Family Reunion

The rain fell over her in buckets drenching every part of her sending shivers down her spine leaving trails of goosebumps on her arms. Her hair fell on her face in thick wet ribbons, her clothes soaking wet with rain stuck on her body. The sky roared on top of her announcing its anger in flashes of lights. But she stood frozen in the cold weather ready to devour the entire city in whole, washing down the yellow tapes and glass crashed outside the destroyed cafe that had now become a haunted house, deserted by its owner.

The rain blurred her visions, hindering her hearing but she wasn't there; she was reliving the events of the day though trying to focus on something else but to no avail.

Evelyn had arrived drenched earlier in the day after running behind 'Samwise', following Ethan. They had undoubtedly lost him in the heavy rain. Whoever the man was he was with perfect backup ready to help him flee. Anger and exhaustion filled her from head to toe as she stepped inside the mansion, a maid coming to help her putting a towel around her, without asking a question. She walked towards the stairs leading to her room when her elder uncle's booming voice echoed in the entire family hall. It would have been a normal thing if it wasn't for the person he was calling aloud for. "Lily" he screamed with full fury standing in the hall. She saw different members of her family come out of their rooms hearing the fury in the voice of the head of their family.

Rolling her eyes she sighed walking back to the family hall clutching the towel tighter around her. She came face to face with her entire family gathered in the family hall. Aunt Zatana stood by her husband trying to calm him off as he fumed over something on his phone screen. While their kids ignored the scene , Adam sat on the couch ready in his college clothes with earphones plugged in blasting music and Amelia sat beside him dressed in her night suit with her sleeping child clinging around her shoulders. Aunt Alia stood with her husband -her younger uncle-Uncle Harvard, curious to the events of the hall. He did and said nothing to gain the attention of his elder brother. Few people were still missing Her eldest cousins. Andrew David and Rachel Harvard, sent to different countries for studies. More like made to flee. She knew why but the reasons were buried six feet underground and never bringing them up was an unspoken rule of the house.

The procession was set but the Woman of the hour was missing. Aunt Lily was nowhere to be found. "Lily" her uncle screamed again walking closer to the staircase.

"Sir" the earlier maid appeared in the hall, head bowed. After a seething look of approval the poor maid spoke in a squeamish voice. "She left last night before dinner" the words were like a fuel to the ticking bomb her uncle had become he inhaled deeply, clenching his jaw stomping around the entire hall steaming.

"She knows the right time to run off" she heard Alia whisper to her husband loud and clear, though she doubted anyone else did.

"What's the matter?" Evelyn spoke up, breaking the brewing silence before the bomb really went off.

"WHAT"S Th…" he raised his voice turning all attention to the girl who had dared to interrupt but as if realization dawned upon him who he was talking to his voice lowered turning more stern by the second. Evelyn was aware that the lowering of voice wasn't in respect but in compulsion. He knew Evelyn owned all that he worked for. Every part of it and he could never quarrel with that girl. It was the only reason for it or they all knew she would have been sent to an orphanage the day she had survived and her parents hadn't. With jaw clenched yet he spoke to his wife not to her. "Show her what's wrong."

Aunt Zatana took the phone from her husband and with a disgusted face passed it on to her. Evelyn watched as the video played, Alia leaned in hearing the sound of the video that now filled the hall.

Mal's young face appeared on the screen "Hi guys…" she drawled moving around the empty cafe. She easily recognized the cafe that was now a broken mess. "My first time working as a part timer" she cheered for herself, clapping in the video. It was a vlog. Evelyn stared closely at the video as it moved to another room, the lockers and in that spur of a moment as the camera moved a shadow of a figure appeared in the window of the back door pair of eyes staring at Mal. Evelyn paused the video stopping at blur eyes in the video. She played the video again as Mal moved into the locker room and the second she entered two loud shots were heard, just like they had predicted one of them a second later. The loud echoes of shots emitted from the phone and everyone listening closely flinched. A chill shot through Evelyn's spine and she felt her hands getting clammier. She returned the phone back to Zatanna wiping her hands off her wet clothes.

"Call your cousin right now and tell her to remove this video from the social media" She looked up at the stern voice pulling her back into the scene.

"Why?" she found herself saying. A scoff and a gasp appeared in front of the corner of the room.

"Do you really want to drag your family into the case of the police" he was getting closer and closer to losing his cool.

"The police are already investigating, '' she countered in a calm voice, her fists clenched by her side. She could feel her hairs raised on her arms. She didn't feel too good. Her vision blurred and returned to focus. She gulped trying to keep herself on her feet. She needed answers.

"And you want to feed more to those hunters" his voice was finally a pitch higher as he clenched his phone tighter to the point where his knuckles whitened. His wife came to his side placing a hand on his shoulder all the while glaring at Evelyn but she was too busy trying to focus to let it affect her.

"Why do you want to hide the information from the police?" she finally questioned keeping her voice stable, staring back directly into her uncle's venom filled eyes, the same brown color as hers.

"Because he is…" Aunt Zatanna began to say something but she silenced as soon as the direction of the fuming eyes was turned from Evelyn to her. She saw from her peripheral vision as Alia's face morphed into disappointment turning to her husband for more information who stood there disinterested. Amelia looked down at her son, clenching her jaw hiding away the knowing look in her eyes. She turned to Adam who too looked curious. A small question in her unfocused eyes. The boy shrugged in response, unaware of the scenario.

"Your uncle is trying to look out for this family." Harvard spoke for the first time coming to the center of the room. "And you should do the same, like we have always done for you" he spoke in a robotic manner, like the information was downloaded inside of him. Evelyn had always found his behavior weird. The subtle glances, the small responses and even now his unbothered calmness, she found suspicious. She stopped the urge to scoff at his words.

As if on cue, to fulfill the decrement of the family the door opened giving way to a high pitched hello. All the faces turned to the women dressed in a black dress that hugged her perfect curves. The woman in her early forties walked into the room with bright smiles in contrast to the tense mood of the room. She ran hand through her blonde hair, walking further into the room, swaying her body.

"Smile people, the beloved aunt Stephanie is finally back from Paris" she looked at their surprised faces, choosing to ignore the environment of the hall as she took a seat on the couch while her husband Michael walked behind her dragging the suitcases handing over to the maids. "I tell you all, Paris is so beautiful this time of the year, in comparison to these crazy showers here, she dried off her arms splashed with a few water droplets.

"Stephanie" Aunt Zatanna smiled forcefully at her sister in law. "What a surprise?"

"Finally someone said something" she sighed, fanning herself, motioning her husband to bring her a glass of water. She looked at each one of them one by one and then her eyes landed on Evelyn. "Oh My Gosh" she stood up gasping walking over to the younger girl. "I almost didn't recognize you Lyna" she said her made up nickname with a fake French fake accent. "Why do you look like a drowning cat?" she exclaimed in pretense shock placing her hands on Evelyn's shoulder "I missed you so much" she said in between giving her air kisses from shoulder length on both sides. "I would have hugged you but you are too wet" Evelyn forced herself to smile nodding in understanding. She gasped again dramatically clenching Evelyn's shoulder tighter as the girl flinched at her high pitched voice. "I almost forgot, how are you my poor child" she pouted "I heard about your friend I am so sorry" she prolonged the word sorry for effect. Uncle David stormed out of the mansion behind them.

"Aunt steph…" finally unable to bear it any longer she spoke up but was cut off again.

"Don't call me that, Call me steph '' she gave her another air kiss. Alia rolled her eyes in response as Amelia picked up her sleeping son ready to walk away.

"Steph," she repeated. "I am going to get changed."

"Of course girl" she patted her back as Evelyn turned around to leave "you do that and I'll catch up on the gossip later'' Evelyn didn't turn around to answer anymore as Stephanie turned back to the rest of the family members saying "now why do you all look like someone just died" she laughed aloud at her own jokes. Evelyn walked upstairs with support of the railing paying no more heed to her insensitivity.