Finally reaching the top of the ladder, I kind of feel a bit conspicuous in my black jeans and dark t-shirt, when I see what the others are wearing. I let my eyes wander over the group who are now all watching me keenly, apparently trying to gauge my character through appearance, which is quite rude if that was what was going on now. Harley, who, for some arcane reason is perched on a windowsil and offers me a grin as I meet his gaze; the red-haired girl who had waved me up earlier, who wears a green bodysuit and looks familiar; another girl with darker hair and an expressive face, who seems to be a few years my junior; and two other boys; one blonde and clad in denim, stands in the middle of the group, which pegs him within my mind as the leader. The second, with dark hair and green clothes, sits on a backwards chair and looks suspiciously like Rhea in colouring. I raise my eyebrows without a word. The green-clad guy is cute, I admit to myself.
Deciding to play it cool, I turn my gaze to the "leader" guy; the one in denim and orange. Odd colour combination, but it isn't too tacky, I suppose. I nod to him in greeting, and extend a casual hand to shake. "Hi. I'm Raven."
After a moment's hesitation, he clasps it in return. "MadMex," he introduces himself. "Leader of the Crime Lords."
I feel my lips curving into a small smile, as I reply, "So I've heard; Acrobolt speaks very highly of you." I nod to the others. "All of you, in fact." Apparently, that was the right thing to say, as all of them relax slightly. The redheaded girl in green even cracks a knowing smile. Even though that was kind of a white lie, and I was going of what I had heard about on the local news and in passed whispers between the guards, the exploits of this group hadn't escaped me- or my father.
"I'm guessing you want to join the Crime Lords?" She asks, and I nod once in agreement. She then looks at MadMex, eyes glittering in a wicked way, but he doesn't look back at her. No, the leader is studying me intently, the way one would study an all-important maths question.
"How good are you at hand-to-hand combat?" he asks eventually. Conscious of all the stares, I purse my lips thoughtfully. Am I good? The first answer that comes to mind was Um, duh, but I could not be sure. If everyone was at the ridiculous level that Harley had demonstrated earlier tonight, I might be in trouble. To work with them, I'd need to know their fighting style, and I clearly do not, which is getting off topic. I blink a couple of times, all the while tapping my fingers against my thigh, and finally answer the question.
"Decent, though it took me a couple of minutes to put Rhea on her tail end on a bad day."
Eyebrows are raised in response to my words. "On a bad day?" The smaller of the girls echoes, leaning on a mallet the size of my head as she puts the question out there. I nod, frowning in confusion.
"Yeah. Is that a bad thing?" MadMex shakes his head in response.
"No, that's exactly what we need. What about weapons? I assume you have the feathered blades."
Oh, right, the Quills. Nodding, I swing my backpack off my shoulder, and unzip it to reveal the glass-like box. In my distraction, I don't notice Harley move until he's next to MadMex. I hold a Quill up, letting the others see the barbed blade.
"Fun to throw, a pain in the ass to remove from a body," Harley supplies with a small smirk, making me jump with how close his voice is. I nod at him, returning the expression.
"Yep, and they hurt a lot more than guns, so I've heard," I add, my own smile appearing. Replacing the knife in its box, and the box back in my bag, I look back up. "I call them Quills."
"So," I say experimentally, looking between MadMex and the others. "What exactly do I need to do to get the job, hmm?" In unison, the whole group smiles- a twisted smile that left no room for doubt that this would be painful. The effect is creepy, and I suppress a shudder, but feel my face go pale. Uh oh.
"Well, you'll duel one of us, of course," giggles the mallet girl. I raise an eyebrow at her childish attitude.
"Really? Who would you suggest?" I reply, not sure who was at my level with what, and who would apparently supply me with a challenge. As soon as I said it, I consider that maybe it came across as a little snarky, but don't bother to take it back. I would have received a glare from someone at least if my question was taken offensively.
To my surprise, MadMex points to Harley after a moment's hesitation, and speaks in an almost reluctant tone. "Okay, Commander, your turn. See what she's made of, but don't kill her."
YOU ARE READING
Raven
Action"Scared yet?" "Why should I be?" she asks, a dark grin on her face. "They're only feathers." ---------***--------- Have you ever thought your life was a bit odd? Meet Estella Rose Stone; daughter of a millionaire scientist, with a mansion and an aca...
