Once Upon a Story [ INCONSISTENT UPDATES ]

Soul Bound AU II

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 778

AUTHOR

"I beg your pardon? I have to waste my time attending what?"

Her mother, Ariadni, was as surprised as her daughter was when she received the invitation. "Vassia invited you to her birthday party."

Sybilla rubbed her temples, trying to understand where Vassia had put her brain before sending the invitation. Vassia hated her guts and always sought to humiliate her in front of her peers. Not to mention, Sybilla's bite was indiscriminate. A party full of people she'd offended was the perfect situation to crush her. She had an inkling someone was helping Vassia; it was the only logical reason to send her an invitation.

Maybe it's one of the girls in her posse. If not, one of the boys, but who? She felt an impending headache thinking about all the scum in her entourage and thanked her mother for the notice. As soon as she left, Sybilla made a call. It rang half a tone before she received an answer.

"You don't usually call me unless you need a favour."

"Less of a favour, more so reassurance, I won't die until I find a cure for your disease."

"My disease?"

"Your stupidity."

An audible hiss came through her speaker. "You're cruel, love."

"Only too honest for the fragile egos around me," she admitted. "Don't tell me you're hurt, Apollo."

From the other side of the line, he sighed discreetly as he stood at his post. Although he was with another client, he was distant enough to speak privately. "Of course not. I'm the only one who knows how you truly feel."

She scowled. "I need to work on that. I can't let you discover my weakness. But, that aside, I'll need your assistance in a few weeks."

"Vassia?"

"What other dog would dare steal from their master's table?"

Head tilted to the side, he hid the growing smile on his face. "A fair point," He replied, finally composing himself while Sybilla explained the details of Vassia's party and everything it would entail. It took them longer than expected to process all the information and associated theories for the trouble they could encounter.

"This all sounds like an aneurysm. Forget the headache," Apollo sighed. "And you're bringing me into it?"

"It'll give you something to do instead of pumping iron into your brain." He chortled at her quick reply.

"I thought you said you liked my muscles."

"Irrelevant."

They spoke for hours, eventually losing track of the original conversation. They went to the past and talked about the future. He spoke about their future, a topic she quickly shut down. She was enamoured with him, just as much as he was with her. But she would never admit it. Her pride wouldn't allow it.

"Sybi!"

"Oh, gods, why them?"

Two kids came running into her room, followed by their exhausted mother. Cassia had been working overtime for her client's case and barely had the energy to drive back home. The mother of two had dealt with her energetic twins all evening and couldn't get them to sleep.

This meant a trip to visit Aunt Sybi.

"Oh. Your two favourite gremlins are there." She could see Apollo's face as he mocked her from afar.

"Shut up. I'll see you in a few weeks."

"Until then, lo–" Sybilla ended the call, cutting off his words. Apollo was often too sweet for her to handle. He always took it a step too far to bother her. And it worked too well each time.

"Come here, you spawns of evil."

The twins, Spiro and Alexis, came bounding onto her bed. They made themselves comfortable, taking over her pillows and "premium fluff" blankets.

She sat between them, hand on their backs, and hummed a song. The melody permeated the room, inescapable. Her alluring melody had the twins asleep in minutes. Cassia sighed, extremely relieved she could finally have some rest of her own.

"Thank you, Syb. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Burnout is one thing," she replied with a shrug. Knowing she'd be suffocated by the twins in their sleep if she stayed (death-cuddlers that they were), she invited herself to her brother's room. Tryfon pulled out a spare bed tucked inside his sofa for the times she'd walk in.

"The twins?"

"I'd like to keep my hospital visits to palliative care."

"But you're not—"

"Exactly. Good night, brother." She had spent too much time talking to Apollo and was tired of being awake. "Don't wake me up in the morning, or I'll put you to sleep forever."

Tryfon tensed, wondering what he did to deserve the threat. Then again, with her, everything could set her off.

"...Good night."