Chapter One
Castalia Chris Fuentes
I don't lead a double life, I lead a triple life.
I walk across the top floor hands gripping the railing and looking down at the people below who are laughing as they pack and move boxes. I reach the office and knock on it.
"Come in"
I enter the room. It's all pitched out in blackness that I can only see edges and shadows of the furniture. There is a tiny little light, one like a light on the end of a key ring enough light that I can see the man on the swivel chair.
He turns around slowly clicking on a light beside him. "Castalia" He nods at me. He is heavyweight of pure lean muscle with big bones, dressed in a black suit, hair clearly partly and his face as scarred as ever. He doesn't look he's nationally but when you've been through what he is you try and come back not looking like a ghost. "Hi Boss, you wanted to see me"
"How's your brother?" He asks.
"Fine" I say warily of why he is asking about him. "Why do you want to know that?" I ask when he just continues to stare at me.
"I want you to check out his girlfriend Julianne"
"Why?"
"I asked you too Castalia"
"What am I looking for?"
"Ricardo" Boss calls out and then a guy opens another door to his office and steps through. "Your new partner, he'll tell you everything you need to know"
Ricardo is hot, that is the first thing I notice, he isn't just hot though he's gorgeous the kind that should be a model. He's tall with clearly parted black hair and walks with his head high. He could be a model.
My eyes drift down his body as we walk out the door I came in. He has a tight fitted shirt on, his bandana wrapped around his thick muscly upper arm, jeans cover his legs with converse on his feet.
"Do you like something?" He asks blue eyes twinkling at me. Mexican and blue eyes?
"I don't mix pleasure with business"
"This business is pleasure" He whispers down my neck leering over me using the advantage of his size over me.
"That's nice" I tell him but I don't get to say anything more before Carlo Manteno rushes up to us. "You have to come quick Castalia"
There's a situation going on outside. Aden, Trace(my friend) and Cristiano are dragging a guy between them who is yelling his head off.
"Yes and who are you?" The guy spits at me.
"Release him boys" I tell them while smiling at the guy.
"Chris-" Cristiano starts.
I put my hand up and they reluctantly let go of him.
"Right I'm supposed to believe you are the Chris?" He smirks, his eyes tracking down me, I can feel Ricardo breathing just behind me.
"That's exactly what you're supposed to believe" I tell him then turn to Trace. "Who is he?"
"Antes Tres, eighteen, he moved here two weeks ago " We've been looking for the person that is following one of our own, Camellia who is fifteen and due to being jumped in the gang at any time. Antes Tres was tall with tanned skin that could only come from the sun and wild green eyes, he has an American accent with Spanish features.
"I didn't do anything" He yells at the guys.
"Sure you didn't" I step closer to him. "But I can make you talk, so you get one chance"
"What the fuck can you do to me?" He sneers. "You're not The Chris"
It doesn't bother me anymore. Everyone is scared of The Chris but no one is scared of me and always surprised when they find out I am that person.
I'm always taken advantage of, people look at me and see a small Mexican girl with a pretty face and a rich voice. They don't know that under all that lies power, lies strength, talent and brains.
Nobody wants me to join in on a jump in.
"Come get me then. The boys won't stop you" I challenge him seeing Ricardo join the other three out of the corner of my eye.
He does, he aims to knock me down with a high kick to my head, as he springs at me with athleticism ability. I side step him leaving him to still catch me in my side but I grab his foot before he can and bring him crashing to the ground.
He lands on his back with a bang that echoes over the silence of the warehouse grounds and is immediately winded as the pain glazes his eyes.
I don't let him get his breathing back aiming for a kick to his gut which when he sees coming his eyes bulge. "No please" He screams but I'm not hearing him as my foot comes crashing down making him wheeze like he's having an asthma attack.
I step back feeling the heated gazes of other members forming a circle around us both.
When he finally has himself under control he pushes himself up from the floor his eyes not leaving mine. "My mistake" He says to me.
"Boy I haven't even started"
"Bring it" He leaves himself open to attack. I pretend to attack him going for a blow to the head, he catches my wrist in one hand mid swing his other hand aims for a cut to the throat as he aims a knee kick to my ribs. All I do is snap my foot at his leg hard that makes him stumble to the ground and stay there breathing heavily. I know to apply it with just the right pressure to numb the leg rather than break it.
I leant over him pushing him over on his front and took hold of his fingers as I pulled back with my body, leg on his back to keep him down and to keep balance as I pushed my body back pulling his fingers back where they shouldn't go. He screamed breath shuddering. It felt good, I knew it was wrong but I felt the power and feeling that I felt good.
I wasn't a bad person. I didn't hurt those who didn't deserve it, who were innocent though I do go by guilty till proven. I liked causing pain having the power to do so. If that made me a bad person then so be it.
I was in a gang I had no choice to do the things I do. It wasn't like I chose to be part of a gang, my older brother refused and then they saw me fighting and that was that for them. They told me that I join or they kill my brother for refusing.
How could I work with people that threatened to kill my brother? Business was business; I didn't have to like the people to work with them.
"Was you following her?" I ask him.
"No" He spat.
I pushed back further until he was screaming like he wouldn't stop. I waited for it to substitute and ask him again. It's the same answer.
I drop his fingers and he goes to cradle them.
"Trace" I call out. Trace looks like the typical emo but he's far from it as you can be. "Reyes"
"His arm"
"Wha?" He looks up at us but before he can figure it out I have his arm out as Trace holds down his body while Reyes swabbed his arm with water. I didn't agree with branding people, my father was branded badly and every time I saw them I felt physically sick.
I look away as I could feel the heat of the poker stick that glittered red in the dark night.
"No" Antes screams trying to buck but being held down by Trace.
A hot poker stick being applied to you with a water swab hurt more than if your arm was dry. A lot more, it flayed your skin.
His head turned on its side so that he was looking me in the eyes. "Please don't"
"Stop" I call out.
"What the hell?" Reyes looks at me. "What's the fuck?" Despite living in America for 20 years he still wasn't good with his English.
"He's innocent"
"Like hell he is, you saying I'm wrong?" Aden glares down at me.
"Leave it with me for a few days" I stare back at him.
"You think he's the wrong one?" Anthony, the second in command spoke up.
"Yes I do, give me a day or two and I can prove it"
"You get four"
I let go a sigh of relief and pull Antes up. I walk him out there and put him in my car which is a blue BMW with silver lining. "Where do you live?" I ask him, eyes on road.
"No. Why would I be so stupid as to lead you guys to my family?"
"We're find them anyway Antes. What do you think we are, stupid? We can find anyone. Just let me take you home"
"No just drop me at Taco Bell, I'll walk from there"
"Fine"
"Good"
I flick the over light on and sneak a glance at him. He was attractive, the type that you had to look for. He had hardened features, an angular face and mossy green eyes. His shirt was ruffled and white with black pants.
"Do you work at The Swans House?" I ask him.
"Oh great, now you know where I work"
"Well I have that uniform at home, I start tomorrow"
"Oh great"
"I'm trying to help you" I look at him again and this time he looks at me.
"Were at Taco Bell's" He tells me.
I stop as I see the sign; as soon as I do he's out. "I'm your best shot you know" I shout out at him.
He doesn't turn he just carries on walking.
I shake my head and turn my car for home.
The next morning I woke up to see my baby brother jumping up at me.
"Hey hermanito" I smile picking him up and hold him up at arm length, his feet on my chest. He gurgles at me with a smile, I tickle his stomach.
I love my hermanito, he's innocent and beautiful and with him in my hands I forget all the bad things I do.
"Where's my hijo?" Papá comes into the room and scopes Rico up who lights up at the sight of his papá and snuggles into his chest then papa turns to me. "You were late last night"
"I thought you be asleep" I grin throwing the covers of me and bounding over to my dresser. "It was after nine after all"
"Careful Lady" Papá warned.
"I aint no lady" I tell him.
"Oh don't I know, you and Cruz will be the death of me"
I get changed into grey jeans and a white ripped t-shirt. It's not cold out so I leave my jacket and go down for breakfast where Papá and mamá are arguing with Ashleigh. So much for me and Cruz being the troublemakers of the family with our older brother Paco the perfect angel.
"But its not fair" Ashleigh moans. "He's a really great guy"
"Guy eh?" I shove her with a smirk. "Who's the special boy?"
"No one" Papá frowns.
Ashleigh glares at him. "I like him dad"
"Your two young"
"Am not"
"You are not dating that boy"
"Not fair"
"Tough"
"I'm sorry darling" Mamá brushes a hand over Ashleigh's hair. "Maybe in a few years"
"Few years you have got to be kidding me"
"I'll see you all later" Mamá pecks us all on the cheek then gives Papá a long peck that makes all of us uncomfortable.
"Rules are rules Ash" Cruz says between mouthfuls of cereal. "No having a relationship until your thirteen, no going out with them until your fourteen. Have sex with them at sixteen"
"Cruz!" Papá gasps and clips him around the ear. "Most definitely not and how dare you say that to your baby sister"
"I'm not a baby" Ashleigh huffs.
"It's true though dad" I say moving out his reach. "You're allowed to have sex when you're sixteen"
"It's the law we followed thoroughly" Cruz has a big eat-shitting grin on his face.
"Oh yeah" I high five him. "Only law I abided to with pleasure" I giggle.
With the look on our papá's face we run for it. Also I have to get their early to show a new student around the school.
A/N: I used goggle translate for the Spanish language so blame that if I got it wrong.
Castalia and Antes are both seventeen. Paco is nineteen. Cruz is sixteen. Rico is nine months old. Ashleigh is twelve. Roz is seventeen.
Small category so the people that do read this, please review? I know you shouldn't ask for them but I don't like to write something and then nobody tell me about how it is. So please review?