MY Brother 2

The time had finally come for Gabriel to officially take over Mr. Angelini's role in the organization. Almost a year had passed since Bryce was finally taken care of and we had been living by all means, ‘in peace.’ But peace never lasted long… not in our world. **** The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the living room. I tossed my school bag onto the couch, the familiar weight of the day falling off my shoulders. Gabriel wasn’t home at the moment. He had, had a ‘meeting to attend.’ He’d been having a lot of those as of late… I glanced at the mailbox by the door, half expecting something mundane, a bill or a flyer but instead, I spotted a plain envelope, its stark whiteness almost glaring against the dark wood. Curiosity piqued and I crossed the room and plucked it from the slot. It felt oddly heavy in my hands, the paper crisp and cold. I hesitated for a moment, my heart racing. Something in my gut screamed that this was more than just junk mail. With a swift motion, I tore it open and unfolded the letter. The blocky handwriting seemed to leap off the page, each letter a taunt. “Gabriel must step down. Or there will be hell to pay. We will be watching” A chill raced down my spine, but defiance bubbled up within me. I wasn’t about to let this scare me. I refused to be that scared little girl again. After everything that we’d already been through… I crumpled the paper in my fist, determination igniting in my chest. “Hell to pay? Bring it on,” I whispered to myself, staring out at the darkening sky. This would severely piss off Gabriel and he’d turn into MORE of a lion again. Wanting me protected every moment of every day again. I had to fight with him to make him feel comfortable enough to let me go to school on my own when he couldn’t be with me. I really didn’t want to do that again… Unfortunately for me though, he would HAVE to be made aware of this stupid, pathetic, little threat. It was time to fight another enemy.