she’s hurt anyone,” Ekko argued.

“She hasn’t hurt anyone yet,” Scar said with added emphasis.

“What’s your plan when she does hurt someone?” Scar questioned accusingly. He didn’t like interrogating Ekko like this, but he needed him to understand the reality of the situation. She had killed dozens of them and Ekko had brought them to their one safe place. Nothing was stopping her from telling Silco and getting them all killed. He didn’t care how much Ekko thought he knew about her; she couldn’t be trusted.

“She won’t,” Ekko replied firmly.

“You don’t know that,” Scar countered as he shook his head. He was almost convinced that Jinx had brainwashed Ekko, because he had never been this naive or foolish before she slithered back into his life.

“I—“ Ekko tried to reply, but Scar cut him off again.

“Ekko, for all you know, this is a game to her. What happens when she turns on you and people get hurt, or even worse, what happens when she runs home to tell daddy that she knows exactly where we live?” Scar knew that Ekko wouldn’t take his words well, but it needed to be said. Maybe it would be enough to knock some sense into him, but he doubted it. Jinx had him wrapped tight around her finger.

“She wouldn’t do that!” Ekko snarled, taking a challenging step toward Scar. They had always been a team, but Ekko was getting tired of the never-ending fighting over Jinx. If Scar would just give her a chance and watch her interact with Isha for five minutes, he would see the good in her, too. Jinx had done a lot of bad things; he hadn’t forgotten or denied that fact, but she wasn’t evil. He knew her, and he wouldn’t let Scar be the reason their relationship fell apart, if she even came back.

“You’d better hope that you’re right, Ekko.” Scar sighed as he turned to walk away. He knew that he wasn’t going to win the argument with Ekko. All he could do was keep his eyes out for Jinx. He didn’t care what Ekko said or believed; if he ever saw Jinx at the sanctuary, he would do whatever was necessary to ensure she couldn’t hurt anyone.

Ekko seethed as he watched Scar walk away. He wasn’t an idiot, and Jinx wasn’t the big bad monster. She was as much of a victim of Silco as many of their members were. They had dozens of former shimmer addicts and gang members, but they had all been welcomed with open arms and promises of a fresh start. It wasn’t fair that Jinx didn’t get that same opportunity. Once he had taken a moment to cool off, he turned back toward Vi and Caitlyn. He had to collect himself because he did not feel like explaining why Jinx was one of the Firelight’s most hated people.

“What was that all about?” Vi asked, the concern evident in her voice.

“Doesn’t matter. Let’s go,” he said, quickly brushing off Vi’s concern and questioning. He clenched his jaw tightly as he guided Vi and Caitlyn toward the treehouse, his mind still reeling. Everything was a mess, and he wasn’t sure how to fix it all. For now, he just kept walking. All he could do was take things one at a time, even if he wished he could just fix everything all the time. One day, the pressure and weight of responsibility would crush him, but today he managed to hold his head above water for a little while longer.

………………………………………………………………….

Jinx was sprawled out across the cold metal floor, surrounded by scraps of metal, tools, and blueprints. All she had wanted was to build something to take her mind off everything that had happened, but she couldn’t even focus on what she was doing. She had finally given up on her aspirations of productivity when she burned her hand while attempting to solder two small pieces of metal. As if she didn’t have enough injuries and scars littering her body, now she had a thick bandage and ice pack wrapped around her hand to soothe her scorched skin.

Above her head, she held up the Hextech crystal between her fingers, studying its faint blue glow. Ekko would freak out if he knew she was using it as a fidget toy while lying dangerously close to the edge of an abyss, but she really didn’t care. The only reason she had wanted it was to get back in Silco’s good graces and alleviate some of the stress of having his eyes on her all the time, but now it didn’t matter. Silco was a liar. Part of her was tempted to just throw the crystal away. She didn’t trust herself with it, and she couldn’t trust Silco with it either. It would probably be better for everyone if she just got rid of it, but she couldn’t bring herself to. The paranoia that she would need it again remained, so she tucked it safely into her pocket instead of rolling it over the edge.

Jinx jerked and quickly sat up as the sound of familiar footsteps echoed through the room. Her heart thundered in her chest, and she braced herself for the coming conversation. She had been biding her time, anxiously waiting for Silco to show up. She was still on his radar because of all her absences, so his visit was far from surprising, but it didn’t make her any less stressed about it. She really didn’t want to talk to Silco, but if she dismissed him too quickly, it would only make things worse.

“Jinx. Where have you been?” Silco said calmly as he stepped onto the central platform and glanced over at the blueprints and mess that covered her desk. She had always been a messy girl, always leaving her trinkets, tools, artwork, and weapons lying around wherever she went. It drove him nuts, but he never pressed the subject more than a few reminders to collect her items before she left. This was her space, though, and his opinions had no sway over her choices, so it would eternally remain a mess. He had no idea how she managed to find anything or get any work done when surrounded by the chaos.

“Uh, here, silly. I’ve been working on the Hextech weapon.” Jinx chuckled nervously as she avoided Silco’s stern gaze. Her eyes were lowered and locked on the tools that were scattered across the floor, but she could still feel the weight of that orange, glowing eye prying her soul apart.

Technically, her words weren’t even a lie. She had been at the hideout since leaving the Firelight base the night before, and she had kind of been attempting to work on her weaponry. Unfortunately, today, even her engineering talents were falling short. She had lost all her motivation, and she just wanted to curl up and rot away.

Silco caught the subtle attitude in Jinx’s voice, and he gritted his teeth. She was hiding something again— she had been for weeks now. All these days of running off and coming back just to spill lies straight to his face were starting to irritate him. There had to be somewhere else she was running off to hide, perhaps someone she was running off to meet. As much as he wanted to press the subject, there were more important topics to discuss. It didn’t seem like she knew about Vi yet, which was beyond relieving. It meant he had the chance to tell her himself and plant the seeds of doubt and paranoia in her mind.

“There’s something important we must discuss, Jinx,” Silco announced as he stood over her.

Jinx furrowed her brows as Silco carefully positioned himself in front of her, essentially blocking the only exit that didn’t involve a ticket to the spirit realm. The movement alone was enough to put her nerves on edge, but then she caught the way his voice hardened. Whatever he had to say, she wasn’t going to like it. She ignored the way her chest constricted as she looked up into his piercing, orange eye. Didn’t she have enough on her plate? She really didn’t want to deal with whatever complaint or concern Silco had, especially now that she knew he was a liar.

“Supposedly, your sister is alive,” Silco grumbled, unable to hide the frustration that seeped into his voice. The whole situation was a nuisance when he already had enough problems on his plate. Piltover was cracking down and preparing to retaliate on account of the stolen crystals, and he had requested that the Chembarons take care of the issue, but they were proving to be as useless and incompetent as always. There were enough messes to clean up on account of Piltover and Jinx alone, but now that Vi was back, things had the potential to become even more disastrous. 

Jinx’s body went stiff as she heard his words. Of course, he had found out about Vi. He had eyes all over the city, and if Vi didn’t know how to hide and avoid Silco’s spies, it was no surprise that she had been noticed. There were dozens of snarky responses she wanted to say to call out Silco’s lies and reveal that she already knew about her sister’s survival, but she bit her tongue, not wanting to dig herself into a deeper hole. The less Silco knew, the better.

“You told me she was dead,” Jinx replied cautiously. She narrowed her eyes as she watched him like a lioness watching its prey. A part of her was eager to hear what lies he spun and watch him dig a grave of his own. He had always claimed that trust was the most important thing between them, and the guilt of her lies about Ekko had nearly driven her insane, but now she knew that he was just as guilty as she was. For them, trust was nothing more than an illusion that sat atop a mountain of lies.

“As far as I knew, she was. Marcus never told me she was alive,” Silco answered plainly, his voice remaining careful and calculated.

Jinx bit down hard on her cheek, forcing herself to swallow all the things she wanted to say to call out his lies. He was leaving out the part where he was the one who ordered Marcus to kill Vi; that was the only reason he had been confident that Vi was dead.

She waited for him to go on and explain why he was really there. If he was telling her any of this at all, there was a reason— some ulterior motive. That’s how it always worked with him. She hadn’t seen it before, but now she could see through the cracks of the rose colored glasses he had gifted her in order to keep her obedient to him. Her stomach still twisted in knots at the thought of Silco lying to her about everything. Had he ever loved her, or was it all a game to use her? Her hands trembled as the weight of everything crashed down on her. She had avoided thinking about Silco’s lies because her focus had been on the Vi situation, but now, as she stood face to face with the man she believed had cared for her, she felt like she would fall apart at any moment.

“I came to warn you, Jinx. Your sister is with an enforcer. They’re here for the crystal, not for you,” Silco said with faux concern. He stepped forward and reached out to her, but Jinx pulled away, unable to fully hide her resentment. Vi was with the enforcer, that much was the truth at least, but the rest, Jinx was certain, was a lie. Vi hadn’t mentioned anything about the gemstone, and while she didn’t trust Vi, she doubted her sister had any interest in the magical technology.

“How do you know that?” Jinx challenged stubbornly. It was a moment of boldness and agitation. She was so tired of the lies and manipulation, but the second she saw a spark of anger in Silco’s eyes, she regretted her words.

Silco studied Jinx with a scrutinizing gaze. Something was different. Something had changed. She had always been a rebellious child, always testing the limits and breaking the rules, but when it came to what he said, she had always been compliant and obedient. She never challenged his word until now. He had been kind enough to look past the lying about her whereabouts, but this was crossing a line. With Vi back in the Lanes, his control was faltering, and he refused to lose his grip on Jinx. She was his most valuable asset, and without her, his empire would begin to crumble, piece by piece.

“Have you forgotten how she left you?” Silco snapped, his voice rising in a way he typically reserved for enemies and the imbeciles he worked with. Jinx was a smart girl; he knew that she had not forgotten the pain she had endured at her sister’s hands. There was more he was missing, and Vi was only one piece of the puzzle. He needed to remind her of who she was and what was important.

“It’s kind of hard to forget when her voice has been trapped in my mind for years,” Jinx retorted as she took another shaky step back. Her heart raced impossibly fast, and she felt like a rabbit caught in a wolf’s jaws as Silco continued to corner her. All it would take is one wrong word, and everything would fall apart. Silco wouldn’t have the guts to kill her, at least not yet, but she knew plenty of the horrors he was capable of inflicting on people, and she didn’t want to endure any of them. There was once a time when she trusted that he would never hurt her, but now she wasn’t so sure.

“That pain that festers inside of you is a reminder, and it can either break you or forge you into something greater. When Vander betrayed me, I chose to let a weak man die, and I returned stronger. You must choose whether to hold onto the past and allow that pain to consume you or to let go and be reborn. Jinx is perfect, but you still allow Powder to hold you back.” Silco’s words sliced through her, and she tried to ignore the chanting whispers in her mind.

Powder fell down a well.

You’re a jinx!

“Vi isn’t Vander, and I am not you,” Jinx hissed as she dug her nails into the sensitive skin of her burned palm. The pain was sharp, but it kept her mind from drifting into the fuzzy state of numbness. Countless times, he had told her the story of Vander’s betrayal as if it were the same story as what had happened to her and Vi. She had never liked the story. Her chest always tightened when she thought of Vander, and despite how much resentment Silco held when he spoke of him, she could never bring herself to think of him so negatively. He had been her father, too, and she didn’t want to lose hold of the few good memories that remained.

Silco scowled as he moved closer, pushing her back closer and closer to the edge. If she hadn’t been trapped before, she certainly was now. One more step backward, and she would fall into the darkness below. Falling seemed like her only escape as Silco firmly blocked any other path of exit. For a moment, she let herself consider the option of plummeting into the abyss. Death was the ultimate escape, wasn’t it? None of her problems would matter anymore, and she would never be able to hurt anyone ever again.

She flinched as Silco gently cupped her face and pushed her bangs away from her eye. The touch was far softer than she was expecting, but the knot of anxiety twisted tighter in her stomach as she saw the dangerous gleam in his eyes.

“When she left you, I was the one who found you, cared for you, gave you a home. She didn’t even look back as she walked away from you. I am your family, Jinx. Everyone else betrays us,” Silco spoke firmly as he possessively brushed his thumb along her cheek.

Jinx felt paralyzed as she waited for whatever came next. Part of her expected him to push her back and let her fall. If he couldn’t keep her, then no one could, right? Tears streamed down her face, and finally, Silco released her from his grasp. There were no other words to be said as she watched him leave the hideout, his footsteps echoing just as loudly as her heart was beating in her chest. 

Her breath caught in her throat until silence replaced the pattering footsteps, meaning Silco was gone. She took a step away from the ledge and collapsed to her knees as the panic and adrenaline began to wear off, leaving her trembling and exhausted. She tried to focus on catching her breath, even though each shallow breath she took made her chest ache. Once she had enough air and energy to get away, she planned on heading straight for the only place where she could find a semblance of safety and comfort and where she knew Silco wouldn’t be able to find her.

As terrified as she was about being the reason something happened to Ekko and Isha, she regretted leaving them. Her mind spiraled, and the ghosts screamed, but she couldn’t even make sense of what they were saying. All she knew was that she needed to get away, so she stumbled to her feet and ran as fast as she could toward the hidden beacon of safety that she wished she could call home.

She didn’t stop running until she was in the safety of the dark tunnels that led to the Firelight base. Technically, she wasn’t safe, but at the moment, being captured by the Firelights seemed like a much better fate than facing Silco again. The path through the tunnels had become ingrained in her memory, and she made her way through all the twists and turns until she saw the faint light trickling through one of the entrances. She crawled toward the open pipe and glanced out, waiting for a clear moment to slip out and hide away in the shadows before she could be noticed.

As soon as the coast was clear, Jinx jumped out of the pipe and scampered toward Ekko’s workshop. She suspected that at this time of day, she was more likely to find him or Isha there instead of at the treehouse. She shoved open the door of the workshop and slipped inside, careful to remain unseen by the groups of people that congregated around the base of the tree.

“Hello, Miss Jinx,” Heimerdinger greeted with a warm smile as he looked up from his work. The girl looked slightly startled, and she scanned the room as though she was searching for someone. Heimerdinger suspected he knew exactly who she was looking for.

Jinx didn’t get a chance to respond to Heimerdinger’s pleasantries before a small body crashed into hers, almost knocking her off balance. She grunted and quickly steadied herself as Isha latched onto her waist.

Isha had almost not paid attention to who entered the workshop until she heard Heimerdinger’s words, and then she quickly jumped up, her eyes ablaze with excitement as she realized who it actually was, and she launched herself across the room so she could hug Jinx. She figured that maybe if she held on tight enough, Jinx wouldn’t leave again.

“Hey, little bug,” Jinx replied softly as she returned the girl’s hug. She cradled Isha’s head and pressed her face into the girl’s soft hair.

“Ekko left earlier this afternoon to go search for you. He was quite worried about you. Little Isha was as well,” Heimerdinger politely informed Jinx as he observed the girls’ tender embrace. He suspected the girl needed to hear that people cared about her and were concerned by her absence. She needed to know that she was valued.

“Did he say when he’d be back?” Jinx asked as she looked back toward the yordle that had basically become their designated babysitter. She was still hesitant about trusting a Piltie— a former councillor at that— but he hadn’t done anything to harm them, yet, and Isha did seem to approve of him, so she pushed her biases and apprehension aside.

“No, but he doesn’t tend to leave Isha for too long, so I expect he’ll be back soon.” Heimerdinger’s words made Jinx twitch with guilt and annoyance. She knew the words weren’t meant as a jab, but it felt like one anyway. It was a confirmation that Ekko was better for Isha. While she ran away from responsibility without a word or even a hint of when she’d be back, Ekko gave Isha the love and stability she needed. He would take care of Isha, while all she would do is screw her up. Broken people break people and she couldn’t let herself be the one to break Isha. The little girl was so full of life and light, and she deserved better than a walking curse that brought nothing but dark storm clouds everywhere she went.

Isha glanced up, studying Jinx’s face for her reaction. In the mines, things had been horrible, but simple. The adults were easy to understand because they didn’t care about her or any of the other kids at all. She didn’t have to care about anyone else there. Most of the other kids couldn’t communicate with her, anyway, so she mostly focused on looking out for herself. Now, though, she cared about Jinx and Ekko, too, and she wanted to know what was going on. She hated that they wouldn't tell her things simply because she was a kid.

“C’mon, little bug, let’s go home,” Jinx muttered, choking on her words. This wasn’t her home, it never would be, but it was Isha’s home. The little girl eagerly followed her, and her chest ached with regret. How was she going to tell Isha that she was only there to say goodbye? She didn’t want Isha to feel like she was abandoning her, but it was better for everyone if she stayed away.

Jinx didn’t spare Heimerdinger another glance as she and Isha made their way back to the treehouse, careful to remain unseen. She knew the yordle probably meant well, but her mind was full of paranoia and stress. It was easy to assume everyone was pointing out her flaws, especially when the voices in her head never let her forget them.

Walking into the apartment without Ekko behind her felt wrong, but she followed Isha into the room, anyway. She sat down on the couch, making herself cozy as Isha snuggled up next to her. The pit in her stomach grew with every passing second, but she swallowed her guilt as she pulled out the butterfly toy from her pocket. She ran her finger over the dried paint as she turned to Isha.

“I made you something.” She grinned as she passed the little golden butterfly to Isha, watching as the girl’s eyes lit up with delight.

“A little bug for the little bug,” Jinx teased as she ruffled Isha’s hair.

Isha giggled and hugged Jinx, nestling close to her. She studied the fragile toy, carefully twisting the tiny knob to wind up its wings. Once she had turned the knob as far as it would go, she released the butterfly and watched with wonder sparkling in her eyes as it gracefully fluttered around the room. She gave Jinx a toothy grin as she leaped from the couch to chase after it, twirling around as she followed its arbitrary path. Of all the toys she had gotten since coming to live with Ekko and Jinx, this was her favorite one. She shrieked with laughter as its wings slowed and it carefully landed on the ground. Without any hesitation, Isha eagerly scooped the toy off the ground to wind it up again.

Warm pride momentarily replaced the endless numbing guilt that typically consumed Jinx. For once, she had done something good instead of screwing everything up. Of everything she had done in her life, Isha was the only thing that wasn’t a regret or mistake. Saving Isha and giving her a chance to be happy and have a childhood was the only thing that brought any sense of peace to Jinx. The only problem was her fear of being the reason everything got destroyed. That was why she was planning to keep her distance from Isha and Ekko after that night.

After the butterfly gently landed once more, Isha grabbed it, and skipped back to the couch to sit beside Jinx again. She studied Jinx’s face for a minute, picking apart the layers of emotion that Jinx tried to keep hidden.

“Why do you always run away?” Isha signed as she patiently waited for Jinx to respond. A part of her was still worried that Jinx kept leaving because she didn’t want to be around her, but Ekko had told her otherwise, and Jinx seemed to care about her still. At least, she cared more than anyone else ever had.

Jinx’s breath hitched as she processed the words, and she pulled her knees to her chest, making a physical shield around her heart. She didn’t know how to explain the constant turmoil of her mind to the little girl— she didn’t want to explain. Her ghosts and demons were her problem, not Isha’s or Ekko’s. They weren’t Vi’s problem, either, even if sometimes it was easier to pretend like everything that had happened was Vi’s fault.

“I’m not… I don’t—“ Jinx fumbled over her words, earning herself an unimpressed look from Isha. The little girl was obnoxiously observant and smart. She knew far more than most seven year olds probably should, but that was just how things went in Zaun. Isha could see right through her lies, so there was no point in even trying.

“I leave to keep you guys safe. I work for some not so good people and if they ever found this place, they would hurt you and Ekko,” Jinx explained. She still didn’t have the heart to reveal that she wouldn’t be coming back after this; she wasn’t sure she would ever find the courage to say it.

Isha’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to make sense of Jinx’s words. She felt safest when she was with Jinx, so she only partially understood Jinx’s logic. Truthfully, Isha just felt more worried for Jinx. If the people would hurt her and Ekko, didn’t that mean they would hurt Jinx too? She wanted Jinx to be safe with them. Sometimes she wondered if they could all run away together. She had never left Zaun before, so she wondered what the world above the fissures looked like. Maybe it was better there and they could find a new place to live and escape the dangers of the Undercity.

Just as she was about to ask Jinx more questions, muffled voices filled the room as the front door creaked open. Jinx looked up, expecting to see Ekko, but she did not expect to see Vi and the enforcer alongside him. Instantly, Jinx jumped up, her guard going up as she pushed Isha behind her and rested her hand over the holster where her pistol was tucked away. The butterfly toy clinked as it fell from the couch and landed on the ground, but it was ignored and quickly forgotten as tensions rapidly escalated. 

Ekko’s eyes widened as he saw Jinx standing beside the couch. He hadn’t expected her to be back yet. He had learned her signs of violence and danger pretty well by now. He could see the way her muscles tightened and her eyes narrowed as her gaze landed on Caitlyn. If he had known she was back, he would've come to talk to her first, but it was too late for that now. All he could do was try to deescalate, but he could tell by the fading light in her eyes that it was going to be a losing battle.

“You’re back,” Ekko said as he stepped forward in an attempt to block Vi and Caitlyn. He knew Vi was eager to see her sister, but if they pushed Jinx too much too quickly, things would turn disastrous again, and this time the stakes were higher. 

“Pow—“ Vi started, but was quickly cut off and blocked by Ekko. She saw Jinx take a defensive position with a little girl tucked behind her. It was just as strange as she had expected to see her baby sister all grown up and protecting another little kid. Powder didn’t need her anymore, but Vi didn’t know what she was supposed to do if not protect her sister.

“Why would you bring them here?” Jinx snarled as her gaze shifted between Caitlyn, Vi, and finally returned to Ekko. He made such a big deal about protecting his stupid tree and keeping the Firelights safe, yet he willingly brought an enforcer to them less than a day after she shot him.

“I didn’t know you would be back. We were trying to find you,” Ekko attempted to explain, hoping to break through Jinx’s paranoia.

“So what, are you working with the enforcer now, too?” Jinx snapped as she turned toward Ekko, her jaw clenched tightly from the rage and betrayal. It was bad enough that her sister had sided with an enforcer, but now Ekko had too? He made such a big point to keep the Firelight tree a secret, but he willingly brought an enforcer even after she had shot him. She didn’t understand any of it. Unless he wanted her gone, too.

You killed his friends. He’ll always see you as a monster and a threat.

She tried to push the voices out of her mind, but it was always a losing battle. Ekko had always hated enforcers just as much as her; it didn’t make sense that he would he choose to side with one now, unless he had turned on her. He had wanted to kill her before, was it such a crazy thought to believe that he would want that again? They had been on opposite sides of the battlefield for so long, and she knew he didn’t fully trust her, so maybe he had finally given up on her and wanted a way to get rid of her without having to go through with killing her himself. He had gained her trust just to trick her and betray her.

“She’s on our side, Jinx. She just wants to help,” Ekko desperately tried to reason as he saw Jinx’s eyes lose their focus. Anxiety raced through his veins as he tried to think of ways to snap her out of it and stop her from getting lost in her head.

“She shot you,” Jinx hissed like a cornered cat. Her voice had risen in pitch, making her sound hysterical. She glanced toward the window behind her, already plotting an escape. Her heart didn’t want to believe that Ekko and Vi would hurt her, but her broken mind won the battle and left her reeling.

Caitlyn’s eyes widened in horror as she listened to Jinx’s words. She had hoped that she had missed her shot, and she had assumed she had since Ekko hadn’t said anything, but now, Jinx was saying otherwise. She looked over to Ekko, searching for any sign of the wound, but the boy hid his injuries well.

“She didn’t mean to,” Ekko argued. He never thought he’d live to see the day that he was defending an enforcer, but life was full of surprises.

“Because she meant to shoot me,” Jinx responded bitterly. Ekko should’ve just let her take the bullet. What was the point in saving her just to betray her anyway?

Everyone else betrays us.

She didn’t want Silco to be right, but it was looking more and more like he was. It made sense, didn’t it? He knew she would come back at some point, and they would be waiting there to arrest or kill her. He was just as much of a traitor as Vi. She backed away from them, keeping Isha protectively tucked behind her, though she could feel the little girl’s head peeking around her.

Vi watched her sister back away from them like a feral cat ready to pounce. Caitlyn was stiff as a board as she attempted to evaluate the situation, and her fingers hovered dangerously close to her rifle. Vi knew it was likely just a self-defense mechanism, but she wasn’t willing to take any chances. She stepped in front of Caitlyn, carefully positioning herself between her and Jinx. It was a protective measure for both of them, but she saw the way Jinx’s face twisted into a disgusted scowl.

“Powder, I know you’re upset—“ Vi realized her mistake the second she saw the rage flash in her sister’s eyes.

“My name is JINX!” Jinx shrieked as her chest heaved. Why couldn’t Vi see that she wasn’t that little girl anymore? Vi was the reason Powder died.

No, she’s not. She’s our big sister.

She gritted her teeth and ignored the flash of blue and that familiar, childish voice that whispered in her mind. It was always quieter than the others, but somehow cut so much deeper than any of Mylo’s cruel taunts.

Vi flinched at Jinx’s outburst, but she knew it was warranted. No matter what had happened since that night, she still looked at her sister and saw the scared little girl she had once been— the girl she had promised, and failed, to protect. As much as it hurt her to call her sister such a cruel name, she knew she needed to accept it. Trying to call her, Powder was only making things worse, and all she wanted was to fix things between them, not drive them further apart. She tried to make herself say it, but all she could think of was the memories of that night. This was her fault; she had driven the nail in the coffin by calling her a jinx, and she had forever stained her sister with that label.

Jinx scoffed as she saw Vi’s lip twitch as if she was trying to speak, but no words came out. She certainly had no problem saying it that night, but now she suddenly couldn’t find her words.

Because you’re a jinx!

“Funny how you’re the one who gave me this name, yet you can’t even say it,” Jinx spat as she took a threatening step forward, her body coiled tight like a snake ready to strike.

“Believe me, if I could take back what I said, I would! I never meant—“ Vi tried to reason with Jinx, but her words were getting them nowhere.

“What? You never meant for this to happen? Neither did I, but here we are. You left me, and then when you show up again, you have an enforcer attached to your hip,” Jinx spat bitterly.

She replaced us.

“I don’t know what you expected me to think, but if you thought things would just go back to how they were, you’re wrong. Clearly, you chose your side,” Jinx snarled as she turned her gaze toward Caitlyn. Her vision distorted as sinister laughter echoed in her head, and Caitlyn’s face shifted into something demonic. She quickly dropped her gaze, refusing to let what little sanity she was holding onto slip from her grasp.

Ekko gritted his teeth. It wasn’t fair for her to blame everything on Vi. He was far from thrilled about having an enforcer tag along, but Jinx was a hypocrite to talk about choosing sides when she had chosen hers a long time ago. She sided with the man who had done nothing but dig the city deeper into crime and corruption, and she had done horrible things to sit by his side like a loyal mutt. Even after everything, she still went running back to Silco, and he couldn’t stand it.

“You really want to talk about choosing sides, Jinx?” Ekko scoffed as he stepped in.

Jinx turned to face him and smirked. There it was. The same spark of anger and resentment that had burned in his eyes the night he nearly beat her to death. The gears in her head turned, making her brain buzz with adrenaline, and her fingers twitched restlessly at her sides, itching for the weight of her gun. Maybe this time he wouldn’t chicken out.

It was so easy to flip the switch and put on that mask of who everyone expected her to be. Jinx was strong and feared, but Powder was weak and pathetic. She knew that both sides existed inside her, no matter how hard she tried to snuff them out, but today she chose to embrace the cruelty and chaos— she had to in order to protect her shattered heart. Grating, manic laughter left her throat as she sized Ekko up. If he still saw her as a monster, he could have the monster that lived inside her. She knew exactly what to say to hurt him. She had let him in and learned to start trusting him again, but he had done the same to her, and she knew exactly how to get under his skin.

Isha stuck firmly to Jinx’s side, glaring at anyone who criticized or threatened Jinx. The tension in the room had continued to grow with each word that was spoken, and now it felt like they were all standing on thin ice, waiting for someone to fall beneath the dark surface.

Isha warily watched Jinx pull away from her as she cackled menacingly. The warm comfort that Isha normally felt when she was with Jinx dissipated. She had never seen this side of Jinx before, but as much as it unsettled her, she knew that Jinx was just upset.

Ekko had brought an enforcer into their home— their safe space— and Jinx felt trapped. It was a feeling Isha knew all too well. She had been tormented by enforcers and other kids in the mines, and she had leaned that the only way to survive and protect herself was to bite. Jinx didn't have to use her teeth to bite, though, she used her words instead.

“You’re right, I chose my side. I told Silco about this place. I never cared about you, I was just using you. This place is going to burn, and its your fault, boy savior,” Jinx purred as her lips curled into an ominous grin.

Time stood still, and Ekko’s eyes widened in horror as he processed her words.

“You’re lying. You wouldn't—” Ekko started, trying to call her bluff, but her head remained high with a cruel, cocky smile plastered on her lips. He desperately wanted to believe that she was lying, but he knew better than to underestimate Jinx.

“Oh, but I would,” Jinx shrugged as she taunted him. Guilt twisted in her stomach, but she wouldn't let it show. It was easier to hurt him and run than let herself get hurt again. She couldn't handle the pain, the regret, the fear; she never should've let herself get close to him, and now she was paying the price.

She had been planning for this to be a final visit anyway. The longer she tried to play both sides, the more likely she was to get him killed. Rejection and betrayal stung, but nothing hurt more than grief and guilt. Even in her anger, she didn't want Vi or Ekko dead. She would threaten them and push them away, but she wouldn't hurt them, and she wouldn't let Silco hurt them either. They didn’t know that, though, and she was able to use that to her advantage.

“Guess you should've finished the job when you had the chance, boy savior,” she snarled as she stepped closer. She silently prayed that Ekko hadn’t caught the way her voice wavered, threatening to break from the tears she was struggling to hold back.

Ekko’s vision blurred from rage as he took the bait. He knew what Jinx was capable of, and now she had Hextech to fuel her nightmarish ideas. He shouldn’t have trusted her. He had seen the blueprints for her weapon, and he had still let himself be fooled by his affection.

Jinx’s weapon would be powerful enough to destroy everything he and the others had spent years building. Scar had been warning him that this would happen, but he refused to listen. The downfall of the Firelights would be as much his fault as it was hers if it came to that. If he would’ve just killed her when he had the chance, none of this would’ve happened. He had so many opportunities to kill her or leave her for dead, but his bleeding heart never let him go through with it. He saved and spared her every time, and now he would have to face the consequences of his actions. 

He shook his head in disgust as he looked her over. Even in the worst battles, he had always been mesmerized by her beauty, but today, he just wanted to hurt her like she was so insistent on hurting him. He had let himself fall for every sugar-coated lie, and he had even been naive enough to believe that maybe she loved him the same way he had loved her. He was wrong. It had all been a lie, and he let himself be fooled by her. He made the mistake of letting her go once before, but he wouldn’t make again. Not when everything he loved and cared about was at risk.

Vi jumped into action as soon as she saw Ekko and Jinx tensing up, ready to fight. She recognized the signs of a brutal fight from a mile away, and she wouldn't let it happen. She cared about them both too much to sit back and watch them hurt each other. As she blocked Ekko’s blow, she caught sight of a flicker of the little girl that had been her sister, but it vanished quickly as it had appeared and was replaced by more maniacal laughter.

Jinx glared at Vi as she stepped between her and Ekko. She hated the way Vi’s eyes stayed soft when she looked at her. There was no trace of the anger that had haunted Jinx’s memories for years. Jinx dug her nails into the raw skin along her thumb, making sure she tore at the skin as she reminded herself of Vi’s betrayal. Vi didn’t get to pretend to be her sister now. It wasn’t fair. The walls around her heart had been built for a reason, and she couldn’t handle the heartbreak of being left or betrayed again. Even if Vi was being genuine and wasn’t there to get rid of her, how long would it be until Vi realized that she was just as much of a screw up as she had been back then? Eventually they would see her as the curse she was, and she couldn’t handle that pain again.

She reached toward her belt where a set of chompers hung, ready to be used. They were just smoke bombs, but the others didn’t know that. It would be enough to sell her bluff and push them away— to bring back the hatred she deserved. No matter how frustrated or angry she was, she couldn’t bring herself to hurt them, but setting off a smoke bomb would be enough of a threat to scare them and keep them away. Ekko would go back to believing she was deranged and maybe this time he would be able to finish the job and put her out of her misery. Either way, this would be the final nail in the coffin of whatever fantasy they had been trying to live.

Her mask of insanity fell for the slightest moment as she held up the paint splattered chomper and saw the betrayal on Ekko’s face. She quickly forced her lips to curve into an unsettling grin as she toyed with the pin of the bomb. She looped her finger through the hole and kept her gaze locked on Ekko, silently challenging him.

“I bet this place will look so pretty covered in flames,” Jinx chirped with faux confidence. Keeping up the act used to be so much easier, but she had let Ekko knock down too many of her defenses, and it was much harder to rebuild them while standing face to face with the family she had once spent sleepless nights pleading for. Her words worked, though. She had always been good at getting under people’s skin, and she watched Ekko’s face twist with horror and disgust. He was buying into her act, now she just needed him to take the bait.

Vi’s eyes widened in terror as she saw the grenade in her sister’s hands. Memories of flames stinging her skin, heavy debris crushing her chest and shattering her arm, and the sight of Mylo and Claggor’s lifeless bodies filled her mind. The last time her sister had an explosive, they lost their family. Powder had always complained about her bombs never working, and Vi had always made an effort to encourage her and promise that one day they would. Vi had no doubt that now her sister’s explosives worked exactly as intended.

Isha nervously looked up at Jinx, watching her fidget with the bomb. The silence and tension sliced through the room like a blade, and all the other grown ups looked scared and angry. She stepped closer to Jinx, showing her unwavering loyalty. Jinx had always protected her, and she trusted that she wouldn’t hurt her. She was just pretending to be a threat to defend herself. Isha knew what it looked like when someone was ready to bite— to really hurt someone— but this time, Jinx was all bark and no bite.

Vi noticed Isha stepping closer to Jinx, and instinct took over. This had gone too far. She wouldn’t let Jinx put a little kid’s life at stake. This should’ve been between the two of them, but now Caitlyn, Ekko, and the little girl had been dragged into it, too. Vi loved her sister and wanted to trust her, but so much had happened in their time apart, she didn’t know what Jinx was capable of or how far she was willing to go.

“Jinx, stop!” Vi shouted as she lunged forward to pull the grenade from her hands.

Jinx snarled, ready to snap at Vi and offer a snarky remark, but then she saw the familiar flicker of anger Vi’s eyes and everything seemed to move in slow motion as past and present blurred together. Bandaged fists came toward her face too quickly, and her cheeks stung with the memory of a slap and harsh grip that had changed everything for her.

Vi! Please come back! I need you!

A ghost with lifeless blue eyes, a single messy braid, and a bloodied face stared up at Jinx and vanished the instant Vi moved forward, leaving her screams still echoing in Jinx’s head. Jinx lifted her hands to shield her face, her finger still curled around the ring of the pin. She braced for the expected hit, but it never came. Instead, the chomper was knocked from her hand and its metal frame clattered against the floor.

She lowered her hands slightly to see the pin dangling from her finger and the loud clacking of metal teeth filled the room as the timer counted down. Panic filled the room as everyone attempted to shield themselves from the anticipated blast. If it was any other situation, Jinx would’ve stood still and laughed at their reactions as the bomb went off and nothing happened other than colorful smoke filling the room. Nothing about this situation felt funny, though, especially as she noticed Isha’s wide-eyed terror. Those fearful amber eyes were enough to spur Jinx into action. She dropped to her knees and pulled Isha close to her, wrapping her in her arms.

“It’s okay, little bug, it’s just a smoke bomb,” Jinx whispered in Isha’s ear as she cradled the little girl’s head. The words were enough to soothe Isha, and she felt the girl relax. Jinx covered Isha’s ears as the smoke bomb went off and pink smoke filled the room, making it almost impossible to see. The noise from the explosion rattled the tree, but no real damage was done. Any second now, though, the rest of the Firelights would be heading to investigate the noise, and this time Ekko wouldn’t be the one to protect her. Despite the little regard she had for her own life, she wouldn’t subject Isha to watching her die. She had witnessed enough deaths to know just how quickly it could destroy a person, and she refused to be the one to ruin Isha’s innocence.

As soon as the thick smoke began to clear, she squeezed Isha and gave her a tight hug, allowing the tears that had been building to slip down her face. She couldn’t make herself say goodbye, but she figured Isha was smart enough to figure out that’s what it was. Before she could change her mind, she released Isha and gently pushed her away as she beelined toward the window to make her escape while she still could.

Isha whined and reached for Jinx as she made her way to the window. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to run toward her, but a heavy hand pulled her back, keeping her away. She snarled and looked up to see Ekko, but his eyes were trained on Jinx like she was prey that he was preparing to hunt.

Isha cried as she continued to fight against his grip. She could see through Jinx’s mask. She knew that Jinx hadn’t intended to hurt anyone. She was just scared, just like Isha had been. If her hand wasn’t held firmly in Ekko’s grip, she would sign and try to explain, but for the moment, she was silenced, and she had to watch as Jinx left her again. This time felt more permanent, though. She could tell by the regret that darkened Jinx’s eyes that she wouldn’t be coming back.

Isha shrieked and dug her teeth deep into the fragile skin of Ekko’s hand, forcing him to release his grip. As much as Ekko cared about her, Jinx understood her in a way he didn’t. Even without words, they had always been able to communicate. Nobody had ever cared about or understood her like Jinx did; she wouldn’t let Ekko hurt her or keep them apart. She wasn’t sure she could live without Jinx; what would be the point?

“Isha, no!” Ekko called as she tore away from his grip and barrelled toward Jinx. He had lost his trust in Jinx and in her volatile state, there was no way in hell that he was letting Isha go with her. He ignored the tug of regret and conflict in his stomach; he couldn’t let himself be fooled again— he had to treat Jinx like the threat she was. He couldn’t let her destroy everything he had worked so hard to build.

Isha screamed and clawed at Ekko’s arm as he pulled her back. This time, he tightened his grip and powered through the pain. She wouldn’t be able to get to Jinx in time. She would have to watch Jinx leave; this time for good.

Jinx stared back at Isha as waves of regret threatened to drown her. In the corner of her eye, she saw Caitlyn and Vi help each other up, and she watched as Caitlyn’s steady hands reached for her rifle. At least this time there was no threat of Ekko getting hurt. She was the target and this time she knew Caitlyn wouldn’t miss. For a moment, she considered staying still and letting it happen, but she watched Vi step in the way, once again blocking her from Ekko or Caitlyn. Her stupid sister just wouldn’t let go.

“Jinx—“ Vi reached out for her, but Jinx backed away until she was pressed against the window sill.

“Finally got the name right,” she said dejectedly as she quickly opened the window and looked down at the thick tree branches below. People were starting to emerge from their homes, undoubtedly summoned by the noise of the explosion. It created an extra obstacle, but Jinx was good at disappearing. She might not be dead yet, but she had always felt like a ghost.

She heard Vi call for her again, but she couldn’t make herself look back. The disappointment, betrayal, and pain on Vi, Ekko, and Isha’s faces was enough to push her out the window. She let herself fall and landed gracefully on the tree branch before leaping down to the wooden platform below to make her escape. It was the same way she had gotten out the night before, but this time would be the last. She wouldn’t be back. They would never have to see her again.

Ekko lunged forward in an attempt to chase after Jinx. He grabbed his pipe and hoverboard from where they rested against the wall, and as he darted toward the window, he felt something crunch beneath his foot. He glanced down to see one of the golden butterflies that had been on Jinx’s desk shattered into dozens of tiny pieces. A wail of despair split the air as Isha ran forward and gathered the pieces into her hands.

If Jinx wasn’t coming back, the butterfly would have been the last present she would ever get from her, but now it was broken beyond repair. How had everything gone so wrong? Only a little while before, she and Jinx had been peacefully playing with the toy, but now everything had crumbled, and she had lost another person she cared about. Heavy tears rolled down her cheeks as she traced the patterns of blue and pink paint.

“Isha, I’m sorry,” Ekko whispered as he knelt down to examine the pieces. He knew that even he couldn’t fix something so small and fragile. He reached out, and Isha snarled at him before curling into herself. She held her broken butterfly toy close to her chest as she softly cried and avoided eye contact from everyone else in the room.

Ekko glanced down at the bruise that was beginning to form around the bite mark on his hand. He had been trying to protect her, but he was almost positive that she hated him now. The ghost of soft lips pressed against his burned his mind, and he threw his hoverboard to the ground. Everything was falling apart, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t save everyone. One way or another, Jinx was gone, Isha hated him, and he was almost positive Vi wouldn’t be sticking around for long. The Undercity was in shambles, and now with Caitlyn, she basically had a free ticket to Piltover; she would be stupid not to take it.

Vi stared at the window with her fists clenched tightly at her side. Jinx was gone. The harder she fought to get her sister back, the more she seemed to split them apart. Now, even Ekko couldn’t help her find Jinx. Dark thoughts swirled in her mind reminding her that all of this was her fault. She was the one who walked away, she was the one who pushed them to go on that job in Topside, she kept making mistakes and all it did was hurt her sister more. She couldn’t help but think that maybe Jinx was better off without her. She didn’t know where to go, but she knew she couldn’t stay at Ekko’s and risk ruining things more. She looked over to see Ekko’s eyes furrowed in distress as he stared at the remnants of Jinx’s smoke bomb, and she sighed. There was no telling whether Jinx’s words were truth or lie, but Vi would at least stay the night to help Ekko defend the tree in the event that Jinx wasn’t bluffing.

Caitlyn lowered her gun the second Jinx vanished from her scope, and she cautiously approached Vi. She had learned from her previous mistakes, and this time, she chose to stay silent as Jinx fought with Vi and Ekko. She had been willing to listen to Vi’s perspective, but the more she saw of Jinx, the more convinced she became that she was a depraved criminal. There wasn’t much she could do or say to comfort Vi, but she stood supportively by her side and hoped that it was comforting enough. It was a silent reminder that they were in this together. Caitlyn had no intentions of leaving Vi alone any time soon, especially now that she had seen just how bad the conditions were in most of the Undercity.

Ekko stared at the open window, half expecting Jinx to come back. As the heat of the moment cooled and faded, the anxiety and guilt hit him full force. He shouldn’t have engaged and escalated the situation. Whether or not Silco’s men were actually coming to burn down the tree, he wasn’t sure, but he had no choice but to tell Scar what had happened. They needed to be ready for anything and have security on high alert. For now, he stood frozen in place, watching as a lone firelight bug weakly buzzed around the window, its flickering light slowly dimming as it struggled to stay in the air.

Just like the dying firelight, he was alone again. Jinx was the other half of his soul, and without her, he felt painfully empty. He had pushed her away, though. Just as much as Vi had contributed to her transformation, he had too. He had been so close to having her back, but one statement born of resentment and frustration had ruined everything, and now she was gone again. If she returned to Silco’s side as his loyal pet, it would be, at least in part, his fault. Guilt pressed on his chest, pulling the air from his lungs, but he barely noticed. All he could focus on was the empty window where Jinx had made her escape. She was gone, and he had lost hope of ever getting her back again.