THE SOFT SCREECHING of the hinges on the double doors alerts Genesis Nox to the intruder.
The newcomer's arrival makes her slam her book shut, skin itching with irritation. The manor's library was her place. The tranquility, the stillness, the aroma, they all belonged to her. At least, that's what Genesis tries to believe. The other girls don't agree — they frequently lounge in the cosy plush chairs that form a circle in the middle of the wide room, filling the air with their senseless gossip, driving Genesis to the edge of her control. Most days, she longs to grab the knives resting at her side and use them to bring the quiet back to her haven. She, of course, never does because that would be frowned upon.
The other girls were her so-called sisters, part of a family bound not by blood but by their scars.
Genesis disagrees. She feels the same way towards them that the king would feel towards his non-royal advisors. They were beneath her but still relatively useful.
She doesn't lift her head from her book as they walk silently towards her. She knows they're trying to catch her off guard; it's a game the girls like to play, a game no one has ever won. One they won't ever win.
"Whatcha readin', Gen?"
The low, sultry voice right next to her ear does nothing. She doesn't flinch, she doesn't even blink.
"Go away," is her only reply.
A moment passes and then a laugh fills the silence. Nebula leans over Genesis' shoulder and rattles off the title of her book in the same tone someone unexperienced would use to read directions aloud from a cookbook — slow and deliberate, with a hint of a question. "The History of Antares: The Golden Age Edition? Sounds fascinatin', truly."
"It is." She turns her head to look at Nebula, narrowing her eyes at the gleam in Nebula's gaze. Obviously, the girl has something she's eager to share but Genesis has no interest in listening to Nebula run her mouth. Her head slowly twists back around, hoping to convey her disinterest. She hears a scoff and then Nebula plants herself in the chair across from Genesis, her purple-painted lips tugged up in a smirk.
"Guess what?"
"No."
"Drop the frigid bitch act, Gen," Nebula says and then leans closer, rubbing her hands together excitedly. "Mauve has struck again."
Before Genesis can tell Nebula just how much she doesn't care, the sound of footsteps has her swiveling in her chair to glare at the second person to interrupt her reading time.
"Can I just say how much I hate what they named her?" Azura Nox, another one of Genesis' sisters and Nebula's lover — which is admittedly a bit weird when every girl in the manor is considered to be sisters — struts in, throwing her long, pale pink hair over her shoulder as she expresses her disdain.
"Azura, love, come sit," Nebula purrs, patting her lap as she uncrosses her leather-clad legs. Azura plops down and gives her a sloppy kiss, winking at Genesis when she notices her frosty gaze.
"There's plenty of those to go around, Genny. Want one?"
Genesis only sighs, a drawn out sound that echoes around the library mournfully. "No. Who knows where that mouth has been."
"I do," Nebula cackles, making Azura giggle and bury her face in Nebula's neck.
"You two are assassins. Please fucking act like it," Genesis snarls, finally losing her composure. The two go silent and stare at Genesis with matching expressions. They're trying not to laugh at her, to let loose some snarky reply, and it only infuriates her further. She's spent too much time earning respect that the thought of someone laughing at her makes her blood boil and her fingers twitch, eager to wrap around a weapon and fix the problem.
