𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 ✍︎

𝟻𝟷| 𝙽𝚎𝚠 𝙶𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜

Ayla/Dove's POV
Age: 10
Location: Ricci's Mansion, New York
TW: slight violence

I wake up with achy eyes and a pounding headache.

My eyes feel crusty as I blink away the drowsiness and look outside the window.

There's frost on the glass and a new layer of perfect snow has fallen during the night. The sun is barely peeking out from the white clouds that are covering the sky.

I must have slept through the night and into the early morning.

I don't move for a moment. Too scared to even breathe.

My dreams were filled with nightmares from my past, the dreams that feel like memories but might not be, and terrifying fantasies my brain has conjured up.

I didn't wake up during the night, but I definitely don't feel rested.

I wait for any signs of life from outside my door, but there's nothing. I don't hear the sounds of my brothers in their rooms or in the kitchen. There's no music playing from the gym either.

Maybe no one is awake. Or maybe they're all steering clear of me and my room.

Forcing my tired body out of bed, I stumble into the bathroom. I rinse my puffy eyes with cold water and brush my teeth.

I do my best to avoid looking in the mirror for too long. One glance is horrific enough.

When I exit the bathroom and head for the door, I stop suddenly.

I've never been grounded before. I'm not sure what the rules of this are.

Dad said to stay in my room, but does that mean I can't go to the kitchen? Did he mean no meals either?

I bite my lower lip nervously, unsure of what to do.

Thankfully, a knock at the door answers my questions.

When I open the door, an older looking man, clearly a guard, enters my room with a plate of toast with butter and jam.

"Good morning," he greets me as he sets down the tray on my bed. "My name is Alex. I am one of your new guards."

His hair is graying, indicating his age, but he looks as healthy and fit as ever.

"My name is Callum." I turn back to the door where a younger man, also a guard, stands. The faint red and green of a tattoo on his left arm peaks through his long-sleeved shirt. His black hair is slicked back into a small ponytail at the base of his neck. "I am your other guard."

I nod wordlessly, taking in the two new guards. I suppose they're my new companions now since they were probably ordered to follow me everywhere.

"We'll be right outside your door if you need us," Alex says.

He exits my room and closes the door behind him, leaving me alone with the delicious, warm food.

Clearly Dad didn't mean no meals when he grounded me.

I take a piece of toast and nibble at a corner. I'm not really hungry, but I still eat anyways.

Shouldn't waste food.

I'm still not sure what the rules of this grounding thing means, but I decide to play it safe and stay in my room.

Grabbing a book off the shelf, I roll back into bed and start a new story.

I'm not fully paying attention to the words. I'm more focused on trying to hear what is happening outside of my door. The only reason I have a book in my hands is so I look busy.