ILLYRIS | xx. "IT'S... YOU." A TALE OF TWISTED TWINS
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DOING HOMEWORK WAS harder with two baby dragons constantly exploring her bedroom. She was able to get through a good third of her assignments before her phone pinged. For a second, she thought it was Peter, chronicling what his mysterious visit to the Avengers headquarters was all about. He had sent hastily typed texts, so misspelled out of excitement, she couldn't decipher them. Baseline: Tony Stark + impressed = Possible new Avenger?
Instead, the text she received chilled here to the bone:
BEXIPEDIA:sos. hurry.
Thea cursed under her breath, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and startling the dragons that broke out of their sleepy daze. The wire cage replaced the chest that they were nestled in as eggs. Like any new pet owner, the first task at hand was housebreaking. The know-how for taking care of baby dragons wasn't exact but they couldn't be roaming the house unattended.
"Okay, you both stay in here," Thea murmured in Old Sovrani as the bronze hissed inside the cage. "I'm gonna see what's going on with Auntie Bex."
She only grabbed her phone and a house key, completely forgetting about a sweatshirt as soon as the cold mid-day air pricked her skin. Thea's feet moved down her porch steps so fast, it was a miracle she didn't fall on her face. Her nerves were shot and she jumped to the worst-case scenario. The house is on fire and she needs me to put it out. Someone broke in, maybe the Valoqar. Abuela Imelda's... no. Anything but that.
Don't be stupid, Thea, she chided herself as she raced up to the Ortegas' front door. Her knuckles pounded on the green wooden door with such a force, it may have knocked it off its hinges.
Lydia answered, raising an eyebrow at the distressed frown on the girl's face. "Thea... why are you— what did you do?" Her face hardened as another realization dawned on her. "What did Rebeca do?"
"Hi, nothing— is she home? Is Bex here?" Thea asked, trying to control her fast-paced breaths.
"Uh, yes, she's here," Lydia answered cautiously. She quickly moved out of the way as Thea inched by her, quickly throwing out a greeting to Abuela Imelda who was dancing to Latin music in the kitchen. She felt relief wash over her as the elderly woman sashayed past the counter, stirring a wooden spoon into something that smelled delectable.
Her mind whirled and she tried to put together what could possibly be so urgent. Bex seemed completely fine in school. It must've been the fatigue or the hectic manner of their weekend. She thought back to the whisper she snuck when they were feeding the dragons and her heart sunk. What could've changed in such a short time?
She met Lydia's confused gaze, the woman standing with her arms crossed over her chest and waiting for an answer.
"Sorry, uh, a-a boy texted me and... girl talk, you know," Thea said sheepishly. Lydia smirked and shrugged.
