Unknown Society

Familiar Faces

Martinez wakes up on the ground, Humans surrounding her and tending to her scars that were there for years but hadn't been taken care of. She wanted to get up and flee, but these boys weren't trying to hurt her—they were helping her. "What happened to her?" Asked one of the boys.

"A mosquito bite, I think," Bene shrugs, "Dunno for sure."

The drooling boy examines Martinez's bug bite. "Seems to be the case," he declares, "Stay right there. I'll be right back." He walks over to a shelf and grabs a bottle with blue liquid.

"What—happened?" Martinez yawns.

"I wouldn't worry, Martinez," Spy reassures, "We're in good paws."

"This should help," he steps in and pours the liquid into a bowl.

Martinez was hesitant. "Poison?"

"Absolutely not," he shakes his head, "This is medicine we made specifically for your illness. We encourage you to drink it."

"I don't trust you," she attempts to sit up but winces in pain.

"We understand," he nods, "but if I were you, I'd drink this just to be safe."

Martinez sighs, taking off her face mask and sipping the liquid. In an instant, as the liquid travels down her throat, her throat is no longer sore; her splitting headache disappears; her shoulders became more free, and the bones in her legs were stronger once more.

"We recommend that you rest for now," he tells her, "The side effects may kick in within a couple of hours."

"What are the side effects?" Bene was quick to respond.

"Ah, yes," one of the other boys answers, "drowsiness and bloating. It's not a lot, and it shouldn't affect her."

Martinez squints at the boy who had a drooling mouth. She asks one of the boys if he could come over to her.

"Sure," he replies, "Jack! The girl wants you!"

Figured. Martinez thought.

He trots over to her. "Yes?"

Martinez raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember me?"

"Quite vividly yes," he nods, "I was just waiting for you to say something. My tribe mates know a lot about you."

"How so?" Bene's ear flickers, "We don't even know this tribe."

"Leader talks a lot about you," said the gigantic male.

Jack chuckles nervously, "Thanks Ban Ban." He pats his shoulder.

"You formed a tribe?" Bene looks around, "I'm impressed."

"It's more of a community than a tribe," said Jack, "that's what I think of it."

"How did you find all of these boys?" Martinez rubs her eyes.

"Most of them are my friends, and some just came to us in search of help," Jack explains.

"From the orphanage?" Bene scratches her head.

"You see, I was born in a family who named me first, but then abandoned me in a different orphanage that was way worse," Jack sat down, "The last time I ever saw my mom was years ago, same with Dad. Before I moved to your orphanage, I was separated from the friends I made. That's when you I met you, Valarie. I was devastated when the last orphanage burned down because I thought I lost you. I'd never thought I'd see a face like yours ever again." He grins a bit.

Martinez sighs, smiling a bit. That was the first time she had ever smiled in years. "I missed you, Jack." She admits.

"I missed you too." He hugs her tight.

Bene couldn't help but break into a smile. "Nice little reunion," she comments, "but we can't stay here."

"Why not?" Jack replies.

"Well, we gotta take precautions, you know," Bene points out, "We don't know who you guys are, and if anything, we're putting our lives at risk staying here."

"We're not dangerous like The Sages," Jack reassured, "They are the ones you should fear the most."

Bene looked puzzled, "What do you know about The Sages?"

"They took one of our tribe mates," Jack continues, "He was one of us, and he was a good friend of mine, until that bounty was placed on his back. Since then, he ran away from us to safety. We never heard from him again."

"Shivers? Is he alive?" Asked the giant boy, whose name was apparently Ban Ban.

Jack shrugs, as he was quiet. "Not sure,"

The girls were the only three who knew the news of Shivers. The chilling torture sent a shiver down Bene's spine.

Martinez had the same reaction. She glances at Spy, who was also quiet. "He's dead," Spy mumbles.

"What?" Jack raises his eyebrow.

"I was apart of The Sages," she goes on, "I was the one who captured Shivers and brought him to my leader. That's when she ripped his head off and killed him..."

Martinez could tell in Jack's expression that he was shook to his core. Ban Ban's growls were heard as he pushed Jack out of the way and stared Spy down with a look of warning.

"Ban Ban," Jack said sternly, "There's no need for that." Ban Ban backs up; Jack says this, "So, you're apart of The Sages?"

"Not anymore," Spy gulps, "I ran away days ago."

"Running away from a tribe doesn't always mean you don't have anything to do with them anymore," Jack states, "You can't run from trouble, you can only run into it. In this case, you ran into us. Now, we ain't like The Sages, but there are consequences for actions like murder."

"What does that mean for her?" Martinez asks.

"She'll have to leave," he declares, "and never come back."