Two weeks had passed since Elijah's fight with Ray.
In that short ti, much had changed. His body, once lean and lacking definition, had transford.
His muscles were now more sculpted, his fra more defined.
The training, the fights, and the struggles had made him look slightly older than his fifteen years.
Though still young, there was an edge to him now, a sharpness in his gaze that hadn't been there before.
The sky outside was still dark when Elijah woke up.
The weekend had co, but for him, it was just another day to push himself.
He got dressed in a black sleeveless hoodie and joggers before heading out to the gym.
The air was crisp, a slight chill hanging in the streets as he jogged the short distance to the place where he'd been training relentlessly.
The gym was mostly empty at this hour, just a few early risers, and Elijah wasted no ti getting to work.
His routine had beco almost chanical—warm-up, weights, strength training, combat drills.
Each rep, each punch, each movent was a step forward. A step toward being strong enough.
By the ti he was done, sweat clung to his skin, but he felt good—better than he had in a long ti.
His body was adapting, becoming sothing greater.
As he walked back ho, the sun was only just beginning to rise, casting a golden hue over the streets.
He stepped into the house, rubbing a towel over his face—only to stop dead in his tracks.
His mother was still ho.
Stella was usually long gone by this ti, buried in her endless work. Elijah barely ever saw her except in passing, sotis going entire days without a real conversation.
She stood in the kitchen, making coffee, her dark hair tied up in a loose bun. She looked exhausted but surprised to see him as well.
"Elijah?" she raised an eyebrow. "You're back early."
"I should be saying the sa to you," Elijah replied, still thrown off by her presence.
"What are you doing here?"
She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I took the day off."
Elijah blinked. That was... unheard of.
Amy, his little sister, ca bouncing into the room, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Mama's ho? Did the world end?" she joked.
Elijah smirked. "Maybe. We should check outside."
Stella rolled her eyes but laughed. "You two are impossible."
Elijah sat at the table, feeling an odd sense of warmth.
He had been trying so hard to provide for his family, but money was tight.
The $7,000 he had won had gone straight into buying the pool club and renovating it, and the rest had been sent to improve the bar.
Right now, profits were small, barely enough to pay the gang mbers who were working under them. Kevin, Tristan, Jack and the newest mber, Aurora—an older girl, twenty years old—had to be paid first.
As for himself and Kai?
They barely took anything, just $50 each per week, putting the rest back into the business.
It wasn't enough—not yet.
But today wasn't about that.
His mother was here, and that was rare.
They decided, for once, to spend the day together—Elijah, his mother, and Amy.
They started with breakfast at ho, laughing as they reminisced.
Amy and Stella ganged up on Elijah, teasing him about how ridiculously skinny he had been just weeks ago.
"You were like a walking stick," Amy giggled, poking Elijah's arm.
"Alright, alright," Elijah groaned, shaking his head. "I get it. I wasn't exactly built like a tank."
"You weren't even built like a bicycle," Stella smirked, sipping her coffee.
Elijah rolled his eyes. "Oh, so we're just roasting today?"
Amy grinned. "Not just today. This is a lifeti commitnt."
Stella chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know what happened. One day, you were this little kid who could barely lift his school bag, and now..." She gave his arm an approving squeeze. "You've been putting in work."
Elijah shrugged. "I had to. Can't be weak forever."
Amy rested her chin on her palm. "I still don't get why you're so obsessed with getting stronger. You're not, like, training to be a superhero or sothing."
Elijah smirked. "You wouldn't get it."
"Ugh, so mysterious," Amy groaned dramatically. "One day, you'll tell your deep, dark secrets."
"I'd rather tell Mom," Elijah teased.
Stella raised a brow. "Don't drag into whatever nonsense you two have going on."
Amy pointed at their mother. "See? Even she doesn't want to deal with you."
They all laughed, the warmth of their small kitchen making Elijah montarily forget the stress of his responsibilities.
After breakfast, they headed to the shopping district.
The streets were lively, filled with families, couples, and vendors calling out their latest deals.
Elijah walked slightly behind his mother and sister, watching as Amy darted from one store window to another.
"Oooh! Look at this dress!" Amy gushed, pointing at a frilly pink one.
Stella glanced at the price tag and shook her head. "Not happening."
Amy gasped. "Why do you hate my happiness?"
"I don't hate it. I just refuse to let you rob blind."
Elijah chuckled. "Yeah, Amy, stop being a scamr."
Amy crossed her arms. "It's not scamming, it's strategic persuasion."
"Sa thing," Stella and Elijah said at the sa ti, exchanging a knowing look before laughing.
At one point, they stepped into a store filled with plush toys and decorations.
Amy, as usual, got too excited and started bouncing between aisles like a hyperactive kid.
Then, as if the universe had been waiting for the right mont, she tripped over absolutely nothing and crashed face-first into a pile of stuffed animals.
There was a mont of silence.
Then Elijah burst out laughing.
"hahahaha are you okay Amy," he snickered, wiping a tear from his eye.
Amy groaned, pulling herself up while buried under soft toys. "It was the floor's fault!"
Stella tried to stifle her laughter but failed. "The floor, huh?"
"Yes! It clearly moved! I felt it!" Amy declared.
Elijah smirked. "Right, right. The evil, scheming floor."
Amy dramatically sighed. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"Nah, this is too good to pass up."
As they left the store, Amy was still pouting, but Stella playfully ruffled her hair. "If it makes you feel better, you were very graceful in your fall."
Amy grumbled. "That does not make feel better."
Elijah smirked. "Yeah, because 'graceful' and 'Amy' don't belong in the sa sentence."
Amy lightly smacked his arm. "I hate you."
"No, you don't."
"...Fine. But only because you're paying for snacks."
Elijah sighed. "You're such a scamr."
They continued their day like this—bickering, laughing, teasing. It felt normal. It felt right.
And for now, that was all Elijah needed.
They watched a movie next—sothing lighthearted, filled with action and cody.
For a few hours, Elijah forgot about everything else.
Forgot about the stress, the gang, the money struggles.
It was just him and his family, enjoying a normal day.
As the sun set, they made one last stop at the park.
Sitting on a bench, they talked, laughed, and simply existed together.
Elijah knew the mont wouldn't last forever.
Soon, his mother would return to her work, and he would go back to his grind, trying to build sothing greater.
But for now, this was enough.
For now, he could just be Elijah—the son and the older brother, not the gang leader fighting for survival.
And for a brief mont, he allowed himself to be at peace.
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