Chapter 13

Knowing from experience how large her friend's appetite was, Ronnie ordered the biggest burger combo on the menu for Lincoln despite Lincoln's protests. The others ordered their own food, then sat down at one of the patio tables to eat and talk. To Ronnie's surprise, Lincoln rejected her offer for him to live at her family's apartment building.

"Look, Ronnie, I appreciate the thought. I really do. But honestly...I'm happy right where I am," Lincoln explained himself. "Out here on the streets, I'm finally free to be my true self without worrying about trying to blend in with everyone else. I don't have that freedom anywhere else, not even back home in Royal Woods. Face it, Ronnie, people will never accept me for what I really am; I'm covered in scales and can rip people apart with my bare hands. I'm not entirely human, and never will be."

Ronnie was stunned.

Then her face shifted to fury and she got up from her seat, pacing around while ranting and raving in Spanish. Then she whirled around, grabbed the front of Lincoln's shirt, and shook him violently while yelling in his face.

"YOU STUPID DORK! I HAD A WHOLE SPEECH PREPARED TO PROVE TO ABUELA THAT YOU'RE HARMLESS SO SHE'D LET YOU LIVE WITH US! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY NOW?!"

"If it helps, I'd be willing to compromise," Lincoln grunted, picking himself up from where he'd fallen when Ronnie let go.

"Um, is there...stuff goin' on between you two?" Nikki asked uncertainly. "Cuz no offense, but it looks like you're having a lovers' spat."

It was then that Sid felt something strange in the pit of her stomach. Almost like she was...jealous of Lincoln and Ronnie.

"Oh, no, we're just really close friends. We practically grew up together," Lincoln clarified.

Sid let out an internal sigh of relief when she felt the strange feeling in her gut abruptly subside. The quartet kept talking, and Lincoln quelled Ronnie's anger by agreeing to come over for dinner that night. The conversation only stopped when Lincoln noticed a group of five young men harassing the other customers on the patio.

They were all of Jamaican descent, wearing strange clothes made of brown leather and decorated with brightly colored beads. In addition, their faces were all garishly painted to look like skulls. Ronnie looked just as confused as Lincoln felt. Nikki and Sid, on the other hand, seemed to recognize them, as they both went pale and averted their gazes.

"Who are those guys? Is there a circus in town, or something?" Ronnie asked.

"Shhh! Look away and keep your voice down!" Nikki hissed at her. "Those are The Witchdoctors, and it's best to avoid them if at all possible. You do not wanna get on their bad side!"

"I don't think they've noticed us yet. If we hurry, we can still scram before they do!" Sid added in a fearful whisper. That, of course, jinxed them, as one of The Witchdoctors looked in their direction and broke into a broad grin.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" he asked, gaining the attention of the others. "Looks like three lonely ladies and a loser!" Nikki grimaced and swore under her breath as the five men swaggered over to their table. "What's the matter, ladies? You look like you could use some company!"

"No thanks, we're already in good company," Ronnie said. The man only smirked.

"What, this hobo here? You can do better than...HOLY F*K!" he shouted in shock when he got a good look at Lincoln for the first time. The other four just laughed.

"YOOOOOO, we got an ugly-a* circus freak here!" one of them jeered.

"Hey, have you looked in the mirror yourself lately?" Ronnie angrily shot back, only for them to ignore her.

"If he's this ugly, just imagine what his mom looks like!" another one continued, causing Lincoln to growl and clench his teeth.

"You got that right; you see this in dogs all the time! If there's something wrong with the b*ch, there's something wrong with the pup!" a third one said.

That was the last straw.

With his sharp claws leaving deep grooves in the surface of the table, Lincoln let out a loud growl and shot to his feet so fast that his chair fell over. Knowing things were about to get ugly, Ronnie smirked.

"Ooh, poor choice of words, pal," she said. "You see, there are three things you need to understand about my friend here: he knows Capoeira, he's strong as an ox, and he's very close to his mother. You guys just signed your death warrants!"

"Alright, you wanna go? Let's go, bro!" the apparent leader of the group challenged, taking out a pair of butterfly knives. He ran at Lincoln, who swiftly sidestepped the attack and clotheslined the guy with his forearm, causing him to flip and land hard on his back. Then another one of them charged at Lincoln with a small machete, only to get disarmed in a matter of moments and sent sprawling by a kick to his solar plexus.

The fight continued like that for several more minutes. Even when it was five against one, Lincoln had the upper hand. At one point, he slipped up and gave the leader an opening to slash him across the face. He didn't flinch; in fact, the injury only made him angrier, while his attackers stared in shock at the luminous green blood oozing from the gash on his left cheek. Eventually, the police that had been called by one of the bystanders hauled the gangsters away, beaten, bruised, and bloody. Since the leader was confirmed by several witnesses to have made the first move against Lincoln, Lincoln managed to evade arrest himself by claiming self-defense.

...

After he refused Ronnie's original offer, Lincoln and Ronnie managed to work out a compromise: starting that same night, Lincoln would occasionally come over for dinner or just to hang out.

On the walk home, while Sid was excited to finally have a fellow martial artist in the friend group (having studied Kung Fu practically since she could walk), she and Nikki both refused to discuss who The Witchdoctors were, claiming that it would be better if Ronnie asked her relatives. And so it was that Ronnie entered her grandparents' apartment with two questions on her mind. Rosa was bustling around in the kitchen, preparing the meal for that evening. No matter the occasion, Rosa always seemingly cooked for an army, and to be honest, Ronnie was getting tired of having to loosen her skirt every night. She cleared her throat to get her grandmother's attention.

"Oh, hello, Mija! What can I do for you?" Rosa asked cheerfully.

"Is it okay if a friend of mine comes over for dinner?" Ronnie asked in return.

"Well, that depends. Is it Sid from upstairs? Or Nikki from down the street? That girl is much too skinny..."

"Actually, this is a friend you haven't really met yet," Ronnie explained. "He might seem a little rough around the edges, but he's a really nice guy once you get to know him."

"Oh. I guess you could bring him over, then." After thanking her grandmother, Ronnie walked across the hall to her aunt and uncle's apartment. There she found her uncle sitting at the dining room table, grading papers from the summer classes he was teaching.

"Hey, Tio Carlos, could I ask you something?" Ronnie asked.

"I don't mind a bit, Ronnie! Please, have a seat!" Carlos replied, smiling warmly as he indicated the chair next to his, which Ronnie sat down in. "Now then, what's on your mind?"

"Well, you see, there was a...small incident while I was out with my friends earlier," Ronnie began. "I was wondering if you could tell me who The Witchdoctors are." Carlos's smile fell, and he pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh.

"I was hoping to avoid this conversation for at least a little longer, but I guess it was inevitable either way," he said dejectedly. "You're old enough, you know most cities as big as this one have at least some gang activity, right?" Ronnie nodded. "Well, out of all the gangs you could have encountered, The Witchdoctors are by far the worst. They're essentially a three-way cross between a gang, a drug cartel, and a Voodoo cult. Their leader, the Voodoo King, is a very prominent figure in the criminal underworld, famous for performing human sacrifices and feats of black magic. You're very, very lucky to return in one piece from an encounter with them. They're no stranger to human trafficking, either, and for a beautiful young woman like yourself..." He didn't need to finish that sentence, judging by the look on Ronnie's face. "Just promise me you'll avoid them as much as you can, okay?"

"Okay, Tio Carlos. I will." Ronnie left the apartment to hang out at her own, making a mental note to inform Lincoln about what she learned as soon as possible.

For those of you who are wondering, yes, there is a direct relation between my OC gang, The Witchdoctors, and King Willie's gang from Predator 2. See you in the next chapter!