• Rinnie

    Some people say that money makes the world go around. In fact there have been many songs written on the prospect, the most famous one being simply "Money Makes the World go Around" from Caberet. For a lot of people, this is true; the bigshots in NYC, Los Angeles, and European cities live like nothing is important unless you can buy it. The more expensive it is, the more value it has. But what those people don't understand is this: They are not truly rich. The people who have to work for what they have are the ones who truly understand the value of a dollar.
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    I stole something to eat. Again. We're all currently being chased by the cops. What else is new? The only thing different about today was the setting. Why in God's name was I in queens? Oh, that's right. The "fuzz" chased us out of our "rat's nest" in Boston. We intended to go back, but at the moment, we're wanted. Dead. Or. Alive. Actually... That's being a bit dramatic. So we were fugitives? So what? So there was a reward for whoever found us? Not anything new? The scary thing was the fact that the reward was over 3k. We weren't worth that much, not even to a slave trader. Well, we have been on the run for a while. Maybe they're getting desperate to find us. I can only hope that's the reason...

    Before I continue, I should probobly adress the "we/us". We call ourselves The Renegades (cuz that's what we are). There are seven of us; Sven, Moriah, Parker, Lucas, Lea, Tammi, and I make up the group. We've been together for a little over seven years now. We were all really close when we were younger, and lived relatively close to each other. Don't ask our town, though. It's so small, the map makers don't even know about it.

    We're all about fourteen, but Lucas is the oldest. He believes because he is oldest, he gets to be leader. PSSSH!!!! YEAH RIGHT!!!! Everyone knows it's Sven who keeps us together. Sven is our peacemaker. He says he's been through everything, and, frankly, I believe him. He always has a solution for anything.

    Parker is his right hand man, but doesn't really take charge of anything. He does what he's told, never complains, and keeps to himself. I've never even seen him talk to anyone except Sven or Lea. Don't get me wrong or anything, Parker is amazing. He can run faster than any of us, he's smartest, he can fight like Ares, and would never leave anyone behind, but Parker's most amazing quality, is his voice. He sings to Lea when she's upset, or just for fun, when he think's no one is listening. He has one of the most amazing voices I've ever heard, even better than the professionals in Broadway shows that my parents used to take me to.

    Tammi thinks she can sound better, but to me, she sounds like a dying cat. Tammi is our competitor. She played competitive lacrosse in her "former life" as she calls it. It's her life before the street-rattiness (though it wasn't much). Her pride is bigger than her mouth, which she shoots off like a cannon. She trash talks to us like we're an opposing team, and she's winning. She treats all of us like she's team captain and we're the bad players she keeps on her team, simply out of pity. I basically hate her guts, and everyone is beginning to get fed up with her, even calm, cool, collected Sven. But hey, he'd NEVER lose his cool. Somehow he keeps us from ripping her head off at any chance we get.

    But without Moriah's help, Sven would rip Tammi's head off with the rest of us. Moriah always knows how people are feeling, even silent Parker. She reads us like open books, and helps us deal with our sadness and anger. She is everyone's friend, and we all love her, even hostile Lea.

    Lea is always angry. She is like an active volcano, you never know when she's going to blow. Her mood swings are even more violent than Parker's fighting. Say the wrong thing, and you've been rendered Dean Man Walking.

    Lucas is normally her biggest victim. Like I mentioned before, Lucas believes he's leader. He bosses us around, but we never listen. But, of course, when we don't listen, he always gets angry, and when he gets angry, he finds one person to shoot his anger at. Normally, it's Parker - because he is so quiet, Lucas assumes he does nothing. But now, he's moved onto taking his unearned anger out on Lea. Though we all agree it's probobly his worst decision, we also think he deserves a taste of his own medicine.

    Though he doesn't beat the crap out of us like Lea does, he hits us where it hurts worse. He hits us with words. Basically, he goes after our worst quality and has a field day making us feel bad about ourselves. For Lea, it's different. She lost her parents way before we did, and we began to know her as a Street Rat. She would roam the streets and live in alleyways. she tells us over and over how it was the worst days of her life. Lucas hits her there, at her lowest point. He threatens to send her back to that. He made her cry today, and every day for the last week, actually. We basically resent him for life now.

    Lea's been hurt before, but never like this. I think Parker's been talking to her to make her feel better. I guess being the quiet, gloomy type, he's kind of sensitive. Sven has tried talking to Lea, too, but she's been too gloomy. Lucas had better start to write an apology speech, otherwise, when Lea's back to her old self, he's so DEAD. No one ever crosses Lea, but to make her cry? WORST MISTAKE EVER.

    Maybe he didn't intentionally do it though. Moriah says that he feels like no one appreciates him so he wants to take it out on people. SHOCKER! She also says he feels Lea is disrespectful and rude to him. She says Lucas is going through a hard time. Tammi says that Lucas just likes Lea and guys do this all the time, but her theory makes no sense (again, SHOCKER) because even if he did like her (HIGHLY doubtful) making her cry would be a step higher than just simply teasing.

    I asked Parker about it. He didn't say anything, but he wrote in the dirt, "Lucas doesn't understand the fact that he is hurting Lea this much. He believes she is overreacting and simply craves attention. He feels that way with us all when we miss our families. I honestly don't care when he tries to hurt me. It doesn't affect me. If you don't care what people think, they can't hurt you. I tell that to Lea over and over, but she still hurts when Lucas talks to her like that. "

    Even though Parker is quiet, he "says" the perfect things to make a person feel better. No wonder he's been talking to Lea. Sometimes I wish he would takl to the rest of us, too. He is really uplifting, and we all need that right now. It's hard living in Queens. We're more exposed than we were in Boston. The police know were here now and they'll do anything to get some extra cash. We might have to move again because they've begun to look underground. Soon they'll find us, and then, we'll be in huge trouble. But then again, what else is new?