As the youngest Shelby child and twin to Finn Shelby, Kezia has spent the last 4 of her 10 years locked away for her mental defectiveness.
She returns to Small Heath under the legal guardianship of her brother, Thomas Shelby. Despite knowing she's s...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER FOUR
The mud reached Kezia's knees.
She knew she was dreaming—she only ever saw the occasional news clipping of the Great War. And the brothers refused to speak about their experiences. So how else was she wading through trench mud when never being there to see it first hand? She was dreaming, even if everything felt so real.
She sank with each step. The cold, wet dirt pierced her bones. Yet her body urged her forward; she had no control.
English soldiers took turns peeking their rifles out from the trench lined with spools of barbed wire. Malnourished and trembling, most barely looked eighteen. How different war looked when it wasn't black and white.
Rain began overhead. Soldiers not engaged in combat removed their helmets to scoop away the water. None noticed the small Gypsy girl walking.
A yellow glow pulsed from a corner further ahead. Kezia's heart fluttered and warmed at the strange color. She hoped for a fire. Or a lantern. Anything to provide some reprieve from the cold.
She stopped at a small dugout with a trail of broken duckboards leading further down the trench. Two sleeping soldiers trembled as they sat on wooden crates opposite each other. No lantern and no fire. Just the man with yellow so bright and vibrant it bled gold at the edges. Kezia reached out her hand. The yellow tendrils met her halfway and circled her fingers like how she held onto Tommy's hands when scared.
This never happened before.
Colors could only ever be seen—never felt. The first color she ever saw was Tommy's. She tried touching it while he slept but caught air instead.
The man stopped trembling and exhaled a puff of cold air. His head rolled back and hit the cement wall. Even his pale skin had tinges of yellow. Gaunt cheeks were probably full and round before the war. He was blonde the way she and Finn were blonde—dark, almost brown without the sun. Just like his beard. Kezia's curiosity traveled further down, past his face and neck. His military uniform was different from the others. Green and British, yes, but the patches on the shoulders and breast were different. Even the coat and trousers seemed more refined.
His name read: Capt. A. Solomons.
"Get down!"
Shrapnel and dirt erupted at the top of the trench. Kezia's hand flew to protect her face. The man woke with ragged breaths the moment her hand retreated. His eyes were blue like denim and he stood on shaking knees.
"Fuckin' hell," he grumbled.
A bear. That's what this man was. Broad shoulders and broader chest, what he lacked in height he made up for everywhere else.
Kezia stepped aside when he ventured into the rain.
"Captain!"
A young man covered in mud and blood ran up to him. He saluted. "S-sir! No casualties. But two of us were injured by the shrapnel. We'll need to get them care once the stretchers arrive."
"Set 'em up inside for now," was all the captain said before reentering the dugout. Beside him, the bayonet attached to his rifle dripped blood.
Kezia had the urge to wipe away his face. He was unconcerned with looking less handsome than he was. He didn't look like her brothers, or any man from Birmingham.
"The boys are scared of you, Alfie," his companion joked.
"Good!" Alfie adjusted himself against the wall. "If they're afraid of makin' me mad then they have a shot at not getting a fucking bullet through their fucking head." He spoke like he had a swollen tongue: heavy and mumbled without room for pronunciation. Between his beard, Kezia spotted his chapped lips. If he had enough water and decent air, she was sure they'd be round and smooth as pink buttons.
They fell into silence. The rain continued to fall and the temperature dropped. Yet, Alfie and his companion fell asleep, using their jackets as blankets. Kezia watched him sleep. He almost appeared pleasant. She wanted to bask in his yellow and gold more.
She shadowed herself above him again. Only this time, she adjusted his heavy wool jacket so it covered his wide shoulders. Gold wrapped around her fingers and Alfie's eyes cracked open.
He and Kezia stared at each other. She expected to wake up the moment he discovered her, but no...
"Finally fucking lost then, aye? Didn't know the Devil sent children to collect."
Kezia lost the ability to speak; she feared if she did, she'd ruin this and wake up.
So, instead, she tucked his jacket under his chin and sat beside his trembling form on the crate. He was freezing but his breaths slowed when she laid against him. His strong heart thrummed. Kezia was enveloped in his colors like a protective cocoon. The last thing she remembered was his steady and firm hand stroking her hair.
