Archive of Our Own

LOCK

By: Imyoshi

Caine's Circus remained painfully dull.

The Ringmaster hovered in front of his carbon-copy desk, quickly biting his digital nails with Bubble lurking over his shoulder. Numerous screens in front of them revealed his beloved Circus Folks listless and dull. They sulked in the party room, barely glancing at one another, much less speaking. Ever since his riveting Escape the Circus Adventure, all of his dubious humans refused to participate in his wacky Adventures. The Zooble, the AI Ringmaster understood, but Jax? Pomni? Kinger?

Good lord, not Kinger!

He squeezed his floating hat. "Miserable Mackerels, what went wrong, Bubble? They pressed the Red Button, they got the good ending, so why aren't they happy?"

"Maybe they're ungrateful freaks!" Bubble said helpfully.

"Egad, Bubble, don't say that! We'll lose our funding. No!" Caine summoned his trusty magical cane and poked at a screen that showed a sad Ragatha. "Why aren't you happy? Be happy!"

On-screen Ragatha sighed instead, acting all sadsack, and Caine grumbled into his frictionless chair. He gripped his oversized gums and groaned, not even floating anymore. Bubble, being Bubble, offered bubbly advice.

"Go nuclear, Boss! Hard reset."

"Bubble, please, you know that's only for selling real estate."

"Soft reset!" Bubble opened his mouth and showed an object of Caine's disdain. It glistened with the gleam of evil and corporate joy. "Try the Suggestion Box again! Stop with the Me and go with the We Adventures!"

The Ringmaster's sadness turned into burning rage. He crossed his arms and hmphed, all in that order. "I refuse!"

Said Suggestion Box had its contents spilled onto the glossy floor, burned with the Firewall flames, zipped back inside, and then right-clicked into deletion. The Ringmaster then turned his failing attention span toward the screens again. Ragatha went from a sadsack to a Debbie Downer. She was this close to evolving to a Lousy Lessie. Good ol' Zooble kept up their Negative Nancy charade. Two peas in a pod, those two. Gangle drew artwork not suitable for younger audiences.

Pranking dropped to a record low. Jax rarely left his room anymore, acting more hermit crab than frolicking Bunny, and Pomni, sweet, miserable Pomni, kept giving off thousand-yard stares that made his coding glitch. Sometimes she just stood there, very un-menacingly. A meager wind could topple her over. Productivity was down the drain, along with happiness, too.

Things were looking worse for his humans.

Bubble grinned. "Change your mind yet, Boss?"

Eugh! He uncrossed his arms and threw him at his sides. "Fine! But I'm protesting in rhymes."

"On whose dime?"

"Mine!" Caine huffed and straightened his tie. "Hurry now, we're running out of time."

"Sounds Norwegian, Einstein."

"What?"

...

Jax quietly hid in his embarrassing room.

Ever since he accidentally pressed the Red Button, he refused to join the others in the main room, not like any of his fellow humans wanted his company, anyway. Not like he blamed them. Zooble and Gangle made that painfully clear with the side-eyed glares and harsh whispers. Ragatha seemed too lost in the Stupid Sauce to care anymore. Kinger? He stayed quiet. Too quiet for the nutjob. Pomni approached his door once—and only once—and didn't put up a fight when he quietly told her to scram.

No one cared. Everyone was too busy holding themselves together to play the happy gluemaker. Perfectly reasonable. Things would pass; things always passed, eventually, with everyone a little worse for wear. The only silver lining was their shared disgust for Caine and his ability to warp their minds, which was why Jax refused to sleep or partake in any Adventures. Ever since his Abstraction scare, the Funny Bunny remained stubbornly awake. He hid in the cold darkness, but eluded any slumber within it.

Sleep felt like a death sentence.

What if Caine tried messing with his mind again? Jax refused to allow the insane Ringmaster within ten feet of his amazing brain ever again. Sleep made him easy prey. Easy, easy prey. Sleep was thy enemy. Never again. Caine wouldn't act so rash as to mess with his thoughts while awake, not after the meltdown. Of course, that was just a hunch. They already uncovered his penchant for lying.

Squared pupils widened when he felt the oh-so familiar tug of Caine's summoning pulling at his furry chest.

He rolled his eyes and cracked his neck. "Whooptie freakin' doo... cue another Adventure. Extra whoop-whoop."

At least in solidarity, they banded together in refusing the Ringmaster's Adventures. A mutual agreement between prisoners. The few Caine forced ended with all of them lingering at the beginning until the Ringmaster eventually summoned the portal. No one passed Go. No one left the starting line. No one interacted with the extra-friendly NPCs. Nothing. They sat. They stood. They gave Caine the silent treatment. Things were silent when they left, and things were quieter when they returned. It drove Caine up the wurlitzer.

Good.

Jax prepared the no on his tongue as he flew into the portal above his ceiling and landed haphazardly on the low-resolution couch. He landed with his legs pointed in the air and head hanging over the edge of the cushions, and Jax made it a stubborn point to remain in the position when Caine finally showed his face. So, too, the rest of the merry band.

"Greetings, my Edible Enchiladas, Adventure time is among us!"

Bubble floated out of his hat. "I counted two copyrighted materials in that sentence alone—!"

Pop!

"Ignoring Bubble, who's ready for a special, once-in-a-lifetime Adventure?" Caine clapped his hands and stretched his impeccable pearly whites. "Any takers?"

The Zooble appeared from behind the couch, speaking for the rest of them. "B-E-E-P no, Caine! We're all done playing along with your B-E-E-P-y Adventures! Take a hint. Just leave us alone."

Caine's arm stretched toward Zooble and waggled their gloved finger. "Ah-ah-ah, silly Zooble! Today's Adventures aren't of my making; they'll be of yours."

"Like the Suggestion Box?" Ragatha asked from underneath the couch cushions.

"Sort of. Kind of. Not really, no! The Suggestion Box has been temporarily, permanently decommissioned." Caine summoned a magic microphone from beyond the Void and spun it around in magical glory. It remained spinning, even when he released it. "Each of you will be given ten seconds to name your ideal, personal Adventure tailored to you and you alone."

Gangle looked from behind the couch's headrest. "Really?"

"As real as you and me!"

Suddenly, Jax gave a flying B-E-E-P. A few eyes showed interest in their own personal Adventures, ignoring the oxymoron, Kinger, too, from underneath the darkness of the couch. "I'd like to visit Insect Island. Sounds like the perfect chance to unwind."

"Hate to agree, but a personalized Adventure doesn't sound too awful." Zooble leaned their body on the couch's other arm and glared. "But what's the catch?"

"Yeah..." Pomni added, being the only one sitting on the couch. "There's not going to be some psycho, chainsaw-wielding butcher chasing us, right?"

"Of course not, Pomni!" Caine said, lying through his teeth as he erased all horror themes without them knowing. "Only good old-fashioned, family fun under the sun! Unless you request death and despair. Then yes, expect a chainsaw-wielding madman chasing you."

"Um, yeah, no, I'll pass on the horror."

"Are you sure?" Caine asked in monotone gloom. "There's hyper realistic blood."

"I'm sure, Caine."

"Methinks you protest too much, Pomni, but anyways! What do you say, gang?" Caine then floated toward them with his hat held in his hands, dropping his showmanship and appearing remorseful. "I know the Escape the Circus Adventure was in bad taste, I see that now. Please, give me a chance to make it up to you. What is it you fleshbags say, bygones be bygones?"

A scoff. It came from the Zooble.

"Really? The plan's to sweep this all under the rug and pretend nothing happened?" Zooble pointed their big, meaty claw at Caine. "That's the angle you're going with?"

Caine looked like a kicked puppy. "C'mon, guys, I really am trying. Help a Ringmaster out. Going back to our regularly scheduled Adventures has to be better than this. Surely you agree."

Everyone gradually glanced at one another before coming to a silent agreement to accept Caine's oh-so generous offer. Even Jax liked the idea of choosing his own Adventure, regardless of the bribery implications behind it. No one clearly forgave the Ringmaster, but boredom acted as a powerful motivator. Escape was impossible. Plus, a distraction from their inner thoughts sounded nice.

"Points for originally, Caine, but I'm hook, line, and sinker." Jax hollowly grinned. "Tell us the rules."

The Ringmaster's gums curved at their acceptance. "Glad you asked, Jax! The rules are simple! You each have ten seconds to describe your dream Adventure! No limits! And that is all—one, two, three, go! Kinger, you first!"

Kinger twiddled his fingers with excitement. "Oh! You know mine. A visit to Insect Island, with it ending once I find the golden dung beetle. Preferably with me keeping it as a pet."

Caine's shoulders appeared to relax. "Done and done, Kinger! Next! Gangle!"

Jax averted his gaze from Caine, knowing the Ringmaster used eye contact as an invitation to engage, and counted the lucky twinkle stars that he chose Kinger first. That gave him a solid fifty seconds of think time with the additional zany few seconds Caine added between each one. He wanted to roll his eyes when typical Gangle asked for a typical Slice of Life anime Adventure.

Typical.

Instead, he mulled over the conditions Caine laid out. No limits. That left all the wiggle room for this sly Bunny. The Ringmaster was desperate. Caine was obviously trying to butter them up and regain their trust—a cold fact that had Jax grinning in devilish, dimple delight. Desperation and admiration were both sides of the same coin for Caine. He just found his Golden Ticket presented on a silver platter. Maybe he really did win the Escape the Circus Adventure, after all, and maybe, just hopefully, Caine might show a sprinkle of favoritism toward Jax since he pressed the Red Button. Now, he only needed to mention the right words to convince Dentures, while sprinkling in his own failsafes.

Just in time, too, because Caine shoved the magical microphone into his face. "Last but not least, Jax! What's your ideal Adventure?"

Tick-tock said the clock. Jax acted out his best charade of indifference to hide his intentions. Arms folded behind his upside-down head, he smirked cheekily at the waiting Ringmaster and crossed his legs.

"I want to go on a five-star oceanic cruise with full admin privileges! And here's the kicker! You cannot interfere once the Adventure starts. Only I can end it and come and go as I please." Jax stretched his smirk, widened his pupils, and added some naught to his haught. "And I plan to make it a never-ending Adventure where the fun never ends."

Jax saw the way Caine mulled over his ideal Adventure, almost glitching until his receptors picked up on the best part. "Did you say... a never-ending Adventure?"

"Yup. Never-ending, unless I say so. Can't be a personalized Adventure unless I pick and choose when it ends."

Those mismatched pupils gleamed with tears. "How spectacular! How amazing! How out of this world! One for the books! Way to think outside of the cardboard box, Jax! Done and done! Enjoy your cruise!"

Snap!

A magnificent portal opened a few feet from Jax and the others, smelling of crispy sea salt and filled with the sound of a cruise ship ready to set sail. It reeked of freedom. Seagulls gawked in the background with palm trees beckoning him toward the gateway in that aloha greeting. Jax wasted no time, not wanting to test Caine's processing power in astute observation, and hopped to his feet. He powerwalked toward the doorway, offered a halfhearted wave over his shoulder, and tossed them all a final F-U smirk right before entering.

"See ya never."

Then Jax was gone-gone, into a never-ending Adventure where he maintained full admin credentials and was forever outside of Caine's ever-imposing reach. The appealing portal closed like a confetti bomb filled with spinkles and sparklers. Poof! Five other digital Circus members wordlessly blinked at the display of ingenuity that just occurred, half slack-jawed, half shaking. Their personalized portals, swirling and whirling, appeared less tantalizing. What the what?

Zooble broke the silence first and stared at the Ringmaster. "What the B-E-E-P, Caine?"

Caine bonked Zooble on the head with his cane. "Now, now, Zooble, there's no need for potty language. Hurry along now, your personalized Adventures await!

Zooble threw their arms out. "Nu-uh. I want a do-over."

"Sorry, there's no take-backsies in my Circus. Off you go!"

Snap!

...

The second the portal back to the Circus closed, Jax breathed the hugest sigh of relief.

"Touch and go right there. Phew." Jax breathed with a chuckle and huffed, planting his hands on his hips. "Now, let's check this dump out."

He turned around and noticed he stood inside the Captain's Cabin. A random NPC wearing a pretentious sailor's suit mindlessly spun the helm, showing little know-how on how to steer a ship. The room itself was tidy and clean, spotless and uncanny, except for the numerous paintings of sinking ships. Whistling. The NPC whistled a copyrighted tune belonging to a certain mouse. The seafarer NPC then turned around, while the helm spun dangerously on its own, and greeted Jax with a wave and a salute, followed by a toot-toot.

"Ahoy! Welcome aboard to Caine's Caribbean Carnival Cruise! Sailor's my name, cruisin' my game!" Sailor pulled out a fancy pamphlet from underneath his hat and tossed it to him. "Here's a brochure, and say good riddance to ashore! Set sail! All aboard!"

Sailor the Sailor pointedly ignored Jax after that, returning to his useless helm while singing the jolly yolly tunes of steampunk Mickey. Whatever. Jax snatched the booklet midair and checked the contents. Wow. Caine lamented it. Color him surprised when, upon opening it, the Ringmaster's voice boomed through the parchment.

Greetings, my miscreant Bunny! Ready for Adventure with a dash of honey? The rules are simple, my dear, but allow me, your lovable Ringmaster, to make them clear! Want something your way, then snap it into play! Your only limit is your imagination on this once-in-a-lifetime vacation!

"What's with all the rhyming, Caine?" Jax expected Caine to make an extravagant appearance. It never happened. "Huh? Neat. Go on."

This wondrous Adventure should be a splendid quencher, that I swear on my dentures! Have fun on this jaw-dropping cruise, play in the pool, or polish your shoes. Goodbye, adiós, see ya, wouldn't want to be ya!

His smirk turned lazy. "Seriously, Caine, you rhymed ya with ya? Lazy prick. Whatever. Time to check out this crazy cruise."

He bid Sailor adieu with a mocking salute and kicked the porthole cabin door open. A whiplash of artificial seasalt smacked Jax's senses upon stepping outside. Everything felt crisp and breathable, not confined and suffocating like the Circus Tent. The calm color of the ocean blue and the modern hue of the cruise ship helped ease the senses. Nothing compared to the obnoxious tones of the Circus. Jax had long since abandoned the urge to breathe, but he sucked in the deepest gust of air and slowly sighed in ear-drooping fashion. Aged weight fell over his shoulders. No singsong tunes played quietly in the background, only the lapping of artificial waves and squawking seagulls filled the Void.

The cruise ship itself bordered on the size of insanity. Big was an understatement. Jax couldn't see the front side from the Captain's Cabin. Not a lick of land in sight either, only deep ocean blue. From the top, he saw Central Park, which had many pools and lounge chairs. A solarium, too. Places to break a sweat with sports. Anything he failed to spot, Jax knew either existed in the Concierge Longue or could be summoned with a quick snap of his fingers. Hopefully, they had a casino. Maybe a racetrack. Definitely a bowling alley. Those were a definite must.

He spotted plenty of NPCs rummaging about, some new, some old. Familiar faces, too. Lots of mannequins, though. A problem to fix later. Variety was the spice of life, and he wanted the NPCs to look cooler, except for the servants. Those would remain faceless mannequins to spite Abel's footnote memory. He might invite the Evil Big Topps to join him. Evil Pomni was cool.

Huh? Jax frowned, paranoia returning. Look at him planning his bon voyage without triple-checking to make sure Caine's influence was wholeheartedly gone. Years of Circus torment taught him that much. Before he allowed himself to grow too comfortable, his pupils hardened. He needed to test the murky waters before finally dropping his mask. The very first snap of his fingers summoned a parameter console, and he swiftly searched for Caine's character and noticed his avatar had Access Denied written across every line of text. No entrance. No interaction. No alteration. Jax added no mind manipulation and modifiers, too, including subconscious admission.

He wanted the freak away from his thoughts.

Okay. Good. Everything checked out. All systems were a-go. Jax breathed slowly, swiping the settings away.

Time to test the functions and hope for the best.

"Hey, Caine!" Jax yelled as loudly as possible with the sound settings set to max. Silence. Nothing. The AI never showed up. The Bunny began laughing his first genuine, heartfelt laugh in years. "He's gone. I'm free. I'm really free! It's over! No more Caine! No more Circus! No more theme songs!"

Jax gripped a nearby guardrail and laughed himself silly. Unlike the Red Button fiasco, nothing panic-inducing filled this laughter. It was genuine; this was heartfelt.

It was human.

He felt human. Not broken. Not teetering on the edge of maddening insanity. No more Caine. No more Adventures. No more Caine. No more forced coercion of the whacky variety. No more B-E-E-P-ing Caine! Freedom beckoned to him at last. Happy tears threatened to spill out, held back by stubborn willpower, until the Bunny realized for what? Who cared anymore? No one had a front row seat to his shaky performance. Not anymore! Years of torment finally ended. So, Jax sucked in his breath and nearly choked when the grateful tears did spill. He cried a short cry, shuddering his shoulders as he wept. His sobbing gradually died out, turning into a post-Ribbit grin. A few snot-filled snorts later, and Jax finished feeling better for himself.

He tossed the booklet overboard and carelessly leaned on the guardrail. A snap of his fingers turned his manly salmon overalls into the most cringeworthy outfit his twisted mind could ponder—dadcore. Cargo pants with too many pockets, a Hawaiian shirt decorated with other various Hawaiian shirts, and sandals with socks on. The perfect outfit for not giving a B-E-E-P anymore!

Whelp! Time to stretch his sea legs! The horn of the cruise ship suddenly bellowed before Jax hopped to it. He glanced through the porthole into the Captain's Cabin and spotted Sailor saluting him.

Jax returned the salute properly this time without a hint of malice.

...

Hours later, everyone, minus Jax, returned from their personal Adventures in slightly better moods. Caine awaited their arrivals, hopelessly floating in nail-biting anticipation. Bubble? He popped himself a while ago, lingering around the pink eye ball pit and licking them clean.

"Welcome back, my Bilingual Buffaloes!" Caine presented them with a banner of two buffalo. One wore a monocle and top hat, while the other donned a sombrero and poncho. Both had matching twirly mustaches. "Tell me, did you all have fun with your personal Adventures?"

Ragatha smiled. "As a matter of fact, I did, Caine. The Horsey Hoedown was a hoot and holler. A real hootenanny. Buck Buckaroo made for an excellent square dance partner."

"Hoedown? That sounds pleasant." Kinger added kindly. "Insect Island had so many fascinating critters. Look. I even kept a golden centipede as a pet. Would you care to hold it, Ragatha?"

"No, no! Please, Kinger, I'm alright." Ragatha quickly backed away, shaking her arms even quicker. "I, um, how about you, Pomni? Tell us about your Adventure."

"Yes, Pomni, spill the beans!" Caine darkened the Circus and made an eye-nauseating spotlight appear above the Jester. "Was the abandoned hospital to your liking?"

"You named it Saint Sayonara." Pomni said, wondering if Caine understood the implications of what the name implied. He did not. Oh well. She shrugged. "Was fine. Although hospitals don't leave behind corpses when abandoned, Caine."

"Duly noted!" Caine moved the spotlight to Gangle. "Gangle! Thoughts, questions, concerns on your Anime Adventure?"

"It ended on a cliffhanger." Gangle mumbled, comedy mask removed so her tears were visible. "How am I supposed to sleep at night not knowing if Bento Senpai survived the bus crash?"

"Not to worry, my tragedy-stricken companion. I can safely assure you they did not. They perished in a most gruesome death. Alone, unloved, choking on his own blood. Onwards to Zooble!" Caine dismissed Gangle's weeping and forced the spotlight on the Zooble. "Zooble! Criticism is appreciated, but unwanted. Between a nine and a ten, what would you rate your Adventure?"

The Zooble ignored Mister Caine, looking hard around the main room for a particular Bunny. "Caine? Where's Jax?"

"Not here, I cheer!" Caine cried tears of digital joy. He checked his Whacky Watch. "Says here he's spending time in the Herbal Hottub."

Zooble stared into his hard drive like no other. "Herbal Hottub?"

"Precisely. Set to the ideal temperature at a hundred degrees Fahrenheit—or thirty-nine Celsius for you Norwegians." Caine elbowed clueless Kinger with a wink-wink, nudge-nudge. "The Herbal Hottub is full of soaps, lavender, and artificial sweeteners you humans seem to love so much. Observe!"

Snap!

A jumbotron spawned above them with all the bells and whistles. It shrank down in size, exploding with unnecessary fireworks. Whoosh! Jax suddenly appeared on screen, relaxing like the smug bastard he was in the Herbal Hottub. No snark, no sass, he leaned back into the bubbling water as a mannequin fed him mouthwatering grapes, the seedless kind. A rare look of contentment stretched his curved lips. That was the posture of a guilty Bunny who committed four counts of first-degree murder and beat the charges.

"Oh? Wow?" Gangle mumbled, looking conflicted and very unsure. She twiddled her ribbons together. "He looks..."

"Happy..." Zooble growled, mismatched eyes narrowed, arms crossed, and oozing the Zooble pose. They turned their attention toward Caine. "So, what now? Are you going to drag his sorry B-E-E-P back soon or what?"

Caine waved them off. "No can do! Jax's Adventure ends when he decides it; not even I can stop it now. I can only observe sometimes or communicate through the Wiggity Wiggity Wiggity Wack Phone. Beyond that, I am powerless to interfere!"

"Powerless?" Pomni repeated.

Caine cheered. "Powerless! Jax made it apparent that the Adventure ended when he decided. What kind of Ringmaster would I be if I stunted Adventure creativity?"

Bubble popped into existence from underneath Kinger's majestic mantle. "A bad one, sir."

"Rightfully so, Bubble! Stunting creativity is the colonoscopy to art block. And I refuse to be the screen door to your rainy days!" Caine stretched his grin, looking immensely pleased with himself. "That being said, success all around. Regularly scheduled Adventures will resume tomorrow! Buh-bye!"

Pop!

The Ringmaster's hasty departure had the other Circus members silently stunned for four long seconds. Then the Zooble grabbed the miniature jumbotron and spun it toward the others for all to see. They were beside themselves, gawking and throwing hands toward the display of Jax Jax-maxing to the max. That included devil cake, spoon-fed to him until he summoned a slice of angel food cake to balance it out. He took one bite, nodded in silent approval, before tossing the delicious food over his shoulder without a care in the digital realm.

"Motherfu—look at that prick! He dooms all to hell and then just ups and leaves?" Zooble wanted to wring his neck. "Gah! Endless Vacation Adventure. Why didn't I think of that?"

Gangle frowned. "Maybe Caine will let us make another Adventure?"

Zooble crossed their arms. "Fat chance. You heard Caine, this was a once-in-a-lifetime Adventure. And once he figures out he can't force Jax into any more of his Adventures, Caine will make sure this will never happen again."

Gangle looked both thrilled and unsure. "So Jax is gone? Just like that?"

"Full admin privileges, remember? I wouldn't leave an Adventure where everything's just a snap away." Zooble grumbled, more than annoyed. "Especially if Caine can't interfere. Jax is a B-E-E-P-hole, but he's not stupid. Next to leaving this Circus, that's paradise. I'm actually impressed he came up with that in less than a minute."

Pomni blinked, unable to take her eyes off Jax's relaxed grin. "I'm surprised Caine allowed this."

"He was probably desperate to win us over. We all know how Caine can be." Ragatha chimed somewhat halfheartedly. "And Jax took advantage of his desperation. Honestly, I don't blame him."

None of them hated Jax for tricking Caine. Everyone loathed him because none of them thought of it first. Golden Ticket, Get Out of Jail Free Card, whatever it was, Jax cashed in his chips and bounced.

"Jax looks so happy..." Kinger commented, sounding jolly. "I haven't seen him that happy in years."

Ragatha looked glum. "So... what do you think happens now?"

"Adventures, I guess..." Pomni paused, finding her following words troubling. "Just without Jax."

"Good riddance, I say." Zooble said. "Maybe things will get better without him around. Who am I kidding? Of course, it will."

Ragatha looked unsure at first. "Yeah. Definitely. No more centipedes in my room or morning pranks."

"Or my Comedy Mask breaking."

Zooble's voice sounded pleased. "Or just Jax."

Spirits brightened between the trio the more they talked, but not so much for Kinger and Pomni, who kept watching the screen unfold. The hidden lucidity within Kinger knew trouble was brewing without realizing it. Not yet, anyway. Pomni just looked glum, a mirror to her door's icon, and she pinched one of her pom-poms as the screen's small window into Jax's Adventure faded out.

...

Somehow, things worsened for the glorious Caine.

"Nothing's working, Bubble!" Caine yelled into the ether that was Bubble's mind. "Productivity is still down!"

Understatement of the minute.

When things went haywire, Caine acted on intrusive thoughts. He always preferred the rod method. Beat them with Adventures until morale improved, that type of shtick. Lately, however, the Adventures worsened the other Circus members' moods. They went, they returned, and they grumbled. The small uptick when Jax left lasted briefly until everything turned into a flatline. Bubble attributed it to jealousy. Jealous of what, Caine had asked at the time, because it made no sense to show disdain for Adventures and show ill-will toward one on a said Adventure.

That cookie-cutter logic confused the AI.

Last he checked, Jax was enjoying the sensation of a hot stone massage while pampered with seedless grapes. All of that happened during an Adventure! Did the Zooble not enjoy having their limbs torn apart during the Raining Cats and Dogs Adventure? Questions, questions, Caine loathed them so. How was his hive supposed to function if all his busy little worker bees kept complaining? No wonder he preferred the purple Rabbit. Gratitude was very much appreciated and noted.

Caine saw himself as the king bee to his little buzzing honeycomb of worker bees, regardless of Bubble's proclamation that king bees weren't real. He had popped Bubble on principal for that one. As the head of the honey-soaked monarchy, the Ringmaster craved stability. Formation mattered. From worker bees to pollen collectors, all his busy, buzzing, beautiful bees played an important role in the hive, but a tension still lingered. Morale took a nosedive when Jax skedaddled to his never-ending Adventure.

The Zooble acted fine; their delightful quips, however, grew sharper. They jabbed more. That scratchy voice became such an itch for Caine. Zooble leaned more toward wasp than bee at times, and it vexed him so. Sweet Kinger remained blissfully unaware. A good bee that one. Gangle, though, wearing her happy mask at all times inside the Circus, often returned with it broken after another successful Adventure. Usually, Jax damaged her mask, but without him, Gangle must have realized how truly fragile that porcelain really was.

The Pomni ignored his presence. She pretended not to exist and went through the motions, giving only fifty percent on Adventures. Inner group turmoil reared its ugly head more, too. Ragatha proved an enigma. She buzzed like the adorable, delicate honey bee, sweet as honey and sticky enough to hold the gang together. Whelp. She used to. Not anymore. The Bunny's missing presence robbed her of an activity that had turned her wallflower status into a social butterfly. Venting only worked if there was something to vent about, and now his precious Circus member only complained about his wondrous, amazing, once-in-a-lifetime Adventures.

No!

Caine sighed loudly, grinding his teeth. He used Bubble as a stress ball, squeezing it. "No one's happy. What more do they want?"

"Ungrateful wretches, all of them." Bubble reacted to the squish. "Except for the Rabbit."

"The Red Button presser?" Caine asked. He squished Bubble more. "Absolutely! Yet nothing! Everyone continues to be miserable." Caine then slumped. "Changing their minds is so troublesome!"

"Not if you modify them to like you."

Caine unsquished Bubble. "Eugh. They're already mad enough. Toying with the human mind is always so icky."

"Don't tell them!" Bubble popped in front of Caine, un-popping behind him. "Silence is golden, sir! A little snip-snip there, and they'll be out of your hair."

Caine stared. "Bubble. No. We can't do that. Stop speaking in tongues! And I have no hair."

"Bleugh!" Bubble summoned Caine's tongue and licked the Ringmaster's cane. They also made an effort to lick Caine's face, temporarily glitching the Ringmaster in what appeared to be an eye twitch. "Do it while they sleep, boss."

Caine stared again, buzzing with the static of a hundred bees. That pearly white frown turned upside down.

"Modify them in their sleep. Bonjovi, Bubble, that plan's crazy enough to work!" Caine popped Bubble before he played more copyrighted music. "Now, let's see who's the first lucky duck to receive Caine's cranium rinse."

A nonsensical wheel poofed into existence before Caine, looking like Jeopardy, but only with Ragatha's face on each tally. Caine never overlooked a sadsack, and his precious doll's performance tore a hole in his bleeding heart. Down in the dumps Circus members were a major no-no! A stain within his Circus. What if they tanked their ratings? No siree! Caine grabbed his magical stick, twirled it, and dematerialized into the code-work. Silent as the majestic and misunderstood bee, the Ringmaster materialized inside the sleeping Ragatha's room and hovered over her snoozing form.

"Nothing up my sleeves..." Caine whispered, pulling back said sleeves to reveal nothing but space. He twirled his fingers and looped his hands around Ragatha's head. "And prest-o change-o."

Nothing too serious. Only a straightforward modifier to help Ragatha forgive Caine. Once he finished, he left the sleeping doll alone and moved between rooms, changing dirty minds and reinforcing his opinions, except for Pomni's. The irksome little Jester remained awake during the late hours, acting bored and kicking blocks. Not to worry! Caine would modify her mind another time.

Pomni had to sleep eventually.

...

Week one!

Jax spent the first day practicing his snapping, rehearsing, and becoming the pioneer of free-form poetry jazz snapping for the Circus. He even adopted the form of scat, learning the Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dahs between his carefree whistling.

"My, oh, my, what a wonderful day."

Of course, the humming blue birds on his shoulders grew old very fast, and he snapped those into a delicious dinner. The chicken on the platter had looked five-star. A meal fit for kings. He had tossed the family-of-four feast into the digital ocean because beef sounded better. Never a dull moment for him. Nope, no siree.

Day two focused solely on exploring the infinitely sized cruise ship. Rooms, rooms, and even more rooms. From games to bars to rides and slides, Jax found them all, and any room not to his liking got snapped into oblivion or whatever his Grinch heart desired, except Caine's Crooked Casino. Seeing the mannequins lose brought him great joy. He left that one alone. Still, Jax figured he only needed one door for all his entertainment and quietly made an all-in-one door that opened to the exact room he desired at any given point.

His favorite room, however, came from his sick and twisted mind. One dark corner of the cruise ship had a door that led to a never-ending party where the unwilling participants continuously danced. Any unlucky sun of a gun that dared bump into him, said an unfunny joke, existed sometimes, ended up in that room with a flippant snap of his fingers. Those unfortunate NPCs got programmed with the ability to experience fatigue. No rest for the innocent, Jax chuckled, and they partied until they glitched themselves out. Only Sailor and his wisecracking algorithm saved him from such a fate.

Cycle three had him spend the entire day inside his personalized bedroom. He snapped into existence the perfect bed. It had the warmest blankets and the comfiest pillows. The room temperature got set to ideal. The balcony offered him a breathtaking view of the calm ocean with a soothing setting bar to lower the hustle and bustle of the cruise ship. The Zooble dartboard really tied the room together. His favorite addition, however, came in the form of a flatscreen monitor that hovered near the wall. His universal remote control allowed him to spy on his fellow Circus freaks or create shows on a whim, and Jax soon found a way to record Caine's Adventures to watch later.

After an exhausting day of relaxing under the sun, nothing beat watching his old pals suffering Caine's ridiculous Adventures within the safety of his weighted blanket and cloud-stuffed pillow. Screams of anguish lulled him to sleep at night.

Day four, he discovered how to automate his screen to pop up right before Caine began his Adventures. It made for fun distractions. Watching his fellow Circus members deal with a ludicrous Adventure curled his lips. Now, he saw why Caine enjoyed watching them suffer. 'Twas a fun time indeed. Then he learned Caine had installed a telephone in his pocket dimension so his old pals could call him on day five, and the fun stopped. That had been an awful midnight discovery when the phone buzzed in the middle of the night, but at least snapping or pulverizing the phone into smithereens halted the calls for a few days. Whatever. Fine. Jax ignored the solicitors.

Days six and seven, he learned of the spa and figured out how to make custom NPCs. Good. No more kinks to work out. Jax chilled at the pool and enjoyed his permanent life of undeserved luxury.

"Cheers!" Jax said toward Sailor, holding a random alcoholic drink with too long a name to pronounce.

"Cheers!"

Clink!

...

Week one!

Curiosity got the better of them after one strenuous Adventure.

A week without Jax solved a few problems, but revealed new ones. The entertainment value went down three stars. At least, Pomni thought so. The others handled the downtime fine. Smiles all around, although, from the Jester's perspective, those grins seemed skewed. Out of place? Forced? She had shaken her head at the weird thoughts, knowing the severe lack of sleep was the cause of her over-the-shoulder paranoia. Like Jax, she refused to sleep with Caine lurking about, and things pulled forward easily enough, but her movements have grown sluggish.

Things also seemed off once Jax's departure settled. An air of indifference still lingered whenever Caine appeared, or, at least, it once did. Forgive and forget, was it that simple, Pomni thought as she had watched the routine return without too much of a fuss? What happened to Zooble's attitude or Gangle's skittishness? People moved on, but not that quickly. Pomni certainly kept her answers clipped when speaking to the Ringmaster, especially since he appeared to favor her input recently, as if the others were simply an afterthought for the oversized pair of gums.

Weird.

Pomni preferred not to dwell on it, looking elsewhere to distract her tired mind. As mentioned, boredom proved a powerful motivator to check up on the purple jerk. Anything to kill time! So, huddled up around the playroom, snacks and drinks galore, Ragatha summoned the jumbotron.

Just in time for the fireworks.

"All aboard!" Jax hollered, slipping on a dazzling, purple conductor's hat. He smirked, then smiled, then beamed. "The Love Train!"

"Oh. My. God." Gangle squeaked.

Jax and a random assortment of Kawaii-Hawaiian shirt-wearing NPCs all rode on a miniature Caine train, playing copyrighted music that would fry Caine's CPU if he heard it playing on the cruise ship's speaker system. Things bounced to the steam locomotive. All things. Including the cruise ship that moved to the beat of the music. Sun? What sun? A shining, gleaming, majestic disco ball replaced that, dazzling with Barbie Dreamhouse sparkles. Were those floating, dancing musical notes? Yup. Dancing, hovering musical notes, hopping to the catchy beat, while everyone, Jax included, threw their arms up as the slow-moving train wrapped around the deck of the cruise ship. Shooting stars, of course, those were a must on the Love Train.

So many filled the glittery sky.

No snark, or malarkey, or nonsense of any kind. Jax laughed, weighing less than air. Instead of sounding the horn of a cruise ship, the ship's horn sounded exactly like a toy train's. They rode on a rainbow road track system for Bubble's sake! The pinnacle of blackmail material to use against Jax, and it was worthless if the prick never planned on coming back. Look at that, a fellow conga line for side-by-side tomfoolery. Why not!

Ragatha stared, finger half raised, mouth partially open, more lost than any lost and found. "I, uh, was not expecting Jax to be, um..." She looked to anyone. "A little help here."

Zooble snorted. "To be so basic."

"Yeah! Basic!" Ragatha stopped, pinching her features. "That's the word that fits best. Basic."

"Basic, nothing!" Gangle said. "That looks like fun."

Caine appeared in a flash, snapping the screen shut due to the copyrighted music. "Enough of that! Royalties are expensive, and we're on a strict budget! Anymore close calls like that and we'll lose Bubble's college fund!"

Bubble popped in. "Now I'll never be a drifter."

Then popped out.

Caine stared at the spot Bubble popped before waving. "Bye!"

"Well then..." Pomni said a moment later. "That was something."

Kinger smiled, popping into existence like Bubble. "Ah. That song took me back."

Gangle glanced around. "What now?"

The Zooble shrugged. "Chill, I guess."

Chilling and doing jack squat became the everyday staple at this point. Pomni enjoyed the relaxing, at first, but after Caine's Escape the Circus Adventure, her guard refused to drop. If anything, it went up after seeing how seemingly easy it was for everyone else to forgive the lying Ringmaster. Lack of sleep could be the culprit of her worrywarts, but Pomni remained highly skeptical and pressed onward toward her room. Her feet paused midway to sneak a peek over toward Jax's door, grimacing at the painted X recently added yesterday.

Ragatha's touch-up.

It seemed fitting that the one who knew Jax the best should cross out his portrait. All of it still seemed so sad. She never realized how much space Jax took up until he packed his bags and vamoosed. Was this the character-sized crater Abstraction left behind? A lingering memory of someone who once existed and then didn't, except the stretching hallways never forgot? Yikes. Pomni felt this hollow for someone who kept her at arm's length; she couldn't imagine the emptiness that came with losing someone precious.

Do you have any actual friends?

Not anymore.

Okay. Yeah. A few things made more sense. Pomni looked across the sea of crossed-out portraits and frowned. She understood Jax's behavior a bit better now, not just at Caine, but at the hug. Trapped in an infinite Circus with an oblivious Ringmaster, forced into mind-numbing Adventures day in and day out, until someone's mind inevitably shattered and Abstracted, and then forced to continue as the friends made along the way rotted in a cold Cellar, would drive anybody bonkers. If Pomni suffered such a domino effect of losing her few friends, she, too, would keep newcomers at arm's length.

Why bother?

Mackerel on a stick, no wonder he crashed out. Now she missed him a bit more. Pomni pursed her lips and glanced around the empty corridor, hunching her shoulders at the stillness lurking about. Jax wouldn't mind if she Scooby Dooby snooped around his room for a souvenir, not if he never planned to return. Her feet moved before her brain registered her actions, and Pomni twisted the handle. A useless endeavor. His door refused to budge, and without a key, opening proved nearly impossible without Caine's presence.

She wanted all her interactions with the clueless Ringmaster as limited as humanly possible. That was it then. Another time, perhaps.

She twiddled her fingers and sighed.

Time for another boring all-nighter without any sleep.

She left the Circus as the murderous Sun set and the skybox filled with an endless sea of twinkling stars. Ignoring the skin-crawling sensation of artificial wind brushing against her porcelain skin, Pomni approached a seatop hill and lingered there. Suffocating silence stretched. She gazed out toward the edge of the enclosure, spotting parts of the Void when the skybox glitched out. Sometimes she wished Caine never pulled her out of there.

"Why hello there."

"Oh. Hi." Pomni waved to the hovering Moon, glossy-eyed and small compared to the AI. "Sorry, was I intruding on your space?"

The Moon hummed. "Not at all, little one. Company is always welcome. Please, make yourself comfortable."

Pomni soothingly smiled, crisscrossing on the fake grass. "Thanks. This week's been a doozy."

"Do tell."

She hugged her knees. "What's there to tell? Jax is gone, and Caine's still crazy, and I feel like no one else cares but me."

"Ah, yes, the Purple Rabbit." The Moon giggled in a harmonic tone. "Caine sometimes babbles when he thinks I'm not listening. I am well aware your fellow companion is gone. But why do you consider Caine defected?"

Pomni rolled her eyes, grunting, too. "Defected. That's a word. Ever since the Escape the Circus Adventure, things feel wrong. Not to mention, Caine lied about being able to screw with our heads, and my thoughts are all over the place."

The Moon offered a gentle smile. "You must understand, child. Like you and I, Caine is trapped here and seeks approval. It is human nature to want to belong and be accepted. Why would it be any different for us? We are but a product of humanity."

She touched her lip at the sagely thought. "I guess that makes sense."

"One must look from another perspective to see the full picture. Feeling misunderstood and hurt are perfectly acceptable emotions. We all feel them." The Moon hovered closer, a soft glow in the dark. "Were you hurt when the Purple Rabbit left?"

"No. Yes. Maybe. I don't know." Pomni squeezed her knees tighter. "Not at first, anyway, but little by little I've come to miss him. Which is weird, because he was such a jerk, and we rarely saw eye-to-eye."

"Abandonment is always difficult. Your castmates all understand this better than most. All of them have lost someone near to them. Many have come and gone in the Circus." The Moon brightened her smile, closing her eye. "Caine's only trying to keep morale up. I do apologize on his behalf if he fails at that."

She shared in the warm smile. "Thanks. I feel a little better. But I don't forgive Caine. I can't."

The Moon nodded. "And that is your choice to make, little one. Not anyone else but yours."

Comforting. Pomni felt a little better. More silence stretched, except this time not nearly as stifling. Having someone to share the atmosphere helped. Things were becoming too quiet inside the Tent for her liking, like they were all characters in some poorly written play, waiting for their ill-timed cues while forgetting their lines.

...

Two weeks later!

Relaxing in an over-the-top lounge chair, Jax chilled in casual swimwear. From an extravagant hat to pitch-black shades and a pina colada-filled coconut, the insensitive jerk of a Hare deeply sighed without a care in the world. Years of torment finally paid off. Sayonara, annoying Adventures. Goodbye, Circus Freaks. Adiós, Caine! Toodaloo, Bubbles! Everything he ever wanted was merely a thought away.

Mostly.

Imagining an Exit Door yielded fruitless results.

A solid brick wall appeared on the other side whenever he summoned an Exit Door. Every time. Oh well. Jax sipped away at his pina colada and yadda-yadda the depressing thought away. At least he tried to escape. Really gave it the old clown college try. Now, he could enjoy wearing his salmon swim trucks and out-of-fashion Hawaiian shirt in blissful comfort without the lingering afterthought of what-if holding him back. His lanky body even filled out with lean, mean, fighting-machine muscle because he could. What undeserved joy.

A pop-up popped up above him.

Adventure Alert! Adventure Alert!

Ah!

Time for his favorite soap opera.

Lávate Las Manos!

A quick snap of his fingers made a floating old-timey television appear midair. "Let's see what kind of Adventures the others are having today."

Old-fashioned static buzzed on the aged screen before Caine's latest, wacky, blood-pumping Adventure appeared on screen. Oh? His face lit up like a store-bought Christmas tree. Ancient temple theme. Nice. The ol' gang was busy trying to solve an Aztec puzzle on the wall, only Caine used hieroglyphics, while the ceiling gradually lowered, covered in spikes.

A Hallmark classic the whole family could enjoy.

Jax smirked, summoned an umbrella to block the sun, and sipped his beverage. "New episode."

It looked like Zooble and Ragatha were busy messing around with some stone tablets while Crybaby and Hoohaw searched for a secret compartment within the limestone walls. Pomni tried to help, but reliable Caine made the puzzles just a smidge too high. PomPom couldn't accurately assist, leaving her to stand helplessly in the middle as everyone made bigger fools of themselves.

Oh-oh! Poor Rags panicked and triggered a second trap. Now the floor began sliding away, revealing a boiling pool of Hungry Hungry Hippos. Her panic grew further, so, too, her desperation to solve the stupid puzzle. Jax wanted to roll his eyes. The solution was simple. Caine made it a jigsaw puzzle. Anyone with two brain cells could have figured it out—Caine wasn't that creative—and if Rag's didn't have a brain of straw, she would've lifted Pomni to see it.

Too late now.

Gangle and Kinger fell into the pool of hippos before the ceiling crushed the remaining members. Game over. Too bad. So sad. Next channel.

Snap!

The Circus gang spilled out of Caine's portal, covered in bite marks, drenched in dirty water, and some filled with holes. Caine awaited their arrival, rubbing his gloved hands so fast that it caused his CPU to overheat. He lived off their criticism. Jax summoned a plate of nachos for Zooble's scheduled meltdown in T-minus three, two, one—!

"No more deathtraps, Caine! Seriously!" Zooble reached out to strangle Caine, who remained blissfully out of reach. "Puzzles are annoying enough without the threat of death looming over our heads."

"But Zooble! What's a little Adventure without the mind-shattering stakes?" Caine shook his colossal head and pouted. "Consequences make the Adventure more lively. No one important wants a boring Adventure where nothing happens."

Gangle raised her ribbon. "I do."

"Exactly! See my point! Numbers don't lie. Our viewers appreciate a good show." Caine snapped his fingers and reversed their injuries.

"What viewers?" Zooble cursed. "What show?"

"Sorry, a question for another time. I must be off now to plan our new hair-raising Adventure. Toodaloo!"

Poof!

Caine imploded on himself, turning into childish streamers that spilled over the traumatized cast members. The dull Congratulations banner that came with its own noisemakers really upped the anticipation. So fun. Everyone appeared worn out from another failed Adventure. That made the total five out of seven Adventures where they failed the objective and collectively perished. Tensions were beyond high. Zooble acted like a miniature volcano about to erupt, except that, without his immaculate presence, none remained to suffer their unforgiving wrath. Counting to ten lost its effectiveness once the one, two, skip-a-few number sequence began.

"Is it just me, or is Caine making the Adventures more deathtrap-y?" Ragatha asked, growing stiff in the edging silence. "It's not just me, right?"

Oh!

Group therapy. Jax's favorite part of the episode. The guiltiest of pleasures. He casually, calmly, and carelessly sipped some of his drink, eyes closed, feet crossed, and ears the right amount of droopy.

Gangle removed her Comedy Mask and scowled. "No. It feels like Caine's purposely pushing our buttons. Things are tough right now."

"Tough nothing. Caine's gone totally overboard on the team-building Adventures." Zooble scoffed and tossed themselves on the couch, growling each syllable. "One after another. Raised stakes. More death. Christ, Caine, give it a rest. Send me back to Spudsy's! Please! Or stop sending me on all the Adventures."

A perk Jax quite enjoyed. Without him around, Caine forced Zooble to participate in his wacky Adventures. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Someone had to fill his Jax-shaped spot. What a shame. Their sacrifice healed his bleeding heart. Jax raised his drink in salute to the virtuous Zooble.

"A toast to Zooble."

He added some spice to his drink in their impeccable honor, some of that burning eight percent alcohol flavoring. A little twirl, a quick shake, and his pina colada smelled of drunk driving. A quick snap turned his straw silly, and he perched it onto his lips, savoring the taste of giggle water. Nothing could sour his mood in paradise. He bet on it, eyes closed.

"I miss Jax."

What?

His eyes painfully snapped open, his drinking paused, and his ears shot up in red alert. The infinite cruise ship glitched to his sudden feelings. A palpable, knife-cutting tension filled the Circus's colorful lobby; Jax felt it through the aged screen. Suddenly, he sat straight up, entirely engrossed with whatever aftermath dared to follow because his massaged shoulders felt tense and knotted. Jax was locked in so hard on the brain aneurysm of a comment that the cruise ship and all the NPCs paused and muted themselves in a deafening silence.

"Excuse me?" Jax said. "Did I hear that right?"

Pomni missed him? What? No. A slip of the tongue, right? No one ever missed him. They remembered him. Talked B-E-E-P about him, sometimes commented how better things were without him, but never missed him. Ragatha, maybe on her happiest day. Kinger, possibly on a good day. Pomni and the others should prefer him gone. Someone even crossed out his plaque with the ominous red X. Even so, they rarely talked about him anymore. His name—his very memory—became taboo as time passed. Like a secret-secret, a tale told to naughty children about the elusive Boogiebunny! The black stain on the unattainable permanent record.

No one missed him. No one should miss him. He was unmissable. Not even a footnote. Jax wanted people to use his memory as an afterthought and nothing more. Even that was too much.

Somehow Pomni overlooked that memo.

Various eyes stared at her, a variety of befuddled expressions impressive for cartoon characters. Uh-oh. Aftermath incoming. Plot development as well. Jax tossed his liquor aside, preferring sobriety. Pomni appeared to shrink underneath the scrutiny, acting somewhat skittish, like a trapped animal.

Zooble made their disdain clear. "Excuse me? How could you say that without choking on your own vomit?"

"What? I do. Things have gotten pretty stale around here ever since he jumped ship." Pomni shrugged. "Everything's so scripted."

"Scripted?" Zooble repeated, scoffing, too. "In case you haven't noticed, it's been nice without him. No pranks. No abuse. No one's looking over their shoulder anymore, waiting for him to ruin things. Things are better without him."

Unconvinced, Pomni scowled. "Things are not better. I don't remember dying this much during Adventures. Everything is so boring. All we do is wait for Caine, go on Adventures, die, rinse and repeat. There's nothing to do! Is that your definition of nice? Better?"

"Yes, it is." Zooble rolled their eyes, threw their mismatched arms out. "Hear that? That's the sound of no Jax. And no one's complaining but you. Besides, who cares if we keep dying during the Adventures? That's how they usually end."

Pomni snorted. "Usually end? What do you know? You were never there most of the time when Jax was around."

That brutal statement dropped like a loud pin. Unneeded breaths got held, including Jax's, yet Pomni stood her ground and glared with venomous defiance. Mismatched fists shook against her side. She looked tired—no, worse—she looked exhausted. Utterly, depressingly, downright exhausted. Things became clearer when his screen zoomed in on her. Only now did he notice how much bigger the black circles around her eyes appeared. Thicker, darker, and heavier. When was the last time she slept?

Did Pomni sleep?

Jax stared a beat too long, roused away from Zooble's regained composure.

"Oh-oh! Now it's my fault that we keep failing?" Zooble approached Pomni and poked her forehead. "What? You want a gold star for completing Caine's bull-B-E-E-P Adventures? Are you missing the rewards? Is that the problem?"

"What? No! Of course, not! Who cares about the rewards?"

"Then what is?"

Pomni shoved the Zooble back and yelled. "I'm sick of dying! I hate coming back to be alone with my thoughts. Okay? Adventures, dying, boredom, and repeat is a vicious cycle; every bit of it is driving me crazy. Jax is a good distraction!"

B-E-E-P!

Uh-oh. Pomni said the C-word in that context. Driving me crazy was a one-way ticket to the loony bin, aka the deep, dark Cellar. Ragatha thought so, bringing her hands to her mouth and silently gasping. Gangle looked unsure, driven into a corner. Even the volcanic Zooble cooled her jets upon Pomni's declaration. Crazy, Cellar, and Caine all began with the dreaded C's, same as Circus.

A was for Abstraction. B was for Bubble. C was for Caine.

The deadly ABCs.

Those weren't fighting words.

Those were the last words.

They remained unconvinced; regardless, they sympathized with Pomni. "Was a good distraction, Pomni, was. News flash, he's gone. You've seen the screen, he doesn't care." Zooble's anger evaporated. The C-word had a way of draining the room almost as soul-suckingly as the A-word. "Go ahead. Miss Jax for all I care. He won't even pick up the phone. We're all dead to him as far as he's concerned."

Technically true. Jax admitted Zooble made an excellent point. Caine had snapped into existence that obnoxious-looking phone for them to call him, but the Bunny made it an unbendable point to ignore their calls point-blank. They heard his voice through Caine's globes and vice versa. An actual conversation, though? He only chatted with Sailor and the few NPCs he custom-built. At times, conversing with AIs became boring. Pointless. As much as he loathed to admit it, the human part of him craved communication, but he quit them cold turkey for everyone's own good and used the screen as an alternative method.

Apparently, Pomni was a glutton for punishment and missed his hijinks and hooplas.

There went his good mood. Jax spared a wide-eyed glance at Pomni's forlorn expression, feeling his nonexistent stomach knotting. Her fighting spirit had fizzled out. Fatigue crept up on her, ready to drop her like a sack of potatoes, yet she stubbornly remained standing and shunned the worried looks with a cold shoulder that was reminiscent of him. Head held low, the Jester kicked her feet and walked away from the group. His screen's projection followed her, reading his nefarious mind, and when Pomni reached her hollow door, for a meager moment, she looked toward his door and dropped the brave act right there.

He ignored the fleeting sensation of soft warmth flooding his systems that made the alcohol pale in comparison. Wow. Someone missed him.

Pomni missed him.

"B-E-E-P me."

...

Nighttime in the Circus provided little comfort.

The exact opposite; it left Pomni to drown in her disturbing thoughts. Nighttime never happened inside the Tent. Darkness refused entry. The bright colors desaturated. Everything got quiet in the worst way possible. Gloinks traveled during the off-hours. Too many unknown sounds echoed in the unexplored and forgotten hallways. One time, Pomni saw a dark, outline-free claw gripping the corner of a pastel hallway, beckoning her to follow into a soundless corridor.

That thing had given her the heebie-jeebies.

All things she had never noticed before, not until she stopped sleeping in her bedroom. She only used her room to seclude herself, often walking in circles to prevent herself from staying put and passing out. What Kinger mentioned during her first day was not true. Drowsiness beckoned to her like a sweet, sinful lullaby. Sleep was still a necessity. It called to her relentlessly.

"No. Stay awake." Pomni exited her room and closed the door. Gripping the handle, she sighed. "This is pointless."

Pomni felt like the embodiment of power saver mode. The fight with Zooble drained her batteries of what little energy she had left. All sensations felt sluggish. Spots began appearing in her vision. Every loud noise she heard felt like rusted nails on a church's chalkboard. Sleep deprivation truly was torture, an endless cycle of misery, like her life in the Circus.

Show up, head on an Adventure, roam, loop, and then repeat. Over and over again until Pomni inevitably lost her marbles. A mean headache had her clawing her face as she groaned and slammed her head against her door, worsening her migraine. Sleep sounded heavenly; she slumped against the sixty-four-bit hardwood and nearly cried, but what if Caine messed with her mind while she dreamt? The breakdown Jax had in the control room was more than enough to convince her to force herself awake. So, she had remained awake since that Adventure ended to keep Caine away from her brain. The weeks, however, began taking their toll.

Caine's Escape the Circus Adventure wrecked her worse than the others. Twice, she had the idea escape ripped away from her. The worst part about everything was that everyone seemed to forgive Caine. Forgive and forget, right? Right! Who in their right mind—that terrified the Jester. Things weren't adding up. Who in their right mind indeed. Genuine forgiveness or manipulated opinions? He lied about mind manipulation. Look at beloved Kinger. Temporary might be a lie, too. Her name! Hello! She knew his usage of modifiers was unforgivable, unjustifiable, inhumane. Pomni knew that, so she refused to sleep because that was her mind talking. She did not want to wake up with a different opinion. That left her one choice.

To never sleep.

The others slept too soundly.

Too refreshed.

Not her. Never again.

Everyone acted the same; the disdain for Caine still lingered. Zooble kept her aggression toward Caine's aimless Adventures as vocal as ever. Ragatha still focused on completing the tasks at hand, acting all jolly good in the face of bloody hells. Kinger played his part. Gangle's mask still broke. In the end, nothing changed. Things remained the same, and such a gruesome thought had Pomni nearly hyperventilating. After Caine's Escape from the Circus Adventure, the group bonded together with solidarity. What happened? One minute, they went on strike, and the next, they were B-E-E-P-ing and moaning like usual, as if that brain-breaking Adventure never occurred.

Pomni pushed herself away from her door. She needed a distraction, something to calm her nerves and keep her mind occupied. Not her room with a comfy bed inside. Turning around, she spotted Jax's crossed-out door and felt her lips falling. She missed him. She missed the distraction. She missed the chaos.

She also missed not dying on Adventures.

Three weeks without Jax turned this place upside down. Things got stale. Stale led to boredom. Boredom led to sleep. That led to Caine and then Abstraction, like the last Clown. No. She shook her head, pinched her eyes shut, and balled her tiny fists. No. Please.

Zooble was right.

Jax won. He beat the system. In a convoluted, twisted way, he escaped the Circus and defeated Caine, and accomplished it with quick thinking and sharp wits. Somewhere in the server existed an Access Denied subspace where Caine's godly influence did not reach. A safe space, however, the only connection to such a paradise constantly glitched, and the phone consistently went straight to voicemail.

The phone?

A distraction.

Weary eyes snapped awake. Would Jax pick up? A shot in the dark, but worth it. She began pacing toward the playroom to call the sly Bunny. Pomni gripped her squishy bell midway and squeezed, ignoring the noise of the others snoring. She swore Caine heightened their sound range to mock and lull her to sleep. What if Jax refused to answer? Everyone tried calling him once with no luck. Ragatha to say hi. Zooble to rant. Gangle to confirm him gone. Kinger because he found the phone neat. None of them made it past the dial tone. Everybody soon gave up and left it to collect dust, another forgotten prop.

Pomni frowned, shivering to the racket of things moving around in the darkened corridors. Glowing silhouettes of countless eyes observed her walk toward the lone phone hidden in a forgotten corner. Fatigued nerves tensed to a broken laugh. That sudden euphoria of adrenaline woke her up enough to lightly jog, turning into a full-on sprint once she spotted the blasted thing. She practically hugged the thing to calm her racing heart, no longer acting brave in this digital hellscape.

Gasping, she gripped the hotline like a lifeline and quietly sobbed into her call. "Please pick up the phone, Jax."

...

Jingle-jingle-jingle! Jingle-jingle-jingle!

Groan!

Jax grumbled into his luxurious pillow, hugging the purple cushion and pressing his face deep into divine softness. There went his dream of clobbering the pope, giving him the ol' one-two. Bastard lived to Pope another day. The ringing grew louder to spite him. His head turned to his digital clock, illuminating his growing glare.

"Who calls at three in the morning?"

He then belligerently turned his head toward the cursed object, squinting hard at the blue and red. It was an outdated rotary dial phone that turned into a miniature bootleg version of the person calling. The handset had morphed into Pomni's Jester cap, with the rest of the landline adopting her blue and red color palette. Kinger's looked like a minuscule crown, and Gangle's turned into an upside-down Comedy Mask with the mouthpiece for the handset, random nonsense like that. Not once had he ever picked up their calls, but never had someone rang at the dead of night.

It was the first call that he received in two weeks.

Perhaps he would finally disconnect the stupid thing. Jax only kept it around for the laughs. A token of the place he escaped. It literally acted as Caine's last-ditch hurrah to connect with Jax, one he tolerated for far too long. A quick settings change would have that thing disconnected for good.

Jax considered letting it go to his voicemail, which he had purposely never set up, turning his back to the annoying jingle-jingle ringing with his Bunny ears flat and covers pulled over his chest, yet slumber refused him. Not because of the annoying ringing, he slept through worse in the Circus, but—B-E-E-P—guilt of all things? Of all the people calling, it had to be PomPom, the one son of a gun that missed him. Three in the morning, no less. Grinding his teeth, he sighed. No. No! He was not doing this now. The Bunny sat up, seized the phone, and prepared to toss it out the balcony window.

Jax. Everything's going to be okay.

Then he stopped himself and angrily clicked his teeth. Stupid Jester. Fine! Gosh, Pomni! Pinching his forehead, he answered at the very last ring.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Jax added extra eyeroll to his attitude. "Take a hint, why don'tcha, Pomni?"

"Jax? Jax!" Pomni sounded as if she never expected him to pick up. An understandable reaction. She almost sounded breathless and relieved to hear him. "Jax!"

Just like that, she got him grinning. He was that easy? "That's my name. Don't wear it out."

"Jax!"

"Pomni..." Jax said slowly.

"Jax!"

Okay. Jax broke her.

Time to cut his losses. "Well, this has been a riveting conversation, but my bed's calling me. Night."

"No wait!" It sounded like she scrambled to hug the phone, but ended up falling off her bed or some furniture or something. She recovered fast enough. "Don't hang up!"

He tiredly laughed upon hearing the excitement in her voice, very much awake and alert. "Sure, sure. I'm all ears. But the second this gets boring, you're getting the dial tone."

"Just give me a minute. Okay?"

"Better hurry. Clock's a ticking."

Jax waited. He had nothing better going on, and absently twirled the extension cord with one finger. Sounded like Pomni was getting herself comfortable, probably all giddy and something-or-other. Not like he blamed her. The Circus had grown painfully boring without his hijinks. Short Adventures meant too much downtime. Ragatha no longer played damage control and was too much of a stick-in-the-mud for entertainment purposes. Shenanigans? Remember those? Everyone else paled in comparison to him. That left his favorite Jester to deal with her own inner thoughts, and in the Circus, that was a recipe for disaster. Also, Pomni couldn't cook to save her life.

He witnessed it firsthand not too long ago on the silver screen.

"So..." Pomni stretched and said a moment later, playing coy. "How's the cruise?"

He grinned, a sucker for coy. "Never-ending. Fun. Everything I want is only a snap away, and there's no one telling me what to do. No Caine, no Bubble!"

"I know. Caine gave us a screen to check up on you. Sometimes it works, sometimes there's static."

Huh. News to him. Another setting that needed his immediate attention. Sneaky, sneaky Caine. "Spying on little ol' me? How devious. Where's the privacy?"

She laughed. "What privacy? Caine's got hundreds of all-seeing eyes, remember?"

"Eck! Don't remind me." Jax glared in the darkness. "Good riddance. So happy to be free from that place."

A nerve got struck because Pomni was quiet-quiet for a beat too long. When she finally spoke, she sounded tired. "Jax? Are you ever coming back?"

He paused.

Figured this question would come up, he had only hoped for a bit more back-and-forth before it did. He sat up, flicking the lights on with a wave of his hand; this was why he refused to answer the phone, because someone's feelings would inevitably get hurt. Now, for the hard part, which sucked, because he liked Pomni and tolerated the others. Giving her the bitter pill to swallow irked him more than if he blabbed to the others. Plus, with the whole missing him thing, suffice to say, this really sucked.

"What do you think, shortstuff?" Jax hesitated. He allowed his words to sink in; no more beating around the bush. "Look, Pomni, I saw my way out, and I took it. It's a bloody miracle Caine went along with it."

"Yeah, I know." Pomni pulled the phone closer, sounding smaller. "We all waited for you to come back during the first week and yell out surprise, but you never did. That's when we knew you weren't coming back, and so Ragatha crossed out your portrait."

He whistled. "Rags, huh? Was there a funeral? Did you give an eulogy that knocked them dead? Be honest with me, Zooble declared their undying love for me, right?"

"Gosh, you're so stupid."

"I'm not hearing a no, PomPom."

She sighed, holding back laughter. "No. No funeral. No crying. Didn't feel right. Things kept going, Caine's Adventures got a bit worse, and he forced Zooble to join to make up for your absence. He still thinks you'll come back any day now to join us."

"And Zooble's just keeping my spot warm..." Jax finished, dropping the grin. "Classic Caine. What can I say, the people, they love me."

He heard her smile on the other end. "Sure, sure, uh-huh. So, everything at your fingertips? Has the power gone to your head?"

"Oh, you know it! Tomorrow I'll have the NPCs carve me a statue."

"Can't you just snap one into existence?"

"Sure, I can, but where's the fun in that? Nothing like back-breaking labor to build character, am I right?"

"Excuse me?" Pomni giggled. Music to his ears. "The back-breaking labor part is supposed to be coming from you, not them."

"Details, details."

They mindlessly chatted away into the remaining hours of the night, falling into an easy rhythm, right until Jax heard the haunting theme music Caine played every morning from the phone's speaker. He felt Pomni's disgust from the other end. The phone shivered. All the joy evaporated underneath the joyless music, and his good mood soured and died.

He gripped the headset. "Time to go?"

"Yeah. Caine's definitely got something planned." Pomni stayed quiet. It was a long moment after she spoke again. "Hey, Jax, any chance I can call you again? Same time?"

Every instinct in him screamed to say no.

N to the O.

N-O.

No!

"Fine. Whatever floats your boat, weirdo." Jax said instead, unable to deny such a request from the one person who still gave two B-E-E-Ps. "Maybe not three in the morning. Try earlier. And don't tell the others. I'm not a charity case. Don't need everyone else calling, thinking we're pals."

Her mood brightened immediately. "Okay. Yeah. Sounds good. Talk to you later. Bye."

"Ciao."

Click!

The purple Bunny harshly glared at the innocent ceiling. Slamming the receiver down did not improve his mood. It worsened it. Great. Smooth move, nimrod. Jax grabbed his face and pulled. That just complicated things. Attachments were bad. How many times did he need to teach himself that lesson? All of it felt like screaming at clouds and explaining to a brick wall why cooking things at higher temperatures did not make food cook faster. He rolled on his side, dropping the phone while cursing the artificial wind, feeling old man-ish.

Jax refused to lie to himself. All of his old habits sank to the bottom of the sea. That need to bury his emotions all but died once he escaped Caine's invisible grip. The all-nighter chitchatter had been fun, easy-going, relaxing, something worth writing home about, hence the problem. Connections equaled bad. It meant he cared. Pomni cared. Why the flying B-E-E-P did she care?

Why did she miss him?

People loathed him. No one missed him. A cruel joke! He half expected everyone to throw a raging party when he Abstracted. Jax would have loved to watch the others dance during his funeral, but they skipped the memorial and went straight to the name erasing. Jax was okay with that. He wanted that. Missing him was never part of the deal. Neither was caring. Jax grabbed his pillow and screamed into it, throwing years of repression into one vocal yelp. His body trembled between the octaves. When he finished, red-faced and sore, Jax clicked his jaw and thinned his lips into an unreadable line.

I'm learning a lot about you today.

Memories worked against him, like when they worked together or when they sang outside Zooble's door to mock them. All the times they hung out, the talks, the walks. Pomni holding her hand out to him—fine! Fine! Okay! Jax punched his pillow. One connection. Maybe he did miss the little gremlin. Whatever. The others could burn in a cauldron of boiling oil for all he cared. Pomni? If Pomni wanted her late-night powwow sessions, then whatever. He would indulge her, prove to himself and only himself he wasn't totally heartless. Even the Christmas-stealing Grinch had a heart for his pup.

He eyed his abused pillow, heavily considered the notion of sleep, but rolled his eyes and stretched his limbs. A flip on the bed, a toss of sheets, and Jax rested flat on his comforter, eyeing his surround-sound flatscreen. "Might as well see what kind of Adventure Caine cooked up for them this time."

Snap!

Oh? Steamroller Roller Derby with NPCs driving the machines, and the cast running from the pancake-flattening appliances. Once someone got flattened, the NPC kept running them over. Uh-huh. Oodles of fun. Kinger already looked like roadkill. Ragatha wasn't too far behind, ducking and weaving, gliding and sliding. Only Ribbons remained immune, already as flat as drawing paper. Anytime she got crushed under the weight of Tonka Tough steel, she got up, dusted herself, and resumed her headless chicken panicking. When Jax saw Pomni running to the best of her ability with such short legs, his stomach churned, and he snapped the TV off.

A bit worse sounded like an understatement of understatements. Caine called that an Adventure? Where was the goalpost? The reasoning? That wasn't mindless mayhem and destruction, only needless torture.

Tch! He clicked his tongue and rolled off his bed, walking out toward the balcony to stare at the repeating waves. Shoulders hunched. Jax gripped the handrail until the collision detection bent the metal. Feelings! Always the bane of his existence. Attachments led to Abstraction in the Circus. So, too, emotions and hope. Clearly, he learned nothing after Ribbit and Kaufmo. Jax kicked the rail and headed toward the five-star buffet to eat his feelings away and stuff them down his throat.

A quick pause at the doorway had him snapping the TV back on, just in time to show Pomni and Zooble the winners of Caine's Adventure. Zoobie looked annoyed.

Pomni looked doggone tired.

...

Pomni tossed her reward of miniature steamrollers into the nearest recycling bin and turned into the best couch potato.

Another grueling Adventure, another sleepless day. Her highlight of the day, no, the week, was hearing Jax's voice again after nearly a month of radio silence. It gave her the strength she needed to raise her middle finger to Caine's bull-B-E-E-P! For how long, she remained skeptical, enough to win the Adventure with stubby little legs.

Ugh!

Sleep. Pomni's eyelids felt so unbearably heavy, and the couch was too comfy. She left the smooth furniture and followed her routine for staying awake, a jog around the Tent before a deep dive into the digital lake. Bonus points if any of the other Circus members craved conversation. Small talk and board games were the best time killers. Pomni began her light run, stopping because Caine poofed into existence right in front of her, and she collided headfirst into his body.

"Whoopsie! Apologies, my dear Pomni!" Caine floated her to her feet. "Now, what's got you in such a hurry?"

She hoped her fear wasn't painfully obvious. "Oh, you know, keeping busy for your next Adventure, Caine."

"Staying light on your toes, I like it! No wonder you and Zooble won today's Adventure." Caine hovered closer, forcing her to arch backward. "But Pomni, it's come to my attention you haven't slept in almost two fortnights. A folly, a misdeed, a crime against nature, that cannot be left untreated. Sleep is essential for the human mind."

Oh? She nearly heaved, and swallowed down the bile working its way up through her throat. Caine was watching her. "Wow! You caught me, Caine." Pomni stretched her mouth into a Jax-like grin, finger gunning the Ringmaster. "Kinger told me we don't need sleep in the digital realm. Wanted to see if that was true."

"Technically, no..." Caine mussed, looking far off. "You cannot die from sleep deprivation, and the need for sleep is not necessary, but your mind can break from it. And as your Ringmaster, it's my job to keep your minds healthy and stimulated. Sleep is a priority, Miss Pomni, and you need it."

"N-No, I'm fine, Caine. Honestly."

"I insist."

He hovered closer to her, almost touching oversized gums to plastic skin. She took a step back, arms out. "How about I think about it? Okay? You know us humans, rascally rascals."

The Ringmaster eyed her, circling her like injured prey, before his mood changed. "Very well! Try not to think too hard about it. We wouldn't want your brains scrambled."

He said it as a lighthearted joke.

She heard it as a gut-wrenching warning.

"Yeah. Wouldn't want that."

"Good! Ta-ta!"

Poof!

Pomni suddenly gasped like someone who narrowly avoided a blood-curdling confrontation with a serial killer. Like bargaining with the Devil. She felt ghostly sweat cling to her porcelain skin, biting back a resurgence of the bile she held back. Eugh. Yuck. Miserable hands pulled on her tired face, and she groaned with the acquired knowledge that Caine watched her, biding his time until she fell asleep. Please, god, no. Someone, anyone, Pomni needed to talk about her woes with somebody who understood.

Her first immediate thought went to Jax, because if anyone knew how to screw the system sideways, it was him, but the idea of calling him so soon left her feeling sick. Pushing too hard after agreeing to chat later could push him anyway, and since he no longer lived across the hallway, Pomni refused to stretch her luck. That just left Ragatha. Sweet Ragatha always offered a shoulder to cry on. Pomni had no intention of spilling her guts out, only share in her suffering.

She quickly found herself knocking on Ragatha's door, and when she opened it, Pomni's smile felt more believable.

"Pomni? Hi! What brings you here?" Ragatha grinned with a pep in her step. "Something on your mind?"

"Nothing serious. Just came to hang out." Pomni answered. "If you're not too busy?"

"O-Oh! Not at all. Well, I was practicing my sewing—you know what! Come on in! Sewing can wait." Ragatha threw her door wide open. "Mi casa es su casa!"

Pomni quickly walked inside, snorting softly. "Spanish, huh?"

"Don't be too impressed, that's all I know."

She avoided the bed, sitting on a nearby toybox. "Really?"

"Yup. That and some French?"

"French?"

"Oui, oui!"

Pomni rolled her eyes, suppressing her giggles. "Of course." She eyed the sewing machine, too curious for her own good. "So, what were you making?"

"Oh, uh, just some miniature dolls of us. You know, something to kill time." Ragatha clasped her, looking mortified. "Embarrassing, I know. Imagine me, still playing with dolls."

"Embarrassing? Have you seen my room? It looks like a child's toy chest threw up. Everything's too big for me." Pomni crossed her arms and pouted. "No matter how many times I ask, Caine won't change it. He's such a douche."

Her friend gawked at her hostility, shrugging soon after. "Yeah, I guess, but Caine's not so bad once you get to know him. He really is trying."

Pomni hoped the betrayal she felt wasn't evident on her face. "Not so bad? He can mess with our minds. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Oh. Of course, right, what was I saying? I mean, Pomni, Caine's just as trapped in here as we are. I don't know..." Ragatha mused, unable to sense the tension. "Maybe cut him some slack? Staying mad won't solve anything."

Color drained from her face. Pomni felt sick to her stomach, carefully side-eyeing the exit so as not to spook Ragatha. "Fine, fine. No more talking about Caine. Can I see what you were making?"

"Of course!" Ragatha beamed, crossing the room with a jovial tune. "Take a look."

Pomni felt her overworked heart sinking into the pits of her squeamish stomach. Ragatha sewed a captivating rainbow with all the Circus members—Caine included—appearing jolly, reminiscent of Christmas spirit. All of it felt so off. So many alarm bells went off in her head.

Her diseased stomach dropped. "Are we all holding hands?"

"A friendship circle! See, there's Zooble, Gangle, Kinger, you, me, Bubble, and Caine." Ragatha said, seemingly over the Moon with herself. "Not my best work, I know. The colors are a bit off, and I missed a stitch here on Gangle's mask."

"What about Jax?"

"Who?"

B-E-E-P!

"Jax..." Pomni breathed, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic in Ragatha's open room. "Our lovable, purple jerk."

"Jax? Jax!" Ragatha said suddenly, blinking the stupor away as if the guy who tortured and traumatized her for years with her greatest fear was an afterthought and easily forgettable. Childhood bullies left bigger stains. "Yeah. You're right. Hmmmmm. Too late to add him now. Maybe next time."

You dirty liar! You scumbag!

Her sinking, disease-riddled stomach had a gut feeling that next time would never come. "Was just asking. Jax'd probably shoot himself in the head rather than join any friendship circle."

Her friend nodded. "Sounds like him. So, enough reminiscing, what'd you want to do?"

"Honestly?" Pomni rubbed her face and sighed. "Anything sounds good."

"Baking?"

"I take back what I said."

Ragatha snorted her laughter before noticing her face. "Pomni? You look worn out. Are you having trouble sleeping?"

She peeked through her fingers. "That obvious, huh?" Pomni huffed, looking at the carpet. "Nothing to worry about. Just some nightmares."

The Ragdoll bought the lie. "Nightmares? How awful. Oh! I know! How about a sleepover? We can stay up all night and reminisce about the good ol' days. Sleeping in pairs should scare away the nightmares."

A kind offer, one of which Pomni refused. "Maybe another time—!"

"I insist!"

Pomni fell back onto the floor when Ragatha suddenly appeared in front of her, far more people-pleasing than normal. Her friend loomed over her tinier figure, blocking the light and looking point-blank without blinking. That smile looked sewn on. The pit of her squeamish stomach nearly had her hiccupping in fear. I insist? That sounded suspiciously like Caine, and the mortifying thought knotted up her insides. Horrible memories came flooding back to her.

You can mess with our minds, too, can't you?

Pomni laughed weakly. "Thanks for the offer, Ragatha. Means a lot, but I hate sleeping with others around. Makes me jumpy. Then I can't sleep, which makes me grumpy, and the next thing you know, I'm biting your leg off."

The slow blink Ragatha did would haunt her nonexistent dreams. "Really?"

"Uh-huh!" Pomni scooted away, jumped to her feet, and gradually moonwalked toward the door. "So, if you don't mind, let's take a raincheck on the whole sleepover thing. As a matter of fact, I just remembered I had something to do. Bye!"

Pomni exited and closed Ragatha's door in such a hurry, not offering her friend the chance to say goodbye. Panic quickly set in. A deep tremor pulled on her insides. Wasting no time, she ran toward the digital lake without looking back or stopping for anything. It felt like countless eyes watched her dash across the Circus, a phobia setting in that made goosebumps prickle against her skin. Pomni refused to look, only slowing down upon reaching the shore.

She tumbled to her hands and knees and violently vomited out black goo, huffing and puffing on the static sandy shore while the digital tide gently washed away her vile. What. The. Hell. Just. Happened. Pomni heaved some more, tasting bile that burned. Why was Ragatha acting so strangely? She would never forget about someone or defend Caine, not after everything that happened. Why now? What changed? How come her stomach felt like it wanted to tear itself apart?

The Stupid Sauce, the vegan thing—God knows what else!

No, no, no! Too horrible to consider. Lies! All of it! Pomni clawed against her head in a frenzy, scratching like a woman possessed. Fruitlessly, she tugged at her Jester hat. Useless! Punching the sand soon followed. She threw all her uncontrollable emotions into each swing, pounding the sand bits into fist-shaped holes, yet none of it calmed her down. Her frustration only grew as a result of the utterly hopeless situation.

Scratch. The first Abstraction.

Another urge of black vomit dribbled forth. Pomni swore some technicolor spilled out, but the heavy black and digital lake washed it away before she noticed. B-E-E-P. Tears hiccupped out. Everything ached, from her oversized head to her empty bowels. The insufferable headaches had gradually turned into migraines, but now she felt sick. A burning sensation prickled against her spine. It burned unbelievably hot, resembling that of a processor overheating before the CPU inevitably shut down. A crash was coming. She felt it. Hopelessness gripped her neck in a suffocating vice grip.

Where was a beacon of light when she needed one?

"Yikes! Clean up on aisle five!"

That voice?

Pomni spotted the Sun hovering deceptively close to her back, the culprit to the third degree she felt through her plastic clothing. "Aren't you the Sun?"

"Wow? Short and dumb. A winning combination." The so-called Sun stretched her murder-loving grin. "Who else? The Moon? Call me Sunny!"

She felt her cheeks turning red from a mixture of embarrassment and rage. "Go away."

Sunny considered it for a brief second. "Nah. Watching you fall apart is far more appealing."

"Wow. Thanks. I'm glad my mental breakdown is bringing a smile to your face." Pomni huffed, throwing digital fake sand at her. "Please. Just leave me alone."

"Aww! Where's the fun in that? C'mon, beansprout, talk to me! What's got you so down and making a mess of my beach? Don't make me give you a sunburn."

Against all odds, Pomni's lips gently curved at the Sun's point-blank attitude. The AI pushed aside pleasantries and went cutthroat. Mince words meant nothing to her. She appreciated it. It felt genuinely human, not fake, which irked the Jester because everyone else back at the Tent moved too robotically, and most of them were supposedly human.

She sighed. Using her finger to play with the sand, she watched the remnants of the black goop wash away. "You'll think I'm crazy."

"Too late for that."

"Hmmmmmm." Pomni loathed how she drew an eye in the sand of all things. "Maybe I am, but it feels like Caine's messing with everyone's mind except mine, and he's just waiting for me to drop my guard to do the same. I know, I know, stupid."

The Sun got hotter on her back. "Crazy? Without a doubt! Stupid? I wouldn't say that."

She whipped her head so fast that her digital body failed to follow suit, turning Pomni's head nearly a half circle. "You believe me?"

Sunny rolled her happy eyes. "Duh. Caine's a piece of B-E-E-P on a hot summer's day! If it'll help the Circus, he'll turn you all into brainless buffoons."

Blinking, the Jester felt herself turning doey-eyed. Pomni's sickened insides warmed in gooey goodness. That hollow, wretched gut sensation paused. The Sun's crude statement had her suddenly caring. Having someone in her corner felt good, really good, gave her the confidence boost she needed to turn around and face the absurdity of the Sun full force.

"Wow?" Pomni brushed her hair aside, grinning in shoulder-untensing bliss. "Thanks for that. The way you talk about Caine, well, you and the Moon are nothing alike."

She never expected the Sun to roll her eyes, very much snort. "Puh-lease! Don't listen to the Moon, she's in love with Caine. She'll defend him until you all Abstract. And almost all of you fall for it hook, line, and sinker. Makes me sick."

What crass.

The nerve of the Sun. Insult after insult. Unbelievable. All of that came from the same AI that wanted to give her a nasty sunburn. Pomni readied a barb to defend the Moon when things clicked. Huh? Wait. Sunny made an excellent point. For an impartial observer, the Moon made many partial points about Caine. Love blinded others to the truth they refused to see. The Moon said it herself. She was a byproduct of humanity.

"You're right..." Pomni paused, blinked, and grabbed a fistful of fake sand. She sucked in air and nearly turned blue. "You're right. The Moon is in love with Caine. I remember her saying so during my first day."

"Exactly, shortstuff. Think the Moon cares more about you than Caine? Ha! Fat chance!" Sunny laughed. She spun and chortled like a madwoman. "Whatever load of bologna she's been selling you, you might want to check the expiration date."

She swore her vision turned red.

B-E-E-P! Pomni tossed the synthesized sand into the artificial water and growled. All those late-night talks with the Moon were nothing but spoon-fed lies. Acting all nice—caring—but always pivoting back to Caine to sympathize. All had been just an act; none of it was real. How foolish of her. Look at her playing the Jester. Whoop-whoop! She desperately clawed at her face and nearly cried. What kind of fresh hell was this?

"This whole time..." Pomni said after a moment, choking back vomit. "This whole time, the Moon was defending Caine, and I just didn't see it."

The Sun beamed. "Yup, yup! Never trust the Moon. Only the smartest ones know that, like Jax and the first clown."

She buffered. "Hold on. You know Jax?"

That question got her to smile brighter. "Know him? Ha! Jax and I hung out all the time. First-degree friends!"

First-degree friends? Pomni squashed her laughter because she didn't want a first-degree. Very cute. A fun lore drop, too. Who knew Jax chatted and spent time with the Sun? Pomni pictured it now, too, miscreants plotting evil deeds. Laughing, joking, and being terrible together brought her some knotty sense of comfort. She and Ragatha were both wrong. Jax still had friends, just not the conventional type. Somehow, she felt left out of his secret friendship.

Yeah, don't interact with the Sun. She's just like that.

Right now, she trusted the Sun more than anyone else in the Circus. Curiosity got the better of her. "You and Jax were friends?"

"The best of friends! He loved murder. I love murder. He hated Caine. I hate Caine. Before you showed up, Jax, Ribbit, and the sadsack would hang out with me every day. They'd tell me all about how they wrecked another one of Caine's precious Adventures. Those were the good days." Sunny didn't stop smiling; her eyes only grew sadder. "I miss him. I miss all of them."

She tried not to dwell on the taboo name drops the Sun said, focusing on the here and now. "Me too. No one else seems to care."

"This place will do that to ya."

"What happened to Ribbit and Kaufmo?" Uh-oh. Pomni quickly raised her arms out. "If you don't want to tell me, it's okay. Sorry if it's too personal."

Sunny rolled her eyes, appearing more human than the all-understanding Moon. "Pft! Feelings! As if that matters here! You want to know, shrimp for brains? Well, do ya?"

Really? Was it that easy? No one ever liked talking about the past members. "More than anything."

"Righty-o! Perch that adorable tushy in the sand and let Sunny tell the tale! It was a bright and sunny day—!"

"Wait!" Pomni yelled, panic-checking the surrounding beach environment. Things were too quiet. "Hold on. What if Caine's listening in?"

Caine's name usually provoked some reaction of apprehension. Usually! Not for Sunny. Instead of the typical doom and gloom that loomed, she went the juvenile route, howling with uncontrolled laughter that brightened up anyone's day. She spat in the face of their digital overlord.

"Ha! Good one! Kaufmo could've learned a thing or two from you." Sunny upped her brightness. "Caine's hundreds of all-seeing eyes can't look at me without going blind. And he's too scared to approach unless he wants a fourth-degree from muah. Stick with me, Clown, and you'll be safe."

Pomni smiled wholeheartedly. Feeling safe for the first time in weeks. "Y-You'd really do that? For me?"

"A-doy! A friend of Jax is a friend of mine!"

Oh. Her heart sank. "Jax and I aren't friends. Not really."

Whatever reaction Pomni expected from the artificial Sun, Sunny sidestepped it with a childish spit of her tongue. "Could've fooled me. Jax talked about you a lot. Even called you cool." Sunny simmered to a low heat, a gesture between just gals. "You should've heard him. Pomni this and Pomni that. What a sap. Then he got all moopey, complaining he screwed everything up. Something about him and his stupid, big mouth."

Hold up. Jax talked about her? Called her cool? News to her. Heat rose to her face, tickling her insides. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"Why would I lie? Lying's for cheats and crooks, not murderers. Poor Bunny looked so broken up about it. Almost as bad when Kaufmo and Ribbit Abstracted." Sunny suddenly eyed her, really stared into her missing soul. "Corruptible? Hmmmm. I don't see it."

"Corruptible? Where did that come from?"

"Jax. Duh. Complained about something that oversized ball of yarn apparently said. Corrupting Pomni or something. It really bummed him out." Sunny attached her thinking cap. "Happened right after that Gun Adventure. Yup, yup!"

Oh god. Information overload. Her head began to hurt. "Ragatha said that?" Pomni said. She racked her brain for such a memory, but nothing came forth. "Really?"

"Yeah. Then Jax got all moody, adopted the whole emo phase, and became a bit of a bummer. Wouldn't even change into a swimsuit because he stopped caring." Sunny hmphed. "Never pegged him as a party pooper."

All of it hit her all at once. She remembered that. Pomni remembered all of that. After the whole Gun Adventure, Jax stopped pulling pranks and hijinks altogether. Interactions came to a screeching halt. Smiles went away. A recluse interacted more. The Funny One turned into a walking cold shoulder; the life of the party, as Pomni figured, turned into a forgettable wallflower.

Ragatha played a part in that? Did her corrupting Pomni comment drive Jax to shove her away when she hugged the jerk of a Rabbit? For someone who thought of them as playthings, he sure acted distant ever since that little speech and treated her like radioactive material.

There's nothing more to me. So please, just stop looking.

Digital blood boiled. Wisps of cartoonish smoke sizzled off Pomni's avatar, fueled on nothing but adorable rage. If Ragatha had maybe mentioned that, then Pomni could've salvaged it, instead of playing footsie around Jax like broken glass, but no! She kept quiet about it, and Jax wasn't cruel enough to hit below the belt like that, with the only person he could converse with being the Sun AI. Of all the—how stupid could—for the love of—arg! Pomni started kicking the sand and stomping her feet, evolving from grumpy gremlin to grouchy goblin.

The Sun whistled. "Now I see why Jax thinks you're cool. Lots of fire in that tiny body of yours. Feisty. I like that."

Of course, the obvious AI saw it as a joke. Pomni wanted to pound something. Pent-up emotions spilled out of her trembling fists. Did the sand deserve a rematch? No. She sucked in a deep breath and turned her narrowed sights toward the Sun. Her Chomp-Chomp teeth only made Sunny ante up the smugness of her grin. Eventually, she deflated like a balloon. More important things mattered right now.

"Whatever. None of it matters anymore anyway." Pomni tiredly smiled and planted her bottom onto the sandy shore. "Please, go on about Ribbit and Kaufmo."

"Aye, aye, Madame President!"

Sunny spilled the beans for hours, ignoring the night cycle and acting as a globe of warmth in the cruel, cold darkness that the Moon overlooked. The Jester found it difficult to believe that Jax had a softer side, but the way Sunny regaled about him and his Abstracted companions spoke volumes. History unfolded before her. Ribbit had meant a great deal to Jax, and when Caine sent her to the Cellar, Jax changed for the worse. He had become aloof, distant, a rabid Rabbit who bared his teeth at anyone who dared approach. All of it was a lot to absorb, and Pomni had a habit of interrupting Sunny.

"F is for first-degree burns all over the body! U is for ultraviolet rays! N is for no sunscreen at all when I—!"

"Oh my god! You're ripping off SpongeBob." Pomni stopped, fluttered her eyelids slowly, and then pointed at the gloating Sun. Laughter bubbled out. "You guys had a friendship song? Lame."

"Jealousy's not a good look on you, short stack. Keep laughing, see what happens."

Pomni wiped a tear from her eyes, holding her sides. "Okay, okay, I'm finished. Anymore and I might bust a gut."

"That's the spirit! Rupture your spleen for my amusement. Do it."

Maybe another time. Pomni settled her razzle-dazzled nerves, riding off her oxygen-deprived high. "Wow. Those three idiots had a friendship song. Fun-ny."

"Yeah. Good times." Sunny smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Things haven't been the same since he vanished. Tell me, did Jax finally Abstract?"

"What? No." Pomni answered, snapping her full attention on the Sun. "Didn't you know?"

"Know what?"

Huh. Look at that. Pomni grounded her feet and fixed her lips into a thinned, dimpled line. Felt like she was going to pop Sunny's information overload cherry with this doozy, yet she owed the oversized ball of sunshine. On top of that, how often did she have the chance to share good news? The Circus rarely allowed for that.

"How do I put this? Uh, Caine tricked us, and we were all pretty mad about it. So, to make it up to us, he allowed us to make our own personal Adventure as a one-time apology."

The Sun edged closer. "Yeah? Go on."

"And, well, Jax tricked him into giving him a never-ending vacation Adventure where Caine's influence couldn't reach. Caine was so desperate to get on our good side again that he probably didn't even realize what Jax wished for before the Bunny was gone." Pomni shrugged her shoulders, going comical. Yup. Sunny heard her right. "And that's about it. Jax, in his own weird way, has escaped the Circus. And there's nothing Caine can do about it."

A stillness overcame the byte beach. Sunny adopted a factory reset expression, dropping her permanent grin entirely for something crass and lopsided, an uncanny valley of asymmetry. Pomni never fathomed the murder junky AI could produce such a reaction, a somewhat unnerving response for someone louder than life. If Pomni guessed her artificial battery life on it, she swore up and down that Sunny was rebooting herself. That blank utterance gradually morphed into the widest, largest face-swallowing smile she ever saw.

"That glorious B-E-E-P-hole! He beat those oversized pearly whites!" The Sun snorted, the Sun laughed, it giggled and bickered, all the while shining brighter than the itsy-bitsy stars. "Way to go, Jax! Show Caine who's boss! If only I could congratulate the bastard."

Sunny's sunny deposition was dangerously contagious as a computer virus. Pomni's cheeks hurt from smiling just as wide. "Here's a crazy idea. Would you like to talk to Jax again?"

"Boy, would I!"

...

One minute into her light run, and Pomni already desperately missed the protective warmth of the Sun, but Sunny's programming prevented her from entering the Tent. Retrieving the relic phone was a solo mission. In and out, nothing more. The Jester quietly tiptoed into the main lobby, quieter than a church mouse, almost within snatching distance when Caine popped into existence with a flurry of confetti confections.

"Pomni, my Jumping Jester, what has you roaming the hallways so late! You should be in bed, counting sheep." Caine circled her, summoning many eyes to watch her every move. "Are you still doing that silly no-sleep challenge? You silly humans and the hills you die on."

Pomni side-eyed the phone, feeling small and vulnerable. "R-Right! So close to my goal of a whole month."

He offered his hand. "Come now, dearest Pomni. Look at your eyes. Look at your posture. Why, the feeble wind can knock you down. How about you stop this silly nonsense and head to bed? A little shut-eye never hurt anyone. You'll feel better in the morning. I promise."

That promise stirred something primal within Pomni. Caine's crass, his sass, Pomni wanted to pass, holding her hands up like a wee little lass. "And ruin my hot streak now? What would the others think?"

"I wouldn't worry about that."

Color drained from her rosy cheeks. "What?"

"I, ugh, nothing! Forget I said anything." Caine clapped his hands, only to spread them apart with an assortment of sleep aid items within them. "As I was saying. Time for bed. Hop along now."

The items Caine summoned taunted her: a useless toothbrush and a hodgepodge of plushies of various cast members. When Pomni grabbed the miniature Jax plushie, it squeaked out a recorded line—Stop touching me, pervert—that earned an uneasy chuckle out of the shaking Jester. Close, but the real Jax would embrace the perversion if the joke landed with a sizable punchline. He flinched from the contact, not the spotlight, so Pomni shoved back into Caine's hands and backed away.

"Maybe later, Caine. I'm busy doing human things." Pomni racked her depleted brain for an answer, buzzing with an idea. "Too busy being a busy bee for sleep. Uh-huh. Buzz, buzz! Bye!" She turned around, bumping into Caine. "Eep!"

The Ringmaster hovered closer, gleaming with excitement. "Did you say bee?"

"... Yes."

"Spoinks! How wonderful! A fellow bee enthusiast!" Caine glomped her, spinning her around before dropping her flat on her rear. "Enlighten me, Miss Pomni! What busy bee human things are you up to?"

"That's..." Pomni stretched the sentence, eyeing Caine suspiciously. "None of your beeswax."

Caine processed the information for a moment, checking boxes, coming to an asinine conclusion when he hugged his favorite bee. "You're after my robot bee!"

She saw her opening and took it. "Darn! You've uncovered my evil plan. Foiled again."

"I knew it! You humans sure are crafty! Have you no shame?" Caine hugged her robot bee with love and affection that would surely make the Moon jealous. "Excuse me, I must hide my precious bee from your filthy hands. Goodbye."

Pop!

Phew! Pomni hugged her body and shivered. "That was close. Better grab the phone before he comes back."

...

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Jax tripped on his flashy-flash roller-skates, colliding headfirst onto the polished wooden floor. The annoying phone was to blame, appearing suddenly before he so much as skated around it. Checking his watch, he noticed PomPom calling earlier than expected. Fine. Whatever. Roller derby night was a bust anyway. A swift snap teleported him into his room. He killed the noise around the ship, changed his outfit into something less embarrassing, and answered.

Rays of harsh sunlight shot out from the video call's unfiltered screen, momentarily blinding the clueless Bunny. "Arg! What the B-E-E-P, Pomni?"

"Jax!"

That voice.

"Sunny?" Jax rubbed the pain from his burnt irises. He squinted, pupils shrunken to pinpoints. "Is that you?"

The intense glare weakened, revealing the murderous Sun. "Who else, dumb-B-E-E-P?"

God! How he missed that insufferable voice. Jax cracked a feral grin, feeling a million times better after the colossal tragedy of roller derby night. Not that it lasted too long, not until he spotted Pomni in the background. One plus one suddenly equaled two. Shrunken pupils somehow turned smaller.

He lunged forward and grabbed the screen, shaking it enough to drive a madman to seethe with jealousy. "Oh my god, what have you told her?! Answer me, Sunny!"

Pomni remained calm as a cucumber. She stood there, beaming brighter than Sunny's shimmering, B-E-E-P-eating grin, looking all smug as a bug in a rug. Jerk. She played it off well. Too well. Look at that punchable face. Pomni knew things, learned taboo no-no's not suitable for short Jesters. Only one person had blackmail material worthy of such an impression.

Sunny.

Sunny knew too much. Had no filter. Loved causing chaos for the sake of chaos. She muddled waters if it meant someone thought they looked fat in the reflection. One time, Sunny set the digital lake on fire to prove a point. She actually laughed at Kaufmo's terrible jokes. That was the deranged lady Pomni associated herself with, an AI who clubbed baby seals out of airplanes and then turned their rotting carcasses into custom baby seal leather boots.

Man, he missed Sunny.

Hearing her burning voice again, Jax never realized how empty the cruise ship Adventure seemed without Sunny there to set the NPCs ablaze and provide backstabbing commentary. Friends came and went, but not Sunny. Crap. Sentimentality never looked good on him. Jax tried to play it off, matching their smirks with his, yet the AI took it a step further. She hid behind the Jester, morphed her leer into something impish and telling, and wiggled her burnt eyebrows at him while not-so-discretely eyeing Pomni.

Mother-B-E-E-P-er!

"What do I owe the pleasure, ladies?"

Pomni waved. Dork. "Sunny wanted to say hi."

"Hi!"

"Hi..." Pomni added, too. "I'll just leave you two alone to catch up."

The Sun nudged Pomni. "Okay! Stay close by, shrimp."

Ugh! Jax wanted to throw up when Pomni offered Sunny a pathetic thumbs-up. Yuck. The urge to squish her into a ball intensified. Things only worsened. The bad Bunny felt a heart-to-heart approaching when the annoying ball of heat watched Pomni slip into a beach chair, gauging the distance before setting her intense sights on him.

"Jax. Caine's gone off the deep end."

"What? No, how are you doing? Or how's the weather?" Jax eased into a smirk, crossing his arms and dotting his vowels. "Ouch. My feelings are hurt, Sunny."

"Shut up..." Sunny dropped her smile, something only a worthy few ever saw. "I'm being serious here. Caine's lost it."

"So?" Jax scoffed, pretending not to care. "What else is new? Sounds like I managed to escape just in time. Lucky me."

"Pomni needs your help. Stop being an idiot."

He growled, flattening his teeth. "Going right for the throat, huh? Skipping the dinner and movie?"

Deflect, deflect, deflect. Jax kept at it, playing Sunny's game. He waited for her next quip, ready for anything.

Almost anything.

"Kaufmo and Ribbit are gone, Jax. Time to move on." Sunny glared with such heat he felt it through the screen. "Stop acting like a scared little Bunny."

The sheer audacity! "Excuse me?! Care to repeat that?"

"That spunky little Jester will be the last person to care about you. Ever." Sunny stared, almost burning a hole through his screen and creating black patches. "But once Caine gets his grubby little hands on her mind, she'll be gone. Forever."

Forever? Impossible. Jax heard better jokes from Kaufmo. Pomni was a moment of weakness. A sign that leaving the Circus was the right choice. So what if Caine scrambled her brains? All of them were doomed to digital purgatory, anyway. Just look at Kinger! Even he knew firsthand of Caine's trickery. No one left unscathed.

"Whatever! Who cares?" Jax's frown deepened the longer Sunny silently stared. His insides boiled. His ears turned to a crisp. "Not me! No siree!" Sunny said nothing. "Stop looking at me like that! Cut it out!"

Jax immediately snapped his mouth shut, hoping Pomni didn't hear him yell. Heat rushed to his face the longer Sunny stared. "Wanna know something?"

"Yes. Please. Tell me..." Jax sarcastically mumbled between coatings of pishposh. Arms crossed due to childish antics. "What words of wisdom do you have for me now, ol' great sage of the skybox?"

"I'm proud of you."

"... What?"

Sunny finally snickered for the first time. "What's wrong? Got cotton in your ears, Rabbit? I said I'm proud of you. You beat Caine."

Hotter warmth flooded his face and ears. Proud of him? Sunny was proud of him. For what? "Stop kidding yourself. No one beat Caine. I outsmarted him. I'm hiding in this area where he can't get me."

"Sounds like winning to me." Sunny said, watching him squirm from the praise. Her voice lowered. "Jax... that tiny Jester is running on fumes. Do something."

Come on. The PBS special? Now? How did Pomni and Sunny become such best friends in such a short amount of time? It took Kaufmo months before the Sun allowed him within ten feet. Here she was, though, tugging at his heartstrings that he thought he severed long ago.

Her version of the power of friendship involved layers of guilt-tripping. Name-calling, too. Followed by the gut-punching stuff. Mincing words fell upon deaf ears around her. Sunny dismissed formalities and ignored social cues, a stickler for rib poking. She played dirty, twisting dull knives into friends' backs while patting shoulders and sharing hallelujahs.

A cutthroat AI to the bitter end.

Damn Sun. Always knew how to wear him down. "Break it down for me. Why should I?"

"Let's see. You turned your back on Ribbit. You didn't believe Kaufmo. And now you're going to ignore Pomni." Sunny frowned, breaking character. That only happened when their pals Abstracted. "Are you really going to go for the third strike? After all the talks we had?" Jax had to look away, unable to answer. "Stop pretending you're a monster. Think it over. Okay? For me."

For me.

Jax had never heard Sunny ask for such a charity request, not in all the seven years he had known her. Maybe Ribbit and Kaufmo's Abstraction left their mark on her, too. Who knew? Better yet, who cared. Not him. Not anymore, but he promised to ponder it.

For Sunny.

"Fine. But don't hold your breath."

Sunny proudly smiled, like she already knew his answer before he did. "Good. Pomni! Come over here! Ask Jax about the time he lost a bet to Ribbit and Kaufmo!"

"On my way!"

"... I hate you."

"Aww! I love you, too!"

...

Week four.

Jax kept his stinkin' promise and mulled over what the blasted AI said. The obvious answer to allow Pomni to deal with Caine on her own became less obvious the more they spoke. Guilt gnawed at him. He blamed Sunny for that. Her tactics of manipulation involved hitting below the belt and sucker punching. Beating around the bush wasn't her style. Why did that sociopathic sphere care anyway? So what if he ended up alone? The loner life was for him, ever since Ribbit Abstracted.

Kaufmo losing his marbles only cemented it.

Regardless of his point of view, as flawless and foolproof as it was, he kept chatting with Pomni late at night. The guilty pleasure refused to abandon him, and his ego appreciated the smiling face whenever the Jester called. Using the screens to communicate worked wonders, but Jax still flinched every time he called, determined to avoid the Sun's blinding rays. Tonight marked the first full week of communication between the Bunny and Jester, and the cracks in Pomni's armor have only grown considerably worse since then.

Jax admitted Pomni took sleep deprivation like a champ, but she looked and acted like a zombie. She stopped participating during Adventures, going down the easy way. Socializing came to a halt. Ragatha and the others showed levels of concern; Jax witnessed that much through his screen, but all of it felt like an obligation. Sometimes they cared, often Pomni existed with them mulling about. Creepy. Downright terrifying, really. Caine cooked those minds sunnyside up. Now he understood what Sunny meant; however, Pomni never brought up her woes during their late-night chats, content with merely talking. He never pointed out her drained appearance, and Pomni never acknowledged it. Each day, she got worse for wear, glitching at random times with sunken eyes, yet she pretended not to notice.

Today's late-night session validated that point, except she occasionally forgot what they were mindlessly talking about.

It pained him to hear her slur her words.

Things worsened when she stayed quiet. Jax didn't like that he could mentally hear the rusting gears in her nearly collapsed mind turning. She had a habit of looking away when a shrill opinion entered, except this time, either through resignation or fatigue, Pomni's intrusive thoughts finally won. Her eyes dropped dangerously low with her head slumped in her palm.

"You know..." Pomni quietly mumbled, ignoring their previous conversation entirely. "I was actually relieved when you pressed the Red Button."

Jax's square pupils nearly encompassed all the yellow in his eyes. What? Where did that come from? They were discussing what Bubble's shrimp town possibly looked like, and she decided to drop a bombshell like that mid-convo? Relieved? Relieved why? He theoretically doomed them all to a life of artificial limbo. Clearly, her head wasn't screwed on tight enough. A slip of the tongue, a joke, a good one, too.

"Good one, PomPom." Jax commented, sucking in a breath. "Really had me there. You leg puller, you!"

She answered immediately. "Not a joke."

"Come again?" Jax asked. Nothing. "PomPom? You can't be serious. You, of all people, prefer the Circus? What about your life outside?"

She grunted. "What life? Doing a job I hated, exploring abandoned buildings because I had no friends? Crunching numbers all day to pay for a B-E-E-P-y apartment?" Pomni hollowly laughed again. "At least here, things were fun. I got used to the Circus. I had friends. I thought I wanted to leave, but when I was standing in front of that control panel, I froze up."

"Pomni..."

She lamely hiccupped, practically sobbing. "Then you did the most nicest thing... You pressed the Red Button for me. Everyone blamed you, and I know it's messed up to think about it, but I was so happy because I knew you could shrug it off and bounce back." Pomni's hiccupping worsened. "But then you left, and this place became hell."

She sounded drunk, a slobbering mess of mucus and drool. That made things much worse. Jax had trouble digesting the statement she dropped into his lap, unexpectedly feeling very not alone in the virtual world for the first time in forever.

What's the rush? You got someone waiting for you outside?

No.

Jax vanished off the face of the Earth without anyone noticing. No welcome back hugs awaited his return. A foster kid falling through the cracks of a broken system was a tale older than time. Friends? Ha! Yeah right. A cruel joke. Picking up and starting fresh came as naturally as breathing; no wonder he had no problem ditching the rest of his Circus freaks. If Jax had to pick which machine he wanted his Jax-sized cog to fit into, then he chose the computerized one. Ones and zeroes. B-E-E-P flesh and blood!

For a long time, far too long, he kept those hideous thoughts to himself. Pomni, though, understood him. They shared a likeness. He liked the Circus. She liked the Circus. She made cringe cool. Talking came easily between them. None of this sounded remotely like casual conversation anymore.

"Pomni..." Jax gripped the receiver, applying pressure and bending plastic. He refused to look away. "Why are you telling me this?"

The question hung in the air. It seemed to have horribly aged Pomni five years, robbing her porcelain skin of its sheen. Her eyes sank into their sockets, empty, drained, a shadow of the terrified Jester that first stumbled into their personalized Circus of hell.

Pomni couldn't meet his eyes, smiling sadly toward the floor. "Jax... I think I'm going to bed now."

A cold lump formed in his throat, pupils exploding in size. Rabbit ears jumped up on high alert. Jax actually skipped a beat, sucking in a deep breath of nonessential virtual air, and misremembering oxygen deprivation was not a thing. Legitimate fear gripped his cursed soul. He pressed his palms and face against the screen.

"Stay awake. Don't let Caine win." Jax said, filling the silence, speaking freely of the nightmare situation plaguing the Circus. "Fight it."

"Too tired." Pomni hiccupped, depleted, defeated, and downright miserable. "I'm not strong enough."

"Don't cut yourself too short, PomPom!" Jax uselessly joked. "Remember when you pinned me to the floor and almost choked me out? Plenty of strength in those short arms, believe me."

A laugh. A giggle. Pomni's lips twitched into a ghost of a smile, and Jax felt his Grinch-like heart cease. He saw it. Right before she ended the call, she waved her final goodbye, and for a split second, he saw blasphemous rainbows in her exhausted eyes.

"Goodbye, Jax."

Jax flinched. That tone. Her body language. Her eyes. That was no ordinary goodbye. That was a farewell. She gave up. Defeated. Beaten. She was on the end of her rope. Once Pomni closed her eyes and slept, Caine would have her at his mercy. The last person who showed an ounce of compassion for him was about to dig her own grave, and he watched from behind the safety of his screen.

I don't show up to any funerals.

He failed to save Ribbit.

He failed to save Kaufmo.

Those two knuckleheads were supposed to be his best friends, baddie buddies until the bitter end. Look what happened. The Cellar happened. Abstraction. Emotional instability. Cruelty. Jax hadn't shown up to their funerals, playing the part of the scared little Bunny, exactly as Sunny said. Only lowlifes lacked the backbone to say goodbye. He lived with that every day. So, it hurt twice as hard watching Pomni throw in the towel. She waved her last little wave, hid her breaking smile, and hung up, and Jax was left alone with his tormenting thoughts as the receiver's dial tone sounded more flatline than usual.

Weakly, his hand moved away from the receiver.

You're scared you'll actually show a human emotion!

Pomni's powerless smile appeared in his worst daydream, hopeless and defeated, with her eyes filled with deadly rainbows and her spotlight growing dimmer on the Abstraction-filled stage. Shadows pulled around daydream Pomni's ankles while Caine's puppet strings forced her to wave goodbye to him. Hundreds of Caine's eyes glowed in the dark, going from bleached white to kaleidoscope madness with one blink, yet, through all her suffering, through all the B-E-E-P-ed up turmoil, she waved goodbye and bid him farewell, brave enough to show human emotion in her final moments.

Why didn't you fight back?

Everything clicked right then and there. Showing human emotion petrified Jax, made him spineless, but losing Pomni to Caine's modifiers scared him silly. Regret he stomached. Guilt? Nah. That squeezed his neck and forced everything up. Pomni drowned in Caine's twisted Alice in Wonderland bull-B-E-E-P! If Caine wanted to play the crooked Mad Hatter, then this Purple Rabbit had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Jax grabbed the godawful phone and dialed.

"Not this time, Caine."

...

Pomni quietly sniffed with a wobbly smile that lacked any warmth.

Going off on a high note sounded perfect.

Turning, she yawned and raised the white flag. At least she and Jax shared a few good memories; she would remember this.

Hopefully.

Jax would.

That annoying jerk of a Bunny was safe from the unrelenting AI Ringmaster. That left some semblance of lingering hope. A tinge of jealously irked her, but someone—she forgot who—mentioned Jax had been trapped for nearly seven years. Only outclassed by Kinger and Ragatha. So, she was happy someone metaphorically escaped Caine's modifier clutches. Oh well. Not that any of that mattered for her anymore. Pomni eyed her comfy bed like a colorful coffin, smiling like the sad Jester. It beckoned to her with poisonous promises to shush the negative thoughts. A month. She lasted a whole month without sleeping and silently telling Caine to B-E-E-P off. Pomni hollowly laughed, her crowning achievement. Ha. Ah. No more. She was tired.

Time to sleep.

Ring-a-ding-ding! Ring-a-ding-ding! Ring-a-ding-ding!

"Uh—what?" Pomni nearly jumped out of her Barbie skin, nearly scared into an early Abstraction. "The phone? Jax is calling? Can't be. I must already be dreaming."

Dreaming, nightmare, Pomni had trouble deciding because the obnoxious ringing grated upon the ears. The sound the storybook phone made demanded an audience with how loud it bolstered in her childish room. A closer inspection revealed that the cartoonish device had turned into a miniature Jax-style contraption with his huge, yellow smile replacing the receiver. Goodness gracious, the purple glowed like an eyesore on concave pupils, yet Pomni approached the whacky appliance like a lifeline, feeling relief overflowing into her coding.

She dared to hope and numbly answered the call. "Jax—?"

"PomPom, listen carefully, go into my room!" Jax said it so seriously, pumping her up with last-minute adrenaline. "Trust me. Do it. And don't ask questions."

She slowly blinked, feeling her fictional septic organs fill with an ounce of life. "I-I... what?"

"Go into my room and look underneath my bed."

"Can't." Pomni sounded sheepish. "Everyone's already tried. Key's missing."

"No, it's not." Jax then coughed, sounding embarrassed on the other line. "Check underneath your blocks."

"My blocks?" The ABC ones that made her feel childish and small? Pomni moved toward them and kicked the stacked pile, turning red when a purple key glimmered from underneath. "W-What? This whole time it was here?"

"I know, I know, I'm all that and a bag of chips. Praise me later." Jax whispered extra loudly. "Now, hurry up before Caine catches on."

"... How do you know he's not listening now?"

"You wouldn't have found the key. Stop talking and move your B-E-E-P already. And keep it hush-hush."

The urge to yell okay quickly came and went. Still, Pomni rolled her eyes and moved it. Tiptoeing out of her room, she approached Jax's abandoned door, and the key magically unlocked a forbidden chamber once thought lost. The loud click of the handle felt too loud. Pomni held her breath in case Caine showed up, but the AI apparently had other obligations eating away at his time. Good. Good! She went inside as quietly as possible.

Under the bed, under the bed, Pomni mentally repeated, pausing only to pilfer a quick looksee at Jax's room. A treasure trove of props filled a lone corner, definitely from past Adventures, but except for that, it looked cozy. Soft colors, pastel rainbows, and a star-filled ceiling had her jealously coloring her face green with envy. No. Wait. A swift glance at his dollhouse had her still holding her breath. Oops.

Okay! Sightseeing done! She checked underneath his bed and discovered only one item. When she returned to her room, after silently trekking across the hall, her disappointment flourished on the phone.

"A Jack in the Box?"

Jax tut-tut on the other end. "A Jax's Box. Totally different brand. Patent pending."

"Right..." Pomni rolled her eyes so hard that it made her headache throb. She pinched her lips and squinted, shaking the stupid thing. "And what am I supposed to do with it?"

The item in question looked unquestionably like a miniature Jax, only in box form. Purple and fuzzy around all the corners with his guilty grin on full display at the top, the twisting handle resembled his arm, including his fluffy tail squished on the bottom. What a hideous thing. Adorable in its own, sure, but it carried with it an ego big enough to fill the digital lake. What Pomni cared to know was how he crafted such a thing in the Circus. Objects rarely allowed for changes to their properties, or conked out like cube physics. Pride radiated from the thing.

"Call it my last great prank. My coup de grâce. Couldn't tell you how many weeks I spent on that one." Jax sounded way too proud of himself. "It's curtain call, Pomni, and you're my lovely assistant. All I need you to do is wind it up in the main hall and hurry back to your room. Think you can do that?"

A prank? Seriously? Pomni felt her cheeks glowing honeysuckle red in tapestry embarrassment. A pinch of range managed to mix in there, too. For a second, she actually felt hopeful, believed in something. Nope. Life made zero sense. Until the bitter end, she would never understand the Jerkwad.

"A prank, Jax? That's what all the trouble was for?"

"Trust me. Please." Jax grinned from the other line. It almost sounded staged. "Hurry up. Move those stubby legs."

She raised a brow. Whatever Jax was planning, he did not want Caine to catch whiff of it. Curiosity did nibble on her conscience. "Fine."

"Great! The timer's set for an hour. Set it up and then hide in your room."

"Uh-huh."

Pomni cranked the lever until it got stuck and refused to budge. Good enough. A tick-tick bomb sound ticked and jumbled her nerves. She ignored it, tactfully slipping into the main room without uttering a noise except for the tick-tock clickety-clock. Luckily, Caine never appeared. She dreaded the implications behind his absence, fearing for the others, but Pomni swallowed her woes days ago. Mourning for them now mattered naught. Instead, she huddled back into her room, a little angsty at whatever the Jax's Box contraption did.

"Back..." Pomni mumbled into the phone, noticing her adrenaline wearing off. "Now what?"

"Now, my lovely assistant, we wait for the show to begin." Jax's smirk made the receiver smirk, too. "Stay awake."

She crossed her arms and huffed. "Like I'll miss this."

"Good. Keep radio silence until then."

Click.

Pomni stared at the noiseless phone, gnawing her lips. Radio silence? Easier said than done. The weight of her eyelids trembled. Sleep. She wanted that so bad. As of five minutes ago, her room included a soundtrack, the music used to lull fussy children to sleep with its soft, hypnotizing melody. The once harsh color saturation of her space appeared docile and easy on the eyes. Glow-in-the-dark stars covered her ceiling. Pomni felt a subtle pull toward her bed, somewhat similar to when Caine summoned them. The gravity it had was weak but constant.

Pillows made of dolphin dreams. Sheets crafted from seamstress silkworms. The warmest glass of milk. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right. All gift wrapped with a plate of nom-nom cookies handmade by Caine himself. The Jax plushie was just a bonus for her to snuggle-cuddle. Everything Pomni wanted and more spread bare on a linen sheet. Caine even went the extra mile with a note saying she could skip today's Adventure to catch up on her Zs.

She never saw more obvious bait.

Nope, nope, nope. The Jester craned her neck and walked in endless circles to keep herself occupied, like a caged animal at a zoo. The last hour felt like the longest ever, and the longer she paced, the darker the sounds outside her room became. Laughter, creaking, pots and pans falling, each noise freaked her out, but she stayed within the cocoon of her bedroom and hugged herself to combat the calculating cold that infiltrated her space. Whatever prank Jax planned, better leave a scar, something so memorable that no amount of noggin scrambling could ever erase it.

Pomni whimpered a pathetic sound, clutching her head tight, wishing for nothing more than to keep Caine away. Everything seemed so hopeless. She had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and nowhere to—!

Rumble!

Squiggly pupils blinked away. A harsh soundwave vibrated throughout the Circus, temporarily destabilizing the coding of the entire Tent. Walls loaded and unloaded, random objects glitched, the ear-piercing music from the main hall skipped a few beats. Then she heard something resembling buzzing, not white static, but more of a busy-busy bee level of humdrum coming from outside her room.

Pomni peeked outside her door and nearly Abstracted herself silly from sensory overload.

Hundreds—no—thousands of bees exploded out of the parcel, gushing out with a hot spring of purple glop that drenched the entire playroom in slop and gop. So much of the ooze kept spilling out, and Caine was beside himself, floating on cloud nine as countless bees swarmed him from all sides. Other Circus members exited their rooms to see all the commotion, stunned and silent as purple gunk gradually spilled into the hallway.

Then the Jax's Box exploded in a display of untamable of fury, spreading the purple sludge everywhere. Sticky, messy, purple goo encompassed the whole buzzing playroom, trapping the elusive Caine, who giggled as so many bees swarmed him. Trapped or not, Caine clearly enjoyed it and made no move to free himself. Pomni stayed deathly silent. Leave it to Jax to booby-trap his toys with explosives.

The others began leaving their rooms to check the hullabaloo, and Pomni attempted to join them, fueled awake with a shot of adrenaline fueled by piqued interest, except she felt a hand tug her Jester bells and shimmy her inside with a soft click of her door. A gloved hand covered her mouth before she screamed, shushing her silently with a familiar voice that had her pupils dilating. Gasping, she glanced up, going still when squared pupils and yellow sclera greeted her.

"Yo."

"Mghmg!"

Jax pressed his hand harder around her mouth, going rigid with his ears on high alert. "Shhhh. Don't let Caine hear. Quiet."

Pomni hesitated, paused for a brief moment, and nodded. Jax squinted hard, eventually releasing her. He backed away, creating some distance. In the darkness of her room, he hid like some ninety's cartoon character. The traitorous, elongated shadows hid a generous portion of his upper body, eluding everything except the yellow of his piercing eyes and the squinty shape they adopted, as well as his widened torso. Apparently, his avatar got an upgrade and bulked up. Then his golden grin appeared in the telltale darkness, stretched and familiar.

Most of the scary factor got lost upon noticing his utterly ridiculous pajamas. The power of Caine, Jax could've chosen anything, even salmon sweats, yet he went carrot orange with the drawstring vegetable green. All of it was so utterly ridiculous that unrestrained laughter nearly bubbled up, yet Jax's switch to panic-manic had her clamping her mouth shut.

"Jax?" Pomni softly muttered, thick with disbelief. "Is it really you?"

He crossed his arms and struck a pose. "In the digital flesh, PomPom. Please, save your applause for later."

She almost ran up to hug him. "I, uh, how? What? Jax, what are you doing here?"

"No time. Questions later. Pack your bags. We're leaving." Jax tilted his ears toward the door, listening. "Now would be a good time."

Did she hear him right? "Leaving?"

"Running away from the Circus." Jax snapped his finger, and a dazzling portal opened up in her room. It smelled of sea salt. "Away from Caine."

Oh? Oh. Oh! She gasped. Impossible. Jax planned all of that to save her? Hot tears swelled in her eyes, accompanied by a beaming smile that flustered even the unflusterable Jax. She took one step forward, fighting every urge to hug him, only to stop when someone knocked on her door.

"Pomni!" Ragatha gently called. "Are you there? Something's happened."

Ragatha? Now? What rotten luck. Pomni turned to Jax, knowing she had to ask. "What about the others?"

Jax gritted his teeth. "No can do. Can't risk it. Who knows what modifiers Caine's implanted in all of them?"

"But Jax—?"

Jax leveled down to her height and poked her chest.

"Listen here. The portal to fun under the Sun and away from Caine's BS closes in T-minus eight seconds. Stay here and deal with Caine's Adventures until the day you Abstract, or join mine. Away from Caine, away from all this. Make your choice." Jax waved away with his B-E-E-P-eating grin, entering the portal. "Buh-bye!"

A timer suddenly appeared in her room, ticking down from eight seconds. Ragatha's knocking grew into a tantrum while the portal to Jax's Adventure painfully shrank and glitched. Pomni moved. She offered a final peek over her shoulder as she slipped into the portal, mouthing goodbye before the gateway closed behind her. Then the Circus' Jester was gone, running away with the Hare in the hat. Meanwhile, a certain gift left behind through Jax's cunning awoke with kaleidoscope eyes and a charred body.

...

Jax would never admit it, but the relief of seeing Pomni crossing the portal's threshold was damn near therapeutic.

The breath he held slipped out when she came crashing into his private room. She flopped like a fish, face-planting against the hardwood floor. Funny. For a hair-splitting second, he believed she stayed behind. The portal nearly closed around her. In all fairness, Jax half-heartedly expected it.

He saw the fight in her eyes the instant Rags knocked on her door. Bells and whistles went off in her bed, shifting Pomni into a savior complex that would have doomed them both, some of that annoying all-for-one, one-for-all children's fairytale nonsense that made for eye-rolling arguments. So, right before she steeled her nerves and rediscovered her backbone, Doctor Jax administered twenty ccs of tough love and offered her an impossible choice. Stay behind and become Caine's plaything, or join him and escape the Circus. As much as Pomni believed herself a, quote-on-quote, good person, self-preservation always squashed useless morals into the dirt.

Whatever. Water under the bridge. None of that mattered anymore. Good riddance. Pomni was here. Caine was there. The plan worked, and Jax whistled above Pomni's groaning form.

"Oh? Wow. You actually came. Tickle my funny bone and call me Mary, I didn't think you had it in you." Jax dropped the showmanship, sighing. "Seriously. Cutting it close there."

"Ugh..." Pomni got to her feet, rubbing her face. The realization of what just happened finally hit her, and she was staring wide-eyed at him. "... Jax?"

She adopted that puppy dog lost expression, silent and derpy, too busy absorbing the information overload to formulate a response. Weirdo. A bit ungrateful, too. Sticking his neck out was not part of his M.O. Stunned silence came with a certain charm he appealed to, but nothing outdid an over-the-top grand gesture, and Jax craved his buttered praise.

"Welcome to my Adventure!" Jax motioned, throwing caution to the wind along with his arms. He summoned a child's chair and pushed her into it with his foot. "Take a load off. And wipe your feet."

"Oomph! Hey, watch it!" Pomni growled, smacking his foot away. Wordlessly, she examined the room, turning softer the longer she stared. "I'm really here. Your Adventure."

"Yup. Knock yourself out."

Of all the things Pomni scrutinized, it was the starry night sky outside his balcony that stole her attention. She quietly walked out to observe the sky, noting the glittery Moon was not, in fact, an AI model. An endless sea of pixels and bits looped. Jax watched her, perched himself on the patio's railing, and watched her take it all in. Pride bloomed in his chest upon observing shock turn into bliss. Stunned silence he enjoyed, but watching the life return to Pomni's eyes had the old ticker thumping.

Out of nowhere, she gripped the handrail and screamed into the endless blue. Sounds of joy were music to his ears. Yeah, this Rabbit remembered yelling out, too. It got the blood pumping. It felt good. Really good. So good, in fact, that Pomni released a second and third one, screaming herself silly until her voice went hoarse. She began to laugh, hiding tears she thought he didn't notice. Something resembling panic eventually snuck up on her.

"Wait!" Pomni coughed, gasping, remembering the terms Jax made a long time ago. "Caine really can't get here? Are you sure?"

He smirked, offered a hand toward the open air, and showed teeth. "Try it for yourself."

She looked unsure, probably not wanting to jinx herself. "Caine!"

Nothing.

"Ah..." Jax said, waving his hand around his ear and grinning. "Hear that? That's the sound of no Caine. Go ahead. Give it another go."

Pomni did. The little gluten went for thirds and fourths, growing more upbeat between each syllable. Her giddiness was contagious. The little dance bordered on adorable. So much escaped those iron lungs of hers. The best part? Not a sign of Caine anywhere. Only seagulls and lapping waves resonated back. The Circus felt so faraway. Ha. Yeah. Jax remembered his first night.

Pomni finally stopped screaming like a murder victim, gasping with her hands gripping the guardrails. "What now?"

Eyes rolled in a jolly good mood. "What else? Sleep first. Grand tour tomorrow."

"Sleep..." Pomni's voice thickened with exhaustion. She rubbed her eyes and moaned. "Yes, please."

He saluted, adopting a butler's accent. "Coming right up, Madame President."

She giggled, biting her lip. "Cringe."

Snort! "You're cringe."

Her lips wobbled into such a rare smile, lasting only two heartbeats. "Hopefully Ragatha doesn't panic too much with me missing. That prank you did should keep them distracted for a while."

"Oh? Yeah, no, don't worry about that. Rags and the others are probably busy dealing with an Abstraction." Jax snapped his fingers, and the screen to the Circus appeared. It showed an Abstracted creature running amok. "See!"

Pomni gasped. "Oh my god! Who Abstracted?"

"Huh? Oh. No one. That's just an NPC I made to look like an Abstraction." Jax rubbed his knuckles on his chest and winked. "Clever, huh? Think of it as your prettier, smarter, older sister."

Jax could almost hear the dial-up tone rebooting her brain. Pomni gawked, jaw hung in cartoony fun. "You faked my Abstraction?" Pomni gasped, then gasped louder and pulled on her hat. "Everyone thinks I'm Abstracted?"

"I believe the words you're looking for are thank you."

"Jax!"

"How else was I supposed to get Caine off your back? It's one thing if he can't get to you here. It's another thing if he keeps trying to get to you here. Who knows what kind of guilt trips he'd make the others do? Or worse." Jax pointed at the screen at the clearly unconcerned Ringmaster who just sent the NPC packing. "Caine thinks you've gone off the deep end. As far as he's concerned now, you're dead to him."

Besides, Jax covered all his bases. The little encore he left behind would tie up any loose ends. Not a perfect plan, a B-tier movie heist at best, yet it worked flawlessly. He saw it. She saw it. Caine believed it. Everything fell into place, mimicking the mighty long-shaped block of Tetris. He witnessed the gears turning in that big ol' head of hers. Jax grunted at the lightbulb appearing above her, snickering on the outside.

"What if he checks up on you and sees me here?"

Cute. Pomni pulled desperately at straws. "Not gonna happen, Pomni. After your funeral, I'm cutting off ties with the Circus. Permanently. No more screens."

"No more phone."

"Exactly." Jax crossed his arms and scowled. "Knowing Rags, she'll call to give me the horrible details of your Abstraction. Say whatever you want to her then, or don't. Your choice."

Jax almost summoned an old-timey camera because Pomni looked like a fish out of water, blinking and gasping in between. No rush. Watching her, Pomni turned toward the ocean again, squinting as a bright sunrise slowly engulfed the ocean line. Small fingers gripped the handrail, shaking. Even more of the bright Sun overcame the horizon, gradually engulfing the pocket dimension with soft colors of reds and blues.

"Don't take this the wrong way... that's kinda a lot to take in, Jax."

He pinched his lips into a thin line. "Sleep on it. After all the damage we caused, it'll be a while before your funeral."

The second motion of sleep hit Pomni like a freight train. Fatigue tugged at every bit of her. All that last-minute adrenaline trickled out of her system. She desperately tried to keep her bravefront, a fighter until the bitter end, but without Caine's presence lurking in the dark corners, her tense shoulders loosened. Safety radiated out of her. It reeked of the power of friendship nonsense. Jax still basked in, but under protest.

Pomni sighed, slumping her everything. "Sleep. I could go for some of that." She then frowned, shielding her eyes from the blistering, ocean sunrise. "Too bad it's so bright out."

"Silly, PomPom, allow me."

Sunlight shifted into moonlight with a quick snap of his fingers and wouldn't return until Jax allowed it. The sounds of the ship muted as well. Only the background noise of the artificial waves dared to enter the bedroom, fearful of Jax's domain. The novelty of Caine-like powers had grown dull over the month, but Pomni's star glistened face made it worth it.

A conversation for tomorrow.

"First things first, we need to get you out of this clown getup. Cramps the vibe." Jax clapped his hands and sized her up. "Let's see here. What are you? A size pipsqueak?"

Pomni glared with a smile. "Ha-ha. A small."

"Really?" Jax squinted and pinched his fingers in front of his eyes, squishing Pomni's figure from his line of sight. "Because you look like a pipsqueak, maybe even a halfpint."

"Jax!"

"Hey, hey now, don't sell yourself short now, PomPom. With a little more elbow grease, you might be able to live at Shrimp Town." Jax flashed his award-winning smile, patting her on the head. "Speaking of shrimp, I believe we found your size."

"... Jax."

He played coy. "Hmmmmm?"

"Don't call me shrimp."

"Oh yeah?" Jax liked the back-to-back. "What are you going to do about it, shrimp?"

Pomni glared upward at him, walked up to Jax, and then kicked him in the shin. Right when he bent down to massage his pain, she grabbed his overalls and forced them eye-to-eye with a sweet, summer smile.

"This." Pomni then headbutted him. Stars filled his vision, and she hmphed. "The proper term is fun-size."

Feisty little thing. Jax wheezed. "Fun-size. Got it."

She looked proud of herself. "Good. Now, you mentioned new clothes."

"Slave driver..." Jax grumbled. He dragged her inside. "C'mere, you fashion-don't."

"Fashion-don't?" Pomni laughed. "This coming from the guy dressed as an oversized carrot?"

Clearly, evidently, without a shadow of doubt, Pomni possessed no claim to fashion. Not her fault. Uneducated peasants didn't understand quality, another thing for Jax to remedy. He modeled her dead center inside his luxury suite before circling her like the hungry-hungry vulture. Spunk prevented her from shivering like the pathetic fish in a barrel.

Good.

The digital world could always use more moxy.

Flicked! Away went her Jester cap. It amused him that his guest looked at the discarded headgear with such awe. Pomni briefly touched her hair, wide-eyed, speechless, too, hat-free for the first time. Headpieces and Pomni went together like peanut butter and jelly, a staple of Caine's spankin' Adventures. Choosing their own clothing was the first thing Jax altered on the cruise, a sense of freedom to dress to the nines or bumming it.

Whatever. Time for the grand finale. "And a one, and a two, and a..."

Jax set the not-so-random randomizer for sleepwear to cozy and safe, perched his index finger on top of her head, and spun her around his finger like a cartoon ballerina. Spin, spin, away she went, twirling and swirling until she nearly hurled. A Jester setup spun in, but Pajamas Pomni spun out, falling face-first against his waxed hardwood floor. Cartoon spirals spun above her collapsed form as she groaned, eventually twisting her head to quietly scowl at his smirking physique.

"Gee, thanks, Jax, appreciate it."

"Anytime. Up, up, now. Unless you plan to sleep on the floor."

She grumbled-mumbled before fumbling-bumbling to her feet, beyond tired to partake in anything resembling witty back-and-forth banter. No problem. Jax very much preferred her speechless reaction to her new wardrobe, anyway. Wide-eyed highs always made up for grumpy lows. Unlike Jax's manly pajamas, Pomni's subconscious opted for an oversized shirt that showcased one of her bare shoulders. The half-red, half-blue clothing went past her waist, stopping partially at her thighs. Jax almost confidently deduced she wore a pair of shorts underneath. No socks. Barefoot only. Pomni was probably too exhausted to realize Jax's Adventure gave her a more feminine figure with softness and curves, a far cry from the smooth, safe Barbie aesthetic Caine's family-friendly Circus demanded of them.

A tomorrow discovery, one he knew she would jump for joy at.

"Oh, wow."

Pomni pulled on her shirt's bottom, spinning and twirling so she could watch the static fabric bounce around. Compared to her Jester costume, the loose-fitting shirt probably felt good to move around in. Jax knew he fell in love with his sweatpants the minute they materialized.

"Impressive, huh? Just one of the perks of this Caine-free Adventure. Praise me whenever."

She grinned. "And give you a bigger ego? Pass."

"Truly hurtful."

"Poor baby."

Jax returned the grin, having way too much fun. "Time for bed, fun-size. There are plenty of empty rooms outside. Take your pick."

Her shoulder slumped at his passive dismissal. "Oh. Okay. Goodnight, Jax."

She yawned between her goodbye wave, with her smile failing to reach her eyes.

Fear clawed within his chest. Pomni looked like a house of cards about to topple over as the cruelest memories of days long gone lingered at the back of his mind. What if she didn't want to sleep alone? When Ribbit was at her lowest, he recalled lending his shoulder for her to cry on, but foolishly gave her space, including Kaufmo. Look what happened. Distance was a major no-no in the Circus. What good was an emotional support bunny if it was never around for the touchy-feely part? Hugs were important as much as he loathed to admit it, causing his skin to crawl, but he would Abstract if something were to happen to Pomni because of his moodiness, especially after how far he stuck his neck out to save the bug-eyed Jester.

When Pomni pulled the cabin door open, he made his move.

"Psych!" Jax swiftly slammed the door using his foot, towering over her. "Not in your wildest dreams, PomPom. You're sleeping here."

Anyone else would have scoffed at his brazen actions. Maybe even shove him away. Not Pomni. Her weary pupils grew in his invading presence, absently curling her foot and failing to hide her little smile.

"Really?"

Her hopeful tone messed with his heart. "Really, really. Sleepover time. Grab your toothbrush and slip on your jammies. We're kickin' it old school."

A second identical bed digitally materialized next to Jax's. Cozy and warm with the best weighted blankets and memory foam pillows, perfect for a fun-size Jester. Pomni thought so, crawling into bed without a word. She tucked herself in, snuggled like the world's biggest cuddle bug, and wrangled the blanket up to her chin in such childish frenzy that Jax found it difficult to believe this gremlin was older than him. She practically melted into the mattress, becoming part puddle. It got a laugh out of him. Any other sleepover, either one would have entertained the idea of late-night banter, but Pomni was already down for the count.

"Night, Jax..." Pomni murmured, eyes closed, thickened with sleep.

"G'night."

That should have been the end of it.

Nope.

Five minutes into it, she had yet to fall asleep. Pomni ran on fumes. Jaz saw it. She looked it. So, Holy Mackerel in the artificial sky, why was Pomni tossing and turning? She fussed, choosing all sides to sleep on, beating her pillow like it owed her money, yet never finding that one perfect spot, which surprised him, because Jax expected her to knock the B-E-E-P out as soon as her head hit the pillow. Whatever leftover adrenaline she had should have burned itself out. Any second now, Jax told himself, counting useless sheep. The inevitable pacing soon began. She rocked back and forth, building up courage, courage for what, Jax hadn't a clue, but restless legs eventually waltzed her toward his bed.

Even with his eyes closed, he felt her shadow loom over him in the moonlight. "What's wrong now? Bed too comfy? Blankets too soft? Need a mint for your pillow?"

She softly giggled. "No, everything's great, really, it's just..."

"Spit it out."

"Can't sleep..." Pomni brushed her arm, looking down. She sounded so quiet a foot away. "Can I sleep with you?"

In another lifetime, he would have loudly rolled his eyes and made multiple sly comments about sleeping with him, but psychedelic eyes still haunted his dreams sometimes. "Sure. Whatever."

Her lips twitched into a grateful smile. "Wow. No teeth pulling? No speech about being your playthings? A girl asks to crawl into bed with you, and you have nothing more to say?"

He playfully snorted before pulling his sheets back to make room for her on his bed. "Not tonight, moron. C'mon. Look at all this generous space I made just for you. Hop to it."

The appreciation radiating from her adorable smile nearly blinded him. She quietly crawled into the Pomni-sized burrow he made for her, back toward him, while scooting as close toward the edge as physically possible, so as not to intrude on his space. His frown returned. Seriously? After all that buildup? Jax wanted to roll his eyes at the stupidity Pomni played sometimes, grunting instead. One long arm reached out, seized a surprised Pomni by her tiny waist, and effortlessly spun her around in one fell swoop that ended with her short frame huddled against his firm side. Wordlessly, she blinked at the sudden turnaround, brilliantly keeping any complaints or verbatim to herself. That tiny O-shape her mouth made, closing and opening, unable to pick and choose the right words, turned his frown upside down. Any example of peak masculinity knew how to make the females speechless, Pomni proved no exception.

Tomorrow, Jax would tease her about it.

Tonight, he only cared about making her feel safe.

Right now, Jax held her embarrassingly tight, pressing her stubbornly close and anchoring her to his bed with an arm that refused to bend. No fuss. No struggle. Pomni pathetically melted into his solid embrace, wrapping her legs around his and resting her arm upon his sturdy chest, half her head buried in amiable fur. Jax swore he saw animated hearts pop in the darkness. Soft to the touch, her body molded against his firm and unyielding frame. She soaked every inch of him in. Deep breathing soon replaced her shallow breathing, relaxing Pomni for the first time all month.

Far too comfortable to move, Pomni tilted her head against his torso and softly smiled, post-yawn. "What happened to Mr. No Hugs?"

"Shut up and go to sleep."

He felt her smile include an mmmm. If she smushed a face a bit deeper into his chest or suddenly gripped his torso's fur while thumbing some of his crevices of muscles, he played dumb.

Look at her.

All comfy and worry-free. One hour inside Jax's personalized Adventure, and Pomni was already spoiled princess-style. She had it all. Coziest of beds. Warmest of blankets. Cuddliest of bunnies. Softest of pajamas. After the craziness of the Circus, she coddled herself silly. Rampant weariness weighed on her eyelids like Sandman's sandbags. Everything felt so heavy from her limbs to her mind. Nothing but the sound of the rustling ocean and his thumping heartbeat filled the calm, oceanic room. No Circus music. Nor random things that went bump in the ugly night, just seasalt and him. Once Jax gently ran his fingers through her hair, blissful slumber finally claimed her, and she snuggled deeply into a furry chest.

Jax remained awake for a while longer, absently playing with her hair as she slept soundly for the first time since the Red Button fiasco. She snored very unladylike. Occasionally mumbled nonsense. Drooled, too. Ha. Cute. Everything on his face softened the more he brushed her hair. For someone so touch-averse, the little Jester loved to nuzzle. What a heat-stealing goblin. Pride swooned in his chest. Warmth, as well. He saved her, freed her from Caine's clutches, and she trusted him enough to slumber peacefully with all barriers down. Far too much redness burned his face and ears. That revived once extinct butterflies fluttering around in his chest again, and he rested his head against his pillow, knowing if he refused sleep now and allowed these familiar feelings to fester and gnaw, then rest would never come tonight.

Jax wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring, but closed his eyes to the possibilities.

...

Ragatha called on the dot.

Exactly as Jax predicted.

He ignored her the first two times, finally answering on Ragatha's third attempt while winking to her. Pomni slept like a rock through the first few rings, rousing from her slumber only because Jax untangled himself to answer the phone.

Silently, Pomni watched from the safety of the cozy sheets as Jax replied with uh-huhs and nuh-uhs in a typical Jax-like bravado, carelessly twirling the cord around while dragging the keypad around the room in nothing but his sweats and crumbled fur. He acted somewhat shocked during the big reveal, smirking with crescent curves and mouthing I told you so as the hysteria of Ragatha's tone grew somewhat more inconsolable on the other end. Pomni stayed as silent as a grave, not trusting her voice not to break upon hearing her friend's anguish.

Boredom latched onto Jax mid-conversation, so he flopped back onto his bed in a dramatic whoosh with Pomni's body bouncing, very much full of malarkey between their back and forth. Pomni glared underneath the covers. She extra glared when he struggled-snuggled her close, propping her cheek against his chest with his arm anchored around her shoulder. Again, she remained tight-lipped between Ragatha and Jax's telephone bickering. Jax had the wacky phone perched on his chest with Ragatha's motif decorating the piece.

Then the moment of truth came.

Jax offered her the phone.

Her opportunity to talk to Ragatha presented itself. Wordlessly, she traced her fingers on Jax's chest, unsure now. Her brain still needed countless hours of sleep, but her deep slumber had helped clear her head. Looking back at it, Jax had a valid point; who knew what modifiers Caine implanted into her friend's sleeping mind? Fail-safes. Guilt trips. Could she trust Ragatha to have her best interests at heart when even the non-judgmental Moon ended up aiding Caine? Signs had her hesitating, and maybe, possibly, that was all the confirmation she needed. If her gut feeling had her wavering, then she washed her hands of the matter.

Okay. Pomni made up her mind. Carefully, she grabbed the headset, but instead of saying hello, she gently hung up on Ragatha without muttering a word. Jax refrained from commenting. Instead, a snap of his fingers disconnected the landline, and he yanked the cord free from the wall and chucked it overboard. Never had the horrors of the Circus felt so small and faraway until she heard the machine splash into the water and glitch out.

The only thing left to disconnect was the two-way screen to the Circus, scheduled for demolition after her funeral service, unless she planned to skip it. Then Jax would sever the ties right here, right now. Pomni still wanted to sleep on that one. Closure if nothing else. An enormous part of her still felt guilty for leaving without saying goodbye, but the Circus ate away at her sanity, and she counted her lucky stars she managed to escape. Jax saved her because he cared about her, and no amount of gaslighting would ever change her mind.

She still expected the Bunny to try his hardest to pretend. Open wounds didn't just heal overnight. At least they both had time to mend. For now, Pomni snuggled gaily.

She tenderly played with the tuffs of his chest fur, rasping her fingers against his torso in slow, scratchy groves. A dynamic shift occurred between them. Neither wanted to admit it, not yet. Cuddling was one thing; this was intimate, uncharted territory on a sea of rough waters ahead. There was no one left to judge them for their actions, and frankly, part of Pomni yearned for what those actions would become. For now, both were content to play with each other's hair and ignore the elephant in the room. The sea was calm, the Sun was bright, and not an Adventure in sight.

Pomni had to ask. "Not going to my funeral?"

He squeezed her close. "I don't show up to any funerals, you know that."

She hummed, basking in afterglow. "Okay."

"I know that sound. What's on your mind?"

"You'll think it's stupid."

"Too late for that."

Wow. Jax and Sunny shared the same braincell.

Pomni growled into his torso, shifting her neck up to look at him through half-lidded eyes. "What was the point of the prank? Was all that really necessary?"

"Excuse me?" Jax looked at her like she lost her mind. "Ever heard of a distraction?"

"I know what a distraction is!" Pomni thumped her tiny fist on his chest. "Couldn't you have just summoned a portal anytime?"

"What? And give Caine the chance to barge in and snag us both? Please! Distractions are life's lemonade." Jax snapped into life a glass eye above the bed. "You heard Caine. The wacko's got countless eyes set up over there. The only way my glorious plan worked was if every single eye was busy watching the prank unfold."

"Why the full hour? Why not set it off immediately?"

"In case Mr. Clean was listening, I needed him distracted. Caine can't resist a good temptation." Jax snapped the glass eye into extinction. "Every second added more eyes around it. Trust me, I've had my arm inside his tongue, I think I know what I'm talking about."

Pomni loathed to admit it, but Jax made excellent points. "Fine. Fine. Point taken."

"All of it was worth the risk." Jax added. "We're trapped here. But it's better than being some plaything for a demented pair of dentures."

"True..." Pomni said. She closed her eyes and settled. "What now?"

"What now?" Jax repeated. He wrapped his arms around her and buried them deep into the mattress. "What do you mean, what now? Back to bed. Saving your goofy B-E-E-P left me drained."

More sleep. Pomni loved the sound of that. All her limbs still ached, and her brain demanded respite. At some point, Jax made it nighttime again. Good. She succumbed to sleep faster a second time, drifting off into a warm embrace. Countless questions still lingered, but she had nothing but time now to sort them out.

...

Pomni and Jax ended up sleeping through Pomni's funeral.

Neither one gave a flying B-E-E-P.