Secrets Intertwined

III

Jackson and Logan simultaneously sucked in a breath and Aislyn could see the gears in their heads churning.

Even though she had only been gone for five years, she knew that apart from her physical appearance changing- the scar, the development into adulthood, her hair, her height, her eyes- she held herself differently too. She looked at the world through a different set of eyes. Where there used to be an average town-girl content with her mundane lifestyle, now there was someone who looked for the bad in someone first.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Aislyn finally saw a spark of recognition ignite in their eyes. Logan audibly gasped and Jackson staggered a shaky step forward but Aislyn held up a hand, halting them in their tracks.

Jackson opened his mouth but, again, he was cut off before he got the chance to speak.

"So, I know you had your heart set on some dramatic reveal, Elijah, but I had another plan," she said, winking at him.

"What are you doing?" he said, the sly smile irking her even further.

Blowing him a kiss, she said, "I'm just not into your... Theatrical tendencies, I guess. Anyway, I would like to speak to the lads in private without you and your entourage getting involved. So. I think it's time you leave."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, Elijah, really. You don't want my temper to get... fired up do you?"

Aislyn rested her head on the wall behind her and let a lazy smile crawl its way onto her face. Despite her nonchalant exterior, Aislyn could feel her heart thrumming inside her chest, each beat echoing in her ears.

She reminded herself constantly, "only a little while more," when she said something risky in the Council House. She knew that each sarcastic comment, each snarky remark may very well be her last. What she didn't know was why the Council had bothered to shorten her prison sentence... shorten it from a lifetime to a few months. And why they had bothered to keep her around- allow her to make those sarcastic comments and snarky remarks. They knew she was dangerous, what she was capable of and yet... nothing. No reprimands, no punishments, no nothing. For that reason alone, she was certain that something was off. Even if it weren't for the fact that she limited the number of people she trusted to fit, on one hand, the whole situation was off.

A sea of disgruntled murmurs swept across the room and snapped her from her thoughts. With a quick glance, she saw both Logan and Jackson's faces pale. Despite her being in the presence of the most important people in the land, there was a strong sense of fear tangible in the air... she had the council wrapped around her little finger and even they- the newcomers- could feel it.

"No. No, I wouldn't want that. Although maybe your brother and old friend here might."

Allowing her eyes to stray from Elijah's for a moment, she looked over to Jackson and Logan. Both stood, eyes wide, bodies tense constantly looking between herself and the other men. She could see Jackson's shirt was too tight on him, that the seams were struggling to stay held together. His trouser legs were too short and tears crisscrossed the material. Logan's clothes were no better; stains, no matter how washed out and faded they were, she could clearly see them, one atop another. She had to stop before it went too far.

"Maybe so."-A heartbeat- "Do you want to risk it though?" was her reply.

Seeing the state of their clothes, the lack of money they had just as obvious as the stains on Logan's shirt, Aislyn knew that they needed her. That they needed her money. And lucky for them, she had plenty of it.

Jackson interrupted and step forwards, coming between Aislyn and Elijah, "Someone had better tell me what in hells is going on here," head whipping back and forth between them.