Note from the Author:
I have really enjoyed writing and continuing this series which started 3 years ago which took me on my own personal journey. Please note I am not a professional writer (still learning lots as I go along) and the premise and characters of the book belong to Sega, however there are a few twists and new characters also present.
Please note that this series comes after:
Series 1 - Beginnings, Series 2 - Rebirth, Series 3 - Path of a Heroine, Series 4 - Chasing Justice
All of which have been completed and can be found below to read!
Hope you enjoy :-) it is something different with old and new characters (you never know where imagination can take you) and any positive or constructive reviews are always welcome. Thank you to everybody who has followed the series so far! :-)
Chapter 1
"Higher Mommy, higher!" Ellie shouted with elation as her mother pushed the seat of her swing from behind her. The young six year old was having the time of her life gliding through the air on her favourite swing. If only she could make it to the sky, it felt like she was almost there kicking the sunset when she extended her legs forward.
Gradually Ellie started to slow down, getting lower and lower then finally her mother gripped onto the chains of the swing to bring it to a halt.
"Mommy I want to go again!" the young girl demanded always with a bossy attitude. Her mother was in fact the opposite which was calm and softly spoken. "Darling we have to go home now, its past 8pm and almost your bedtime. I promise you we will return tomorrow ok?" she smiles as she strokes her daughter's soft gold curls then gently cusps her chin and rosy cheeks to give them a little squeeze.
Summer nights in Stockholm were the best with daylight sometimes lasting until 10pm. The family were originally from Iowa, USA but had emigrated to Sweden three years earlier when Ellie was very young due to her father's political career. Her older sister Gloria remembered their birthplace but Ellie had no recollection and this is what she would have understood as home.
Home was only a short five minute stroll away. As Ellie's mother opened the front door she noticed a large suitcase packed and stood against the wall.
"You never told me you were having another trip Pete?" She cautiously commented as soon as she noticed her husband sitting at the end of the dining room table.
"Yeah er, something came up and I have to catch a flight tonight" his answer gives her no reassurance.
"Where to this time?" She asks, stern in her tone.
"I have some business to take care of in Miami, I'll only be a four days away" he avoids her gaze and acts dismissive whilst he reads through a magazine.
"With your whore let me guess?" she angrily replies, her frustration building up at his lack of remorse and care for her.
"Gloria, take Ellie upstairs now". The young teenager stands at the bottom of the staircase staring at her mother blankly. "I said take your sister upstairs now!" This time her tone is sterner. The two blond sisters run up the large set of carpeted stairs towards the first landing. The entrance to their house is grand and full of old paintings and sculptures with a large crystal chandelier to light up the high ceiling above them. The two sisters sit on the top step together, each peeking through a gap in the bannister so that they can hear their parent's conversation.
Suddenly they hear glass breaking as a result of their mother throwing a vase against the wall. "How dare you Pete! How dare you do this to me! I know exactly what is going on!" She hysterically shouts.
He calmly rises to his feet and walks towards her. Her pulse races knowing how unpredictable he is. Out of nowhere he smacks her across the face and she falls to the ground. He then drags her by the hair and picks her up forcing her to look in the large mirror.
"Now you listen good. I put food on this table, I give you a roof and I call the shots around here. What I do outside this house is none of your concern, is that clear?" Tears and mascara roll down her cheeks as she nods in agreement with one side of her face reddened and swelling up from the impact.
He pushes her away as if he was throwing out the trash then grabs the handle to his suitcase and jacket. Without a goodbye or an ounce of regret he exits the large front door, slamming it hard amd leaving his wife weeping on the floor.
Those last words of his remain in Ellie's memory always. That night she sat on the staircase for hours promising herself that she would never let a man control her or call the shots for her as her father did. It was all too often that she witnessed her mother in this state.
"Girls, we're packing our bags and leaving".
"What?! You can't just…" Gloria angrily replied. Eventually when she calmed down she came around and the three of them left Sweden the following morning to start a new life.
10 years later, Wood Oak City
"Ellie?! Ellie is that you?...Don't mind my daughter she's going to start work soon anyway …. Ellie?"
She hears her mothers' voice shouting from the kitchen when she returns home.
"What is he doing here?" Ellie angrily questions her mother when she notices her and her old flame Nick high off of their faces. It is easy to spot several needles lying around the kitchen as well as the smell of weed prominent in the air.
"Haven't you got some place you need to be?" Her mother encourages her to leave.
Without bothering to argue Ellie storms out of the kitchen and back towards the front door. As she leaves she can hear the sound of her mother's laughter. Within months of moving here, her mother went into a download spiral of drug addiction and depression. The harsh reality was that her mother changed and things got worse and worse. Almost overnight their family went from the lavish life in Stockholm to the slums of Wood Oak City. When her mother tried to find work, no one was willing to give her the chance until she got desperate. She had no choice, the only option at the time was to sell herself to put food on the table. From there onwards, life tumbled downhill.
"Sorry miss I need to serve you with this" a mail guy swiftly hands over to Ellie an envelope as she exits the front porch. She examines the front of it – FINAL EVICTION NOTICE. Plain and simple in capital letters. She sighs before returning back inside the house.
"Mom have you even seen this?" Ellie throws the brown envelope on the table in front of her.
"Do you mind? We're trying to have a conversation here!" Nick snarls at her.
"No one is talking to you old man!" Ellie answers back "Mom are you even listening?" She reiterates trying to get through to her mother who is laughing hysterically.
"Yes darling, I've seen this. By the way it's gonna be ok we're moving in with Nick from tomorrow so don't you worry sweety". He smirks at the teenager from across the table. The very thought of living under the same roof as him fills Ellie with rage and sends shivers down her spine. The guy is a total creep and she has never felt comfortable around him or any other man mom has brought home.
"Over my dead body!" Her response is direct.
"Well honey you will just have to find your own place then!" Her mother's tone is one of like it or loathe it which doesn't go down well with Ellie who is used to getting her own way.
"Your just like dad you know that?!" These were the last words she said to her mother before she packed her bags and left.
Already at the age of sixteen Ellie was very independent and knew the streets well. She would often spend time busking the streets of Central District sometimes earning up to 30 dollars a night with her singing. She sang as she walked towards the telephone box.
"Gloria, it's me. I need your help". The only place she knew to dial was her big sister. That night she waited three hours at the bus station until eventually, a black Mercedes pulled up with her sister inside who she hadn't seen for two years.
"What are you waiting for then? Jump in sis!" Her sister appeared more glamorous than ever.
Present Day.
"Finally it's great to have you back here in Wood Oak City" Raven takes Electra's hand and escorts her down the steps from her private jet and onto the tarmac.
"I take it we have had no trouble from the feds regarding my arrival?" she smiles.
"None whatsoever. And now my dear, I cannot wait for you to meet our new recruits".
"I hope they're living up to their expectations. We still need to triple our distribution to even start recovering from the mess that was left when Mr X was killed a year ago".
With the city still recovering from the economic damage of a war with the Lima nations, it was easy for Raven and his men to take advantage of the situation by recruiting unemployed youngsters on the streets to boost their drugs trade. "The prisons and the streets are full, we have been working tirelessly building our organisation inside and out" he updates.
"Good because my syndicate will be different to the rest. Stefan and Javier were so interested in politics and world domination for themselves. My syndicate puts business first" she grins as they step into a limousine on the tarmac. The pair are each given a glass of champagne which they salute together as soon as they sit down.
"Any word from Tim Murphy?" She continues to discuss business.
"No, he's laying low right now. We're still on the hunt for Stone, it's on record that he was the one who killed Mr X that son of a bitch! When I find him I will shoot him!"
"No need for that" she shakes her head "I'm handling Tim and with regards to Axel, employing a sniper to shoot him is way too easy. I'm going to make sure he suffers, leave it to me".
The car pulls up by a large residence, the home of Mr X's old lawyer Marcus Wu. "Welcome Electra, it's been a long time" he kisses her on both cheeks. She is dressed in a pin stripe black suit, white blouse and black heals with her hair neatly tied in a bun. "Let's discuss our finances shall we?" He leads them towards his own private office.
"Aah Sorry Raven you will have to wait here" she stops him in his tracks.
"But I have been handling Wood Oak since you…!"
"I'm sorry about this" she replies to Marcus. "Raven, I am very grateful for all you have done but I am the leader now of this organisation. So if you don't mind, this should only take half an hour or so?" her gaze turns to Marcus who gives her a nod and a smile. "Know your place and remember I'm the one who calls the shots around here". She grins as her and Marcus walk through the large wooden doors to his office. Once the doors close, Raven is left standing outside with a bitter taste in his mouth and uncertainty at what lies ahead for this new era in the syndicate.