Chapter Thirteen

Geez, I dunno about this. Tony glanced anxiously around the dim alley and towards the boarded up doors that Casey has just disappeared through. Mom's gonna kill meÖ

Cadence held up a loosely hinged board and waved to Tony to go through first.

Yeah, but who's gonna tell her? Not me! Tony slipped beneath the board, into an even dimmer and dusty hallway.

"This way," Casey said as she waited about halfway down.

Tony sucked in a deep breath and sneezed. She sniffled her nose and finally stepped forward when she felt Cadence's guiding hand on her back.

The room they entered was relatively small, but held a couple of couches and various other discarded objects. Cadence collapsed onto one of the sheet-covered couches and Tony slid down beside her with an exaggerated sigh.

Casey sat on the floor about a foot away from the couch. She gazed up at Tony, watching her greenish eyes travel constantly around the dim room. "So, what's your story, morning glory?"

"Pardon me?" Tony's eyes stopped roving to focus on Casey.

"You're story, ya know, your history?" The spiky haired girl leaned back on her elbows.

"Oh just ignore her," Cadence said, kicking Casey softly in the thigh, "she's such a gossip monger."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Doesn't matter," Tony interrupted. "I don't have a story to tell anyway."

"Sure you do," Casey said eagerly, "everyone does."

"What if I don't want to tell?" Tony eyes narrowed and she gazed suspiciously at the girl who had only recently stopped 'throwing eye daggers' at her.

Casey shrugged. "No big deal, just curious."

"You go first then," Tony replied quietly.

"Me?" Casey tapped her chest and slowly sat up. "Why?"

"I'm not spillin' the beans if you're not," Tony said as she twisted her legs up under her body and settled in on the couch.

Casey considered for a moment. "All right. Suppose that means I go first, huh?"

"Yup."

"Ok, umÖ " Casey's mind suddenly went blank. "How 'bout a beer?" She scrambled up and over to the cooler that was usually kept well stocked. "Anybody want one?"

"No," two voices chimed up.

She came back with her beer and settled on the floor, tapping the top of the can before popping it open. "So, okÖ umÖ"

"You said that already," Tony teased.

Casey grumbled something unintelligible then sighed. "I was the youngest member ever to join Shane's gang. Your turn." She gulped down a swig of beer.

"What are you called?" Tony asked.

"Huh?"

"What's the name of Shane's gang?"

"She hasn't told you?" Casey leaned forward, sensing a tidbit of information she might need to use later.

"No, she didn't tell me," Tony shrugged. "But then I never asked."

"We're called the panthers," Cadence jumped in. "We all have tats of the panther." She showed off her tattoo.

Strange purple eyes glowed back at Tony and she smiled nervously. "Cool."

"Shane wasn't the first leader ya know," Casey scooted even closer on the floor, till her knees were almost on top on Cadence's boots. "Jynx was."

"Shut up, Case, she doesn't need to know about that." Cadence shoved her feet forward and shoved Casey backwards, sloshing the beer out of the can and onto the dusty cement floor.

"Why not? She'll find out sooner or later," Casey said reasonably as she wiped drops of beer off her shirt and sat out of reach of the dark girl's heavy boots.

Cadence just shot her a dirty look. For a few moments silence surrounded the three girls.

"Who is Jynx?" Tony asked after the silence had become unbearable.

"Jynx is someone you don't wanna meet in a dark alley," a low voice responded from the doorway.

They all looked up, startled, as Shane sauntered into the room.

"Hey, Shane," Casey mumbled as Shane glared in her direction.

"Not telling any deep, dark secrets about me, are you, Casey?" Shane's voice lowered an octave and trembled up and down Tony's spine.

Cadence felt the young girl shake beside her. Tone it down, Shane, she thought, you're gonna scare the little chica away. Out loud she said, "No, no secrets. Case is just tryin' to dig up Tony's past."

"Oh really?" Shane asked, settling down on the couch beside Tony.

Tony shrugged. "For a so called gossip monger Casey sucks." She winked at Casey.

"Jesus!" Casey threw her arms up in exasperation and took her beer to a far corner.

"Hey, I was only kidding," Tony called bewildered.

"Don't worry about it, she'll come back," Shane said and soon Casey stomped back and the four girls began an X-rated version of twenty questions, much to Tony's chagrin.

Chapter Fourteen
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