Young Writers Society

Tia

I wasn't stupid, I knew we wouldn't all fit in one taxi. I had ordered a limo. And before long, it pulled up at the curb we were standing on. The man in the limo stepped out, then his eyes widened as he took in who we were.

"Alis," Riley said. In less than two seconds the man was on the ground, shot dead. =She practically skipped over to the body to get the keys. She tossed them to Riley, then went to open the door.

"Told you I knew what I was doing," I said with a smirk, "And you thought I was sixes and sevens."

"What the hell does that mean?" Alis asked.

"Crazy, it means you all thought she was crazy. And I'm sure she is anyway." Riley translated. It's not my fault they didn't understand British-English. I lifted my chin a little higher, and stepped into the limo.

"Oh, no. If your so high-and-mighty, you can drive," Riley threw the keys at me, and I caught them. I shot her a look, but didn't bother protesting. I watched as they all climbed into the limo. Well, I had always wanted to drive a limo. I shrugged, and put the keys in the ignition.

Alis

This wouldn't be my first time in a limo. Actually, it wouldn't be my first after shooting the driver either. I smiled, remembering one of my little adventures in Spain. I leaned against the leather seat, and closed my eyes. This was the life, riding in a limo, killing people at random, I couldn't really be more happy.

"Someone looks happy," Howard commented.

"I am," I took a deep breath of air, "everything is just great." Well, almost everything. I couldn't ignore Ace coughing in the background. As much as I hated him and his girlfriend (but more his girlfriend) I owed him my life. His hacking skills had saved us all on numerous occasions. I turned to Eve beside me.

"Are you sure," I whispered, "there isn't anything more you could do?" She shook her head. This wasn't the first time I had asked the question. I cursed the fact I didn't have more of the Leaf on me. It was great in these types of situations. However, the town we were going to wasn't far from a rather large Devil's Market. If I could access one, and a rather large weapon, I could get the leaf.

Satisfied with my plan, I leaned back and closed my eyes again, my fingers knotted together behind my head. I took another deep breath, trying to decide how I would acquire a leaf that wasn't supposed to exist anymore.

Eve

"Are you sure there isn't anything more you could do?" Alis asked me. I shook my head, then thought back to my first-aid kit. I got it out and looked to see what all I had inside.

"Actually, I do have some cough drops, but they won't last forever." I said, taking some of them out.

"Anything!" she said , desperately grabbing them from me throwing them at Ace. Ace just looked over at us with an expression that said 'what the heck!' but also 'thanks' and popped one in his mouth. "Thank you!" she said to me. She had looked like she was about to explode. It was a little annoying, but there wasn't much I could do.

"Don't you think we should have hidden that guy Alis killed?" Maitea asked. Alis just rolled her eyes, and Maitea glared at her. "We're being hunted. They could easily use that against us."

"Calm down. I'm not stupid. It'll be fine." Alis argued. Maitea didn't reply. There was no point in arguing with Alis. "Just relax and enjoy this. This is the life!"

"Ya, on the run from everyone! That's definitely the life." Maitea said sarvastically under her breath.

"Why do you always have to look at the negative side of things?" Alis shot at her.

"Shut up you two!" Riley yelled from the passenger seat. They both went quiet, but they didn't stop shooting glares at each other. Lucky me, I was in the middle of them. I unbuckled and moved to an open seat next to Howard.

"Good move. I wouldn't want to be one to get in Alis's way." he whispered to me. I smiled. I did agree with Alis a little, but with Maitea some too. It was good to be free to do whatever we wanted to. I mean, we'd broken a lot of laws, and that probably wasn't going to change. Unfortunately, it was a downer to have everyone after us. We were in danger, but yet it was fun. It was kind of contradicting, but that's how it was.

Ace

As soon as I got settled in the limo (which I had to give to Tia, was a good choice of transportation), I put on my ear buds and tried to relax. Sitting upright was a bit painful, especially due to the fact that two of my ribs were still broken--and that was my own fault. Maitea had told me not to try driving. For some reason, though, I couldn't stop coughing, and that made it so much worse. I figured that my insanely low number of (working) white cells and the fact that I'd been dragged through the rain for so long had caused me to catch something.

Suddenly a volley of Ricola bounced off my arm, some of them landing in my lap, and some in Maitea's. I shot Alis a glare--I knew she'd done it. She could have just asked if I wanted some cough drops; she didn't have to attack me with them. However, I nodded in thanks, unwrapped one, and popped it in my mouth. I pondered the possibility of balling up all the wrappers tightly and hitting Alis with it, but I didn't have enough empty wrappers for that yet. I stuck all the extras in my pocket and turned the volume up.

"Calm down. I'm not stupid," I heard Alis say. Yes, actually. Yes, you are. You totally should've hidden that body; the cops now had something to go by. To trace.

Turning the volume up even more, I could still hear a minor spat between Alis and my girlfriend. I cursed the fact that the mp3 player wouldn't go any louder when I heard Riley scream at them both to shut up.

Later, when the road became smoother and I didn't have to worry about hitting the wrong spot, I opened an insulated lunch box that contained and ice pack and my assorted medications. I pulled out one of the needles Alis had once been too interested in for her own good and placed it next to a vein in the crook of my elbow. Maitea reached for my hand and held it as I injected myself with whatever Dad had prescribed me.

"You only have three left," she noticed. That would only last me till the end of the week. Ma was supposed to meet me sometime in the last few days to give me more, but she hadn't. I wasn't really worried that anyone had captured her; after all, the PKs were all gone. I just worried that something worse could have happened, or that she might have forgotten me. Or even worse than that, that she'd just given up on me.

Reg Carter

Even if I were to get out'a my cell - and that's one big if - I'd be too damn clueless to know what to do next. There would definitely be no obvious way out and as far as I knew, I was the only prisoner; that meant I was alone. Alone verse a bunch psycho-government operating CIA pricks. It didn't look good for one, but there was no way I was going to sit in the white hole for god knows how much longer just waiting to go insane. They'd come for me again; like they did every night. Two heavy handed guards with a brisk walk. 3 steps into the cell, 4 steps dragging me out. Turn to the left. 10 desperate paces forwards. Stop at the door, wait for code. 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... That familiar grinding noise as the door slides left to reveal yet another white corridor. Six steps forwards, another door, this time to the grey steel-ironed torture room. Another 5 seconds to input the code. Then hell.

I needed to gather my strength to make sure I took the best advantage. Not knowing the codes was a bit of a piss-up on my part. Tonight, when they drag me to see the Proffesor, I will make sure I have my strength. I will act as dazed as I always invetably am. I will take in the codes. I will put up with the torture; and then the following day, I will make my escape; even if it means the death of me.

The time was now. Or else I'd go insane.

James~~

After we stopped and Riley left I went to town to do some research on the local police and their alert level. From what I could see, everything was normal, not even a police car in sight. To me this meant that they did not expect us to be here, but that they might expect us to be somewhere else. I prayed that whatever Riley was doing wouldn't get her killed.

I walked by a coffee shop and picked up a newspaper from the trash. It was about a month old, and right when I was about to throw it back in a headline caught my eye.

American Police Release Casualty Report on the Latest Gang Crime.

I flipped the newspaper around so that I could see the whole article then I began reading. The article claimed that many police had been killed, but at least two of the Robin Hood Gang members had been shot, and would likely die, although no bodies had been recovered. I read the article again to make sure I hadn't missed anything. After a third read through I realized that my hope was valid. They said no bodies had been recovered, but Reg had been left there, which meant they were either lying, or he was still alive. I guessed the latter, seeing as any victory on their part would have immediately made the news.

I threw the newspaper in the trash and started walking down the street. It would maybe take me a day to get back to where the fight occurred, and then longer to find out where they took him. It had been two months already which reduced his chances of being alive, and made it much harder for me to find him, but I had to try. As I walked I deliberated whether or not to tell Riley. I decided against it. In fact I wouldn't tell anyone. A deserter wouldn't look to conspicuous.

I found a man locking his car and as he walked by me I picked his keys. I waited till he had gone into a hardware store before unlocking the doors and speeding off. It was a red 4x4. I laughed at the irony. It was the same car Reg would have chosen.

- - - - -

I sat at the coffee shop computer, trying to hide the screen from any cameras so that no one would be alerted to what I was doing. Now I wasn't the best hacker, but I knew just enough to get me into the CIA's server. From there I found a special operations task force labeled, "King George". Again the irony struck me. They would name the organization taking down the Robin Hood Gang's after the king who supposedly outlawed Robin Hood himself.

From there I read mission reports, and right before I gave up hope I saw a report with a single sentence printed on it: "Prisoner taken to Roosevelt Island- detained underground indefinitely" I assumed they could only mean Reg.

By the end of the day I was in New York, the bed of the 4x4 covered in a tarp that protected bag's of specialized equipment. This would not be easy- but then again nothing ever was, and once I got to Reg I would have an extra gun arm. I could only hope that he was still alive when I got there.

There is going to be two or three parts to this....

Riley

Once we found a good resting place, I took the limo and went out. I ignored the many protests from the gang, and dodged their questions. I knew what I was doing. The meeting was in five hours, and I had to get ready. I drove a little bit before I arrived at the little shop. The owner was a family friend, and more than willing to help me, with a little encouragement. Monica didn't care where the money came from, she needed it. The whole store needed it. I pulled my hood over my eyes, and parked the limo. there wasn't anyone in this part of town, and it made my job easier.

I walked into the shop. "Riley," she greeted me, "welcome." I handed her a large roll of bills. She counted in, and nodded. That would pay for the dress, and all the trouble she was going through. She took me over to where a rack of dresses were lined along the line.

"What are you looking for?" she asked me.

"Something they would never expect Riley Evans to wear," I said, looking over the dresses. I pointed to a pink one, "That one," I grinned, "the very sight of it makes me want to be sick, I love it." Monica pulled it off the rack, and held it up to me. She showed me the dressing rooms, and I pulled the dress on. I stepped out, and grimaced as I saw myself in the mirror.

"I look like Elle Woods from Legally Blond," I said in horror.

"You look beautiful, and you told me yourself it had to be something you would never wear. It fits you perfectly." Monica insisted. I nodded, and changed back into my regular clothes. Monica ran a finger through my hair, and clicked her tongue in disgust. "We have so much work to do." She took out a brush, and some sort of bottle. She ran the liquid through my hair, and then brushed it out. Then. she took out some extensions and clipped them into my hair. She turned the chair I was sitting in so I could face a mirror. She showed me what she wanted to do with my hair. A very elaborate, overdone bun.

"Excellent," I said as I saw what she meant. Not anyone, even the gang, would recognize me after what she was about to do. She did exactly as she said, and the whole thing took a half hour. When she was done, it felt like my hair weighed about fifty pounds.

Then, the thing I dreaded most, the makeup. Before I knew it, my eye-lids were pink, with red lips to match. My skin tone was perfectly even, and I looked flawless. Monica had me put the dress on. She threw me a pair of shoes that matched the dress, and a set of earrings with a matching necklace. I put them all on, and then I took a look in the full length mirror.

"I look like my sister," I said. I hadn't looked so beautiful since nearly ten years ago at a wedding, and I was disgusted. I gave Monica a bit more money for a job well done. Now I required Ted's assistance for the forged documents. I thanked Monica, and got into the limo. This was going to be interesting.

Ace

As soon as we arrived, I found the best possible place to lie down and did so almost immediately. But sleep just wouldn't come. I was tired, sick, worried even sicker, and I just couldn't seem to relax my mind enough to drift off. Turning over, I took out the collar device I'd stolen from my mother once and stared at it as if somehow, it would open a direct line from me to her. That only happened in fiction. I was almost ready to accept that, whether her, literally, or me, figuratively, one of us was gone.

So what would happen now?

"Do you need anything?" Eve asked as she organized her things, pausing at the first aid kit.

I shook my head. Honestly, my stomach was angry with me, but that was just what the medicine did to it. Other than that, I couldn't think of anything I needed, other than a hug, maybe.

Gracie Finn

The bastards hadn't even given me any clothes to change into. They wouldn't let me shower. I was still in my dress blues, as I'd been at a promotion ceremony when I'd been taken into custody for questioning; though the wool was nice for when it got chilly, it wasn't so great for when I started to sweat nervously.

I lay back on the cot, my coat thrown over me like a blanket, my legs brought up to my chest. There was a constant dripping coming from somewhere, and it was getting more and more aggravating by the second. It was like the time after one of the earthquakes that the plumbing in Ace's bathroom had shaken loose, and all I could hear when I went in to care for him was 'drip, drip, drip...'

Ace.

I sighed. I hoped that somehow, he would find a way to get everything he needed, because as soon as the police found out that I had spun them a web of lies so thick that one could probably catch a small mammal in it, I would be killed. Hell. I might be killed anyway.

They had already...tortured, I think...some poor soul in a cell hidden from my view. Sometimes during the day, I could hear him mumbling and groaning. At night, I never slept, because once I'd heard him scream, and ever since then, I was on my guard. They hadn't done that to me yet--well, not anything too brutal. I dealt with all the mild physical violence; when they punched me, I told them they hit like a girl. When they threw me around the cell, I asked if that was all they had in them.

But I'd gotten the handcuffs off. Ace had always laughed at me for my use of hairpins, but this time, it had paid off. And the next time those bastards came in to touch me, I'd have the element of surprise, the upper hand. I could kill, if I needed to, and I could take the keys, possibly.

Of course, it was all theory. No one, especially not me, could say whether or not it would actually work. And honestly, I didn't think it would, but it was worth a try.

Reg Carter

Putting up with another two days of the psycho's torture had allowed me to focus on the sleep I needed, pushing any irrelevant problems out of my mind. My thoughts were going crazy with numbers, statistics and times. I needed everything to be perfect, or it wouldn't work and I doubt I'd get another chance. I needed someone on the inside and out for this job, but I had to rely on myself. It worked in the old days so why not now?

The blank white of everything was the worst. The non-existence of time was even more so. I could've been here for years and my mind wouldn't have comprehended it any different. Though, I knew it wasn't years because my gun shot wounds were still messily cleared up and I'd probably have a beard as long as Father Christmas'. It wouldn't be long before the two heavy hands would come for me again, but to make sure I was ready; I'd nap until they got there. I closed my eyes and fell in a lostness that I couldn't control. Every second seemed to take me deeper, small flashbacks of past events that had seemed so incredibly irrelevant before, but now had such a strong feeling of purpose with them.

I was interrupted by the sound of my white jail caged door grinding sideways. I opened one eye and continued to pretend I was in a sleep. It was important, because they'd assume I was weary, like usual, and would once again come to the torture room with no trouble whatsoever. But they were wrong. They turned me by my shoulders and their gritty hands hung under my armpits as they dragged me from my bed and out into the corridor. They turned left. Five more steps until the door. This time I knew the code; careful observations the previous day had paid off. Just as the guard to my right inputted the first number I struck. However, at this point it was clear I was a lot weaker than I'd anticipated. I'd have to use my legs. They'd do more damage than my flimsy arms would manage at this stage. I buck-kicked the guard inputting the code in his testicles. His grip loosened and I fired an elbow into his face. His nose cracked as he squealed in pain falling back to the floor, both hands gripped around his groin. Then I turned my attention to the other guard who was stunned enough for me to have time to act. With the lack of strength I'd have in a punch, I decided to repeatedly hit him in the groin. Again and again, even as he was going down. He was in agony. Though, I wasn't finished yet. Despite their pain they could get up in less than thirty seconds and beat me down, I couldn't run after the torture I'd been receiving. I needed to recover and I couldn't as hell do that here. I walked up to the guards rolling on the floor, squealing. Then, with my naked foot, I repeatedly stomped on both their faces until they were still and only a bloody pulp remained. It was a sick sight, but I told myself those bastards deserved it more than anyone else in the world ever would. That included that wacko specky scientist too.

Now, I just had to find my way out with no weapons, a simple overall and a code I was sure would only work for one door. This was going to be tough.

Riley

I pulled up at Ted's, and I realized he was outside waiting for me. I only had one hour until the ball, and I should have had twice that. Ted opened the door for me, and I stepped out.

"Riley, my you've changed." he grinned, knowing I wouldn't ever dress like this.

"Well, Ted, desperate times call for desperate measures." I locked the doors to the limo, and followed Ted inside his apartment. He lead me up to his office, and shut the door behind us. Then he pulled out a manila envelope, and spread its contents on the table.

"Your licence," he said, pointing to each thing in turn, "identification papers, and invitation." I looked them all over. All bore the same name, Lilly Clide. The picture was an edited version of mine from Bree's wedding. It looked perfect, all of the papers. The whole thing was flawless.

"And the real Lilly Clide?" I asked after examining the papers.

"Taken care of," he grinned, and I knew exactly what he meant. Poor Lilly Clide. He paused, then continued, "Remember, you are 26, live in New York, and are down in Texas on vacation. You aren't married, no husband, no kids, nada. Your mother is dead, your father is an officer in the army." I nodded as he said each thing, taking in all the information for conversation purposes. "And you were invited to this because Fredrick Clide was invited, and he is your brother. Fredrick isn't going to be their either. I've taken care of him, personally." Ted leaned back in his seat, very pleased with himself. I handed him five thousand in folded bills. Like Monica, he counted the money. He grinned, and looked at me.

"I assume you will need someone to drive your limo to the gala." Ted's voice was cunning, and almost wanting. I handed him another hundred, and tossed him the keys.

"Let's go." We both walked out to the limo, but this time I climbed in the back. Before long, I was in the front of the Greenwood Resort. "The captain knows how to party." I pointed out.

"He sure does." Ted looked at me, "You are going to have to arrange your own way back. After you kill the captain, the cops'll be hot on your trail. I wont be caught up in it." I nodded to acknowledge his request. From there, I stepped out of the limo into the bright lights of the resort. I had a objective, and a fail-proof plan.

Maitea

I went over to Ace. We were staying in a simple little motel, or what must have been one at a time. Now, it was practically deserted. He was sitting on the couch, obviously not feeling very well. Then again, were any of us besides Alis really feeling well? I wrapped my arms around him.

"I wonder where Riley went..." I said. I noticed her jacket hanging on the hanger over on the wall. The newspaper. She would kill me if I was caught doing this, but knowing would be so worth it. I went up, and fished around in the pockets until I drew out a piece of paper. I read the article through. This was a load of lies and trash, but I had a good idea where Riley was.

"The Greenwood Resort," I said out loud.

"What?" Alis asked, looking at me like I was crazy. Eve walked over to me, and skimmed the article.

"It's obvious, Riley is getting revenge," she said after a minute, "for what happened to Reg."

"She's going to kill the Captain, or at least try to. She's completely mad!" I was practically yelling, now, out of shock. And I had once respected her. I shook my head at how out life had turned out.

"There is no way she can pull this off," Eve looked at Ace, then pulled out a computer. "Can you get us a look at the security cameras in the building?"

Before Ace could answer, I added something, "Don't shut them off, just so we can see what's going on. We don't want to rouse suspicion, then they would know something was up. Just let us have a look."

Ace

Maitea crossed the room to sit next to me, wrapping her arms around me. I returned the gesture, smiling, and kissed her neck softly. Every time she was in my arms, it reminded me that she was my everything.

She got up soon to snoop in Riley's jacket pockets, which I was sure we'd all hear about later, and all of a sudden I was being handed a computer and asked to hack into something. Fine; I would, but only because they asked nicely.

It took me longer than it usually did, but a somewhat shorter time than it did to figure out the encryptions and whatnot for the jail we'd sprung Riley out of before. Soon, I had all the cameras online and I searched through the pictures, looking for anything suspicious, out of place, out of--

I saw something that I never thought I'd see--it was just too weird to be true. "Masaka!" I cried, then blinked. Everyone was looking at me oddly, and I didn't indulge them in a translation. I just zoomed into one of the cameras and focused on a girl entering, wearing a pink dress. "Riley looks like a chick."

"That's not Riley," Eve said, peering over the screen.

"I swear to you, Eve, that's Riley."

"Actually," Maitea began, pushing my head out of the way to look.

I pushed her back to her original spot. "Wait till she turns around...wait for it...Look!"

"What?" Eve exclaimed. "Oh my god, that is Riley!"

"I told you that was Riley!" I shot back.

Maitea nodded. "She can look pretty if she tries."

Eve

I felt a little guilty about spying on Riley. She obviously didn't want us to know what she was up to, and it wasn't for us to know. I trusted Riley knew what she was doing, I was just worried that something could go wrong.

"Maybe she's not trying to get revenge." I said. They all looked at me like I was crazy. "Well, Riley's not stupid! She knows what she's doing. She didn't want us to know about this for a reason, and one of those reasons is probably because we wouldn't understand."

"Eve, I don't like to admit stuff like this, but it's time to face the facts! Riley's blinded by her loss." Maitae said. I just shook my head.

"No, I refuse to believe that." I said.

"Even if Riley was going mad, she would never do something that could risk us all getting killed. She's not that insane. She's probably just going to get information." Alis said. I nodded.

"Thank you Alis." I said, then turned to Maitea and Ace, who were both shaking their heads. "Riley knows what she's doing. We shouldn't be spying on her." I was about to close the laptop when Alis stopped me.

"We might just want to make sure nothing goes wrong, though." She said.

"I guess your right." I said, and we all started watching the screen to see what would happen.

Riley

The Captain started his speech with lies, filled the middle with lies, and ended it with another big lie; I was disgusted. According to him: I was 17 and incapable of leading a gang, there were only four of us left in the gang, beating us would be easy, he was intelligent, I was a poor leader, we weren't capable of anything, and we would probably kill each other before they could get to us. Lies, lies, lies! What a load of trash, but I had to play the part. I clapped and cheered when everyone else did.

Eventually, he said the only words that were true in his entire speech. "Now, we will dance," he stepped down from the podium, and onto to the dance floor. A police officer came over to me, and asked me to the dance. Remembering my cover, I smiled and took his hand. I danced with two others before the Captain came over to me. I had originally planned on killing him during dinner, the poisoned vial in the little pink purse I carried, but this would work too.

The captain began to dance with me. We talked a little, about things that were very inconsequential, and then talk went to the gang.

"You said Riley was only 17?" I asked with faked innocence. He nodded, and smiled what would have been a very charming smile to anyone who didn't want to kill him.

"Yes, very young. Incapable, we don't know what is running through their heads, supporting her as leader. But, like any government with a bad leader, corruption is on the horizon." He smiled again. I resisted the urge to take out my gun and shoot him right there.

"Well, I'm sure you and your crew," I smiled my prettiest smile, "will have them by next Tuesday." The captain leaned closer to me. I giggled, something I had never done before. But this one was fake as fake could get. The captain didn't notice, though. I had to fake innocence as long as I could. I ran my hand along his shoulder, and his grin got bigger. Smile while you can, you bastard. I thought.

The next song began, but the captain didn't let go of me. He grabbed around my waist, and lead me down a hallway. It was huge. Marble columns with windows in between gave a view to the outside. We walked down the hallway a bit before he spoke again. "Lovely night, isn't it? The whole resort was beautifully done."

"Yes," I agreed. "You have exquisite taste, Captain Marci." The compliment almost caught in my throat. It was almost causing me physical pain to be nice to him. He stood inches from me. He took my face in his hands, and leaned closer to me. As his lips pressed to mine, I pulled a knife out of a hidden pocket in my dress and stabbed him. Then, from inside my purse, I drew a gun and shot him between the eyes.

"By the way," I growled at his corpse, "I'm twenty one." I heard footsteps, and pulled the knife out of the captain chest. I used it to smash the window. It shattered, and I ran back against the opposite wall. I managed to only get a scratch on my arm. I climbed though where the window had once been, and took off down the street. I turned around to find a cop behind me. Ironically, the one I had danced with earlier.

He didn't expect me to have a gun. I shot, and missed. But in the moment he was distracted, I reloaded and shot him again. This time, I got him arm. He fell to the ground, and I shot him between the eyes.

With that, I pulled off both my heels and began to run down the street again.

Alis

I stared at the screen in disgust, "Let me get this straight, Riley went to party, incognito, to flirt with a Captain who wants us all dead?" I had never hated her so much. Riley had gone insane!

"I bet she has a plan," Eve said timidly. I shot her my death glare.

"Shut up, Eve. Riley....has...no....plan. She's just gone completely insane!" I was shouting now, out of anger. I looked down at the screen, and watched as the Captain kissed her. I hope she was happy. There was a collective gasp from the gang.

"Wait, look!" Maitea said. I looked down to see Riley take out a gun and shoot the Captain. I hated being wrong, but I really had no argument on this one. Eve grinned.

"Told you," She said. Then, I watched as Riley broke the glass on the window and began to run. From there, we couldn't see anything.

"We have to help her," Howard said.

"No, she kissed the Captain. She can figure this one out on her own." I folded my arms across my chest, and silently dared anyone to make a comment otherwise.