For the last leg of the campaign they were joined by Ellie Scott, Elijah's little sister. He was happy for the company though. It had been ages since they'd had any quality time together.
They were at a huge county fair. He was pleased by the huge crowd that had come out to see him, all of them cheering and waving around miniature flags with his name on them. The sun was scorching hot, but he didn't feel bothered by it.
He was just so happy with the support the people were showing him. Just like at all the other events, he delivered his speech flawlessly.
When his speech ended, people screamed, cheered and whistled and it was more than enough to quench the thirst he was feeling. He'd been to a lot of events, but that was the first time he'd seen a crowd who looked extremely happy to see him.
His eyes landed on Ellie who was watching him proudly, her hair bouncing as she jumped on her feet. She, too, was holding a little flag with his name on it, showing her support for his candidacy.
He couldn’t be happier.
He was with a family member, and…
Looking around, his eyes searched for Meredith who was wildly scribbling on her notepad. She was wearing a sun visor, and her hair was pulled into pigtails. There were beads of sweat on her face. But it didn't diminish the fact that she shone as bright as the sun that day.
Yes, he felt complete.
Because Meredith was there, too.
The fair was literally an amusement park. And he thought it would be a great chance to let everybody have a little bit of fun. Ellie especially looked like she was itching to get on all the free rides.
Eli instructed Sosie to tell the rest of the team to enjoy their time at the fair. He followed Ellie around as she stopped at every single booth like it was her first time at a county fair.
Shaking his head, he watched as Ellie repeatedly won the top prize at a booth set up to resemble a shooting range. The booth owner looked puzzled at first, then scowled when Ellie kept winning.
“Ellie, that’s enough,” he whispered to her, although he had to admit it was a little funny.
He was proud that his sister’s skills hadn't gone rusty.
After leaving the military, Elijah brought Ellie on shooting ranges once or twice a month. He thought she needed to know how to use a gun just in case. His siblings were sharpshooters, thanks to him.
He was their mentor, after all.
Pouting, Ellie gave the toy gun back to its owner and gathered the pile of stuffed toys she had won. She gave up almost everything, handing the toys to children passing by, but kept the largest teddy bear for herself.
“Are you sure you’re keeping that?” he asked, wincing. It was too big to carry around comfortably.
“Yep,” she murmured, eyeing him.
“What?”
“You carry it,” she stated, immediately turning on her heels, skipping to the next booth that caught her eye.
People looked at him as he walked around with the giant teddy bear, but their stares didn't bother him. Ellie forcing him to carry it bothered him. But he could never say no to his baby sister.
“Let’s get on the Ferris wheel!” Ellie suggested, looking up at the ride.
“Seriously?”
“I’m getting cotton candy. You want some?’ she asked instead.
“Nah, I’m fine. Go on,” he answered while rolling his eyes as he waited for her to get the tickets and treats.
Ellie had just turned twenty six, and she was one of the main reasons why he'd gone into politics. He wanted to give his sister a better life.
It didn't take long before she was back in front of him. And she literally had to drag him to the Ferris wheel.
“Come on, Eli!” she pleaded, looking at him with puppy dog eyes.
He grimaced.
“You’re not a kid anymore.”
“I’m a kid at heart,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him playfully.
“Whatever,” he grumbled as they got on the ride.
He settled the teddy bear next him carefully.
As the Ferris wheel moved, they talked about her plans after graduating high school.
“What about you? What's up with you?” she asked, pinching off small pieces of cotton candy and delicately eating them.
He frowned, not sure he understood the question.
“I'm running for president,” he said, stating the obvious.
Ellie rolled her eyes.
“That not what I meant. I mean what’s up with you and the cute blonde,” she asked.
Elijah almost cringed when Ellie looked at him with sparkling eyes, obviously interested in what he had to say. She wasn't usually the curious type. And this was the first time she'd ever asked him about his love life.
He made a face. He didn't want to talk about it, and especially not with his little sister.
“What do you mean? There's nothing between me and Meredith,” he said, hoping she'd believe him and just drop it.
It was becoming increasingly harder to lie.
Really, you fucked her and took her virginity. Nothing between you two? Seriously? asked a voice in his mind sarcastically.
Eli knew that deep down, he wanted more than just sex with Meredith. In fact, it was getting tougher to maintain this facade each day that passed. He wished he could be with her more often.
“Meredith... Even her name is cute,” Ellie commented while looking out over the fair. “You know I just want for you to be happy, right?” she said.
Elijah blinked at the seriousness and sincerity in his sister’s voice. For a moment there, he thought she was really acting like an adult. But it all vanished when he flashed her a mischievous grin.
Who was he kidding? Elli would always be a kid – a playful one.
“I’ll talk to her when we get down,” she said, then focused her attention on her dwindling cotton candy.
Elijah didn't bother trying to talk her out of it. His little sister was the most stubborn person he'd ever met. What Ellie wanted, Ellie would get.
When the Ferris wheel stopped, Ellie hopped off it excitedly, skipping toward the booth where she'd last spotted Meredith. He shook his head when his sister hooked arms with Meredith, surprising the latter.
He wanted to get a better look at the two, but he started sneezing.
Damn this stuffed animal, he cursed, walking away to find their rental car.
Elijah was sweaty and tired when he got to the car, throwing Ellie’s teddy bear into the rear. He never should have taken it with them.
He frowned when his phone started ringing even before he could rest his eyes.
It was Sosie.
“Where are you?” she questioned.
“I’m in the car.”
“Ellie has been going around with Meredith. You better take care of this before rumors start circulating. Either get your ass back out here or call your sister,” she said hissing.
Up until now, Sosie had been civil with him. After the incident of her drunkenly throwing herself at him, she'd started to grow more irritable. He thought she was probably feeling embarrassed after getting rejected.
He couldn’t blame her.
He was partly at fault.
“Sosie, they’re just having fun. What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s wrong because it’s Meredith,” she answered angrily, ending the phone call.
Feeling lethargic more than ever, Elijah dialed Ellie’s phone number and told her to get back to the car or else he’d cut the head off of her teddy bear. It was a childishly absurd thing to say.