Chapter One Hundred and Three: People Don't Like Change

Hot, stinging tears
fell down the face of Belle Masters.

Everything was going
wrong. Fights were breaking out all over the city between people who
supported the PRO and people who supported the PCC. Demon was loving
it. Now TJ had been arrested too, although Belle was pretty certain
those charges of him attacking his superiors was an out and out lie.

“All we need now is
for the DVM, the Crusaders and the Troupe to come in and take
advantage.” Belle sulked. She was sitting in the tree, and the hot,
humid weather was just making her feel even MORE miserable. “This
is all our fault.”

“Hey Belle. You
okay?” Charlie carefully crawled into the tree from his bedroom
window. “You look like you're about ready to give up.”

“I'm just frustrated.
We're working so hard to make this city a better place and the
citizens we're trying to protect are the ones who have turned on us!”
Belle groaned.

Charlie sighed.

“Charlie?” Belle
asked.

“I know you're
frustrated with the situation Belle, and believe me, I don't blame
you one bit for that. But you have to understand where the PCC are
coming from.” Charlie told her.

“What are you talking
about?” Belle raised an eyebrow.

“Change Belle.
Change.” Charlie said. “I think I know where the PCC has spawned
from.”

Belle looked confused.
Charlie sighed again.

“Belle, even I can
admit that I am terrible when it comes to change. Like when you
started uni and I started dating Sunny. I couldn't handle how it
changed everything, and how everything was going to continue to
change.” He said.

“But you went to
Awesomica. That was a huge change.” Belle pointed out.

“Running away from
change you mean.” Charlie chuckled. “It was me trying to escape
the consequences of us potentially moving on from each other.”

He sighed again and
looked up at a flock of birds that was flying into the sunset.

“People are afraid of
change. They're much easier with the devil they know, and that's
Demon. Demon is the epitome of everything that Pleasantville has been
since it's inception, ruled by crime, and if that changes who knows
what comes next.” He explained. “Plus, while the PRO from the
outside looks like it legitimately wants to change Pleasantville, you
can't deny that what it's striving for, and what we are striving for,
will leave a bit of a power vacuum in Pleasantville, at least until
it sorts itself out. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if some more
nefarious types are backing the PRO in order to remove Demon, the Mob
and the Crusaders from power in Pleasantville just so they can take
it themselves. I mean, I think there are people in the PCC who want
crime gone too, but all they can see is that power vacuum being
created and someone even worse coming along.”

“I knew it. We should
never have started meddling in things.” Belle began to cry again.

“But if we hadn't,
things wouldn't be happening!” Charlie protested. “You have been
SO weepy recently!”

“Shut up!” Belle
snapped.

The pair looked at each
other, before backing down.

“Demon is doing just
fine. He's getting between us no problem.” Belle slumped.

“We can't let him.
Pleasantville is on a knife-point. Things could explode at any
second.” Charlie sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

Belle sighed a heaving
sigh as she tried to calm herself.

“I think the first
thing is to get us back on the same page. I tried to keep you from
Demon because I thought he would get to you and you would do
something we'd regret, but that was wrong of me and now he's using
that to try and get to me.” She hung her head. “I'm sorry.”

“Hey, I had the same
idea as you. Only I was scared of Demon, and of my own guilt when it
comes to what happened to Grandpa.” Charlie admitted. “I was a
coward.”

“You're not though.
You're wiser than anyone I've met.” Belle told him.

“WE'RE wiser.”
Charlie reminded her. “You're the one who finds all the pieces of
the puzzle that I can't see. I just put them together.”

The pair smiled at each
other. Then they both groaned as another hot blast of wind scalded
them.

“This heat isn't
helping the situation at all. Everyone is irritable because they're
too hot and sticky, and they're more likely to take things the wrong
way and start a fight instead of a conversation.” Belle groaned.

Charlie pricked up his
ears.

“Improbability time?”
Belle asked.

“Improbability time!”
Charlie grinned back.

—

“Will you LEARN TO
KNOCK before entering?! Oh, and there's two of you. Brilliant.”
Demon looked up from his paperwork to see both Chuckles and Giggles
staring down at him. “Don't you have some capitalism to fell?”

“It's actually quite
scary how close thievery and capitalism are, but no, your little
friends have been very good recently. Except the Haunted Maze Troupe
and we still don't know what their issue is or what they're even
doing.” Giggles said.

“They're drug dealers
and trouble-starters. Of course they love to mess with everyone.”
Demon pointed out.

“Know that from your
former drug dealing?” Chuckles bit.

“ANYWAY!” Giggles
quickly interjected. “We want to use the Pleasantville Sports and
Community Centre for a city meeting between the PRO and the PCC.”

“With
air-conditioning.” Chuckles quickly added.

Demon grinned.

“With absolute
pleasure.” He smirked.

“The Noble Knights of
the Last Order will be guarding it, so don't think you can cause
trouble with the Mob or the Crusaders.” Giggles warned.

“The Mob are laying
low until they get their opening, and you know I have no control over
the Crusaders, no matter who is in their ranks.” Demon said with a
note of bitterness, which was satisfying to hear.

“Make sure that
air-conditioning is working and it's a nice, pleasant temperature in
that centre or else.” Giggles warned. “Come on Chuckles, we're
leaving.”

“I do hope you've
paid your respects to your grandfather recently. It's coming up to
that time of year, isn't it?” Demon said smugly.

Chuckles flinched,
before following Giggles out of the building. Giggles sighed sadly –
the chandelier still hadn't been repaired – before walking out into
the street.

“It's no where NEAR
that time of year.” Chuckles snapped as Giggles lifted him up into
the air.

“Don't worry about
him. He's a butt.” Giggles replied.

“A powerful butt who
happens to run the joint.” Chuckles groaned. “I hope we know what
we're doing with getting the PRO and the PCC in the same building.”

“We have to do
something. The whole city is a powder-keg right now, and it's getting
hotter and hotter.” Giggles replied. “I must admit, it's nice up
here.”

“I love flying.”
Chuckles grinned.

“I hope you like
falling too.” Giggles joked.

They lasted two more
minutes before falling into the creek.

—

“I spy with my little
eye-,”

“Sam, if you keep
this up I swear I'm going to arrest you again.”

TJ and Sam were bored
out of their skulls. Since the mass release of everyone who didn't
deserve to be in prison, things had gotten very quiet. In fact, TJ
and Sam were the only ones left in their whole cell block, which
meant they were the only two people they'd seen apart from the odd
guard.

“I know Belle and
Charlie are working on getting us out.” Sammy tried. “They have
to be.”

“There's a LOT on
their plates right now. The whole city is just waiting to turn into a
war-zone.” TJ told him. “Honestly, I think they'll have to calm
that down first, otherwise there's going to be trouble if we get
out.”

“It sucks. I hate
this.” Sammy pouted. TJ put his arm around his friend and put a
small kiss on his forehead.

“It'll be okay.
Petunia and Lizzy are out there waiting for us.” TJ tried to
brighten the mood up.

Sammy smiled as he
thought of Lizzy. Then his face crumbled.

“Lizzy finished
school and I didn't get to go to the graduation!” He began to cry.
TJ blinked, and began to cry too.

Gaol sucks.