The next day while I was standing alone in the market, waiting for Theo and Leigh, the conversation from last night kept playing in my mind. We have to think of a way to revenge ourselves, the events from yesterday ignited a new fire in all three of us, a fire that will produce light in the darkness. What I didn’t know back then was that fire might kill the darkness, but not the shadows lingering around it.

The plan was that we didn’t have a plan, we were only going to meet at the market today to find the boy, Emily’s brother, and check if he overheard anything else. The thing Isaac did yesterday was pretty impressive. To lure us they gave a wrong information to the boy, he knew that the information is going to find its way to me, and he knew that the three of us will check it. Stealing his father’s pepper spray he probably made a contraption where everything went off as soon as we opened the door of that hut, and the rest was the easiest part, watch us scream in pain.

I came here first, Theo second, Leigh third, she was always the one being late. The market was full of people, the sun was shining high in the sky. We stood there for a moment looking if the air is clear, we don’t want to be seen by Isaac or someone else from his gang. This was a secret mission, it was better if he thinks that we are scared now.

“We’ll need to be more careful this time. Isaac and his gang won’t underestimate us again, and we can’t afford any more traps like yesterday, we have to be careful as well.” Theo added as we pushed our way through the mass of people.

The boys eyes widened in surprise as he saw us approaching. “Hey, it is you guys again,” he said, his voice a mix of curiosity and happiness.

“We need your help.” I stepped forward. “We want to check if you heard anything else yesterday from Isaac. Because yesterday that was a trap for us.”

The boy looked confused, his gaze shifting between the three of us. “A trap? I swear I didn’t know anything about it. I only told you what I heard and saw. I swear.”

“We believe you.” Theo stepped in. “You were tricked just like us. But do you remember anything else?”

He thought for a second, his eyes focused on the strawberries. “I honestly don’t know. But are you sure you really want to take on Isaac? You saw what he did to my arm, and whatever he did to you guys you don’t seem happy at all?”

Leigh nodded. “We know what we’re up against, and we can’t let him continue to threaten us and others, not anymore. It is time to put an end to this and we will do whatever we need to do.”

The boy studied our faces, the skepticism gradually vanished from his face, and a glimmer of trust appeared. “Okay, I will help you. But if anything goes south, I need you to promise me that you will protect me.”

“We promise,” Theo said.

“My name is Frank, it is nice to meet you all.” He looked happy. “I am helping my father right now, so I am not free at the moment, but in couple of hours I will be free.”

“Find us at the Ramp A. We will be there.” I said.

“Sure thing, I will try and remember if I overheard anything else.”

“See you later then.” We parted ways with Frank and headed towards the Ramp A.

Hours later, at the designated meeting spot by Ramp A, Frank came with a paper bag. The sun was beginning to set, casting a nice warm hue over the river Salva. The air was heavy and hot, thick with tension. Our minds were racing for couple of hours thinking of something to pay back Isaac, but without any information where he was hiding, we couldn’t think of anything.

“Hey,” Frank greeted us, his expression was a mixture of determination and anxiety. He sounded nervous, “I managed to overhear a few things. Not good things.” He scratched his head. “I heard from couple of kids that Isaac tried to recruit them to join him, when they refused to join him they were beaten up, so he is probably recruiting more people as we speak for whatever reason.”

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“We were already outnumbered, if someone else joins him we will be in an even worse position.” Theo looked pissed off.

Frank nodded. “And from what I heard, they are planning to meet up in some abandoned building near the forest.”

“There are so many abandoned buildings near the forest, how can we know which one will they use?” I joined the conversation.

“We can’t know, not unless we ask someone that does.” Theo answered quickly, just like he was thinking the same.

Leigh exchanged a concerned glance with me. “We can’t let whatever they’re planning to go forward. We have to stop them somehow.”

Theo’s mind was already in master tactician mode. “We need to gather as much information as possible about their plans, we have to send a mole. We need to find out about their timeline, and the people involved. We have to be one step ahead of them.”

“But how can we send a mole? Neither of us here can’t be the mole.” I stood up and kicked a small stone that was in my way. If it were as easy to kick Isaac like this as well.

“We can always ask Sarah for help, she might be willing to help us.” Leigh gave a complicated solution.

“But is it okay to make even more people a part of Isaac’s rage?” Theo looked puzzled.

“We can ask her, it is on her to decide.” Leigh stood up as well, she looked pleased, maybe because she wouldn’t be the only girl in the group anymore.

“I can also ask my sister, she hates Isaac, even more after what he has done to me.” Forgotten Frank joined our conversation again. He opened his paper bag where he got out a plastic plate filled with strawberries. “Please take some, it is on me.”

The strawberries were sweet and refreshing. We all enjoyed them as we sat there again thinking in silence.

“But is Isaac going to trust the two of them, even if they agree to help us?” That was the biggest problem in my mind about that whole thing. What if he sees through us, and he somehow uses them against us?

“He probably won’t trust Emily, because of Frank, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t trust Sarah.” Leigh once again came with a quick answer.

“My biggest problem is,” we were all looking at Theo, “if Isaac is willing to let girls join his gang at the first place.”

We didn’t even think about that. He was always the bully, everything he ever did only guys were by his side, now this was even a bigger problem for us.

“Let us first try it, if it doesn’t work, we will think of something else. If it works, good for us.” Leigh was right, we worried too much without a reason, we will have to put our plans into motion, and then figure things out as we go.

“We will have to talk to Sarah and Emily if they want to join us, then if they agree, over the next few days we need to discreetly gather any information about Isaac’s gang and that meeting they are going to have. We need to be as secretive as possible, we don’t know what we’re up against.” While Theo kept on talking, Isaac’s words kept coming up in my mind: “He needs my help, he knows how to contact me, and I am helping him again…..” What if it’s true? Because I’m keeping this secret from everyone else, am I putting them in danger? What if The Crow is going to be there? I couldn’t understand what was the right thing to do.

“Let the hunt begin.” Theo smiled, his words made me remember of my first hunt with The Crow, my own first victim.