The Naturals | O.S

Acting Out with Alcohol

KATHLEEN

"University has been great, don't get me wrong," I tell Dean as I pick out a dress from the closet. "But going undercover tonight is going to be even better."

"Just because we're going out to a club doesn't mean we get to screw around," Dean says, chuckling. "We'll be working."

"Working. Dancing. Sounds pretty much the same to me."

"You sound like Lia."

"And tonight, I'm going to take that as a compliment," I smile, patting his cheek. "Besides. We're all nineteen. In Canada we'd be legal."

"But we're not in Canada. We're in New York. Working."

"You, sound like Briggs. Loosen up. We haven't been out like this since that case in Maine two years ago."

"And how did that end?"

I huff at him and he rolls his eyes. "Look at it this way," I try. "We're getting paid. To go to a club. Now help me out here-" I toss him my dress, effectively silencing him as I pull my shirt over my head.

Us Naturals have been working a drug case with Briggs and his team for the past three weeks. Our cover as 'transfer students' proved to be immensely useful, as Lia and Michael were able to weasel their way into the inner circle at NYU, which held not only many buyers of scopolamine, but the sibling of the man we believe runs the whole spiel.

Tyson Williams has many priors on his legal record; leading from unpaid parking fines to possession and intent to distribute. The man is only twenty six, seven years older than his younger sister, but is already well known by the police force here in Albany, New York.

Word on the street is that the newest and most public drug ring is lead by Tyson and his buddy Mathias Hale, and their most popular merchandise? Scopolamine.

Scopolamine, most commonly known as 'Devils Breath' is a drug most prevalent in Brazil, used to alter a persons moral compass and render them submissive. The drug is odourless and tasteless, making it easy to slip into a persons drink. From there the drugged recipient is mentally unconscious and suggestive, meaning that they can -basically- become mind controlled by anyone willing to play the game.

Someone high on scopolamine can be told to jump off a bridge; and they'll do it. Strip in the middle of the street; they'll do it. So on and so forth. And after the drug wears off, the citizen has no memory of anything that had happened at all. Hence, being mentally unconscious.

Recently, quite a few suicides have taken place, seemingly out of the blue and without reason. As scopolamine is undetectable in an ordinary urine sample it took us a while to figure this out, but luckily we'd already heard of the local distributors.

Tyson Williams' sister Payton just so happened to be apart of the 'popular kids' at NYU, giving us not only an in on the gossip about Devils Breath, but an in to the club where most dealings take place. And surprise surprise. Guess who owns the club?

Tyson and Mathias.

Earlier this week Payton invited Dean, Michael, Lia and I to go to Devenir Sale, rather illegally with the rest of the group. The bouncers would know to let us in, and boom.

While we could question Mathias and Tyson on their dealings, they are nearly impossible to find. Even so; that would likely send them even farther underground, and the number of deaths caused by Devils Breath may not cease. Hopefully, with going to this club tonight, we can lure Tyson out, and ultimately hear of his drug dreams and intentions.

"We know these people," I say as Dean zips up my dress. "They aren't going to try anything."

"I know that," he replies. "It's Tyson we have to worry about. The guy who might drug you."