THE TAYLORS [H.S]

31.

Harry.

Annabeth Taylor would be the death of me, I felt it rip into my stomach as the news settled that she was soon to be left alone with me for god knows how long.

I had only found out about it just before we got to her house, and the gravity of it had just begun to set in.
I was in the front seat, driving the Taylor brothers to the airport, the car as silent as ever. As much as Annabeth had kicked up a stink, yelling and swearing, she was still seated in the very back seat, her arms crossed and AirPods in.

She was a good sister, as much as it pained any of her brothers to admit it.

I had a black heart, as anyone who had ever come into connect with me, though I couldn't help the foreign feeling of pity settle in me as I continued to glance back at her on the way to the airport.

I was good at studying people, it was my job and I liked to think I had mastered it. Annabeth Taylor, as much as she refused to admit it, was scared.

I had my own opinions of leaving her alone in the same country her parents were murdered in, but they were left on the tip of my tongue, because it wasn't my place to say anything on the topic. Her brothers knew what they were doing from the business side of things, though they weren't approaching the situation from the eyes of a young woman who had lost the two people from the gun wounds of a villain.

I didn't know why her feelings were bothering me so much, but I was all my mind swirled with as we got to the airport.

It was a few hours until the plane boarded, though I knew that Trent needed to speak to me about what was to come, and the responsibilities that would be handed over to me.

Michael had taken Anna to order everyone coffees, leaving me with Trent and Johnny.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as we settled into the airport seats.

As much as we all tried to blend it, it was rather hard with how we all carried ourselves. Dark clothings wrapped around our bodies, eyes guarded and jaw set as any onlookers made eye contact with us. It was always hard to turn that off and make ourselves seem normal.

Trent ran a hand through his hair, his dull eyes falling flat on the people that wandered through the airport without a care in the world. He looked stressed.

"I don't know if we're doing the right thing," he murmured. Trent was the most honest out of the brothers, the only one who didn't shy away from admitting his thoughts and worries. He was the head of the family now, and knew deep down that with great power, held great responsibility. He knew that he couldn't always be right, and I respected that.

"In what regards?" I asked, following his eyes to see where he was now staring.

Anna was a fair distance away, looking just like any other person in the airport as she stood with Michael. His lanky build towered over her, and I could feel the protective nature he held for his sister from here.

"Leaving her," he said with a shake of his head. "I'm worried it's going to do more harm than good."

"It's going to be worse if she was to come with us," Johnny stated, glancing down at his phone as it vibrated against his leg. "Far too many enemies overseas. They didn't exactly leave us to deal with their mourning friends."

Trent made a disapproving sound in the back of his throat. "I'm just glad she brought the real estate thing."

There was a distant look in Johnny's eyes as he glanced over at his younger sibling. "It's a blessing and a curse she doesn't know any better, and it's probably the only good thing our parents did. Remember that."