Chapter 1: Family Reunion

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Keeley's POV

"Welcome to Washington!" the sign read as I sped by in my blacked-out Hummer with Gus beside me.

"You ready, Gus?" I asked my best boy as we continue to drive through the winding forest road. I got a bark in response, which I took as a good thing. I've had Gus for about a year now, ever since it happened. It's not every day that kids at Mount Reform were given things, much less pets.

Mount Reform is the military academy I'd been attending for five years. After my mother died, I got too much for my big and bad, Mafia leader father to handle. So naturally, I was shipped off to Virginia where I was hopefully going to learn some discipline. I did for sure, but everything comes with a price. I lost the girl I used to be: cheery, giggly, a normal girl who just had family issues. Now though, now I'm a trained soldier with a mafia background who has no sense of what normality is that also has family issues. Good to know some things never change.

I kept on driving to where my father and brothers had moved since I've been away: Bayside, Washington. I was told it's a little town about an hour from the coast that's plopped in the middle of nowhere.

It's sad, though, to know that because I've missed out on five years of my teenage life, I really have nothing to come home to after Mount Reform. All I owned was packed up in my car: my paintings and paints, my clothes, weapons, military trunk, and Gus. Plus I haven't talked to anybody besides one of my brothers, Cal, since I've been away. Not even on Family Weekend did anyone come to visit.

But oh well, here's to new beginnings and a hopefully "normal" life.

***5 hours later***

I eventually started seeing some small neighborhoods and buildings the closer I got to the house. As I drove through the small town, I saw a couple of schools, some local boutiques and shops, and a few restaurants. Before I knew it, I had already driven through the main strip and had gone into farmland. I was pretty sure I had missed the house when my GPS suddenly told me my destination was on the right. I turned onto the gravel driveway and drove for what seemed like a while till I pulled up to the house that had to be larger than the one I lived in when I was twelve.

Their house, well mine now too, was beautiful. White with walls of stone and a black roof, an enormous circle driveway that was paved even under a portion of the house, pointed roofs and large windows, it was like something out of a fairytale.

I pulled up and parked in front of the grand, front door to the house. I hopped out handmade my way around the car to open the car for Gus. The two of us stared up at the house which was now our home. It was a lot different than we were used to.

As we stood there staring, I saw the brother I was closest to, Callan, walk out of the house and towards us, shouting my name with a smile on his face. He made his way to me in no time, considering he was just shy of being a giant, and went to engulf me in his tattooed arms. I awkwardly sidestepped him at the last minute, still not yet comfortable with affection or how they all treated me before I left. I promised myself to move on, but it still hurts.

A pang of hurt came across his face, but Callan quickly brushed it aside and gave me a smile.

"My favorite sister has returned. I missed you, Keeley," his deep voice spoke. I noticed that he had put on some weight and wasn't as thin as the last time I saw him. He was probably pushing 325 and his dark hair and beard were much longer than I remembered.

"I missed you too, Callan. Oh- and this is Gus." I looked at Gus whose 150lb frame was standing guard beside me, letting out a low growl directed towards Cal.

"Mitescere. Est okay. Quod est nice," I told him in Latin, solely because it is seldom used so no one could command him but me.
(Calm down. It is okay. He is nice.)

"Wow, Keeley," he breathed out. He stared at me and then at Gus. "You look different. A good different though."

Before I went to Mount Reform, I was probably the smallest kid you had ever seen. I was under five feet and barely weighed 80 pounds. I always had someone dye my naturally white-ish hair dark, and would wear those ridiculous colored contacts to make my honey-colored eyes blue. Now though, I've grown about four inches and have become mostly muscle, even then Gus is still bigger than I am. My hair is back to its natural white-ish blonde and my eyes are no longer hidden by blue contacts. They are fully themselves in all their honey-colored glory. And as for the tattoos, well... those are for me. Considering I was wearing cutoff denim shorts and a torn-up green t-shirt, you could see the large skull and floral piece that went up my left side, as well as the matching piece on my right shoulder and side of my neck to behind my ear.

"Thanks, I guess?" I laughed awkwardly. I gust of cooler wind blew by us and I had to use my hand to brush the hair from my face. "Help me get my stuff unpacked?"

As we started unloading my car, I couldn't help but notice how quiet everything was here, or how good the air smelled. You couldn't hear anything but the birds, really, and the sky was picture-perfect blue. The land went on for miles past the house with green grass and large trees. I had a feeling I would be spending a lot of time out here.

"Callan, whose Hummer is that? Did you buy a new- Keeley?" I turned around to see my second oldest brother, Finn, at the front door standing there in shock. I gave him a soft smile and he came running towards me. He stopped just short of me and gave me a bright smile.

Finn, or Finnegan as my father calls him, isn't as close to me as Cal, but he is a close second. Finny has always been the person I go to if I just want to play a game or just relax. He's the quieter (at least to other people) of the brothers and is a definite softie, but I wouldn't want to get on his bad side.

"How are you, Kid? You look good, and um, who's the dog?" he asked warily as Gus stared him down, a low growl sounding from him. He looked happy and definitely a lot more grown up with the stubble on his chin and darker hair, a trait all of my family has, including my mom, but except me.

I let out a small laugh, "Thanks, and that's Gus."

We fell into easy conversation as Finn helped us unload my few suitcases, artillery boxes, paintings, and trunk.

"Well, I guess that's all of it. Do you want me to move my car?" I asked not knowing if I'd be in the way.

"No, you're good. Just grab your backpack and Cal and I will help move all your stuff to your new room," Finn told me.

After shrugging on my bag, I grabbed my three artillery cases filled with various guns and knives and waited for Finn or Cal to lead the way. Finn grabbed my two suitcases and Cal, amazing me, managed to pick up my military-style trunk by himself.

As we walked into the large entryway, I really got an extensive look at just how large the house actually was. Everything was dark wood tones with deep browns, greys, and blacks. Two grand staircases were straight ahead that met at the top to form a large walkway. The living room had high ceilings with a stone fireplace that ran all the way up the wall. Large, cozy-looking furniture was spread out and looked like even sitting in it would cause you to fall asleep.

The dining room was off down to the right hallway, I was told, as was the kitchen. To the left hallway were offices, game rooms, a library, and bathrooms.

They lead me up the stairs and down the right hallway. "The left hallway will take you to all of our bedrooms," Finn pointed out. "Yours is down this way because we wanted to make sure you had your own space. This room," he gestured to an empty doorway, "is where the piano is. Your Staff Sergeant told us you played so we moved the one from the basement up here. In the room across from it," he gestured to a closed-door on the right, "is where all of your art stuff can go. Nobody was using any of these rooms anyway due to the fact Dad wanted us to be as close as possible. There's a balcony no one ever uses right here. It faces the back of the house so all you see is the yard."

I was in awe. All of this not even being used seemed like such a crime. Would I have noticed this before?

"And this is your room. Home sweet home." He pushed open the last door on the right and told me to walk in first.

"We heard you liked darker colors," he said a little sheepishly. You could tell he was trying to see what I thought, but even I didn't know what to think.

Gus barked in approval, but I couldn't say a thing, I was in awe. The whole room was black with giant windows and black trim. The floors were dark hardwood and a giant fuzzy carpet sat in the middle. A plush-looking bed was pressed up against the wall with stacks of books and candles. Everything seemed just so...calm.

Cal set down my trunk against the opposite wall of my bed as Finn and I sat the luggage and cases on my bed.

"Down this little hallway is your bathroom and closet. Each of us has our own bathroom so don't worry about us trying to use yours," he chuckled quite nervously.

The bathroom had stark white walls with black floors and countertops with a huge tub and walk-in shower. This room itself was bigger than anything back at the barracks. I stepped back into the hallway to enter the closet. I had a feeling it would be extravagant because of everything else, yet it still amazed me. There were dark drawers, shelves, a single safe, and a chandelier to top it all off: what could I have possibly done to deserve this?

"Cal and I are going to grab your art stuff and place it in the other room okay? You get unpacked." They both gave me a small smile before leaving and shutting the door behind them. I didn't even realize till they left that I hadn't said a word the whole time we've been in the house, but maybe that's because I really don't know what to say.

I went from selfish and ungrateful, to a disciplined soldier with nothing, to a mafia leader's daughter who is filled with problems and probably doesn't deserve any of this. Yet it was all given to me. I sure as hell wasn't going to let it slip away.

***An hour later***

I had finally unpacked my few suitcases into my closet as well as tucking away various weapons around my room while Gus was sleeping happily on the dog bed I had brought with me. The only thing left to unpack was my backpack: the one thing that means more to me than anything.

From within it, I pulled out my laptop and various chords as well as a few notebooks. But what really mattered were the picture frames and the box.

The first picture frame was of me in all my gear. This Mount Reform wasn't as much of a school as it was an actual military base. I was out on watch and all you could see were the blue skies and dirt that stretched for miles and miles on end. That was a good day: no punishments.

The second frame was of me and Staff Sergent Phillips. We were both dressed up in our formal dress uniforms. That was the day I was awarded a medal of bravery for going back in on a mission gone wrong to save the lives of three of my fellow recruits. Phillips is in his early sixties and is about Finn's height, so about 6'1". He's a pretty strong guy with cropped grey hair and various tattoos. I've always seen him as more of a father figure and he sees me as his daughter. After everything that had happened to me, he was my main support.

The last picture was my favorite. It was of my missions team that the "school" had assigned us to. In it were Dylan, Brady, Lexi, Alice, and myself. Dylan and his long blonde hair were laying in the dirt with his knee propped up while winking one of his deep-green eyes. Behind him, I was on Brady's back with a cheeky grin plastered on my face. Brady was laughing as he tried to swipe his jet black hair out of his dark brown eyes with one hand while holding on to me with the other. Lexi and Alice were back to back holding finger guns with one knee popped. Alice's honey blonde hair was blowing wild as her head was thrown back laughing. Lexi was doing her best to keep a serious face as the sun was making her dark skin glow. Her braids were pulled out of her face solely because, and I quote, "you can see my beautiful sparkly eyes." This picture is my favorite: the wind is blowing, it's sunny, and none of us could stop laughing. That was a good day.

I placed the three frames on top of my trunk and went back to my bag. I pulled the box out and went to my closet. I changed the lock combination on the safe before placing those memories inside with it. Nobody needed to see those, yet I couldn't bear to throw them away.

Knock Knock Knock

I left the closet and went to open my door. As soon as I opened it, however, I wish I wouldn't have.

"Keeley," my oldest brother, Nick, said lowly. Nick's 6'5", black hair, blue-eyed self stared down at me. Nick was 24 and second in command to the Dragons of the Flame, the largest American Mafia that my family just happened to run. We have never gotten along, even in the slightest, because he acts too much like my father and I apparently act too much like a fool.

"Nicholas," I say calmly.

"Glad to see you are home. I assume you won't be causing any more trouble then?" he asks with an ugly smirk across his face.

I wanted to throw out something smart or use some of the colorful language I picked up in the barracks, but I chose to be nice. "I don't cause problems anymore, Nick. I've grown up. Have you?"

Well shit, there goes my plan to be the mature one. "I don't like your attitude, Keeley. Fix it. And while you're at it, get ready for dinner. We leave in an hour."

He walked away with an angry glare, yet another reason why I don't like him. He brings out the annoying little sister in me that makes me seem like a conceded, little brat.

Disregarding him, I did smell and I knew I needed a shower. I fed Gus first then hopped in the shower. Luckily I learned how to shower quickly while I was away.

After I was done, I picked out a pair of dark blue, ripped skinny jeans with a black spaghetti strap, lacey top. The only clothes I own are t-shirts and cargo pants, so I am grateful to whoever put these in here. As I dressed though, I couldn't look away from the scars that littered my back and body. All of them in various sizes and light-colored, except for the long and jagged one that ran from my right side, across my back, only to be covered up by the tattoo on my left. Nobody really notices because it is covered up by the images on my skin, but I can never look away.

I forced myself to put on the shirt before it brought back unwanted memories and slipped on a pair of simple black heels. Gus was already passed out on my bed, so I kissed him goodbye, slid my favorite gun into my waistband, and headed downstairs.

You could hear my heels clicking against the hardwood as I walked down the staircase. When I reached the bottom, I saw all of my brothers in the living room, talking about something in hushed voices. "Are we ready?" I asked. Nick, Finn, and Cal didn't look surprised to see me, but Sam and Donnie did.

Sam and Donnie are the youngest brothers and just happen to be twins. So it's Nick at 24, Finn at 22, Callan at 21, then the twins at 18, and me at 17.

Sam and Donnie both have dark brown hair and icy blue eyes, but that's where the similarities stop. Sam's got long hair and is 6'4", Donnie's got short hair and is 6'3". Sam is more of a prankster and self-proclaimed "ladies man," whereas Donnie's easygoing and more academically focused.

"The hell are you doing home, baby sister?" Sam asked while looking at me. Donnie gave me a small smile and a wave.

"I'm home now, I guess," I tell him. I wasn't used to my brothers being nice to me. They never seemed to care or talk to me growing up, so this was different.

"Keeley, don't you think you should be covering up that thing on your shoulder?" Nick asked while staring at my tattoo.

"Leave her alone, Nick. She just got home," Finn added in my defense.

"It needs to be covered."

"Well I'm not covering it up, so can we go now?" I say with all seriousness in my voice. Nick stares at me and I don't dare look away. Hell, I'll stand here all night if it means Nick loses.

"Well, if it isn't Keeley," I hear a deep voice speak from behind me.

There are only two people in my life that could ever make me scared: him and my father.

I gave up the battle to Nick and stood up straighter as I turned around to face him. He looked a little older than the last time I saw him, yet this only made him more frightening to me. He stood at 6'3" with his once black hair that is now white and grey. His face looks a bit more rugged and if it's possible, he's bigger than when I saw him last. The only thing I recognize about him is the suit: very rarely is he never dressed to the nine's.

"Father," I say with as much confidence as I could muster.

"You know, I thought everything was going great. The mafia is running smoothly, and so is my company. Your brothers were training, we moved to this wonderful house, then I get a call," he speaks with such ease, I feel a tingle of fear run up my spine. "And you won't believe what it was about. Take a guess."

He looked at me expectantly waiting for an answer. "Well, Keeley, what was that phone call about?" He was now standing directly in front of me.

"Me," I told him, accidentally letting my voice waver at the end.

"That's right. It was a call from Mount Reform saying that you have been expelled. Expelled from military school. I didn't think that was possible. So I ask, "What could she have possibly done to get expelled from military school?" Do you know what she told me? She told me you had beaten another recruit so badly, that you physically disabled them for the rest of their life. Does that sound familiar?" He looked at me with triumph in his eyes as he saw right through my walls and to my fear and shame.

They didn't mention how Jen, the recruit, had actually attempted to shoot me while asleep solely because I had got put on a mission she had wanted. Luckily for me, I woke due to my ever-present nightmares before she could do it. I had grabbed my knife from under my pillow and sliced her hand, unfortunately leaving her with one less finger.

"She's not disabled," I tell him. His head snaps back to me. I don't think expected me to talk back.

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