Her Lonely Grey Eyes

Chapter 10 - Which room should be hers?

𝙈𝘼𝘽𝙀𝙇 𝘿𝘼𝙎𝙃𝙒𝙊𝙊𝘿

I don't really know what just happened.

But I know one thing for sure—everything feels different now.

An hour ago, we were just arguing about normal stuff.

"Now what is Odessa planning to say?" Hunter asked, clearly already irritated.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "But she looked serious."

That alone was enough to make Hunter smirk.

Which, honestly, was never a good sign.

"Let's find out," he said.

Before I could even react, he was already moving.

"Hunter!" Carmen called after us. "Don't start something!"

But we were already running upstairs.

Because curiosity always wins in this house.

Always.

"Mab! Hunter!" Carmen's voice followed us up the stairs.

"Just listen for once!" Elijah added, smacking the back of my head as he passed.

"Hey—!"

"Shh," Hunter said dramatically. "Stop acting like a good citizen and just listen."

Nolan appeared from his room like he was summoned by chaos itself.

I grabbed his arm immediately. "You're coming too."

"What—"

"Shh," I whispered, pressing a finger to my lips. "This is important."

We all ended up gathered near the hallway, half-hidden, half-listening like criminals.

And then—

We heard her.

Aunt Odessa.

Her voice was calm.

Too calm.

From the moment she started speaking, nobody moved.

Nobody joked.

Nobody even breathed properly.

And by the time she finished...

Everything went quiet.

Completely quiet.

Even the house felt like it stopped.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath until Carmen spoke first.

"...So it's real."

Dad didn't say anything for a long moment.

Then he exhaled sharply.

And that's when everything changed.

We all went downstairs without speaking.

The living room was already tense when we got there.

Nobody knew what to do with their hands.

Nobody knew where to look.

It felt like the entire house was waiting for something to explode.

Finally, I stood up.

"I think... we should bring her home."

Hunter immediately scoffed. "Bring her home? She doesn't even want to be in the same world as us."

That made my chest tighten.

"So what?" I shot back. "We just give up?"

"She's not going to just walk in here happily," he said flatly.

I sat back down, frustrated. "Maybe she thinks she was abandoned. I would think that too if I was in her place."

Elijah nodded slowly. "That's... not wrong."

Nolan, of all people, spoke next.

"If she doesn't come," he said simply, "we bring her."

I blinked.

Even Dad looked slightly surprised.

"...I agree," Dad added after a pause.

"What?!" I turned to them. "Seriously?"

Carmen sighed. "Mabel... it's not that simple."

"I don't care," I said immediately.

My voice came out sharper than I expected.

"I want my sister back."

Silence again.

This time, heavier.

Mom finally spoke, softer than before.

"I want her too."

That shut me up for a second.

Because I had never heard her sound like that before.

So final.

So... emotional.

I looked away quickly, pretending I didn't feel my throat tighten.

Then I stood up again, forcing energy back into my voice.

"Jane!" I called.

One of the maids stepped forward quickly. "Yes, lady?"

"Prepare the room next to mine."

Before she could even move—

"WHAT?!" Hunter shouted immediately. "Why next to YOUR room?!"

I crossed my arms. "Because she's my twin."

"That is not how rooms work!"

"It is now."

"You can't just claim proximity rights—"

"I literally just did."

He looked like he was about to lose his mind.

Carmen rubbed her forehead. "Mabel, maybe give her space—"

"No," I said firmly. "She's coming here. She's not staying far away."

Hunter pointed at me. "She doesn't even know us!"

"She will."

Nolan leaned back casually. "Let her do what she wants."

Hunter turned to him. "You're encouraging her?"

"I'm observing," Nolan replied.

I ignored them both and sat back down, determination settling in.

Tomorrow's party.

That's when everything would finally change.

And for the first time in a long time—

I didn't feel nervous.

I felt ready.