Frustrating Reunions

Savannah's heart skipped a beat as she felt the cold, hard metal of the gun barrel pressing against her temple. She raised her shotgun slowly, not wanting to provoke the wielder of the gun. But as she turned her head to look at him, a strange sense of familiarity washed over her.

It was her brother.

"Savannah," he said, his voice rough and hoarse. "Long time no see. You look rather pale."

Savannah blinked, still processing the fact that her own flesh and blood was holding a gun to her head. She snapped back to reality, knowing the background of which she comes. But as she looked into his eyes, she saw something there that made her relax a little. It was a glimmer of recognition, a spark of shared history.

"Ethan?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He smiled at her, his finger still resting on the trigger. "It's good to see you, little sister. Did you miss me?"

Savannah swallowed, trying to calm her nerves. "What do you want, Ethan?"

He shrugged. "Just wanted to catch up, see how you've been. you know how it is."

She gave him a hard stare, her shotgun still trained on him. "You could have just called. Like fucking George!"

He chuckled. "Where's the fun in that?"

Savannah's eyes flicked down to the gun, and she remembered her training. "You know I could obliterate you with this thing, right?"

Ethan's smile widened. "And I could shoot you before you had a chance to pull the trigger."

They stood there for a moment, staring at each other. Savannah could feel the weight of the gun in her hands, the cold steel sending shivers down her spine. But she didn't feel afraid. Not really.

"So, how have you been? I really wish to know." Ethan said, breaking the silence.

Savannah raised an eyebrow. "You're holding a gun to my head, and you want to catch up?"

He grinned. "Hey, I'm still your big brother. I still care about you, even if I am a little rough around the edges."

Savannah sighed. "I've been okay. Just...you know. Living."

Ethan nodded, his finger still hovering over the trigger. "Yeah, I hear that. Things have been...interesting, let's say."

Savannah narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

He hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "Nothing you need to worry about. Just...stuff."

Savannah could tell he wasn't telling her everything, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she focused on keeping her cool, trying to figure out a way to get out of this situation.

"So, what now?" she said, her voice steady.

Ethan cocked his head, considering. "I don't know. I thought we could talk a little, maybe have a drink or something."

Savannah snorted. "I ask again. You're holding me at gunpoint, and you want to have a drink?"

He laughed, a deep, throaty sound that echoed through the empty bar. "Hey, we've been through worse, right?"

Savannah felt a pang of nostalgia as she remembered their childhood, the adventures they'd had together. But those memories were quickly replaced by the cold reality of the present, the gun still pressing against her head.

"Fine," she said, her voice resigned. "Let's have a drink."

Savannah's heart pounded in her chest as she sat across from her brother, still holding the shotgun on him. He seemed far too calm for someone with a gun pointed at their head. But then again, she knew him better than anyone else in the world.

"Good to see you, Savvy," he said with a grin, his eyes darting between her and the shotgun. "You look well."

Savannah didn't respond, keeping the shotgun trained on him as he took a sip of the whiskey she had poured him. He leaned back in his chair, taking in the surroundings of the bar. It was a dingy little place, the kind of hole-in-the-wall that Savannah preferred. The only other patrons were two grizzled old men sitting at the far end of the bar, nursing their drinks.

"So," her brother said, setting down the cup of whiskey. "What have you been up to?"

Savannah kept the shotgun trained on him as she spoke. "You know damn well what I've been up to, George called me earlier. Olivia needs me present early this year."

Her brother raised an eyebrow, his smirk fading slightly. "Ah, yes. The Gathering. It's going to be a big one this year. Oh, did he mention she has a job just for you?"

Savannah rolled her eyes lying from the back of her nose, she said. "I know, George told me. What's this job you're talking about?"

Her brother leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "It's a big one, Savannah. Olivia wants you to steal a valuable artifact from a wealthy businessman. He goes by the name Falcon. The pay is good, but the risk is high. Nothing you can't handle."

Savannah's grip on the shotgun tightened. "I don't do theft, you know that."

Her brother leaned back in his chair, a sly smile on his face. "Come on, Savvy. You've done worse than that before. And think of the money. It could set us up for life. Set YOU up though."

Savannah gritted her teeth, the memories of her past flashing through her mind. Her brother was right, she had done worse things than theft. But she had worked hard to leave that life behind, to start over.

"I'm not interested," she said firmly, lowering the shotgun slightly.

Her brother's smile faded, replaced by a look of disappointment. "Suit yourself, Savannah. But think about it. The money could be life-changing. I mean, you might actually move out from that cockpit for an apartment"

Savannah stood up, her hand still on the shotgun. "I don't need your money, George's money, or Olivia's money. I made a promise to myself that I was done with that life, and I intend to keep it."

Her brother stood up as well, his hand resting on the pistol at his hip. "Suit yourself," he said, a hint of menace in his voice. "But just remember, Savvy. You can never truly leave that life behind. It's a part of you, whether you like it or not. You're an Evershade. A Lion never eats grass."

Savannah felt a chill run down her spine as her brother walked away, the pistol at his side. She knew he was right. That life would always be a part of her, no matter how hard she tried to forget. And with Olivia's job hanging over her head, she knew that she was going to have to face it head-on.

She took a deep breath and lowered the shotgun, the weight of the decision heavy on her shoulders. She glanced around the bar, her eyes locking with the two old men at the end of the bar. They quickly looked away, but Savannah knew that they had heard everything.

She turned and walked out of the bar, the cool night air hitting her face. She knew that she had a tough decision to make, one that would change the course of her life forever. But for now, she just wanted to cool down and have a drink.

Moments after Ethan had took his leave, Her phone's notification popped up as in a need to be attended to. She picked it up and couldn't believe what her eyes beheld at the moment.

Savannah sat there, in the dimly lit bar, her mind swirling with conflicting emotions. She had just been laughing with her brother, enjoying a moment of connection that felt like it had been lost forever. And now, just moments later, she was staring at a picture of her boyfriend, dead on the ground with blood seeping out of multiple gunshot wounds.

She felt a scream rise up in her throat, and before she knew it, it was pouring out of her in a heart-wrenching wail. The other patrons of the bar turned to look at her, but she didn't care. She couldn't stop the sound that was tearing itself from her chest, as if it was trying to release all the pain and sorrow that had been building up inside her for years.

With shaky fingers, she dialled Ethan, who seemed to pick up, as if he had been waiting for her to call.

"What the hell, Ethan?" she managed to choke out, her voice ragged from the force of her scream.

He shrugged, as if it was no big deal. "It had to be done. Jefferson was a liability."

Savannah felt like she had been punched in the gut. Her boyfriend, the man she loved, had been nothing but a pawn in her brother's twisted game. She could feel her anger building, mixing with her grief to create a potent cocktail of emotion.

"How could you do this?" she demanded, her voice rising again. "How could you kill someone I loved?"

Ethan just stood, in an alley, his expression blank. "You know the rules, Savannah. We can't have any weak links. And you know as well as I do that Jefferson was a liability. Besides, you keep these type of secrets away from The family. You shouldn't even have one to begin with."

Savannah stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I can't do this anymore," she said, her voice shaking. "I can't be a part of this family if this is what it means. I won't stand by and watch you kill people like it's nothing."

Ethan's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Savannah thought he talk her out of it. But instead, he just shrugged and emotionlessly, he uttered.

"Suit yourself," he said. "But you know the consequences. I mean, I'm not one to talk. You wouldn't only be facing me, but the entirety of our siblings. Good luck with that."

Savannah felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She knew what her brother and siblings are capable of, and she knew that crossing them was a dangerous game. But she couldn't just sit back and watch as they killed innocent people, Especially Ethan, who had just taken one currently

Without another word, she hung up, turned and walked out of the bar, into the dark night. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew that she couldn't stay in this life any longer. She had to find a way out, no matter the cost.

The city was alive with sound and light, but all Savannah could hear was the pounding of her own heart. She felt like she was on the verge of breaking down, like she couldn't hold on for much longer. But she kept moving forward, one foot in front of the other, until she found herself standing in front of a rundown apartment building.

She didn't know why she was here, or what she was hoping to find. But something about the building called to her, like it was offering her a way out of the darkness that had consumed her life.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and stepped inside. The hallway was dimly lit, the walls covered in peeling paint and graffiti. But Savannah felt a sense of peace wash over her, like she was finally where she was meant to be.

She walked down the hallway, her footsteps echoing off the walls. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew that she was going to find something here. What does she think she'd find?