DEEP DANGER

Everyone remained silent for the better part of thirty minutes, while we ate our food. Amidst the silence however, which hung like a cloud above us, I could almost see the wheels running around in the head of everyone. What we had on our hands was not a simple case that we could just walk out of. Everyone here knew the strength of Mason, and the terrible things he was capable of doing. Everyone also knew that they were either directly or indirectly in the line of fire, because as long as I was involved, all of us seated here right now were also involved. 

We finished eating, cleared the table and then sat back down to discuss on our next move. After a little silence, I cleared my throat and started talking. I recounted the happenings of the evening from scratch, telling them how the peaceful evening had rapidly turned into a death sentence on me, and definitely, us. 

As I talked, I kept on turning to Matt from time to time, for confirmation of whatever it was I was saying. Matt was absentmindedly mumbling his affirmations, while he was mostly concentrating on his device. After I'd finished recounting the details of the evening to them again, I stopped and allowed it to sink into their heads for the final time, then I began talking again. I apologised to them, telling them that I was very sorry for getting all of us into this kind of mess, and that it wasn't my intention at all to endanger the lives of my friends. To my apology, they all mumbled disapprovingly. Rosy spoke up first, telling me that she definitely did not see anything wrong with what I did, that what I had done was in fact, an enviable deed, because not everyone would have been able to take such a risk, just to save someone that they didn't know. Everyone else, echoed their approval to what Rosy said, and I was filled with a sense of belonging. My friends really had my back and for that, I was totally grateful. 

We hadn't heard anything from the girl that I saved till this point, so I turned to her, and asked for her name. It was very obvious that she was still scared. But then, this time, she wasn't afraid of death, as she was yesterday. she was rather scared because she barely knew any of us sitting here, and she had no way to know for sure, if we are actually after her well-being, or if we were going to complete what Mason had wanted to do yesterday. I didn't blame her at all, because here in Buckland, trust was one thing that was very rare. Friends here were very rare, and even your closest friend would sell your sorry ass for few wads of cash. 

At this point, Matt had finished whatever it was he was doing on his tablet for the time being, and he gently patted her to make her understand that we were her friends. After patting her, he also chipped in a few words, telling her that we were not the enemy here, and that were also against Mason as much as she hated him. He also told her that she should feel free to tell us anything that will be of help to us, because whether she liked it or not, we all were in the line of fire and that the only way to get past this phase would be to work together as a team, in order to outsmart him, and that to do that, we needed every bit of information we could get. 

After Matt had said this to her, she visibly calmed down. I turned to Matt, and winked knowingly at him, and the side of his lips curled up in a smile. I could tell that the calm the girl felt wasn't actually just from Matt's words. Matt was a vampire, and vampires had a way of soothing people's worries. They had the gift of reaching into people's emotions, and bending them in whatever way they wanted. A vampire could make you angry if they wanted to, without any cause. With just a little mind trick, they'd make you become angry for no reason at all. It was rumored a certain time, that a vampire made someone jump from a skyscraper to his death. Yes, this particular power was peculiar only to vampires, and was generally known as coercion. All vampires had the power to coerce almost every single person, into doing whatever it was they wanted them to do. 

Right now, I could feel that Matt had used his coercion on her, and that was why she was succumbing so easily, and feeling at home so quickly. Well, I didn't blame Matt for this at all, because right now the last thing we needed was someone who would delay us in making our plans. Even though I had forbidden Matt from using his coercive powers on anyone of us, I wasn't prone to it for some reason. I stopped him from using it because of my other friends who didn't have the same immunity I had. 

The first time he had tried it on me, I did not notice any single thing, and I continued doing whatever it was I had set my mind to do. It was until beads of sweat filled his face that he had asked me if I didn't feel anything. Of course, I didn't feel anything, so I told him that I didn't feel a thing and that had left him very shocked. That was the end of his coercing me, and  it was after that day that I got to learn about what coercion was all about. 

Back at the table, I prompted the girl some more to tell us about herself and tell us whatever she knew about Mason. I also asked her to  tell us if they had had any previous altercations before today. The girl started by telling us that her name was Cheryl, and that she was an orphan. That struck a cord within me, and I immediately knew that I might have been attracted to her because we shared almost the same horrible background story. We both had had to fend for ourselves, without anyone to support. She continued to tell us how she had been in the streets for quite a while, saving up every scrap of money she had and that she had finally been able to start up a little business. When we asked her the kind of business she had started, she told us that she had started a barbecue sales joint, and that it was barely thriving, because the taxes she paid, took more than half of the profits she made, even though she still had to pay her bills. She also continued to tell us that when she was at the diamond court, she was filled with thoughts about how much she earned and how much she spent, and that when Mason had brought up the talk about the increase in tax, she just couldn't take it anymore and that she couldn't process the way her thoughts went wild, and that was why she attacked him in public. 

We took some some time to digest all that she had said, and then I spoke up, telling her that she didn't do the wrong thing at all, and that I would have done the same if I was in her shoes. I also told her that since we had gotten involved in the fight, we were going to make sure we saw the end of it. I give her my words, that we wouldn't allow anything bad come to her, to which she visibly brightened up, and managed a smile. 

After she had finished speaking, we went ahead to strategize, on how we were going to keep ourselves safe. We unanimously decided that we were going to increase the level of surveillance we had, and that we were going to be keeping closer watch on ourselves, because whether we liked it or not, on each of our heads was an invisible target, not just from Mason, but from anyone who would want to get money by giving out details of our whereabouts to him. What we needed right now, was to be extraordinarily careful. I was particularly scared for my friends who had no magical ability. They were definitely going to be the first targets, and I had already instructed that they become very careful. On second thoughts however, I asked them to come stay in my house. mine was a very big house, and I stayed virtually alone in it. I told them that if they didn't mind, they could come stay in my house and then we could live together, and go together to the store. Surprisingly,  it didn't take much to convince them, maybe because we all knew the gravity of what we were into, and everyone wanted the best way to stay afloat. They didn't argue, before accepting to come stay in my house. They all accepted to come over the next day. At least, it would give me more opportunity to keep a closer watch on all of them at once, and be able to save them if need be. That being agreed on, we also started drafting out plans on how we were going to attack or defend ourselves when the time arose. I told them that none of them, especially those without magical powers, should go out without having at least one person with them, and that they should always be conscious of people that followed them and where they went. We also strategized on how we were going to defend ourselves, if Mason decided to attack. We were not going to let him get the upper hand, and we would definitely do our best to resist him as much as we could. 

After everything had been decided on, I asked if they would want to go back to their houses or if they would prefer to stay over at mine, but every one of them asides Cheryl opined that they would have to go home and come back the next day. I couldn't stop anyone of them, as I didn't make decisions for them, so I had no other option than to let them go. I only asked them to be very careful, and always watch their backs. They all promised also, to be back the next day, with some of their belongings, because they will be staying at my place for a while. 

One by one, they all started leaving, until it was just myself, Matt and Cheryl left in the house. We sat in silence each one of us unsure of what the night, or subsequent days would bring. After sometime also, Matt said that it was time for him to go, and I bade him farewell, as I went back to restore the traps I'd set by the entrance to my house, to make sure that I wasn't attacked and killed in my sleep by some thug sent by Mason. I went back inside, had my shower again, and went to bed, but not before showing Cheryl to the guest room, and making her comfortable. 

As I lay on the bed, my mind drifted off to several possibilities of what might result from today's altercation and concluded with the assertion that the worst thing that could happen was that we all would be killed. I also began to think, if I had made the right decision by asking them all to come over to my place. It would be easier that way to get to all of us at once. "Anyways", I thought to myself "all we had to do was to keep alive long enough to see the end of everything". I knew that Mason would not be able to come at me directly, and I made a mental note to become extra prepared to face whatever challenge he brought to me, even though it meant I might be required to expose my true identity.