The Siren's Voice Calls

Chapter 22

-Lydia's POV-

Despite the events of the previous day, I slept fairly well. I woke in the early morning before the others did and just laid in bed for a while before getting up. Without waking Sarah, I slipped out of bed to go take a hot shower. After I finished washing my hair, I just stood there and let the heated beads of water hit my face. I turned around to face the opposite wall and tilted my head back for a bit before using the bodywash. When I turned the water off I could hear Sarah getting up. I quickly dried off, wrapped my hair up in the towel, and got dressed, so that Sarah could use the bathroom. She smiled when I opened the door to come into the bedroom. "How are you feeling this morning?" she asked. "Much better, thanks." Standing in front of the vanity mirror, I released my hair from the towel and started brushing while Sarah went into the bathroom to get ready herself. I stared at myself in the mirror, debating on leaving my hair down or not. I then decided to leave it down for the day.

By the time I finished putting makeup on with a natural look, Sarah was out and getting her hair brushed and braided. "Here, I'm done with the vanity. I'll go make some coffee while you do your hair and makeup," I told her as I stood up from the chair. "Ok, thanks," she said before taking my place to sit down. I stepped out into the main room and said good morning to the other girls as I grabbed the coffee pot. Filling it up to the top, I then opened the top of the coffee machine and poured the water in. I finished putting the grounds in the filter and pressed the start button. Turning around and leaning on the small kitchen counter, I tilted my head up, closed my eyes, and sniffed the coffee aroma in the air. Sarah came out to join us and we all sat at the table again after ordering breakfast room service to go with our coffee. "So where do y'all think the professor will take us today?" Rebecca asked. "Who knows? There are so many places we could visit," Sarah answered. "Wherever it is, I'm sure it will be fascinating," I replied, to which the three of them agreed. We continued to converse as we ate. The four of us cleaned up when we finished eating and then heard a knock at the door. Since I was the closest to it, I went to open the door, and smiled when I saw it was Peter standing in the doorway.

"Good morning, Beautiful," he said. "Good morning, Peter," I greeted with a smile. "I came to relay a message. The professor asked us all to meet in the main room of our suite." "Okay, I'll let the girls know and we'll be over in a bit. Thanks, but you know you could've just texted me, right?" "Yes, I could have, but then I wouldn't have gotten the chance to see your beautiful face this morning before leaving for the day." I folded my arms, raised one eyebrow, and asked, "What if I wasn't the one to answer the door?" He just smiled and turned to leave, saying, "I will see you there soon then." "All right, see you in a bit," I said as I closed the door. Something told me at that moment that he knew exactly where I was standing inside, relative to the door, before he even stepped out into the hallway. Seeing me grin and shaking my head, Sarah asked, "Was that your dear beloved?" I rolled my eyes, but answered truthfully.

I told my friends what Peter said, so we grabbed our bags and headed out, shutting the door behind us. Across the hall, Sarah knocked on the door and we all entered when we heard the okay to. Stepping inside, we saw the boys sitting down on the couch and chairs. Having just finished watching the weather report, the professor shut the TV off and turned his attention to all of us when we sat down with the guys. Still standing, he addressed us, "It looks like the weather is going to be nice today. I decided to take a day off for us since yesterday was a rough day in the end, to say the least." I lowered my head with guilt, but Peter squeezed my hand to assure me not to feel guilty. "We can all go sightseeing if you'd like, wherever you want to go," Professor Jones offered.

Excited, we discussed and agreed upon going to the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. We all stood up to leave and head downstairs. When we reached the lobby a gentleman stood up from the lounge chairs and greeted the professor by name. "Buongiorno Sebastian." The look on Professor Jones' face indicated he knew the man. Handing Matthew the valet ticket for the van, he encouraged us to go on without him for the day. Eyeing the man, I sensed something between the two of them; their features and sound of voice similar. The man looked at me and bowed slightly in greeting while smiling. "Come, Lydia," I heard Sarah urge, standing beside me, and she gently grabbed my arm to pull me along with her. "Go ahead, have a good time today," Sebastian said, waving his hand. Turning around, I continued out the door with my friends.