Chapter 4

I hurried out of her office and smacked straight into Tick, who seemed like he'd been standing outside the door. An assortment of different looking people ranging from guys with rainbow-coloured braids and girls with sharp metallic noses gave me side glances as they rushed past the office. The rest of the corridor was blood red with gold accents like the room behind the door.

Tick grabbed my elbow and dragged me away from the oak doors, weaving our way through people lounging on the stairs and onto a large indoor balcony, looking down at a pristine hallway that led outside. This building wasn't even a building, it was a mansion. The same ones Mum used to show me in picture books. It had a domed white ceiling and everything – the only difference coming from people with different color hair and type seven assault rifles strapped to their backs, casually being twirled.

"Dude." Tick leaned towards me. "You better not tell me you made a deal with Hera."

"Hera?" I took a step back from him, he took a step forward. A group of girls snickered as they past.

"The lady with the drinking problem? God complex? About this tall?" He put his hand up to his forehead.

"Oh, her. I didn't make a deal with Hera." I shrugged, trying to break his glare.

"Dan, if you're lying to me, I'm going to-"

"Dude, I've never lied to you. Why would I start now?" A trio of boys rushed past us and leaped down the banked stairs, hollering about a coming festival.

Tick looked around. He was muttering something under his breath, shaking his head occasionally. He grabbed my bionic arm and pulled me down the stairs. I stumbled after him, trying and failing to match his long strides. We burst out of the mansion, the mixture of blue, purple and red lights enveloped us. Tall buildings surrounded the mansion, it stood out of place, a relic amongst slick new structures. Smells of sizzling food and the thumping of music filled the streets. Every day was a party apparently, here in the Rogue territory.

We weaved through the crowd, shouldering past group as their sweaty bodies jumped up and down, matching the music. I wasn't much of a party person; you get pretty nervous around people when all you do is avoid them. Well not avoid them, just steer clear of them whilst you're looking for someone else – someone important.

Tick and I came to a stop a few meters away from the mass of people. He groaned and sat down on the pavement, running a hand through his hair and massaging his temples. I slumped down next to him, my stomach flipping every time a group of girls glanced at us.

"Dan, you should leave," Tick said, the music had lowered – a break in the chaos in between songs.

"Yeah, I know. But I still have to search for-"

"No." He grabbed my shoulder and twisted me around to face him, a vein bulged on his forehead. Tick had never been angry in front of me, let alone angry in general. "Right now. As in you need to haul ass."

"Deadass?" I grinned. He squeezed my normal shoulder, digging finely done nails through my t-shirt and into my skin. "Okay, okay. You don't have to rip me apart 'cos of a joke, Tick."

"I just … man, there's stuff going on in this city that you don't want to be a part of," he muttered. I had to lean in to listen – the chaos had started again and people had brought colorful flash bang fireworks.

"I can feel it, you know?" I sat back on my palms, looking up at the sky. The stars winked, the darkness a thick blanket around them. The artificial lights from the Rogue territory tried and failed to hide them. The moon was a white eye looking down on all of us. "There's stuff boiling over here."

"So you're not as dumb as you look." He chuckled, putting a green cigarette cylinder between his lips. He twisted the butt off the cylinder, lighting it.

"Acting dumb is an important talent of mine," I snorted. I leaned forward, forearms on knees. "But I still need to search the Gray for her."

"Dan-"

"I promise I'll leave as soon as I search this place." I put my hand up in a mock salute and said, "Scouts honor."

"You were never a scout." He laughed, blowing out the green smoke. "But fine. One week, then you get out of this place."

I put an arm around him. "And I can stay with my best friend again."

"I charge rent by the way." He put an arm around me as well. "But I'll allow it this once."

"But Hera asked me for something," I whispered.

He raised an eyebrow.

"She wanted the Unit. For something."

He groaned and put his head in his hands, massaging his temples. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. This complicates things."

"What do you mean?" I untangled myself from him, searching his face – his mouth was pulled down, eyes staring into the rainbow of the mosh pit of people.

"Maybe … maybe you should stay."

"Dude, you just told me to get my butt out of here, then you tell me to stay?" I groaned. Back and forth, over and over. Did anyone in this place make one decision and stick to it?

"I don't know. Maybe … Oh fuck me," he groaned, pressing his hands over his ears. "I need to think. Just chill out for a second."

"Think about what?" I complained.

"Dan, please just shut up." He stood up and sighed out a stream of green smoke; it floated around his face, disappearing into the thick air. "Stay, leave, just do whatever. But don't stay too long. And don't get tangled up with anyone."

I stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's going on?"

He shrugged it off. "Stuff and things and a whole crackpot of shit, that's what's going on. I'll see you around man, you know where I live."

Tick tossed away the cylinder into a recycling bot that snaked between jumping feet, picking up trash. He disappeared into the crowd of people, his long black hair a mixture in the kaleidoscope of color.

That's the weirdest I'd ever seen Tick. He wasn't a person to go back on his word, or re-think what he does or says – mostly because he's already planned out your reaction to what he's going to say and what he's going to say after that. For him to act like his world was suddenly falling apart wasn't like him at all, and he didn't seem to be in the mood to talk. But maybe I should go check on him, find out what's really going on…

"Excuse me?" a high pitched voice squeaked. I spun around to see a girl who had broken off from a larger group of people behind her, all of them doing poorly in acting like they weren't eavesdropping. She had close cropped brown hair, a stud glinting in her cheek. Deep hazel eyes bounced from my face to the people who had formed a loose circle around us.

My heart was speeding again. So many people were looking at me, some with amusement, and others with interest. When was the last time I showered? A couple days ago. Crap. Did I brush my teeth today? My hair's probably all greasy from sweat. The girl was looking at me funny, her fingers twisting in front of her. What did she ask me again?

"Oh, I … hi," I squeezed out. My throat tightened as soon as the worlds spilled.

"You're new around here, right?" She glanced back at the group of people behind her, all of them urging her forward.

"Kinda, not really. In a way I am. But, yeah. What's up?" What's up? Jesus Christ, Dan, get your head together.

"A couple of my friends were wondering –"

"She was wondering!" A boy yelled from the group.

Her face tinged red. "If you'd like to come back to Harvey's for the after party. We have some Jupiter cured beer if you want It's not that great but you get used to it. And a bunch of other stuff if you don't want that."

My mouth dried up, it felt like the northeastern planes – dust, rocks, shrubs and crispy dry air. I had never been invited to a party, let alone an after party. But Tick said I couldn't get wrapped up in any of this, I couldn't afford to waste time. But then again Mum did always say I should try and make friends…

I felt someone wrap their hand around mine. I looked down and saw Runt, her red hair stark in the twisting lights of the ongoing street party.

The girl crouched down, her mouth an 'o.' "She's adorable! Is she your sister? How old is she?"

"She's not my sister," I laughed nervously, sweat drew cold lines down my back. "She's fourteen, a little small for her age, but she's healthy."

She stood up again, taking my bionic hand in hers. She flinched when she took it, it must have felt cold to her. "You can bring her along … if you want."

The circle around us hollered like they had just won the lottery. They yelled and cheered, ramping up my heart beat. Runt looked up at me, tugging at my hand – it was shaking.

Just as soon as the celebration began, they died down. The crowd split as a girl walked through them. Platinum blonde hair looking silver, silver pistols on her thighs. She had her hand in the pockets of slim trousers, a cigarette cylinder hanging from her lips trailed behind red smoke. Kira broke through and stood inside the circle of people, her eye patch reflecting the party's lights, turning different colors.

"I wouldn't invite him to your after party, Mei." Kira shrugged. "He is the Stray after all."

She let go of my hand and stumbled backwards. "Oh- oh my goodness. I didn't know, I- I have to go." Her cheeks flushed as she spun round, disappearing in the gawking mass of people.

"What the hell are the rest of you looking at?" she yelled.

The group dissipated, reluctance seasoned their footsteps. She walked towards me, taking her time to look me up and down; each foot step an eternity. Strangely enough, smelt good. Especially compared to the heaving mass of sweat now rolling down the street. A rosy smell that sort of hung around her, increasing the more she stared at me.

Runt wrinkled her nose as Kira got into my face.

"You smell like crap," she said, stopping about a meter away from me.

"Sorry." I shrugged, giving her a smile.

"I heard you're looking for your mum," she muttered, nitric smoke a sweet scent curling towards my nose. "I can help you with that, but first: a drink."