Kindred Souls

Chapter 6 - Red

-Rain-

"How do I look?" Aster spins gracefully in her silky, dark dress. The asymmetrical shoulder top flows into a skirt from a deep red to black ombré. Her usually styled hair is pulled neatly in a bun with a large pearl clip. I admire the pearl necklace and earrings which complement her dress.

"Stunning," I adjust her fuzzy black coat hanging over her shoulders.  We take a few selfies as we wait for my brother. It is only a few minutes before a familiar, black Range Rover pulls up. Roan pops his head out of the window and waves at me excitedly. I wave back in turn.

"You both look great!" His warm smile greets us.

"This is Aster." I wave to the boys and introduce everyone. The twins almost fight to open the door for her. I chuckle at their antics.

"Y'all clean up nicely. Very handsome." My brother dresses sharply in a black suit with a red bowtie. The twins are a bit more flamboyant with textured red suits. They are all cleanly shaven with fresh cuts. "But how fancy is this gala?"

"I forgot to mention the party is formal to bring in the new month of October. Since this year is the harvest moon, they felt like making it bigger than usual. Oh, I think they might also have a belated celebration for Alec's birthday since he is visiting for the weekend. He just flew in yesterday so this is pretty spontaneous." He explains as we make our way to the lake house. Roan sometimes forgets to mention critical details. "No birthday gifts, of course. Just party and show up."

The drive is short as the twins keep us entertained with their jokes. Aster cracks jokes alongside them as they all get to know one another. I mostly watch the scenery from outside. The faint glow of the city light can be seen beyond the forest.

As we approach closer to the city, Roan turns towards the dark forest on the side. The moon is bright enough I can see the sparkling lake from below as we continue to drive up the hill. Several hedges cover many of the houses around the lakes for privacy.

"Valentine and Holloway." Roan proceeds to tell the security guards at the front gate our surnames. There are two posted in the front gate and I sense two on the other side of the gate. My curiosity continues to grow.

"The young lady," their eyes glance at Aster in the back seat.

"Aster Sinclair." She pipes up and makes eye contact with the stoic guard.

"Our guest." Roan gives a short nod, as he sits back at ease.

The guards mumble her name lowly into their earpiece. For a long minute, we all wait in silence before there is a sort of confirmation. "Have a good evening."  The double gates slowly open up to reveal a paved, driveway. We slowly make our way and I glance at the house, no, mansion up ahead.

I am surprised at the lavish mansion. I feel like I am in a movie scene as I admire the water fountain sculpture in front of a two-story mansion. There are windows that reflect outward all along the facade, which must look stunning when the sun reflects against it. The tinted, dark mirrors also hide the inside well.

We are politely ushered out of the car, as the valet drives away with Roan's car.

Two guards open the door for our group and we are enveloped in a warm glow of light. As we enter the foyer, an attendant grabs our coats before directing us to the back. The dark hallway is bare except for one family portrait at the end. I glance at the Caspian family - the parents sit stiffly in the center surrounded by their three sons--Aidan, Alec, and Arlo. We rarely see the eldest since Arlo is busy managing his family's empire. Alec and Aidan are similar ages to my brothers Jin and Roan.