As the days passed her by, she soon came to the realisation Jacob was growing at an alarming rate. He'd once been the size of a Chihuahua, now he was about the size of a Bull Terrier. Evie was just now waking up as Jacob jumped on the bed to join her.
'Wake up, Evie!' he nudged her with his nose.
"Jacob," she groaned, pushing him away.
'Up at dawn,' he tsked to himself.
Evie pushed him from the bed to finally be able to get up in piece. She stretched her aching muscles before heading for the wash basin to wash her face. Jacob was heard behind her growling softly at something. She turned to look at him while drying herself off.
"What have you got there?" she frowned.
He looked up at her while keeping whatever he had between his teeth.
"Give it to me," she told him with a hand held out.
He chewed it a little more while still keeping his gaze on her.
"Jacob!" she scolded him.
He let go of his chew toy and stood up. Evie recognised it immediately.
"Jacob, you should know better than to play with..." she bent down to retrieve her gauntlet only to have her brother grab it and run.
"Jacob!" she yelled, seeing him drop it as he looked to her again from behind the wall.
"Miss Frye," a woman stepped over, raising a brow as Jacob took the gauntlet and ran into his car.
"Anna," Evie now looked to her.
"We need to talk," the Rook started.
"Can this wait?" she asked.
Anna shook her head. "The boys are restless."
At this Evie stopped dead in her tracks. Shit, she'd forgotten all about them what with her predicament.
"Has it not accrued to you that my brother is missing," she told the woman straight.
Anna looked confused at this. "We wondered why we hadn't seen or heard from either of you in a while."
Evie sighed heavily as she dropped down onto her chair.
"Where was he last seen?"
Evie gave a shrug.
"Alright, I'll get the Rooks organised and we'll search for him."
"Wait!" Evie quickly stopped her.
Anna turned back to look at her.
"Just don't get yourselves killed."
Anna gave a smug smile. "Kind words, Miss Frye. Oh, and what's with the dog? I heard you shout Jacob."
Evie shook her head. "I-I named him Jacob," she shrugged once again.
"I see," the Rook nodded, now heading out to join the rest.
Jacob was still chewing on Evie's gauntlet when the Rook woman passed him to start up a conversation with the others.
"You do know Jacob's gone missing right?"
"What?"
"When did that happen?"
"Don't know."
"Then what do we do now?"
"We search for him."
"He could be anywhere."
"Yeah, and that means we'd have to take on the boroughs and what not ourselves."
"What about Miss Frye? What's she doing to look for him?"
It was quiet for a moment as if the person had shrugged.
"I say we take on the Blighter territories by ourselves."
"What about the gang leaders? We don't have the reputation like they do."
"I don't know."
"I don't really want to go snivelling back to their side, but what do we do?"
"We gather as many allies as we can."
"Henry can't do shit to help either. It's Miss Frye or nothing."
"I don't think she's up to it."
"Why not?"
"She's named some dog Jacob."
"What?" one laughed.
"She's seriously taken the loss of her brother to extreme proportions."
"You think he's dead?"
"Well, you know what I mean."
Jacob felt for his sister, without him she would lose the Rooks. He needed to do something, but what? He picked up his sisters gauntlet and headed back to her. She was sat at her desk, lazily flicking through a book.
'Evie,' he pawed her. 'Evie.'
She looked to him, a frowned over coming her tired features. "Jacob! You idiot, don't mess with that!"
She snatched it from him to slam it down on her desk.
'Evie,' he pawed her again.
"Leave me alone, Jacob. I need to concentrate."
'No. Evie, you have to get out there and start taking back London.' He tried to warn her. 'You're going to lose the Rooks.'
She pushed him away, not wanting to listen to him barking and whining any longer.
"Jacob!" she snapped. "Go!"
'Fine! If you won't do anything then I will,' he snarled as he darted for the open door.
Evie looked up now. "Jacob!" she shouted, but he was out of sight. "Damn him!"
She pulled on her coat, slipped her gauntlet on her arm even though it was covered in slobber, and raced after her brother.
"I could murder him," she cursed as she tried to catch sight of him.
Jacob ran through the streets, darting under carriages and even between horses legs, forcing them to snort and throw their heads up and down, some even nearly kicking him.
'This is so much faster,' he thought amused as he weaved his way through another couple of carriages.
There was no looking back now, he wanted to make a start and being the way he was right now would not hinder him in the least. It had been a good long hunt, but he'd finally tracked down his first targets. His vision had changed drastically, but at least his other senses were sharper. He knew the difference between friend and foe.
'Here we go, Jacob.' He told himself before running in.
The lookout would be the first to go, although he was still small his jaw did have strength to it. He grabbed the man's leg in a vice like grip, the only thing was that the man was still attached to it and screaming at him. Luckily it worked in his favour as it not only attracted the Blighters, but his sister and the odd Rooks.
"Get this bloody beast off of me!" the man yelled.
A Blighter reached into his coat to take out his gun, only to suddenly drop to a muddy puddle. Evie dropped down to silence the lookout while the Rooks exchanged stab wounds with the Blighters.
"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Evie hissed as the lookout fell to her blade.
'Helping you,' he barked before running off to take on another.
He ran at a woman, grabbing her leg and twisting it back so she fell. She screamed as he tore into her, unluckily through a sniper had a good aim on him and fired. It got him in the shoulder, making him yelp. Evie quickly downed another before snapping her head up to see her brother limp away.
"Jacob!" she screamed, now in a full blown rage.
She quickly climbed the building the sniper was on, slit her throat before kicking her from the roof, dropped onto another, then quickly rushed off to find her brother.
"Jacob, wait!" she called out as he dropped to the floor. "No! No!"
She ran over, slipping on the muddy patches before dropping to her knees next to him.
'Sorry, Evie, I didn't think.' He whimpered as she cradled him.
"Hold on, Jacob." She soothed.
Quickly standing with her unconscious brother in her arms, she left the Rooks to deal with the remaining Blighters. She had to get Jacob back to the train, she had to. She ran as fast as she could back out to the busy streets, stopping directly in front of a carriage. The man pulled back on the reins harshly. He hadn't been going that fast, his horses going at a steady trot, but it still upset them to be pulled up so suddenly.
"Get out of the road you stupid woman!" the driver yelled.
"I need your carriage," she told him.
"Bugger off!" he spat.
"If you want to see tomorrow, I suggest you do as I say."
"You're bleeding crazy."
"Open the door, quickly!" she snapped.
He dropped down but quickly ran off to call for the police. Evie groaned as she just about managed to open the door to set her brother on the seat inside. Once he was set, she closed the door. A quick glance told her she had to get a move on as two officers caught sight of her.
"The things you put me through," she huffed as she climbed up to take the reins.
The pushed the horses to their max, thankfully leaving the officers behind.
"Hold on, Jacob." She sighed before remembering someone who could help her out. "Miss Nightingale knows."
She quickly turned the carriage around to head back for Lambeth. Quickly pulling up outside the Asylum, she pulled her brother into her arms and headed for the door.
"Miss Nightingale!" she shouted. "Miss Nightingale!"
The door opened and their stood the woman once again.
"Miss Frye," she greeted, though not as warmly as it once was.
"Please," Evie now begged. "I know you'd like to forget what happen that night and so would I, but my brothers been shot and you're..."
"Bring him in," she waved her in. "This is not the place to have brought him."
"I know, I was desperate."
Miss Nightingale nodded in understanding. She wanted nothing to do with this, but she found herself being stuck with it.
"I'll have to take him to my room. I cannot allow anyone to know about this," she went on.
"I understand," Evie nodded.
"This is a sterile place, Miss Frye. Bringing dogs in here..."
"You know he isn't a dog, Miss Nightingale." Evie scowled.
"Yes. However much I would love to not have witness what I did, but what was seen cannot be unseen. Put him down on the bed."
Evie set her twin down on the bed before pacing about behind the nurse.
"Miss Frye, if you would hold me this."
Evie's hand shook but she fought against it as she helped Miss Nightingale heal her twin.
"That is all I can do for him," she told her as she washed her hands.
"Thank you," Evie smiled, ever so grateful to her.
"He needs plenty of rest. I would allow you to stay, but as it is."
Evie nodded. "I'll take him back to the train."
"Be careful," Miss Nightingale warned her.
"I will," Evie nodded as she took her brother into her arms again to take him with her.
Once out of the hospital, she placed him back in the carriage. She couldn't help but look at him for a minute or two, stroking back the fur on his face, seeing the scar on his chin as clear as day.
"Why are you always so reckless?" she asked softly, watching as his chest rose and fell steadily.
She shook her head at his stupid antics, knowing he'd end up in an early grave if he wasn't careful.
"I know how much you want to take back London, but..." she let out a breath.
Jacob suddenly stirred a little as if dreaming, she soothed him back to a peaceful slumber again. Once he was settled she climbed into the driver's seat, took the reins and headed back to the train.
"Miss Frye," Anna greeted as soon as she boarded. "We know you're going through a tough time at the moment, but we want you to know that we'll keep going until we find your brother."
Evie placed Jacob on her bed before turning to the woman. "Thank you, Anna."
Anna now turned to leave, but Evie stopped her.
"I've been moping enough, it's time to get out there and help in the search for my brother." Only what she really meant was that she needed to get out and find whatever it was that had done this to her twin.
"We look forward to having you back with us, Evie." And with that she headed out.
