A Shelby Mistress

Faith

Everyone stopped and stared as they watched Thomas Shelby's woman run barefooted through the streets of Small Heath, her eyes wide and her breathing heavy as she pressed herself to go faster. The youngest Shelby followed behind her, his eyes showing the same emotions as hers, fear, sadness and horror. Something bad was happening, something bad was always happening within the Shelby family. The residents of Small Heath had gotten used to it fairly quickly. They watched on, the nosiness inside them pouring out until both Aurora and Finn had disappeared in sight, allowing everyone to go back to minding their own business.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What have you done Arthur?" Aurora whimpered breathlessly to herself, picking up her pace as the building Arthur so frequently visited came in sight.
Arthur killed a kid! Arthur killed a fucking kid!
What was Aurora going to do?
She had promised to help Arthur but this.....this was more than what she could deal with. There was nothing she could do to reassure Arthur that it was fine, that it was alright. This wasn't alright and Aurora certainly couldn't make it disappear.
Aurora also wondered who the poor child was.
How old was he? Did he have any family? What was he like?
He had paid with his life for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Arthur had blacked out and now a boy had lost his life and Aurora couldn't help but well up with tears, her nose stinging as she tried to hold her cries back. That poor poor baby. His last moments would have been terrifying, being unable to save himself as Arthur rained down on him with no mercy. What should have been an innocent match had twisted into one of murder.

Rushing through the entrance Aurora heard Arthur's cries over the sound of her heavy breathing and slowing her pace to a walk Aurora prepared herself for what she was about to see. The first thing Aurora saw as she walked into the room was the ashen faces of everyone there while they gathered round a white blood soaked sheet which was covering the boys body beneath it. Aurora did not need to see the boy in order to know that the scene had been brutal one.
Sitting against one of the rings, running his blood soaked hands over his face was Arthur. His cries were devastating and the look in his eyes showed nothing but deep remorse and overwhelming guilt.

Dragging her feet along the floor Aurora approached the crowd and taking a deep breath slowly lowered herself down at the boys head.
"How bad?" She whispered, her hands trembling as they reached to grab the white sheet.
"Bad" Finn said making his way to Aurora's side and looking at the sheet, his face growing paler and paler until he couldn't bare to look and turned around.
"I d..di..didn't...mean..to...Rora, it..w..wa..was an..ac..accident" Arthur managed to get out through his sobs, his voice that of a scared child.
"I know Arthur...I know" was all Aurora could reply, her voice shaking as she lifted the sheet.
"You don't want to do that Miss" A gruff voice from above her warned but Aurora pressed on and finally pulling the sheet back she got her first glimpse of the poor boy and whimpered.

Through the blood and swelling she notice the boys cheekbone and jaw appeared to be no longer a part of his face, like his bones had been crushed into dust. His nose was split along with his right eyebrow revealing flesh, muscle and bone. Underneath the horror and the blankness of his face she saw a boy who's cheeky and mischievous smile had once stretched from ear to ear making his eyes crease as his irises projected the happiness he once felt. Aurora saw a boy who once had a future, perhaps he would of been a champion boxer but most of all Aurora saw a child. That's when her tears fell uncontrollably and pitiful sobs escaped her mouth. Reaching out she gently brushed the boys hair from his face and let her fingers rest softly stroke his locks.
"I'm sorry sweetheart"
Covering his face once again Aurora got up from her knees and stood in silence as she tried to stop her tears.
"I need to find Tommy and tell 'im" Aurora mumbled, her bottom lip bubbling and bringing her hands up she buried her face in them and muffled the scream that slipped out her throat before harshly wiping her tears away and making her way over to Arthur.