•Chapter One• I take in a deep breath of the misty evening air. This is the only place where I can relax my thoughts. Under this old tree on a hill is the only place where I can take refuge. Alone, of course. Nobody knows of this place. Only me and Tommy. No brothers. No gangs. Just me and Tommy. I realize its getting dark and I figure I should get home before things become too dangerous and my brothers begin to worry. I take a final drag on my cigarette and put it out on the ground and start my walk back home. I live with my 3 brothers, Danny, Ritchie and Keith. When we were little kids, our mother ran off with a drug dealer to live in Rio. Our father was a carpenter, and a heavy alcoholic. The times that he was sober, he was a good father and always dreamed of being a musician. One day, he had too much to drink while working and fell off of the roof of the house he was building. Danny has been taking care of us since. After making my way through the downtown neighborhood, I finally arrived to my front door and I could already tell, my brothers weren't alone. The Rolling Stones were being blasted from inside and the scent of cigarettes and hair gel filled the air. This means only one thing; Reggie is here. "Well, would you look who it is!" Reggie yelled as I walked in the door. "Its Charlie Horse!" "Dammit, Reggie, its just Charlie!" I shouted back. I closed the door behind me and walked into my seemingly-always-dirty home, turning down the music. Reggie sat on the kitchen table drinking a beer and eating a bag of roasted peanuts. Besides Reggie, brother Keith was the only one home. Danny is the oldest out of the four of us. Then Ritchie, Keith and lastly, me. Danny and Ritchie both work during the day while Keith stays home and I attend high school. "Charlie, Keith, when are your brothers home tonight?" Reggie asked. "They're home at nine." Keith answered. Keith sat on the living room couch smoking a cigarette and sifting through a pile of records. "What time is it now?" "8:47." Reggie replied. I looked through the fridge for something to eat. "Anyone eating this?" I asked holding up a bowl of egg salad. "Nope. Go ahead." Keith said. "Is it still good? I don't know how old that is. I stirred it around the bowl and sniffed it. "Seems fine to me. Either way, I'll find out the hard way." I said back. 90 rolled around and I was almost finished the egg salad. My brothers still weren't home. At about 9:15, the front door was busted open and my brothers rushed in with the rest of our group, dragging someone behind them. It was Tommy. Tommy's face was pale and covered in blood and cuts. He was unconcious, #lifelessly dangling in Ritchie's arms. "What the hell?" Reggie said, jumping down from the kitchen table. "Clean off the coffee table, get the First Aid Kit." Danny shouted. "Why?" Reggie asked. "Uptowners. Again." Danny answered.