𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔩

one

Everyone comes and goes for a reason. That's what everyone said to Nadine and her brother after their family died. Nadine knew that this was true, but why did they have to go? Why did they have to leave her and her brother alone, to live with the guilt of surviving? No matter how often she asked herself these questions, they were never answered. And she knew they never would be.

Now, Nadine and her brother, Orion, sat inside an over-decorated carriage that bumped down a long dirt road, winding through the countryside of England. The scenery was pretty, sure, but she dreaded what laid at the end of the road.

After their parents had died, Nadine and Orion had lived with their cousins for a month or two, but their family was too large to provide for every member. So, their aunt and uncle had decided it was best if the two lived with their grandparents. In Nadine's mind, this was the worst idea possible. Her and her grandmother had always been difficult with each other, to say the least. Always fighting over one thing or another. And now that her parents were dead, she would be forced to live with the woman.

Her mind painted pictures of the landscape as it passed by, the rocks in the path causing the carriage to bounce every now and then. In her head, she imagined the landscape as some magical world, her pretend fantasy carrying her far away from reality. A coping mechanism, as her uncle always called it.

"Nadine," She felt a tap on her shoulder, breaking her abruptly from her train of thought. Her head snapped over to be met with the sad gray eyes of her brother, Orion. Nadine raised her eyebrows in a silent question of: 'what do you need?'

Orion sighed, fiddling with his brown jacket, which was still covered in mud from their time helping at their aunt and uncle's farm. Nadine assumed that jacket would be tossed aside by their grandmother the second they arrived. "We're almost there," he sighed. Nadine could tell something was wrong. Orion had brushed off what he was about to say, tossing it out the window.

"Orion," she sighed, studying his practically emotionless face with intent. He was broken, just like her. He had been broken since the night their parents and sister died. Pandora, their older sister, their role model, the person they went to for advice, had died alongside their parents in a fire. "What did you need to tell me?"

Instead of confiding in her, Orion simply turned his head away and ignored her presence. Typical, Nadine thought to herself, letting out a quiet scoff as she returned the favor of the quiet shoulder. And just as Orion had said, they arrived at the house in less than five minutes.

The word "house" would be an understatement for how absolutely huge this manor was. Its ivy-covered stone walls reached at least four stories high, the front garden's bushes trimmed to perfection. So perfect, it seemed off. The carriage pulled up to the front of the manor, the golden accented wooden doors slowly creaking open as a young maid, probably about seventeen, emerged from inside the castle-like home.

Without a word, the girl helped unload Nadine and Orion's trunks, stacking them on her arms with precision. Nadine offered to help, but the young maid just waved her off and assured her it was fine.

She wasn't surprised at the fact that she wasn't greeted by her grandparents. Knowing them, her grandfather was up in his study, buried in books, and her grandmother was running around the manor like a madwoman; brushing off anything with the slightest bit of dirt. Nadine gave one glance to Orion, and instantly knew he was thinking the same thing.

Her brother shrugged, straightening his shoulders and walking inside, taking on the facade of a prideful young man. Quite the opposite of who he was, actually. But, he still took on the fake persona to please their grandparents.

Although being much like their parents, Nadine and Orion's grandmother had tried to squeeze every bit of uniqueness out of them. Of course, this never worked, since their mother had tried to avoid spending time with her own mother as much as possible.