Blood of Acheron

Fate

SAPPHIRE

I felt like death, and I was pretty sure I smelled like it too. I was mooching behind my house because I had been kicked out for the millionth time. I cursed as a lump of snow slipped off our roof and straight on top of me. I squirm and push myself harder against the wall of my rickety old house; winter sucks, and whoever vouched for this to ever become a season needs to be mentally evaluated. I watch as my lights flicker off; they knew I was out here and these idiots still wouldn't let me in. My teeth chatter as I now sit drenched head to toe in snow, I would have to wait for them to fall asleep before trying to break back in.

A ship hovers in the driveway, and I launch myself towards it. I need all the heat I can get. My brother Tyros steps out, and his face is contorted in so many different shapes that I could barely register, but one rang out clearly: anger. "Why the hell are you covered head to toe in snow?" he hisses. Shoot, I had to come up with an excuse, and quick, I hugged him and smiled, hoping that that would steer him off it for now.

"I wanted to play out in the snow," I shrug.

He grabs my hands and flinches; they are cold to the touch. I had been out here since yesterday night, and it had been 24 hours since then. All he had to do was drop it, so I could go inside and eat or shower, preferably the quickest option available. "Your hands are freezing, like they're about to fall off." He seethes"Where's mom and dad? They shouldn't let you out in this kind of weather."

I roll my eyes before grabbing his hands and leading him to the front door. I had been out here for long enough and personally didn't want to play fifty questions asking about my experience. We enter the entryway and immediately kick off our shoes. I take a moment to observe our house; everything in it screams it wants freedom. The old blue mint wallpaper is peeling from the walls, and the light fixtures flicker on and off because of our constant movement. I stared at the walls and smiled. The only redeeming qualities of the dirty old house were the pictures of my brother placed around the house. It was nice to have reminders of him around the house; he worked for one of the most prestigious academies in the universe, Instar Academy. He wasn't home very often, and that left me alone most of the time with our parents (yay me). He had gotten in at 16, and once he was 18, he was offered a job teaching battle strategies and hand-to-hand combat. He was a genius; to say I had a lot to live up to was an understatement.

"I missed you, kiddo," my brother says, poking at a nearby light fixture.

I grin before shoving him; he was always so sappy, and when we were kids, I used to hate it. As we grew older, I learned to appreciate it. It was one of the only things that kept me sane. Though I'd never admit it to him, he was my hero; he taught me everything I knew, and I looked up to him. Because of him, I applied to Instar. "I know you did," I reply

We both turn to each other, and I watch as he raises his brow. I burst out laughing; there was no taking him seriously when he started raising his brows. As we catch up, the stairs begin creaking, and I can hear our parents start to ease their way down towards us. I groan internally. Here we go.

"Tyros, son, you're home," my father grumbles, clapping his son tight in a hug.

My mother almost dives into the hug as I stand to the side, watching them. It was always like this. It was a warm, loving reunion every time Tyros came home, as if he were a long-lost hero returning from a distant quest.

"Finally, my child has returned; the three of us are reunited, she starts. Tyros narrowed his eyes at her, and she shrank backward. She always does this nonsense in front of him and wonders why he thinks something is going on. It's like she wants him to start peering into things they don't want him to know about.