Conspiracy: Rumours

Chapter Three

After that I could easily describe anything other than my time at the Conspiracy Den useless. I lived to be there, to see her. We'd done nothing but talk and mess around and have fun for a full week.

Then one day as we sat at Dag's, something different happened. "See that guy in the red hat over there?" She asked. I looked and saw a strapping, confident man wearing a red hat.
"Yeah."
"He's a drug dealer."
"No, really?" I questioned in disbelief.
"That's my guess at least. Are you thinking something different?"
"I am, actually."
"Okay, I'll bite." I looked the man up and down again as I nodded to myself.
"He's a business man, or maybe a lawyer. If he's a business man, then he's here to get dirt on his employees to blackmail them into doing what he wants. If he's a lawyer, then he's looking for evidence on the suspects he's testifying against." I turned back to Jinx then, proud of myself. A huge grin spread across her face and I was slightly confused by it.
"I think it's time for you to meet the boys."

She lead me to a place only a few minutes away from the Conspiracy Den. The place looked like a pleasant little cottage in the woods, but I was doubtful that the exterior reflected the interior at all. "I'm so excited. I wanted to bring you here the first day I met you, but I had to learn a little more about you before I could. Now I know that you're absolutely perfect." She grabbed the front door handle, still facing me, and slowly revealed the inside. Just as I had predicted, the interior was like a completely different place. There were a few desks and a lot of drawers scattered all over the large room. Then there were the papers, papers on said desks and coming out of said drawers, papers on the floor, papers pretty much everywhere but the ceiling. Attached to the wall was a web of- get this- even more papers connected using red string. "What the hell have they been up to in here?" She questioned. The funniest part was, I couldn't tell whether she was talking about the furniture arrangement, the clutter or the wall. She seemed to brush away the thought as she turned to face me. "You're going to love the boys. I have to warn you though, they're the most on again off again couple ever. As in today they're denying that they're gay and tomorrow they want to kiss each other's faces off." I wasn't really sure how to respond to that, so I didn't. "Tyler! Drew! I have someone you should meet out here!" Suddenly two boys burst into the room, one of whom looked quite familiar.
"Hey, newbie!" The familiar looking boy (I wasn't sure whether he was Tyler or Drew) exclaimed. He was the same boy that had told off that creepy guy my first day at the Den. "I knew you'd make it."
"You didn't tell me you know Drew." Jinx remarked and then she turned to, uh, Drew, I guess. "And you didn't tell me that you know Ace."
"We don't know each other, really." I explained. "He just helped me out when I was still getting used to the Den."
"That definitely sounds like Drew. Anyways, time for proper introductions. Ace, Drew and Tyler. Drew and Tyler, Ace." I shook both their hands as she spoke.
"Sorry if I came off a little harsh when we met, I was just trying to get you accustomed to the feel of the Den." Drew apologized.
"Don't worry, I understand. I totally understand."
"Stop flirting you two, you're both taken." Jinx warned.
"Jinx." He scorned. "We are not dating."
"Ugh, they're having one of those days. Trust me Ace, tomorrow they'll seem like totally different people."
"Well, I mean, technically, I'm not taken either... technically." I remarked, unable to stop the smirk growing on my face.
"Excuse me?" She questioned.
"I never did answer you that day at Dag's, what makes you think that I considered that a date?"
"You're not doing this right now."
"Doing what?"
"Oh you've got to be kidding me. We've practically been dating since the day we met."
"Not officially." This sudden change of heart had come on not because I didn't like her, I actually liked her a lot, but as part of my mission to fit into the Den persona more, I had to start by being able to get on the nerves of a badass like Jinx.  "We'll talk about this later." She declared.

"So, you guys are all friends?" I inquired, changing the subject.
"Yup, and runaways." Jinx replied.
"Runaways?"
"Yeah, you know, like we ran away from home. Of course, some of us only 'ran away' in your sense, as in our parents were aware that we were leaving. Some of us though, don't even know if their parents realize that they're gone."
"Wow. So you live here?"
"Ha ha, no, we just work here." She grabbed my arm and showed my over to a door at the other end of the room. "We live here." She opened the door and it was like looking into a whole other world from the main room. Comfy furniture, a modern style and even a TV.
"How can you afford all this?" I asked, marvelling at the sight in front of me.
"Honey I started saving up for my exit the first second of high school."
"Hey, I think the money my parents gave me helped at least a little." Tyler put in.
"And I even work at Dag's." Drew told me.
"That's really impressive guys."
"I'm glad you're impressed, because if you're going to join us, this is going to be your new home." Jinx told me, immediately catching me off guard.
"What?"
"Ace, you can't be as deep into the Den as us and still live in the city, it's just not safe. If you're not okay with that, we completely understand."
"I do want to be a part of this." I thought aloud, as if trying to convince myself.
"You said you don't want to hold back from life anymore, so don't." I thought and I thought hard. "Are you in?" As soon as I started weighing the pros and cons, everything became ridiculously clear. Did I want to live a life of unfulfilling happiness and become just like my parents? Or did I want to run off with Jinx and her friends for a life of danger and adventure? Yeah, real hard choice there.
"I am so in."

    ***

Just a week later I was packed and ready to go. Obviously, I wanted to leave as fast as possible. After I agreed to join Jinx and company the city had suddenly become so stuffy to me. Every second I spent there I felt like I was being suffocated. So getting to stand outside my- old- apartment building with a suitcase in one hand and an old picture of me in the other, it was one of the best feelings every. Speaking of that old picture, I gently placed my suitcase on the ground and proceeded to rip the photo to shreds. As I threw the pieces to the ground I said, "Screw you, old life."