Jackie jumped up. Tensed up in a pose.

This can’t happen. This can’t happen right now.

“Friend or foe--?!” Jackie shouted at her, the latter raised her hands in the air. “THAT’S NOT A RESPONSE—”

“What is it, Jackson--?!” Maddie’s voice was far off.

“We’re coming--!” Aiko’s voice started to approach her.

The new challenger simply closed her eyes. Her lashes long. Unnaturally long.

“Well, why did you think I’m making a fuss about it…?” the put-on girl had a light Texan accent. “I wanna be a friend to everyone~”

Jackie heard the footsteps of her friends, all circled around her and the new challenger.

SAFETY PATROL~!

The challenger’s eyes shot wide open, to the point the veins were visible.

They opened up into segments, and begun to flutter, the segments shuddering in a pattern as bolts of pure crimson shot out of them.

Her head jerked to side to side, almost robotic. Almost as if she had no control over it.

Jackie was hit—then Maddie, then the floor—then Tracy, Aiko—then at multiple walls, and shot at River once she became solid again.

… But there wasn’t any impact.

Nothing really happened.

Quickly, Jackie patted herself down. Still on edge, but the element of dread was lessened.

“Do you guys feel anything or--?” Jackie was cut off by a shrill scream.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

The challenger lanced forward, yanking Jackie’s track jacket.

And it continued to stretch on and on.

They was really nothing that they could’ve done.

The challenger used Jackie as an improv mace, flailing her about against her friends.

They soared—landing at against walls or the floor or even their hideaways.

Until they all bounced back.

The challenger began to dance—flailing Jackie and using her as a bat to keep the bouncing of the girls and the other objects at top speeds.

It wasn’t them who were suddenly elastic—but their clothes. As a result, they were throttled within the “soft” prison they found themselves in.

Already battered and already exhausted—this proved the unlikely problem that finally took them down.

The challenger twirled away gracefully—as the poor girls were slammed against surfaces over and over and over again before mercifully stopping. Just a pile on the floor.

“I wanted to name it like—Eclair Vision! Or Elastic Eclair, but hey… Oh yeah! Éclair Sinclair, is my name! I’m sure ya’ll are gonna remember it…”

Éclair walked, and proceeded to walk over the fallen girls.

“DON’T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!”

Éclair perked her eyebrow, turning on her heels to see a shaking Jackie, forcing siVis to keep her on two legs.

“Myyyy,” Éclair remarked. “You got fight in ya’, I’m pretty impressed! You really wanna make a mark or something, huh—”

“TO MAKE THINGS MAKE SENSE, UNLIKE YOU PEOPLE!” Jackie was frothing from the mouth. “All you selfish people do is make life somehow worse! At least I fight for something—what do you fight for, huh?! Style?! Posies?!”

Éclair grinned, and leaned in.

“Peace of our time~”

The pink girl laughed, as she scrolled forward, right into the fray of N’atural and Mayhem.

Jackie fumbled forward, saving herself from falling with her fists.

She felt herself become undone, felt herself to become unruly pieces of the body, surging due to the undercurrent of hurt and rage.

And soon, she just fell. Right into the fucked up ground.

“We… Have to leave…” River croaked up, struggling to get back up.

“There’s no way we can…” Maddie couldn’t even finish the sentence, let alone try to sit up.

“NO!” Jackie roared, causing the the glass, rocks, gems to shoot across the floor from her mouth. “I refuse to side by while shit gets out of control without any say! Without any fight! It’s worth it—it’s worth it to fight until we break if it means standing our damn ground! AND I’M GOING TO DO IT--!”

She used siVis throughout her body, and caused herself to stand up.

Becoming a mass of shifting puzzle pieces, a white silhouette that outlined her features.

One could see, how her twitching, pained brow morphed into an expression of pure hatred.

Jackie screamed, running, stumbling forward.

A girl against the world.

She, along with the rest, that have no chance. .