HAPPENINGS
Towering white-framed windows consumed the walls. The glass was so clean and clear it looked as if there was nothing there. The lush green fields expanded further than the eye could see, like a patchwork quilt of forest greens had been laid neatly over the rolling hills. From where she stood in front of the big window, she could see the rickety roofs of the nearby village beyond the large field. In another life maybe she'd belong in a simple village like that. She could see herself as a local school teacher, curly hair pinned back as she read story books to young children. However, whenever she found herself contemplating a simple life she also would begin to realise how boring that life would be for her. As much as she hated the complications in her life that came from the constant danger her brothers seemed to put her in, it certainly made things more interesting.
"What do you think?" Thomas' voice echoed through the empty room.
Sophie turned on her heel to face away from the window. Tommy stood leaning against the large oak wood door frame with his hands in his dark grey suit trousers. Pondering his question, she took in the room once again. The ceilings were so high, freshly painted white, it felt like she was standing in a museum except this one was barren. The room was completely empty except for a few paint cans and rollers leant against the wall opposite to the window. The room was huge in every way, the faded beige wooden floors stretched across the entire room filling it with a new wooden smell. Delicate thin panelling lined the walls, painted a soft dusky pale pink to match the walls. There was a closed oak door in the wall left to her which she assumed led to a bathroom though she had yet to determine that for herself. It was a lovely room, especially if it was for a bedroom. It was huge so plenty of room for lots of nice furniture but not so big that someone would feel lost in its walls.
"It's lovely, Tom. What are you gonna do with it?" She responded, crossing her arms as she looked back at him.
"Well I was thinking of making it into a bedroom for you." He said nonchalantly. At his statement, Sophie's lips parted slightly in surprise. When Tommy had asked to show her his new house he was renovating before he moved in, she had definitely not anticipated that this was his intention.
"You want me to live with you?" Sophie questioned.
"Well I figured you were probably fed up of living on Watery Lane. Bit more fresh air out here, going to have stables as well so you can ride whenever you want." He said, pulling his cigarette holder out of his pocket and placing one between his lips.
"This is very nice of you." She turned back to look out the window, biting her lip nervously. What would it mean if she lived out here with Tommy? Yes, she'd love to get out of Small Heath, although it was home to her it had gotten particularly suffocating lately, but living with Tommy could be a whole new level of suffocation. He'd be able to keep track of her every move here, she wouldn't be able to blend in with the crowd and business like she could at home. However, with Ada gone and Polly having her own house now - home had gotten very lonely. Maybe this house wouldn't be such a bad idea? Tommy already knew she would be leaving to see Alfie regularly so what was the point in hiding it anymore?
"How far is it from London here?" She asked.
"Not far." He admitted, tilting his head back to watch his younger sister. He'd blinked and she'd become a fully grown woman and Thomas wasn't sure how he was handling that. He also hadn't decided what he was going to do about the bombshell she'd dropped on him a few days ago about her connection to Alfie Solomons. If she had been seeing him all this time, he wondered if that was what their alliance was fueled by. If so, then perhaps he couldn't actually trust the Camden baker. His gut told him there was nothing wrong with the business relationship and so for now he would have to trust that their relationship was not going to be to his detriment.
"I'm sorry about the other day, Tom." Sophie said so quietly, he doubted if he'd heard her right. "Just having a tough time."
Tommy knew she'd been struggling, of course, he knew her too well to not notice. The two were similar in many ways, and he could see the same quietness in her eyes that he'd seen in his own too many times.
"You're wrong about Alfie, you know? I know you only know him as a business partner, but he loves me."
"It complicates things, Soph." Tommy spoke. He reached up and held his lit cigarette so he could speak more freely. "We're in alliance now but what happens when we're not? Where are you gonna go then?"
"Where am I gonna go? Are you saying you're gonna make me choose?" Sophie scoffed.
"No, but he might." said Tommy.
"Guess I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it." Sophie turned back to Thomas, looking him in the eyes and trying to read and understand what was going on in his mind.
"The Garrison's re-opening is in a few days, are you going to be there?" He asked.
"I don't see why not. Is everyone coming?" Sophie had grown up in and around the Garrison, it was a prominent figure in her childhood, as it was for the entire Shelby family. It was where they'd all had their first drinks, where they would fetch beer for their drunken father every day as kids. Ada had these same memories and ties to the Garrison, if there was a re-opening party it would be weird for her not to be invited.
"I invited Ada, but I need you to make sure she comes. Polly's been especially difficult recently and I need you two to keep an eye on her." said Tommy as he took another drag of his cigarette.
"What's wrong with Pol?" Her brow furrowed, she'd noticed that Pol had been a bit quieter the past couple days but she had assumed it was just business keeping her occupied.
"I found Michael. Gave him her address and told him she wanted to see him but he's under eighteen. Kid can't do anything without his adoptive mum signing off on it, so told Polly she'd have to wait for him to come to her. Which as I'm sure you can imagine did not go down well." He explained. The women in his life were really testing his patience these days, from his sisters to his aunt they all were too fiery for their own good.
"Do you think he'll come?" Sophie began to nervously tug on the sleeves of her dress. If he never came to find Polly, she'd be heartbroken. Although she was too young to remember what Polly was like when she'd first had her children ripped from her, she'd seen her despair over the years whenever it was their birthdays or a fond memory of her former family was revived. If Michael chose he never wanted to know his birth mother, Sophie wasn't sure if Polly would endure that pain.
"He seemed interested. Got bright eyes so reckon he wants more than living on his family's farm all his life." Thomas said, eyeing Sophie's nervous habit.
"I'll speak to Ada, I'm sure she's more inclined after you gave her that big fancy house." teased Sophie. "Trying to buy us over, are you?" A playful smile pulled at her lips as her eyes shimmered with a childish gleam. She missed these light hearted moments with her brothers.
"Something like that." Tommy's eyes mirrored Sophies, a hidden smile suppressed in his face. Pushing off the door frame, Thomas motioned his head towards the corridor behind him. Sophie quickly stepped towards her brother and followed him out into the corridor.
The long oak panelled walls were decorated with fancy gold framed paintings that Sophie had never seen before. The walls matched the floor, with shiny dark hardwood floorboards neatly arranged in a clean herringbone pattern. A long never-ending rich green rug laid in the middle of the corridor. As they walked through the grand home, Sophie couldn't help but feel horrendously out of place.
"Pol' asked if I'd live with her in her new house as well, you know." Sophie told him. "Everything seems to be changing lately. Something's coming, I can feel it." She tried to hide her shudder at the dark feelings she'd been having lately. Like a swirling storm cloud across her brain, she could sense that something was going to happen that would affect them all. The worst part was she didn't know where or who it would come from. Sophie had always tried to stay isolated from the business of her aunt and brothers, but this dark sense had her itching to understand the intricate details in hopes that it would clarify the hunch.
They began to descend down the stairs, made of the same dark oakwood as the corridor floors and high thick wood bannisters were etched with careful details of flowers and leaves along the handrail. Sophie gripped it gently as she took careful steps down the stairs, the pain in her side flaring up slightly as she moved down. It had been a while since the attack and she had been healing nicely, her scabs fading quickly to scars. Her lip had healed completely with no sign it had ever been injured, but a thick short scar cut through her eyebrow. The scar running across the top of her forehead was half hidden by her hairline, its jagged edges peaking out here and there.
The two Shelbys reached the bottom of the stairs and moved towards the front door. A smart black car with two blinders sat in it had pulled up next to the car her and Tommy had arrived in. Confused, Sophie tilted her head to the side giving Tommy a questioning glance.
"Thought you might wanna go see our Ada. She asked after you when I saw her." Tommy said with a slight smile. He knew how close the two girls were, being the only two Shelby female siblings had forced a close bond between them and all the brothers could see it.
Sophie smiled contently, nodding her head in silent agreement. Thomas could be caring and sensitive when he wanted to be, and it was times like this that Sophie saw it shine through. He cared a lot about Ada and Sophie, he cared a lot about all of his siblings really. It was something many would consider a weakness but Sophie could only see it as a strength. These gang leaders who had no one to care for, they had no one to drive them and motivate them. If the only people you have around you are the people on your payroll then there's no real loyalty in your circle, Sophie thought. Her mind cast back towards the dark sense she had, like black ink from an inkpot knocked over, spilling into the cracks of her mind, dripping from the desks edge.
"Be careful, Thomas. Something's changing and I can't tell what." Sophie's happy mood sobered, her worry for her family taking over. Her dream from so long ago came to the forefront of her mind, what if this dark sense had something to do with her dream? The fire and the woman with a baby's pram had materialised into the burning down of the Garrison, but there were still parts that hadn't yet come into fruition.
Breaking from her deep thoughts, Sophie stepped onto the gravel driveway and made her way into the fancy car.
"Afternoon lads." She greeted them, smiling back at them as they flashed her a polite smile before the one sat behind the wheel roared the car into action and began to drive away from the large house.
The long drive had Sophie lost in her heavy thoughts once again. She sat with her shin length pale pink cotton dress splayed out across her knees, peeking out from underneath her equally long warm black coat that she had wrapped tightly around her body. The collar was lined with a thick black fur which tickled her neck. Polly had pulled the young girl's hair up into a twisted bun that she liked to wear it in so often, keeping her mane out of her face. Polly had been delighted when Sophie had come to her room and asked her to do her hair for her, it made her aunt feel like she still needed taking care of and that she was still a little girl. As Sophie grew older, she couldn't help but worry about how much things were going to change. She loved Alfie deeply, and if things were to progress further with him it would likely mean she'd have to move to London to be with him. Although she'd enjoyed the change of scenery lately, she wasn't sure how well accustomed to everyday London life she would be. At least in Birmingham she was never too far from the horse's where she could jump on one and ride out of the city to get some fresh air, it would be a lot harder to do that in London. She always dreamed one day of getting married and having her own family, but she'd never pictured it being so far from home. Perhaps living in London wouldn't be so bad, Ada seemed to enjoy it after all.
