The Marvelous Elijah's Return

AKey

Sweat dripped down her forehead as Peach tossed aggressively and turned on her bed with her pyes

closed, digging her hands into the sheet, as her grip tightened on the blankets.

The sound of her father’s angry cries haunted her dream as she struggled to wake up, but her eyelids felt

heavy like lead in their sockets, tears rolling from the corners of her eyes, and onto her pillow

Dad, The voice of her childhood self was faint, just a whisper, yet it still echoed throughout her mind

‘Honey, let father grieve alone. Grandfather has been taking from us…so give him space.’ Her mother’s

words were soft, and her body slowly relaxed on the bed. ‘He’s hurt… really sad like you and me, so let

him be. For now.

“I will miss grandpa.” Peach whispered in her sleep the exact words from the voice of her young self that

crossed her mind and then her eyelids opened.

Her vision was blurred for a moment, but she blinked slowly and saw her room bathed in sunlight

The sound of her breath caught in her throat for a second as she looked out the window at the blue sky

and white clouds

“It was just a dream.. a memory…” Peach muttered softly to herself as she pushed the sheets off her

Pressing her hand against the side of the bed to help support her weight, she stood up and walked to the

bathroom, stopped in front of the face basin, and ran her fingers through her long, dark hair

“Okay. You can survive tonight.. you got this, Peach.”

The dining table was crowded with Miss Grace, Ryan, James, Rookie, and Matt, and the sound of small

chatters and laughter filled the room.

And then Elijah walked through the door and joined the table, sitting beside Rookie, and as he was about

to speak, the sound of footsteps raised his gaze, and it rested on Peach

“Morning, guys” She said, her voice sounding drained and exhausted from what happened in her dream,

and everyone quieted down as they focused on her

**You okay?” Rookie asked, looking concerned and worried.

“Yeah, you don’t look so good,” Ryan agreed as he placed his spoon back down on his plate

When she gave a weak smile, Jaines only became worried and said, “Come sit and have some horlea,”

“Here,” Matt said as he pulled out the chair between Elijah and him. Their concerns made her feel less

depressed, and she walked over toward the chair, grabbing Elijah’s attention as his soft gaze followed

her every movement, but he didn’t say anything

When Peach ut down, letting out a soft sigh, he finally met ber drowsy eyes and asked, “Are

you good?”

“Yeah… Just had a bad nightmare.” Peach answered, running her fingertips along the edge of the table,

and then resting them there.

A look of worry spiked in Miss Grace’s eyes as she asked, “You had it again?”

Locking eyes with her mother, Peach nodded her head gently before answering quietly, “Yeah, but I am

fine.”

“What is, ‘it?” Elijah asked, his concern for her rising as she placed her eyes on him.

“A memory of the day when Albert, my husband got the death news of his father. It’s a reoccurring dream

that Peach has around his death anniversary… It didn’t happen often this month, so I thought we were in

the clear…” Miss Grace told them, keeping her voice low and calm.

The table was awfully quiet after that, and Peach noticed that Elijah’s eyes softened as he took in her

appearance, his eyes moving down to rest on her hand as she nervously picked at her fingernails a bit

aggressively. Shocking to her, he laced his fingers in hers and smiled warmly as his gaze lingered upon

her, saying, “I am sorry for your loss.” A shaky smile escaped her lips as she stared into his eyes, not

knowing how else to respond

For a moment, Miss Grace stared at them, hesitant to make up her mind on what to say, but at last, she

simply sighed, knowing Peach needed this and it wasn’t the time to remind them about their promise to

her.

“What time are you going to the party again?” Miss Grace changed the subject as she picked up her fork

with a heavy heart.

Instantly, a look of worry crossed Peach’s face, and she let out, “You are not going, mama.”

Those words left Miss Grace stunned, and the atmosphere grew tense for Matt, James, Rookie, and

Ryan, and their gazes dropped off the mother and daughter to the table, not wanting to make things any

more uncomfortable.

“What are you talking about, Peach?!” Miss Grace exclaimed, trying her best to keep herself composed

Snapping her brows together, Peach shook her head at her mother and spoke, “Mama, they are all going

to be there! All of the Hayes with a bunch of strangers… some of them who kiss up to that family. You

are not risking your health by attending.”

“And I am just supposed to feel alright, knowing that you will be going alone… What mother will be at

peace when her child is walking into a potentially dangerous situation?!”

“Mama! I am not going if you insist on leaving with me!”

“This is not up for discussion, Peach! I will not allow you to go alone!” Shifting his gaze back and forth

between both mother and daughter’s angry expressions, Elijah sighed and said, “I will take her… I will be

her escort.”

It grew quiet as Peach and Miss Grace stared at Elijah, shock filling their faces, and as the silence hung

thick in the air, he cleared his throal uncomfortably as he continued, “You are right, she needs a

protector. But after everything I have seen happen for the past couple of days.”

PASI, Elijah eyed Peach, squeezed her hand lightly, and said, “…You can not be that protection, To be

honest…Your daughter is right. Your health will not allow you to be there for her like you want, so let me

accompany her.”

His words seemed to affect Miss Grace because her shoulders sagged, a tired expression taking over

her face as she sighed, “I understand, Elijah. But I can not risk your safety… I know the history you have

with the Hayes and it would be selfish to-”

“Matt will come with me. He’s a skilled fighter.” Elijah interrupted as he glanced at Matt who nodded his

head in affirmation, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Miss Grace paused, unsure of what to say next, until finally, her expression showing her indecisiveness

and hesitancy, she uttered, “Alright. Thank you, Elijah. Both of you. Please try and stay safe, for her

sake, mine, and yours.” Elijah released Peach’s hand with one final squeeze and then nodded, saying, “I

promise to bring her home without a scratch.”

A sense of worry overlook Ryan, Rookie, James, and Matt, but their faces remained neutral as their eyes

shifted between Elijah and Peach. “Are you sure,” Peach whispered, her heart aching at the memories of

how badly his encounter with her family had been. “They will all be there.” “I know. Trust me, I am very

aware that all the Hayes will be there,” Elijah spoke, his eyes never leaving hers.

“I just don’t want-”

“Hey, hey… It’ll be fine,” Darting her gaze as her brows squeezed together, a feeling of fear started to

settle in Peach’s stomach, and it spread throughout her whole body as she saw the stubbornness in his

expression

“Yeah?” Peach whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Yeah..” Elijah murmured, his tone soft.

When breakfast was over, Elijah headed to his room, and soon, James, Ryan, Mall, and Rookie stood at

his door, James knocking on it.

The sound of the knock caused Elijah to softly groan, looking at the wooden frame, and hating the

thought of leaving his mattress.

“It’s open,” He called out as he sat up in his bed, pushing his messy hair back.

Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing Ryan, James, Matt, and Rooke as they walked into the roon,

James closing the door behind them.

“What is it?” Elijah asked, turning his full attention to them. “We are concerned about your well-being

tonight… you are walking into a territory that will be filled with people that hate and look down on you. It’s

going to be dangerous…” James explained, pausing briefly, “We’re worried that you will get hurt.” The

other three nodded, and Elijah gazed deeply into their eyes as he said, “I am fully aware of the risks

involved… But with Melina, I never got the chance to meet the whole family, never

got to walk into the so-called famous Hayes mansion… Tonight is possibly the one chance I get to finally

do so.”

A faint scoff left Elijah’s lips as he lowered his gaze, saying, “A blind man can not go into battle with

someone with sight and win easily… Peach is a key, and I hate to use her like this, but some doors need

to be opened for me to do what I have to do.”