"How are you feeling?"

Josh pursed his lips and kept his eyes trained on the grey ceiling above him.

"Fine," he replied, his voice cracking. He licked his dry lips and breathed sharply in through his nose. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to talk. It hurt.

"No, I mean, how do you really feel? Be honest." The voice continued, soft and broken.

Josh rolled over onto his side and looked up at the figure sitting on the side of his bed. Tyler.

"I feel great, you?" Josh asked through gritted teeth.

Tyler sighed and averted his eyes from Josh. He was silent for a moment, absentmindedly running his fingers through his hair.

"Need any more painkillers? I could probably get you some," Tyler murmured quietly. He still couldn't bring himself to look at Josh.

"Why do you like me?" Josh spat, completely ignoring Tyler's question. "Tell me."

"I don't-"

"Don't give me that shit," Josh groaned, rolling back onto his back. He winced in pain as he moved. "You and I both know that if it was anyone else in there you would've let them die."

Tyler shrugged and casually lifted his hands. "Can't argue with ya there."

Josh scoffed and covered his face with his hands.

"Get out of here," Josh whispered, on the verge of tears. His entire body ached. His wounds stung and pulsed with pain. "Just get out."

Tyler's anger suddenly spilt over.

"I fucking saved you, kid. Stop being ungrateful," he snapped.

"Oh, oh!" Josh exclaimed, propping himself up on one elbow so he could face Tyler. "You saved me? By throwing me into a pit filled with crazy people with knifes?! I hardly call that saving, Ty-"

Tyler shut Josh up by grabbing the front of his new black shirt and yanking him toward him.

"What did I say?!" Tyler growled.

Josh wasn't afraid anymore. After his initiation, he was not afraid of anything.

"I don't know," he said sarcastically, tilting his head to the side. "What did you say, Tyler?"

Tyler's chocolate brown eyes flashed red for the quickest moment, but he slowly relaxed and shoved Josh back onto the bed.

"I came in here to ask you how you were, and you treat me like this," Tyler yelled, jumping up to his feet. He glared at Josh before starting to the door. "You need to learn your place."

"I already know my place," Josh quipped. "And it's not here."

Tyler turned on his heel and glared daggers at Josh. "I gave you another, option, ya know-"

"-And I accepted it!" Josh argued. "You wouldn't let me take it!"

Tyler opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. He pursed his lips and looked up, down, sideways, anywhere but at Josh.

"Well, it's too late now," he muttered. "You'll either be killed by these guys, or the other guys, but you won't be killed by me."

With that, he left Josh alone in his room, slamming the door behind him.

✗✗✗✗✗

"He sure is taking a long time to recover," Brendon scowled. He put his hands carefully behind his back and looked down at his feet as he walked. "It's been a week, almost two, Mad Gear. Why is it taking so long?"

Tyler rubbed his face with his hands. Telling Brendon the real reason he was keeping Josh to himself was obviously not an option.

"Just leave it to me," he replied finally, his voice raspy.

"You say that, Mad Gear, but what are you doing?" Brendon pressed, rather bravely at that. He was the only one that dared talk back to the boss, and even then he always got in trouble.

At that moment, Tyler was suddenly itching to reach for his favorite knife hanging from his belt.

"We haven't even gone through Stage Two of the initiation yet," Brendon continued, stopping his steps.

Tyler stopped a few footsteps away from Brendon.

"He's..." Tyler inhaled quietly and looked at the ceiling. The dirty, somehow bloody ceiling of the abandoned arena where the Clique's headquarters were.

"He's not going through Stage Two," Tyler finished, looking back at Brendon, whose mouth was slightly agape.

"But sir, no one in the Clique has ever gone through only one stage of-"

Tyler simply held up his hand, and Brendon immediately shut his mouth. He knew better.

"I've decided. He's not going through Stage Two," Tyler said firmly. "Go give him his Clique bracelet. He's one of us now."

Brendon shook his head and scoffed, an incredulous smirk on his face.

"Didn't think I would ever see the day when you got soft," he muttered, turning to walk the opposite direction.

He didn't make it very far. Before he could take another step, Tyler was behind him, knife against his back.

"Things are shaping up to be pretty odd," Tyler hissed in Brendon's ear. A common phrase in the Clique for Fuck off.

A familiar rush coursed through Tyler's veins. The rush he only got when he felt someone's life in his hands, someone squirming under his very touch. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes sir," Brendon whispered, his jaw set. Part of him was afraid; who wouldn't be afraid with a knife pressed to your back? The other part was angry. He had been pushed around far too long. He had seen what's his, and he was ready to take it.

Without another word, Tyler pushed Brendon's shoulder, sending him stumbling to the ground.

Tyler's chest rose and fell heavily as he stared down at Brendon. The two held each other's gaze for a few agonizing, angry moments.

When the desire to kill finally drained completely out of Tyler, he twisted his knife in his hand before shoving it back in his belt.

"Try me again," Tyler spat, slowly rolling his shoulders back and cracking his neck. "I dare you."

With that, he walked away from Brendon, heels echoing on the concrete. Brendon watched the red ankles go before laying back on the cold floor and staring at the ceiling for a good, long while.

✗✗✗✗✗

The hot water hurt almost as much as the cuts did. Almost.

Josh was hesitant to get in the shower at first. Partly because it hurt to stand, partly because he honestly didn't feel like it. After everything that had happened tonight, after everything he had seen, Josh wasn't mentally ready to do anything.

He winced when he fully stepped into the shower, the warm drops of water raining down on his bruised and cut skin.

Josh took a long, deep sigh. He leaned his head against the tiled wall and closed his eyes. In that moment, Josh could literally feel every single cut, every single bruise, every single wound, every single opening in his skin. He especially felt the gash on the bottom of his foot, the first place he was stabbed during initiation.

These people were absolutely insane. Who the fuck stabs a knife up into another person's foot?

Exhaustion washed over him. He didn't cry. He was not sad; he wasn't angry either. He wasn't even scared anymore. He was tired. So tired, he felt nothing at all. He didn't even feel pain anymore. His entire body tingled with a numbness he had never experienced before.

Josh sighed again.

After simply standing there with his eyes closed under the stream of water, he reached out and turned off the shower head. A cold breeze hit his wounds as he steps out. He didn't even bother to grab a towel, he simply pulled his tee shirt over his head. It stuck to his wet skin.

"I have to get out of here," Josh muttered to himself, running his fingers through his wet green hair. The painkillers he had taken a few hours ago were wearing off, but he didn't care. The pain didn't even register in his mind anymore.

"I miss my mom," he murmured softly. He still didn't feel sadness, but he sure as hell wanted to cry. But he wasn't going to. He couldn't cry. Even though there was no one else in the room with him, he did not want to cry.

As soon as Josh dropped the towel wrapped around his waist and reached for his skinny jeans, the door to his bedroom suddenly burst open.

"Hey Mis-dude what the fuck!?"

Josh yelped in surprise and immediately scrambled to grab the towel from off the floor. Once he managed to at least make himself somewhat decent, he whipped his head to look in the doorway.

A man was standing there, a tall man with taller hair and an even taller forehead. He wore a rather fancy black suit, the sports jacket shimmering a golden tint in the light.

"And I've just seen much more of you than I ever wanted to..." The man closed his eyes and shook his head, a disgusted look on his face.

Josh gulped back his embarrassment.

When the man opened his eyes again, he narrowed his eyes at Josh before breaking out into a wide, dazzling grin.

"You must be Missile Kid, right?" He questioned, waltzing into Josh's room. His voice was smooth and sultry, almost like he was singing.

"T-That's me," Josh replied, struggling to hold his towel up in the midst of his embarrassment.

The man smiled wider, put his hand behind his back, and bowed. "The Green Gentleman, at your service," he said, flipping his hair back as he stood up straight. "At everyone's service, really, if you know what I mean."

Josh blushed as the Green Gentleman looked around his room.

"Nice place ya got here," he commented, stepping over to the window. He pulled back the heavy black curtains, and sunlight poured into the room. Josh winced, but the Green Gentleman smiled more.

"Isn't it the same as everyone else's?" Josh asked, awkwardly reaching for his jeans. He hastily pulled them on while the Green Gentleman had his back turned.

"Not exactly," he replied, twisting his mouth in thought. He thought about his own quarters, which were much smaller and much less comfortable than Josh's. Why did Mad Gear like this kid so much?

"Why are you here?" Josh asked, carefully sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"Oh, right!" He exclaimed, turning to Josh and reaching into his pocket. He produced a small, silver bracelet. It was simple, a chain with a plaque attached to it. The plaque read CLIQUE.

"Your ticket in," The Green Gentleman shrugged, tossing the bracelet to Josh. "The boss will brief you on all the official rules and stuff, but the number one rule is to never take that thing off. Even when being tortured."

Josh gulped as he rubbed the piece of jewelry between his fingers. "T-Tortured?"

The Green Gentleman's face suddenly became solemn, annoyed. "You would be used to it if you had to go through the full initiation," he scoffed, heading toward the door.

"That wasn't the full thing?" Josh asked in shock. Flashbacks of his initiation ran through his mind. He shuddered.

The Green Gentleman wrapped his hand around the doorknob, but stopped before he left.

"No, not even close," he snapped. He inhaled and looked back at Josh with a fake, plastered-on smile. "But lucky for you, Mad Gear likes you. Dunno why, but he does," he said with mock kindness.

"I've been meaning to ask..." Josh murmured. He cleared his throat and raised his voice. "W-Why does he like me?"

The Green Gentleman's faux smile disappeared immediately, but it was quickly replaced by a sarcastic smirk.

"Things are shaping up to be pretty odd," he shrugged before leaving Josh completely alone yet again.

✗✗✗✗✗
✗✗✗✗✗

And thus, a new character is introduced...

Hello again!

Hope you all enjoyed your daily blessing. Please comment and vote if you did!

Chapter 4 will be out in a few hours, so keep your eye out for that. (Ohhhh Jemima it's gonna be a good one)

- Liz.