Chapter 1: Flashback

"Ronan! Over here!" I yell at my fifteen year old brother as he comes running out of the house.

His eyes lock with mine, I didn't miss that faint yet relieved smile on his face. He starts running towards me, I can't believe it. We're almost out. This nightmare is almost over.

But of course, God could never let things get that easy. Everything seems to be happening so fast yet so slow.

We are a few feet away from each other, just a few more steps.....

BAM!

He stopped.

My heart plummets, time freezes before my eyes as his lock with mine one last time, the smile still prominent on his face before he comes colliding with the grass.

Who would miss the growing pool of blood forming at the base of his back?

What do I do?

The others lives will be in danger, but I can't just leave him. No family left behind.

My feet begin to move, I try picking up my brother when something cool is shoved against the back of my head.

"Put your hands up! We have you surrounded!" An unfamiliar voice says. I raise my hands slowly, slowly standing to my full height, I am met with approximately thirty men aiming their guns at me.

And like the lunatic I am, I smiled at the face of danger.

My name is Roxanna Ferrer, and this is my story.

•

Two weeks earlier....

"Roxy!" A deep voice bounces across the house, I recognized it as my father's and quickened my pace.

"Coming!" Putting on some boots, I leave my room, skipping a few steps along the way. I am met with my father at the bottom of the stairs with a look of disapproval and annoyance.

His voice is stern as he speaks. "I do not like tardiness, as a leader you should know that. Now let's go!"

"Wait! You aren't taking my baby anywhere until she has eaten!" My mother's sweet, delicate voice says from the kitchen table, giving my dad a hard look. Her bump looking bigger from last night, she's due any moment from now.

Meaning, I'm getting another sibling. Yay.

My dad's shoulders slump and a pout forms on his thin lips. "But Maria, she's going to be late."

Mom's glare hardens, causing dad to sigh in defeat. It still amazes me till this day, how the most feared mafia leader could submit to the hands of a woman so easily. I never understood it, and probably never will.

"I'll be outside when you're done." Dad says to me and I nod.

"Where do you think you're going, mister? You are eating as well." My mom says sternly. You see, my mom's a petite woman so it's cute seeing her act so serious.

"But Maria ....."

I leave them in the hallway to settle Their dispute. I can't help but smile as I enter the dinning room, where my four amazing siblings are eating breakfast.

Ronan, my immediate younger brother is the quiet one. He's always watching the rest of us make conversations among ourselves, he hardly says anything to us. He usually speaks to mom and dad, sometimes Rolland. He's spoken to me a few times but those were little responses to what I usually ask him. I've tried on various occasions to make him talk to me, but with time, I realized it's just the way he is. His bright blue eyes are usually hidden behind his black bangs, he's actually quite tall for a fifteen year old. I've been told half the female population is crushing on him, and considering his looks, I believe it.

Then there's Rolland, Ronan's twin. He's quite the opposite from his brother, always screaming, making loud and annoying voices. Says the most irrelevant things at the wrong time too. His features are similar to Ronan's, except his lips are slimmer.

Then we have Ruby, she's a combination of Ronan and Rolland. She can be loud today, quiet tomorrow. Her midnight black hair flows all the way down to her waist, her big blue are the most prominent features on her face along with her little button nose.

And lastly, we have the current youngest in our family, Ranger. He's the smart one of the family. Our conversations with him are usually complicated, I just pretend to understand a few times. His chocolate locks, chubby cheeks and blue eyes make him the cute one in the family.

Then there's me, the oldest and the one responsible for these four creatures. I'm the only one with grey eyes, inherited them from my father of course. My hair is black and silky, stopping at my waist. I was a bit taller than most females, a 5'8 height with a slender figure.

I didn't go to regular school like the rest of them, I am usually home schooled and train most of the time.

Being the heir to such a huge business requires my maximum attention. I didn't have time for best friends or boyfriends or high school drama. I am not allowed to have any form of feelings for anyone that isn't family. Neither am I allowed to cry, it's a sign of weakness and you can never let the enemies know your weakness.

Who are the enemies you may ask? Personally, I don't know. My dad has a lot of them, so it's hard to keep track most of the time.

After breakfast, I said goodbye to my mom and siblings. Hopping into my dad's bugatti, we headed towards my uncle's ranch.

•

I barge into the training room to find my trainer, Jack flipping knives.

"You're late," he says without sparing me a glance.

"I am sorry, sir."

"Switch off the lights." He says, causing a lump to form at the back of my throat.

I switched off the lights, the room falls into darkness and deafening silence.

"Move around," Jack says, his voice barely heard.

I took in a deep breath and exhaled, closing my eyes, I move around freely. Until I hear it.

The sound of an object splitting through the air, it draws nearer, faster. I am able to detect it coming towards my right. Without thinking my feet move on it's own accord.

Several are coming towards me now, I feel like I am dancing all over the room until Jack's voice pull me back to reality. "Stop."

I open my eyes to see that the lights are back on. But what startles me are the seven knives sticking out of the wall in front of me.

"Very good, I think we're done for now. You can take a break," he says with a proud smile.

"Thank you, sir." I said, turning my back and heading out the door. Just as I am about to reach for the door knob, the hair on my back started to tingle.

Without thinking, my knees buckle. I look up to see a dagger sticking out of the door, where my head was seconds ago.

"Good to know, you remember what I taught you." He says while chuckling dryly.

Of course.

"I never take a break." My eyes lock with his, making his smile grow.