Shay Warner ran away from her adopted family as soon as she found out what they truly were: criminals. They lied, they killed, they betrayed her in a way that scarred her forever. It isn't until the police catch up to her that she's forced to go bac...
"You remember how to throw a punch, Shay?" Noah taunted after dinner, after dishes were washed and a decent amount of alcohol had been consumed. Shay was standing with him in the kitchen, standing over the island with a glass of champagne in her hand. Noah was holding a beer and next to him were Summer and Jon, the four youngest all deciding to hang out together.
"Better than you can, probably." Shay threw back at him with an equal amount of teasing.
"Ohhh you guys are gonna fight aren't you." Jon exclaimed as he rubbed his hands together, looking between them with a smile.
"I believe I was winning before you left, kid." Noah said. Shay's eyes stayed trained on his, feeling the weight of the past dissolving with each conversation. Much to her relief, things were starting to feel like normal.
"It's about time I take back the lead, then."
The four twenty-somethings went downstairs then, dipping down the hidden staircase with Summer and Shay in the rear. As soon as they hit the bottom, Summer's hand latched onto Shay's arm to stop her.
"I have to say something real quick." Summer began, loosening her grip and looking nervously at Shay. She didn't look much different, actually. Same pale skin, same black hair. This time, it had a bright pink streak in it and her face looked a little older, a little more tired. Other than that, she still looked like unimpressed Summer with dark clothes and an even darker attitude.
"What's up?"
"I know I was a bitch to you for a while and I just wanted to apologize. It was never anything against you, I just..." Summer trailed off and looked away for a second before finishing her thought. "I was bullied a lot by girls when I was younger and you look like one of the worst ones and I just-" She paused again and looked at Shay earnestly. "I'm sorry."
Shay's lips twisted in a sad smile, having already forgiven Summer long before she walked back into the Briggs' house. "It's ok. Really."
"Cool." Summer grinned, then looked behind her as Noah was wrapping his hands. "You should go kick Noah's ass now. He's turned into a real prick ever since you left."
Shay nodded and started walking over to them, Summer's words stuck inside of her skull. She really didn't want to think her disappearance had that much of an affect on anyone but over time, it was becoming harder to deny.
After wrapping her hands and strapping on gloves, Shay joined her opponent in the ring, ready as ever.
Noah lunged at her within the first couple of seconds, just in case her guard was down. It wasn't and she easily dodged it.
"You look like you're out of practice, kid." Noah taunted, his earth-toned eyes peering at her from over his gloves in a mischievous manner. Shay didn't respond with words. Instead, she tried a hard jab with her left and then a hook with her right, both of which he blocked. The combination was quick, but not quick enough.
Despite her outfit choice, Shay was able to move around lightly on her toes. Having stripped off her converse, she bounced around on the matt in her stretchy jeggings and tank top, her hair tied in a ponytail to keep it out of her face. Noah's outfit was just as impractical with his jeans and t-shirt, but she had to admit he looked good.
The two circled each other for a while before either of them made another move. This time, it was Noah, throwing a combination of two left jabs, a right hook, one more jab, and ending on a right cross. It was a routine he'd pulled on her years ago, and she knew it well enough to block it. Grinning at him, she saw the frustration mounting in his expression.
"She doesn't look rusty to me, Noah." Jon yelled from the sidelines.
"Shut up, Wu." Noah shouted back. He tried another combination, failed, and tried another. Immediately after, she used her ducking momentum to pop back up and deliver a right hook to his abdomen. Noah coughed and looked at her with surprise, but recovered quickly.
"I never stopped being a badass, Noah." Shay reminded him. Two years of martial arts classes kept her training in check, and even improved it. She didn't really have a purpose for the lessons other than she enjoyed being strong and able to defend herself. Now, it was really coming in handy.
After getting a couple more hits in on each other, Shay landing more than him, Noah turned the tables with a sudden move that caught her off guard. One that didn't seem to be in boxing, or jiu jitsui, or anything else she had learned. One that took her to the ground in one swift motion, and then he was on top of her. Shay struggled against his strong body but couldn't even budge. He had all of his weight pressed again her, pinning her to cool mat.
"Looks like I win again, kid." Noah bragged as he looked down at her, little beads of sweat forming in his hairline. After helping her up, he walked with her back to the floor, hopping over the ropes and onto the ground.
"Dammit Shay, my money was on you." Jon frowned.
"Sorry, Jon. Next time I got it, don't worry." Shay promised. .
"Do you really think you'll come back?" Summer asked as Shay unraveled the wraps from her hands. Shay looked up at her briefly before her eyes found Noah, who also seemed to be anticipating her answer.
"I think so." Shay replied. "Honestly I didn't think Val would want me to come back."
"She has a soft spot for you, I think." Summer said, then reconsidered. "Actually, that may be true for all of us. Once you're in, you're in for life."
"You make it sound like a cult." Noah pointed out.
Summer rolled her eyes before addressing Shay again. "I mean you can leave if you want to. It just seems that we'll always have a place here, no matter what happens."
Shay could see her point. Val always took in the strays, the troubled kids with bad histories and no parents. She still wasn't sure how Val picked them, or why she did it, but it had definitely been a pattern. Though she only knew Noah's and her own story, Shay had to guess that the rest of them had a history that was just as bad, if not worse.
Why turn them into assassins, though, she might not ever know.
Everyone went back upstairs after that, with Shay making the rounds to say goodbye. It was already eight and with a long drive ahead of her, she hadn't wanted to stay too late.
"Will we be seeing you again?" Val asked after giving her one of those signature one-armed hugs that Shay was used to. Finally, old Valerie was back.
"Definitely. I'll probably move in within the next couple of days, if that's alright." Shay replied.
"Of course." Val beamed.
After shooting Noah one last smile, Shay walked out of the house and started her drive home.
Having a long drive after an emotional affair could either be a good or a bad thing. Either you overthink and analyze the shit out of the information or you just calmly sort it out like a normal person. Fortunately, it was one of those times where Shay could be rational, objective even.
Noah wasn't mad at her. Out of everything that happened that night, that fact alone is what stood out to her. He joked around with her, shot her private looks that only she could understand, and still felt like her rock. He was always the one she turned to when she had a decision to make, and even tonight, she found herself looking at him whenever she was faced with a difficult question. Apparently, some things never change.
When she got back to her apartment, Alec was already there waiting for her. She saw his car parked a couple of houses down from hers, and the sight of it pushed away every positive thought she had.
It didn't matter if Noah wasn't mad at her now. He would be again, especially when he found out why she came back in the first place.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
