Genre: Suspense

Date: 3-12-20

     A dark haired girl walked slowly down the sidewalk, another girl with dark hair beside her. The rain soaked through their clothes and made their hair stick to them. The older girl glanced at an opening between the buildings up ahead and then nudged the younger one. "Let's head in that alley up ahead." the older one said and the two quickened their pace until they reached the alley. They looked around for some shelter and spotted a cluster of boxes which they hurried to get under.

     The younger girl shivered beside the older one. "How long until we find another place to stay, Adele?" She asked. She wasn't too young, but was definitely younger than Adele. Maybe about sixteen or seventeen.

     Adele sighed and wrapped her arms around the other girl. "I don't know." she said quietly and looked out at the rain coming down. "I'm so sorry, Jayla, this is my fault. I shouldn't have been gone for so long. "

     Jayla shook her head. "You couldn't have known they were going to tear down that old building. Don't blame yourself, nothing we've been through is your fault. "

     Adele didn't reply. But it is my fault, she thought. She was staring at the ground outside when she heard footsteps. She froze and kept her arms wrapped around Jayla protectively; and, without any warning, the box shelter they had quickly made collapsed, the boxes folding over each other and onto the wet ground. Adele immediately stood up and spread her arms in front of Jayla protectively, glaring at the five dark figures almost completely surrounding them.

     A guy with midnight black hair stepped forward. "What are you doing out here, all alone on a night like this?" he asked, his hair dripping with rain.

     Adele made a small gesture to Jayla and the girl stood up before the two of them slowly began to back out of the alley. "Nothing, we were just leaving." She kept her eyes on the dark figures in front of them but tilted her head to the side to whisper to Jayla. "Come on, let's get out of here."

     At that comment, the two girls whirled around to dash out of the dark alley but stopped when they saw a taller, bulkier figure blocking their path. The person looked up and cold, icy blue eyes looked into Adele's dark ones. "You're not going anywhere." A dark voice said and the figure, who appeared to be a man, started towards them.

     Adele and Jayla slowly started to back away from him, only to bump into the other unrecognizable figures. The two girls froze and all the figures moved to surround them, the man with icy eyes in the lead. Adele's gaze darted around warily, she wasn't going to let them hurt Jayla. So she had her arm around Jayla cautiously, what did these people want?

     As they walked through the alleyway, Adele noticed that it was bigger than she thought. There were other alleyways connected to this one but the dark figures just lead the two girls straight. Adele squinted through the rain and she saw a small building that looked to be a club or something. The lights were on, but why would there be a club all the way back here?

     They walked into the club and Adele blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. She saw many people inside, each in a small group. Some were playing pool or poker, while others were at the bar. Who are these people, and what do they want with us? Adele wondered. Jayla was looking around curiously but cautiously. Adele glanced down at her sister and sighed, could they never catch a break? What if these people tried to kill them or something?

     The people lead the sisters into a small room before exiting, leaving Adele and Jayla inside the room with the icy blue eyed man. He slowly walked to the front of the room to look at them. "Now, tell me, who are you? Hardly anyone comes into our alley, especially on a night like this. " he said.

     Adele narrowed her eyes. "I don't have to tell you anything." she said defensively with a hint of a snarl in her voice. Who does this guy think he is? His alley?

     A small smile appeared on the man's face and he folded his arms across his chest. Adele heard a different door open and saw a girl with short, fiery red hair walk in to stand beside the man. Adele's eyes widened in recognition. "No. . . it can't be. . . " she said quietly.

     The fiery red haired girl grinned. "Nice to see you again, Adele." she said, her green eyes staring into her's maliciously.

     "Ember. . . " Adele said in a low voice, her eyes narrowing again. "What are you doing here? What happened to 'sharing your dream with the world'? " She asked.

     Ember rolled her eyes. "That was a kiddie dream. Besides, Alec here gave me a much better opportunity. " she glanced at the man named Alec and then smirked at Adele.

     Alec nodded slightly, his icy blue eyes unreadable. "My second-in-command is completely loyal to the gang. Now tell me, why were you in our alley? " he asked.

     Adele raised her head, she wasn't scared of this guy. He seemed to be the kind of person that would intimidate others but she wasn't focused on that; right now, she was only focused on protecting Jayla. "Why does it matter? I can go where I like, can't I? It's a free country. "

     Alec's lips twitched and his eyes sparkled with amusement. "It is, but people that come into our alley have to deal with us; and people usually don't want to mess with us. " he said. "Ember, show them where they'll be staying. I have something special planned for them. " With that comment, Alec walked out of the small room, closing the door behind him.

     Ember nodded and looked at Adele before she noticed Jayla behind her. She smiled and walked around Adele to see the other girl. "And who might you be?" she asked.

     "Jayla." she said before Adele could say anything. "I'm Adele's younger sister. Ember, right? I've heard a lot about you. " Jayla didn't seem to be cautious around Ember, instead she seemed pretty comfortable.

     Ember smiled and looked at Adele. "Have you now?"

     Adele pulled Jayla closer to her. Ember and her might be old rivals, but that was in the past. Besides, Ember was second-in-command of what seemed to be a pretty powerful gang; who knows how else she's changed.

     Jayla broke away from Adele. "Hey, I'm fine! Ember isn't dangerous. Didn't you say you two are old friends? " She asked her sister.

     Adele sighed, looking down at her. "Yes, but that was a while ago. Besides, I bet Ember doesn't want us to bother her. She must be pretty busy, being second-in-command and all. " she said, looking back at Ember.

     Ember nodded. "That's right, did I forget to tell you about my new title?" she asked with a smile. "Anyways, I'd better get you two to your room. I have to help Alec with some other things. " she told them before opening the door she came in and beckoning the sisters through it.

     Adele rested her hand on Jayla's shoulder but the younger girl shook it off. "Sis, I'm fine! I'm sixteen, I think I can handle myself if we're attacked; not that Ember would attack us. " she said and Adele sighed again. It was true that Ember and her had been friends and then rivals in the past but all that had changed.

     After walking down a long hallway, Ember stopped to open a door. "Go on in." she said.

     Adele and Jayla walked into the room and without another word, Ember shut the door behind them. Adele heard a click and Jayla's eyes widened. The younger teen went to the door and jiggled the handle but it was no use, it wouldn't open. "Why did she lock us in?" she asked, turning to Adele.

     Adele sat down on the bed. "I told you, Ember's changed. Remember the story I told you? She left and took our money that cold winter's night. Now she's second-in-command of what could be one of the most powerful gangs in Brooklyn, maybe even in all of New York. "

     Jayla shook her head and lay down on the bed, yawning. "I still think we should give her another chance. Who knows, maybe she regrets what she did? Now come on, let's get some sleep. " She said with a smile, closing her eyes.

     Adele smiled, shaking her head slowly. Sometimes, Jayla seemed like the older sister; always giving Adele advice while she would sometimes seem wiser than many adults these days. Jayla was precious, and Adele would never stop protecting her. She covered her and her sister up before yawning herself and closing her eyes, drifting off into sleep.

*                    *                    *                    *

     "Wake up!"

     Adele awoke to a pillow hitting her head. She immediately sat up and her eyes darted around the room until she spotted Ember. When she did, she narrowed her eyes. "You didn't have to throw a pillow at me!" she complained.

     Jayla moaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "It's morning already? Why do we have to get up so early? " she asked.

     Ember rolled her eyes. "It's not that early, the sun is already up. Plus, Alec wanted to talk to you. " she said. "Get up, or I'll make you."

     "Okay, okay, we're coming." Adele uncovered them and stood up, Jayla rolling off the bed, standing up as well.

     Ember nodded and waited for the two sisters to walk out of the room before closing and locking the door. She then led them down the hall again, to the main part of the club. Ember motioned to where Alec stood, leaning against a wall. "There he is." she said. When Adele and Jayla started over toward the man, Ember whispered something into Adele's ear. "I need to speak to you after. Alone. "

     Adele looked confused and glanced back at her but Ember had already disappeared. She slowly shook her head and walked over to Alec. "I was told you wanted to see us?" she said.

     Alec nodded and kicked off the wall to stand up straight. "I heard from Ember that you two are homeless and live in an old abandoned building. Why did you come into this alleyway in the pouring rain? "

     Adele narrowed her eyes, why would Ember do that? How could she just throw them under the bus and tell Alec everything about them? Did she tell him about their parents kicking them out as kids, too? Well, the truth was out now; no need to be secretive anymore. "We were forced to. People came to tear the building we were staying in down so we had to find somewhere else to live. "

     Alec slightly tilted his head. "Yeah? Well, then why don't you stay with us? Assuming you'll do your part, that is. Ember seems to be pretty fond of you, and you two interest me. So, what do you say? "

     Adele looked at him in disbelief. "What? Why would we do that? For all we know, your gang could be full of insane psychopaths! " she said and pulled Jayla back a bit; she didn't want her sister too close to Alec, she didn't trust him.

     Although Alec's face seemed unreadable, amusement seemed to sparkle in his eyes. Was he enjoying making her upset? "Maybe you just need more time to think about it." he said and nodded to someone behind her. Next thing she knew, the same five people herded Adele and Jayla away, towards their room.

     Adele didn't fight back, instead she held Jayla close to her. She wasn't about to let these strangers lay a hand on her, she wouldn't risk it. They were shoved into the room before the door closed and was locked behind them. Adele shook her head and paced the floor. "Why do they think they can just order us around?" she shook her head.

     Jayla rested her hand on Adele's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay; we can handle this. " she said comfortingly.

     Adele smiled at Jayla but she wasn't completely convinced. Before she could say anything though, she heard the door click and watched as Ember walked in. Adele sighed and walked over to her, meeting her halfway. "What do you want?" she asked, a bit of irritation in her tone.

     Ember walked up to Adele. "I told you I wanted to speak to you." she glanced at Jayla. "Alone."

     Adele shook her head. "No. Anything you can say to me, you can say in front of Jayla, too. " she said.

     Jayla backed away. "I have to use the bathroom anyway. Don't worry, Adele. I'll just be in the other room if something happens. " With that, the young teen dashed into the bathroom, probably to give the old friends some privacy.

     Adele sighed and looked back at Ember. "Okay, say what you need to say."

     Ember nodded, looking directly into her eyes. Was it just Adele, or was there a slight blush on Ember's face? "I like you. Like, like like you. " she said. "I haven't stopped thinking about you since the moment I left; and I'm so, so sorry I left and took your money like that. Alek wouldn't stop pestering me and─ "

     "Wait, what?" Adele said in disbelief. Ember liked her? But why? Did she like her back? No, Ember was the second-in-command of Alec's gang now; she could either be loyal to him or be with her, not both. "It doesn't matter why you left, you shouldn't have in the first place. Do you expect me to forgive you, just like that? " she asked.

     Ember's eyes saddened. "No, but just let me explain. I owed Alec some money and he promised me something great in return, I had no choice but to take him the money! So I gave him the money and he made me his second-in-command. I regretted it every day. "

     "He made you his second-in-command, just like that? And that still doesn't make a good excuse. You don't have to listen to what he tells you; if you would've just told me, I could've helped you!"

     Ember shook her head. "I can't, I do have to listen to him. You just don't understand him, but I do. I don't know why I even told you this; it's not like you would ever like me back." Without another word, she dashed out of the room, not even locking the door behind her.

     Adele slowly shook her head and sat down. Great, now she had another thing to worry about. Did she like Ember, did she not like her. . . ?

     Jayla walked out of the bathroom and over to Adele. "I heard everything, and I think she really is sorry. Why don't you give her a chance? "

     "No, I already have enough to deal with. Besides, she betrayed me; how can I forgive her after what she did? "

     "Adele, that was in the past, people change. I'm not the same little kid as I used to be and you have matured more than since we were kids. Ember can change just as easily. " Jayla responded.

     Adele nodded. "I guess. . . " she said. Although she wasn't entirely convinced. God, what else could go wrong today?

     Just then, a group of gang members burst into the room. They surrounded the two girls before grabbing Jayla and rushing back out. Adele tried to pull them off but they were too strong, and had taken her by surprise. She rushed after them but the last gang member shut and locked the door behind them.

     Adele shook her head, jiggling the handle frantically. "No, No! JAYLA! " she called but it was no use. Tears dripped down her face and she leaned against the door, sliding down to the floor. This is all my fault. . .

     Adele sat there for a few moments. She felt lost, broken. She had failed; failed to protect Jayla, failed to get them out of here, and failed herself. She shook her head; this all just felt like a bad dream, or more rather, a nightmare.

     Adele heard the door handle jiggling and she froze. Were they back to take her, too? Well, she wouldn't let them! She stood up and backed away from the door, prepared to attack. As soon as the door opened, Adele rushed at whoever was on the other side of the door. She recognized the fiery red hair and tried to stop but it was too late. She ended up tripping and falling into Ember, knocking her over.

     "Well, did you change your mind?" Ember asked with a small smirk.

     Adele slightly blushed and stood up in embarrassment and anger. "What are you doing here? Come to take me away like Jayla? Or are you going to gloat about what you and your gang did to her?" she asked suspiciously.

     Ember shook her head, her smirk disappearing. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I like you. Which means I would never do anything to hurt you or Jayla. "

     "Then why are you here?"

     Ember sighed. "I'm here to help." she said and Adele looked confused. "Alec ordered some members of the gang to bring Jayla to him. I don't know what he's going to do, but I have a pretty good idea; and it definitely isn't anything pleasant. Come on." she explained and grabbed Adele's hand before rushing down the hallway.

     Adele was still confused but she didn't argue. If there was anyway she could help Jayla, even if it meant going along with Ember, then she wouldn't hesitate.

     Once they got close to the main part of the club, Ember slowed to a stop, Adele doing so as well. They peeked around the corner and saw a cluster of unfamiliar people that included Alec who was facing them. He didn't look at them though, he was too busy talking to someone . . . Jayla! Adele recognized her sister's pitch black hair. She glanced at Ember. "What do we do?" she whispered.

     Ember shook her head. "I could distract Alec, but that would give us away. We could─what are you doing?"

     Adele had only been half listening to Ember. She saw Alec raise something that looked like a dagger and she snapped. No one messed with her sister! She barreled into the cluster of people, knocking them and Jayla out of the way.

     "Adele, what─?" Jayla said, confused.

     Adele barely heard her. As soon as she shoved them out of the way, she felt the sharp dagger rip into the center of her chest. She gasped and collapsed; her breathing irregular and blood pooling out of her wound.

     "ADELE, NO!" Ember wailed and rushed over to her. She shook her head. "No, no no no no no . . . " she said, looking her over and kneeling down beside her.

     Jayla looked at her older sister, her eyes wide with shock and horror. "No. . . " she whispered and tears fell from her face.

     Ember stood up to face Alec. "You monster, how could you ?!" tears were now streaming down her face and her eyes were full of hurt and rage.

     Alec looked at her, his icy expressionless eyes giving away nothing. "You know very well how I do things, Ember. I wasn't even going to kill Jayla. But then Adele jumped in and, well, I couldn't just have her stop me, now could I? "

     "You did this on purpose?!" Ember exclaimed. She looked like she was about ready to tear the gang leader to shreds.

     Alec's eyes shone with amusement. "So what if I did? There's nothing you can do about it. "

     "Oh yeah?!" Ember almost screeched. She grabbed a chair and threw it at him but Alec dodged. She reached for something else to throw at him but someone grabbed her arm. Ember turned her head to look into Jayla's tear filled eyes.

     "I know you're upset, but acting on your emotions will only make things worse."

     Ember's eyes softened and her legs gave way, collapsing beside Adele's now blood soaked body. "I'm so sorry, Adele. I should've never brought you out here. "

     Adele brought a trembling hand up to Ember's cheek. "No, thank you . . . " she whispered.

     "Adele, I don't know what to do without you, I just got you back . . . " Ember said and her voice broke.

     Adele gave her a small smile. "I love you . . . " she whispered. She had realized it as she watched Ember about to fight Alec; the rage and hurt in her eyes, the tears that now soaked her face . . .

     Ember sniffed and smiled. "I love you too, Adele. I always have . . . "

     Adele smiled before her grip loosened and the last of the light drained from her eyes. Adele had thought she would only ever love Jayla and she would never need anyone else in the world, well she was wrong. Her body went completely limp as the moonlight shone on her through an open window . . .

Whew that was long. Hope you enjoyed! - Spirit