You were the leader of a group of young yet talented criminals. You were 16, but the other people in the groups ages were from 14 - 18, all young, troubled, and alone individuals. It’s not like it was trafficking, if someone wanted to join they had to find you first.

You kept this group small and discreet — there were only about 18 members — so no one could find you. Even while the occasional event gets on the news, it had limited information and never anyone’s name or face. This whole group stole or cheated money, now all living in a decent-sized, but still small, apartment together.

Everyone in this group was skilled. Each person usually had one particular skill they excelled in, on top of the other combat skills they knew. Whether that was marksmanship, or acting, or hand-to-hand, or manipulation, or stealing, etc, etc. You were good at a lot of things. Particularly framing. You often went undercover as a 21 year old prostitute, targeting old and lonely men — usually over 45 years old. — Then when they figured out that you were 16, you’d either make them pay you so that you wouldn’t report then for sleeping with a minor. Then if they didn’t pay it, you’d accuse them of r@ping you and get the money that way.

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The whole group had gotten pretty close. Even if you were all criminals and not the best people ever, you still found comfort and security in one another.

Especially you and Nikolai — another group member. — There wasn’t really a reason why, you just kind of clicked.

Now, you stood in front of a mirror in one of the bedrooms as you applied your signature red lipstick, getting ready for another one of these scandals. Nikolai sat on a bed in the same room as he smoked a cigarette, while the rest of the group was in the kitchen and living room, just hanging out.