the seven devils [completed]

chapter twenty-nine

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The sun rose brightly over the Rosier estate, blazing over the statues that ornated the entrance, waking them up from slumber. It was the morning of Christmas Day, and the blizzard that had taken over the land during nighttime had covered the vegetation with a pristine blanket of snow. The trees that surrounded the hectares of the plot had also been covered in dainty flakes, and the scattered animals that roamed the forests had taken shelter from the cold.

On the second floor of the manor, a window was open, and a girl — as vigorous as the sturdy wood of the pines that covered the horizon — let her legs dangle from the edge, feeling the coldness of the early hour on her pallid skin. She was still dressed in her nightgown, midnight hair pulled away from her face in a sophisticated braid, and her eyes were closed as she let the dim rays of sun hit her overheated flesh. Her lips were pulled in a serene smile, and her heart pumped blood through dilated veins as her brain released more serotonin than usual.

After all, it was the first Christmas morning that Varya Petrov would spend in the sunlight.

Then, out of nowhere, she felt a snowball hit her flat in the face, and she yelped as she commenced to fall backward, only to be suspended mid-air by a spell and be brought back to the edge of the window. Varya wiped the snow off her dress, flinching at the cold sensation, then threw a noxious glower towards Renold Rosier and Nicholas Avery. They were both outside, dressed in thick coats and extravagant scarves, and seemed to be coming back from a morning walk.

"Merry Christmas, you little vixen," yelled Avery, his hands on the sides of his mouth to propel the sound, "now, mind joining the rest of us for breakfast?"

Varya rolled her eyes, then leaped inside her room, heading to one of her trunks. She had not unpacked, too lethargic to deal with it, and so she had to rummage through her clothes to find suitable attire. Once the girl got dressed, she headed down the main staircase, and as she reached the middle balcony that overlooked the foyer, she stumbled into Tom Riddle, who was still shaking out the sleep from his orbs.