"All the hardest, coldest people you meet were once as soft as water. And that's the tragedy of living."

- Iain Thomas

@Athelittlemockingjay Thanks for the quote! I absolutely adore it. xx

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Chapter Ten

We are brought into this world, completely and totally pure. We are innocent and naïve, unknowing of the horrors that this world holds.

It's unfortunate, really, how this twisted, cruel world corrupts you. Your innocence is destroyed, trust is broken, and you start to accept the evil that you are given, for love and compassion becomes a rarity.

Our innocence is tainted and we learn how unjust and unfair the world we live in is.

For some, they are able to go through life unaware of how sickening it truly is. It's those people that I envy.

They live a fairytale life.

Unfortunately for me, there is no happily ever after for a girl in a gang.

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My legs were pumping back and forth, as were my arms. Desperate gasps of air filled the silence while my feet barely touched the ground as I sprinted through the dark street.

The tears had dried up by now, but I knew that the second I stopped running; the floodgates would reopen.

It was much too dark for me to see anything, but I couldn't be bothered by the lack of light, or direction for that matter.

The sound of tires approaching made me make a sharp right, and dive straight through a thicket of thorn bushes. Hisses of pain exited my mouth but I forced myself to remain quiet as the car slowly drove by, beams of light flooding out of the car and darting around.

I pressed myself into the cold, hard bricks, a shaky hand placed over my mouth. It felt as if years had passed before the car finally drove off, and I was able to take my hand away.

Small scratches were peppered over my body, but there wasn't much physical damage.

Oh no. The pain I felt was specifically linked to my damaged emotional state.

I bit my lip and emerged from the wall of thorn bushes that had provided me shelter from the flashlights.

I couldn't stop now.

One again I found myself running as quickly as I could, my heart rate dramatically taking off as I sprinted through the unlit streets.

Up ahead, I could see that there were lights streaming from large buildings. I hesitated for a moment before continuing forwards, praying that they wouldn't be there.

Why was I running? Who was I running from?

Fear pulsed through my veins as I rounded a corner, heading into the alley just behind the large buildings. Judging from the loud music that was echoing from within, I could only assume that I was now standing behind a club, and was in a new part of the city.

I backed into the wall, sinking into the shadows. My heart was now slowing down and returning to it's normal pace, but I was on edge. Every noise seemed to be a danger to me, and I felt incredibly vulnerable standing there.

The tears pricked the edges of my eyes and a weak cry left my lips. I squeezed my eyes shut as more tears leaked from my eyes, and I felt a headache begin to start.

I let out gasp of terror when the door, no more than ten feet away, was flung open and four men came tumbling out.

Two of the guys were holding back one of the men, while the other man punched the helpless man mercilessly.

I turned my head away, unable to watch any more. In fear that the men could be part of Kings, I quickly shuffled away, my footsteps drowned out by the man's pained screams.

Picking up the pace, and turned the corner without another thought, my mind elsewhere. A strangled scream left my lips when I stumbled into someone, their large frame knocking me straight onto the ground.

My eyes instantly met his, dread pooling in the pit of my stomach.

Instead of meeting the dark, brown eyes that haunted my being, my eyes met a pair of green eyes- ones that I knew all too well.

"H-Harry?" My voice was filled with disbelief and the utmost amount of shock.

His signature smirk crossed his lips, and the faint lines of his killer dimples indented each cheek.

"I can only imagine why you don't look happy to see me, Evelyn Summers."

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"What do you mean I can't go out tonight?" I snapped, my tone verging on a childlike whine. My arms were tightly crossed over my chest and my hip jutted out while I angrily stomped my foot.

Sebastian's eyes were focused on the papers in front of him, and he didn't look up once as he responded.

"Stop being immature."

The anger boiled over and I let out a high-pitched scream of annoyance. My face was scrunched up in frustration and my throat ached after my act of immaturity. Sebastian only chucked and gave me a quick glance, amusement written on his features.

My eyes watered and I coughed pathetically, a hoarse feeling in my throat.

"This is what you get for not taking training seriously yesterday." I frowned, my eyes blurry from the tears due to my strained coughing fit.

"That's not fair," I croaked out, wiping my eyes lightly.

Sebastian sighed and placed the papers back down onto the desk, a small smile crossing his expression.

My arms were hanging limply at my sides as Sebastian made his way over to me, his hands running through his hair tiredly. I watched him warily as he approached me, flinching when his hand rose.

Being as observant as he is, it was evident that Sebastian ignored my reaction and only chose to continue his movements.

His fingertips ghosted over the tops of my cheeks, softly wiping away the moisture left over. I slumped forwards a bit, and Sebastian wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a comfortable hug. 

Two weeks ago, when I woke up entangled in the sheets, cuddling with the Sebastian King after he had comforted me, a lot changed.

For one, we haven't tried to kill each other. Secondly, I had been debating whether I should escape or not.

I had been lying low, trying not to start anything, while thinking about the pros and cons of leaving.

For instance, I was at the top of my game. I had successfully completed twelve jobs over the three weeks and three days that I had been a part of Kings, and it was getting easier and easier as time went on. Not to mention the fact that I was actually growing closer to the boys- including Sebastian.

Maybe it was because I didn't see him as much, or maybe we were both simply insane and bi-polar.

But then, I would remember what it was like back when I was a part of London's Eyes. When I would be able to have control of what I did, not be forced to follow some routine.

The people back in London's Eyes were like my family, and then there was Danny- who hasn't spoken to me since he left. By now, I was certain that he had gotten a new phone, as did the rest of the boys.

And it hurt.

It hurt like a fucking bitch.

I missed Danny, Nate, and Will. I missed the dinners we would have on those rare days we wouldn't have any jobs. I missed the jokes we had with each other, and the way Danny would defend me in a protective, brotherly manner whenever Nate and Will would team up on me.

It upset me that I had no idea when I would see them again, if I would see them. 

Sebastian and the rest of Kings had been very busy trying to find out who it had been that ambushed us at the club, so I highly doubted that the gangs targeting were on their list of priorities.

Then there was Sebastian King.

I had seen so many sides to him; it gave me a headache to even think about it. He was extremely confusing, intimidating, and occasionally nice when he wanted to be.

"Listen babe," Sebastian spoke, pulling away. "I will allow you to come with us for a night out, but I want you to promise me something."

By now, I was grinning like a Cheshire cat, excitement bubbling inside of myself. I was bouncing on my toes, waiting for him to continue.

Sebastian lips were twitching as he fought to hold back his smile. "You need to promise me to behave the whole night."

I didn't give it a second thought as I nodded my head rapidly, giving him a tight hug before backing away and breaking contact with him.

"And nothing too revealing," his eyes trailed over my sweatshirt and sweatpants clad body.

I reluctantly nodded my head in agreement, happy that he was letting me go now, despite my poor performance during our training session yesterday.

"You're not focused." Sebastian's voice echoed throughout the gym for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

I pushed my body off of the mat once again while ignoring Sebastian's pointed glare, and got into stance. My body was now used to the relentless training that Kings required, my body no longer aching painfully after every session.

Sebastian moved towards me, and I lurched backwards, my back hitting against the ropes. An annoyed expression crossed his features as he leaned on the rope on either side of me, small beads of sweat decorating his forehead.

Today's training session had been absolute rubbish.

My mind was elsewhere, as it had been for the whole day. I was struggling to focus on the training, and I knew that Sebastian was on the verge of strangling me.

"Bloody hell, Evie." His voice shook under the amount of anger that weighed down on him. "If you don't get your shit together, I will fucking kill you- put you out of your misery."

I gritted my teeth and pushed him away. "Charming, you are." My sarcastic response sent me back onto the mat, with Sebastian's shadow casting over my small frame.

"I don't know why you are so out of it today," Sebastian snarled, "but there is nothing in the world that could ever give you an excuse to be rude to me."

A sigh left my lips and my irritated expression dropped. Sebastian stared at me, before reaching out to help me out. I restrained myself from slapping away his hand, and instead, forced a small, appreciative smile onto my face, and took his hand.

He pulled me up with ease, his expression holding the slightest amount of surprise.

"Let's just call it a day, okay?"

I nodded my head in agreement, and I followed him out of the gym, relieved to finally be done.

"I've got to finish up some work," Sebastian announced, breaking me away from my thoughts. "Why don't you go find Callum or Mason and bother one of them with your presence?"

I narrowed my eyes into a glare and stuck my tongue childishly at him, ignoring the laughter that it evoked from him.

"Twat," I muttered, turning away to leave.

A gasp left my lips as a pair of hands roughly gripped my hips and yanked me backwards into a hard body.

"What was that?" Sebastian growled out, his husky voice sending shivers down my spine.

"N-Nothing." My voice was shaky and I felt a deep blush rise to my cheeks.

A low chuckle echoed. "That's what I thought." He gave me a gentle push forwards, and a light tap on my bum.

I blushed even more and quickly exited the room, my heart racing and my hands clammy.

Damn you, Sebastian King.

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As usual, our entrance was quite grand.

People were staring at us in awe mixed with a hint of fear. For the most part, many just gave us our space and continued with their fun, but there were a few who watched us closely.

People were aware of the King's reputation, and the chaos that erupted wherever they went- well, wherever we went I guess.

It was hard being a part of Kings. People were constantly talking about how Evelyn Summers had left London's Eyes to be a part of Kings. It pained me every time someone brought up London's Eyes, and it happened much too often for my liking.

A low growl caught my attention as Sebastian wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his side, so that I was pressed up against him. My eyes widened in surprise and I looked up at him in confusion. His eyes were focused on the people watching us- specifically, the men.

Immediately all the lustful looks were drained from their faces, and gazes were diverted to the ground or to other girls. I frowned and tried to push away from Sebastian, but even the strength from one arm overpowered my strength completely.

He continued to shoot glares to anyone who looked at us, and dragged me into the VIP area, where Callum and Mason were already seated. Callum was busy flirting with a busty brunette while Mason was smirking at us, he eyes twinkling with humor.

"What was that about?" I asked with twinge of annoyance. Sebastian had yet to release me from his iron like grip and his jaw was clenched in a manner that made me bite my lip nervously.

"Remember your promise," was all he said, before his arm dropped to his side. I stared as he sat down and motioned for a waitress to come over, where he ordered a drink and got a full view of her tits as she leaned over. Sebastian smirked and leaned back, whispering something to Mason.

Rolling my eyes, I angrily adjusted my skirt and top, upset with the choices Sebastian had limited me to.

"You okay, love?" I huffed angrily at Mason's question.

No, no I am not.

"Course I am." I replied, my voice tight.

"You sure?" Sebastian's voice sent me over the edge and I slumped down into the booth, my body sinking into the plush cushions.

The waitress returned with multiple drinks, and blatantly ignored me as I tried to order a drink for myself.

"Oi! Bimbo!" I snapped, waving my hand around. She turned suddenly, her eyes narrowing into a pathetic glare.

"I'm busy."

A snarl ripped through my chest and I stood up quickly, my hands forming fists at my sides. She stumbled back a bit before dropping her eyes to the floor.

"What can I get you?"

I let out a harsh scoff. "Just get the fuck out of here."

She briskly turned on her heel and left without another word.

"Now that wasn't you behaving yourself." Sebastian remarked, cocking his brow at me. I pursed my lips together and sat back down, frowning.

"Here," Mason said, holding out a vodka cranberry, my favorite drink. I accepted in gratefully and took a large sip, eager to the alcohol relax myself.

"I don't want you drinking too much, okay?" Sebastian said, finishing off his drink. I nodded my head in a mocking manner while he excused himself and entered the dance floor.

Girls swarmed him like bees to honey, and I knew it shouldn't have bothered me, but for some reason, I felt annoyed as hell.

"You're a lovely girl," Mason spoke up, drawing in my attention, "but green is not a good color on you."

My upper lip pulled back into an unladylike sneer and I threw him a look of hatred, one that he wasn't real.

In a sense, Mason was the one I was closest to. He always knew exactly what I was thinking, and whenever I was really upset, he always knew what to say to make me feel better or in this case, further piss me off.

"Shut up you wanker." I hissed, downing the rest of my drink. I motioned for a waitress passing by to bring me another.

"Remember what Sebastian said..." Mason warned as I eagerly reached for the glass.

I rolled my eyes at his words and held back the urge to tell him I could handle my drinks.

Once I slammed down the second glass onto the counter, I stood up and left the VIP room without another word. I knew Mason wouldn't try to stop me, and Callum was much to interested in snogging the girl he had previously been speaking to.

I pushed threw the crowd and caught the bartender's eyes as soon as I walked up to the counter. Smirking, I held up four fingers, and watched as he speedily poured me out four shots.

"You're not going to drink those all by yourself, are you?" A man in a dark suit was seated next to me, and had turned in order to face me.

"Of course I am," I answered shortly, easily throwing back all four shots in a row. The alcohol burned my throat and my eyes began to water a bit. The man smirked and finished the rest of his drink, before turning to face me again.

"Fancy a dance?" Even though he held a cocky persona about him, I could see the hope flickering in his eyes, and I felt myself give in.

"Why not?" I accepted his hand and allowed him to pull me onto the dance floor, his hands gripping my waist gently.

"You're the girl who showed up with Sebastian King, aren't you?" He asked as we rocked gently to the beat.

"Guilty as charged." I muttered loudly enough for him to hear. At the mention of his name, I found myself looking around the room, trying to find him. My stomach twisted with an unfamiliar emotion when I saw him trying to choke a girl with his tongue in the middle of the club.

I felt something in myself snap, and I instantly grabbed the man by the front of his suit and yanked his body into my own. He raised his brow at my sudden action, but didn't dare question it. He reacted by grinding his hips down on mine, and lowering his head into the crook of my neck.

His lips had barely made their way to my neck before we were torn apart, by a more than furious looking Sebastian King.

How cliché.

Sebastian snarled out some threats towards the guy before turning his attention towards me, the lethal look on his face completely focused on my drunken state.

"What did I tell you?" He spat out, his body visibly shaking.

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently, knowing fully well that it would only anger him more.

His expression was murderous as he grabbed my arm in a bone crushing grip, and began dragging me towards the exit.

Frowning angrily, I dug my heels into the ground, refusing to be taken any further. Sebastian stopped and turned to face me, his expression stony.

"I'm going to give you two options: leave with me without a fuss, or so help me God I will throw you over my shoulder."

I gritted my teeth and narrowed my eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

Sebastian instantly reached down, but I caught him by surprise when I managed to kick him right where the sun doesn't shine.

The adrenaline pulsed through my veins and couldn't even stop to think about what I had just done, before I sprinted out of the exit of the club, ignoring the calls from a desperate Mason.

As I rounded the corner and headed into the dark streets, far away from the club, a thought crossed my mind.

They're going to fucking kill me when they find me.

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When we are first born, we are born with an unimaginable amount of "firsts." Our first word, our first haircut, our first friend- etc. Some parents go out of their way to record every single one of these firsts, and even make a booklet out of them.

As we grow older, they become our first kiss, first relationship, then the most well known one- a person's first time.

They say you never forget your first time.

They say it's supposed to be with someone you care about, someone that you love so deeply for.

If that is the case, they say you never forget the person's name; for they were your first love.

They were right.

I never forgot Harry Edwards.

The chilly wind whipped around us as we walked across his large porch.

"You're lucky I wasn't plannin' on bringing any birds home, eh? You can stay here for the night." Harry held his front door open to me, and I reluctantly stepped inside, seeing as how he wasn't going to give me an option.

"I heard you've gotten involved with the Kings." Harry spoke slowly, as if he were testing the waters.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He offered, watching for my reaction.

I stared at him numbly, before thinking back to Sebastian.

"I don't want to talk." I muttered, and moved forwards to attach my lips to his. Instead of pushing me away, Harry accepted me actions, letting out a light sigh as he did so.

We had known each other since we were ten years old. He knew that I was never one to talk about my feelings, but ended up knowing exactly how I felt all the time.

He knew I didn't want to shag him; I wanted to numb the unrecognizable pain that was taking over my being.

Multiple emotions had erupted over me, and this was the only way I knew how to make me forget anything.

"We'll talk about it in the morning." His voice was firm and authoritative, but I just absentmindedly nodded my head, my hands quickly undoing his belt. His let out a light chuckle and lifted me up, carrying me into his bedroom while leaving multiple marks over my body with his mouth.

I let out a small gasp when he dropped me onto his bed, his large frame quickly covering mine as he place a knee on either side of my body. He leaned down his head down to connect our lips, when he froze, his eyes locked on mine.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, falling to the side of me.

"What?" I questioned, my hands finding their way to the buttons of his shirt. He slapped them away angrily and stood up, running his hands through his hair in a frustrated manner.

"What has he done to you?" He questioned, his eyes meeting mine.

I pouted and began pulling my own shirt off. "Harry, please, come on."

He watched silently as I pulled my skirt off, leaving me only in my underwear. I made my way over to him, making sure I swayed my hips in a seductive manner.

A groan of frustration left Harry's lips, and he pushed me back onto the bed, collapsing on top of me.

We continued to resume our previous actions, before Harry let out a string of curse words and stood up once more. This time, before I could say anything, Harry leaned down and grabbed my recently bruised arm, thanks to Sebastian, and hauled me to my feet.

"You're wasted." He muttered.

"Am not," I protested. Sure, I had a lot to drink at the bar, but after running for nearly two hours in the streets of London, I had pretty much sobered up.

He didn't respond and began marching off, dragging me with him in the process. I stumbled and tripped in the dark, then was blinded by the light as he pushed me into a new room.

Everything was moving much too quickly for me, for when I heard the water running, I still had yet to understand his actions.

"You were never like this before." I said, glaring at him. "What happened? Erectile dysfunction?"

Harry whirled around to face me, anger written over his features. He reached out and easily snatched me up, and pulled me through the glass doors.

A gasp of shock and surprise left my lips as the cold water pelted down on my, soaking my entire body. I desperately tried to move away, but Harry held me still, right under the stream of icy water from his shower.

"S-Stop!" I gasped out, my breathing irregular. Harry only shook his head, his jade green eyes focused on mine.

After a few minutes, he turned off the water and exited the shower, droplets of water spraying off of him and onto the bathroom floor.

Long gone was my urge to numb myself through sex. I felt cold and empty now, and in need of someone to talk to- which was a rarity for me.

Harry re-entered the bathroom, now wearing new clothes, and held out a towel and large shirt for me to take. I shakily accepted the towel, and wrapped it around my shivering frame.

He didn't say a word as I stood there, shaking like a leaf. His lips were pursed and he eyes were distant, evidently telling me he was thinking about something.

I didn't realize he was even watching me, so when the first tear fell, I was surprised that he gingerly wiped it away. He held me close as the dam broke and the tears cascaded down my cheeks, but not once did I let my sobs ring out. I kept them bottled in, no matter how much it physically pained me to do so.

"I haven't changed, Ev." Harry whispered, "You have."

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Harry Edwards was part of a gang- to be honest, I really only associate with gang members.

The gang he was a part of wasn't anything serious, and had more power in Ireland, where the majority of their connections were.

When I said I had no friends in school, well, I hadn't included Harry. When I began working for London's Eyes, he had started working also. It was then that the two of us formed some sick relationship with a mutual understanding when it came to work.

I fell in love with Harry, and I will always love him- but we weren't right for each other.

They say that your first love will always remain a part of you throughout your life, but it's your true love that you spend your life with.

"I'm going down to get a cuppa, you up for one?" Harry offered, sitting up in his bed. He hair was messy and his morning voice made me smile.

"Sure." I said, nodding my head happily.

Over the last two days, I had been able to talk to Harry, and even though I held back on my inner feelings, I knew he understood me.

That was just the way Harry was.

I sighed and leaned back on the bed, the warmth trapped in the blankets quite relaxing.

My mind began to drift off elsewhere, when a deafening bang echoed from down stairs.

I didn't hesitate to fly out of the bed and run down the stairs. My body came to a halt when I saw an unconscious Harry sprawled out across the floor, two broken cups of tea shattered around his body.

The amount of fear and dread hit my like a tsunami, and I felt my chest tighten and spots invade my vision.

"You didn't think I'd actually let you get away, my sweet Evelyn." His gruff, void of emotion voice was the only sound to be heard.

"How was your vacation?"

With that said, my eyes rolled back and my body collapsed forwards, a pair of hands catching me just before I hit the ground.

There was one thought that crossed my mind as I passed out-

They're going to fucking kill me.

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