Pebble & Ivory

## Pebble

### Personality

Pebble is quiet and timid. He tends to stammer over his words when talking to strangers and gets startled easily, especially by loud noises. He doesn't get angry easily and thinks about things before having emotions about them. He often worries about things.

### Appearance

Pebble is a very dark gray stick figure (#101010). He wears a medium-gray t-shirt and black leggings. His eyes are very light gray, barely a shade off from white. He has a purple wristband on his right arm and a purple anklet on his right ankle.

### Powers/Abilities

* Pebble can teleport. He doesn't use this ability very often as he passes through town a lot and doesn't feel the need to teleport, but he can.

## Physical description

### Personality

Ivory is short-tempered and easily provoked. She gets angry very easily and tends to be very loud, even when talking in normal conversation. Despite being someone who is loud, she is also stealthy, and able to stalk people for hours without being noticed.

### Appearance

Ivory is a bright white stick figure (#ffffff). She wears a blue bow that she never takes off, and has several pouches slung around her arms and waist. She wears very dark clothing, and dark gray sneakers. Occasionally she wears a black beanie. Ivory has a purple wristband that matches Pebble's on her left arm and a purple anklet on her left ankle.

### Powers/Abilities

* Not really a power, but Ivory has several different kinds of weapons on her at all times.

## Somewhere Only We Knew

### Part 1- Pebble

I sat against the tree, the tree where so many memories came from. Ivory and I used to hang out and play here. I miss Ivory so much.. but there was nothing I could do.

It felt strange for the first couple of months. Almost like having half of yourself taken away. But at the same time, half of me kind of *was* taken away. They took my twin sister away.

I leaned against our tree, remembering the times Ivory and I would frolic in the meadow, and pick flowers, and wish on dandelions. But those days have been over for a very long time.

Nobody else found this place. No one else ever went very far outside of town.

But Ivory and I loved it here.

It was our special place.

Somewhere no one else could find.

Somewhere only we knew.

### Part 2- Pebble

As I passed through the town, I noticed a somber looking stick figure nailing a couple more missing posters to the already-full community bulletin board. But you can't even stop to talk to people, not here, especially if you aren't inside.

The rules in this town were simple; do whatever you needed to do, and then get back to your house before anything can happen to you or a loved one. I guess that's why I'm still so quiet and skittish.

I turned the corner and walked quickly toward the main exit of town, passing several alleyways and different streets as I did. I stopped for a second to catch my breath. I was standing right by an alleyway, so I knew I'd better get on the move quickly.

I started walking again when someone grabbed me, covering my mouth so I couldn't scream. Not that anyone would come to check it out. "Listen, buddy." says the assailant. "You're going to tell me where you got that wristband."

I stammered over my words as I felt something press to my head. It's sharp and I can feel it starting to pierce my skin. "I- I made it when I was 5! W-with my sister.. Please, let me go..." the person presses it closer into my head. "The *truth.*" demands the person wielding the knife.

"Th-that is the truth! I made it when I was 5 years old! Please.." the person lifts the knife away from my head. I sigh in relief, but they kick my ankles out from under me and do.. something.

They put a cloth over my face.. I can't breathe.. The lightheadedness.. maybe I should...

I can feel myself fall to the ground, and then darkness envelopes me.

### Part 3- Ivory

I shoved the knife into my pocket and started dragging the unconscious captive back to my van. Once I'd shoved him in the back, I started the car. My phone started ringing, displaying the name "Agent 02366" on it.

I answer the phone, put it on speaker, and then set it on the dashboard. "Yes. mama?" I ask. "Where are you?!" cried my adoptive mother's voice. "I was busy and I got a new captive. We're keeping him alive, for now." I say.

"Well done. However, you need to get back soon. They're handing out apprentices today." I sigh. "Mama, I don't *want* an apprentice. Children never listen to orders and are loud, chaotic and distracting. I could never get through an assassination with one."

"You'll have to take one at some point." she starts. "I know, Mama. But any day I don't have an apprentice is a good day for me." My mother sighs. "Listen, Mama, I'll be home in half an hour. *Do not* tell the bosses that I'm open for an apprentice."

"Bye." my mother says, and I end the call. "Wh-what's going on.." comes a voice from the back. "GO BACK TO SLEEP!" I shout, and the captive, seemingly too tired to argue, lays back down.

When we get to the building, I slam on the brakes just before running into one of the walls. I drag the sleeping captive inside, through all of the hallways, and throw him into one of the empty cells.

"Agent 02367, you're back. *Sooo* excited," came a sarcastic voice from the end of the hall. "Shut up, 04763." I grunt, "I'm going back out. Tell my mother I'll be home soon."

"Will do." says Agent 04763 in a curling tone, which means they probably won't. I roll my eyes and walk down the maze of hallways that lead back to the parking lot.

I open the door to my van, jump inside, and slam the door so loud that they could probably hear it in my sleeping pod. I started driving down the small dirt road that no one ever cared about anymore.

I don't remember it very well, but I did remember having a sibling. And I remember Our Tree. We would hang out and climb and rest in it. I smile to myself as the meadows come into view.

It was a place that no one else knew about or cared for.

It was somewhere relaxing and quiet that me and my sibling could stay.

It was somewhere only we knew.

### Part 4- Pebble

I woke up, feeling a bit light-headed. I was in a dark place that looked almost like a jail-cell. "Tch." said someone outside of the cell. "So you're not dead." I was confused, and shy on top of that.

"I- I.. what- why-" I stammered. "Shut up, they're coming for you soon." said the stick, presumably the one guarding me. "I can't even see why 02367 kept you alive.. you seem so useless."

I took out my phone. It was cracked, but I think it can still operate. "..02367?" I ask after a minute of re-playing the guard's words in my head. "The agent that kidnapped you?"

'Oh." I say. "Now shut up before I tape your mouth shut." the guard mutters.

After a while of waiting, someone finally took me out of the cell. I was dragged by the arm to a different room. The stick threw me inside and slammed the door.

Someone else was in the room with me. "Hi!" one of them said, a dusty brown stick figure. "SHUT UP." demanded the other, a white stick figure who wore a blue bow.

"I'm not putting up with this today." said the stick figure with the bow. "You." said the stick with the bow, "Why are you here."

"I- I dunno-o..." I stuttered. "SPEAK UP." the stick with the blue bow demanded. "Someone just.. threw me in here.." I murmured a bit louder. This was terrifying. "Be a bit nicer to him!" the dusty brown stick said.

"He's a captive." murmured the one who wore the bow. "Alright." she said to me, 'Give me one reason to not kill you right now."

I tried to speak, but couldn't. I didn't *have* any valid reasons, did I? I guess at this point, I'm living just because I want to live. "Well?" asks the stick with the blue bow.

"I.. uh.. I want to stay alive.." I murmured. "That's no reason." said the stick with the blue bow. "Ivory, stop torturing him. If you wanted him to die, he'd be dead already." the dusty brown stick murmured.

"You're right, he would be dead already. But I don't know what the bosses are gonna want to do with him, so I'm just going to antagonize him until then." the stick with the bow answered.

"..Ivory?" I ask. "It's Agent 02367 to *you*." says the stick named Ivory with disdain. It must be a different Ivory. My sister would never treat someone like this, let alone kill someone.

"Take 'em back to his cell." says someone, opening the door. "I'll do it." says the dusty brown stick figure. The one that'd opened the door nodded and walked off.

After being walked back to my cell by the dusty brown stick figure, who's name turned out to be Tawny, I sat down. I don't think anyone knew that I had my phone on me, but it's not like I could call anyone to come and get me.

I didn't have any contacts. Or friends. Nobody in town talked to each other anymore. I remember Our Tree. I want to go back to that place, where it was always so peaceful.

The place only we knew.

### Part 5- Ivory

I walked up to the main office, sighing. What in the Outernet did I do to be called up here? I did nothing wrong. "Wow, you must've done something pretty bad." commented Agent 04763. "Shut the stick up." I grunt.

I walk faster to get away from 04763. After going up several flights of stairs, I made it to the main office. "Yes?" I say, mustering the most politeness I could into my voice. "Hello, Agent 02367." said the gray stick figure at the desk.

"Why have you summoned me?" I ask. "We have decided to entrust you with an AIT." I could feel white-hot rage pulsing through me. "*Why?*" I ask through gritted teeth.

"Agent 02366 asked us to assign you an AIT several times over the past month. Our most recent one seems not to have taken a liking to anyone willing to take care of them, and therefore we randomized who their teacher would be." the gray stick figure explained.

I used all of my self control not to shoot someone then and there. "What is the AIT's name?" I murmur. "The AIT's name is Mocha, and they are 9 years old. Their AIT number is 04766." I nodded. "Thank you." I murmured unenthusiastically.

After finding where the hell this child was, because apparently the apprentices are just allowed to roam anywhere now as long as they had supervision, I introduced myself.

Mocha immediately attached themself to my arm and wouldn't let go. Apparently, the only way to gain this child's trust is by yelling at them. I marched them back down to my mother's pod and slammed the door.

"MAMA!" I yelled. "Yes, what is it- oh!" says my mother coming into the room. "Who's this?" she asks. "The consequences of your actions." I muttered. "What's your name, kid?" asks my mother.

I shook my head. "They don't speak. Not to me, not to Tawny, not to anyone." My mother looked a bit disappointed, but still happy. "That's alright." she says.

After my mother left the room, Mocha clung onto me tighter. "OW!" I cried, wrenching my arm out of their grasp. "Who.. was... that..?" asks Mocha, very quietly, barely audible. They paused between each word, as if talking was difficult.

"That was my mother." I murmured. "Go find someone to take care of you for now. I'll be back soon." Mocha nodded.

I walked through the twists and turns of the building, making my way out into the parking lot. I fixed my bow and got into my van. After backing out of the parking lot, I found myself driving down that same old road. The road to that place.

That place only we knew.