The Runaway Sister

thirteen | crimson red dress

I've been here for an entire month already. Christmas is in the air. 

Why am I settling in?

Why do I feel safe in this manor? With a bunch of killers? 

I can't think this life is normal. If I do, I'll stay. And then I'll be forced to marry a man, probably Warren, who is tangled into the mafia. 

I'd never be able to get out. 

At night, I remind myself of the people my brothers actually are. The monsters that hide underneath their flawless skin. 

They torture. They kill. They make people's lives a living hell.

And I can't sympathize with that. 

I won't. I must maintain my morals up until getting out of here. 

Luke taps my shoulder. He's sitting next to me on the sofa, playing video games. I'm reading. 

I flinch, whipping my head around to face him. "Hm?" I ask. 

His expression is sincere. Concerned. "Are you doing alright, Ev? You've been spacing out the for a few days now." 

My face pales. He noticed? Will he become suspicious of me? Will I never have the chance to leave? 

"Oh... no. No, I haven't," I smile at him. He returns the smile.

"Cool. Want to go to the shopping mall in the city over? The annual ball is coming up, and the Spanish are hosting it! You need a dress." 

———

I didn't even have time to protest before I was whisked away. Now, I stand in the middle of a large shopping mall. 

My four brothers—Cassian, Zachary, Logan, and Luke—are all wearing suits. They have stoic expressions as they look through the racks of dresses. 

Luke holds up a blue dress with puff sleeves. "This one brings out your eyes," He notes. He hands it to the sales-worker. 

I glance around. Our security team is spread out throughout the entire place. Yet still, my heart is rising at every moment. 

Cassian takes out a pink dress with gold highlights. He holds it underneath my chin. "Wow, little sister. I think pink is most definitely your color." 

I roll my eyes, and swat the dress away. "Why do I have to go to this ball, anyway? I'm not in your business," I mumble. 

"Because you're part of this family," Zachary says. 

"And we have to introduce you as the princess of the family. These people—our business partners—haven't seen you since you were six," Logan adds. 

"Besides, you'll look so adorable in a pretty pink dress," Luke teases, pinching my cheek. I glare at him. 

"I'm not a doll." 

"Of course you're not, Ev. You're not still or quiet at all," Logan chuckles. 

A  gunshot rings into the air. 

My senses spike. 

Their light-hearted expressions turn cold. 

I spin around and see two men, dressed in black, hidden behind a fake tree. My brothers surround me. 

They pull out their guns, which were hidden in their jackets, pants... Luke's shoe? Another man is suddenly in the circle. 

"Evelyn, I'm Dean. Your body guard. Follow me, alright?" 

I glance at my four brothers. They don't look at me. They are in a stance, waiting for backup. The rest of the security team is also hidden around the mall, guns trained on the men.