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

Chapter 4: Abandoned Shack in the Middle of Nowhere

Her hands were still shaking. Nervously, she sat on them, hoping to prevent anyone from noticing.

"We are here, Jack Bruno." Sara's light voice held a hope that Elevena never had the pleasure of experiencing.

"Here? There's nothing here." Jack said, exasperated.

She had to agree with her uncle. This place was a wasteland. No civilization in sight for miles, only huge boulders jutting out of the barren ground to give the area any kind of character. 

Then, a run-down shack came into view as the cab sputtered to a top.

It was complete with boarded up windows and a roof caving in. The patio was virtually nonexistent, weathered down to the point of rot and mold. It looked straight out of a horror movie.

Elevena inhaled sharply as a fragment of a memory resurfaced, causing Seth to turn his head towards her curiously.

Wait a minute, where have I seen this before?

"Someone's expecting you two, right?" Jack asked the twins, a hint of worry creeping into his voice. "It doesn't look like anyone's home."

If the house didn't freak her out to her core, she probably would have taken the opportunity to tease her uncle. Along with being an awful liar, he also couldn't hide it once he got attached to children, his overprotective side coming out more often than not.

Especially if they were being mistreated. 

She knew that he looked out for the kids under Wolfe's control back when he still worked for him, sneaking them food when the boss wasn't looking so that they didn't starve.

As her eyes flickered between the two siblings, she could tell they weren't focused on her uncle at all. Seth was fidgeting slightly in his seat, icy gaze fixated on the shack; and Sara's were shimmering brightly, a wide smile stretching across her face.

"Don't worry, Jack Bruno. We'll soon be reunited with relatives." The platinum blonde teen responded confidently, no longer looking at him.

Elevena sat up in surprise as Seth and Sara rushed to unbuckle their seat belts. They were being awfully hasty.

"Okay..." Jack drew out, squinting at the fare to make sure he read the numbers right. "Seven hundred and twenty dollars, and fifty cents."

She gaped in disbelief. That was more money than he had made in the past few months altogether. The numbers barely registered in her head before she realized Seth and Sara were long gone. Seth had pawned him the thick wad of cash without bothering to even count out the correct amount before taking off without a second glance.

"Okay... Goodbye to you, too..." Jack muttered under his breath, fanning the green bills. On one hand, a 500% tip was acceptable for all he had been through this morning. He was tempted to take it, but his moral compass won over.

He sighed heavily, conflicted. He knew he should give it back and only take what he was supposed to, but this could finally be the financial push he needed to send Elevena to school.

Speaking of the mischievous teen, she quickly got out of the cab, intent on following through the promise she made to Sara.

"Vena, wait!" Jack held out his hand for her to stop, then gestured wildly for her to wait for him when she didn't slow down. Stepping out of the car, they both looked at each other, grimaces identical.

The cab was completely destroyed.

Well, not completely, but it was pretty darn close. The metal was dented on all sides, the phone numbers and advertisements scraped off of the painted vehicle. The front mirrors were broken and hanging by the cables; and the back door didn't properly close anymore.