Never a Friend

Frankie tripped and fell onto the blanket of sand. Spitting up the pale dirt, she groaned as she saw it coating her arms while she rose to see her surroundings.

Behind her, Stamos wasn’t chasing. Just like last time, he’d been brought to the ground. Only now, at least park staff were coming in to see what was going on- and hopefully arrest the sicko. That’s good, she breathed, a well-deserved sigh of relief. And how good it was, being free from that terrible man.

But it really wasn’t good for the rock-throwing woman standing guiltily across from her.

Panicking, Cheryl immediately ran for her brother. Frankie realized it was her- the same shooter who whisked away their first-day earnings. Picking her little brother off his chosen horse and setting him back down on his humble feet, she was shortly going to get away. Katie was coming to her, not them, eager to save her own sibling- but what Frankie wanted wasn’t to be picked up. She wasn’t sure what she wanted- only that she needed to follow that girl and her brother. Frankie wasn’t certain- did she want to thank them? Or was she just hungry to take back her tokens? Neither option made sense to her instincts.

But still, she ran.

“Frankie? Wait up, what are you doing?”

Without a choice, Katie followed. The sharpshooter ran faster, holding her brother’s hand, so tight she was hurting him. Frankie could tell now. They thought they were in danger.

Mid-retreat, Cheryl picked up another rock and hurled it dangerously through the crowded area in order to hit the same girl she’d just saved. But in her distress, an unusual thing for her to feel- she was just a moment too slow, allowing Frankie to narrowly dodge the heavy object. It hit a food stand, causing more commotion behind them as they chased.

Through the less-populated bits of Eagle Frontier their dash continued, ducking around corner after corner as the deadeye sister used the knowledge of her whole life within this godforsaken theme to her advantage, making space between them and the unfathomably tenacious sisters. With her nineteen long years of experience here, there was just no way the two would catch up to them. There was positively no way she’d ever have to see or talk to them after this.

“Big Sis? Why’d you go this way?”

Or so she thought.

Cheryl blinked despairingly at the fake doorway. The false alleyway barren of resting guests, here just for her to fail. It’d always been here. She’d been here, before, when she was weak, and needed to rest from time to time. She knew exactly where it was, and she should’ve known how to about it.

So why… why was she here?

Panting, the tourists rounded the corner.

“Hey…” Frankie wheezed, making her choice. “We just… want… to thank you.”