~`{]

Cory stumbled out of bed, trying her best to not cry. Even after a full night's rest, she was still aching all over from the beating the three men gave her. For some reason, the pain felt worse. Cory knew that, if she went to school today, she would definitely be found out. 

Her mother, when Cory came home late, started to reprimand Cory until she noticed that her daughter had a limp. Instantly, she got worried and forcefully examined Cory's left leg. After seeing the bruises, Cory's mother promptly stripped Cory and started crying once she sees the full extent of her injuries. 

While Cory wasn't sexually harassed by the three men, she was beaten senseless by them. All but her arms and most of her legs, as well as obviously her head, was covered in bruises. Cory was sure she had at least one cracked rib. Her mother demanded while sobbing to know what happened to her. Cory almost told her mother what happened but, Paul's words stopped her. 

"I was playing around while walking back and I tripped on a log and fell down a rocky ditch and lost my phone. By the time I stumbled out and made my way back, it was late."

Sometime during the beating, Cory's voice came back. Cory shuddered at the memory of her own screams and the joyful laughter of her tormentors. Her mother was, of course, skeptical and tried to call the emergency hotline but Cory stopped her, practically begging her mother to just let it go. Cory's mother, unsurprisingly, did not let it go. However, the phone call was never picked up and, when Cory's mother carried Cory into her car and left to drive to the hospital.

However, they found that the entire section they live in was currently blocked off, either the roads were blocked or a large group of sketchy people were around. By the time they arrived at the last road out of here, which was also blocked, the sun was no longer in the sky. By this time, Cory had a dead look on her face, despair all but leaking out of her. Somehow, the Bonyors managed to block off most of New York city, There was no way to get to a hospital and who knows how long it will take for the police to show up. Well, there is still a police and fire station next to the school but not a hospital. 

When Cory and her mother returned home, she helped Cory eat and take a bath before sending her to bed. When Cory woke up again, it was around twelve. School had already started. 

Cory stumbled out of her door and into the kitchen where she smelled something cooking. Confused, she walked a little faster. Once she arrived at the kitchen, Cory was surprised to see her mother making pancakes and, judging by the ingredients on the counter, was making the pancakes from scratch. 

On the kitchen counter was a bunch of medicine and two first aid kits as well as the Indian candy, though that was set to the side of the table. Her business suit, suitcase, and her keycard was nowhere to be found, meaning that Cory's mother wasn't even ready to go to work. More proof that backed this was her unkempt hair and the bags under her eyes. It seems she didn't get much sleep last night.

"M-mon, what are you doing here?" Cory asked, startling her mother who jumped slightly.

"Ahh! W-well, what do you think I'm doing here? My daughter is black, blue, and even purple all over her body and I'm just suppose to go to work like everything is normal?"

Cory's mother wasn't trying to sound rude and her voice was slightly shaking. Despite the somewhat harsh way Cory's mother spoke, Cory almost felt like crying. Ever since her father died in an accident, her mother had been taking longer shifts at work. Eventually, one day, her mother got a new schedule, the current one, which meant she couldn't come home for most of the week and on Saturday and Sunday. Although Cory knows her mother is doing this for her, she still couldn't help but feel that she didn't have time for her anymore which eventually grew into she doesn't care about her. But, right now, her mother just proved that wrong, and that was a wonderful feeling.

"Now you're staying home from school today and maybe even over a week. Do you understand?" Her mother asked as Cory sat down.

Cory nodded and her mother let out a sigh of relief, happy her daughter didn't argue back. She knows how much she loves school. 

While Cory's mother finished making breakfast, Cory's thoughts drifted off. Before she was let go, she was told to come back in a week. Before, Cory wouldn't for the life of her but, after remembering what Paul said and how the gang managed to block off the entire section of this city within a night, Cory knew she had to. If she didn't, it wasn't just her mother's life at stake, and may not even be the residents in the apartment either. It may even put her friends at stake, and that is something Cory doesn't want. 

'One week...One day, one time, and next week. Hopefully, they'll be less brutal next time. I don't think I can use the same excuse again to explain how I got all banged up.'

Cory shuddered, having a strong feeling that her next "visit" won't be nicer.

.|Ceartas|.

"The festival is tonight!" Jessica said, pumping her fists in the air. 

Cory let out a small smile, watching as Jessica did a little dance which Monica and Catey joined, though Catey only joined after Monica grabbed Catey's arm and pulled her up. Due to the city being blocked off, the school closed for a week until they thought it was safe enough to open it. When they did open again, they didn't have the supplies needed to get the festival ready. So, the festival happened four weeks later than its original date. During that time, Cory had "visited" the gang four more times. Today will be the fifth time. But, despite being told to visit tonight, Cory had other plans. She worked the best she could, which wasn't much given her current state, and so did her friends to make sure the festival was ready. The whole school and community worked their best. Cory wouldn't miss this day for the life of her.

'Though, this may result in my dying.' Cory thought bitterly, her smile fading. 

Catey and Jessica caught this and frowned, stopping in their dance. Despite Cory's best efforts, they knew something was up. Cory wasn't there for the first week when school opened again. When she did arrive, she was different. Distant. Every now and then she would flinch and her face would slightly distort in pain. It was clear something had happened to their friend but, no matter how much they tried to subtly get Cory to tell them if she is alright or if anything happened, and Thomas's straightforward approach, neither worked. She played them off or ignored them entirely. 

The only hint they got that something was wrong was from Sandy who texted them saying Cory never finished her conversation with her two weeks ago on the exact day the section Cory and her friends live in was blocked off. That raised some suspicions but there was nothing they could do about it. They do know, however, that Cory's mother has been seen a lot out of work buying medicine. Cory's mother, Sandra, was a busy woman. She works in another part of the city so that could explain why she was still here but, seeing as the company she works for has another building she works in inside the section that is blocked off, Sandra is not going to work for another reason. Thomas and Drake think that Cory's mother is an addict and is abusing Cory at home but Monica and Sandy both think that's not the case. Sandy knew Cory's mother and, while she is a busy woman, she knows that Sandra is not someone who would take drugs, let alone abuse her only daughter.

Once the dance stopped and lunch officially began, Jessica got up from the table with the excuse that she needed to meet a teacher. She wasn't fully lying. She did have to go meet someone. It's just that the someone she is meeting isn't a teacher. Cory saw this and let out another small smile. She knew who Jessica was seeing.

Jessica made her way outside again and, after making sure she wasn't being followed, she went into the spot where she meets her twin sister. Trisy had beat her there and had a brightly colored basket with a bunch of different colored lollipops in it, many of them large and shaped like a circle. Trisy herself was sitting down playing with some grass she had in her hands.

"So, is your friend any better?" Trisy asked, putting down the grass shards she had in her hands.

"No. In fact, today she looks worse. Not like, injury-wise but more like she is fearful of something," Jessica answered, sitting down next to Trisy. 

A silence set in as no one said anything for two minutes. Finally, Trisy let out a sigh and broke the silence with a question.

"...Are you considering it?" Trisy asked.

"Considering what?" Jessica asked, though she knew full well what Trisy was talking about.

"Hiring Candy Pop again. You gave me a pretty convincing argument that she would be the easiest way to solve this."

Jessica shook her head slightly and looked away from her twin sister. She had made a pretty convincing argument two days ago. She had the money and still had the phone number. Plus, considering that Candy Pop is most definitely a criminal, she wouldn't be blocked by the blockade set up. But, there is one big glaring problem with hiring Candy Pop.

"If I hire her, she'll kill someone again. If I'm going to hire her, it would be to find out what is happening to Cory. But, I have a strong feeling that she doesn't do those kinds of jobs. I'm pretty sure she is just a hitman. So, if I go with my gut and tell her to kill Cory's mother, if I'm wrong there is no way I would be able to live with myself."

The twin sisters went silent once again and, once again, Trisy broke the silence.

"Well, take a lollipop and give this one," Trisy said, taking out a rainbow-colored large lollipop from her basket, "to Cory. I think she'll like it and this one was made to be eaten quickly. She'd be finished with it before she arrives back home."

Jessica took the lollipop and studied it. To her, it looks like a plain...well, she has never seen a lollipop this large before other than in movies but still plain looking lollipop. 

Nearby, Cory made her way back inside, having heard enough of their conversation, fresh tears running from her eyes.

....

Cory took a shower and went into the kitchen. Her mother was currently out, having to go to work. This must have been the fourth time her mom went to work since Cory came back all bruised up. Cory, unlike before, is actually glad that her mother is gone. If her mother was still here, what Cory is about to do would be much more difficult.

Cory grabbed her cellphone and started searching through the texts Jessica sent her. When she found what she was looking for, Cory let out a pained smile and sat down at the kitchen table. 

If she calls this number, there is no going back. But, she can't keep worrying her friends. Besides, Cory had an idea of what is going to happen to her tomorrow or tonight if she goes to the meeting spot. Last week, one of the men had told her that next visit would be special. Cory had thought it strange that all the gang did to her was beat her up. They never tried to rape her or burn her. Now, Cory remembers the reason why. Cory had forgotten about it but, when she was kidnapped, Paul had told the gang that he gets to have her first.

'If I don't do anything, Paul is going to rape me, then let the others have their way with me.'

In hindsight, what Cory is about to do seems pale in what the gang had planned for her, but that was only in her mind. In reality, she was about to kill a whole bunch of people. That seems worse morally than rape.

'But...I-I j-just can't anymore...I'm sorry....everyone.'

Cory Heather knew that calling the number her friend gave her is a bad idea. She could never go back if she does this. Still, she couldn't take it anymore. If what she was told was true than, with a simple call, she'll have her biggest problem go away. Sure, she'll have another problem afterwards but, to her right now, that is a small price to pay. She'll deal with the payment later.

So, with tears in her eyes and her hands shaking, she dialed the number on her cellphone and put it to her ear and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello! This is Candy Pop! What can I help you with?" A cheery and young-sounding voice answered almost right away.

Cory blinked in surprise, not expecting her call to be answered so fast and for the person to answer her to sound so young and happy.

"U-um, hi. M-my name is Cory D-Deans and I-I am calling to h-hire you," Cory said in a nervous voice, her hands still shaking.

There was a long pause where nothing happened and just when Cory opened her mouth to ask if the person was still there, the person on the other side started laughing.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Please forgive me. You sound like you're in a lot of stress. It's just that, I happen to know a friend of yours. Her name was Jessica if I remember correctly."

Cory nodded even though she knew the person couldn't see her.

"So, you want a candy gone or some candies gone?" The person asked.

"Um...what?" Cory asked, not getting the question.

"Do you want one candy gone or multiple candies gone?" The person repeated. During the whole conversation, this person had been nothing but polite to Cory and it was slightly freaking Cory out. Wasn't this person working for or is Candy Pop? Isn't she a famous yet dangerous hitman? Isn't she suppose to be skilled yet crazy? Why is she so polite and why does she sound so friendly?

"Um, multiple candies gone. D-do you know of Paul Biggersman and the Bonyors gang?" Cory asked.

"Yep! Do you want the whole gang gone or just the ones that are bothering you?"

Cory thought about that for a moment. She didn't know any of the people who torture her, let alone their names. So, she'll just have to settle with the entire gang.

"Th-the entire gang please," Cory responded.

"Great! Now if you-"

"Excuse me, Misses. Why are you on our roof?" A cute-sounding little boy asked suddenly.

Across a couple of rooftops sat a a girl, or teenager, her legs over the side of a building and swinging in front of a window. The person wore a white, black, and pink outfit and had light pink short hair with a large dark/navy blue and pink bowtie on top of her head, the pink of the bowtie almost matching the color of her hair. She wore white and black boots and many of the black on her seems to be fur except the top of her outfit. She had a black ribbon and wore a light white dress-like outfit with pink garments underneath. Her skin was light tan in color and her eyes were a slightly dark pink color, bordering on red. Her pupils were outlined black, making her look like she is tired and marking her eyes from being normal. In her mouth was a white and pink cigarette with a hole on top where a slightly pinkish and white substance could be seen inside the cigarette. 

Lying next to her was a pink and black sniper rifle and a pair of black and hot pink binoculars as well as a clipboard. The clipboard had what seemed to be many sticky notes and one large piece of paper with an unmistakable hitlist on it, small photos of people crossed out in red while others have a red circle around them. In her hand currently was a black and pink mobile phone. 

The person had her mouth open when she was interrupted. She closed her mouth, put down the phone, and leaned over the edge, pulling her legs up just in case she loses balance and falls. Though she didn't make it all the way to the window that was below her, her hair did. The open window was a part of a blue and white bedroom and inside that bedroom was a cute little boy, probably six to five years old, wearing a blue and white striped polo shirt and light grey pants. He had short brown hair and spoke with a lisp.

"What am I doing up here? Why I am taking a phone call!" Candy Pop answered, still in her cheerful voice. 

"O-oh! Who are you talking to?" The boy asked, trying to figure out what this person looks like. All he knows is that she has pink hair, sounds nice, and is wearing white and black boots with what looks to be cleats, though, unlike his soccer shoes, her boots' cleats were sharp and triangular. There was also a lot of them.

"I'm talking to a potential client who is having some problems. She is hiring me to fix those problems."

"Oh! Okay then. Bye bye, Misses!" The boy said, reaching up to close the window.

"My name is Candy Pop, handsome. Have a great night!"

"That's a nice name. Have a g-good night t-too!"

The boy closed the window. Once he did, Candy Pop sat up, her legs back hanging over the edge of the apartment building she was on, and picked up her phone again. 

Cory, who had heard what had happened, was even more confused. What part of Candy Pop made her sound crazy or dangerous? Well, there s the part that she is asking who to kill without any change in her happy voice but, other than that, Candy Pop seemed to be an okay person.

"Now, here is the big question! Can you pay?" Candy Pop asked.

Cory let out a little whine. When Candy Pop asked if she could pay, her voice suddenly changed. It still had merith to it but her voice was darker and she sounded much more mature. 

"H-how much?" Cory asked, glad she remembered to bring her wallet with her.

"One person is in the hundreds to thousands. You're asking for a lot more to be killed. Nay, you're asking for an entire gang, and a pretty powerful one at that, to be killed. That's really well over eight thousand. It's gonna be over twenty thousand for any normal hitman, no matter how skilled they are."

Cory felt her blood run cold. She had nowhere near that money. The only way she would be able to pay would be to steal from her mother but...

'Can I do that after all she did for me? B-but...if I don't...then this won't stop. It will only get worse.'

Cory was silent for a long time. Just when she was about to answer, prepping herself up to steal from her mother, Candy Pop laughed again.

"Sorry, sorry. While it is true every other hitman, it cost that much, I'll make an exception for you. You Can Pay With Candy!" Candy Pop told Cory, her voice back to how it was before. 

"C-candy?" Cory echoed, royally confused.

"Yep! To be more specific, those candies from India you got on your table and in your house."

Cory felt a chill run down her spine.

"H-how do you know t-that?" Cory asked, eyeing the pile of candy on the kitchen table.

"Because, I can see you just fine from here," Candy Pop said, and Cory felt herself shiver. There was an unmistakable off note in her voice that sounds off. Cory couldn't quite put her finger on what it was until she remembered what Jessica told her.

'Sadist...'

"Now, are you in-"

Cory heard the sound of a window opening.

"Hey! What are you doing up here and what do you think you are saying to my kid! Get off my damn roof you stupid teen!" 

Candy Pop froze, her eye twitching a little, before she let out a sigh. She put her legs out of view and put down her mobile phone and took out a hot pink metal ball from one of her pockets. She dropped it on the fire escape below. The ball wobbled for a bit before a lens opened up, staring directly at the window where an angry older woman was glaring up at where Candy Pop's legs just were.

The ball let out a beep and, upon hearing it, Candy Pop jumped down and landed on the fire escape right in front of the angry mother, her sniper rifle in her hand. Candy Pop sprang up, picking up the ball and deactivating it and storing it in her pocket, and aimed the sniper rifle right at the mother's head all in one smooth and fast move.

The mother blinked in surprise, then blinked again when she realized what was in front of her face, her expression turning one from anger to fear. She stumbled back and hugged her son, using her body as a shield.

"I would like it if you let me finish my call, please. I know that I am sitting in front of your window but I happen to like this spot. Please, just ignore me," Candy Pop said, her voice different once again, "Also, I meant nothing bad when I talked to your son earlier."

The mother nodded and Candy Pop, after winking at the son, jumped back on the roof and picked up her phone. 

Meanwhile, Cory had searched through some of the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a old binocular that her father owned. She heard that voice before. It came from Susan Pauly. If Cory isn't mistaken, she lives across the street. 

Cory went over to her window and opened it and looked down to where Pauly lives. Sure enough, there was indeed a figure standing on the roof of Pauly's apartment, a slightly pink glow to their eyes.

Candy Pop's head snapped and she looked directly at Cory. Even from this distance, she spotted Cory with no problem. She let out a toothy smile, showing her teeth sharp, before putting the phone up to her ear and waving.

"I see you found me," Candy Pop said, her voice still the same. This was, after all, her normal voice. The bright and cheery voice that makes her sound much younger than she actually is is the voice she uses for customers. She doesn't know why she decided to use her normal voice for Cory but she did.

Cory, who saw her wave, jumped back in surprise.

'H-how could she see me from all the way there? Is it because I have the kitchen light on?'

'...Probably. I know that I can see people if their light is on.' 

Having answered her own question, Cory put the binoculars down and sat back down at the kitchen table.

"So, do we have ourselves a contract?" Candy Pop asked.

Cory was silent for thirty seconds before nodding.

"Yeah, we have a deal."

"Good! Don't worry, your contract will come to fruition before anything happens to you. Have a great life and thank you for calling and choosing Candy Pop!" 

Candy Pop hung up first. Cory looked out her window and saw a black figure jump into the air from one building and land on the side of the other. That was where she lost the figure who Cory knew was Candy Pop.

Cory looked at the digital clock on the kitchen microwave, 

'9:08. I'm already late.'

Cory, despite knowing that she was late, didn't move right away. Instead, she stayed still, looking out the window, staring into space.

"I hope I did the right thing," Cory whispered to herself.

?<;"

"Did you think you could escape us?"

Cory didn't answer right away. She couldn't. She still had to recover from being lifted up in the air and slammed against a brick wall. She had been walking to the school festival when she was grabbed and pulled into an alleyway. Cory should have known that the Bonyors wouldn't just let her go for a day. Well, she knew but, for whatever reason Cory thought she would be safe after calling Candy Pop. Of course, she wouldn't be. Why did she do something so stupid!?

All those thoughts were running through Cory's head but she still managed to give an answer.

"I-I w-was gonna g-go tomorrow. I j-just wanted to go t-to the festival," Cory weakly got out. She had no strength to fight back. Even if she was at her best, she doubted she could get away from these men.

There was a lot more tonight. Around eighteen men were here, and Cory recognized Paul among them. He was watching in the back, a calm expression on his face.

"I believe you," Paul said, stepping out in front of the crowd and walking to stand in front of Cory. 

"But, I and the others cannot wait any longer. You worked so hard for the festival while you should have worked that hard for us. You should have gotten your body ready for us."

Paul ran a finger down Cory's left arm, causing her to shudder horribly at his touch. She felt like throwing up but knew if she did she would get a beating.

"I wished we could have done this in a more...comfortable location but, atlas, this will do," Paul told Cory, his voice still eerily calm.

Cory looked around wildly, looking for any way to escape.

'C-come on, Candy Pop. D-do something!'

Cory's silent pleading went unanswered as Paul snapped his fingers.

"Strip her, gentlemen."

Cory started to scream but stopped when a large hand covered her mouth, making breathing difficult. Some of the men stepped forward and started undressing her. Cory squirmed with all her might but it was to no avail. It would end here. There would be no rec-

BANG

The air exploded with that sound for about two seconds and Cory fell down suddenly. Still in a daze, she saw Paul squirming on the ground, cursing and clutching at his left leg which was bleeding. Her ears were ringing despite them not being hurt by the sounds of gunshots.

'...gunshots....Wait! Gunshots!'

Cory looked around and saw that the men who came to undress her were all dead, bleeding from their heads. The others had been shot through their legs and chests. They recovered and started running away. Two of them stayed and pulled out pistols. One of them took aim at Cory but the moment he did so his head exploded. The other gang member took off his mask and dropped his gun, raising his hands up above his head, surrendering. Cory was surprised to see that the person looked to be young, maybe twenty to twenty-one years old.

Cory heard a thump to her right and turned to see. Walking across the street was what Cory assumed was Candy Pop. No, she had to be Candy Pop. Not only was her figure the same as the one from earlier but she just looked to be someone named Candy Pop. Her color scheme and outfit made her look a little bit like candy.

When she got close she flashed Cory a toothy smile. Cory shuddered. Candy Pop's teeth were similar to Trisy's, only larger. 

Candy Pop walked over to the young man without stopping. When she neared him, her arm moved in a flash, and the very next moment she had him in the air, holding him with her left hand above her head. The man started crying and pleading for his life. In response, Candy Pop started humming a little tune before impaling him on a nearby broken staircase which lead to a fire escape.

The man started flailing around like an insect. Candy Pop watched him, her expression unreadable but bordering on bored, before she let out a little giggle of amusement and stroked his cheek with her right hand. Cory almost thought it was pity and, maybe sympathy...

...Almost.

The next second Candy Pop slowly pushed him deeper onto the metal pole, making his inevitable death slow and dragged out. In the end, she didn't even put him out of his misery. Once he stopped flailing around and his garbled screams stopped, she walked away, leaving him to bleed out. 

Candy Pop looked up at the rooftops before crouching low and jumping on the brick wall. She landed and quickly jumped off of it, doing a wall jump to the other wall. She repeated this process until she jumped up on the rooftops all under five seconds. There, she went out of sight. Cory didn't know how she didn't see it but on Candy Pop's back was a large sniper rifle.

Silence set in for a while as Cory managed to settle her beating heart. That silence was interrupted by screams which were either quickly cut off or lasted for a long time until they trailed off, either the person who screamed was dead of they ripped their vocal cords screaming so much.

During this mess, Cory felt someone grab her stripped right foot. Cory stiffened a yelp and looked to see who it was. Her expression instantly turned to one of disgust when she realized it was Paul who still had yet to recover from getting shot in his leg. 

"W-wh-what d-did you do!?" Paul yelled out, his face distorted in anger.

"I called Candy Pop," Cory told him, surprised by how eerily calm her own voice sounded. 

Cory kicked Paul in his head with her free foot, causing him to let go of her foot, and got up and started walking away.

"H-how could you d-do this. You were perfect! An Angel!" Paul cried after her. Cory turned back and almost threw up when she saw him crying, looking at her with a crestfallen expression.

"H-how could I do this? How could You do this!? Don't say you n-never meant for this to happen since you did nothing to stop it and clearly did!"

The two stared at each other, Paul sobbing. Just when Cory was about to turn around to walk away, something flew past her and into the wall to her right, getting liquid on her face. Cory wiped some of the liquid off. It was red. She then looked at what was thrown.

...It was a decapitated head.

Cory did throw up this time. When she recovered, she heard Paul let out a cry of terror. She turned to look and saw that he was being lifted in the air by his collar by Candy Pop who had somehow came back without making a noise. In her right hand was a grey serrated chinese sword, blood coating the blade. 

Candy Pop's eyes met Cory's and her smile grew more.

"The job isn't done yet but you are safe to go to the festival. I'll take care of little Paul here unless, of course, you want to do the honors?" Candy Pop asked, offering Cory the sword. Cory looked at the sword, then at Candy Pop, then at Paul, before looking back at the sword. Her hands started trembling but reached forward regardless. Just before they touched the hilt, Cory shook her head and took a step back.

"I-I'm sorry. I c-can't."

Candy Pop tilted her head before stifling a giggle.

"It's okay. You don't have to kill. That is what I am here for."

Cory blinked in surprise, once again realizing that Candy Pop was speaking to her in a polite tone. 

"Now, as for you," Candy Pop said, addressing Paul, "Better start running."

Candy Pop dropped Paul on the ground and watched him struggle to stand up. Once he did, he started limping away.

"A-aren't you g-gonna-" Cory began before realizing what she was saying.

"Kill him? Yes. But, where is the fun and joy in just killing him here? No, don't you want him to suffer for what he's done for you?" Candy Pop asked, her back still facing Cory.

"...I-I...." Cory trailed off, looking at the ground. 

"Don't you want him for what little time he has left the fear and paranoia you've been through, but worse? He's the guilty type of person whose worry isn't about others but on himself. He'll fear his own death and doesn't care about others. I'm not going to lie, this is also for me. But, if you want, I could send you a nice photo or video of his expression," Candy Pop offered.

Cory couldn't find her voice. By the time she did, Candy Pop was gone, a little pink card somehow wedged into the ground with silver corners and the words in bright yellow, "Candy Pop", in the middle in a light pink circle.

. . . .

Cory stumbled into the festival, glad that the teachers on duty were too busy talking with a parent couple to notice her. She had forgotten to take her stuff with her so her shoes and socks was gone, her clothes were dirty and ripped, and her hair was a mess. She made her way more towards the forest area of the field and spotted her friends.

Monica was the first one to spot her. She dropped the cup she was drinking and she stared at Cory in total shock. Jessica noticed her next and she wasted no time running over to Cory. 

"CORY!" Jessica cried, catching Cory just as she fell over from exhaustion and shock. Her other friends came over and, soon enough, a crowd would form.

With tears in her eyes, Cory managed to find her voice.

"I called her," Cory weakly got out. confusing Jessica.

"I called Candy Pop."

Jessica nodded, understanding, and started comforting her friend by rubbing her head.

. . . . . . . .

Cory stared at the noose she had made. It wasn't perfect but it would do. She thought back to how she made the decision to kill herself. 

Things went well at first. She managed to get to her friends, tell her story, and learn that Paul had been killed inside his own home. The blockade was gone as well, everyone there killed. In fact, the news reported that the entire Bonyar Gang had been killed. All one hundred and eighty seven of them. Everyone, no matter how old or how young they were, no matter how long they joined or what they did, was killed. A good deal of students never showed up when Cory went back to school. She had just learned that they were in some way a part of the Bonyar Gang. All those people, killed, by Cory's request.

When she got home, there was a card similar to the one Candy Pop left behind in the alleyway waiting folded up on the table. Below, there was a number. Cory instantly crumbled it up, or tried to anyway. Whatever the card was made out of, it was tough. So, Cory set it on fire and then threw it in the trash when it didn't burn to a crisp.

Now, it was almost a week and a half after the incident. Families were grieving and the news managed to get out that the person who killed the gang was none other than Candy Pop. Cory couldn't take what she had done any longer. So, she decided to punish herself. She wasn't a religious person but she knows that, since she is catholic, committing suicide will get you sent to hell. So, that is what Cory decided to do. She'll go to hell. 

She wrote a confession letter that explains the full story and placed it on the floor in front of the chair she used to tie the noose. With a sigh, Cory stepped on the chair and slipped the noose over her head. She took one last look outside the open window this little room offered before kicking the chair, tipping it over.

...and before things could get any worse, a face appeared in front of the choking Cory.

"How are you hanging today?" Candy Pop said, a slightly amused slightly smug look on her face. 

Cory, of course, couldn't answer. Candy Pop helped her with that. She took out the Chinese sword from before and cut the rope that was hanging Cory. Cory fell to the ground but, before her head could hit the chair, she felt someone cushion her fall. It was Candy Pop.

She helped Cory up and put away her sword before taking out a card, the one that looks exactly like the one she burned, and put it in Cory's mouth. Cory spat it out before she bent down and picked it up.

"W-why?" Cory asked, meeting Candy Pop's eyes.

"Why? Because you shouldn't commit suicide over something like this. While I am not a religious person and I personally believe that any God who condemns people for killing themselves is stupid, sue me, I am the one who did the killing. Not you."

Candy Pop walked over to the window, Cory following close behind her.

"Candy Pop kills people and does the jobs that everyone else fails to do. We help make society a better place. Even if you didn't know the full details of the contract, or really of what you said, you still needed help. There is nothing wrong with needing help. Money and casualties. Ethics and morals. What matters is help. The police could have done something. The gang members could have done something. Yet, in the end, they did nothing. They always think of the risk."

Candy Pop turned around and pulled out a new card, this one silver instead of pink, though it still had that light pink circle and the words "Candy Pop" was still the same. However, written in pink below the words "Candy Pop" was the name, "Sidney Cotton".

"This is for you. You know that candy your mother gets and you have? It comes from the destroyed part of India. I would pay a million for it. So, keep it and use it for whenever you need Candy Pop. Your next hire is for free and any consequences you shall face for this shall be dealt with by me. By Candy Pop. That is what Candy Pop is. We do the helping for you since no one else will. So, don't kill yourself, Cory. You have people who care about you that you can now be with without worry now. So go and live your free life."

Candy Pop made her way out of the window. Before she went out, she turned back to look at Cory.

"Don't listen to others who have done wrong to you. Well, not everyone but I'm talking about those families. You've done good and they've done bad. Have a great life, Cory."

With that, Candy Pop jumped out the window and climbed her way down the building. When she landed down below, she took out a cigarette and lit it before putting it in her mouth. A sweet smell filled the air as Candy Pop walked away without a care in the world down the street. She turned the corner and jumped back, almost running into someone. The person she ran into was a high school girl on the small side with strange brown and white hair and light yellow eyes. 

Candy Pop blinked at her, taken aback from her appearance and completely ignoring the two other girls behind the one she bumped. Her eyes then darted to the ground where the girl had dropped her handkerchief. She raised an eyebrow at that.

'Isn't that an old thing to be carrying around?'

"I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going-" The high school student began but was cut off when she got a good look at the person she bumped into. Before she could speak, the strange person bend down and picked up her handkerchief and handed it to her before walking around her, patting her on the head.

"Don't worry about it. Have a nice life!" The person said, glancing back.

Rachel watched her go, her eyes wide, before she felt one of her friends grab her shoulder.

"Come on, let's go," Becca told Rachel, breaking out of her little trance.

"Ah! Oh, yes. Yes, let's go!" Rachel said awkwardly and followed her friends behind the corner where the person just came from.

Western42

14344 words! I want to thank anyone who helped me with the plot of Candy Pop! I think this is about two weeks of work. The first episode is on the darker side but I really wanted the feel of the story to be there. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this work as this is pretty much my biggest project. Please give me your feedback so I can see if I can improve the story, really on episode 2 that is, in the future. Thank you and have a great life!