Born to Kill

2.

Opening the door with a wide smile, Iris gasped and smiled widely at the sight of her brother standing there on the other side.

"You're home!" She yelled before going to throw her arms around him.

Elijah chuckled as Iris hugged him. He felt her freeze in his arms though and that's when he knew she noticed Rachel.

Pulling away, she went up to his friend who stood there awkwardly. "And you must be Rachel."

"Hey, Iris, it's so nice to- oh!" Rachel was quickly enveloped in a giant hug as well. Instead of being creeped out though, Rachel smiled and welcomed the hug while giving Elijah a confused look.

He just shrugged as Iris pulled away and said sheepishly, "Sorry. I'm a big fan of hugs."

"It's okay. I like hugs." Rachel shook away his sister's worries quickly. "And thank you for being cool with me staying here."

Iris waved it off and grabbed one of Rachel's bags from the floor. "It's no big! We have no problem letting you stay with us."

As Iris headed into the apartment, Elijah patted Rachel on the back. "See? Nothing to worry about. I told you she wouldn't mind."

Both of them headed inside and shut the door behind them. In awe, Rachel stared at their luxury Manhattan apartment with wide eyes. The place was huge and overlooked the infamous Times Square where people would anxiously await the news of who would be selected for the FFAF fights.

Usually, people would sit out there waiting for the new year, but the changing of the year had shifted into a celebration of not getting picked and the upcoming games. Starting January twelfth, the first matches would start. Then the top ten states with the highest scores would advance to the semifinals then eventually the last round.

Most people would be thrilled to have an apartment to stare down at the mass of people eagerly waiting for the news, but not this family. Elijah's dad always found an excuse to not be there. Iris and him would watch until New York was called and then turn off the TV to celebrate the new year.

"Your apartment is huge." Rachel commented with a wide smile.

Elijah chuckled as Iris shrugged. "Ehh, it's okay. You have to see our country house if you think this is big."

Sniffing the air, Elijah realized he smelled dinner. Looking at his sister in horror, he asked, "Are you cooking?"

Offended, she put her hands on her hips. "Excuse me, was that horror I detected in your voice?"

"I'm sorry, but do I need to remind you of the Thanksgiving incident last year?"

"The turkey was only a little burnt!"

"We had to use the fire extinguisher!"

"You're such a baby!" Iris rolled her eyes and turned her focus to Rachel who stood there, watching the interaction with an amused grin. "Ignore him, I'm a fantastic cook, but I'm not the one making it."

Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, he asked, "Then who is?"

"Hey kiddo!"

Elijah's eyes went wide and he slowly turned around with an upset expression to face his father. Jake Meyer with his perfectly gelled brown hair stood there with the charming smile that reminded Elijah too much of his billboards floating around the city. Only difference was there was no suit and he was wearing a regular button up and sweat pants for some reason.

Ignoring his son's shocked expression, his dad hugged Elijah before turning to offer his hand to Rachel. "Hey, I'm Eli's dad. I've heard a lot about you."