Into the Flames

Chapter 7

Dylan stood on the opposite side of the small elevator, watching Jenna quietly. He finally moved back into the Gens dimension.

            “Are you okay?” asked Dylan. The dirty light flickered above both of them.

            “I’ve never been better,” Jenna said, rummaging through her bag. “Dirty bastards seemed to have sold all of my earrings, though. My case full of them is gone.”

Before he could ask more questions, the dark elevator dinged its way to the bottom. Jenna walked out first in a jaunty manner, as if she just didn’t disown her relatives.

They both walked out into the sunlight, covering the sun with their hands while squinting. Jenna looked ahead, and saw a lone figure.

            “Duke?” asked Jenna, dubious. “Is that you?” She broke out into a smile and walked towards him. Dylan had no choice but to follow.

            “What’re you doing here?” she asked, giving the anonymous character a hug. “Oh, Duke, this is Dylan.”

            Duke looked at him. His height was formidable with Dylan’s, and he reached well over 6 feet. Duke had messy dark brown hair and thick eyebrows; dark eyes – almost black – looked at Dylan, clearly analyzing and judging him. He had a slightly hooked nose, and Dylan could see a slight shadow on his cheeks, indicating that he needed to shave soon.

            He held out a hand for Dylan to shake. “I’m Duke.” His voice was deep.

            “Dylan,” he said shortly, grasping his hand. Duke’s hand was rough, and was tightly squeezing Dylan’s hand, as if he wanted to break it. Dylan didn’t wince or make react in any way. “Nice to meet you.”

            “Same goes for you,” said Duke. His eyes said otherwise. He turned to Jenna. “Where have you been? I was so worried that something happened to you.”

            “Nothing happened,” she said with a grin. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

            Duke’s shoulders slumped with relief. “That’s good. Let’s go home.”

            Jenna hesitated, glancing at Dylan and back. “Yeah, okay,” she said. Dylan had no choice but to follow her. As they walked toward the subway, Dylan stood a little ways behind Jenna and Duke. He could tell that Duke liked her by the way he looked at her; his eyes grew softer, and he would always glance at her quickly when he thought no one was looking.

            After buying three more tickets, a subway ride, and a couple of blocks later, Dylan was back in the alley that he was in a couple of nights ago. “Jenna,” he said lowly.

            “Don’t worry about it, I got it handled,” said Jenna, following Duke into the building. “You don’t have to go in if you don’t want to; I’m just going to grab my other bag, explain some things, and leave.”

             Dylan ended up following her inside. The air was musky, the lights dim. Graffiti could be seen on the brick walls; an empty table and dirty kitchen appliances were seen in the shadows of the room. As Dylan got a better look at his surroundings, he assumed it was an old kitchen.

            “Guys, come here,” said Duke. His deep voice echoed. “Jenna’s here. And her friend Dylan.”

            Three boys came downstairs, smiling.