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The Punkheads clubhouse, as it turned out, was abandoned shop of some variety. Dylan had led the way down a few twists in an alley before reaching the back entrance. It didn’t escape Allison’s notice that Dylan, despite being the youngest there, seemed to be doing most of the leading, and was the only one with a key to get inside.

Once the group had been ushered in, Allison got her first look around at the base. It definitely felt like a space occupied by teenage rebels—there were scribbles in spray paint covering most of the walls, covered up in places with band posters tacked to the wall or newspaper clippings highlighting the exploits of the gang. There was a couch pushed against one wall, with stuffing beginning to spill out of split seams in places, and a couple other pieces of second-hand furniture filled out the rest of the room. There didn’t seem to be any power, but there was an ice chest underneath a battered old table.

Dylan took a deep breath as he walked in, letting out a contented sigh before turning to face the rest of the group.

“Alright, good work everyone. What’s our haul?”

Allison pulled the beer she’d swiped out of her hoodie, followed by the cigarettes she’d managed to swipe. Not much, considering how she’d been accosted on the way out, but she’d managed to hold onto a few packs. She didn’t smoke herself, but based on the appreciative murmurs from the group, some of the older boys did.

Pat had run the entire way from the store carrying stolen goods in his shirt, and only now did he have the chance to dump them out on the table, rounding out Allison’s haul with quite a bit more beer and a wide array of other snacks. That got him a few pats on the back, and the group spread out to various seats around the room to crack open drinks and enjoy their haul.

Dylan slumped down onto the couch, opening one of the cans that Allison had grabbed and then patting on the seat beside him.

“Hey, c’mon. Join in, enjoy the spoils. We wouldn’t have gotten this stuff without you.”

She obliged, sitting down and opening a beer of her own. Dylan scanned the room a bit while she took a few sips, watching the others jump into their own conversations.

“So hey, you’re not from around here, huh? Don’t think I’ve seen you at school or anything.”

Allison shook her head. “C’mon, how many of you guys actually go to school regularly?” She gave a short, mirthless laugh. “But no, I’m not from around here. Just came in yesterday.”

Dylan nodded, sipping at his own drink. “You ever do this sort of thing before? You seem pretty comfortable with the gang.”

“I’ve been in gangs before,” she responded. “Yours seemed interesting. Except, uh, don’t take this the wrong way—” she looked around, making sure none of the others were listening in too intently. “Aren’t you guys supposed to have some members with powers?”

Dylan cracked a smile. “The upper echelons, yeah. Not the rank and file. They just get pulled along for the ride.”

Allison raised an eyebrow. “Along for the ride, huh? Sounds great.”

“Nah, nah,” Dylan quickly backtracked, “It’s not like it’s a different gang or anything. They just don’t really want kids without powers getting into dangerous cape stuff.”

Allison shook her head a bit, sipping more at her beer. Dylan seemed almost too easy to play, but he was at least giving her useful information. She decided to let up on him a bit.

“Forget it, you’re fine. I’m messing with you.”

He didn’t seem totally convinced. “Look,” he said, checking his watch, “there’s actually another group of guys coming by pretty soon here. One of the leaders should be with them, cape named Dropkick. Exciting, eh?” He gave her a light elbow in the ribs, and she tilted away.

“We’ll see. Sounds cool, though.”

They sat back and waited, chatting about less dramatic topics. Dylan had finished his beer by the time that Allison was halfway through hers, and he was just reaching for another when the back door cracked back open, and another group of punk-ish teens crowded inside.

Most of them seemed unimportant to Allison, although she was glad to see that the new group contained actual female gang members, unlike the sausage fest that she had been in before. The gaggle of teens seemed to be centered around one particularly tall member, who had a camo-print bandanna pulled up above his nose and heavy face paint covering his eyes. From the sound of his steps, he was wearing some kind of steel-toed boots. Probably the one that Dylan had referred to as Dropkick.

Sure enough, the taller teen pushed his way quickly through the crowd by the door to approach Dylan, extending a fist that Dylan gave a quick bump.

“Dropkick, good man. You brought snacks?”

“Sure did, Little D.” Dylan grimaced at the nickname, and Dropkick cracked a smile under his mask. “Looks like you’re already pretty set, though. You hit up somewhere?” His eyes widened a little as he scanned the table. “Oh shit, you got smokes! Nice!”

He pulled down his bandanna, swiping a pack of cigarettes off the table and sinking into a chair opposite the couch before lighting up and taking a quick drag. He nodded at Allison.

“Hey, you brought a new girl. What’s up, new girl? Dylan hasn’t been hitting on you too hard, has he?”

Allison chuckled as a Dylan flinched back. “Nah, he’s alright.”

“She’s the one who grabbed the cigs, actually,” Dylan piped in. “She grabbed a bunch of stuff from that one crappy shop. Maybe don’t go there for a while, actually. It was a close one.”

Dropkick nodded, his lips thin. “Not bad, not bad. Very respectable. You lookin’ to run with the Punkheads, uh…?” He raised an eyebrow at Allison.

“I’m Allison. And yeah, I was thinking about it.” She scanned the room, where the rest of the gang was mingling. Someone had busted out a deck of cards and an impromptu game of poker was starting on another table. “But I’m not so sure I want to just be lumped in with the rank and file. Don’t you guys do some cape stuff, too?”

Dropkick frowned. “Look, nothing against you, but that’s some higher level stuff. Maybe if you’ve been with the group for a long time you could get info on that sort of thing, but it’s not really something you should be worrying about.”

“Dylan seems to know a lot about it,” she shot back, tilting her head sideways at him.

“Dylan has been with the gang for a few years now,” Dropkick responded, jabbing his glowing cigarette in the younger boy’s direction, “and needs to learn not to run his goddamn mouth to every pretty new recruit he brings in.” He took a long drag, blowing smoke out to the side. “Nothing personal, Allison. You actually seem pretty cool.”

Dylan gave a pained grin and a shrug in response. “Hey man, she asked.”

Dropkick shook his head a bit, before dropping his cigarette and grinding it out beneath a boot as he got to his feet. “Well, on subject. Vanity is calling a meeting for the higher-ups. She wants you there, Dylan. You free?”

Dylan glanced over at Allison beside him. “Y-yeah, right now? Is she waiting?”

“Right now. Involves the plans for tonight.”

“Ah.” He turned to Allison. “Look, I’ve gotta get going. Leader calls, you sort of have to go, y’know? You gonna be cool hanging here?”

Allison batted her eyelashes. “Oh, come one. You aren’t just gonna leave me here, are you? Not when you’re going to do something actually interesting.”

Dylan looked helplessly back and forth between her and Dropkick, who was waiting with his hands on his hips, one foot tapping heavily against the floor. His bandanna was back up over his face.

“C’mon Dropkick, it can’t hurt that much, right? Just bring her along to ask Vanity? We won’t actually let her inside until we get clearance from her.”

Dropkick let out a long sigh. “God dammit Dylan, don’t give me the puppy-dog eyes. Fine.” He pointed a finger at Allison. “If you’re not serious about running with the Punkheads, leave now, or we will make you seriously regret it. And if Vanity says no, you’re gonna be making a long walk for nothing.”

Dylan gave a small fist-pump beside her while Allison stared back. “I’m serious. Let’s do this.”

Dropkick turned, beckoning for Dylan and Allison to follow. “Alright, keep close. And Dylan, you’d better be ready to explain to Vanity while you’re bringing a newbie to the secret clubhouse.”

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