Cursed Beneath the Shadows

The Mind of Valen 1.0

Valen's POV:

Mom told me that Leo and his sister are going to be living with us for a little bit, not that I minded. I like Leo, he has a very outgoing personality and makes everyone around him smile, his sister on the other hand, I'm not sure. I've only just met them a few days ago, she is very quiet and seems to mind her own business. I'm sure she hates it here, given their situation, I would too.
Living with complete strangers for two years is a very abrupt change that she doesn't have any say in. That being said, she seems to take to us well, especially mom, she likes to be around her more than anybody.

A day before the incident in the previous chapters...

Last night we got home very late in the day, on the way here, she ended up falling asleep against me for a few hours. I felt like in that moment she was a different person, she fell asleep crying, her tears soaking into my shirt. I didn't move her, she seemed to be relaxed in those hours so I let her sleep with me watching her, I even brushed away a piece of her hair that had been stuck on her face. She slept like a baby, curled up and peacefully breathing in and out, now that I get a closer look at her, she's breathtaking.

Her dark chocolate hair surrounding her heart shaped face and her amethyst colored eyes were enchanting. They stared right into your soul, and although they didn't say anything, they had this aura to them, a sort of mesmerizing effect that had me captivated. She opened her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheek, the sun's radiant glow made them appear even more marvelous. They sparkled like real gems, I was simply enchanted by them. She was beautiful. I didn't really look at her until now, I saw her at the airport and at the diner, but this was completely different. She didn't even seem human, the way she moves and acts, her looks, it's almost ethereal.

Unlike Leo, with his pale blonde hair, and forest green eyes, Via is absolutely stunning. I don't know how they can call themselves brother and sister, they look nothing alike, at all!

Reaching the house, we shift around in our seats, waiting to get out and take a breath of fresh air. As we reach out destination, I help them unload all of their bags and suitcases and start to walk up the paved driveway towards our house. The bushes sway in the wind, and the branches on the trees follow, the breeze is a bit chilly, even for me. The faster we get this done the better. It's probably only like 9:00a.m. Right now, but man did it feel a lot later than that, we were all exhausted. I watch as Via looks around and stares at hour house and the backyard, she seems to enjoy it. Her eyes twinkle in the sun's light shining down on us. Leo is next to me, talking to me about room arrangement, I tune him out already knowing which one he is going to choose. We open the front door and walk inside.

The smell of fresh pine and the sound of birds chirping was definitely welcoming. Florida was horrible, hot and humid, it was like a constant uncomfortable, sticky mess. As we all go our separate ways, we go to our own rooms, Leo gets the room closest to Via, then my room, practically in the middle, then mom and dads room off to the right. Our house was a three story house, the tallest floor for bedroom space and then the kitchen and living room on the second floor and finally, the basement/ bunker area.  We don't really go down to the basement besides laundry, it's really just an extra storage space. In just under two hours everyone has rearranged the rooms they liked and organized their belongings. Mom is downstairs making an early lunch while dad chops down trees for extra firewood in case the power goes out or we get too cold.

Mom is making my favorite this morning, French toast and scrambled eggs with a vegetable medley on the side. I help her set the table and arrange the silverware around the placemats accordingly, at the head of the table is dad, then to his left is mom. Next to her is Via, then from dads left is me and then Leo, we found this the easiest way to get them comfortable eating with us. Not that Leo has ever had any trouble, he just scarfs down anything in sight like a gremlin.

"Breakfast is done!" Hollars mom. She starts to make everyone's plates as I go upstairs and inform them that breakfast is done. As I round the corner, I hear Leo talking down the hallway, probably in Via's room. Slowly walking down the hallway, I pass my room, then Leo's messy thing he calls a room, then I arrive at her room. It already feels different, there is a certain scent in the air, it's sweet, but not delicate, it's almost earthy. Clearing my throat, I knock on the already half opened door.

" Hey guys, mom said that food is done if y'all want to come eat." I say as I look around her room.

I make eye contact with them both briefly until they turn away from each other and start to head towards me. I move away from the door and let them go in front of me, I trail behind them, not wanting to be intrusive. I stop briefly and glance back at her room, it's a decent size space with light purple walls and white trim. The french door is overlooking the garden, it even leads out into a small balcony, her bed is against the wall and she has already arranged the furniture the way she liked. How cute. The antique dresser is also against the wall opposite from her bed, a few small pictures are hanging from a long string pinned up by thumbtacks. And the small nightstand has a matte black lamp and a picture frame with her and the rest of her family, I can't see the other in the picture besides her brother and her.

I head down to eat and find my seat beside dad, we all exchange looks and smile at each other. Our first meal as a family in our house, this is a very special meal. We start to dig in, savoring the delicious aroma hovering over the plate overfilled with eggs, French toast and the sautéed vegetables off to the side. It's amazing, we finish up, leaving pretty much nothing behind on the plates.

" Thank you soo much for breakfast Mrs. Juliana." Says Via. I look between her and mom and se Ethan they are smiling at each other.

" You can call me Juli or Juliana dear, no need to be sooo formal, we are a family now!" Mom exclaims as she goes in to hug Via still holding out her cleaned off plate. She hugs her back, holding back tears. She closes her eyes and exhales softly, and then looks up and her and nods her head approvingly.

" Thank you Juli, it was amazing, please, let me help you clean up the dishes." She says sweetly. Mom looks overjoyed, but denies her.

" The boys can clean up the dishes sweetheart, how about me and you take a walk outside while they tidy up in here?" She suggests. I feel kind of disappointed that I can't take that walk with her, but mom looks soo happy to have another female in the house.

"Leo and I got it mom, you ladies take a stroll while we pick up in here." I say as I start to pick up the plates. Mom smiles brightly and gives me an approving nod. I walk over to Via and see that her plate is still in her hand. I gesture towards her hand and she sheepishly hands it to me.

"Thank you Valen, make sure my brother actually helps you, he can be a slob if you're not pushing him enough." She says looking right at Leo. He gets up and pouts.

"Oh come on V, I'm not that bad, I help.." he says childishly. We all burst out laughing knowing damn well that he definitely could use more discipline in his life. I watch as everyone disperses. Via heads towards the garden with mom and dad goes back outside, probably going out for a hunting trip I bet. I look over at Leo, he huffs at what Via said to him.

"It's okay Leo, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can play 1v1 in a rematch." I suggest. And with that, he jolts up and starts zooming through the dishes. He really is something.