Unexpected.

Not so Happy Reunions

I wake up to the sound of yet another knock on my door.

"What?" I groan thinking it was another one of my annoying siblings come to disturb me.

I hear the door open then the sound of footsteps coming to a rest beside my bed.

"Hey buddy, your Uncle George and Lizzy are here." I sit up in bed and look into my dad's blue eyes.

Ugh. That nap was way too short.

"Get up, we're all waiting for you downstairs."

He's already neatly dressed in a wine coloured pullover and dark grey pants with his brown hair combed out. Though he didn't look too excited about eating dinner with mom's siblings.

"Hurry up and join us downstairs, your brothers and sisters are already down there saying hello don't be long okay?"

"Sure I'll be down in a minute" I say to him and he gives me a reassuring smile then leaves to join the rest of the family but not before warning me to dress nicely.

I get dressed in seconds not wanting mom to get any angrier at me for delaying dinner.

I walk out of my room wearing a forest green button up shirt and dark pants. I go downstairs to the dinning room where dinner has been set and take in the scene.

Dad's already seated at the head of the table talking with Uncle George who apparently hasn't noticed my presence yet, the twin girls are in their booster chairs beside Mom who is currently trying to prevent Holly from eating her plastic toddler spoon. Jenna is seated at the other side of Mom rapidly texting someone on her phone and Ethan and Evan are having a mini food fight flicking each other with peas from their food with their spoons. Alice is sat beside Jenna still looking sullen from her fight with Amanda. I've never met anyone as sensitive as her, honestly. Meanwhile Amanda the princess herself is happily petting and chatting away to Ruby our family dog in the chair beside Evan.

The only person that had noticed my arrival was Uncle George's new wife, Lizzy who was staring at me with a strange look on her face when she noticed me watching she caught herself and offered me a quick smile, her gray eyes glinting.

"Hello Jack, long time no see." And indeed it was, the last time I saw her was about six months ago and that's saying a lot seeing as she and Uncle George live in the same city as we do. She got married to Uncle George last fall and I had only seen her once after that, she's always flying around the world to see to different kinds of operations that nobody knows about except her and the people she works with and for, because of this she seems very mysterious to me and I'm always very weary around her .

This being the second time I've seen her after the wedding I don't know how to react to her greeting luckily Mom speaks before I can unknowingly saving me from giving an awkward response. "Come sit down, your food is getting cold."
I obediently walk over to the table and sit down beside Heather's booster chair much to her delight and she shows it by leaning over and giving me a sloppy lick on the cheek, I smile and push her away gently.

Uncle George had finished his conversation with Dad and turned his brown eyes to me.

"Hey Jack" he says, emphasising the greeting. "Glad to see you, how's that car coming?"

He flashes me a grin and I give one back. "I've almost saved up enough to get the one I want, sir."

"That's great to hear, I was just talking to your Dad about helping you out with the last bit of money you need to sum it up."He says which makes Mom abruptly clear her throat.

"I think Jack is old enough to save up for his own car, George, that's how I raised my kids." She says.

Uncle George looks to me unsure.

"It's okay." I shrug. "There's only a bit of the money left to save up, It's nothing I can't handle." I shoot him a reassuring smile and he nods.

Evan then looks up hopefully. "Since Jack doesn't need any help with his car, do you think you can help me out with my PlayStation Uncle George?"
"Evan." Mom warns before Uncle George can answer.
"Evan" Heather says beside me, imitating Mom then bursts into fits of laughter, Holly joins her. Everyone shakes their head fondly at both girls and goes back to their meals.

Dinner goes by quickly after that, after a little bit of small talk here and there, a couple of jokes, a few badly aimed peas in my direction by Ethan and Evan and trying to ignore Lizzy's steady gaze, it's finally over. Mom begins clearing out the the table with Jenna's help. Dad and Uncle George have engrossed themselves in another conversation. Ethan and Evan go out to play fetch with Ruby in the backyard, the twin girls go into the living room to watch TV and Alice and Amanda go quietly back to their room, Amanda whispering something to Alice who is listening and nodding eagerly obviously happy to have made up with her sister.

One person's missing, I notice, which is Lizzy though I saw her wander off towards the front of the house. Curious to know what she might be doing I walk towards that direction. I stop short when I hear a voice which I can tell is Lizzy's.

"Yes I'm sure he's one of us, I can't believe I didn't notice sooner." My breathing stops and I stand perfectly still. "Yes he does have the mark I saw it myself but I don't think he knows what it actually is." I peep around the wall and find her standing with her back to me facing the front door with a phone pressed to her ear.

"It's on his neck, rather close to his jaw, and quite small if you ask me but still pretty obvious. It a wonder how I've never noticed before, it was right there."

I let out an involuntary gasp and my hand flies to my neck where my birthmark is, at least I've always thought it was a birthmark, now someone who I've barely known a year is saying otherwise.

Lizzy, at the sound of my gasp pivots to face me. I start to back away still in shock but she gets over her moment of surprise fast and rushes forward, grabs me and pushes me against the wall using strength that I would never have thought her capable of. She places her forearm on my throat pushing hard against my windpipe and uses her free hand to take out something from the pocket of her jeans. She holds whatever she brought out from her pocket pointedly in my line of sight.

A taser. I think with dread.

She leans into me her forearm still pressed against my throat practically crushing my windpipe and whispers in my ear, her stormy gray eyes unnerving .

"Make one move and I'll fry you."

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the late update though, been busy. Please don't give up on my story, just keep reading and commenting. Thanks xoxo.