Blush Cutiebunny's Arc

Chapter 8 of 12

Blush spent Sunday morning cutting construction paper at the kitchen table, adding the pink cottage and the blue house to her rescue map. She drew dotted lines between them and wrote tiny labels for each hiding spot. But when she looked at it, the map felt empty—just two places and a handful of kids who'd already left for Warren's group. She walked to the field Monday after school to see how many kids Warren had now. A wooden stall with red and white striped awnings sat near his building, surrounded by at least fifteen kids from different grades. Behind the counter stood Warren wearing a flour-covered apron with money sticking out of the pocket. A fancy black table next to him displayed cupcakes, cookies, pies, and cakes arranged like a palace feast. Kids handed over coins and walked away with treats, some heading straight into the neon-lit building. Blush watched a second-grader buy three cookies, then ask Warren about joining. Warren pointed at the doors and smiled. Blush's chest went tight. She'd been handing out cards and hiding seed jars while Warren was selling cupcakes and turning snacks into memberships. Her invisible glitter and safe spaces couldn't compete with chocolate chips and strawberry frosting. She turned to leave, but stopped when she saw David in line, coins in his palm. He hadn't bought anything yet. She walked over and stood next to him. "The cupcakes don't actually protect anyone," Blush said quietly. David looked at the dessert table, then at Warren's apron stuffed with cash. "I know," he said. "But they taste good, and his magic is real." He handed Warren his coins and took a cookie. Blush walked back to the pink cottage alone, the apron and the stall and the crowd of kids burned into her mind. Warren wasn't just showing magic anymore—he was making kids pay to join, turning heroes into customers. She sat on the cottage steps and pulled out her rescue map. Grown-ups might not believe kids could be heroes, but she could prove Warren's group wasn't about protecting anyone at all. She added a new section to her map: "Places that pretend to help but really don't." Warren's bakery sale went at the top.