The oversized 'Happy Birthday Cindy' banner hung high and proud above the living room. Almost everybody from Annie and Cindy's class filled the house, well everyone Cindy labeled as good enough. Some people just weren't 'worthy' as Cindy claimed. Adding to the chaos was Cindy's other family members. These people included aunts, uncles and cousins. Cindy's mother's brother, Henry, the dark and mysterious man that nobody else even really knew had existed. Henry and his son Alexander were recently left without Alexander's mother. Cindy's mother, Natally, had quickly wanted to step in to comfort her brother and nephew through the difficult time. They would be leaving soon in just over a week, after staying with Cindy for just under a month. Unfortunately for Annie and Cindy that meant a stop to many sleepovers which in turn slowed the planning process down. Cindy still hadn't gotten over that yet, in her young mind this party was life or death. Her popula
Alexander was living a very different life, than the life he had wanted. Alexander's life revolves around crime. Unlike Annie who only heard about crime on the news, Alexander was in the middle of it. Currently he was sitting in his office at one of his many strands of casinos, in each he had his own office. He was currently running over the numbers. Thankfully they added up, although he noticed a pattern. Someone called Jack Hill was collecting a debt in all of his casinos, and it was pissing him off. This Jack person would rack up a debt then disappear for a month, then pop up in another casino. Something would have to be done about him. Although the name seemed familiar to him, he wasn't sure why or where he had heard it before. Before Alexander could put a plan together in his head he received a call from Mason, his best mate. They had been friends since primary. Mason was one of the only four people in the inner circle.
Annie slipped a towel around herself, her skin still burning from her hot shower, smelling of pinecone. Her phone had rung multiple times while she was occupied in the shower, but Annie couldn't bring herself to leave the comforting heat of the scalding water. It felt too nice, too fresh, she felt too safe. Her head was caught in daydreams of what her life could be if she just had the confidence to follow her dreams if she had the confidence to go back to Cindy's and just see her cousin one more time. To get just one more glimpse at the boy she had been in love with all these years. She often wondered how he had developed, how he looked now if he still had those dimples when he smiled if his eyes were still that golden brown colour she saw so often in her dreams. She would never be able to get the answers she so desperately wanted. When she was dry and in her pyjamas, Annie finally looked at her phone. Sh
Alexander paced up and down the floor of his private house, surrounded by his closest friends and inner circle. Alexander's inner circle were the only people aware of his private house, with a few trusted guards that patrolled the perimeter. Alexander needed to be constantly well protected, he always carried weapons and had a set of trained guards on standby. These guards were a part of the mafia, but their jobs were primarily to protect important assets. His father had been the one to set up the almost separate organization. They had specific training and were always ready to kill. They had been taught to shoot first and ask questions later, and of course, never ask questions about what or why they were protecting something. "Someone is making a complete fool out of me," Alexander exclaimed, tugging at his hair. "I keep losing more and more products. Someone has to be leaking information." Alexande
Cindy was going through some of Jack's files. Something about his name struck something inside her. She recognized it, she just had to be sure where from. Cindy was aware that there were many people named Jack, it was a common name for people to name their children, but she had to check. The nagging feeling at the back of her head refused to silence itself until she finally looked into it. 'Jack Hill' Cindy read aloud, she read it again and again, attempting to find it in her memories. Until finally it hit her. "Jack has been super busy recently. I feel like I'm losing my brother." A younger Annie Hill's voice swirled in Cindy's mind. Instantly Cindy read further, scanning until she found it. She finally found her name. 'Annie Hill'. Instinctively Cindy picked up Annie's file and scanned through that
"Can I take you somewhere?" A much younger Annie asked, a much younger Alexander. She was nervous. Maybe it was because he had been the only one there for her at that moment. Maybe it was because he had been the only male, apart from her brother, that ever gave her real attention. Maybe it was just the high emotions of the night. Either option was entirely possible because all Annie knew was that she wanted to get to know Alexander, and she knew that in order to do this she would have to be more open and forthcoming about herself. Although the thought terrified her, Annie considered it a small price to become closer, more intimate, with the boy in front of her. "Sure?" Alexander's answer was hesitant. He knew he needed to get to know Annie. After all, she was Cindy's friend. Or perhaps that was just an excuse he was allowing himself to bel
Annie shivered as the cold seeped through the thin blanket and her clothes. The clothes she was wearing just wasn't enough to protect her from the freezing air around her. The door opened again and Cindy walked in, now as Annie looked at her friend, she could see how different Cindy seemed from when they had been friends. Her physical changes were to be expected, but Annie could see through to Cindy's core and soul. They both seemed different, altered. She wasn't sure what had happened, but she wasn't quite the same person. If Annie was honest with herself she knew she was jealous of the changes Cindy seemed to show because Annie knew she hadn't changed much. Physically, yes, she was different. Her spiritual self hadn't changed. "I'm sorry, Alex is such an impulsive twat." Cindy sighed, sitting on the chair that was always left a little away from the cell. Annie stayed silent, she was too cold to risk looking any more body heat. "You must be freezing, I'll call Chris h
Chris and Alexander were sat at the kitchen table. Both had a coffee in their hands. Their conversation had started much more civilised than Cindy's had. Chris hadn't even mentioned Annie yet, he had to wait for his moment, it had to be naturally brought up or steered towards. "So you got Jack's sister?" Chris asked, he purpousely avoided Annie's name. That could be a raw scar, he didn't know enough about the circumstances towards the girls friendship, or if Alexander had any kind of relationship with the girl he could only describe as a victm. "Yeah it was easy to catch her." Alexander's tone was sharp, he tried to push a smile on his face but his anger was noticed by Chris. Alexander was almost angry at Annie for being such an easy target. The lack of protection she carried, it was almost as if she didn't know how dangerous the world around her was. Which she didn't. How could she? She had lived a previously relatively shelted life. No drama, danger, threat.