• Chapter One:
    Allyn
    ('Ace of Spades')
    The sun rose, beautifully warm colors of red, pink, and gold playing in the sky. Any normal person would gasp in awe at the beautiful sight. But, to Allyn, the colors were no longer beautiful, they were no longer gold. To him, colors seemed nothing more than a dull gray. Allyn McGraw was a very disturbed youth. He was orphaned since the age of three. There wasn't any sadness though, nor was there relief. His biological parents were achoholic junkies, who kept trying to sell him off, just to gamble, and buy booze. The orphanage he was sent to wasn't much better, making each orphan work their cold, shaking hands to the bone, trying to renivate the crappy cave with a door that was the orphange. Even after he was adopted at the age of seven, his foster parents were too cheerful for Allyn's tastes, and, sadly, very absent-minded. He was miserable, and emotional all of his elementary years. But, he got a shock when he enetered his oddly named middle school, Calamity. When he entered his home room, he stared right at a very intimidating group of about seven or eight boys, and maybe three girls. What was even stranger though, was this group all had the same classes. He grew used to their company, learning their names, and basic personality types. He was able to clasify them in groups of two. One group he called 'Seekers' are 13-year-old boys (they flunked a grade), one named Chris, the other named Kenndel. Chris is loud, bad-mouthed, overly-righteous (in Allyn's perspective), and very violent. Kenndel is argumentive, impassive, and equally violent. Those two were always arguing over every little thing, even getting into fist fights, yet they never got to the point of killing each other...yet.

    The second group he called 'Collecters' were, an 11-year-old boy (skipped a grade), and a 14-year old boy (flunked two grades..ouch). The eleven year old's name is Daniel, the fourteen year old's name is Rodney. Daniel is confident, quiet, and very, very impatient. Rodney, on the other hand, is shy, rambontious, and doesn't mind how long something takes. These two are very artistic, but their ideals are very different (they're arguements on it are famous for crying out loud!!). The third group Allyn hasn't found a name for, yet. They get along too well. If you hadn't guessed already, those two were also boys, but they were both 12-year-olds, the same age as Allyn (when he was in seventh grade of course). Their names are Ian and Samuel. Ian is smart, detached, and protective. Samuel is fight-crazy, very loyal, and tactful. The last group is two of the girls. Allyn calls them 'Obstraction', because they are the most attractive girls at the school. They are Japanese transfer students, but they fit right in. Their names are Kiro and Kira, these two girls are cousins. Kiro is overly-affectionate, very strong and short-tempered. Kira is stotic, partically suicidal, and very, very proud of herself. The other girl is his best friend. Her name is Catherine, but everyone calls her Cat, or Cathy. She's alot like Allyn, silent, seemingly uncaring, and deeply intelligent. The other last group were two boys, Allyn calls them 'Oblation' for an unknown reason. The two boys of this group are a boy named Nicholas, the other named Zeek. Nicholas is happy, klutzy, and bashful. Zeek is quiet, intelligent, and obsessed with meat. Eventually, the others found out about Allyn's 'group' idea, and his past. They were okay with it, they're childhoods were equally as amazingly disturbing.

    For an odd reason, and by suggestion of Ian, they decided to elect a leader. The group idea sounded cool to them, but they kind of needed someone to be top dog, head honcho, the alfa wolf. By a uniamous vote, Allyn and Cat were the selected leaders. They made a pact that they'd always stick together, even troubled people needed friends. All through middle school, they caused havoc for the poorly named school. They started food fights, group fist fights (mostly Daniel's idea), and skipped class alot. Mostly thanks to Ian, Allyn, and Cat, they all made it through middle school with at least an A- minus average. They're group was called 'Red Tears' by the teachers behind their backs. Of course, there's a REASON they're called that. The 'red' part is for all the trouble they cause at school. The 'tears' part for each child's pain, and one of the teachers have at least caught one member crying alone (even Nicholas). But, the group was past all that. Today was probably more nerve-racking than the day he was adopted from the orphanage. It's the first day of the gang's freshman year in highschool!! Allyn dragged himself out of bed and walked over to his wardorobe, truthfully not giving a damn what he wore. He grapped a light blue tee-shirt, and a pair of faded black jeans, throwing them on his bed. He walked into the bathroom, ran the warm water. He stared at it, letting the sink fill with water, before dunking his head in it. With his head still submerged in the water, he grabbed the vial of toothpaste and his toothbrush. With excruciating detail I, the author couldn't type, he managed to brush his teeth with his head underwater, while it was still running.

    After the bizarre habit of the way he brushes his teeth. He pulled his head out of the water, and hit a stop button on his watch. He looked at it, he timed himself. The digital neon blue numbers read; '0 min. 23 sec.' "Hey, what d'ya know. I beat my record.", he said, with a smirk. He took off his watch and started undressing. He turned two nobs, starting up a shower. He looked in the mirror above the sink at his bizarre golden-brownish hair. He was self concious about his hair, but he's hair wasn't as bizarre as some of his friends' hair. Chris's bleach white-blonde, Kiro's crystal blue sky, and Kira's red-and-green mix that she claimed was natural. Allyn chuckled to himself, before getting into the shower, closing the foral pattern curtain that seperated him from total embarrassement. "Ah....crud...", he muttered, remembering he neglected to bring a towel. 'Oh well.....I'll just use my pajamas...', he thought to himself. Allyn let the water run on his slightly-smaller-than-normal-14-year-old frame, the warm water had a very soothing feeling. He grabbed his sponge and his body wash. He opened the bottle and squeezed some of the body wash on his sponge, and lathered it up. He rubbed his upper torso with the sudsy sponge, being sure to get his neck, and behind his ears. He rubbed his lower torso, some parts more gently than others, being sure to get the bottom of his feet too. He rinsed his sponge, and put it back, then stood in the water, turning occasionally to rinse the suds and bubbles off of his body. He picked up his Head& Shoulders Dandruff shampoo, and some of the liquid out on his head, before lathering within his hair, being sure he got his scalp too. He didn't have dandruff, he just liked how soft it made his hair. He rinsed it out, the repeated this process with Head&Shoulders Dandruff Conditioner. He turned off the water, and heard a giggle; his mom. He peaked out of the curtain, to see a blood-red towel folded on top of his clothes. He smiled lightly, "Thanks.", he whispered, picking up the towel. "You're welcome Allyn.", his mom whispered back from outside the bathroom, before walking away to make breakfest.

    He wrapped the towel around his waist, before stepping casiously out of the shower, hoping he didn't slip on something. He picked up a handcloth and walked over to the sink of his bathroom. He ran the hot water, and put the cloth under the flow. He pulled it back, grabbed the bar of soap, and wrapped the drenched cloth around it. He placed the hot, wet, soapy cloth to his cheek, and took a sharp intake of breathe at the sting. He rubbed the cloth all over face, closing his eyes as he washed his forehead, and inbetween his eyes. He put the cloth down, eyes still closed. He cupped his hands and put his hands under the flow of the water. He splashed the mini puddle of slightly steaming water againist his face, rinsing his face of all soap. He opened his eyes, and let his adjust to being open once again. He unwrapped the cloth from the soap, and rinsed the cloth. He turned off the water, and ringed the cloth until it was dry. He looked down at his bare, now dry, torso. He turned and picked up his pajamas, his boxers he had been wearing previously, and his socks, before departing the bathroom to his bedroom, to get dressed. He closed his room door, and locked it, perferring to know that no one would walk in on him while he was dressing. Allyn unwrapped the towel from his waist, and threw it in his dirty clothes hamper. He grabbed the blue tee, and put it on, giving a little tug to pull his head through the neck opening of the shirt. He looked around, and picked up a pair of deep maroon boxers (their clean), and put them on. He grapped the jeans, and pulled them on, with a grimace playing at his mouth, he didn't like these jeans as much as he liked some of his other pairs, but he didn't hate it, he would've given it to Rodney, or someone. He grapped a pair of ankle socks, and put them on his slender feet. He looked around, before finding his dark blue sneakers. He put the 10 1/2-sized shoes on his 10-size feet, not really caring about the space. He picked up a brush and brushed his, been dry for a while now, hair into a bang covering his left eye halfway, his naturally straight hair falling perfectly in place, the way he wanted to. Then he grabbed, probably the most important thing to his appearence (in Allyn's persepctive) to put on last; a black choker with the word 'Ace' stitched in it, with silver thread.
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    The choker is very important to Allyn, so let the author proceed to tell you why, because the author is pretty sure you, the reader would like to know, although you probably guessed. That simple black choker symbolizes his pact he made with his friends, that he was apart of the group, that he wasn't alone. Strangely, it was Nicholas that came up with the idea. It was a Saturday. It was overcast, and the gang had been hanging out at a local arcade, just being kids, when the slightly high-pitched voice that was Nichlas's asked, "Why don't we have a symbol?" The others slowly ceased what they were doing, and stared at the usually oblivious boy. "What do you mean, Nikki...?", asked his 'partner in crime', Zeek. "W-Well, we've been buddies--" At this time Chris interjected, saying "Don't call us 'buddies'." Kenndel hit Chris upside the head, "Let him finish, numbskull.", he growled angerily. Nicholas hesistated, until Allyn made a hand getsure telling him to continue. He took a deep breathe and continued, "For a while, even on weekends, but we don't have anything to show for it!!", he finished, hiding behind Zeek, afraid the others might hit him. "You mean like....a uniform, or something?", Ian asked, always being the one who could best understand the ever-so-peppy Nicholas. He nodded to Ian, showing that he was right. Allyn thought about it, before saying, "Guys....Nicholas is right. We need something to let others know we're us. Something they'll know us by, something discreet so it isn't noticed by teachers, but something that students would notice.", he said, thinking further into it, as did everyone else. Kiro and Kira both looked up at the same time, "I've got it!!", they both exclaimed in unison. "Follow us!!", Kiro told them as the two transfers ran off, the others following closely behind. They ran until they got to a small outlet mall. Chris was the only boy who had enough breathe in his lungs to groan. The rest of the group finally got to stop, because they saw Kira and Kiro holding up something both boys and girls could wear without arosing suspicion from the teachers, yet something reconizable by the students. "Black chokers? Seriously?", Chris asked, in an agitated voice. "Well no duh, marshmellow head.", Kira responded, with an acidic tone. Kiro smiled, "We can make them more original by stiching our alias in them!", she said with a smile.

    Each member of the group had an alias, they used them so the teachers wouldn't know exactly which students was involved with the constant rule-breaking. Kiro picked up a spool of silver thread, "With this!", she said happily. She grabbed twenty chokers (in case some people lost theirs), and two spools of silver thread. She bought them, and they all watched as Kiro stitched in each alias flawlessly into a choker. She handed out each choker, and held her own. "Before he put them on...", Catherine started, in her quiet, smooth, sing-song voice, "let's make a pact; from now on, we'll be more than friends. We'll be family, we'll be our joy, we'll be....our saviors.", she said, putting out her right fist, holding her choker in her left fist, which was placed over her heart, "Deal?", she asked everyone else. "Deal.", Allyn responded putting his hand on top of hers. "Deal.", said Ian and Samuel, putting their hands in. "DEAL!!!", Kiro and Nicholas yelled, nearly smacking down their hands on top of the others. "Deal.", said Rodney and Zeek. Zeek put in his left hand, Rodney followed everyone else with their right hand. "...Deal.", said Daniel, placing his right hand gently on top. "Deal.", said Kira, smacking down hard on Daniel's hand (those two are enemies, no one knows why). "Deal.", said Kenndell, putting in his right hand. They all looked at Chris, the only person who hadn't put his input in yet. "You're all assholes, but yeah, deal.", he said with a crooked smirk, putting his hand in. "One, two, three, BREAK!!", they all said in unison, throwing their hands to the sky, right as a drop of rain fell, letting them know it was time to depart and head back to their broken beyond repair homes. They all put on their chokers, and left, hoping soundlessly that their pact wouldn't break. Each of them happy beyond belief. Now, each child had something they all had needed truly from the very being; a real family.
    ~*~*~*~*~*-xoxoxoxoxoxoxox-*~*~*~*~*~
    Allyn chuckled lightly at the memory, before putting the choker on. "And so...let it begin.", he said, leaving his room. He walked down the stairs, and left the hallway into the kitchen. His mom looked over at him and said, "Allyn, we ran out of pancake mix, soooooo I made breakfest muffins instead!!", she exclaimed, like a giddy little girl. Allyn looked at the muffins, they were black. Allyn suppressed a gag and said, "Uh...I think I'll eat at school..thanks though." He picked up his dark brown schoolbag, slinging it over his shoulder sluggishly. He sat down at the kitchen table, and picked up the book he had left at the table, and started reading it from where he had left off from yesterday. His dad came downstairs, singing and dancing, most likely practicing for a part. That's what his dad did, he worked for the local Theatre group in town, Allyn liked Theatre as much as his dad did, but acting isn't what Allyn would choose to do. "Good mourning dandylion!!", he said, sooping over to Allyn's mom, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Dandylion was his pet name for Allyn's mom. It was to show he remembered the first day they kissed, they had been in a garden of dandylions, which sounded stupid to Allyn. Who in the right mind would have a garden of weeds for Pete's sake?! His mom giggled and returned the kiss, informing him of the muffins. His dad smiled, "Well I can't wait to taste them!!", he said. "I bet the toilet can't wait to taste it either...", Allyn mutterred under his breathe. The older man of the two in the room, turned his attention to the younger, "So, how do you feel about going into high-school, bud?", he asked with a gleeful smile. Allyn sighed and returned a smile, just so he wouldn't be rude, "I'm kinda nervous, but I'm hopeful of making new friends, and having good grades.", he lied, in a completely false sweet tone, not that his mom or dad noticed. "Well that's great!!", his mom said, "I was starting to get worried about the kids you played with in middle school, espscially that Catherine girl!!", his mom continued, completely oblivious to her adoptive son's grimace at her words. "Anyway, I'm going to the bus station now, see ya after school.", Allyn said to his parents, before bolting out the door. His parents had no idea that the bus station is where Allyn met up with the others, even less to their knowledge is that all of them would be attending the same high school. Allyn smiled as he ran down the street, color seeming to return to the world with each step he took towards the bus station, towards his friends, towards his family, towards his parnter in crime, Catherine.