"Ahh," Reagan complained. He sat on his board, staring lifelessly at the area before them as he hovered back and forth above the ground.

Looking like he still had more energy, Arden's eyes scanned those passing by.

"We've been looking since last night." Reagan yawned. "Maybe she's gone?"

"You couldn't have expected it to be that easy," Arden replied, eyes glued on the area.

"Maybe once we stop looking, she'll turn up?" Reagan suggested.

"That's the stupidest thing you've said all day."

Reagan stretched before jumping to his feet. "Whatever." He tilted his head, trying to get rid of a kink in it. "We haven't even eaten lunch today. I'm starving. Let's at least grad something to eat before resuming."

Arden couldn't see a reason to disagree.

The two walked for a bit, looking for something that could hold them over until lunch.

"That looks promising," Arden noted to a place where a steady stream of teens was headed.

Reagan looked over. "Drake's Café," he read the sign. "Crappy name. I like it. Those places tend to have decent food."

"It's closing soon," Arden warned as he motioned to the hours posted.

"Meh, probably enough time for a bite."

The two walked over.

Stepping through the entrance they were greeted with a café that was surprisingly crowded. Voices called for attention as orders flew.

"What's up with all the chicks?" Reagan whispered as he gazed around at all the girls.

A grin appeared on Arden's face. "Does it matter? We've hit the jackpot." He took a confident step forward but Reagan reached for his arm and tugged.

"Tell me my idea was stupid again," he spoke, eyes focused on the counter area.

"Huh?" Arden pulled his arm free.

His brother put a hand to the back of Arden's head and turned.

A figure wearing an apron stood there. Her blonde hair framed a face that was somewhat flushed, perhaps from the pace of work considering there seemed to be no other staff.

"See." Reagan patted Arden's shoulder and made his way over, a spring in his step. He left his twin behind, a grin on his face. Every step was filled with confidence. He only slowed apron approaching, the same grin still in place.

A pair of innocent brown eyes looked up, meeting his.

"Yo," Reagan greeted.

The girl blinked before casting a doubtful glance behind her, as though searching for someone. Seeing no one, she turned back around.

"Um..." she spoke softly, voice almost drowned out by the clamor all around, "there are a few tables still available." A finger pointed to the front of the cafe.

Reagan's grin widened. "Actually, we didn't come to order."

The girl's brow furrowed and she twisted the rag in her hands.

"We hear you're forming a crew," Reagan launched right into it.

He saw the trace of suspicion that crossed those brown eyes and the girl took a step back.

"I'm not sure where you heard it but..." she began.

"Actually, we heard it from you," Arden finally decided to join.

The girl turned at the sound of his voice only to visibly jump in surprise. It wasn't an uncommon reaction for the boys, so neither thought badly.

"Hey," Arden lifted a hand in greeting.

A moment of silence followed as the girl turned from one twin to the other, wide eyes seemed to try and take in the information overload of there being two of them.

"I'm Reagan," Reagan helped out.

"Arden," his brother added.

Still no reply.

"Look, we really are interested," Reagan dropped the grin and turned serious. His eyes darted to Arden, urging him to help out. It wouldn't be a surprise that the girl would doubt two strangers who randomly approached were not up to no good.

Arden never got to join in trying to put the girl at ease as another presence abruptly appeared between the two of them.

"If you're looking to cause trouble, you'd better leave," a low voice spoke, the threat evident. The air that radiated was one that warned he was not an easy opponent.

Arden shot the newcomer a sidelong glance, piecing together the mystery of why the store was filled to the brim with girls.

Reagan, however, showed a horrified expression. "Trouble?" he asked. He turned to face Terrell. Then, his eyes widened. "You!" he pointed in excitement. "Arden, it's him!"

Arden turned from surveying the female population to take a proper look.

"Do I know you?" the guy in the middle asked flatly.

"Last night!" Reagan told him.

"I'm sorry, I don't swing that way," came deadpan.

Arden snorted in amusement. Yeah, even he had to admit the new guy was good-looking. But Reagan? He had one love in his life named Serena. Besides, he was pretty sure his brother didn't swing that way either. Unless...he shot him a look of doubt as though to ask if there were any skeletons, or anything else, in the closet he needed to know about.

"No," Reagan rapidly shook. "We followed you."

That didn't sound too right either, Arden sighed. "Lost track of you after a while," he jumped in to help. He cocked his head, taking in the guy who seemed to both ooze danger and yet at the same time strangely didn't give him the same bad vibes as Rick. "Found the place not long after though, but..."

"You were already gone," Reagan finished the sentence for him.

"You did a real number on those guys," Arden added.

The guy's narrowed, as though contemplating what they shared.

In the meantime, the girl was watching this exchange in silence, seeming to trust the newcomer to spearhead the situation.

"Honestly. At first, when we heard you asking people to form a crew, we were somewhat hesitant," Arden continued as he decided honesty was the best route.

Reagan nodded enthusiastically.

"No one usually goes around just asking, you know what I mean?" Arden continued.

"Take's real guts," Reagan added, eager to contribute.

"Or stupidity," the guy between them muttered.

"We thought it over for a bit," Arden chose to ignore him. The "thinking it over for a bit" rather than admitting they had made the decision within the span of a short time, seemed a lot more plausible. "You see..."

"Our crew was disbanded recently," Reagan took over. They didn't need to go over the details of how reason or potentially anything that had happened in their time with Armageddon.

"Was a real shame," Arden added with little conviction.

"We were looking around for a new crew..." Reagan bounded back in,

"And then you came along," Arden continued. "Didn't take it seriously at first," he repeated to try and build some credibility.

"But we decided why not? We're looking for a crew, you're looking for members. It's the perfect fit," Reagan finished off, a giant smile making it to his face as he seemed to believe he had delivered the grand finale to an amazing sales pitch.

There was a moment of awkward pause while the voices of customers continued.

"Jeeze," the guy between the twins. "What are you that you keep attracting these kinds of people?"

Reagan looked like he was about to protest, but Arden raised a finger to his lips in warning, eyes communicating as they darted between the guy and girl. He was saying "don't tick him off or you'll ruin our chances." His brother understood and settled down.

They both turned back to the easier target – the girl.

"So what do you say?" they asked at the same time.

There was a pause as the girl looked toward the guy between them, as though seeking his answer. To the twin's relief, he didn't contribute.

"Um..." the trailed off. She looked back and forth between the twins, looking as though she was struggling to find an answer. "There's just one catch," she spoke.

The brothers looked at each other, leaning back ever so slightly to bypass the tall figure between them. Upon making eye contact, they nodded.

Rick's still out there looking for us. I need to protect him, Reagan was thinking.

I can't let him get caught up with someone like Rick again. I need to protect him, Arden thought at the same time.

Both turned back to the girl.

"Hey...we'll do anything," Reagan offered.

"Right," Arden nodded as he leaned casually on the counter. "If we have to, Reagan will even dress up like a girl."

Reagan began to nod enthusiastically before he paused and whipped his head back to his twin.

Arden blinked innocently.

"No, it's not that," the girl quickly jumped in. "It's just that...I can't really board that well."

Huh? The boys froze.

"Well, to be more precise, I only just started learning," the girl added.

"Ah..." Arden and Reagan exchanged glances.

"That's...interesting..." Reagan murmured.

"It sounds..." Arden continued, "kind of fun."

Reagan's face lit up. "It does, doesn't it?"

"So, is that all?" Arden asked.

"What?" was the girl's response. Her wide eyes showed she did not expect them to not care. True, not knowing how to board was unheard of, but still, the boys needed someone who could take them in, and after witnessing the strength of the mysterious guy between them, it felt like they were on the right path.

"Are we in?" Reagan clarified.

"Um..." the girl spoke. Sure?"

Reagan and Arden exchanged high fives right over Terrell's head. Mission accomplished. A safety net had been achieved for the time being. Maybe one was very naïve, but the other was strong.

"I'm going to die..." a girl complained as she stepped up beside the first.

Blond hair was pulled into a ponytail, revealing a gorgeous face. From the tip of her head to her toes, this one had aesthetics that yelled dream girl. Arden, he'd most certainly shoot his shot...there was just one problem he wasn't quite aware of at this very moment.

"You!" Reagan pointed a shaking finger.

The beauty looked at the newcomers. "Ah."

"Hey," Arden squeezed out. Maybe he had a shot? Having a twin could be a perk, right? Girls would think that was cool or something like that? Even if the twin was an idiot?

The idiot twin dashed all dreams. "You stole my backup board!"

Arden's smile dropped. Out of all people, why did it have to be her?

"I prefer the term borrowed," the girl spoke in a tone rather calm for a thief being confronted by the one she'd robbed.

"Then where is it?" Reagan asked.

"I sold it."

A jaw dropped.

"You!" Reagan made a move to scramble up on the counter as he tried to reach Alegra. Arden jumped into action to save the damsel, who very much looked far from distressed. He held his brother back, hoping the action would give him some merit.

"What's going on here?" a large man appeared.

An adult was here.

Arden backed off and Reagan quickly got off the counter.

"Customers that don't behave get kicked out," the boys were threatened.

They both gulped.

"Well, I think it's time I left this nuthouse," the guy who'd gone silent for a while spoke. He ducked and made his escape.

Both twins wished they too could run. However, the adult before them made them stay rooted to the spot. The grownups in Regona were few, those that were there didn't put up with nonsense, and teens often found themselves much more well behaved around them

"So?" the man asked.

"We're not looking for trouble," Arden tried to defend themselves.

"Good." The man turned to the two girls. "We don't have long till closing and I still have a tone of orders. How about you two get back to work?"

The beauty picked up her tray and left without a word. Arden couldn't help but let his eyes trail after her, unaware of the sigh that escaped him.

"At this rate, I'm going to need more cooks," the man muttered.

Ears perked; Arden turned. "You looking for employees, mister?" He and Reagan exchanged a look of understanding.

Narrowed eyes looked at the pair.

"He can cook," Arden and Reagan spoke together as they pointed at each other.

The man raised his eyebrows and leaned back wall.

The twins waited with bated breath.

"I'll take you for a trial week with no pay," came the decision. "If I don't like you, you're gone. Understand?"

The boys nodded. The terms were agreeable.

Seeming pleased, the man nodded to the side. "I'll show you around."

The twins scrambled to get behind the counter. They knew better than anyone, that if they were sticky enough, it would be hard to get rid of them. They'd already made it this far, all they needed was to keep at it and they could burrow their way into this crew that could be a safe haven for the time being.

On the way, Arden shot a look back at the girl who was still standing where they'd left her. She looked a little shell-shocked, something he and his brother were responsible for, and yet he couldn't feel guilty about.

It was then that he realized they hadn't even asked her name yet. When he turned to go ask an arm slung around his neck.

"The big guy scares me, best not to make him angry," Reagan hissed as he jabbed a thumb to where the subject of his speech was standing by the kitchen door, arms folded as he watched them dawdle.

The younger twin leaned over to follow his brother's gaze.

The mystery guy had approached her and was saying something.

"I think..." Arden began.

A stronger arm grabbed an ear each and the twins were dragged along.

"Didn't you say you could cook?" the voice of the bulky man boomed.

Trying to struggle out of his grip, the twins protested at their unjust treatment all the way to the kitchen.

On the way there, their eyes met and both smiled, reflecting each other.

Somehow, it felt like from here on out, things might actually be ok. They might have made a rash decision to push their way into a crew, but unlike the time before, it felt...safe.

As the protesting twins were hurled away to begin their cooking career, they left a bustling room where the beautiful girl was serving a group, the leader of their new crew was listening to the mysterious guy who radiated not to mess with him, and a young girl sat in a seat by herself swinging her feet while sipping on a drink that looked suspiciously like the one described as having "disappeared" by a table nearby that was searching for it.

While the group went about their work in Drake's café, in the distance, a tall teen pushed his glasses further up his nose, listening to his current crew explain something while he looked extremely bored. In a tall tower, a young man, who looked surprisingly similar to one in the group in Drake's café, looked up from the cup of coffee he was drinking and narrowed his eyes.

Through it all, the sun shone down on the giant dome that surrounded the city sitting in the middle of a wasteland. The day was bright, with not a cloud in the sky. Paths had crossed and another piece of the puzzle fell into place.

Unknown to Arden and Reagan at the time, they had finally found the place they belonged. The family they had sought for. And this time, it was a family for keeps for the pair of misfits.

Author's note:

And we're done. So sorry this one took so long as life just got mega busy the last months to years. Thank you for joining the twin's on their journey post the Falcon crew.

If you haven't read "Regona City: The Creed", it's the first book in the Regona series and would be a good one to head over to next. 

Now that the twin's book is done, the next installment of Regona will be the book following "Renegade". Keep an eye out for "Noctorious" coming soon!