Fury and Flame | 3

2 | 2

R I L E Y

I felt as if I was living someone else's life as I stood in the compound with my alleged 'crew'. Having just been discharged from the hospital, I was driven straight here by a man in a uniform. To a house full of strangers.

      As soon as I entered, I found five male figures standing around a sitting room while a single girl sat in a chair, spine strangely straight and face cast down in shadows. She was visibly shaking. Were these the people I'd been surrounded by for the past months?

      They heard me approaching and turned from the other girl to face me. Normally, I liked attention. I knew my looks were striking and enjoyed the stares I got because of it. It was better to stand out then be mundane and forgotten.

      But now, I had to force myself to be unmoved by their full attentions; they seemed different than most people. Dangerous. I could tell by the way they watched me that some of them were getting mixed emotions at my reappearance. It was strange to know they knew who I was more than I did.

     The only person I recognized was the tall boy in the corner, the one who'd come to my hospital room and insisted I knew him. I let my eyes run over him, taking in his good-looking dark features and muscular build. The corner of my mouth quirked up.

"I'd introduce myself, but it appears you all know me already," I said smoothly, tossing my hair over my shoulder.

    "I guess you'll need to be introduced to us," said a boy with golden brown hair. "Again." He gave me a charming smile. But it was always the charming ones you had to watch out for. And the quiet ones, I thought as I glanced at the boy in the corner.

    "I'm Jaxon Williams, inventor extraordinaire." When he gestured to himself with a lazy hand, I realized he only had one arm.

      "Asshole extraordinaire," the boy beside him corrected.

     "That's Arlo Damari, a budding psychopath." He pointed to the boy to his right who wore a strangely sharp smile. I didn't like the look in his eyes. I'd seen it in many of the orphans: kids who'd grown up with nothing and learned to take what they could. An insatiable hunger.

      "Not many people get the privilege of meeting me twice," he said, fixing silver eyes on me. "Lucky you."

     "A pleasure," I drawled, though I wasn't sure if that was true.

    Jaxon moved on to a handsome boy who gave a nod to me. "This is Finn Peterson, the only one here with any manners."

    He then pointed to the boy I'd recognized. "Well, except for Kane Shires, our resident strongman." Kane gave no sign he'd heard Jaxon introduce him. He simply watched me with glittering eyes, still as a statue.

"This is the lovely Delphinium Tesla." The girl with the strange white hair. Her head raised as Jaxon jerked his chin toward her and steel-blue eyes met mine. I got a strange feeling as I looked into her face; she looked ready to collapse and still I got the intuition that she would rip my throat out if she wanted.

"And that," Jaxon said, gesturing to the last person, "Is crime lord Jake Evans." As I took Jake in, leaning against the wall and regarding me with a frozen-solid gaze, I knew if I had to narrow it down to one person to stay away from here—which wasn't easy—it was him. I'd done my fair share of thievery; I could recognize a hardened criminal when I saw one.

Though, as my eyes trailed over the six of them again, I realized they all were hardened criminals. Me included. All of them looked like they wouldn't be afraid to resort to law-breaking to get what they wanted. Perhaps we had more in common than I thought.