"How could you investigate Poison?"

"I know how to get information from them." I paused, Chip had his back turned to me, attempting to clean his filthy room. "Just know I might be spending some extra time with them." He turned around at this, glaring.

"I know that! And I don't care, it's not bad. I don't think it's bad..." He defended the previous night's actions, although he didn't seem too sure about his argument. "Can we forget about that?" He mumbled, kicking stray clothes into a pile. I nodded and went back to thinking. 

"I'll meet with them tonight." I decided out loud. I felt something flop onto my lap. 

"Be careful." The anxiety in the teenager seemed to dissolve around me, the bags under his eyes lifting as he spoke. I liked to believe I was good for him, and he was good for me. However, I remember last night, and the night when he asked me to stay and we fought... maybe I'm not good for him? Both times, he cried because of me. I made him cry. His face started to contort into a flushed, sobbing one. His brilliant smile replaced by quivering lips that occasionally opened to struggle to catch a breath. Fat drops of tears rolled down his flushed cheeks, his nose and eyes crinkled. 

"A-are you okay?!" I put my hand on his head. Suddenly, his expression returned. He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes? Why?" I blinked. What just happened? Was he really crying? 

"B-but you were crying?" He wore a confused expression, along with concerned. 

"Rowen, I think you're seeing things." He said in a sympathetic tone. I huffed and pushed the thought away, nodding at him to move from the subject. "Be careful..." The soft voice repeated. 

"I will, don't worry." 

Poison and the Beasts ruled two different halves of the town. Orilon Lake is supposed to be the exact middle of town, Poison over the north and the Beasts over the south. The high school was also on the border between the two towns, which led to some gang recruits fighting in school. I don't think anyone really knows why or how the two gangs were formed, but it certainly split the entire town. The local police knew about them, of course, and actually let them do their things as long as they weren't interfering with civilians or doing anything super illegal. I'm guessing they pay off the police to not arrest them, because everything about it is shady to me. 

Poison and the Beasts both had a house that they all met up in. Beasts were expected to live in this house once they were older, as did Poison members. The curfew for the town is when the gangs would go on their expeditions- 12:00 AM. Most members slept during the day and went out at night. This was the only way the police could keep from arresting them, even if it was strange. 

I had been walking for a very long time, and finally I approached their hideout. It was a decently sized house, with a run-down look, similar to Chip's. It was covered in foliage and trees, away from the main road. There were two dogs outside, Dobermans. They looked up at me with floppy ears, the Poison leader didn't believe in pinning animals' ears just for looks. 

"Hi Rat, hi Ivy." The wagged their tails, but remained laid in the same places. 

"Rowen!" I heard someone call. I looked up to the front porch of the house, a large figure peeking outside the door. "What brings you here?" He came down the wobbly steps, each board creaking under his large shoes. 

"Just wanted to hang out." I replied, my eyes unwavering. He smiled to reveal perfectly white teeth. 

"Awesome! We've missed ya'!" His voice boomed. "Come on in! I'll let Jay know you're here." I entered the house, a warm, dim light greeting me. At first sight there was a peeling red couch on top of an intricately patterned rug. A few girls sat on it, casually glancing over at me as I walked in. A small TV sat in front of them, faint noise escaping it. To the right was a small kitchen and table, where a couple of people sat eating. There were stairs in the middle of the two rooms, leading up into darkness. If you walked past the couch, a hallway would greet you. 

"Hey, Rowen, can you get me some beer from the fridge?" A girl on the couch called to me. I walked into the kitchen and opened the white refrigerator to reveal many drinks on the bottom, and some tupperware of food on the top. I grabbed a can of beer and handed it to the girl. "Thanks. You haven't been here in a while, did you join the Beasts or somethin'?" She asked.

"No." I said. 

"You've never been much of a talker." She sighed, the girls around her giggling. 

"Rowen!" A voice rang out from the stairs. Looking up, I met eyes with a man with dark hair and stark blue eyes. He came down the stairs and roughly patted me on the back. He was slightly bulky and tall, an average size for someone in their early 30s. "How have you been, buddy?" 

"I'm fine." This man was Jay, the leader of Poison. He had risen to power and has been highly respected throughout Poison, mostly due to his charming charisma. He hardly treated anyone as inferior to him, and was just all around a seemingly good guy. However, he was hungry for power; he was a gang leader, after all. He'd do anything to maintain control. 

"Jay! Come look at the news!" A small squeak from the couch announced. The man walked over, gently leaning on the red piece of furniture. 

"Attention, Orilon, breaking news! This evening yet another death has been reported. This time, 56-year-old Kenny Smith was identified outside the local diner. His body was similarly mutilated as the other cases. Police are at work investigating these strange murders, but while they are, it is imperative to stay inside your homes after curfew." The reporter announced, leaving several eyes still glued to the television. 

"We gotta find that sicko soon, Jay." The same girl who had asked for a beer stood up and walked over to the leader. 

"We will, Skye, don't worry." Jay turned to me. "I doubt you know anything about this killer, do you?" I shook my head. 

"The police keep questioning us, it's getting super annoying." Skye said, plopping herself back onto the couch. Jay sighed and gestured for me to follow him upstairs. 

"We've got a new member, would you like to meet him?" The Poison leader's smooth voice asked.

"Sure." He led me to a door at the end of the hallway, knocking and waiting for a reply. 

"Come in." A small voice chimed. He opened it to reveal a boy about my age on a bed, rummaging through a large duffel bag. 

"Rowen, this is Slate. He's fresh out of high school, 19, right?" The boy nodded. "Slate, this is Rowen. He's not a recruit or member... yet." Jay winked. "He's cool, though. You two will get along." He cheerfully said, shutting the door behind me. Slate and I awkwardly looked at each other in silence, until a small chuckle escaped his lips. 

"Jay's something, isn't he?" His skin was strange, it was mostly dark with lighter spots scattered throughout. His hair was thick and dark, tightly braided and tied up into a bun. "Ah, it's called vitiligo." He smiled.

"Sorry." I fumbled, looking away. 

"Nah, man it's fine. Come sit." He patted beside him. "I like your scar." 

"Thanks." I said quietly, folding my hands into my lap and blankly staring in front of me. 

"I used to hear some crazy shit about you in school, is any of it true?" He casually asked, resuming his foraging inside his bag. 

"Probably, depends on what you've heard." 

"How come you can just waltz right in here and anyone else gets beat up on the spot?"

"Jay owes me. I trained his dogs for him, and I help them out with stuff sometimes."

"Why aren't you with us?" I took a while to respond, thinking about a good response. 

"Gang life isn't very appealing to me." Slate stopped and turned to me, as did I to him. His eyes were a dark gray, round and almost glistening in the yellow lamp's light. 

"Don't you want a home? A family? Somewhere to go? That's the whole reason I joined, I don't have anyone. These guys... They treat me like a brother. Do you not want that?" I continued to look at him, but out of the corner of my eye I watched the water start to rise. Not now. I thought, trying to not look. 

"That's... never been my thing. I'd rather be alone."

"Why?" The crackly voice whispered. The eerie water started to flood my senses. 

"No one's there to mess everything up, I guess." A hiss flowed through my ears. Suddenly a hand touched me. Everything was normal again. 

"I'm sure there's people out there that won't mess everything up; you just have to meet the right ones." Slate closed his eyes and beamed. "How about that Chip kid? I've seen you pick him up from school before." I thought back to horrifying image of the small boy crying. I felt my muscles tense. Standing up abruptly, I headed toward the door. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine." I cut him off. "I need to go." 

"Rowen." I looked back. "Let's talk. It'll do you good." I hesitated, but something strangely drew me closer. I cautiously sat back down, Slate watching my every move.

"Why do you want to help me?" I asked.

"'Cause you seem lost. It's my responsibility to help others." 

"Responsibility?" He smirked and pulled out a necklace. The charm at the end was a snake holding an apple in its tail. I was confused, looking back up to him with furrowed eyebrows. 

"Faeyar's Followers. I am one of them. Our mission is to bring the lost back to Faeyar. He will revive and save those in need, and give his eternal love to us." I blankly stared. I had never heard of this before.

"Uh... sorry, I'm not into that religion stuff." Slate returned the necklace to under his shirt. 

"That's okay! I'm not here to pressure you, but it's my duty to help those in need." He smiled. "So, c'mon, let's talk about Chip." I simply looked down at my hands, uncomfortable. "Okay, maybe talking isn't your thing. How about I talk to you about my stuff? Build some trust?" 

"Sure, I guess." Slate rambled on for a long time while I listened intently. He was a lot like Chip, which was probably why I was drawn to him. I gave simple responses, but he didn't mind. We heard a knock on the door, Slate saying they could come in. Jay appeared.

"You two really did hit it off. You've been in here for hours!" His eyes wrinkled with his smile. "Well, I brought you two some food. You're welcome to stay the night here if you want, Rowen." I thought about it, but realized it probably wasn't safe to be unconscious surrounding by the gang I was two-timing. 

"I think I should go, it's late." Jay shrugged and put down the food on the bed, leaving the room. 

"You can't walk all by yourself at night! It's dangerous." Slate protested.

"I'm fine, I do it every night." I glared at the food. What if it's poisoned? "Sorry, I only eat food I make." Slate let out a short burst of a laugh.

"Damn, lighten up! You don't trust anything, do you?" 

"It's kept me safe for this long." I replied.

I've already learned my lesson.