weaponised - a peaky blinders story

two

1907,

Evangeline Shelby was considered a princess in small heath. Everyone knew of the smiley 6 year old that ran though the streets, usually with one of her uncles or her dad got on her tail, very cautious of everyone around her, especially now they are trying to expand their buisness.

Everyone in small heath was mourning the death of Martha Shelby, Evangeline's grandmother, who had sadly drowned in the cut only a month after giving birth to Finn Shelby, the youngest brother of the Shelby's. But while all of this was happening, Evangeline was there, dancing around and making everyone smile as she hadn't a clue what had happened.

Evangeline was a bundle of joy since the moment she left the womb, barely cried as a baby and was incredibly smart. If she didn't know what a word meant she would ask and make sure she understood it. She could count to ten and overall impressed her family more then ever. Of course, she wasn't perfect and still had her times, but it was rare and in the family's eyes, she was an angel.

That was everyone but her mother. Her mother thought the worst of Evangeline, somehow convincing herself that her daughter was the reason she had such a 'shitty life'. She didn't, not to any normal person. But, amber was a 28 year old women who was bound to a 20 year old man, her lungs pumped with cocain almost every hour of the day, consistently sitting on the small sofa in watery lane, complaining and shouting at everyone. The only reason the family put up with her was for eve and tommy. Tommy held no love for the women, but he adored his daughter so much that he threatened his whole family to not upset amber to avoid her taking off with eve.

"Lina! You alright love?" A fifteen year old John smiled down at the small girl who had just walked into the garrison snug, her farther trailing shortly behind her with a smile plastered to his face.

Eve stood there in a small blue dress, two blow bows tying her hair into pigtails. She had a small bunch of daffodils clutched in her tiny palm as she swayed back and forth, smiling up at her uncle who had just greeted her.

"There's my favourite girl! How are you doing angel?" Arthur asked, sweeping the girl off her feet from behind and placing her on his lap, making her squeal and let out a giggle.

"I'm good uncle art, and you?" She asked as her large eyes looked up at him. She struggled saying Arthur, so settled on art. Once John caught wind of eves nickname for Arthur, he was less than pleased and constantly complained that it was favouritism, which always caused eve to give him extremely large cuddles so he knew what he was doing.

"I'm brilliant now your here love, what've you got here, ey?" He asked, pointing to the girls hand.

"Oh! I picked you all flowers!" Eve said, scrambling to get off her uncle knee and handing each person in the snug, John, tommy, Arthur, Freddie, curly and Charlie, all of them being very grateful for their small yellow daffodils.

"Who's that last one for, Lina?" Freddie asked, pointing towards the last flower clutched into her hand.

"It's for mummy, she hasn't been feeling to well. She's been quite angry too so I thought I'd get her one." She said, suddenly spinning around and singing along to a song that was playing in the main room letting out a large giggle. The six men at the table all shared a knowing look at the words spoken on Amber, each sharing a common hatred towards the women but hiding it from the innocent soul that was dancing around and laughing at the way her dress flew with her.

"Polly!" Evangeline squealed as she ran into the living room of their house, her grandfather hadn't been home in a long while now, which she didn't complain about much. Her grandfather was never the nicest to Evangeline, and was often in cahoots with her mother. She had been told that he wasn't going to come back, but wasn't sure why. She was told that she was too young to understand, but she understood that he was a nasty man and that it had stressed everyone out.

"Hello pumpkin, how are you?" Polly asked as she sat and fed baby finn.

"I'm good, how's Finn?" She asked wandering over to see him and smiling at how his tiny eyes followed the room.

"He's good, been very hungry though, would you like to help feed him?" She smiled down at eve, as no matter what happened to their family eve would be there to light up their lives.

"Oh pol, I'd love to but-"

"No! Your to young, you'll hurt him. Go and get my bag and the bottle of whiskey." Amber said with a grunt from the sofa, which she hadn't gotten up from all day.

"But I wasn't going to hurt him!" Eve said, a pleading look in her eyes as she turned towards her mother.

"I don't care Evangeline! Go and get my stuff. Now!" She spat back, glaring at the small child.

Eve hung her head and carried herself to the kitchen. She didn't like her mother, she wasn't like a normal mother. She never played with eve, or fed her or tucked her in. She never really spoke to her, not unless it was to order her about or say something mean. She was convinced her mother didn't really like her either.

"She wouldn't have hurt him." Polly said in the nicest way she could. She despised the woman that sat infront of her, if it wasn't for her threats of taking eve away she wouldn't be in this house any longer. But, Polly had bit her tongue and looked the other way.

"She's six for fucks sake Polly! You can't trust a six year old with a two year old. Not to mention she's a bit fucking stupid, she'll drop him." Amber was stretching her neck to see if Evangeline was coming back with her things yet, not at all remorseful for how she had just spoken about her own daughter.

"She's not fucking stupid amber. If you spent a fraction of your time speaking to her you'd know how smart that little girl is." Polly seethed, trying her hardest to hold in her anger.

"Keep talking to me like I'm a piece of shit on your shoe Polly, and I will take that little girl so far from Birmingham and never let any of you see her again. I swear I will."

"As if you'd bother" Polly spoke under her breath, not wanting to test it.

Eve came trotting back in, head hung low to try and mask the tears pricking her eyes, passing the things in her hand to her mother and turning to going up the stairs.

Before she could, the door opened and in walked her father and two uncles. While she wasn't in a smiling mood, she still gave them the biggest smile she could muster. Even if she was upset over her mother, the three men infront of her could make her brighten up in seconds. She would do anything for them, and that included smiling when she didn't particularly feel like it.

"Hey Lina, how are ya?" Arthur said, walking past her and ruffling her hair on his way to the chair.

"I'm good thanks, how was your day?" Plastering on the largest smile she could on her face as she tried to smooth down her hair.

"It's been good thanks love." John smiled and ruined her hair again as he walked towards the kitchen.

She turned towards her dad before running at him pull pace, him picking her up and swinging round her legs, attacking her with tickles and kisses all around her face. "I've missed you today, princess." He smiled at the girl as he calmed his attack.

Eve couldn't keep her giggles in, "you should have invited me then!" Trying to catch her breath.

"Next time, ey?" He placed her down before going over to the drinks cart, pouring himself a whiskey and his daughter a juice, which she had insisted to be in a glass decanter on the cart, just like her fathers drinks.