Chapter 17

A/N: It's my name day today! What's that you ask? I'll explain briefly in the comments ;)

*****

Riley's POV

I watched as the four of them walked out of the dining room, restraining my craving to run after them and to beg Rhys to take me with him, pledging that I'd be good, that I'd wait in another room and not eavesdrop, just as long as I could tag along. He'd promised that he won't go after the killer and that he'd be back as soon as he could, but what if during their gathering the other society members decided otherwise?

What if they thought it would be best if they went after that man or woman on their own?

They wouldn't do that, right?

Rhys had said that Keri was against such actions and she was in charge; could they overrule her?

Then again the Silver Bullets only consulted on the case... But if they planned no actions, why this urgent meeting?

"I guess there's no reason no ask if anyone is in a mood for dessert," Jackie surmised, getting up and beginning to tidy the table.

"I'll help you with that," I offered, hoping the work would put my mind off the resent events.

"No need to, Riley; Lisa is," she denied my aid once again. The younger woman was already off her seat and gathering the half-empty daffodil dishes; they clinked as she placed them one over the other. "Tom, would you check up on Carter for me? And, Kennedy, show Riley upstairs."

Her husband stood up with a tired sigh and kissed his wife on the cheek before heading up.

"Come on," Kennedy urged and we walked after his father. "My room or Rhys'?" He asked when we got to the landing; Tom was just knocking on the door of the first room to the right.

"Yours." It wouldn't feel right if I went to Rhys' and he wasn't there to allow me in.

Kennedy nodded and led me into a single-bed bedroom, next to Carter's.

"Rhys' is opposite mine," he explained before he closed the wooden door, his hand finding the light switch without a problem. "And Everett's used to be opposite Carter's. Mom and dad's is at the end of the hallway; you can also find the bathrooms there." He hopped on his bed, sitting crossed-legged and patted a spot next to him.

"Five bedrooms, that's... a lot," I noted as I took the invitation and sat next to him, keeping my feet on the floor and placing my hands in my lap.

"Six," he corrected. "There's one more on the first floor."

"Why so many?" I asked, lifting one leg on the bed and twisting to see him better.

"In our society it is common to have three or four children, maybe more." His eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully. "Actually, it was common. The last couple of generations have an average of two and they have the first a few years later than the older generations would; not sure why. Times change, maybe?"

"Was it required to have that many?" I lifted my other leg as well, imitating Kennedy's position and placing it under my body.

"No. It's just... Strength in numbers, I guess." He shrugged. "Besides, we are very family-oriented so we make big families."

"What else can you tell me about your society?" I asked, leaning towards him. "Rhys has shared a bit, but..."

"Not enough for you?" He guessed, smiling, bright teeth dazzling me along with bright eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"Where do I start!" I exclaimed, biting my lip in thought. "How about... Yes. How did Rhys become Keri's right hand? Did she choose him when she became the leader of the Silver Bullets? How did she become the leader? And if the Bullets are not a gang like most people in Woodbury think, why do they have a name? And why do they dress alike?"

"Dress alike?" He repeated with a frown.

"You know, the leather jackets."

"You've been fed so much wrong information," the boy shook his head. "The jackets are not some a uniform, Riley," he began. "For starters, they are not even the same type of jacket; some have buttons, others zippers; some have pockets, others don't; some are short and tight, others longer and looser, not to mention that no everyone has them. But you know how fashion spreads: someone buys something, the others think it looks cool so they get the same or similar; that's what happened with the leather jackets."

"Oh." Now that Kennedy had mentioned it, I realized there were differences between the Bullet's outwear. Alec's, for example, was short, tight and with a lot of zippers, some probably serving only as a decoration while Rhys' was a looser and cleaner model.

"Now for the tricky part," the boy announced, his eyebrows coming together again. "Even though you are with Rhys, you are still considered somewhat an outsider so I can't go into details; sorry, about that!" He seemed completely sincere with his apology and I knew that I would be initiated into their society's secrets sooner if it was up to him.

"The Silver Bullets," he commenced, "are not just certain members of our society; it's all of us. The name has a special meaning to us, but don't ask me about it; I'm sure Rhys would want to explain that to you himself one day." He made a pause, switching his legs so that the one that had been at the bottom was now on top of the other.

"Our previous Al... leader," I opened my mouth to ask him what was the other word he'd began to utter, but he placed a hand up to hush me and went on. I decided not to make any attempts to interrupt him again; what if he got offended and stopped talking?

"Our previous leader was Keri's uncle Zachary. He died of cancer so a new one was needed." His speech slowed as he was musing about how to explain it to me without giving too much away. "You see, Riley, the term you like to use - a society within a society - is really accurate. We need a leader the same way countries need a President. Keri already explained to you some of her duties, right?" I nodded. "Then I won't get into that. Once a leader passes away or is no longer able to perform their duties, a new one is appointed through a series of evaluations. They - the Council are the ones who assess the participants - so, the Council takes under consideration things like strength, stamina, agility, health, how smart each of the participants is, their general mindset and moral values as well as their dedication to the pa... society."

The urge to interrupt him and inquire after the 'pa'-word was almost irresistible and I bit my lips, pulling them into my mouth to keep it shut.

"That was one of the reasons Keri was chosen: she's very dedicated to the Bullets," he went on as if his almost slip-up didn't happen. "Also, she's really compassionate; the Council likes that about her. Her biggest competition was her cousin Jasper - the eldest son of Zachary and Kelly's older brother - but he's kind of self-centered and haughty so the Council cut his dream short. He's pretty pissy about that; he even said that if he isn't the leader, he doesn't want to be considered for the position of second in command. Not that he would've been chosen for that. You see, Riley, we first pick a leader and one of the most important requirements of a second in command is someone to get along and complement that leader."

"So why wasn't Anthony chosen for that role?" It seemed like the logical thing to do. Keri was his sister, they got on well as far as I could tell and he followed her every order, even when he didn't like it; I'd seen it myself when Keri had told him to step down the day Alec disrespected them.

"He was considered along with Rhys - Anthony has some amazing skills; he's strong and fast - but he adores Keri and always did whatever she asked of him, even before she got this role; as I said: the second in command should complement the leader. Rhys and Keri may think alike, but he will tell her no if he believes she's wrong. And they are childhood friends so they obviously have a good relationship," he added.

Keri and Rhys were elected.

I didn't understand why things like strength and stamina were considered - mindset and morals made sense - but the Bullets were all in amazing shape so being fit must be important to them. It was rational for those to be criteria for their leader then. Perhaps Rhys would explain that to me as well one day. I sighed, thinking that whenever that 'one day' was, it wouldn't be soon enough; there were so many things I wanted to know and I wanted to know them now. At least Kennedy was somewhat open to sharing.

"I like this democratic, non-judgmental society that you have built," I commented with a small smile. "It seems so bizarre that people could misunderstand you to such an extent."

"Not that bizarre," he contradicted, leaning back and using his arms - palms on the bed cover - for support. "We are a private group with our own rules and understanding of the world; it's natural that people would be doubtful of us just like we are distrustful of them. Besides, not everyone is open-minded. Even within the Bullets there are people with prejudice, but they are not that many and they are not fanatics. Let's get back to Jasper, shall we? One of the reasons why he was against Keri being the leader - apart from wanting that position himself - was because she's a woman. He's often told Rhys that the purpose of finding a... partner, is to reproduce and Rhys should do his duty and find a woman. He won't attack you or key your car for being gay, but don't expect him to give you a hug; he'd probably avoid a handshake when you are introduced."

"So, is that just Jasper or..." The idea of meeting with the rest of the Bullets became even more daunting. I'd thought that everyone would be accepting of my sexuality; after all, they have been so far and they had chosen - with a vote - Rhys as a second in command.

"There are a few others, but Jasper is the main asshole in the group," he removed his arms from the bed and put them up in a stretch. I heard his bones pop and he gave a satisfied sigh before he let his hand fall in his lap.

"And Alec?" I didn't know Jasper, but Alec was setting up a high standard for the title of Mr. Asshole of the group.

"He's not one of us," Kennedy shot out, frowning at the mention of his nephew. "He's too much like his mother's family."

"Are they are a society like yours?" Could that be the reason for the hostility between the Bullets and Alec's other family? Some sort of rivalry between the two societies?

Or was it because they were all Alec-like?

I shuddered at the idea of more like that boy.

"Not like ours, but I guess they fit the 'society within a society' category. They live by different values - more like goals, actually - and don't care much about morals. If you think Alec is bad, you should see his grandfather..."

A knock on the other side of the wooden door cut Kennedy's narration off and we both turned our heads to the sound.

"Yes, mom?"

How did he know it was her in the hallway?

The door opened and Jackie walked in, a tray with two steaming cups - of cocoa, I concluded by the aroma - on top of it.

"Rhys called," she announced, handing her son one of the cups and me the other. "He said... Grab it by the handle, Riley; it's hot. Rhys said they will be at Keri's for a while; Detective Callum had come over. He asked if you wouldn't mind sleeping here," the last sentence was aimed at me. "He's on edge because of this new murder and he'll feel a lot better if he knew you were with us." She placed her hand on my shoulder. "We'd really love to have you here too, Riley."

Her eyes looked upon me with such affection I wouldn't be able to say no even if I hadn't already decided to spend as much time as needed in waiting for his return. I nodded and she smiled, retrieving her arm.

"I'll make Rhys' bed for you." I opened my mouth to protest, the feeling that Rhys should be the one to permit me into his room returning, but Jackie went on: "Don't worry; it was him who asked that you sleep there. And that you sleep," she added. "Don't wait up all night; there's no telling when they will be done."

She turned around and left the room, closing the door with a soft thud. Kennedy greedily sipped from his beverage, smacking his lips together, obviously content with the taste.

"Anything else you want to know about us before you go to bed, Riley?"

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A/N: WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT RILEY TO ASK KENNEDY ABOUT?

What do you think of the chapter?

Did you enjoy it?

I hope so. If you did, please support it with a VOTE :)

DO YOU WANT ME TO MAKE A FAMILY TREE (three generations) OF RHYS', KERI'S AND KELLY'S FAMILIES AND POST IT AS A PICTURE?

I think it would be easier for you to keep track of who is who that way.

PS: Why do you think the Silver Bullets chose that name?