Finally updating! Sorry for the wait, I know everyone has been waiting for the next chapter. Make sure to vote for each chapter for a chance to get a shoutout. Make sure to follow my tiktok livhuffer.2 where I have been posting about my fanfiction and is exclusively for wattpad style content. So far I have posted moodboards for both my current stories and a compilation of all Alleia's outfits. Show support on there and I will give a shoutout for the tiktok in each chapter as well! Enjoy.
It's been a few days now and Bray is still missing. Lex, Martin and Ryan have looked all over the city but have been unable to find him, as they can't go in Ebony's territory. Because of that, we have deduced that he is in one of those places. Trudy is still moping about, and Martin and I have been looking after Brady, with Salene initially trying to steal her until I snapped at her and since then she has also been moping without Bray and trying to get the others to help her. The others have refused to take the bait and help her steal Brady though.
Right now, a few of us are up in the kids room, where Zandra is showing us a necklace she found and wants to wear for her wedding to Lex.
"It's nice. Did Lex give it to you?" Salene asks Zandra with a bit of snark to her tone, but Zandra ignores it.
"Yeah, he found it in the antique shop," Zan says, slightly giddy at the mention of her future husband.
"It's generous of him," Salene says sarcastically, for which I give her a warning glare, tired of all her shit the last few days.
"Isn't he great?" Zandra smiles.
"He is. He's been a lot better since you two became a thing, a lot nicer and happier," I tell her, watching the smile grow. Brady stirs slightly from the carrier on my chest, and I comb her hair back gently to help her stay asleep, having struggled to get her to sleep last night, as she's going through a bit of a growth spurt.
While I'm not paying attention, Zandra runs off to show Trudy. I look up from Brady to see her gone.
"Where's she gone?" I ask apprehensively.
"To see Trudy," Salene tells me smugly, knowing what might happen.
"Get the smug look of your face Salene, just because you don't like Trudy because she gets in the way of you snogging Bray all the time doesn't mean you have to make others feel the same," I glare at her, standing and leaving the room to distract Zandra.
As I get to Trudy's room, it is too late as Zandra storms out in a huff, rolling her eyes at me as she goes, fed up with her.
"Could've just smiled and nodded at her and said you wanted to rest. She probably would've left quicker and gotten what she wanted," I call gently to Trudy, who turns her head to look at me.
"I just don't want to talk to anyone today," Trudy mumbles.
"You've said that the last few days. You know, when you mope about after a boy when they upset you, you let them win," I tell her sympathetically. "Best way to make him realise he's an ass is to not let him have this effect on you. Show him you don't need him, even if you think you do."
She stays quiet, thinking about what I said and I leave her be, heading back to the kids room.
"Well you'll both make lovely bridesmaids, won't they Salene?" Zandra says to the girls as I walk in. They discuss Paul being a page boy as I sit down on the couch behind Patsy.
"Somehow I don't think he'll be too pleased if you dress him up in one of those outfits from the magazines, Zan," I chuckle.
"I suppose not, but still," she chuckles back.
"We don't have to tell him that, we can tell him he'll have to wear what was in that magazine when we tell him. Wait till we do, he'll hate it," Patsy giggles, making the three of us smile and Cloe join in laughing.
"I'm surprised Martin hasn't asked you to marry him, with all the wedding stuff happening. Suppose it's only a matter of time yet," Zandra trails off, and I blush.
"I doubt he's even thought of that, or that he wants to," I mumble, feeling slightly bashful.
-----
I put Brady down in her crib in mine and Martin's room after feeding her and changing her, and thankfully she falls straight to sleep, making me sigh.
"Thank god," I mumble out, stretching. I sit in the armchair and just zone out, watching Brady sleep when Martin comes in.
"She's getting so big," he says quietly, coming to sit on the arm of the chair.
"Tell me about it, she's having a growth spurt, which explains her not being able to sleep very well. I dread what'll happen when she's teething," I respond, knowing how fussy babies are while that's happening.
Martin huffs in agreement, kissing me on the head.
"I was talking to Zandra earlier. Lex found a necklace for her in the antiques shop. Then she started saying how she thought you would've proposed to me by now with all the wedding prep," I bring up, and he looks at me.
"What did you say?" he asks, curious.
"I said I didn't think you'd even thought about it, or that you might not even want to," I tell him honestly.
"Of course I would! Would you want to?" he asks me.
"I mean yeah, but I hadn't thought about it much with everything that's going on with the whole love triangle and looking after Brady," I say, nodding to the sleeping baby.
"If anything, how you deal with everything makes me love you and want you more. I would love to marry you, whenever you're ready, but right now we're both focused on other things because other's can't get their shit together and constantly need us," he mentions, making me smile, but agree that now isn't the right time.
"Had any luck with the search?" I ask.
"We think he's at the train yards, as that's still the main base other than the hotel. Reg and the boys have been keeping watch at the back of the train yards to see if Ebony is paying special attention to one train, considering her obsession with Bray. Geez, what is it with all these girls having an obsession over my brother?" he rants.
"I have no idea, because I only have eyes for you, love," I tell him with a smile. He chuckles and leans down, giving me a kiss.
"And that cheekiness is one of the many reasons I love you, babe," he tells me.
"Amber keeps picking fights with Tai San. Can't accept that she thinks differently and is more spiritual, especially after the virus," I gossip, filling him in on everything he's missed while he's out.
"Honestly I think it's what we need sometimes. Either because it makes sense, or it doesn't and makes us laugh, we kind of need someone that doesn't take themselves so seriously and is willing to let things happen how they will," Martin says, and I nod.
"It's nice having someone that isn't so focused on what's happening outside the mall, and gives advice in a very obscure, but at the same time smart way," I reply. "But Amber's even trying to preach to Zandra about Lex, because she doesn't see that he's changed since getting with Zandra, mellowed out a little bit."
"I did notice that the last few days," he tells me, both of us looking in the direction of the kids room where Amber is currently picking an argument with Zandra about Lex.
"I love Amber but I swear, sometimes she needs to stand back and realise not everyone agrees with her."
Suddenly, the alarm is triggered, and we both jolt up, Brady beginning to cry. I quickly bundle her up in a blanket and take her upstairs as Martin finds Lex, Ryan and the boys to see what's wrong, as Bob can be heard barking throughout the mall.
"Alleia, keep all the girls upstairs, start barricading the stairs," Lex calls to me as I climb the stairs.
"Got it," I call back. "Amber, Trudy, Salene, get your asses out here please and barricade the stairs, we don't know what's going on so don't ask."
The girls move, Trudy somewhat reluctantly but I give her a reassuring smile, and she seems to remember what we spoke about earlier, and becomes more helpful and focused. Salene looks at her weirdly, wondering why she's suddenly snapped out of her moping.
"Good job guys, now we gotta sit and wait for the boys, I guess," I tell them, and we all stay in the kitchen, not wanting to be too far if the boys come back. I've calmed Brady and gotten her off to sleep, and Trudy has taken her to bond with her a bit while she's sleeping, sitting on the couch in the café with the two younger girls. Tai San and Zandra are speaking about the wedding and Salene and Amber are talking in the corner, while i keep an ear out with Bob for the boys.
The alarm stops, and we all sit on edge, waiting for news.
"Are we being attacked?" Salene calls to the boys once they come into sight, as we move the chairs and tables out of the way.
"Nope, Jack and Dal's early warning system failed, yet again," Lex says calmly, climbing the stair ahead of the rest of the boys.
"We'll fix it," my brother calls to him, puffing as he joins us.
I grab the boys a drink, each of them giving me a grateful smile as I pass the water to them, and get to Martin last, who pulls me into his lap, kissing my shoulder.
"Where's the baby?" he asks, and I point to Trudy and Brady, fast asleep on the couch together, where Bob has hopped up and joined them as the girls joined the rest of us at the tables. He smiles, happy that Trudy is doing better at the moment.
------
We keep hearing the alarm go on and off while the boys are fiddling with it, so we pay it no mind as none of them have called to tell us anyone's there. I'm cleaning up after lunch on my own as all the other girls are getting ready for the wedding, and the boys are in the sewers.
Once that's all done I clean up a bit in front of the fountain, as that's where we're having Lex and Zandra's wedding. I hear arguing up in the café, and head up to see what it is. I quietly groan in annoyance that it's Salene and Trudy once again, with Salene picking the fight.
Right as Trudy gets mad and rushes toward Salene, I pick her up by the waist and take her to her room, putting her on her bed.
"Stay here, I'll be right back," I tell her, scarily calm and she listens to me. I head back to the café.
"That cow came at me!" Salene shouts.
"Because you provoked her! You had to go and find her and pick an argument about Bray again! News flash, he left you both hanging and is leading you both on, so you don't get to feel smug right now. Have compassion! She's got Postnatal Depression and can't control her feelings and hormones sometimes, you don't have to go around being a raging bitch to everyone!" I shout back, eyes blazing. She keeps her mouth shut and listens.
"Go with Zandra back to her room and get ready for the wedding, and leave Trudy alone. If you can't be nice to her, don't say shit, got it?" I tell her off. She nods and the two go to Zandra's room.
I turn to head to Trudy's room and catch Martin's eyes at the bottom of the stair. I mimic a gun shooting me in the head, and he sniggers, rolling his eyes back at the girls' behaviour.
"I know she started it, I don't blame you for having that reaction. Just next time, please don't get physical, because it's gonna be me cleaning you guys up and washing the blood off the floor," I tell Trudy, playfully whining at the end, making her giggle a bit and calm down. I sit next to her on the bed.
"Trust me, Martin and I are on your side, but don't let her affect you so much. It's like feeding an angry troll, they're gonna come back for more if you give them what they want," I laugh, nudging her gently.
"I needed that, thank you. And I'm sorry for letting her get to me, she's just so infuriating and bitchy," Trudy expresses, and I huff in agreement.
"I know, I've been dealing with the brunt of it."
-------
The wedding ceremony begins, and I stay off to the side with my brother and the rest of the group who aren't partaking in the ceremony. Ryan and Martin are Lex's groomsmen. Zandra is coming down the stairs, stopping in the middle and pausing for a minute, for dramatic impact.
"What's up?" Bray's voice calls from the bottom of the stairs, confused. Martin quickly gives him a bro-hug, telling him what's happening.
"Bray!" Salene calls, trying to sound innocent. I have to hold my tongue for Zandra's sake, but as soon as the wedding is done I'm telling him all the shit she's pulled the last few days. She runs down the stairs and hugs him, diverting the attention from the ceremony.
"Both of you shush and let the ceremony continue," I tell them off, and they do as told, Salene moving back up to Zandra.
"Join hands. We need to combine our energies to create good vibrations and harmony, and auspicious fung-shuei," Tai-San says, and we do as told. "Breathe and concentrate. we must balance the yin and yang in perfect harmony. Zandra, come to your husband!"
Zandra begins making her way down the stairs when the alarm goes off, confusing us all.
"I thought you said you fixed it!" Lex tells Jack, who is as lost as we are.
"I did!"
Zandra looks to the back of the stair and lets out a god almighty scream, and we all turn to look. I see Ebony and as the only one who seems to register what's happening, I quickly sprint after her throughout the mall.