begging for a fever dream. [ally/zeke]

[arx!!]

This project was the last thing he wanted to be doing right now. But seeing as the alternatives were either speak to another human being or acknowledge that everything was starting to get batshit fucking crazy—well, let's just say that he didn't even really need Ally's half of the project since he'd finished one entirely on his own. Nevermind how his pen had traced over the words 'natural killer cells' a few too many times.

He sighed, grabbing another cookie from the too hot sheet. He idly jotted down notes on a recipe card, putting a little star next to the batches he'd make Stella try later. And it was strange, the feeling of doubt that made his grip tighten around his pen—he regretted the feeling the instant it came, guilt sitting heavy in the pit of his stomach—but the thought of his sister being alone with Benji felt somehow- dangerous.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath as his pen slipped awkwardly from his hand and skittered across the kitchen table toward Ally.

"Sorry," he grins sheepishly. "Can you, uh-?"

He extends his hand to her and points to the pen as he stretches across the kitchen table, waiting as patiently as possible for her to hand it to him so that this painful interaction could be over.

But apparently a very stubborn and persistent thought had other plans because before he'd even given Ally a chance to respond he was asking her questions.

"You're-" the word wasn't friends, but every other word seemed insulting, so-

"You're near Cleo a lot."

Okay, so it wasn't a question so much as it was a statement—but it was one he was certain was correct.

"Did she tell you anything?"

Well, anything that he hadn't already overheard Stella saying very loudly, way too fucking late at night. Hell, just a few hours ago he'd heard it as he'd passed by her bedroom, something like- bottle blondes are ruining educations -and claiming Cleo had made the whole thing up. Which, wasn't exactly difficult to believe, but still—Zeke had more faith in his friends than that.

"Oh-" he said, gesturing toward the cookies as he reached for another. "Do you, um, want a few?"

[gamemaker sloane ♕ kaяi ♕]

A L L Y

Ally never liked projects.

Especially group ones.

No one ever seemed to understand her creative process. They just didn't get her visions. In group projects she always had to restrain herself and that was never really any fun. They were limiting to say the least and the only thing she ever wanted was freedom. This time she was paired with Zeke. She supposed it could have been worse. She could have been with Maverick, that would have been awkward. Or with Cleo, then she would have to do the whole thing with zero help. At least with Zeke things should be rather easy.

Probably.

"Hi Zekey," she said brightly as she entered the room at sat across the kitchen table from him. One by one she began to take things out of her bag. A tablet, colored pens, colored sticky notes. Name it and she had it. She had just opened her tablet to begin jotting down some notes when a black pen came sliding into her items.

"Can you uh-"

She smiled and handed the pen back to him, his open hand signaling the end of his sentence without having to finish it.

"You're-"

Wow, not very good with words is he.

"You're near Cleo a lot. Did she tell you anything?"

"Of course I'm near Cleo a lot! Who doesn't want to be?" She uncapped a pink pen and began scribbling a header onto her notebook. It was more than necessary, but it was keeping her mind distracted. Ally took a minute to finish her doodle before looking up at him again. "I mean, nothing much really. You know Cleo, always likes to keep things mysterious," she rolled her eyes and released an airy laugh. It was true.

And it drove Ally crazy.

She capped her pink pen and picked up the teal one to add some accents when the boy spoke again. "Oh- do you, um, want a few?" and he motioned at the delicious looking cookies on the table. Her mouth watered, she smiled, and reached out her hand before pulling back again.

"I really shouldn't." But they just looked so delicious, they were practically calling her name. "Okay yeah, thanks! Just don't tell Cleo. She'll remind me every day how I won't fit into my prom dress now." She took a bite of the cookie. It practically melted in her mouth. "Kidding!"

But deep down she knew she wasn't

[arx!!]

He sat back in his chair with a sigh. She was all light laughter, rehearsed smiles, and veiled words with meanings he wasn't really sure he'd ever be able to unpack on his own. But mostly she didn't have any new insights about Cleo's- well, about whatever happened out in the woods that night.

He tapped his notebook with the end of his pen, tapping out a beat to match the rhythm of his racing thoughts—was he worrying over nothing, listening to horror stories and tall tales and taking them as fact? He hated being wrong. He hated looking foolish. Shit. He shook his head, fixing his gaze back on Ally.

She was making something look pretty in her notebook with a steady hand and careful eye. He tried his hardest not to sound annoyed when he leaned forward again, but he was notoriously terrible at hiding it.

"Well- what do you think then?" And he wasn't asking about the cookies, he knew they were delicious.

"Murder and abduction and torture," he kept his voice hushed, but his movements were urgent and strong and sure now that he had started speaking. "And, yeah, they closed school, but what's that going to stop?" Other than stop him from bringing home a career and checks. He chuckled to himself lightly, shaking his head as he bit his lip. "And they must have imbeciles investigating seeing as it's been months since they found Scarlet." Felt good not to dance around the name.

"Look," he swiped the colorful sticky notes from her things and clicked his pen, scribbling out Scarlet's name hurriedly. "I could probably fit everything we know about the murder on this little square."

He was definitely dedicating too much thought and energy to this when there were projects to be done and cookies to be eaten, but when he looked up at Ally again he found himself waiting patiently for her to join in with her thoughts—even if those thoughts were riddled with light laughter and rehearsed smiles.

[gamemaker sloane ♕ kaяi ♕]

A L L Y

He was an interesting boy.

Zeke was solemn. Mysterious, almost. It's like the word 'fun' wasn't in his vocabulary and smiles seem to be a rarity. There was something about him that Ally quite couldn't figure out. She was never really one for solving puzzles, honestly her teachers were lucky if she even bothered to do her homework.

But there was something about this boy that she wanted to figure out.

There were some parts of him that she felt she needed to piece together.

"Well- what do you think then? Murder and abduction and torture. And yeah they closed the school, but what's that going to stop?"

Silly boy, he should know that she doesn't bother to ever think. But his question made the gears in her head turn. Ally sat there for a moment in silence, twirling her teal pen through her fingers, actually doing her best to focus. "I think-" she tapped her pen on her pursed lips before continuing. "I think that maybe the person behind all this is hurting. Maybe it's a cry for help," she looked into his eyes for a moment, trying to read his reaction. Because let's be real, most people would think that she is entirely insane.

"They can't be all bad, can they?"

She smiled at him briefly before going back to doodling a flower on her paper. Ally hadn't put that much thought into the whole situation, but now that Zeke provoked it she couldn't stop thinking about it. It was mere seconds before he spoke again.

"And they must have imbeciles investigating seeing as it's been months since they found Scarlet. Look, I could probably fit everything we know about the murder on this little square."

Now he really peaked her interest. She always knew he was smart, but never this smart. It caught her slightly off guard, but regardless, she placed her pen on the desk, folded her hands on top of her notebook, and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Alright then pretty boy, what are your ideas? I wanna hear 'em."

She smiled at him and waited expectantly. Ready to start putting the pieces of Zeke together.

[arx!!]

He can't find it in him to hide how amusing he finds her thoughts. Someone who cut people into tiny little pieces and scattered the bits around the district needed to find a different way to do their crying, honestly. But maybe she was right about one thing.

He breathes a chuckle through his nose, smile twisted at a funny angle and fingers snapping tight to his pen as he looks her over with a twinkle in his eye. "Fine," he spins the tiny, bright notepad with a flourish and raise of a brow before penning down her surname—SCARLET HYDE—as well, in big letters across the top. He bulleted the left side of the note before tearing it free and placing it in front of her.

He continued, writing down FRANKIE STELLIO, and with what felt like too many seconds of hesitation—CASSIUS WELLS—at the head of separate slips of paper.

He drags his knuckle across that last name, smudging ink with a sigh. His sister may not believe Cleo, but it seemed only practical, to assume that Cassius was also-

"I trust Cleo," he said, hearing a ringing in his ears that sounded a lot like Stella asking what it felt like to stab his kid sister in the back.

They can't all be bad.

"Oh-" he leaned across the table again and scribbled beneath Scarlet's name.

- lots of pieces

"There. Those are the details we have," he nodded, smiling with an uncomfortable pride as he sat back.

[gamemaker sloane ♕ kaяi ♕]

A L L Y

People always underestimated her.

They believed that the girl with all of Daddy's money couldn't possibly be smart.

And they were right.

Well, most of the time at least.

She had her moments, but it was difficult to try and think straight when she was more concerned with keeping straight which version of herself to present in order to keep everyone happy. It was exhausting. There were too many people and too many faces she's created to keep them straight. But status was everything, and Ally St. Cloud would run herself ragged if it meant keeping her popularity.

However, Zeke looked at her eyes bright and excited and she can't help but be herself too. All facades dropped. And for once Ally is just Ally.

He lays out the three names of their classmates in front of her, each on a brightly colored sticky notes. They seem an odd bit cheerful to write down the names of the dead and a slight shiver runs through her spine, but she chooses to ignore it.

"There. Those are the details we have."

She rests her chin on her hands and stares at the names in silence for a minute. Brain churning, probably working the hardest it has in a long time. Finally, she looks up at him with a slight smile.

"I think the first thing we need to ask ourselves is what do they all have in common? Besides a terrible sense of fashion of course," she laughed under her breath then abruptly cut herself off. Now is most certainly not the time to be making jokes. Ally refocused and reached out and grabbed one particular sticky note and placed it above the rest.

SCARLET HYDE

"And that starts with why her?"