𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐈𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐓 ― rafe cameron

μηδέν ; 0

song of the chapter:
CHERRY ; harry styles

Margarita, Hermés and Talia were born in a small village in Greece to Kateria and Andreas Angelopoulos. Right from their childhood, the siblings were extremely close; their days are likely to be running around in the family home with cousins and aunties having the best of fun while laughing. While most did not have the material things reflected in the city's wealth, they had culture and family wrapped in comfort. 

Even though they did not have the chance to live the life that they probably desired, the family never failed to spare a few dollars to buy lottery tickets. There may have been people who could have said that it was a waste but what they did not know was that it was a mere investment towards what they hoped could one day transform their fate. 

When Margarita was 15, she and her brother Hermés went down to the local newspaper agency to buy a lottery ticket for her family, skipping home hand in hand with the lottery ticket tucked away into her older brother's pocket, they all gathered around the kitchen table and watched as her mothers hand-picked the numbers and later that night, the whole family huddled around the old television, scattered across the floor, waiting and praying that the numbers called would match the ones in their hands.

And they were.

The family had won, even though while everyone was happy and they were excited Margarita was not, she loved her little family home and all her friends, she loved the way she would walk into her family home and smell fresh salad from the kitchen each night and going out during the night to sit with the chickens and be with her thoughts. She knew she was happiest alone. 

The family although they loved Greece, moved. The whole family moved, into a small city called Outerbanks. The weather was always nice, they had a massive house with 4 floors, an outdoor pool, and a chicken coop. Yes, it reminded her of home but it wasn't her home.

Yes, they had exchanged the shabby, poorly lighted lodgings for a beautiful, comfortable house in Outerbanks but Margarita still felt like a stranger, the sprawling house, the sunny skies, and the luxuries that now surrounded her felt foreign compared to the simplicity and warmth of her small Greek village. While her family settled into this new chapter—her parents thriving in their newfound success and her siblings embracing the change—Margarita found herself longing for the familiar. She missed the smell of the village after the summer rain, cousins' jokes behind the alleys and the sense of belonging that could never be replaced by luxury.

She often wandered the large property, finding solace in the chicken coop, where the clucking hens reminded her of home. But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, the Outerbanks felt like a dream she hadn't quite woken up from—a life that was hers but didn't feel like it was meant for her.

It wasn't just the physical distance from Greece that unsettled her. It was the feeling that in gaining everything, she had lost something far more valuable: a piece of herself, left behind in the hills of her homeland.

She loved her new life—her spacious room, the way it felt cozy and personal, and how she had carefully decorated it to reflect pieces of herself. It was a sanctuary, a place where she could retreat and feel at peace. But even in this comfort, something was missing. No matter how much she tried to make it her own, the warmth that filled her childhood home in Greece couldn't be replicated here. It was as though her room, despite its beauty, was just another part of the life she was trying to love, but couldn't fully embrace. 

Margarita's room was a blend of elegance and warmth, a reflection of her love for both her past and her new life. The walls were painted a soft, creamy beige, illuminated by the natural light that poured in through large, arched windows draped with light white sheer curtains. She had adorned one wall with photos of her family and friends in her village back in Greece even with some new friends she had made in the Outerbanks, the sepia tones contrasting with the modern decor. A large, plush bed with a white quilted comforter sat in the centre of the room, accented by pillows in earthy tones of terracotta and olive green—colours that reminded her of the Mediterranean landscape.