shadow // jack avery

fortyfour

i landed in melbourne and was picked up by ivy, smiling into each other's arms. in the months we had been apart, ivy was in her final trimester, more of her to hug. we got an uber back to her place, taking us right to the beach. 

ivy always loved the water, especially the ocean. it would only suit for her to have her home on the beach. i've never been here, it was all new to me. i felt mediocre, not knowing the edges of this town. 

we arrived to her home, a oceanic blue house looking over the horizon. we walked inside and she smiled at the reunion with her home. i looked around to see pictures hung everywhere, some of brax and ivy, some of ivy and jonah and some of us. 

she had a small frame in the entryway, it was an ultrasound scan. i picked it up carefully, admiring the small figure in the picture. she dropped her keys on the bench, looking over and smiling to herself. 

i- not long now

l- have you thought of any names?

i- i like rosa, or maja...

i knew ivy had loved the name rosa since she was little, she'd always admired one of my father's top ladies whose name was rosa. but i didn't know where she had gotten the inspiration for maja from...

l- they're beautiful, but where did you get maja from?

i- i was on the phone to jonah one night and he was telling me about his family. he told me he always loved the name maja for a girl, and i liked it. 

l- that's adorable. does he know you're considering it?

i- no. if i do decide on maja, i want it to be a surprise. 

l- i love both names, and which ever you choose will be the perfect name for the perfect little girl. 

i- thanks lols, it's good to have you here

l- i wouldn't be anywhere else

she wanted to go out for lunch into town. we walked to a small cafe on the pier, ivy was welcomed like a regular customer. i was infatuated with the views we were seated in front of. she didn't need to look at the menu, she knew exactly what she wanted. 

once we ordered and our drinks were brought over, she didn't hesitate to start catching up on everything she's missed. 

i- so. our darling jack?

l- still here, in fact, he wanted to come with me to see you

i- he's the sweetest

l- he is, but i told him to stay and keep an eye on carlos

i- oh little gomez, how's he handling everything?

l- he's fine, he loves taking up the annoying little brother role

i- surely not. 

l- trust me, i love the kid to the stars and back, but he finds so much joy in bothering me

i- isn't he coming over soon?

l- he wants to, still trying to convince brax. 

i- what's brax's thoughts on it?

l- he doesn't want carlos to be alone, so he said if he was to allow carlos to fly down, it would be at the end of my time here and we would fly back together. 

i- trust brax with the protectiveness 

l- excessive

she laughed, taking a sip of her drink and looking to the waves. i sighed, breathing in the salty air surrounding us. we continued to talk about everything possible, nothing negative. as soon as we finished, we walked back to the house via the beach. 

that night we didn't sleep, we sat in front of her tv, drinking australian beer and laughing over things that weren't even funny. if only we knew, if only we knew to keep our eyes open. i shouldn't have taken my attention off of it. 

it was four am when we heard rustling by the front door. ivy had started feeling pains in her stomach, making me anxious. i couldn't move, i didn't know where ivy kept anything and neither of us dared to speak. 

that's when we realised that it wasn't one person outside, we were surrounded. someone was using our own techniques against us. i looked around, trying to figure something out. ivy shook her head, telling me to stay down. 

i knew i shouldn't have listened to her, i wanted to reach for my phone, dial brax's number. anyone's number; carlos, jack, even my father. but what good would it do? they are across the globe, they don't even know what is happening. 

third person

but they did know. they had a feeling. carlos. brax. jack. they all had the same energy run through them, telling them lola was in trouble. brax had a different experience, he knew both his sisters were in trouble. 

he suddenly got on the phone, calling every one of his men in melbourne. only two were in the area, but they got to the scene within minutes at brax's order. 

i heard gunshots firing outside the home, i didn't know who was out there, but i knew someone was losing. ivy looked to me, getting up and holding her hand out for mine. i shook my head vigorously, it wasn't the right time. 

she insisted, pulling me off the ground and further into the house. it all happened so quickly, from the sound ringing in my ears to ivy's body lying in my arms. blood was pouring from her lower back and i was covered in it. 

i screamed in emotional pain, causing some sort of fulfillment for the attackers leading them to leave. one figure ran to my side, explaining how brax had sent him, i didn't listen to his story i just wanted ivy safe. 

he lifted her in his arms effortlessly and started running to his car, where he sped to the nearest hospital with me in the passenger seat. ivy's hand was grasping onto mine, almost like she was hanging on her last breath. 

i prayed that she would be okay, i prayed that my best friend and her daughter would survive through the darkness.