Big Red in her Hood

Meet the Family

"What do you mean no?" a man shouted.

"Exactly what I said, no!" a voice returned, female this time.

"You said you would do it before. We need you and we need her."

"Look, I'm sorry but she has school tomorrow." The girl froze. They were talking about her. "You know the thing you went to before you dropped out," the woman jeered. The girl held her breath, with all their shouting, they must not have heard her open the door. Still standing in the doorway, she stepped down whilst holding the front door ajar. She needed to hear the end of this conversation.

"Do you seriously think that I can keep on calling in sick each day that you decide that you need her for one of your projects?" From where she was hovering, she could see the shadow of the man. She watched him nod slowly.

"How am I supposed to protect her, if she's always with you? She needs school. What type of mother would I be?" The held her breath, was her mum really defending her. She thought about it, she was right. She had only gone to school once this week, she needed to go.

The man let out a deep, shrill laugh. The girl shivered, there was no mistaking that banshee-like shriek. The man came into the light and faced her mother. She tightened her grip on the door. She could just about see her mother's face, she wasn't going to move now. Her mum's eyebrows were raised and her hand was covering her mouth. She looked as if she was going to cry.

"Cut the bull, Maggie." The girl watched as her worried face morphed into disgust.

"Where did I slip up?" the woman spat, dropping her hand.

"That bull about being a caring mother." Maggie sighed. The man pulled something out of his wallet. "How much do you want?"

Maggie sure fooled her. She let go of the door.

"Amelia, is that you?" Light flooded into Amelia's eyes as the ajar living room door swung open. Amelia's mother walked out, her beady eyes scanning her daughter. Amelia scanned her mother in return. As Maggie noticed the trainers and coat, Amelia saw how her mother's normally luscious curls shot out like wires that bopped as she walked. She was wearing a bathrobe that she had wrapped tightly around her, exposing her slim, tall figure.

"I hope she has at least brushed her teeth," she thought. If Maggie wanted to, she could look like she had just stepped out of a Victoria's Secret advert. But, as usual, when Amelia had left for school that day, her mother was lying on the couch in that same bathrobe. It seemed like that woman's day only started when others told her it did. She pushed the thought away, she shouldn't think of her own mother like that. Amelia smiled up at her mum. She was at least a head taller than her.

"Hi Meelie," she smiled. Maggie stepped closer to her daughter and lifted her arms as if to prove her uncle wrong. She stopped, she had just noticed that the trainers and the coat was all Amelia had. She dropped her arms as a frown crawled onto her face.

"So, um... what did you bring?"

"This is it," she said, answering the real question of, "Is this all you brought?"

By now, Amelia's uncle had made his way to them. He stood behind her mother, towering over her. What a duo the two of them made. Like her mother, he had small vulture like eyes that hungrily watched Amelia present the coat and the watch. She had already given the shoes to her mum.

She watched him closely. Her mother might have been more forgiving but not him.

"Why send you to school if that is all you show for it?" he joked, his mouth widening to sow the perfect smile. He was beautiful just like her mother. The man continued, "We work tirelessly to send you to school and this is it." Amelia raised her eyebrows,

First of all, school was free. And, second of all, he didn't know that she overheard their conversation.

Maggie glared at her.

"Sorry Uncle Tooley," she said. Regardless of his apparent disappointment, Uncle Tooley pocketed the watch and took the coat from her. She wasn't going to get any money from those things.

Maggie looked to her brother then to her daughter then back at her brother.

"Do what you want," she said to him as she walked into the living room, raising her hand flippantly. As she walked away, the woman swung her luscious, wide hips. Amelia rolled her eyes, Maggie couldn't help flirting for an audience, even if it just consisted of two people and especially if neither of the two person audience cared. The living door slid shut.

Amelia looked to the man. Tooley had black and silver locks of hair that he took great pride in combing back and arranging. Most men his age, she thought, had thinning hair, nut no he, Uncle Tooley wouldn't have tolerated that from Mother Nature. He probably would have bought her out.

The man took a step forward.

"I have a mission for you, only if you choose to accept it, of course." Tooley leaned against one of the walls without moving. This made Amelia conscious of how small everything was in this flat. It was almost ironic, small things for tall people. Tooley flashed his devilish grin as he crossed his arms, displaying his bulging biceps under his thing grey jumper.

How could she resist? She tried to look coy. Amelia shifted her bodyweight back and cocked her head.

"What kind of mission do you have in mind?" Tooley had been calling these "outings" missions since she was a child as this was, at the time, the only way to get Amelia to do them.

"That's my girl!" he cried, jumping from the wall, "Nothing like that mother of yours." Amelia smiled, looking at the locked door,

Oh how that was true.

As if aware of her gaze, the door replied,

"I'm not deaf you know," with a high-pithed squeal. Amelia eyes widened, did she say that out loud. Tooley chuckled,

"Come with me," he whispered. She followed him as he went outside, still wearing that insufferable smirk.

As she went outside, she thought about how irresistible her uncle must be to women. Amelia stuffed her fingers in her red pockets as her breath materialised in front of her. Tooley knew exactly when to frown, when to laugh and knew how many of perfectly white teeth to flash in order to win a woman's heart.

Tooley rested his arms on the bannister and stared out for a bit. Amelia joined him. Even though, it was later than before and the shadows were bigger and more twisted, she almost couldn't see them. It was like her eyes were glazed over like a pond in winter. She looked over at her uncle, it had to be because of him. Things were always different when she was with him. Everything was slippery, maybe, possibly even dangerous, and she was clumsy as if she were always trying to skate for the first time, but, life with him was an adventure. Risk or not.

He looked at her, his dark eyes made his silver hair pop, like they were cracks in the darkness. The cold stealthily encroached upon her open ankles, she shivered. He must have been cold.

"Look, we have been watching that bank by the convenience shop, you know, the local one. And, I think we are ready." She nodded as she tried to decode.

"local" as in small, as in less security and therefore, less trouble. By "watching," he probably meant that one of his guys had a connection to give them access to one of the bank's weaknesses.