Adrian opened the knot that held the blindfold to Jennifer's head letting it fall over. Jennifer opened her eyes to see all the members of the den in a room. She let out a delighted squeal and jumped on Adrian, hugging him tightly. "Aww! You were bringing me to the den. It's really a very good gift." Jennifer said and let go of Adrian.
She went around, hugging each member, talking to them as they met after a long time. Anna and Hannah were literally shinning when they saw Jennifer. They had become so good friends with her that seeing her after a long time gave them immense satisfaction and joy. Joseph kissed Jennifer on the back of her right hand and smiled sweetly. "Your dance skills improved from the last time." Jennifer complimented him making him shy.
She knew Joseph worked hard on his dancing skills so a compliment was enough to bring a smile on his face. "So, how's it going with Sandra?" Jennifer asked. "Did you confess yet?" she smiled with her eyes signaling towards Sandra who was standing in the far corner of the room talking to Liam. "No. Actually not. I'm too scared. It's been an year since I'm crushing on her but I didn't get any chance to confess." James rubbed the back of his head, looking down in embarrassment.
"I help you get her. I promise." Jennifer moved on to the next and next and next person till the time everyone was done and settled on her seat next to Adrian. When everyone was seated James spoke, "Thank you everyone for gathering on such a short notice. The topic of this meeting is really important for the future of the den." Then he looked at Adrian who continued, "I wanted to take a decision but I need your views on it. Last time when Jennifer lived with us, she was so impressed by you guys that she wanted to join the den as a member. Back then, I refused her thinking that she wasn't ready for it but today something happened and I wanted to get your views on this topic."
The atmosphere of the entire meeting hall tensed up. Everyone was very serious like some actual meeting was going on. Jennifer had been to a couple meetings with her dad when she volunteered to work as his personal assistant when her father's actual personal assistant had to take an emergency leave because she fell from the stairs and broken her right leg and her right arm. Jennifer was getting the same vibes as the meetings of a multinational company.
Nevertheless, Jennifer's eyes instantly lit up when she heard these lines. Adrian brought her here to actually join the den. How great!but now her heart was thumping loudly. She could almost feel it hammering inside her ribs, threatening to break through them. All the members were shocked at first. Jennifer. As the member of the den. Will she really be able to get used to this rough life? After all, even though she was strong and tough, she was still the daughter of the richest man in America. She was so used to being treated like a queen.
This question was buzzing inside everybody's mind as they took their time to deliberate the pros and cons of Jennifer joining the den. "Do you think you're ready for it?" Anna asked Jennifer as she stood up from her seat. Her eyes displayed genuine care. "Yes! I want to work with you all." Jennifer replied confidently. "If she's confident then I support her joining the den." Joseph stood up with his hand raised in the air.
"You will have to do some nasty stuff and get used to things like sneaking out of your home at odd times, disappearing from your school or house instantly. Lying to your parents about stuff all times and breaking plans with your friends the last minute. Like today. We were called last minute. I had a place to be. I was in a mood for some beer but I got called. So make sure you're certain of your decision because being a mafia isn't easy at all. You have to get control of your emotions. You can't cry because you broke someone's leg." Kaleb explained the difficulties of being a mafia in detail.
"I think the worst part for you would be to maintain the dual identity. We don't have parents to keep us in check but you do. Ask Adrian! How hard it is for him to keep this hidden even when his parents don't even care about him much but yours are completely different. They are going to check you at all times." Liam said. Liam rarely spoke but when he did, he spoke really wisely. That was true! She had to do something about her parents. Maybe she could just keep the fence broken and sneak away every time.
Well, that would probably happen just once because she would die of a heart attack even before she reached the ground. What else could she do? There is no way her parents would leave any door at house unlocked at night. "So you think you can do it?" Kaleb asked again. Jennifer still had somethings she had to figure out but she wanted the support of the members so she said, "Well, I sneaked out today. I guess I'll think of something." Jennifer heard James laugh faintly but she choose to ignore it. "Why can't you support her? I support her and I think she's pretty confident." Joseph said. He had placed his trust in Jennifer and he knew she wouldn't let him down.
"Me too. I support her." Sandra said. "I support her too." Kaleb joined in. One by one, all the members casted their vote as positive. This was the first time anyone had joined the den with a hundred percent majority. Usually one or two people would vote in negative but it seems like Jennifer had won the hearts of all the members during her previous stay here. They all were so supportive of her. It seemed like they would cooperate together and make a great team.
"Thank you so much guys! I love you all so much!" Jennifer stood up to recognize the kindness they all had showed to her. Adrian stood up with her. "So it's decided then. By popular vote, Jennifer has crossed the first test of officially becoming a member of the den." What!!! There were more than one tests. She thought she had made it. She had to go something else as well.