RTWM: The Girl Honed By Fire And Fear [Book 1]

Chapter 1: Where It All Began

"Elevena!! Get up, we are going to be late!"

Jack's voice reached her ringing ears at the startling time of 6 am. She groaned, blinking her eyes wearily open to let the first rays of morning sun seep into the world.

The tattered curtains covering the dirty window let the sunlight stream into the dark room, speckling the stained carpet with bright spots. 

She yawned, last night's nightmare still fresh in her mind. Not much had changed since she mysteriously ended up in Jack's motel room one morning when she was a kid, her parents nowhere to be found. 

Elevena sighed as a wave of sadness swept over her. The bad dreams were always the same, but she didn't know what they meant. Running a hand through her black hair in frustration, she exhaled forcefully.

Why did they leave? Don't they love me?

"Vena!!"

"I'll be down in a minute, Uncle Jack!"

Throwing on a t-shirt and some jeans, she grabbed her iPod and earbuds on her way out. She paused and threw her hand against the wall as a wave of dizziness passed through her head. Narrowing her eyes, she furrowed her brows in confusion as she shook her head in an attempt to get rid of the feeling.

I hope I'm not getting sick... it's not like we can afford medication if I did. 

She winced, remembering how much money her uncle had to cough up the last time she was ill. They were out on the streets for a period of time until he pulled more shifts and was able to get their room back. 

Better not tell Uncle Jack about it.

"ELEVENA, IF I GET FIRED I SWEAR I WILL KICK YOU OUT!!!!"

Smirking, she ran out of the room, knowing full well that that was the last thing on Earth he'd ever do. In the small kitchen, the teen came face to face with her exasperated uncle, holding out some orange juice and a bagel to her. Taking it with a smile and a brief thanks, she hadn't even taken a bite when Jack hurried her out the door of the run-down motel room.

"Let's go, we gotta go, we gotta go, we gotta go." He chanted over and over again, locking the door behind him.

"Uncle Jack, we aren't gonna die." Elevena teased lightly.

"If I didn't have this job, we would've had a life much worse than this Vena, you know that."

It was true. Their life, while minimalistic, was still very fortunate. She had someone who cared about her looking out for her, a roof over her head, and food readily accessible.

She couldn't be more grateful. 

Walking towards the taxi station that was right across the street from the motel that they stayed at, the two fell into an uneasy silence. The teenage girl knew that Jack was frustrated, but not at her. Lately, he had been on edge, and she could only guess that it had to do with his previous, troublesome employer.

Andrew Wolfe.

One time when Jack left her alone while he worked, she was kidnapped by some of his men hoping to use her as leverage against him. She tricked them into letting her go the same time her uncle came in, guns blazing. 

They escaped, and ever since then, he always took her with him on his shifts.

Wolfe was nothing but trouble. As head of the largest mafia in Los Angeles, he didn't let people cut ties with him, and he had the means to ensure it. Jack had been out for years, but was constantly looking over his shoulder.

It was only a matter of time before he caught up with him.

"Elevena..."

Once they arrived at the taxi station, she gazed up at her uncle, and cocked her head to the side, waiting for him to say whatever was on his mind. He sighed, and looked down at the teen seriously.

"Elevena, you know I'll always be here to protect you, right?"

She paused, unsure of how to answer him. While she understood his sentiment, he couldn't promise that to her. It was out of his control.

He couldn't always fulfill that promise.

But she nodded to appease him, and he relaxed, satisfied.

Sticking in her headphones as his superior approached him, she tried to tune out Jack and Dominick's argument. He wanted Jack to pull extra shifts in the next few days, but her uncle refused to work on her birthday. 

Pulling out one earbud and angling her body towards the two arguing men, she told him softly, "Jack, it's alright, I don't mind."

With hesitation etched on his face, he reluctantly agreed to Dominick's proposal of working overtime the next few days. As they walked toward his cab, Jack turned toward his niece.

"Are you really okay with this? It's your birthday tomorrow, we could've done something fun together to celebrate it."

Her mouth quirked up in a smile, knowing it was genuine, but shook her head.

"It's alright, thank you though. As long as you don't leave me alone in the room, I'm fine Uncle Jack, don't worry."

She could tell by the way his forehead creased that he wasn't persuaded, and something was still bothering him. 

Maybe he needs more reassurance....

Stepping towards him, she was about to do her best to convince him when Jack suddenly exclaimed, "Elevena, get in the car."

Startled, the teen did what she was told despite the questions she had, and gazed out the windshield just in time to see Jack pinning two grown men to the hood of the cab. She saw him lean in close and tell them something, but she couldn't hear what he was saying to them. Eyes widening, she watched in horror as the two men started to pull out guns as soon as Jack released and turned his back on them. 

She opened her mouth to shout a warning, but was surprised when all three men turned their attention to someone she couldn't see. A beat later, they left without any further resistance and Jack got into the driver's seat. 

"What was that all about?"

Jack hesitated, then told her with a resigned sigh, "They were Wolfe's men. They were sent to come get me."

Gritting her teeth angrily, Elevena glared at the dashboard. How dare they have the audacity to approach her uncle and threaten him. The very thought of him being forced to go back to that horrible way of life made her clench her fists until her knuckles turned white.

Music still on, she stared straight out the window as her uncle finally pulled out of the taxi station.