Colby followed behind Layla and Roman as they took up the front of the hall they were walking through. Layla threw out comment after comment in a disgruntled manner, while Roman replied her with an easy going tone. His voice wasn't tense, or hurried at all, coming out smoothly through his lips.
"Are you scared?" The leader who had brought him in whispered behind him. Colby hesitantly nodded, his heart doing summersaults in his chest.
"Don't worry. I'll get Roman and Layla to show you the ropes around here. You won't be expected to do anything, except for the mandatory training that our younger members have to go through every once in a while." Large hands squeezed Colby's shoulders reassuringly.
Up ahead, Colby could hear the faint sounds of activity. With each passing moment, those faint whispers and thuds became louder until Colby felt like he was back in the city.
They stepped out of the long hallway, only to be greeted by the hustle and bustle of tens of people moving around at once. A lot of activity was taking place in this building, that was for sure.
"Come, follow me. Layla and Roman will join us later. For now, let me get you up to speed on what will be happening." The man led Colby down a different path than where Layla and Roman were heading. The former turned, and with a wide grin, waved her hand at Colby before they were lost in the mass of bodies.
He was led through a less busy lane, and down another corridor before they got to a tightly guarded door.
"Boss!" The four armed men that were standing by the door gripped their rifles tighter and stood up straighter when they saw the man behind Colby approaching. A couple curious gazes were directed at Colby, but none of them made a move to find out who he was, thanks to the person who was behind him.
The door swung open, giving way to the boss' main room. It was... large, and luxurious, if Colby knew what it meant for something to be luxurious at all. The first thing he saw was a very large sitting area. It resembled those he saw in all those advertisements in TVs as he went about on the dirty streets day after day. A large couch, sat directly opposite the massive flat screen TV at the far wall of the room opposite the door. Two single seats sat on each side of the couch, making for more space to accommodate people. A show was currently playing on the television, but no one was watching it.
"Talon?" A sweet, sultry voice filtered into the room as a side door cracked open. The first thing Colby saw was the pair of long, fair, spotless legs. A fair woman, with a curvaceous body that was barely concealed by a bathing robe stepped out of the room. A smile was splayed across her face as she set her eyes on the man behind Colby. Her eyes then traveled down, making contact with Colby's who immediately diverted his eyes elsewhere.
"Oh, who is this?" She asked, curiosity evident in her voice. Colby's face flushed red as her feet entered his field of vision. Two slender fingers slipped beneath his chin and raised up his head. "What a cure little boy. What's his name, Talon?" She turned up to the man behind Colby, who supposedly went by Talon.
"This is Colby. He pickpocketed me on the streets." Talon grinned, showing off two of his sharp canines. The lady's eyes went round as saucers upon hearing Talon's words. Her eyes went back down to Colby as she took a closer look at Colby.
"Oh, that's so amazing. No one robs Talon. You must be really talented." She ruffled Colby's head of wavy hair. He held onto his head when her hand retreated, his lips pursed. He couldn't say a thing in front of the beautiful woman.
"Come on, Colby. Say hi." Talon urged him with a light pat on his shoulders.
"Um... H-hi, I'm Colby." He managed to force out the jumble of words from his throat.
"Aw, you are just so cute!" She pinched his cheeks and rubbed up his face for a moment before standing up an walking away. "Do you want anything for breakfast, Talon? What about you, Colby?" She asked as she wandered into an open room, which was apparently the kitchen.
Before either of them could answer, their stomachs growled angrily, as though daring them to lie. The lady chuckled, and soon, the sound of pans and plates could be heard from the kitchen.
"I'll make something simple. Maybe some pancakes. Talon, please can you get a carton of juice out from the fridge? Something for Colby to drink while he waits." She peered over her shoulder at the two, her golden blond hair masking her light blue eyes.
"Sure thing, darling." He smirked before going over to the fridge and getting out the juice. He slipped by her to get a cup before making his way back to Colby, who was standing awkwardly by the kitchen counter.
"Don't want to take a seat?" Talon laughed when he saw Colby fidgeting and staring at his feet. "Relax, Colby. We aren't going to eat you. Let me properly introduce you." He urged Colby to sit, taking a seat beside him as well. After pouring the boy a drink, he began introducing themselves properly.
"I'm Talon. But you can call me Uncle, Dad, or whatever you want. Miss beautiful over there, is my wife." When he addressed the blond beauty as 'Miss beautiful', she only chuckled, her shoulders shaking as she laughed. "Her name's Mona, but don't go about calling her that. Let her come over and tell you what she wants you to call her."
After taking a sip of the cool apple juice, Colby looked puzzlingly at Talon. "Uncle? Dad?"
"Well, I mean, if you don't mind, I would want to take you in as my ward." Talon grinned widely. "It's not everyday I get to see someone with as much potential as you."