why should i worry?

Mason sat with his gang on the front porch of their house. He took a sip of the beer in his hand, watching the streets. They had two new people in the gang and they were suppose to be out doing some errands for him. The siblings had found him through a buddy of his and needed to get off the streets. Mason met with them and took a liking to Lucy and Damien. Mostly Lucy because she was adorable and she seemed so nice. Damien seemed to be very determined so he figured the kid would do great in this gang. A lot of his group said they were too young, but Mason liked to get some younger people. They were easy to manipulate to do things.

---

Mila walked out of the coffee shop, talking with her friend. She separated from her friend, looking back when she heard some lady yell about someone stealing her purse. Mila let out a small scream when a man crashed into her. Her coffee when everywhere, the purse skidded down the sidewalk as he lay on top of her. Mila was surprised to see a girl grab the purse and take off. Mila expected the boy to run off immediately, but he stared at her as she started to get up. Mila, sighed as she looked down at her coffee cup on the street. She looked at him then heard the cops. Mila watched as he took off, then saw a watch that fell off his wrist. She picked it up, running her fingers over it. Mila thought maybe she could find him if she followed him. She managed to catch up to him after the cops cleared. "Wait! She called. She held the watch out so he could see it. It was expensive and looked pretty old.

@ momentai.

This wasn't normally what she and Damien would do, Lucy recalled absently as she rushed off with the purse that her brother had dropped. They'd pickpocketed before, sure, but they had never outright robbed anybody. It was new to her and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. At least they were only doing this for survival; they weren't out to actually hurt anybody. The only reason they'd even joined the gang was to manage to survive, to find a place to call home without having to worry about moving around every night and trying - and sometimes failing - to find appropriate, safe shelter. By the time she got back to the gang's house, she'd noticed that Damien was no longer behind her and that worried her, causing her to glance around despite that she spotted Mason and a few others on the porch. Idly, she wondered if Damien had taken a shortcut; they knew of plenty. "Is Damien back yet?" she asked Mason, though she tried not to sound too concerned.

---

Damien hadn't expected for things to end up like this. It should have been an easy steal, even for somebody who was new to actually robbing people. But, somehow, the woman had managed to react faster than he had expected and, when he ran with shock, he ended up bumping into a girl, knocking her over. Upon closer inspection, he'd easily realized that this girl was beyond stunning. He'd never seen somebody so attractive and it threw him off, caught him by surprise. It was only when he realized Lucy had the purse and had rushed off that he stood up, planning to run as well. With the cops coming after them, he didn't want his sister getting caught with the purse when he was meant to protect her. He couldn't catch up to her, though, having lost her in the crowd, and he soon noticed the girl from earlier catch up to him. When he saw that she was holding his watch, the only thing he had left of his father, whereas Lucy had their mother's necklace, he froze. "What?" he asked, eyes widening before he glanced to his wrist. How had he lost it without noticing? "Thanks. Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to... You know, crash into you earlier."

Mason put his cigarette out as Lucy asked him about Damian, "No i haven't see him." He said, taking the purse from her. He began to go through it smirking as he took a few things from it. "Good work Lucy." He said, smiling up at her. "Hey..don't worry about Damien. He may have just go sidetracked or something." He said, as he stood up. He handed her the designer purse, "There you can keep it." He said. He knew she probably never had one before.

---

Mila smiled, "It's okay." She said as she placed the watch in his hand. Sure he had been stealing, but he was cute and he didn't seem like a normal asshole that ran the streets here. "Um....I'm Mila." She said, offering her hand to him. She smiled as she shook his hand. When he said his name she nodded, "It's nice to meet you Damien." She said. Mila was surprised at how nice he was. "I guess i should let you get back to what you were doing." She said, watching as he put the watch back on.

@ momentai.

Mason's words didn't deter Lucy's concern and it was pretty obvious by her glancing over her shoulder, down the street that Damien should have been coming down at any moment. When Mason handed her the purse, though, she wasn't sure what to think and she stared at it before her wide eyes looked to Mason. "What? Why? What would I do with this?" she asked with confusion. "Am I supposed to go try to sell it or something?" She didn't have anything to put in it, after all, so him giving it to her didn't really make any sense. Besides... She wasn't used to things like this, either.

---

Damien smiled after he introduced himself, though he shook her hand without hesitation. This girl was actually talking to him. And she wasn't scared of him, despite that it was obvious that she knew what he had done. Hell, he'd knocked into her during his attempted escape. He almost considered himself lucky and that didn't usually happen to him. "Oh, ah, I don't really have to get back to anything," he said after a moment as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I think my sister's got it handled." Though he was still worried about her. He hoped she got back to the gang safely. "It's nice to meet you, too, though."

Mason shrugged, "Do what you want with is Lucy. It's yours now." He said. He walked inside with her, "I'm sure Damien will be here soon." He said as he walked into the living room and sat down. He looked at her, "Did you enjoy today?" He asked her. She was going to be easy to get things done. She was gorgeous and men trusted beautiful women. He was going to use her to his advantage.

---

Mila thought for a moment, "Well how about i get us both a coffee. You know since you kind of ruined mine. We can go to a different one down the street." She said. She was glad when he agreed, "Perfect." She said, walking with him. She walked into the shop with him, ordering a latte. She looked at him as he ordered then paid for it. She sat with him, "So are you new around here?" She asked.

@ momentai.

Lucy wasn't sure what to say in response. She didn't understand why he was giving the purse to her in the first place and she found herself constantly looking down at it as if it held some sort of secret. When she heard him question whether she enjoyed today, she cringed slightly, uncertain of what to say. She didn't want to upset him and get kicked out of the gang. Damien needed this stability. She needed this stability. "I... don't know," she said after a moment, "It's not exactly what I'm used to and I'm worried somebody's going to get hurt. Or caught."

---

For a moment, Damien entertained the idea that this could be a date. He knew it wasn't possible, of course; it was the farthest thing from a date, considering how this had been all his fault. But, he could imagine going on a date like this with somebody, even if the thought was likely never going to happen. Regardless, he shook his head to her question. "Not really," he said honestly, "My sister and I have lived here our whole lives, but we kind of bounce around from place to place." He didn't really want to go into details about it. "Have you lived here your whole life?"

Mason shook his head, "You arent going to get caught. I will look after you and even if you got caught i would bail you out." He explained. "You are part of my family now." He told her. He knew that would draw her in. That was obviously what the siblings were looking for. A family was important to them. "After all not everyone can get through life being good." He said smirking.

---

Mila nodded, "Yes i live up on meadow acres." She said. It was a fancy gated community that all the rich people lived in. "I come here to visit with my friends." She explained. Everyone was always curious to why she went outside the gate to be in the city. She liked being able to not feel like she was being watched all the time.

@ momentai.

Lucy chewed on her lip, her gaze dropping to the floor. The thought of having a family was an appealing one; all she and Damien had had for the past couple of years had been each other. Still... "But... We won't hurt people, right?" she asked after a moment. "Nobody's going to get hurt?" Because, she didn't want to hurt anybody and she didn't want herself or Damien getting hurt, either.

---

Damien wasn't expecting her answer. He knew the place, of course. Everybody did. But he didn't understand why anybody would leave a safe gated community to come here of all places. The crime rate in the city was pretty high, after all; even he knew that. "But it's pretty dangerous in this city," he told her, "Why come here to see your friends when it could just end badly for you?"

Mason shook his head, "I won't have you or Damien hurt anyone. I wont make a promise that the other guys wont though. I will try to keep you away from that though." He said as he leaned back against the couch. "Relax Lucy you are going to have a good life here i promise." He said. Mason wanted her to be happy.

---

Mila smiled, "I don't venture far besides this area." She said. "Besides that gated community starts to feel kind of like a prison after awhile. It really sucks." She said. Mila took a sip of her drink and watched him for a moment. She couldn't believe that she met him in this city.

@ momentai.

Lucy wasn't sure how to feel about his words but she offered a small nod in response. Glancing around, she was a little bothered by the fact that Damien still wasn't back. It wasn't like him to just disappear like that. "Maybe I should go look for Damien?" she suggested after a moment.

---

Damien nodded slightly to her words, though he felt slight concern for the girl. The gang had started to come to this area more often to steal, from what he was aware. "You'll be careful around here, right?" he asked after a moment. "It's just... Even this area has gotten dangerous lately."

Mason shook his head, "No don't go look for him. I will send one of the guys." He said. He stood up, "Tommy. Go look for the boy!" He called. He looked at Lucy and smiled, "See i have everything under control." He said. He wanted to make sure she was safe and that she felt safe.

---

Mila nodded, "Yea i will be. I usually don't wear any expensive jewelry when i come out here anyway. And i only carry small amounts of cash." She said, laughing softly. Mila was very careful about this part of town. "Hopefully you are the only one i run into." She said, smiling as she touched his hand.

@ momentai.

Lucy blinked with mild surprise as she watched Tommy leave, though she was a little grateful to know that Mason seemed to be looking out for them. Looking back to Mason, she offered a small nod to his words. "Thanks, Mason," she said after a moment. It meant a lot, even if it was so simple.

---

That was a relief, at least. And she didn't exactly look super rich upon first glance. If she had, Damien wouldn't have been so surprised to hear her say where she lived earlier. "I'm glad," he said after a moment as he offered a nod. "Though not all of us are so bad. We just... Do what we can to survive."

Mason nodded, "No problem. Are you hungry?" He asked her. He usually had everyone eat together, but she was probably hungry after all they had done today. He walked into the kitchen, starting to make some food for the two of them.

---

Mila nodded, "It know. Don't think i'm judging you. You gotta live your life right?" She asked, smiling. He was so cute and her parents would kill her if they found out what he did. She thought for a moment, "I'm having a birthday party at my house this weekend. You should come." She invited him. She really liked him and wanted to get to know him better.

@ momentai.

Lily blinked, though she smiled slightly. Lately, she and Damien had been able to eat everyday, whereas it had been hard to even get a meal each week before they had met Mason. "I am pretty hungry," she admitted, though she followed him quickly and watched him with wonder. "What are you making?"

---

Damien blinked with surprise to her invitation. "This weekend is your birthday?" he asked as he watched her, though he wasn't sure. "Are you sure it's a good idea? I might not be able to bring you a gift. And... Even if I did, it would have probably been stolen or something that you wouldn't like."

Mason smiled, "Just some lasagna." He said. He finished preparing it and put it in the oven. When it was done he put it one the table, "Everyone come eat!" He called. He sat down with them and then got his food. He looked at Lucy as she got hers then started to eat.

---

Mila smiled, "You don't have to bring me anything. You can just come and spend time with me." She said. She hoped he would show up. "You coming to my party can be the gift." She said, laughing softly. She really liked him from what she saw so far.

@ momentai.

Lucy couldn't remember the last time she'd had lasagna. A small grin formed on her features, though she wondered if it was pathetic or desperate to be this happy about food. Shaking the thought away, she sat down and got herself a plate of lasagna, along with setting some aside for Damien, before she started eating quietly.

---

Damien stared at her for a moment. He wasn't used to somebody showing this much interest in him. Hell, he'd never even been invited to a birthday party. Still, he offered a small smile and nodded. "Okay, I'll come," he decided after a moment, "You'll have to tell me how to get to your house, though. I've never been in the gated community and I'd probably get lost."

Mason finished his food, then cleaned up his plate. He looked at Lucy when she finished, "The guys found Damien. He's with a girl, I told them not to interfere." He said with a smile.

---

Mila smiled, "Great!" She said, excited that he agreed. She got a napkin and wrote down the instructions. She handed them to him. "That is how you get there. You can bring someone if you want." She told him. She hoped he didn't have a girlfriend.

@ momentai.

Lucy was relieved to hear it, though she wondered who he could be with. The girl he had knocked down, maybe? Damien probably felt the need to apologize profusely or something. "I'm glad he's okay," she admitted, the relief clear in her voice.

---

Damien blinked as he thought about it, his gaze running over the instructions. "Even my sister?" he asked after a moment, wondering if that would be okay. He wasn't even sure Lucy would be interested; she sometimes had trouble adapting.

Mason nodded, "I told you not to worry about him." He said, smiling. He knew that she was upset, but he proved to her that he was taking care of them. "Damien can take care of himself. " He explained. He couldn't believe how close the two siblins were.

---

Mila nodded, "Of course you can bring your sister." She said, smiling. She looked at the time, "I have to get headed home. I will see you this weekend okay?" She asked as she touched his hand one last time. She got up then looked down at him, "Have a nice night." She said before she left him and headed back to her home.

@ momentai.