The Caelus Vance Chronicles: Ancient Souls (#1)

₪₪₪₪ Chapter 1 - Is this a sign? ₪₪₪₪

Caelus Vance

"I'm home!" I walked in, leaving my belongings at the door.

"Where have you been? Dinner is ready." My mother didn't look at me and instead finished setting out the table. The whole family sat down to eat, and I couldn't help but feel their eyes burning holes in my head, so I looked up.

"They're not happy with your report card." I knew Annie meant well but she didn't have the best way with words.

"Annie, please." My mother softened her gaze as she looked back at me. "Cae... your father and I are worried."

"Worried?" I asked, feeling a sense of guilt. I had a feeling that I knew what they were going to say, and I was right.

My dad picked up the report card that was placed on the table and began reading it, "D in maths, D in English, F in French... it's just getting worse."

"But what about history? I did good in that, right?" My parents both exchanged a concerned look.

"One of the reasons we moved to the US was to give you another chance, Caelus. History can't be the only subject you're good at." Mum spoke with deep sorrow in her eyes. History was the only class I could focus in. No matter where we lived, I got good grades in history.

"It's not the only reason we left," Annie spoke in a mocking tone, and I began to feel rage.

"You need to get your head out of the clouds, Caelus. It's the only way your grades will improve. Annie has adjusted fine, her grades are consistent. She manages to balance her interests and still focuses at school. You on the other hand do not." I looked at my dad in disbelief.

"Did you just compare me to Annie?" I felt the sudden rage increase. On a regular basis my father would use my sister as an 'example'. She wasn't a perfect straight A student, but to my dad Annie couldn't do anything wrong.

Annie slowly looked back down at her plate and my dad continued. "No, you know that's not what I mean. You just need to bring yourself back down to earth."

"Annie is never on Earth, her mind is always somewhere else and neither of you question it. Especially you, dad." I stood up, grabbed my bag and went upstairs to my room. How could he compare me to her, again?

In less than 24 hours, we would be boarding a plane to Olympia, Greece for my 16th birthday. Greek history and myth has always been a strong interest of mine, however I couldn't help but feel uneasy about the family vacation. I had recently been more distracted than ever before, and I swear I'd seen some questionable things, like horses with sharp teeth or mermaid-like creatures. Something about the trip to Olympia made me feel strange and slightly worried but I got into bed and attempted to sleep.

Sleep had never come easily to me, but recently I would lay still for hours on end and not be able to fall asleep. As I laid there staring at the ceiling, I thought about what my dad said and how concerned my mum looked. They were just saying all of this because they cared, however there was something about what they said that I couldn't quite shake. I then thought about what Annie said. I knew there was another reason for us moving to the US and it was all my fault. I was just in disbelief that she would use it against me. We didn't always get along but times like these I wondered if she liked me being here at all. After thinking about it for what felt like hours I managed to slowly doze off.

Instead of a normal dream, I was thrown into complete darkness. The silence was overwhelming and I could hear my heart pounding in my chest at an unsteady rate. "Hello? Is anyone there?" This dream felt so real that a state of panic began to rise, until a girl called back.