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Water droplets. Drip, drip, dripping. Hitting the tiles. The ceramic. Water like rain. Drops like blue sparks. Dropping further and further. Down. Down. Down into a well. Down into water. All the way down. All the way beneath the ground. Beneath Piltover. Beneath the undercity. Beneath Zaun.
“Don’t cry.” He gently wiped her face with the wet rag. He wiped away the blood from her nose. Used his thumb to dry her tears. “You’re perfect just the way you are. We’ll show them. You and I together. We’ll show them what they’ve failed to see.”
Drip. Drip. Drip. Water. A roar. Waterfall. Pouring and spilling into unknown. Into more water. Dizzying drops. Perilous drops.
Jinx. You’re a Jinx.
That’s all you are! All she ever does is jinx every job. Why did you even bring her along?
You’re not ready.
Because you’re a jinx! A jinx! Jinx. Jinx. Jinx.
“Do you know what that means? Jinx?”
“I mess everything up. I can’t do anything right. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have gone. I was only trying to help! I was only trying to—she left me! Vi left me! It’s my fault. All my fault. I just mess everything up.”
He tilted her chin up. “It means that you’re ‘bad luck’. That’s what being a jinx is.” He smirked. “And if that’s what they want to call you, then let them call you that. They fear that you’ll bring them bad luck. Do you know what to do with that?”
She shook her head.
“Use that fear against them. Become the jinx. Embrace it. Chaos can be a powerful tool—“ He placed a gun in her hands. “—if used correctly. So, what do you say? Do you want to live in fear? Or become the one they fear?”
Dripping. Pinging. Like bullets. Hitting the ground. Drip. Drip. All around. Water. Over the edge. Into puddles. Splashing. Splish. Splash.
“Look at them. Beneath the surface. Hardly even realize they’re there. Barely even disturb the water. Beautiful, aren’t they? Misunderstood. Forgotten. Left only to be admired by the ones willing to find them. The ones willing to find the beauty beneath the surface.”
“None of it works. I keep trying and I keep failing. Why should I even try? And when I do try—” She took a step back. “It was an accident. A mistake. I’m sorry. I—”
He put a hand on her shoulder, figure outlined by the dim light from the glass. “They left because they feared who you could be. They were afraid of your potential; of how far you would surpass them. I see your potential. I see what lies beneath the surface.” He reached over and placed a piece of metal in her hand. “All you need to do is believe in yourself.”
Water. Falling. Crashing down. Drowning. Drowning. Consuming. Upside. Downside. Falling. Washing away.
“Don’t cry. You’re perfect.”
“I’m sorry.”
Blood.
Blood dripped onto the floor. It still dripped. The heart had stopped but the blood still fell. Onto floor. Onto hands. Onto fabric.
Tears hit the floor. Fell down her cheeks. She tried to stop them. Needed to stop them.
She jinxes every job! She’s just a jinx. Jinx. Jinx. Shouldn’t have brought her along. Only ruins things. Why do we even bother? Why not just toss her out and leave her alone? Let her fend for herself?
The weapon slipped out of her fingers. It hit the ground. Clattered. The sound echoed. Like a bomb. A windup toy bomb with blue crystals meant to help. Only meant to help. Only wanted to help.
You’re a Jinx. Do you hear me? Mylo was right! Because you’re a jinx! Jinx. Jinx. Jinx.
Powder. It’s okay. We’ll be okay.
“I’m sorry.” She fell to her knees in front of him. “I’m sorry. Please. I’m sorry. This isn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
He was there. Emerging from the fire. Blue flames. Purple flames. He knelt down to her level.
“Hello, little girl. Where is your sister?”
They were there too. Laughing. Jeering. Pointing at her. Broken goggles stained with blood. Voices laughing. Jinx. Jinx. Jinx. Stuffed bunny. Lost bunny. Abandoned bunny. He stood behind them. Judging. Distant. A shadow. A flame. Monstrous. Never knowing if he would destroy her or them.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
He got to his feet. He turned to face them. The fire. The sparks. The windup monkey toy. The bunny. The goggles. The flames. The monster. The laughing. The jeering. The names. Jinx. Jinx. Jinx.
“Don’t listen to them.” He held his hand out toward her. “You’re perfect.”
“But I—you—it was a mistake! I didn’t mean to. Please. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“We’ll show them. Together. You and I. We will show them all. I’m your family, remember? Everyone else betrays us.”
There was another there. They swirled together to take the shape. Red hair.
“You’re a jinx! Mylo was right. You’re a jinx!”
“Your sister is Jinx? She’s too far gone! She can’t be trusted!”
“Damnit, Powder! Powder! Powder!”
“Vi?” She got to her feet.
“Powder! Where is Powder? I only want Powder! Powder’s my sister! Not Jinx. Never Jinx!”
She blinked. The fires and the voices and the shapes were gone. Just him. Only him. In his chair.
She reached for the weapon. She had made it into a shark. Like the monsters he used to show her. The ones who lived beneath the water. The ones he loved so much.
She had gotten him the crystal. He wanted the power to make them pay. To make them hear.
Now they were screaming. Burning. Their world collapsing around them in fire and smoke and blue sparks and flames.
Now they knew how it felt. How their precious technology and magic and weapons could make them feel. How it felt to be powerless. Buried beneath the earth. Clawing their way up. Unable to breathe. Choking on smoke and ashes and soot and rocks and dust. Only seeing darkness. Never the light. Never good enough for the light. Stepping on each other. Fighting for air. Fighting for life. For survival.
They wanted a jinx. She only gave them what they wanted. They took something from her. They tried to turn him against her. She made sure they knew how she felt.
Silco wanted Zaun. He wanted a free nation. She broke their chains. She broke them.
Don’t cry. You’re perfect just the way you are. We’ll show them. You and I together. We’ll show them what they’ve failed to see.
“I know.” She smiled. “Together.”
Jinx turned away. She walked out. Even from here, she could see Piltover as it burned—the City of Progress now the City Destroyed by What it Ignored. Zaun was free. Finally able to break away from the chains of Topsiders alike.
They feared an uprising. They feared rebellion. They dipped their hands into shark infested waters and never once thought they might be devoured. That a jinx would be waiting below the surface. That a shark could bite and leave blue sparks and fire behind.
Her grip tightened. She held Fishbones. She felt his hand. He stood beside her. Walked beside her. Fishbones was his weapon. Not hers.
She wasn’t leaving him behind. He was with her. He was always with her. He would always be with her. He was the only one she wanted. The only one she trusted.
Powder fell down a well. She fell into water and blue sparks and death and drowned.
Jinx climbed out.
Silco died. Died for her. Died keeping her. Standing by her. Never abandoning her.
Fishbones swam free.
Unable to leave.
Unable to die.
Unable to drown.