The Redback Rose

Chapter 1

The harsh firelight stung my unopened eyes, making the light dance from behind my eyelids. A fire roared beside me, casting a deep orange glow. Not enough to see with, but enough that my skin felt the heat. I placed a hand to my exposed shoulder, willing away the sizzling intensity. I looked around, recognizing nothing but the sky. Wait, the sky, it was later afternoon when I arrived home, still a few hours of daylight left. But now the stars climbed high, catching the embers that rose from the fire. The fierce crackling swarmed in my sensitive ears and added to the cacophony. The sound of my own pounding blood caused me to wince.

A young man with glittering green eyes stood over me and held the blanket that I assume covered me in a fair-skinned hand. The fog still swimming in my head made everything fuzzy, so much so I almost didn't notice the other boys. None of them had particularly defining features, not that I could identify much in the poor light. Some had light hair, others dark, and there was maybe one redhead. They all had worn clothes, most of which was a size too small or too big. The younger ones' shirts hung off their shoulders, making them appear even smaller than they were. I sat up, making sure to keep all my movements slow. With any predator, sudden motion only provokes them further.

"Hello, meus amor." The young man with the green eyes called, draping the blanket over his arm carefully. His voice dripped with an accent, that I was sure of, but it was impossible to tell which. Menus amor? What does that mean? It sounded ancient, foreign. Then again maybe it was French, bad guys always seemed to know French.

"What?" My voice was raw from the fire and lack of use, making it sound like more of a strangled noise coming from my lips. Which earned me a huff from the boy with green eyes, not long enough to be considered a chuckle, but unnerving all the same. Who are they? Gang activity wasn't usually a problem in Great Falls, but we've had some in the past. Apparently, I should have been more paranoid about it. Before I could gather my thoughts any more Green Eyes cleared his throat loudly. It was gravely, like he might be on the verge of becoming sick. A chill sprinted down my spine.

"Ah yes, your name is Aiyanna. The native name for an eternal flower, correct? " I opened my mouth to answer but he merely waved me off. How does he know that? Hot fear trickled down my nerves. "You see, I have plenty beauty of my own here, I'm more excited about what kind of spark you can give me" I looked around again, aside for the fire I was surrounded by the boys. There aren't that many of them, close to eight or so, but all of them were bigger than I was. The youngest one, at most fourteen, still had a menacing stance. There was a haunted, and almost hungry look in their eyes, though I couldn't bring myself to meet any of their gazes. Thankfully they didn't seem to have a reason to look me in the face either. I drew myself in closer. Even if I could see past the fire, I doubt there was anything to recognize, and even more worrying was the fact that I couldn't remember how I got here. My breath came in short gasps, no matter how hard I fought to keep it even. Every fiber in me was screaming to fight, to run and never stop until my lungs bled from overuse. But I knew I couldn't trust my instincts, they would only get me killed. Even on the soft ground I could tell my legs were wobbly at best, and my mind filled with fog. My head felt like jumbled mush and seemed determined to make a habit of staying that way.

"Who are you? What do you want?!" Panic began to set in, and there was little fight left in me to stop myself from displaying it. I knew the feeling of having that power over me was what brought the smirk to Green Eye's face.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot." The young man clapped his hands together as an effort to feign excitement. He made a gesture towards me, and I scrambled to my feet away from him. The man, well rather, the boy, frowned slightly before returning the smugness to his character. "Pleased to meet you, sweetie, I'm Peter Pan." Yep, that's a gang name. This is a gang.