Lost in Shadows, Found in Family (A Mafia Reunion Story)

Shaken Up

At Dinner

Tamsyn POV

"Ok kids, so your cousin sister will be coming to visit in a couple of weeks alright?" Francesco started to say when we were all seated at the dinner table. Of course, Ash, Aspen, and I didn't have any particular reaction to this piece of news but the other boys seemed to be quite happy. For once, Ezekiel didn't have a scowl on his face and Sebastian looked mildly interested in the conversation. They started asking questions, why was she coming, when was she coming, how long was she staying, and it just went on. With the news of this cousin sister, all the following conversations were about her. I think they forgot it was our first day of school...ever....but that didn't really matter. I don't know why I thought they would actually care to hear about how school went anyways.

I was used to Sebastian and Ezekiel ignoring us, but for some reason, even Theodore and Kyler didn't make any effort to engage or talk to us. Apart from the occasional smiles from Everett, everything else made me feel more like a visitor than part of the family.

It's finally Friday now and the last couple of days at school were pretty good. I became closer to Alina and Rosie, but I was still having a hard time with the boy. Who's name I still don't know.

"Move, will ya," speak of the devil. I grunted as I moved my backpack over so the boy could sit on his seat.

I wasn't feeling my best today because I was drowning myself in questions as to why our other siblings were still giving us the cold shoulder. I thought on Monday it was just because they were busy or preoccupied with work, but it has lasted the entire week now. On top of that, Francesco has been on a business trip since Wednesday for who knows how long, leaving Theodore in charge.

"Tamsyn!" our teacher yelled, startling me. I whipped my head to her as she made her way towards me angrily.

"I've been calling you for the past two minutes, young lady," she said.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I replied. She tsked and shot me a harsh glare before walking back to her desk. I sighed and went back to dwelling in my thoughts.

"Tam, she's coming again," I hear the boy say. Tam? He already has a nickname for me while I don't even know what his name is. I look up just in time to lock eyes with our teacher and give her a quick smile in an attempt to tell her I've been paying attention the entire time. I train my eyes back on the boy to see him roll his eyes at me.

"Would it hurt to pay attention? Because of you, she keeps looking at our table," the boy grunts.

"Says the one that's glued to his phone," I muttered. Usually, after this class, I walk to lunch with the boy since we still sit together in lunch, but today I had to stay a little longer to talk to my teacher and he didn't even consider waiting for me. At this point, it was fine because I knew the way there.

When I got to our usual table, my heart dropped seeing it empty. I looked around and at the lunch line thinking that maybe they were still getting their lunch. After about five minutes of searching for them, I decided to just sit down at the table. I knew they were all at school since they were with me in first period, so I was a little distraught at their absence of them.

As I was sitting there hoping to see them walking towards me, I instead saw someone who looked all too familiar. Levi. Immediately, my eyes widen and my hand reaches to my back pocket where I had a pocket knife stored just for good measure. How the hell did they find us so fast? His eyes landed on mine, and they locked for a good ten seconds before he smirked and walked away.

I could feel the anger rise in me as I debated what to do about this information. Right then I felt a hand on my shoulder, and my instincts got the best of me. I grabbed the hand and pulled it towards me, ready to jab the person in the neck. The same time I realized it was just Rosie, was the moment the boy grabbed my hand and pushed me away from her, making my head hit a pillar that was beside me.

"Hey! What was that for?" The boy asked with malice in his voice as he checked to see if Rosie was okay.

"I-i'm sorry, I thought it was someone else. I'm so sorry Rosie, are you okay?" I asked, hoping she could sense the genuity in my voice. Alina was also checking up on Rosie and before either of them could say anything, the boy came up to me.

"You know what, there was always something weird about you. I thought it was just cuz you're new, but no, you're just sick." he spat at me.

"Sterling! Bro, she said it was just an accident," Alina said immediately. Sterling. So that's what his name is.

"Yeah, I'm okay. She was probably just startled," Rosie said as she got up and smiled at me.

"Sure, an accident," Sterling said as he rolled his eyes. For some reason, his words hurt more than I thought they would. I was under the impression that maybe we were starting to get along, but his words prove that he's just been putting up with me.

Aspen POV

There was something off about today. I don't know what it is, but ever since I got up this morning, I had a bad feeling.

I was sitting in fourth period, minding my own business, when the class door opened to reveal a boy. Usually, I wouldn't pay any attention to things like this, but this was someone I just couldn't ignore. Without even realizing it, I started trembling. Not because I was scared, but because I couldn't stand the mere disgusting presence of him. Levi smirked as he walked past me and sat next to the empty seat right next to Mave, who was directly behind me. Throughout the rest of class, I made it a point to completely ignore and avoid him at any cost. The only thing that made me sick to the stomach was how Levi and Mave were 'getting to know each other'. But could I blame Mave? At one point, even I was playing 'getting to know each other' with Levi.

Usually, I would walk to the parking lot with Mave after class, but I wasn't feeling it today, especially after I heard Mave offer to show Levi the way there. You best believe, that the moment the bell rang, I sprinted outside of that door. As I was lowkey running to the parking lot, trying to make sure Mave didn't catch up to me, I saw Everett walking on the other side of the hallway with his eyes trained on his phone. Without thinking, I ran towards him and stood beside him, letting his body cover mine as I saw Mave and Levi walk past us. I let out a sigh of relief and let myself relax until I was startled by a voice.

"Um, Aspen?" Everett said.

"Oh! Sorry, haha. I forgot the way to the parking lot so when I saw you I just had to make sure I wouldn't lose sight of you," I said.

"Ah okay, for a second it seemed like you were hiding from someone," he said, chuckling a little. But then he paused when he saw my expression and looked at me with concern.

"...who was it? Who were you hiding from?" he said, with a serious tone.

"No no, I swear I wasn't hiding from anyone!" I said to him, trying to play it off cool. But instead his expression got colder, and I didn't understand why. Why would he care if I was hiding from someone? He never even associates with me in school anyway. His eyes narrowed at me and his once playful smile was long gone.

"Aspen, don't lie to me-"

"I'm NOT!"

Without giving me a chance to try to explain myself or the situation, he grabbed my hand and speed walked to the car. I struggled in his grip until we got to the car and then he pushed me inside before getting in after me.

"Did something happen?" Sebastian asked, eyeing me, because apparently only I could do something wrong.

"She's lying about something," Everett responded. Sebastian stayed silent, which I learned was him demanding more information. After Everett supplied him with his information, to which all I could do was roll my eyes, Sebastian stayed silent but I could tell he was also angry at me. Soon enough, the rest of the siblings got to the car and when Tamsyn got it, I noticed she looked a little shaken up. I decided to ask about it when we were alone. 

If y'all want more updates, pleaseee vote and comment! It'll be really helpful and give me much more motivation :)

Alsoo, do you guys want to know more about Ash, Aspen, and Tamsyn's past? And do you think the other brothers should find out more about their past soon?

Love,

Day Lilac ♡