"No one hurts my family and lives."

✘✘✘

"Fuck! Let me go!" I yelled as five bodies grabbed me from behind, pressing a sharp object against my neck. I was doing daily chores in the basement - washing sheets and clothes - when someone attacked me in the middle of the day. And no one was here to protect me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I tried to escape their grip by swinging with my arms and legs, but it was no use. I was outnumbered.

All of them laughed like I said the funniest joke ever, as the person holding the sharp object pressed it harder. I could feel it tearing my skin. "No, honey," a female voice said. "The question is, what is wrong with you? How could you kill your own sister?" I felt tears of anger and pain stinging my eyes as blood started dripping down my neck.

"If you hurt me, they will kill you," I threatened them, trying to turn around to see their faces, but it was no use. They held my limbs as if they were holding a puppet, completely under control.

"They won't find us," a male voice scoffed. "And we are not scared of them," another male voice chuckled. That's when I remembered what Jesus told me two days ago.

"We are the kids that you can never kill," I laughed, feeling like I finally lost my sanity. I didn't care if I died or lived. My life became worthless. All I have are five boys. "You've never killed before, have you?" I asked the girl who weakly held the blade against my neck. "I will tell you how it goes then," I continued and all of them became quiet. "You will slit my throat and stain every inch of this room, including yourselves, with my filthy blood. Then, you'll go to court where people and reporters will spit on you and tell you how fucked up you are. Eventually, you'll realize what you've done and there will be no going back."

"Nobody would be sad if we killed you! We would be doing a favor to the world!" the girl behind me snapped, pressing the blade against my neck harder. "You are a waste of space!" she dropped the blade and turned me around to face her. I gasped when I realized they are the same ones that greeted me on my first day in the cafeteria.

Before I could do anything to protect myself, she punched me in the jaw, making me fall to the floor. My lip started bleeding and I could feel tears stinging my eyes as their laughter filled in the silence.

Fuck no! I can't let this happen again! If Atlas and the boys taught me anything, it's how to survive. And it's not by caving in and letting others stomp on me.

I quickly got up, anger filling my eyes. Atlas said something that made me reconsider everything I did in my life - fight it or accept it. Fear it or control it. And after everything I've been through, I won't let them bring me down again.

"You sure show some strength," one of the guys said, smirking. "I thought she would be knocked out," the other one added. Everybody laughed, looking at me like I was their prey.

"What the fuck do you want from me?!" I spat at him when another punch hit my face. Not soon after that, everybody started crawling over me, punching and kicking my body. I laid on the floor, protecting my face with my arms as they kept going. There wasn't a place they didn't reach - face, ribs, legs, chest, arms.

I forced back all the cries that needed to be released and closed my eyes, hoping this would end soon, as I spat out blood.

"Penny, we are-" familiar voice said and I immediately opened my eyes. He stopped when he saw what was happening, his gaze pausing at me. People who physically destroyed my body froze in place and I heard a series of curses.

I looked up to find Gage's stiffened body, who glared at my attackers with a look I've never seen before - a murderous look. The tension in the room was visible and undeniable. Despite the worse pain I ever felt in my entire life, my mind was racing with million thoughts. The one thing I realized in that moment is - Gage was protective over me.

Everybody stood in deathly silence until a whimper of pain escaped from my lips and that's how it all started. Gage whistled, inviting the rest of the guys inside, and when they saw what was happening, all hell broke loose.

They jumped on each of my attackers, punching the living shit out of them, regardless if they were a boy or a girl, until all of them were curled up on the floor and screams of pain filled the air. They panted and growled like wild animals, towering over the conquered bodies.

Atlas walked over to me and picked up my body in bridal style, examining my injuries and gently tracing my face with his thumb. He looked terrified, something I've never thought I would see. His breathing was heavy and, although he was carrying me without any problem, he was trembling.

Before we exited the washing room, he turned around, with me in his arms, and spat on the attackers, who continued crying in agony while laying on the blood stained the floor. "Consider this a warning," he said with disgust. "No one hurts my family and lives."

Gage crouched next to one of the boys, grabbing his face so their eyes could meet. "You haven't even seen my bad side yet."

And with that, we left them behind, with guys surrounding me, while we walked towards my cell. "No one will hurt you again or I'll kill them," Atlas whispered as I felt myself drifting into sleep.

"We need to send a message because this shit is unacceptable. Every person who enters this building should know who are we and be scared to look at us."

✘✘✘

Two days ago

"So, Penny, what does victory feel like?" Gage laughed as he took a big gulp from the bottle of Bourbon I just stole. We were still at the smoking spot, sitting in a circle, but only because they convinced me nobody would see us. It was around four in the morning and Blue still didn't manage to find us.

"It feels powerful," I smiled, taking the bottle from him and drinking the burning liquid. I don't know what took over me - maybe the fact that I succeeded in something or I was accepted into their crew, which never happened to me. I was always left out of everything - sports, group assignments and, overall, fun. And girls my age shouldn't drink alcohol, especially something strong like whiskey. "But I haven't always been like this," I confessed, taking another swig. "High school sucks."

"Fuck high school when you have freedom," Gage said, yanking the bottle from me. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "You have freedom here?" I asked him.

He scoffed. "Not physical freedom, but metaphorical. You could do whatever you want with us and you wouldn't get judged," he chugged. "High school is for lame, brainless fuckers."

You might want to know why are we all drinking from one bottle when we have two? Yeah, I would too. The only thing they told me was how they needed it for something else. I didn't even want to question it.

"If I remember correctly, you have straight A's in school," Jesus said, snatching the bottle from him.

"Yeah, because I always cheat," he chuckled, although I could see he's clearly lying. He's just afraid to admit he is smart and I think it will have to be my mission to get it out of him someday in the future.

"So, Gage, what did you do to end up in here?" I changed the subject, but he shot me a warning look. I pouted, giving him puppy eyes. "Oh, c'mon! You know everything about me!"

"When somebody knows your story, they know you. And that's how they can hurt you," Atlas said, looking at the cigarette which he played with.

"You know, Penny, I never got the chance to be a good boy," Gage said, ignoring Atlas' words, although I don't think they were meant for me, but in general. "I always had bloody knuckles because I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me."

"Maybe you're not a bad boy, Gage," I said, looking into his deathly eyes. "Only a bad person." He didn't move nor blink, but simply stare at me.

So, his sudden movements startled me - he crawled in front of me, looking like a fucking mentally unstable lion. "You want to know my past, Penny? Fine," he said numbly. "I killed my lame excuse of father when I was nine years old, got here, where I spent a year, then I was released, killed my worthless piece of mother, and got sent back. I broke all laws there are to exist and I still don't feel a hint of guilt."

I stared at him, realizing a murderer is only an inch away from me. An actual, soulless murderer. "Oh, and what about Atlas? He brutally beat two guys to death with his bare hands, only for insulting his mother. Emrys? He has split personality disorder, so his other side committed a massive murder and killed ten innocent people. Kingston the Canny? He ate one guy's ear off because he annoyed the shit out of him," he stopped when he looked at Jesus and tilted head in his direction. "He killed his parents."

I blankly stared at them, my body completely frozen. They are all murderers.
"We are all killers, we all killed a part of ourselves to survive," Atlas said, still avoiding eye contact. "But if you ever run into trouble, you have two simple options," he continued. "Fight it or accept it - fear it or control it."

We stood in silence as I let their words sink in. Why am I not afraid? I should be screaming and running the hell away from them. I should report them to Blue and throw them in isolation. But, I just couldn't.

I looked at Jesus, who lied to me about his parents, and surprisingly, I smiled. "I guess family is about looking out for each other, no matter what we did in the past," was all I said, remembering what Jesus told me in the vent. It seemed like it happened a few years ago, although it was only one hour.

But, these boys did for me in the past few days more than my family ever did. Isn't it amazing how people can feel like home?

"What, are you not afraid?" Kingston scoffed, crossing arms on his chest. "I ate people! Why are you not afraid?!" he yelled and desperately glared at me, a vein popping out on his forehead. "You should RUN!!"

I stood up. "I DON'T WANT TO RUN!" I yelled back, looking at every single one of them. "I don't care what you did before you came here, but I'm a part of your family now! And I don't care if you like it or not!"

Once again, silence took over us, as night became brighter with each minute that passed by. The first one to break it was Atlas, who stood up and looked at me with a barely visible smile. He clapped and soon enough, everyone else was on their feet, mirroring his actions.

"Penny," Atlas said proudly, handing me the bottle. "By drinking this, you swear on your life to help each and every one of us if we find ourselves in any kind of trouble." I took the bottle and drank from it, wiping off my lips afterwards. "You swear to never leave anyone behind if our lives are at stake, because that is what family should be like," he continued and I nodded, chugging the liquid again. "You swear to avenge your fallen brothers and bring them justice, no matter what it takes to get there." I nodded, taking my last gulp.

He tilted his head to my right, showing me to pass the bottle. I gave it to Jesus, who took it with a bright smile. "Brothers, by drinking this, you swear to protect your sister, no matter what she did and continues to do, even if it means your death." Jesus drank, without hesitation, and passed it to Gage, who smirked before he did what everyone else eventually did, including Atlas.

"Now," Gage smirked and stood in front of me, so I had to look up if I wanted to meet his eyes. "We have only one thing left."

I raised my eyebrows in question. "No, it's too soon. Blue is after us and she will only get in trouble with that," Atlas stopped him, which made my curiosity jump from zero to one hundred. If Atlas is careful about something, than it should be fun.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking at smirking Gage and cautious Atlas, who glared at each other.

"We need to get you a tattoo," Gage crossed arms on his chest and looked at Atlas who shook his head in disapproval. "Everybody will know not to touch her if she has our sign," he continued, defending his statement.

Atlas looked up to him and pinned him to a wall. "IF I SAY NO, THEN YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he screamed, anger boiling from him.

I looked to Jesus, who raised his hands and carefully stepped away, as did Kingston and Emrys.

And with that, I saw Atlas lose his shit for the first, and I hope last, time.

✘✘✘