𝔼𝕧𝕚𝕖- ℙ𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕪 𝔹𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟟

Evrena's P.O.V

The car journey was fairly brief, as it turned out my father had travelled by boat to London. So, we ended up hopping on a small boat that would take us straight into Small Heath. I slept for the majority of the trip and during the day, we played card games and I got to know my father and uncles. They tended to ask me lots of questions about myself, but I didn't feel comfortable telling them everything about me yet. It's not that I didn't trust them, I just didn't know them well enough to reveal my whole life story.

My father revealed to me when we were around 2 hours away, that I would be going straight to his house and meeting my half-brother Charlie and my father's wife, Grace. I would've been lying if I said I wasn't nervous. What if Grace didn't want me there? What if Charlie didn't like me? Thousands of thoughts were cascading through my mind, the anxiety made it difficult to breathe, like swimming in the ocean with no land in sight. Arthur and John helped me escape my anxiety-ridden head, by cracking jokes and helping me feel less awkward about the current situation, but no matter how many laughs escaped my lips, I couldn't escape the uneasiness that plagued my thoughts.

When we eventually arrived at the yard, as my foot made contact with the earth, for the first time in days, the situation came crashing down on me like millions of hailstones repeatedly bombarding my innocent head. I could picture the expression on my face, so I quickly brought up the imperishable wall which I had crafted for many years. However, I was too slow and making direct eye contact with my father, showed me that he had seen me at my most vulnerable, and again the wall came down. My father's expression was difficult for me to read, and I knew that he was not one for comforting those around him. For a split second, I was disappointed. I felt ridiculous for even hoping for some sort of embrace or comfort from my father when I was already aware of who he was. As a gangster, he was emotionless, I had been hoping that as a father he wouldn't be, but it had appeared that I was very wrong, and just like that the wall was built again.

It seemed that the tiniest bit of emotion my father had shown in our first meetings was gone just as quickly as it came. With that, my first feeling of regret came, and it was also the moment I knew that it wouldn't be the last.

Later on, we arrived at the 'house' as my father put it. It was not a house, it was a mansion, it probably could pass for a manor. It was probably the same size as the orphanage, which was home to a lot of kids. This housed 3 of them, now 4.

I felt out of place as soon as I stepped foot inside the huge house. As soon as I spotted the beautiful, blonde woman standing waiting for us, I knew she was my father's wife. She wore the most elegant gown I had ever seen and yet again I felt out of place. Eyeing the walls around me, I spotted the family portrait that was placed on the wall. Thomas Shelby, Grace Shelby, and Charlie Shelby, and yet again I felt out of place. Never in my life have I felt more uncomfortable than I had in the few days I'd been gone from the orphanage, it was a feeling I knew I could never get used to, a life I could never get used to.

I stood there silently gazing around the gigantic room, whilst I waited to be addressed.

Grace spoke up.

"Hello, I'm Grace, I'm your stepmother I suppose"

I wasn't trying to be rude but I'm naturally a bitch and I can't help it sometimes.

And after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, I gave her the most bored expression and replied.

"Okay great"

I avoided eye contact with my father because I couldn't be bothered to deal with his judgemental look and so I spoke to no one in particular.

"Where's my room?"