I become speechless at how easily Rey gave up arguing any further. After those five words he simply went around his desk and sat, pulling up some papers, of which I haven’t the faintest idea what a gang captain would be doing paperwork.

But here he is, doing it and seemingly doing it well.

I hesitate to interrupt his impromptu working hours as both Rex and I are still left standing there with our mouths hanging open. But the situation calls for it nonetheless, so I do.

“I’m sorry, that’s great but…” I look to Rex and he nods, “…we don’t exactly know what to do next. Do we just wait here and you’ll make a phone call or something?”

My eyes land on the white porcelain landline sitting silently on his desk, I wonder if it’s ever really rang.

Rey’s shoulders shudder with a laugh, one of many in this meeting of ours, “You think I can just ring up Invincibill on his mobile and tell him my dumbass cousin and some kid from off the streets with more balls than sense wants to meet him?”

Flattering, but hurtful nonetheless.

“Well…” I trail off scratching the back of my head as my eyes do just about anything to avoid looking Rey straight in the eyes, “How does it work?”

The smile widens. He sets his pen down and crosses his fingers.

“How it works is…I’m going to sort through many of these stores who, just like you, have more balls than sense, and I’m going to send you two to shake them down.”

Rex shifts uneasily, “Shake them down? You don’t mean…”

“Yes, Rex, I do mean you should beat them up, trash their store or pop a knee cap or hell, all of them. I mean you should get my fucking money!” He slams his fists onto the desk, paper and stationery clattering as he does.

“Uh…” I dare to speak, “How exactly do I do that? I mean, I’m a kid.”

It’s a serious question. I can’t see myself beating on anyone, not without them fiercely retaliating. And frankly, I’m not trying to pick a fight I can’t win.

I could use my powers but I’m not exactly comfortable oppressing people who are just defending what is theirs by right with it.

Rey certainly doesn’t give a toot about any of that though. He focuses his gaze on me and in a low, almost growling voice asks, “Are you not the one who wants to help Invincibill expand the gang? Beat on the other gangs? Take their shit and distribute it amongst us?”

Far too mute to speak, I opt for a nod instead.

“And how exactly do you plan on doing all these…challenging things?”

I open my mouth to speak but he doesn’t let me, “If you have a way to achieve all that, then prove it to me, get me my money, shake those damn owners and remind them that while under our protection they fork up the tax.”

“If you can’t make something as simple as this happen then you’re going to have to give up on your dream to meet Invincibill, cuz you won’t even smell the Lieutenants fucking farts!”

Gulping, sweaty palms set aside behind my back, I nod. “Understood.”

“Good.” He huffs, and picks up his pen once again. Quickly scribbling something down on the back of a…receipt, he presents it to Rex. “Here’s the address of the four most pesky, resilient and fucking big balled owners in my territory, I want the cash they owe before the end of the week or you can forget it.”

I blink at the outrageous deadline, “Tonight’s Saturday night.”

“So? Can’t do it tonight? Got another appointment with another gang or what?”

I shake my head and ignore the accusations, “No, I can, but some of these stores may not even be open. I don’t think we’ll see the owners.”

Rey shrugs, “That sounds like a you problem now doesn’t it?”

Rex looks through the list, muttering to himself as he does. Nothing seeming to penetrate his senses.

Annoyed and tired I snatch the piece of paper from his hands and scoff. I can see why these guys are refusing to pay up.

“You’ve got two gun shops on this list, and one’s pretty famous for their guns too, you’re sending us on a suicide mission.” I spit.

Rey still looks unbothered, “If you can’t turn over a freaking gun shop what do you think you’ll be able to do for fucking Invincibill with his troubles?” He shakes his head, lamenting as he pulls out a cigar stick out of a near empty pack and lights it.

“You really think what you’re trying to do is a walk in a park, you think whatever powers you have- oh yeah I know you’re a meta, only meta’s are this fucking arrogant. Go try flipping that store, get a check.”

Of course, he knows, anyone with two working neurons would figure it out.

Snarling at him but ultimately unable to do anything about it, I resign. Still, I wonder about the other two.

“I can understand why the gun shops are pesky, but these two? One is a tailor’s shop and the other a Pizzeria. Shouldn’t these be a piece of cake?”

Again, I get no reaction from Rey. Instead, he just stares at me and says, “You’ll see.”

I pull on the still out of it Rex’s sleeve as I turn to go. I’m beginning to regret having him with me, but alas, his presence is not something I can change or alter.

“Before you go.” I hear Rey say, “Austin!” He screams.

A short second after a tall muscular man with sweat glistening all over his exposed upper body walks in. It’s obvious he’s just through exercising.

“Yes boss?” It’s rather strange hearing such a burly man call someone half his size and with half his muscles ‘Boss’, and with resounding respect too.

“My cousin and this kid are going for a shake down, those four stores.” Austin’s eyes widen at this and he looks the both of us thoroughly, gauging our strength or rather, lack of it.

“Are you sure, Boss?” the concern is clear to hear in his voice as well, which does nothing for the budding anxiety I already have about this.

Rey nods, “It’s a test. For something much bigger.”

Austin obviously hesitates, taking another look at Rex and I. But he resigns to the word of his Captain and nods.

“You’ll be watching them, make sure they finish the job, don’t interfere, no matter what.” He nods to this as well. “And when they’re done with all four, if they make it that far anyway, report back to me.”

“Understood.”

“Oh and get them some colours, if they do succeed, by whatever miracle the kid has in mind to perform, I want it to be in our colours.”

Fixing me with a dark gaze, Rey says in a less than celebratory voice, “Welcome to the crew kid.”

***

 

For a moment after stepping out of Rey’s ‘place of work’ I was quite surprised and pleasantly so, to realize that it’s still sun up.

The deep underground obsession with these gangs is not something I can truly relate with given my love for the sky and all the celestial beings living within it.

Speaking of which.

“I’ve got to go meet up with Paige, she’ll want to know how this went.” I explain to Austin, now clothe in a black top that doesn’t look too much like his right fit given how his muscles still bulge.

He stares down at me with a pitiful look, one that has been fixed on me since we stepped out of Rey’s place. I’m not sure what he thinks of me but I’m sure it doesn’t do me any good.

“That’s irrelevant, you’re with the crew now and you’ve got a deadline.” His eyes fall on the clean yellow armband that’s been adorn over the sleeve of my grey jacket.

I got the band to mark me as one of their own, I’m not supposed to take it off either, unless given the say so. Rex already had something similar, but it seems Rey wasn’t quite satisfied with the simple scarf he wore and had him wear a bright yellow jacket.

It’s almost a bit too much, but I’m certain Rey doesn’t feel that way.

“I really have to get back to her though, are any of the places we’re shaking down on the way to Prism Motel?” I try to negotiate but Austin doesn’t seem to care much for excuses.

His lip’s part to undoubtably rebuff me once again but Rex speaks first.

“Oh just let the kid go off to his girlfriend, Austin.”

Girlfriend? He thinks we’re together? Is that what we look like?

Austin grunts and faces Rex, surprisingly despite having the towering man puff up towards him, Rex doesn’t shrink in his boots like I’d expect him to.

Instead, he continues, “It’s not like he has anything on us, hasn’t taken any cash or guns either, just walked in and spat some words.”

Austin snarls at this, “He knows our base, that may not seem important to you but it’s important to me, and everyone else in there.”

Rex looks slightly offended, but he doesn’t acknowledge the call out, “If we’re hit by the Suppressors or some wannabe goodie two shoes in the police then we know who snitched, and we know how to find him.”

They do?

Rex snorts, my confusion must have played out clear as day on my face, “Prism Motel? You didn’t even have to be asked.”

Kepler’s Brains!

Austin, on the edge of fuming is rather satisfied with this, he glares at me and it’s obvious what he’s saying. ‘We know where you live.’

“I don’t care if your girl is preggers, get back here in an hour or I’ll come get you myself. We have orders.” He enunciates this by waving the receipt Rey wrote on.

Rex shrugs, not disagreeing, “See ya in an hour, Vern.”

I nod at the two and take my leave holding back an annoyed, frustrated scream reserved for Rex.

While I’m glad he showed Austin that I’m not a threat to him or his boss, I would have rather had him speak out like he did when I was struggling to breath under the zapping glare of his cousin.

Picked out such a convenient time not to be a coward, Rex.

Nevertheless, I put aside my annoyance at my poor pick of an inside man and focus on getting to my destination. Fortunately, Xoxia is plagued with several trikes, catching one going my way is an easy feat.

***

Whilst I travelled to my current position; the gates of Prism motel, my mind wandered as the wind billowed through my hair and my eyes passed over buildings.

What would happen if I paused time while in a moving vehicle?

I haven’t gotten my answer yet, mostly because I’m far too fearful to go from 70mph to a full stop. I’ve been witness to many accidents living in Xoxia, and vehicular accidents, rapid collisions, they don’t look pretty.

Despite not testing it, I figure it wouldn’t be a pretty idea to pause time while travelling at such rapid speeds. I know enough to understand that either absolutely nothing happens thanks to some mumbo jumbo with my powers or I keep moving at the same speed I was before the vehicle became subject to my powers influence.

For the moment, I’ve decided not to try it out. Although, I have manufactured some ideas on how I could use my powers and physics, to catapult myself into the air and in some respect, fly.

Can’t wait to tell Paige all about it…that, and the news of our allegiance to Invincibill’s gang.

Stepping into the building and greeting the receptionist, I can’t help the overwhelming feeling of dread that comes with the thought.

Paige could’ve been right. We should have just left, left and never looked back. But…

Why did I bring us back into a gang all over again?

And now I feel as though, this new affiliation will bring all but the peace I truly need, the peace Paige needs.

There weren’t any other options. Not like we could have left and started up a business. We’d be shut down and throw into orphanages or gifted to the Suppressors.

Maybe this is our only real choice left, I just hav-

“Hey!” I’m shaken out of my deep thoughts by the piercing, annoyed voice of the receptionist. He’s a blue haired, punk looking boy, not much older than either Paige or I.

“Sorry, I was-”

He rolls his eyes, “Yeah, I could tell. Your roommate is by the pool anyway.”

I blink and turn to the open back of the Motel where the pool and other condiment stands that really weren’t manned by anyone gathered.

“Thank you.” He doesn’t seem to hear this, headphones firmly back in place over his ears.

Tired but not defeated I head out to the pool, quietly wondering what Paige would be doing in it at this time of day when the sun is slowly beginning to set.

I find her soaking with three other people, one male and the others female. The four look like they’re having a party.

Music blasts out of their speakers, bottles of wine – or juice hopefully – lie empty by the side of the pool and they’re all in swimsuits.

I notice rather quickly just how touching and excited the guy is near Paige.

I mean…I can’t say I wouldn’t be…Ugh! Not the point.

“Paige.” I call out, but soon learn the sound of giggles, laughter, gossip and popular, catchy music drown out my voice efficiently.

Taking a step closer, careful not to stand too close to the edge of the pool, I call out again and louder, “Paige!”

She hears me this time, in fact they all do. Their heads whip to face me and the reaction that appears tells me all I need to know about what our interaction is going to be like.

Not as cordial as Paige would hope, certainly not with the colour adorning my arm.