Dangerously Quiet

Epilogue

One year later

Paris

The morning air was different here. For the past year back in her hometown, the chilly mornings with hot, freshly brewed coffee in her grandmother's cup was her example of normal. It was time to change her routine. 

Taking a sip of the coffee that was carefully poured for her, the rich aroma tickled her nose and tampered her tastebuds with its bittersweet flavor and the perfect temperature. The person who sat across her made a small noise of satisfaction that made her giggle against the brim of her cup. He raised his clear brown eyes to admonish her, but the steam was lost to amusement. The spectacles on the bridge of his nose slid a bit, and the light breeze ruffled his wild curls that left the messy bun on his head. This was her younger brother, Eros, now sixteen, and the Delacourde's California wildcard.

"What is it?" he muttered. His fingers flew across his laptop as he spoke. It amazed her by the effortless multitasking done by the family members. 

"I was blessed to hear an expression come from you," she answered.

"You sound like mama," he grumbled. 

Amara chuckled and return to her breakfast. She knew what he meant; after all, she was Arianna's soundboard for a year. Out of all her kids, the ones she birthed and the others she adopted, Eros was the one she worried about the most. His stoic and cold demeanor tend to give a very intimidating first impression. His bold way of talking may come as arrogant, and his tendency to move on his own accord can be translated into disrespect. Unfortunately, that's how the outside world saw him. His mother's worry became larger after a society journalist voiced her anger in her article after Eros' blatant brush-off and the mention of a few truths to her after a failed interview at a charity event. 
Poor thing lost her job, and the family didn't even lift a finger for that. 

"Take it as genuine care. You are now socializing with people outside of the family. That's what you reported when you started the new school year. Was that a context filler or a fact?"

"It tended to be an input of any teenager's school life, not mine. So I didn't expect you to delve into that tidbit."

Rolling her eyes, she sat back into her cushioned seat and eyed him carefully. She can see more ways in which they were similar and can be genuinely recognized as siblings. "Your point has been acknowledged, but a fact could also be written," Amara stated.

Eros stopped his actions on his laptop and mimicked her position in his seat. They were having their breakfast at the twin's pavilion constructed a few feet away from their parents' wedding gazebo.

"How did you handle that new high school environment? Didn't you feel awkward? Mature than most? Bored? The silly topics I tend to overhear, and girls' childish advances in heat annoyed me. Encountering them daily depletes my energy levels," he complained.

"I placed that as a possibility when Leya mentioned my mandatory attendance to high school. College was a better option for me, but I made a promise to my grandmother. To get ready for the cliched social cliques and bullies, I read fictional and non-fictional books on teenagers, even the dating aspects of that life," she answered, thinking back on her own high school experience.

"How did that help before Lucifer's position in your life?"

The laugh that escaped her was carefree; a small smile was on Eros's face because it has been a while since she laughed so freely. Her separation from his brother was hard, but it had to be done. It has been two days since she arrived at the estate as their agreement and the confusion and troubles in her eyes were no longer there. Whatever hurdle she had to get over was completed now; she had to close off a few chapters in her past to move on.