The Price ࿊f Peace

☮️: 040

Somewhere in Oakland
Thursday June 8th, 2024
⚠️ this chapter has a graphic explanation of violence.

Elijah knocked on Syara's apartment door for the first time that day, unsure of who he should expect to open the door.

Elijah looked up from where he was looking down the hall to see Manny, standing at the door, rubbing his eye.

It was clear he'd just woken up.

He was silent as he stepped to the side to let Elijah in. Elijah didn't speak either, walking further into the apartment with the two bags of food he carried in his hands.

"Hm." He sounded, placing one the bags on the counter. Manny looked between him and the bags of food, a little confused.

"That's for us?"Manny asked groggily.

Elijah nodded, walking in the direction of Syara's bedroom. He knocked first, waiting for the okay to come in.

He barely heard a muffled, "come in," before he opened the door. Riya was on both of her devices, sitting up against Syara's headboard next to a large lump under the duvet.

"Waddup Riya." He greeted her first, causing the teenager to glance up from her devices at his voice.

"Hi." She responded, obviously still tired.

"Food in there for you." Elijah told her, watching as her eyes rose from her screen to look at him with a smile.

"You bought food?" She asked.

She wasted no time pulling back the covers, dropping a kiss on Syara's cheek, and stepping out of the bed to tiptoe towards the doorway where he was standing, so as to not wake up her big sister.

Being the sweet human being that she was, Riya stopped to give Elijah a side-hug, and muffle a thank you.

In her hand was her phone, obviously on FaceTime with someone who was still sleeping.

She slid past him, speed-walking to the bar where the bags of food were sat atop it. It was less than a few seconds before Elijah heard rustling.

He closed Syara's door, stepping out of his slides to slide into her bed, lying on top of the covers, slotting his chest against her back.

Syara grumbled, half-asleep, "Riy, get off me, Bunny."

Seriya was a very wild sleeper and it wasn't the first time that Syara had felt limbs engulfing her, or had been slapped, or kicked, or choked, or had legs tangle with hers in the middle of her sleep.

"Morning, mama." Elijah rasped in her ear, causing her eyes to pry open. She turned around in her spot, snuggling deeper into his toned chest silently.

Elijah held her tighter, dropping kisses on her forehead. "I gotchu food, Fats."

Syara pulled her arms from under the cover to wrap them around his neck, pulling herself up to lay her head in the crook of his neck and wrap her leg around his waist.

"Aight, mama." Elijah turned with her, to lie on his back with her on top of him, and began to rub over her back with one hand, and holding her with the other.

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Another knock sounded on Syara's apartment door, causing her to furrow her brows where she was sitting on her couch with Manny on the floor between her knees while she cornrowed his hair back.

"Riy-Riy," Syara called to Seriya who was sitting at the dining table across from Elijah, playing a card game. "Could you get the door for me, Bunny?"