Author's note: Laraqua, this one's for you dude/ette. Frenchy, I never watched the movie, Travolta is evil.
Chapter 6: "They meet"
Once again the streets were washed with violent rainwater. Carlos woke up, expecting to see the dank lifeless walls that he last saw before someone knocked a blunt weapon over his head. It surprised him to see a young woman, hunched over him with concern. A red umbrella now covered them both, while she wore a white sleeveless turtleneck shirt and a blouse that matched the parasol. "Are you alright?" came an angelic voice that was almost surreal.
"…"
"The shelter is close to here, I'll take you there." she whispered. She clumsily closed her Umbrella, letting herself get wet. Carlos soon felt her right hand on his left wrist, and he shortly found himself leaning on her, with his arm over her shoulder as support. "My name's Nichole, what's yours?" she tried for a conversation. "…Carlos." It worked.
"Well Carlos, it looks like you got yourself into a hell of a time there. What happened? Bad coke?"
"…Uh…some guys were jealous of my socks. Wanted them bad."
"Really? I kind of thought it was the tattoo you have on the back of your neck."
"Maybe."
"You should grow your hair a little bit more, cover that up."
"Maybe."
She pushed her wet hair back and trudged along the wet pavement, until a man, probably in his thirties, offered them help. He handed Nichole an umbrella while he took over carrying the young man. "Thanks." She whispered with chattering teeth. "What happened here miss?" asked the man, looking at the once again unconscious boy. "I think it was a gang thing."
"Kids nowadays. Is he your…?"
"I don't know him really, just a guy I see at school."
"And you pick up and help him?"
"…I guess it's just the human thing to do, you know?"
"I guess it is."
"…"
"Where exactly do we go, miss?"
"The shelter."
"Busy place that is."
"Lots of kids get beat up."
"Lots of crazy people."
"Yep."
"…Aren't you the least bit worried that I might suddenly turn on you?" asked the man as they trudged forward.
"Well, I don't know. First off, you'd only be wasting ATP on me if you ever plan on robbing me because God knows I have no money."
"…"
"And besides, I've got really big boxer gloves in my pocket."
"I dread."
Lily sat on a crate underneath a concrete bridge, with a square pillar marked by graffiti on her back. A steel trashcan was in front of her, its contents set on fire, to provide the least bit of warmth. "So, how did it go?" asked the blonde girl to four men who stood in front of her. "It was a long walk and a bus ride, but we hit as much of them as we could." Replied one of the young men.
"You know, hitting the Betas one by one… I'm not too comfortable with this." commented a young black man near Lily's left.
"It doesn't seem…right." Quickly added a man to her right.
"We need to earn fear and respect." Sternly reminded Lily. "You boys have done very well tonight."
She watched them all go, leaving Lily behind. "Amazing, you didn't burst out into some sort of 'turf equals power' speech like you always used to." Came a young man's voice. "Shut up, Paul." She commented, standing up and turning to face the man who emerged from the shadows. "…Happy Birthday Lily." He said with a smile, handing her a small chocolate cake, about the size of his palm, with an unlit candle on it. A bigger smile spread on her face as she took the small offering, holding it on chest level so that Paul could light the candle with a lighter. Paul began to hum to her 'Happy Birthday', making her giggle, seemingly out of her character. "Why don't you sing?" she asked, him. "Because you know that I have a horrible voice." He replied with a chuckle. "…But…I think they can do it for you." He said, motioning for her to look around. A group of Alphas closed in, and began to sing her the song. They were her only family. He was her only somebody. She felt her heart struggle to find the right words, the right gesture, or the right retort, but all she could do then and there was to laugh, small crystal tears softly running down her cheek. Paul looked at the gleam in her eye, and he felt complete. He was happy, simply because she was.
Paul watched as Lily gazed at her friends, the candle light glimmering against her eyes, and all he wanted to do then and there was give her the world's biggest hug. Any woman would have said yes. Two girls came up to her and gave her a small stuffed toy, a white bear that must have cost a few dollars. "He came up with the idea." Whispered an Asian girl, pertaining to the sheepish boy who Lily practically saw as a personal bodyguard. Paul bit his lower lip and looked away, only seeing his friends give him the thumbs up. Blushing would have been the perfect understatement as to what the young man experienced when he noticed Lily turn and give him a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Happy birthday!" once again screamed the crowd, tossing ripped art paper into the air and applauding as well.
"Thank you." Whispered Lily. "I'd give you a hug, but I'd crush the teeny cake." She said with an embarrassed chuckle.
"Really? Hey, get Andrew, hold this thing for me will you?" he yelled to his friend, making them all laugh out.
Carlos woke up in a couch in a small hallway, both doors on each end of the hall was left open, bringing in the noise from the teenagers going about their lives. Opposite where he lay were three square windows joined together, but were covered with blue and white squarely striped curtains. His shirt was taken off, as well as his pants, leaving him in gray boxers while a white bed sheet covered him. "Hey, you fully conscious or do you plan on fainting yet again?" asked Nichole who was sitting at the arm of the couch by Carlos' feet.
"Fainting sounds good." He groggily replied. "…Where am I?"
"5101 Saint Anton Street, best known as, the shelter for the kids struck by shit happens disease."
"Oh yeah, I'm in the head of the list then."
'Nah, I think there's this kid who got kicked in the balls five times straight by a disgruntled horse."
"Good God."
"Indeedy." Nichole took a sip of coffee from her mug, there was also a thick blanket wrapped around her. "What're you drinking?" he asked, his vision still not in its usually powerful tone.
"…Eye of newt." She replied
"You know, one time, that's all we got to eat for Christmas dinner."
"Wow, really?"
"…No."
"Okay. It would have been to good to be true."
"Yep. My sole wish." He joked, both of them raising their voices in laughter. "Everything okay in there?" came a voice from outside Carlos' view. Nichole looked back and nodded to a young man with a smile as he entered the doorway, carrying a cardboard box full of clothes. "Looks like he's finally awake. The name's Ben. Ben Chaplin."
"…Carlos Oliviera."
"Its nice meeting you man, I'd like to shake hands and all, but I still have to carry these up to the second floor."
"…You too." Carlos replied, watching the man nod at him then smile at Nichole, before proceeding to leave his view. "Boyfriend?" he asked in a curious tone. "For a day and a half and still counting." Responded Nichole who flashed him a big smile. "Do you think we'd make a good couple? I mean we are a couple, but, um…"
"You'd make a great couple jealous." He replied, inadvertently accenting the word 'you'.
"…Thank you." Answered the girl, running a finger above her ear. "Um, hey, I've still got some work to do over here, so…just rest for awhile there ok? I left a mug of hot chocolate there on the lamp table."
"Where?"
"Less than a foot away from your head."
"Oh. Thanks."
"So where do you live?"
"…Uh, nowhere."
"Is that literally or metaphorically?"
"What?"
"Its just that some kids here actually do have places to stay, but they just…don't want to."
"Oh."
"So, where do you belong?"
"Latter, I guess."
"Guess?"
"Yeah, I know that the home, is like, some place that's supposed to be all that, you know?"
"Uh-huh?"
"Home is where the heart is, shit like that."
"You don't think it is?"
"Home is where the shit is. That's all it's about." He said, his tone now grave, unlike earlier before.
"Care to tell me why?" she asked, sitting back down.
"Just the fact that I blow my ass off just to give my mom a shelter and all she'd ever do is…ignore me and sleep with guys ten years younger than her."
"…Ouch."
"And when she's not ignoring me, she tells me how much of a…uh, hey, weren't you going to do something?"
"…Yeah, will you be okay here?"
"I'm pretty sure I won't suddenly die."
"Good. If you need anything, just holler, okay?"
"Hollering, nice."
In an apartment, Michael and Lorna shared a passionate night, both undressed, intertwined on a white bed. "You know, those bruises make you look more…manly." She seductively whispered. Three loud knocks on the door then interrupted the two's night of affection. "Jesus." Michael pulled up a pair of pants and proceeded to the door of their hospitable apartment. He peered through the looking glass, but found no one on the other side. "Weird." He muttered.
"Who is it Mike?" called Lorna, who slipped back to a gray tank top and a pair of jeans. Michael took off a chain lock from the upper portion of the door, which he himself built, and then opened it.
"Louis!?" he cried in shock when he saw the young man stumble into the room, he was probably leaning on the wall when Michael went to look.
"What happened?" he asked the beaten boy.
"They're picking us off, one by one." Announced Michael as the betas formed a meeting on the second floor at an abandoned warehouse three days after Louis first reported to Michael. They needed time to rest after all.
There were crates scattered about, some covered in dirty sheets, others not. Rectangular pillars were marked with graffiti. As usual, he was sitting on a steel chair, wearing a plain blue fitted shirt with the letters 57 printed on it, and with Lorna beside him. Only a considerable few were there, and they concluded that the Alphas must have hit a whole lot of their members already. "Justin, where are the rest of your flak?" asked Michael.
"Carlos and Tyler are still pretty much, nowhere." He replied, Bryan was by his side, smoking a cigarette. Justin wore a baggy black long sleeved shirt, while Bryan wore a green tank top. "Why do I get the impression that they know a lot about us?" asked Gabrielle who wore a violet long-sleeved shirt and khakis.
"Yeah, we get that too." Added another Beta.
"They also knew where the triangle alley was." Lorna contributed, lighting a smoke.
"You all think they have a mole?" Michael asked. Everyone agreed, although not eyeing anyone else suspiciously. None of them carried any weapons that night, and they were all still beat from the other evening's confrontation. Joan held her sore elbow, while David had his arms around her waist from behind her. "You two okay?" Lorna asked the couple.
"…Yeah. We'll make them pay for what they did to Louis." Replied Joan. She wore a blue halter-top and black jeans, while David wore a black shirt and khakis.
"JB?" asked David. "Out of action." Replied Michael.
"Hey! What did I miss?" shouted a female voice from a distance. She wore a violet tube and leather pants. A group of men surrounded the thirteen betas, all of them with menacing stares, brandishing blunt weapons. "…Lilith." Michael said under his breath. There were twenty-one Alphas covering them, making escape impossible. He stood up and folded his chair, holding it in his right hand as a weapon. "This town's under our jurisdiction now. We're giving you a chance to accept this, Betas. You're time is over." She announced, pointing at Michael with her cross-wrench. Lorna gave him a panicky look, but she uttered nothing. "These kids' blood's on your hands, Michael. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."
"Guys?" Michael asked, locking his eyes with every member. "…No way." Bryan responded. The others shared his opinion. "You're making a mistake people!" Lilith cried. "Go!!!" suddenly screamed Michael, catching the Alphas off guard as they all rushed weaponless to battle.
An Alpha tackled Lily to the ground, relinquishing her of her weapon, but Paul was quick to pry him off of her, making him the target. People crashed onto each other, throwing punches left and right, not caring if it's male or female, just as long as its ally or adversary. Lily still had the taste of bliss she had a few nights before when Paul surprised her for her birthday. But now, it was back to business. She stood right back up and helped Paul fend off the enemy. All of them were stuck in the moment, as individuals, where the only thing that matters if the person beside you is one to help or one to harm.
Betas and Alphas ripped into each other, withstanding each blow. The former pulling their strength from the justice that their allies deserved, while the latter gaining their muscle from the joy they felt, the joy they wanted to preserve, from earlier on. Both were relatively strong pools, both used to all their extent. Michael used the steel chair to bludgeon an enemy on the head, twice, and when he was down on his knees, Michael batted at him sideways, knocking him down. Lorna fought behind him, she carried a small steel hammer that she tried to whack a foe with over the head, but it was to no avail as the bigger man held her wrist before she could bring it down. Before the man could hit her however, Michael clocked him with the steel chair, giving Lorna an opening to hit him on the back with the hammer, and then on his stomach. A female Beta member sat beside an unconscious ally, cradling his bleeding head in her arms.
She took a deep breath, interchanging her glances from her boyfriend to the action. She should be part of them. Her boyfriend's breathing was steadily getting slower. It was her time to make a decision, knowing full well that people might die that day. Everyone carried that probability in their minds as they battled. She made a choice. She had enough. She ran out, past people tackling each other to the ground and hitting each other over the heads. Inside, she doubted what it was she was about to do. To betray everyone she knew all her life. But that was just it. Life was the matter. Life was the cost. Life was at stake, her boyfriend's most of all. So she ran, outside the madness of youth and into the madness of age.
Author's note: I really like Lily and Paul, sorry. Once again, God I should have this recorded, thank you for the reviews and I hope you liked this round. I don't want people to be just "good" or "bad", so, like, yeah, whatever. Till next time.