Five years ago...
"You would not believe what I came across this time, Evie!" Jacob swung down from the roof of the train, entering the caboose with enthusiasm, "Evie...?"
The adolescent questioned, trying to get his sisters attention. Jacob was bewildered by his sisters look of daze. It appeared as though something struck her to where everything around her was inconspicuous to her. He waved his hand in front of her face. He called out her name. He even pushed her. Nothing. It made him think she was in somewhat of a trance that he tried to think of ways to try and get her out of it. Within a matter of minutes he ended up going to the last resort.
"Sorry, sister dearest." He chuckled lightly, an evil grin gliding across his face as he ended up grabbing an ice cube from his water glass and slid it down the back of her shirt.
"Ah! C-Cold! Cold! What the bloody hell did you do that for, Jacob?!" Evie screeched, jittering around, trying to shake the ice cube down, "Really? Did you really have to go to such low lengths to grab my attention like this?" The young woman glared, picking up the ice cube and throwing it at him.
"You weren't responding to me when I was calling your name." Jacob chuckled as he dodged, "You were just ogling, who I assume was Henry?" A smirk came across his face.
Evie didn't confirm nor deny on Jacob's observation, she just simply stood there, trying to stay calm and collected after hearing that man's name. She failed at trying. Her pale freckled cheeks became as red as a rose. Her heart began to pound out of her chest. Her whole body became hot from her feet, rising its way to the very top of her head. The adolescent felt embarrassment take full control of her.
"I presume my assumption is correct?" His smirk never left his face, "I will admit, it's quite odd of you to be daydreaming of a man when you usually stay so focused on your- what is that...?"
As Jacob was beginning to tease her, he looked down at her hand, noticing something shimmering on her finger. Her ring finger to be exact. He was in disbelief of what he saw that his mind drew a complete blank. Jacob would normally mock her, but he stood there as silent as a lamb. Evie looked up at him, bewildered by his silence. Slight concerns came across her to where it ended up being her turn to wake him up, but he spoke before she called out his name or nudged him.
"When...?" Jacob muttered, barely able to think of anything to say as his eyes stayed glued to the diamond ring.
"Hm?" She finally noticed on what he was staring at and she quickly shielded the ring that was glimmering, "It's... it's not..." The young woman had the slightest clue on what to say, "It's... well..."
"Please tell me that's not an engagement ring, dear sister of mine." His look of amusement fell to a look of seriousness as his eyes soon looked at hers with knitted brows.
Evie looked down, hiding her flushed face, "And if it was, would it really matter?" She muttered, fumbling with the ring nervously.
"As a matter of fact, yes! It would!" His voice began to rise as though a sign of bothersome, "When did this occur?"
Evie was speechless. She's never seen her brother be so bothered about well, anything at all when it involved relationships with others throughout their entire life. All Jacob ever did was tease her to his hearts content whenever he saw her with another boy to where she always got infuriated by his childishness. Though this was a complete shift change to her which ended up throwing her off guard.
"Evie!" Jacob growled.
Present Time...
"Evie!" Jacob continued to shout out her name, trying to stop her.
She didn't stop. She didn't turn. She didn't answer. All Evie could do was run away. The young woman couldn't understand the reason of her quick change in emotions. She's always had a hard shell whenever it included her brother. The young woman never wanted to show weakness towards her brother, so she questioned herself why now? Evie wanted to stop, but her body wouldn't let her. She kept running until Jacob finally caught her by pinning her against the wall and grabbing hold of the grappling hook before she could even reach the button.
"Goodness... you've certainly improved on your running skills." Jacob tried to catch his breath as he rested his head on her shoulder.
Evie jolted for a moment when his head landed on her shoulder and his husky voice whispered into her ear unintentionally. She stood there silently, trying to take the reins from her emotions so she could act like her normal self. The young woman still didn't understand the issue they had amongst one another, all she knew was their bond was nothing like before. She noticed it tore into pieces and she wanted to figure out why.
"Why are you being so cold to me, brother? What did I ever do to you to make you turn so cold towards me?" She turned, looking up at him with frustration.
Jacob looked at her, noticing tears were still sliding down her cheeks. He looked at her ocean blue eyes, sighing deeply as he wiped away the tears with his thumbs while cupping her cheeks. Evie flinched once his hands landed on her face gently, but she didn't push him away. She just stood there. The young man's hands were calloused from what she assumed was by his usual routine around London, but it felt as though they were soft to the touch on her skin. A faint grin crossed his face that looked as though he was soon filled with pain. Jacob looked down, not knowing how to respond to that question. The one question he couldn't even figure out. Jacob looked back at Evie, stricken by a feeling he was hoping wouldn't ignite back up.
Why did she have to return? The young man questioned himself, trying to keep himself together.
"Jacob?" Evie placed her hand on his, looking up at him with sadness appearing on her face, waiting for her question to be answered.
He shied away, "You wouldn't believe me nor understand even if I gave you my reasons." Jacob let go of Evie as he backed away from her, looking back at her with a look of frustration, "You wouldn't understand a damn thing..." Jacob clenched his hands tightly, letting out a deep sigh before returning to his usual self, "Sod it... sod it all, Evie." He placed a fake grin on his face as though nothing was bothering him.
"Jacob! Stop this non-sense!" Evie's voice rose out of irritation, "There has clearly been something bothering you! I've noticed ever since that day you saw that ring!"
"I do not need to be reminded of that day!" Jacob soon scowled after that statement.
"Oh? So it is that ring, is it not?" Evie chuckled with disbelief.
"Evie, don't be ridiculous." Jacob tried to stay calm, falling straight into denial.
"Then what is it thats led you away from me?" Evie faltered, "Why did you become so distant? What did I ever do to you? I tried finding you to straighten things out before I left, but you..." The young woman fell silent, unable to bring up the day he began avoiding her.
Well, you obviously didn't try hard enough. He scoffed to himself, looking away.
"As I've stated before dear sister, sod it. What happened in the past should just stay in the past." He chuckled faintly, locking his eyes with hers.
Frustration grew inside Evie to the point of leading her to resignation. She didn't want to push things any further than they already were, but she still kept in mind to ask again in the near future. The young woman tried to stay calm and collected as she let out a deep sigh, looking down with a feeling of weakness surpassing her. She looked back up at him, smiling faintly.
Stop looking at me with those beautifully saddened eyes... Jacob groaned lightly so only he could hear as he looked away from her.
"Sod it, huh...?" Evie chuckled, shaking her head slowly with a scoff, "Fine, dear brother... Fine."
Awkwardness filled the air while they stood there in complete silence to a point of where you could hear a pin drop. They didn't know how to talk to each other. Ever since five years of separation between them passed by, they felt as though they were complete strangers. All they did was stare at each other for who knows how long. The silence finally broke when a man called out Jacob.
"There you are!" The man laughed, out of breath, "You need to head over to the ring remem- hm? Oh, who's this? Is this another one of your women you so ever sle-."
Jacob nudged the mans side, hard, "Ahem! What was it you were about to remind me of lad?" He turned, giving the man a forced grin, signalling to not go any further.
"O-Oh! R-Right! Um... Ah, yes! You have to head to the ring in Whitechapel. Remember? You have to fight the gangleader that took Roth's place." The man said, pointing the way as he began to run in the direction.
Jacob let out a long sigh of annoyance, "Sorry sis." He smirked, "I've got a place to be." The young man waved as he began to bolt.
Evie felt her chest tighten as she saw him run away. She knew it was unintentional and that he had his reason, but her mind made her worry as her emotions tagged along with it. As his distance grew, she remembered how painful it was when Jacob changed and the day he avoided her. It hurt, but she didn't know what she could've done and she still had the slightest clue on why he was so detached to her.
Once her head was finally cleared, she chose to run to the ring that her brother was running towards. Once she reached there, she slowed down, noticing Robert Topping. A huge grin crossed his face once seeing the other Frye twin that he ended up going in for a big hug. It surprised Evie, but a small grin appeared on her face as she returned the gesture.
"Well, if it isn't Ms. Frye. Or should I say, Mrs. Green?" He chuckled, releasing her.
"Ms. Frye, Mr. Topping." Her smile became slight when she corrected her marital status.
"Oh, my deep apologies, Ms. Frye." He cleared his throat, feeling discomfort begin to grow between them.
"It's not your fault, Mr. Topping." She laughed lightly, "It just... didn't go as we had hoped."
"Well, um... would you like to fight after your brother? Get a little frustration out?" He chuckled, beginning to feel awkward.
"Hm? Oh! I'd love to!" She grinned, realizing it's been awhile since she's practiced fighting.
When Evie moved to India, she didn't get much of a chance to fight nor assassinate as much as she expected. After she began living with Henry, her freedom came to a bit of a standstill. The young woman was expected to be a house wife, stay out of danger, and raise children. Something Evie never even thought of doing in her life whatsoever. She understood Henry's view and expectations when she married him, she just didn't understand why she let a man take control of her life.
"Ms. Frye?" Mr. Topping grabbed her attention, pointing towards the ring, "Want to see how much your brother has improved when you were away?"
"Hm? Oh! Of course." Evie grinned, looking in his direction.
Her heart suddenly leaped when seeing her brother take his shirt off. The after results of his appearance when he became shirtless made her stiffen as a board. His smooth skin. His well-built abs covered by his thin chest hair. His raven tattoo still appeared on his left shoulder. His strong and straight looking back as he turned to enter the ring. Everything suddenly made Evie shiver of what she was hoping was not by the cause of excitement.
She fell straight into denial with her emotions and tried to focus mainly on his skills. The young woman assumed his fighting skills were still rough around the edges, but once he began to fight, she was impressed. He dodged every hit. He hit every chance he received. Every one of his strikes and defenses were on point to where it made him look like he knew the persons every weakness. Once seeing Jacob deck the person, knocking him out on the ground, everyone clapped. Evie expected to see an arrogant man bow as if he saved the world, but she didn't. Jacob just wiped the sweat off his forehead and began to exit the ring, until he dodged a hit from behind.
"Christ... you guys again?" Jacob turned, noticing a group of men he assumed was from the man's gang, "I don't want to cause any trouble!" He dodged every man's hit, not even going for a chance to knock them out, "Be reasonable for Christ's sake!"
None of the men stopped and listened, they just continued to go after him. Jacob tried to confront the situation by trying to speak to them while they continued to strike at him. His patience was soon becoming thin, but he tried to keep a good grip on his anger as he kept reasoning with the men. There were no change in the results.
"Sorry fella's. This altercation ends now." A growl left Jacob's lips as he began to deck them, knocking each and every one of them out with a punch or a kick to the head and the chest, "I tried to reason with you men, but you didn't heed my warnings." A scoff escaped his lips, "Well, better have learned your lessons or else your next warning will become unsavoring to your very last taste." Jacob smirked at the leader of the gang before leaving the ring.
"Dear Lord..." Evie's jaw dropped, "What in the world was that, Jacob?"
"What are you talking about?" Jacob questioned, confused of her reaction.
"You... you acted so... so humble out there." The young woman pointed out, "That is nothing like you at all, brother! What happened to you when I was away?"
If you were here, you would have known. He responded in his head.
"Nothing of your concern, dear sister." He simpered, putting his shirt back on, "Well, thank you Mr. Topping for letting me settle things in your ring." Jacob chuckled, patting Mr. Topping's shoulder, "I'm looking forward to future matches. Until then..." He beamed before leaving the building.
"No. Thank you, Jacob." He smiled, handing him a bag of money he earned from the fight, "Please do come back soon. Until then." Mr. Topping waved him good-bye.
"Wait! Jacob!" Evie ran after him.
"Ms. Frye! Didn't you say you wanted to give it a whirl?" Mr. Topping called out to her.
Evie halted in place, watching her brother leave. When she saw her brother open the door, she grabbed him again. Jacob turned, his brows knitted with a sign of irritation. It stung her a little, but she didn't let go. The young woman simply stared at him, a smile appearing on her face, leaving Jacob feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Well, eldest sister? Go. Fight to your hearts content." Jacob spoke, pointing towards the ring, "I bet you haven't fought in a long while." He chuckled, releasing himself from her, "Have fun, sister dearest. Until then..." He smirked, tipping his hat before turning to leave.
"Until then, dear brother..." She sighed deeply.
Evie fell silent, lost in thought of what has happened the passed five years when she was away. The young woman clenched the hand that held her brothers. Annoyance and confusion blending deep inside her as she looked down at her hand. She heard Mr. Topping call out to her, but she couldn't move. At least not for a few minutes. Once her emotions became neutral, she entered the ring to let out all the frustration shes had built up ever since she moved to India.
While she fought, she didn't notice Jacob hid behind the audience, watching her fighting skills. He's noticed they've improved somewhat, but assumed by the hits shes gotten in turn, shes become rusty. Jacob shook his head with a chuckle as slight disappointment crossed him. He wondered what happened to the strong woman he used to look up to. The young man knew everyone has different strengths, but as he grew up with her, she appeared the strongest. Her IQ was higher than his. Her ability was greater than his. Her strength matched his. Her continuation to increase each year they've spent together. Everything about her made her look as tough as iron. But as he examined her physical skills in defense, he questioned on what happened to the woman when she was in India.
The fight finally ended and Evie looked sore. When she exited the ring, she saw a towel appear in front of her. The young woman looked up, following the owner of the hand.
"Jacob..." Evie was in slight shock.
"Not bad, Evie." He smiled gingerly, "I see you're a bit rusty, but I know a woman like you can improve hastily." Jacob chuckled as he wiped her forehead and wrapped the towel around her neck.
"Thanks..." The young woman still couldn't believe her eyes nor ears as she saw him in front of her.
"Well, shall we drink to our winning fights?" He rubbed the back of his neck, the feeling of awkwardness creeping up on him.
"I'd... I'd really like that, brother." She smiled.
The twins left the building with their winning money, bidding farewell to Mr. Topping. They walked to the closest bar in silence. Both feeling uncomfortable, wanting this night to end. Once they reached the bar everyone there welcomed Jacob with a smile. It shocked Evie on how close he appeared to almost everyone there. Leaving her to question on what happened when she was away. The twins went straight to the bar to get a drink.
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Frye. It's been quite awhile since I've seen you around here." A young, beautiful girl in a dark blue, comfortable looking dress spoke behind the bar, exposing her pearly white teeth to the young man, "What's your poison? Whiskey or Rum?"
Evie felt an aura she was not pleased with when noticing her brothers eyes were glued on the bartenders. After seeing their eyes locked on each other, she felt an emotion shes never once felt before and she was certainly not pleased by that emotion, nor the way those two interacted amongst one another. That evening, she felt it was going to be a rollercoaster she was not looking forward to...