I stood in shock, staring at a sister who I hadn’t seen in almost five years, but one I would recognize easily without a second glance. As I pulled her in again, I started to laugh while wrapping my arms around her slim body and cradling her against me.

“I can’t believe it. How are you here?” I asked in complete awe.

She didn’t answer, her fingers digging into my sides as she held onto me like she thought I could be torn away from her at any moment.

I pried myself from her grip momentarily, my hands reaching up to cup her face. She was scared, her eyes were darting between Chelsea and Deacon as they stood silently beside us. “It’s okay,” I whispered gently. “They’re our friends.”

Deacon nodded in agreement. “Like I said before, I’m a police officer. I’m here to help you.”

Emerald’s eyes seemed to soften on Deacon and she took a deep breath, holding it in for strength like we used to do when we were kids. The longer you held your breath, the more strength your body would absorb. We used to have competitions—a fight to see who was stronger, which often resulted in one or more of us passing out because we were that stubborn. But back then, we also needed a lot of strength.

As she exhaled, she held her chin a little higher, and her shaking hands became steady. “I ran,” she answered softly. “Father was going to make me marry this awful man who joined the Colony a few months ago.” Her brow was pulled in tightly, like her anger toward our father was still burning within her. “He was different, Sapphire. He did not fit in…” she paused and then continued, “… he did not wear our clothes or speak like us.”

It was strange to hear her call me by a name that I’d sworn so many years ago I’d never be known as again. Sapphire wasn’t who I was anymore. She was obedient, where I’d become opinionated. She was weak, where I was now strong.

I pursed my lips together, unsure of what my sister was saying.

The elders and prophets were always very strict about outsiders coming into the Colony. It was basically forbidden unless they were coming to join us, and then they would be forced to give up their possessions and way of life, but most of all be expected to follow the rules.

“Did you speak with this man?” I questioned.

A crimson blush spread across her cheeks. Her hands fell into her lap, and she hung her head as though she was expecting a punishment, but I had no idea what for.

“Emerald,” I hissed. “Tell me what he has done.” I could feel the tone of my voice changing, the way I spoke was different as I fell back into old habits. It’d taken me a long time to change the way I acted, and the way words fell from my lips. We didn’t grow up using slang, and almost carried what I could identify now as a strange accent.

“I cannot say,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

He had hurt her, I could hear it and see it on her face.

Whoever this man was, had done something to cause my beautiful and usually vibrant sister to pull into herself in fear.

It made me angry. I was furious at them and at myself.

It wasn’t as though I hadn’t thought of going back for my siblings. I felt guilt almost every day for leaving them there unprotected while I lived this amazing life of freedom. But I knew going back and possibly being caught would mean the end of my life. Instead, I was working hard to make something of myself, so maybe one day, I could find the confidence to rescue them and show them that the world outside of the Colony was a beautiful place. Not a place to be feared, not a place of sin, but a place of life.

“Is she in danger?” Chelsea asked, placing her hand on my shoulder.

I met the worry in her eyes. “Possibly. They may be looking for her.”

She nodded. “I think we should talk to Optimus, see if there’s anything the club can do to help.”

My heart warmed, and I placed my hand over hers and gave it a light squeeze. “That would be great.”

“I’ll come with you,” Deacon said, stepping forward. While his words were directed at me, his eyes were focused on my sister. They were intense and unwavering, but there was something else floating in the depths of his gaze, an emotion that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. After a few long seconds, he finally turned to me, as if the spell Emerald had cast over him was broken. He cleared his throat, and I raised an eyebrow curiously. “She’s technically still in my custody until I can find a family member or someone to care for her temporarily while we figure out what’s going on. She’s still a minor.”

My gut sank. He was right. Emerald was only seventeen, she didn’t turn eighteen for another four months. “Will they try and take her back home?” I asked, my heart beat rising rapidly.

Emerald looked at the ground while Deacon just smirked. “Your sister was smart enough to give us no information about who her parents are and where we might be able to locate them. She’s not carrying any identification, the only thing she has with her is a photo of you.” He pulled it from his pocket and held it up in front of him. “There was an alert sent out yesterday with this picture, luckily I recognized your face and was able to get them to bring Emerald here to me.”

“They were happy to get rid of me,” Emerald whispered sourly. “They knew where I had come from, even though I demanded that they were wrong, and they spoke to me as though I was…” her eyes looked up at the ceiling as if searching her brain for the right word.

“Crazy?” I offered, rolling my eyes. It was typical, and I knew exactly what she meant. The people who lived in the towns and cities surround the Colony all thought that it was basically an insane asylum, that we were all a few colors short of a rainbow.

At first, it had offended me too, to have such biased preconceptions about the world that we came from. Mainly because while I had objected to the way in which we were treated and the things we were made to believe, I’d still for the most part, had a childhood full of happy times and a family full of brothers and sisters who I adored with all my heart.

We weren’t all crazy, but I realize now it just so happened to be the ones in charge of the Colony that were.

 

 

I rang Sugar, and she gave me permission to close up the shop early after hearing what was going on.

Emerald tapped her foot nervously in the backseat of Deacon’s police car as we made the short drive to the compound. “What is the club you speak of?” she whispered to me, looking around with wide eyes as we passed through the main street of Athens.

“Umm…” I screwed up my nose, trying to think of how I could explain the Brothers by Blood to my sister, who had possibly never even seen a motorcycle.

The Colony was situated in a small town just south of San Antonio, Texas. Members made up eighty percent of the population, and the few people there who weren’t part of the Colony, we were forbidden to even speak to or look at if they passed by.

The police were all Colony members, and the stores were owned by them too.

Some men had their wives spread across town in small homes, rotating himself between each. While my father had a large piece of land where he had a home, but the wives lived outside in six large trailers that were barely big enough for two people, let alone those of his wives who had four or five children each.

That was my father for you. The most selfish and self-centered man ever, making his wives live out in the cold while he had this huge home all to himself.

I shuddered, clearing my throat and trying to fight back the emotions which were raging inside me. It had been a long time since I’d thought about the Colony and my family. I tried to squash those horrible memories and fill my life with good ones. Now Emerald was back though, and I just knew that things were going to change.

“The club is hard to explain, Emerald, I don’t want you to freak out. These people, they’re my friends. They’re here to help us,” I told her, trying to ease her worries, but the second we pulled in the gates behind Chelsea, I knew that my words hadn’t done shit.

“No, take me back. I want to leave,” she said in a panic as Deacon pulled the car to a stop and she spotted Optimus and Blizzard standing outside the front door with their arms folded across their chests, glaring at Deacon’s patrol car.

In their club colors and their leathers, the two men—I had to admit—did look somewhat intimidating. They were tall and broad, scruffy looking with unshaven faces and short messy hair.

When a motorcycle roared into the compound behind us, Emerald squealed and clambered over the seat, clutching my arm, her eyes widening with fear.

“It’s okay,” I tried to soothe her. She was shaking like a leaf in an autumn breeze, as though she was about to be plucked off the tree and crash to the ground. “Listen, Emerald, they’re my friends.”

My words seemed to fall flat when Deacon climbed out of the car and Op came closer. “The fuck are you doing here?”

Emerald’s fingernails dug painfully into my skin, her breathing so rapid I thought she might pass out.

Deacon frowned. “Can you calm down, I got someone in the back with Sky, and you’re already freaking her the fuck out.”

Optimus smirked. “Remind me again why the fuck I care?”

“Optimus!” Chelsea scolded as she rushed over after parking her own car. “It’s Skylar’s little sister, and she’s a little new to all this, so will you stop being an asshole so we can get her out of the car and into your office.”

I couldn’t help but grin. The boys may rule the roost around here, but even with Op as president, Chelsea wasn’t afraid to stand and have her say when it was important—screw everything else.

Emerald gasped. “She… will he punish her for saying these things?”

I saw realization dawn on Op’s face. He was the only one in the club who knew exactly where I’d come from. I’d had to be completely transparent with him before he would let me come on board as a club girl, but since then he’d kept that information to himself.

Now everyone was about to know.

Op took two large steps back from the car, taking Chelsea’s hand in his.

“No, he won’t punish her. He loves her very much. He respects what she has to say,” I explained as I took her hands in mine. “Come, we will go inside so we can speak with Optimus.”

I pushed the door open and climbed out first, Emerald stumbling to get out after me and cling to me like a monkey at the same time. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, but she kept her eyes trained on the ground.

Blizzard walked over with a confused facial expression. “Why’s that chick wearing a dress from Little House on the Prairie?”

Optimus rolled his eyes. “Come on, looks like we have some matters to discuss.”