BLIND-JANE DRAGGED PAUL, FAST-IN FULL-SPEED – out of the crime scene. The disoriented and helpless cripple with his useless legs – was flapping about and felt-pain in his spine. And-also, he had ‘not’ seen his blind-friend so-mad…

“LET ME GO!!!”

The pain in his lower back got intense, Paul clasped-both of Jane’s arms, and electrocuted her. Jane finally let go – and, he fell, spiralling towards Mount Claremont below. The plunging Paul had a glimpse of Jane above, who flamed-up bright golden, to her cosmic-alter-ego – StarGirl.

StarGirl plunged below to rescue Paul – but the falling-cripple thought, she was coming-in, for an attack…

… in self-defence, Paul transformed into his-own celestial self-form as Gemini Blue – and he shot some electrical-bolts at Jane’s path.

The yellow-flaming Jane manoeuvred away, to avoid getting hit – as she too blasted fiery bolts at the fast-moving blue inferno. they were flying in circles, trying to hit… but they were all near-hits.

… Paul realised that Jane with her 3rd-eye was more of an accurate ‘shooter,’ judging by the ‘last’ time he saw, when StarGirl had then crippled the monstrous Ammit, during Perth Great Fire. But it seemed…

… she was cutting him some slack… and Gemini-Blue too played along by – ‘not’ hurting his friend.

Of a sudden, Jane had an explosive pain in her head, in the form of severe migraines. She bit her teeth when the pain intensified…

Jane heard a voice in her head…

… trying to communicate…

“Testing 3-2-1, can you HEAR ME, Jane?”

“… SIMY is that you?”

“… here is a brief transmission, Jane – SeeIn informed me, to TELL YOU TO SEEK FOR PEACE, among the Cursed-trio, or else the negative entity BlackStar would GROW STRONGER – end of transmission – and, out...”

StarGirl stopped flying as she floated, seeing the blue streak flying in circling around her. Jane made a mental telepathy message to Paul…

“I don’t want to fight you, Paul – I’m going home now – coz’ it’s a school night.”

Gemini Blue saw his cosmic-counterpart bursting out bright, and rocket-shot herself away… leaving behind a huge ring-of-smoke, that danced-slowly in the night-air. He too shutdown his celestial-form… and kept-seeing Jane getting minute-sized, into the horizon…

… the ‘disappointed’ Paul then too flew away, to the opposite direction to the Walkers house.

It was 4:10 AM.

<><>

IT WAS PAST 7 AM, ON A MONDAY MORNING. Peter was up, already dressed-up in school uniform. He heard his mother in her-bathroom, preparing to go to work, and so-was Paul at the common bathroom downstairs. He ran downstairs with his bag-pack, with his weapon of choice, his trusted Babolat.

These days, the one-armed tween went to SHS early – to be ‘seen’ by his fan-followers, at the foyer centre – as he needed ‘them’ someday for supporters…

… when he played in-future tennis games, in the school court.

He stepped outside the porch, and saw the delivery vendor outside-their driveway, flinging across the morning-edition of the newspaper, that fell near the parked Audi. His one-arm grabbed and removed the daily from the protective clear-plastic, rain-cover – to take a look at the headlines…

‘2 killed at Graylands riot’

There were 2 photos of the deceased – and he stood-dazed a while, to see JIMBO’S ‘PHOTO.’ He was running late, and dropped the papers back, on the driveway – and rode his bike to school.

And, Peter laughed all the way to school…

‘Jimbo is now finally dead, if he wanted to ‘rat’ me it would be through an old fashioned-ouiji gameboard séance – and the best part was, good-ol’ Poe took off last night to do my bidding… hahaha, look at you-my big-little brother you have stepped-up into the-plate, and willing to do bloody-anything to get your sweet-revenge for your Chinatown-girl.’

While cycling, Peter then scoffed, that it was ‘NOT’ THE PERFECT OUTCOME – and he let go the bike handle to slap his peddling thigh, with his one-hand – he regretted that he did ‘not’ lock the window in Paul’s former bedroom – which was POE’S ENTRY-AND-EXIT secret ‘portal’ in his clandestine activities…

… had he done that… Poe would be locked-out – and would have slept in garage… for Mom to ‘suspect’ that her goody-son had been sneaking out, in the middle of the night, to do his ‘own’ secret caped- crusades-capers.

‘Poe, you have been making some ‘major’ slipups lately – and I hope to ‘assist’ you in any way, to make your gravest-ultimate-mistake… to ‘stick’ you like a bloody-rat, on a glue-board trap, that you couldn’t wiggle-out your cripple legs, to-get out…

“Yea, the next time, you won’t be lucky – you are going ‘down,’ my-little brother – coz you are ‘not’ better than me!”

<>

In her new-casual attire, that she had shopped lately… for her promotion of Det. Inspector, Caroline came downstairs, to drink her coffee. But first, she went outside to pick up the newspaper on the driveway, which was one of her morning routines.

Before she can unwrap the paper’s plastic cover, she heard a car hoot of a Nissan Almera – Gary the Uber driver was outside the gate. He greeted her from his car… and have known each other because they went to the same St. Michaels church.

… Caroline came into the house and dropped the newspaper on couch and-called out Paul’s name. She headed to the kitchen, to dispose the plastic rain-wrap-cover into the recycling-bin... as she-then hurried Paul further, by knocking the door.

“Poe, hurry up, Gary is waiting.” She then drank her coffee.

A uniformed, Paul came out rolling in his wheelchair, with eyebags – he TOO BADLY NEEDED the coffee-fix – but had no chance to do it now, as he had overslept.

Caroline took her car keys and said to Paul…

“Lock up everything, before you leave, Poe – I’m running late too.”

Paul saw the newspapers on the couch, and was drawn by the headlines – his jaw dropped…

“oh-oh… JIMBO IS DEAD…”

<><>

PAUL WAS IN TIME FOR CLASS, and noticed Jane ‘not’ there, and wondered if she was absent today with a sickie – but-later he can feel her ‘vibe’ coming…

… Blind-Jane walked in – before the Math teacher, Ms Constance Bloom, got to her class. With her guided walking stick, she found her seat in front of Paul’s. She came to the blue-glow and placed her hand, on his shoulder.

“Are we good?”

“Yea.” Tapped her hand, on his shoulder. Jane then shook Paul’s hand.

He saw her sitting on her seat, whispering instructions to her AI Boyyo. Paul realized that Jane did ‘not’ – yet – ‘known’ that JIM HATCHER WAS DEAD.

The back-bencher, Peter saw his ex-GF… shaking hands with his twin… and he chuckled…

‘… the plot thickens – Janey and Poe ‘were’ both in Graylands psych-ward, last night and killed poor-ol’ Jimbo so to have their sweet-sweet-vengeance FOR THEIR BFF AND GF… hahaha, awesome domino-effect, look at you ‘BOTH,’ GOING TO THE ‘EXTREMES,’ when Chinatown Wong was ‘not’ even dead – yet.'

The teacher entered the class, Paul glimpsed back – notice that Peter was ‘watching’ him.

… and the devil even grinned back at him.

<><>

AFTER SCHOOL, PAUL AND JANE WENT TO THE INFIRMARY, where Ms King’s office was. By the looks of it, Paul realized the counsellor too was ‘unaware,’ of the riot in Graylands – where ‘his’ key-witness, Jim Hatcher now-dead…

… before the interrogation for the ‘actual’ truth.

… so…Paul remained quiet… as he ruminated, when Ms King lectured about using their ‘powers’ responsibly…

When Ms King was ‘informed’ that Paul had gone rogue, and headed to Graylands, she-sent Jane over… to ‘bring’ him back. But both did ‘not’ say to Ms King that…

… they-too got into a 'fight' in mid-air -- above Mount Claremont.

Blind-Jane told them that SIMY had come into her ‘head,’ last night with a warning, that SEEIN DO ‘NOT’ WANT the Cursed-trio to fight among themselves. Then Jane and Ms King were wondering, ‘HOW’ SIMY MET SEEIN…

While they were talking, Paul sighed inwards that he did ‘not’ have a proper ‘go’ at Jimbo – to get the truth, that if the-addict knew Peter– and ‘was’ Peter with him…

… as the-meth-addict sure-did ‘know’ about Kitt, THE TALKING BICYCLE...

… then he thought of Nurse Kim Campbell, who-did told him, that Jimbo was delusional and Paul would ‘not’ get any logical answers-out of someone, who is ‘sick’ in the head-that … was ‘stuck-into’ his own realities, like the-Elon Musk’s conspiracy theories…

… of hidden-blueprints, he had buried-inside his underwear.

Ms King got the attention of both the tweens when she told them, that she was into research on her ‘own,’ in her home-library – that the revelation from Paul in his OBE’s vivid dreams ‘omens’…

… of the blood-moon over the Sphinx…

… was happening in 7 days, from now…

… on which, was next Monday – a ‘week,’ be precise.

They both looked at Paul for some answers – but he had ‘none’ …

… because the mysterious ‘helper’ – the-Red-demon – MERCURY WAS ‘STILL’ M.I.A.

<><>

THE AT-LARGE, THE KIDNAP-CASE ABDUCTOR HAJJI, came out of his hiding, from the Greater Perth, despite the police have sent facial-recognition drones in the air, like a dragnet to find him disappearing below. The Nigerian had changed his looks, by ‘chopping’ off his dreadlocked hair…

… and now spots a new-look, with a man-bun.

He had promised-the demon Mercury to break the spell of-one Peter Walker, and he was working on it ever since…

… but it was until 2 big vicious dogs, jumped him…

… in his last-hideout on 2 occasions, like…

… they were ‘hunting’ him in-coordination...

… he had been running from the killer canine-duo for a week, ever since. The last time, he barely escaped the Alsatian and Belgium Malinois, by the skin of his teeth…

… ‘by-locking’ them both, in an abandoned warehouse.

He was cock-sure, those bloody-dogs would HAVE ESCAPE SINCE… and would return for his-hide – so he needed ‘protection’ for his endangered life and HE NEEDED-GUNS.

-O-

An hour later… Hajji walked into a gun-store, during an off-peak hour. He approached the seller behind the counter, in the pretext of handing a paper of list-of-guns and ammo written.

Unaware…

… the White-salesman was under a con of a hypnotic spell when he held and ‘saw’ the paper – written ‘thick and bold’ of Blackmagic spells, if though was carved-in-stone into the victim’s conscious…

Before long…

… the spellbinding TRANSACTION WAS ‘MADE,’ when the under-spell gun-dealer handed him a SIG and a Colt with bullets. Hajji even requested a Kevlar groin-guard protector, where he would wear it in his pants, judging by his would-be-predators attacks…

… as he would ‘not’ want to miss-out on-his fair share, of 72-virgins, awaiting-him in Paradise.

Hajji clipped the magazine, into the Colt and Wesson…

“I want to test it?”

“We don’t have an in-house shooting-range, sir.”

“Okay.”

Hajji shot him dead, at point-blank in the head, before releasing several shots in the air – the store’s-panicking staff and screaming customers, who threw themselves on the floor. The Black-man left the store, after terrifying them.

His bold and horrible crime was CAPTURED, BY CCTV cameras.

<><>

ON HER FIRST-DAY IN THE SERIOUS-CRIME DIVISION, Det. Insp Walker got her ‘first’ case, of a shooting at a gun store at Osbourne. The police facial-recognition software they-had run had a positive confirmation id that…

… it was Hajji Ibrahim-Eusoff Adeyemi, in the crime footages.

It was a ‘personal’ police-case at the zoo – which Caroline had ‘not’ solved…

… Dr Shelley Wilson’s adopted son was abducted in Wilson’s residence, where Caroline’s twin sons ‘somehow,’ were-there too, when they went forward to help their blind-classmate, to rescue her baby brother at the zoo.

Everything turned out well at the end when the 4 tweens had RECOVERED THE MISSING BOY – and the whole-of Perth then celebrated, when the Mayor of Perth awarded them Hero Awards, to the youngsters for their courage and bravery.

But ‘not’ so, for the then Insp. Walker…

… who kept running around in circles, in countless working hours, and hitting on hard-every walls of dead-ends – because…

… the perpetrator was so-cunning, and was a few steps ahead of her…

… and like chameleon… he hid and blended-in, below-the-radar of the law.

Her superior-captain gave – Caroline ‘back’ the unsolved case – it was a breath of life of 2nd chance, for Caroline to-make it right – with the assist of 2 other detectives, Sargent Blunt and Corporal Patterson.

Caroline had to find the suspect, with a man-bun…

‘Hajji, you can change your bloody hairstyle – but ‘not’ your ugly-mug – and, I am bloody-SURE COMING FOR YOU this time...’