Stuart smirked down at Alice. "Looks like Dad handled your little hero for me." he reached out a finger and ran it down Alice's jacket front as if he were stroking flesh. "Without his strength to back you up, I don't think you'll be going anywhere." he smiled, voice filled with delight. It was obvious that he didn't consider Salali, a woman, as a threat. His mistake.
                              
Salali grabbed Stuart's finger and calmly broke it in her grip. "Little slug, I have taken on wolf packs, bears, bison and horny cheiftans. What challenge are you supposed to pose?" Salali asked, her rough voice a warning. Stuart just gaped at his finger, the pain of the break making his face stunned as he stared at where his digit suddenly bent at a 90 degree angle where it wasn't supposed to.
                              
The door to the basement opened and the women whirled, all seemingly afraid that Stuart's guess was right and that Mr. Walter would saunter in now. But much to Alice and Sal's reflief, Malcolm carefully walked down the stairs. He didn't have a single mark on him and Salali raised an eyebrow at him, curious as to how he'd dealt with the foster father so cleanly. Malcolm grinned at Sal and Ace, eyes holding a little wild spark in them that didn't match the sweet smile on his face. "Let's hustle ladies, time's a-wasting." he cajoled, ignoring Mrs. Walter and Stuart entirely.
                              
 Alice didn't have to be told twice, she jumped to her area of the basement and quickly stuffed her clothes and books into a hockey bag. She'd always kept the ugly thing, it was the bag she'd used the first time she escaped from them. In really cold weather it doubled as a sleepingbag while she'd lived on the streets. She gave one last look around the room, satisfied she'd gotten everything, including the one or two items she'd hid from the family. Mrs. Walters was shocked to see her pull out a wad of cash from one of the bed legs and slide real ballerina slippers out of the basement window treatment.
                              
No one said a thing as she packed, even Stuart kept his belligerent mouth shut, though he groaned and whimpered a few times as his mother tried to set his finger. As Alice lightly ran up the stairs, she saw Malcolm pause in front of Stuart. The finger Salali had broken had finally been set and with an evil glint in his eye, Mal suddenly snapped his hand out and solidly flicked the broken finger. Stuart let out a painfilled yelp and Mal laughed a cold, nasty evil chuckle. Salali pushed her firmly from behind as they scurried back out to the car. Ace looked over her shoulder just to see if she could figure out what'd Mal had been up to while Stuart was trying to terrorize her. She caught sight of one of Mr. Walter's shoes and a floor rug scrunched up as if something had been dragged. But no sight of one of her monsters. For which she was obscenely greatful.
                              
When all three of them got into the vehicle they stayed quiet for about a block. And none of them could honestly say who started first, but they all started to laugh and Salali had to pull her car over. Alice was whiping tears of merriment from her face when she finally caught her breath. "You flicked him?!" she demanded, setting them all off into laughter again. Mal was sitting in the back seat with her, having for some reason thrown her bag of belongings into the front seat.
                              
He was turned on the seat, mostly facing her and laughing his head off. His dark eyes glittered with good humour and they still had that faintly evil glint. It should have scared her, the same thing in Stuart's eyes would have had her running, but in the back seat with Mal, it was enough to make her heart gallop.
                              
"It was either flick his booboo or rip his face off." Malcolm admitted with a laughing shrug. Ace wondered briefly if he was joking, and then wondered if she cared. A very small part of her was curious to know what Mal had done to Mr. Walter.
                              
"Did you just say boo boo?" Alice demanded as Salali started to drive again. The large Native woman seemed content to let the two giggle in the back like children.
                              
"I did say boo boo. Actually I should ask how your boo boo is doing?" he switched gears, no longer joking around. He leaned a little bit closer and Alice lost her train of thought.