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.
"Quieten down, big bro, the adults are talking," replied Aislyn.
Cementing her point, Aislyn withdrew the dagger she had acquired earlier and began to clean out her nails with it.
"Piss off now, will you?" she said to Elijah and his men, not bothering to even look up.
Jackson could hear his own heartbeat thrumming in his ears.
What was she doing?
A part of him felt proud of her for standing up to them but a bigger part over-shadowed all of that. A part that made the sweat bead on his forehead and shoulders tense. Fear and confusion.
Fear over the severity of her actions and the repercussions the Council would enforce for her violence. And confusion because it wasn't like his sister to be so... wicked.
After several long seconds and a silence quiet enough to hear a pin drop, one by one, the councilmen began to file out the door whilst Aislyn swung around to place her feet on the ground, bracing her forearms against her legs, waving goodbye with the dagger.
After the eleven men left, Elijah remained in the doorway, superiority rolling off him in waves.
"Ooh," she giggled, "I think I'll just start referring to you lot as my bitches."
"Aislyn, wh-" Elijah began.
Thud.
Not two inches from his face, the dagger protruded from the wood of the doorframe.
"Bye-bye now."
Aislyn physically had to stop herself from cringing, sarcastic replies and snappy remarks were one thing, but throwing a knife at the president? Aislyn was willing to bet her newfound freedom that the blade stuck in the polished, hardwood doorframe was the closest he had ever come to a weapon.
"I was only going to say that we'll be waiting outside."
Aislyn breathed a sigh of relief when he backed out the room, closing the door behind him. A little while longer and then she'd be out of there and free once again.
She just hoped they didn't look under the velvet tablecloth covering a small table in the hallway. They might find an old lady hog-tied with a certain guard's shoes underneath it.
Aislyn, dramatically groaning, got to her feet, smoothing out the creases in her trousers. giving her something to do with her shaky hands. After no response from the two men, just dumbfounded stares, Aislyn held open her arms and said, "Well someone give me a hug." Smirk replaced with a genuine smile.
After a few tense moments, Logan ran the few short steps to his friend and threw his arms around her waist. Lifting her jump, he began jumping and hollering loud enough Aislyn feared she'd go deaf in one ear. Aislyn, arms strapped to her sides, let her head fall back with laughter bubbling from her lips. The laughter was caught short when she caught a glimpse of her brother lowering himself to the floor, balancing on the balls of his feet.
Logan gently placed her down, taking her face into his hands, he said, "I can't believe it."
Aislyn flinched hard enough for him to quickly drop his hands, but before he could ask what was wrong or let the hurt from her rejection register in his eyes, she lifted her gloved hand to cup his cheek, giving him a smile.
Dropping her hand, she turned to look over her shoulder at her brother.
Jackson was crouched on the floor with his hands covering his face, shoulders silently shaking. Aislyn wrapped her hand up around her throat and knelt next to her brother. With a trembling hand, she cautiously reached out and lightly lay it upon his shoulder. As soon as her hand made contact, Jackson let out a heart-wrenching sob and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.
There they remained for a couple of minutes before Logan crouched down and threw his arms over the both of them, laughing and lightening the mood.
After she managed to pry herself out of her brute brother's hug, she stood and backed up a few steps before placing a hand on her hip and flipped her hair over her shoulder.
"Did you miss me?" She simpered.
Jackson wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and let out a rasping chuckled, "What do you think, Ais?"
Softening her smile, Aislyn merely replied to him, "I know."
Groaning, as he clumsily got to his feet, Jackson walked over to Aislyn and ran a thumb down her face, tracing the jagged scar that marred her face.
Aislyn's eyes harden and she recoiled from his touch as though he had burned her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't-"
Aislyn waved off his apology settling on walking over to the doorway the Councilmen had walked out through moments ago. She pushed down the feeling of sickness that had crawled its way up her throat and mentally shook herself. Instead of thinking about the feel of skin to skin contact, she settled for bracing one hand on the doorframe, grabbing her dagger and prying it free. Seeing the large chunk that had been gouged out of the wood, she sniggered under her breath and muttered an "oops."
With a few twirls of her fingers, the dagger disappeared under the folds of her tunic.
"Listen carefully," she said, turning to the two boys, "when I walk out of this room, you two are going to follow behind me. The ugly bastard and his fangirls are waiting just outside and they will try to exploit you. Keep your faces expressionless and don't say anything. I've got my stuff outside so I'll need a hand carrying it and we'll get into the carriage and leave this shithole once and for all."
"Ais, wait," replied Jackson.
Striding over to her, he placed his hands on her shoulders and spun her around to face him.
"What's going on? Where have you been?" he begged, desperation for answers seeping through the depths of his eyes.
Aislyn tapped her ears and whispered, "not here, there are ears always listening."
As she opened the door Logan stepped forward, "Wait, where are we going?"
Without turning around, she walked out the door and shrugged her shoulders.
"Home."
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