FOR THE ONE WHO STAYED ─ A peaky blinders fanfiction
━ IN WHICH, Elizabeth Shelby has to come to terms with the fact that sharing a name does not necessarily mean family.
━ AND IN WHICH, a father and daughter must learn how to find each other again...
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1911
The two beds in the girls' room were located side by side, and yet the little girl and boy rested at the bottom of only Effy's. Ada was fourteen and a brat of that, not allowing her nasty little brother and niece to touch her bed.
But the two kids didn't seem to mind, having a blast without having to worry about Princess Ada's wishes. Effy Shelby leaned in closer to Finn and whispered, "Have you ever wondered what the adults talk about when they think we're not listenin'?"
"Yea, like when they huddle together during family meetings and lower their voices." Finn's eyes sparkled with curiosity and Effy grinned mischievously.
"Well, c'mon Finnie!" The wild girl jumped out of the bed and grabbed the handle of the door. The little boy hesitated, torn between excitement and guilt. But his curiosity got the better of him, and he nodded in agreement.
Effy and Finn found themselves concealed in the living room, behind the kitchen's door. They strained their ears, eager to catch snippets of the conversation. Amidst the chatter and laughter, they heard the hushed tones of Polly and Tommy discussing matters that made little sense to them – business in the betting shop, money, and grown-up concerns. Disappointed, they were ready to give up.
But then, a new voice caught their attention – Arthur's, the family's storyteller. His voice was animated, filled with a sense of wonder that was contagious. Effy's eyes lit up with excitement.
"This is it, Finn!" She yelped in elation, but then they all went silent. Suddenly, the door of the Shelby kitchen was shot open, making the hunkered kids fall inside, interrupting their reverie. They looked to see Thomas himself smiling at them.
"Eavesdropping now, are we?" He said with a twinkle in his eye.
The children flushed and screaming, they ran outside to the lane. The seven-year-old Effy took her uncle's hand and hurried to the canal bridge.
"How did he hear us?" Wheezed little Finn, holding his head in shock.
"You know what I think?" The wide eyes of Effy made Finn purse his lips in concern, for his sister-niece always scared him with her mad stories. He shook his head. Her voice turned to whisper again, "I think Da's got magical powers."
"How is that possible?"
"We're gypsies, Finnie." She let out a shallow breath and looked up at the sky, "We all have some kind of magical power in ourselves, Polly said so."
"Well, I don't have one. What if Polly's wrong?" Crossed his arms Finn, making Effy avert her head at him.
"Polly's never wrong."
Sitting in the dirt by the canal, they both went into a melancholic plight, listening to only Effy's quiet humming.
"Effy!" A distant voice yelled, the alleyway carried it only for them to hear. The addressed's head snapped up, squinting to find the origin of the voice. She started going towards the exit of the alley, eventually finding herself in front of Joey Clarke.
