It's surprisingly easy to drown. The water is always ever so tempting. You're drawn in, especially on those sweltering summer days, with the idea of taking a quick dip to refresh yourself. At first, it will work and you'll feel so much better... You'll feel happy enough to let your guard down. To take a moment of brief relaxation. It's so calming. Nothing feels better than soaking in some water and letting your worries disperse into the surrounding liquid.
Until of course you want to leave.
See water can change in the blink of an eye. What was previously tranquil will become chaotic and you will soon find yourself being flung back and forth between the fierce waves and swirling whirlpools. You'll be dragged deeper into its icy clutches until any hope for escape will fade and you submit yourself to a watery grave.
New York was the city in which you would find yourself drowning. Born in the large metropolis, you knew the area around your home better than you knew yourself. Every morning you would get up and go through the same monotonous routine.
Get up and prepare yourself for the day. Eat whatever you can scavenge from the fridge. Greet your parents. Feed your pet. And then continue with the activities of the day. Mostly school.
To say you were tired and bored of your life would be an understatement. You craved excitement as much as you desired the race of adrenaline in your veins. Something that your life never provided you with for long. Maybe the occasional roller coaster ride or the spotting of a gang hiding in some dark alley. Thrilling stuff.
Days blurred with their monotony. Until one day, you were startled out of your boring routine with your friend's offer.
They had encountered a gang called the Purple Dragons. Also bored with their life, they had been drawn in by the dangerous members and 'accidently' gotten themselves involved. For a bit of payment, they would spread word about the gang through symbols and their voice.
And they had offered for you to join them.
Tempting you into the water.
The fact that you were concealed in an alleyway, adding the finishing touches to a graffitied purple dragon, was enough to explain what choice you had made.
"I think this is the nicest one we've done so far," your friend murmured. They were perched on the edge of a large bin, teetering a little with poor balance. "The dragons are going to be pleased with tonight's work for sure."
You gave a small mumble of agreement. If you had to admit it, you weren't actually listening. Instead, you were waiting for the tell-tale sirens to sound. Hoping for it actually.
Unfortunately, you finished the artwork with no real incident.
Your friend hopped off the bin and eyed your project. "Now that I'm looking at it from down here, I think it could be better." They laughed. "Well as long as you can tell what it is, we can get paid for it so let's snap the picture and get going!"
Working quickly now, you took a picture with your cellphone and began shoving all your materials into your bag. You were a little pissed off at them commenting about your art but you bit your tongue. If they had actually done something for once maybe they would be able to shut up!
"You're upset the cops didn't show?" your friend cackled. "Aren't you?"
You gave them a grimace and hauled your bag up. "A little," you muttered. "Now this night is going to be marked down as another of the world's most boring. I thought I was signing up for excitement, not to be some kind of downtown advertising company."
Even walking through the back alleys to get to the Purple Dragon's headquarters was losing its thrill now that you bore a jacket signifying your 'position' in a gang.
"Once we prove ourselves, they'll probably give us the option to join the gang properly," your friend mused. "Then we'll get to play on the more dangerous jobs."
You stayed quiet after that. They had been mentioning joining the Purple Dragons properly a lot. That wasn't what you had signed up for. You were after a thrill, not jail time but you weren't sure how to get it across properly. At times, the person walking on your right could be a little... um... overbearing... if you were being generous.
Either way, you weren't planning on getting involved with criminal gangs.
The night air made you shiver even under your jacket as you carefully skirted around the edge of an invisible border. One of the Purple Dragon's rival gangs had recently moved in and from what you had heard, they would gut you in an instant.
Briefly, you found yourself imagining the scenario. Surely you would be admitted to a hospital and your parents would be called. Considering you didn't die of course. They'd see your jacket.
The thought alone forced you to stifle a laugh.
Your parents believed you to be a perfect. A lie you had spun as a trap of sorts for them. It gave you the ability to be out so late at night without them worrying in the slightest. It also allowed you a lot of privileges when it came to things like not wanting to go to family get togethers. After all, you were 'studying'.
"One day," your friend mused, breaking you out of your thoughts. They were staring into one of the shadowed alleys. "One day, I will help the Dragons take back this territory. It's been taken from them without a proper fight."
"I thought they didn't care about this area," you asked, recalling the words your 'boss' had told you. "They just want symbols up as a silent middle finger to this group."
"I don't think that's true. I think he said it to protect the Dragon's pride," was the response you got. "But I'm connected to the gang. I can sense the truth."
You didn't even want to start getting involved with that.
The rest of the walk was almost eerily silent. It was New York City so a lack of noise was unusual. Granted, you were far from the main streets but normally you would still hear rats running around or litter being swept up by the wind.
You slowed as you neared the entrance to the main headquarters. Earlier in the night, you had gotten the feeling something exciting was going to happen and now it had returned in a powerful manner.
"Take your time why don't you," your friend groaned, trying to speed you up.
"Shouldn't there be somebody on guard here?" you asked, looking around. "Normally there's at least three people standing outside at all times. Where are they?"
Your friend gave a dismissive wave. "Maybe it was time for their break. Come on. Stop being such a child. You're in a gang now."
No... you weren't. Arguing did you nothing as you walked into the building and you eventually gave up before arriving at the meeting point. Now that you were inside, you could hear some talking but it didn't sound normal. Although you had been given the strictest of orders not to go further into the gang's hangout... it was far too tempting to go and see what to do.
Together the two of you snuck forward, your friend giddy with seeing the areas reserved for proper Purple Dragons. A loud crash from somewhere in front of you caused you to stumble backwards.
"Maybe we should get our pay tomorrow instead," you whispered. "If there's a fight going on..."
"Who would dare challenge the Dragons?" your friend asked, cutting you off completely. "It's probably nothing! Come on, let's go and get our money. If we just disappear, they could think that we're giving up our jobs."
Teeth gritted, you continued your slow creep forward. The noises and chaos you were hearing... those weren't friendly. You could hear your heartbeat in your ears.
But then again... wasn't this what you had been looking for?
Your friend walked right through the door into the main room but you were a little more cautious, only peaking your head around. What you saw was a mess like no other.
Purple Dragons, far more than you had ever known were in the gang, appeared to be in the middle of a fight with green... creatures. You had no idea what they were meant to be but from what you could tell there were only three of them. It should have been an unfair fight... but it appeared the Purple Dragons were losing this one.
The noise and chaos made focusing on one target a near impossibility but you did manage to see your friend grab something and launch themselves into the fray.
What the actual hell?
Neither of you had any fighting training. The most you had ever done was pull another kid's hair when you were eight years old. You would try it again but somehow you thought it wouldn't do much to the green things... they didn't have hair. But they did have weapons and weird-colored bandanas.
You tried to follow one with your eyes, trying to figure out what it was but it moved far too quickly. It was an excellent fighter however, easily bringing down several Purple Dragons using a pole...
Something about the conflict was almost mesmerizing. You couldn't help but watch, not really supporting either side... Until you saw the flash of a blade and remembered that your friend was somewhere in that mess.
Being as sneaky as possible, you stuck to the edges of the room and crept around. You searched desperately for anybody you recognized. The amount of crap the Purple Dragons had been storing gave you some cover.
You kicked something on the ground and sent it spinning off. Canisters... you stepped back and eyed the substantial amount of glass containers that lay on the floor.
Gently picking one up, you eyed the light blue liquid inside.
A loud shout nearly caused you to drop it and on instinct, you shoved it into your bag along with your paint. You were going to continue walking but the slight glow of the other canisters brought your eye back there.
Grumbling softly, you leaned down and began shoveling as many of the things in your bag as was humanly possible.
Just as you straightened up, an explosion of some sort went off far too close for comfort.
Deciding that your friend wasn't worth your own life, you took off back the way you came. Once you managed to sneak out of the main room (coming very close to being stabbed by a throwing star), you took off at a full sprint.
Pay would come the next day if needed... and you weren't hanging around for longer. You wanted to get home for the first time in a long while.
You readjusted the bag's weight as you ran. You avoided the subways and back alleys with a passion, choosing instead to clamber through the main street. The amount of people gave you a significant feeling of safety, even if you kept bumping into them with your bag.
The traffic and the lights were welcoming for the first time ever. What had once given you a headache was now comforting you as you made your way back home.
"Your bag looks a little fuller than when you left," your mom commented as you practically burst through the door. She smiled at you. "Find something interesting."
You had never been happier to have your mom wait up for you before. Catching her in a quick and tight hug, you mumbled an affirmative.
Patting your hair a little, she sent you off to bed, remind you of the school day. She was also tired and you heard her bedroom door close shortly after shutting your own. A moment of panic shot through you when you realized that you still had your jacket on.
You tore it off and threw it in the corner. If she had been a little more awake, she would have seen it for sure.
Dumping your bag on the floor, the clinking of the canisters you had grabbed drew your attention.
Deciding against fiddling with unknown chemicals, you vowed to return them to the Purple Dragons the next night along with your jacket. This small experience had sealed the deal for you. Once you were paid, you were gone.
What were you even thinking... getting involved with a gang?