Created by the devil

Rich man's world, poor man's blood.

Gia gently lays down next to Elijah, who's asleep. She watches his chest rise and fall. It's like he's taking every breath she can't. She smiles at the lucky boy. He's still young and doesn't care about the dangers the world brings with itself.

The corners of her mouth drop suddenly when she remembers the horrors he's going to go through once he's old enough to understand who his parents are. God knows if he's still going to be the same little boy who's at peace right now.

She closes her eyes in the hope of catching at least twenty minutes of sleep. Tommy has been right; she's tired. Creating a child while having a war going on between two families is tiring. She hasn't even taken the time to go to the doctor. Her eyes flicker as she slowly falls asleep and dreams about the life she once held.

The fourteen-year-olds run as fast as they can in fear of getting recognized. Darius, her friend, holds a big wooden box in his hands that's way too large for him. They come to a stop at an old abandoned house.

Gia turns around and checks their surroundings. If her dad sent men to follow her, she would've seen them already; they're safe for now. He opens the door and slowly walks in. Gia looks once more over her shoulder. Her green eyes scan the streets of New York. Her father's men were everywhere at all times. A feeling of unease ran through her and left chills on her arms.

Darius drops the wooden box filled with food at the sight of the devil in front of him, making her enter the house in search of her friend. She slowly closes the door and calls out for him, "Darius? Have you found them?"

She turns a corner and wants to gasp in horror but can't. In front of her lay eighteen deceased people, a big family like hers except they were poor and owed money to her dad. Darius runs out of the house in utter shock at what he just saw. She turns around and intends to follow him, but something stops her.

She turns back around and slowly walks up to a girl that she knew. Her name was Mariana, and they were about the same age. But that's not the reason she walked up to her; it's because she holds some kind of paper in her hand. Gia slowly unravels Mariana's bloody fingers from the paper.

The paper is folded in half, and on the front there is a big black hand. She opens it and reads: Rich man's world, poor man's blood. Don't get them twisted.

Polly asked for everybody to have a different house on the same street. Even if she voiced how much she blamed Tommy and Gia for what's happening, they're still family. She wants them close, but not too close.

So Gia doesn't have to turn around when she hears the door of her son's room open. It can only be one person: her husband. They didn't talk on the way back from her mother's funeral, but they didn't have to. Gia knows all too well that Tommy isn't happy with her inviting Luca without telling him about it.

He announces in his husky voice, "They're arriving any minute now." She doesn't move but rather stays to admire her son. Tommy slowly walks over to the window. He slightly opens the curtain with his pointer finger. His eyes scan the street for any sign of life. The streets of Birmingham are misty and empty. It's as if everyone knew the devil's family were coming with no intention of leaving in the next few weeks.

Tommy sighs and closes the curtain. He walks over to the end of the bed and looks at what he holds most dear. He isn't particulary mad but the last thing she could have done was inform him about her brother being so close to Birmingham.

Tommy is a proud person  who holds his coldness close to his heart. Only few people know how reasonable he can actually be. But there is something about the Changretta family that gives him a sour and restless expression.

He sits down at the end of the bed and places a hand on his wife's hip. He doesn't make eye contact in fear that she won't undertand that this is his way of communicating. Their body's comforting each other in time's their mind can't. She places her right hand on his hand, but keeps looking at her son with a small smile hanging on her lips.

The small but loveable moment comes to an end when there is a loud horn sound in the unoccupied street. Tommy takes his hand back and uses it to lean on the bed and stand. Gia slowly stands up and reaches for her shoes. He turns back around to wait on his wife but sees her strugling to put her right shoe on.

He puts his jacket back on the chair and walks up to her. He drops to one knee and takes his wife's ankle in his hand without asking. He leans her foot on his knee and opens up the laces on her closed heels. He takes her foot and gently places it in the shoe before lacing it up. He repeats the action with her left shoe.

They open the door not long after and walk outside. There are about five luxury cars parked in a row in front of their house, who'll probably stayt here for the next month or so. Gia takes her husband's arm to walk down the stairs and greet her family. Tommy notices the total change in her demeanor as if her family's precense is pushing her to make no mistakes and looks as if she's on top of the world.

Everyone is greeted with a kiss on the cheek. That's until she reaches Gino, who seems to have brought a guest. Gino sees her stare at Darius and explains, "I thought we could need all the help we could get." Gia keeps looking at Darius but responds pretty quickly, "And I thought you were supervising my share of the business in New York."

The dark man takes his hat off and responds, "Al's doing a great job; I never even had to intervene. But like your cousin said, we thought it was best to get all the help you need." Tommy takes Gia's silence as an opportunity to talk. "There's still a room free at my sister's house. It's the third house to our right."

Gia sends Tommy a grateful smile for taking over and giving her the patience she needs. Gino nods and walks up to his assigned house with his wife and seven-month-old son. Tommy leaves Gia with Darius to help the others get to their house.

Gia watches over it all and sighs, "Why didn't you stay there?" Darius looks at her side profile "I already told you the reason I'm here. We promised each other when we were young kids that we would help each other no matter what. Well, here I am." Gia doesn't respond at looks at Tommy dissapearing into the house of her aunt.

She looks up at Darius, "You come from a good family. I would take the first chance you get to leave." He shakes his head and looks up. "I'm not letting you go, again. That's a mistake I made twice in my life. I've vowed to myself to never do it again."

She looks up at him for the first time since their conversation started, "You have to understand that you were my first love, but you will not be my last. The moment I stepped foot on the Birmingham soil is when I realised that we were never meant to meet in this life. Trust me, I don't say this to hurt you because I hold you close to my heart, but I found my happiness here with my husband and children." She lays her hand on her stomach.

He sighs in disappointment and asks about her husband, "Is there at least a reasonable man beneath it all?" She quirks her eyebrows up and questons "Beneath what?" He picks his luggage up and answers, "Behind the beatings, cuttings, and murders." She doesn't answer and watches him slowly walk towards Ada's house. She yawns and takes it as her sign to go home.

Tommy is a reasonable man, but at what cost? Yes, he keeps her and Elijah safe, but who isn't safe because of them? Who has to do die for her to live? She remebers the words that were left for her, rich man's world, poor man's blood. Don't get them twisted.