Before setting off towards Burnham, all the boys had agreed on wearing their gang clothes. The black and gold blazers. Although it made them stand out, giving them the appearance of a group looking for trouble, that was exactly what they were going to do.
Still, as long as they split up and looked over Marie when in Burnham, they shouldn’t attract too much attention. According to Kai, it would help spread awareness for the Howlers, because if everything went right, after today they would be all set for their future operation in Slough.
Just in case, Gary also brought along his mask. Fortunately, it hadn’t been destroyed in his fight with Jayden, so currently it was just tucked away on the inside of his blazer. Wearing that in public, like in the bus, would just attract a lot of unwanted attention, but it might prove useful later on.
The group decided to head towards Burnham via bus, refusing to go with their leader’s suggestion of walking over. Instead of the food street, their destination was the school in that area, this time.
They sat at the back, where there was a row of four seats, yet with Austin’s size he took up two seats which meant, Marie and Gary were sitting next to each other. She looked forward, hardly turning her head.
“Ah man, this is kinda lame, don’t you think?” Innu complained as he looked out of the window. “Aren’t we meant to be some hot shot gang? Why’re we taking the bus? Don’t gangsters usually have those expensive black cars and crap? Even a taxi would have even been better than this.”
“A taxi is expensive.” Gary chimed in immediately. “And with all of us, we would have had to take two taxis. You could buy ten loaves of bread, jam, and ketchup instead.”
With how quick Gary had replied, Innu was a little worried for their leader’s mental being. They had already known that he was someone who was tight on money, even before he had suggested walking over to Burnham, but what was up with the supermarket calculations?
“Please tell me that’s not all you eat… Seriously, ketchup sandwiches? Remind me to never go to the toilet after you.” Innu teased his friend, wafting his hand in front of his face.
Gary let out an awkward laugh. ‘If only they knew how much money I actually have to spend to avoid hunting rats and the like…’
“Unless you’ve managed to purchase one of those fancy cars with your cut and are willing to let us use it, that’s not happening. Gary’s right, there’s no need to spend money like that when there are cheaper alternatives.” Kai said.
“That being said, I’m open to revisit this topic at a later time. Hopefully, by then, all of you will be able to drive on your own, because I’m not up for being a chauffeur.” He added with his usual smirk. Being seventeen, the blonde teenager had already procured a driver’s license, whereas the rest of the boys would still have to wait until their next birthday.
The journey to Burnham was long, so the group were spending a lot of time on the bus twiddling their thumbs, just reviewing the plan.
“Marie, are you okay? Your face is a little red, and you look a bit nervous?” Gary asked, he could practically feel the heat coming off the girl’s cheeks. She was that red, even though it was a bit hard to see through the make-up she had applied.
With her hair down and the right amount of make-up that made her look more ‘natural’, she certainly did look like a different person. Marie also looked older than her seventeen years, her current appearance being that of a young university student.
‘Make-up is really a dangerous thing.’ Gary thought at that moment.
“Yeah, the bus is just a bit hot, and I’m a little worried about what will happen if I mess up.” Marie replied. “Or that they don’t approach me.”
There was a lot riding on Marie’s shoulders, but Gary wasn’t worrying too much. As long as those delinquents were up and about, he believed he might be able to pick up a few things just from walking the streets and listening in on conversations.
Still, the best case scenario would be if they were to approach Marie, but after what happened with Stacy, he felt like she had a right to be worried because even he was.
‘The others can handle themselves quite well. I wanted to save the Marks in case I needed them in the future… but I don’t want to have any more regrets. As long as I Mark her, I’ll be able to find her, no matter what happens.’
“Marie…” Gary said now hesitating about what promise to exactly make. “Can you promise me not to die?”
“Huh?” Marie looked at him strangely, and her face was sunken at this point. “Are you trying to jinx me?! Don’t even mention that possibility after what happened yesterday!”
Seeing the range of emotions on Gary’s face, as the boy searched for the right words to explain that he didn’t mean it like that, Marie scratched the back of her head.
“Argh, fine… If it makes you feel better, I promise you not to die.”
[Error: Spoken deal is too vague]
‘What the… what do you mean, ‘too vague’?!’
Placing a Bond Mark on someone was very useful, allowing the Werewolf to find that person, while also granting him 10 Exp each day, yet there was always the risk that they could become a hunting target. As such, Gary had tried to come up with ways to make unbreakable promises.
Unfortunately, the system didn’t allow him to outsmart it. The high schooler was seriously racking his brain, trying to come up with one that wasn’t too vague before Marie was to go into the Pincers’ territory.
“Thanks, I… I was just worried about you. I’m not used to you being in on the action yet. Say, do you think you’ll be in this gang forever? Or do you think this gang will last forever.” When speaking, Gary honestly didn’t know where these words had come from, but he did notice one thing.
Before answering, Marie looked over at Kai.
“As long as it's still his dream, then of course I will stay with the Howlers. Although I also have my own reasons to stay now.” She said, staring back at Gary. “I honestly can’t think of following anyone else, or think of anyone else that is better for this gang.”
“Alright… as long as you're one of the Howlers, I promise I’ll protect you. So, don’t leave us, ok?” Gary asked, as he put out his small finger.
Hearing these words, Marie thought that Gary perhaps was thinking a bit more of her. As far as she knew, he hadn’t asked any of the other members this question, about staying in the gang forever.
‘Is this his way of saying he wants to be with me forever?’
“Of course, I promise.” Marie smiled, this time not hesitating, and intertwining it with her own finger.
[A spoken deal has been made, would you like to mark “Marie Degrace”?]
Just in time, as the bus had arrived at their stop, and it was time for them to get to work.
*****
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