not edited

“I went to mom and dad’s room,” I mumbled before turning around to look at him. He stayed silent, just a blank expression on his face. “I found a few things there,” I whispered, sniffing a little. The long sleeves of the hoodie came in handy when I wiped my runny nose and any liquid escaping from my eyes.

I stood up, walking over to the envelopes. Gathering them up in my hand, I fished out Dorian’s envelop out of the group. “Here,” I said in a voice that barely above a whisper, “This is for you. You should read it when you’re alone.”

He took it from my hand, studying it silently. He flipped it over, reading his name on the front. I stood there silently wondering what his reaction will be. I hoped that it would be positive. I don’t want to handle another fight, especially when Octavian is not around.

“Thank you,” He said, standing up. I wondered if was going to walk out. It was reasonable for him to ask for some alone time to read the contents of the envelope and to gather his thoughts. Instead, he completely surprised me by wrapping his arms around me and gathering me in a hug. I immediately melted into his warm hug. I had been longing for warmth for way too long when I stood numb and alone under the flowing water. This is all that was needed for the tears to flow out.

Dorian’s hug got tighter the moment he heard me sniffing, “It’s all right now,” He whispered to me. I don’t know how long I stood there, tightly wrapped in arms, sobbing and muttering probably incoherent words while he stood there caressing my hair, telling me to let it all out and it was okay.

Everything seems like a blur from then on. All I remember clearly next is waking up comfortably tucked under covers as the sun rays peeked through the gap in the cover. Climbing out of bed groggily, I walk over to the windows and push the curtains apart. My body’s first reaction was to snap my eyes close as the sudden bright light made them sting. Slowly but surely I opened my eyes as my lips curled up into a smile. Nothing felt better than a clear day with the warm sun shining upon you after a snowstorm. And then the events of last night came rushing back to me.

I groaned trudging to the bathroom. I was not looking forward to the talk that came after a meltdown. I am hoping that Dorian was not the same as Octavian in these because the last I want right now is to talk about 

I freshened up as soon as I could and walked downstairs to find Dorian. And sure enough he was in the dining room with a plate of fluffy pancakes in front of him. “Morning, you can tell the cook what you want for breakfast. The maids made a trip to the town to store up once the weather cleared.” I turned on my heel to walk down to the kitchen, a little pleased that he did not bring up the dreaded topic. But the moment I was about to step out, his voice rang out, “Come back quick, we need to talk.” I sighed, I had no option. I gave him an answer and got to the kitchen. 

Peeking into the kitchen, I saw Rhea and two other maids chattering away while cleaning. I recognized the two dark-skinned girls from the blurry memories of last night and how they had watched me melt down. I slowly entered the space and cleared my throat and that got their attention. “Miss Crawford, good morning” Rhea smiled, “Any special requests for breakfast?” She asked. The other girls smiled and wished me as well, they were pretending as if they did not just witness me break down into a puddle of tears, water, and snot. They weren’t walking on eggshells like I thought they would be.

“Just an omelet, please,” I muttered walking over to the counter where one of the girls started cracking and whisking some eggs. Settling on one of the stools, I stared down at my hands, deep in thought, mustering up courage to acknowledge what happened yesterday. I spoke up as soon as I did,  “I wanted to apologize to you for last night and all the trouble I caused.”

“Oh Miss Crawford, you don’t need to apologize,” The girls whisking the eggs said with strong accent and a soft smile on her face, “We all have those days where we need a little assistance and Rhea, Bessy, and I, we’re happy to help you at any time needed.”

“Thank you,..?” I paused, waiting for her to tell me her name.

“Doris,” She replied. 

“Doris,” I repeated nodding a little as a small smile took over my face, “And you two as well.”

I stood up, “I need to go now, so can you please bring the omelet to the dining room?” I asked.

“Of course,” They said in unison, making me chuckle a little as I walked out. Well, one part was over and the major part was still left. I quietly entered the dining room and slipped in besides Dorian who was still focused on his pancakes.

"Now, we leave by midday, everything has been prepared," He started not making eye contact with me but I didn't take my eyes off of him for even a moment, "I contacted Octavian, and he us not pleased to say the least." 

I nodded as he continued, "And about last night," He finally looked up, or identical eyes meeting, a flurry of emotions ranging in the bright blue orbs but I cod still make out his swollen and red eyes, indicating he had been crying, "I want you to come to one of us whenever you feel any type of overwhelming emotions or anything that bothers you. It doesn't have to be me, I know I've made mistakes and it'll take time to make up, but the twins and Octavian are always there. I don't want you to put yourself in any type of danger anymore, not even as an escape."

I sat there quietly hearing the words pour out of his mouth as he held unwavering eye-contact. His hand landed on mine and he gazed deeply into my eyes as if he was trying to convey his words without speaking, trying to make me feel safe and hide me from the world, "You're not alone anymore, Astria," The words were more of a whisper than the previous ones but couldn't have been more louder. 

He didn't move and neither did I. I sat there, letting the words sink in. I had somebody to fall back upon. It was as if I was given a new type of freedom, a freedom to make Sal mistakes without having to fear for greater consequences because there were people behind me to catch me whenever I feel or even stumbled.

I was not alone.

***

The sun had already set when Dorian and I climbed the porch of our home. The gigantic doors swung open by the guards on duty and I nervously followed Dorian inside. The moment we entered the living room, the worried faces etched themselves into my mind. I stood beside Dorian, neither of us knew what to do. We stared at our brothers and Ana. Out of everyone, Ana was the first one to move and gather me in her arms. As if naturally, my hands wrapped back around around Ana, holding her close. 

"You both had all of us so worried. Especially Oct-, Mr. Crawford. Inform before you go," She muttered softly all the while making sure I was alright.

"Both of you need to be more aware of what's happening," Octavian's strict voice boomed through the room as both Dorian and I stared at our feet. Ana moved back and Octavian walked towards us. "Have you no sense of responsibility? Half our forces were out looking for you throughout the storm and night. Everyone left behind worrying their heads off while two children of the family were missing after last being seen at the cemetery." Both Dorian and I kept silent through Octavian's scolding because we knew we were in the wrong. 

"Go freshen up and I'll have you both called individually to my office when I'm ready," He said. I looked up to glance at Octavian's face which was as devoid of emotion as ever. I craned my neck a but to see Dorian already staring at me. I blinked a couple of time before Octavian raised his voice, "Now." 

We immediately sprung into action, rushing over and climbing the stairs on the way to our respective bedrooms. "Good luck," Dorian muttered to me before we both parted ways to enter our respective rooms.

After I had freshened up and buried myself in baggy clothes, I sat down and turned on my phone which was finally charged enough. It went crazy the moment I unlocked it, the room was filled with the sharp sounds of notifications filling the silence of the room. Calls and messages from Octavian, Ana, Zion and Zane and probably a million frantic messages from Esai.

I sighed and messaged Esai back.
'Hey, I reached home safely, ig,' 

I felt bad about leaving him hanging but it wasn't as if I was doing it on purpose. I rest my back on the back of the chair, bending it backwards when my eyes landed on the letter on the tabletop that seemed upside down to me. "You should be the one to give it to them," was what Dorian had told me while handing those over to me when we reached. 

Before I could continue with my guilty thoughts, a knock sounded on the door and Gwen's head popped in, "Mr. Crawford's waiting for you in his study," She said. I thanked and dismissed her. I stood up, snatching the letters, I walked out. 

The moment I stepped out, I felt a fluff ball near my ankles and excited huffing reached my ears. Despite the fact that I was completely exhausted, a smile took over my face as I knt down to pet my little ball of joy. As I picked her up in my arms, Sky started licking my face, making me giggle while I stood up. 

I let her down when I reached Octavian's study. Lightly knocking on the door, I push it open and walk inside. My eyes land on the unusual unorganized desk while he eyes the envelopes in my hand. He gathered the papers he was working on as I closed the door after Sky had slipped in. She walked in, wiggling her little butt, and completely shocked me when she ignored me to walk over to Octavian before barking a little to get his attention. He swiftly picked her up and set her on his lap and motioned for me to sit.

"What happened yesterday?" He asked, getting straight to the point as Sky curled up in his lap, "Don't leave out anything."

"After I had breakfast, Dorian asked me to get ready to go to the cemetery. We went to the flower shop near the cemetery before going there. After we were done at the cemetery, we had McDonald's and Dorian told me he wanted to take me somewhere. After that I fell asleep in the car. When I woke up we were deep in the woods and the snowfall had just started. We then reached the vacation home, the one in the woods near Embress town. It was quite late so we talked a little before going to bed. I explored around the house a little when I woke up in the middle of then night. Went to bed, woke up, had breakfast and left for home," I ended, conveniently leaving out the embarrassing and unnecessary parts.

He nodded a little as he pet Sky, lost in his thoughts, "And did Dorian do anything?" He asked looking up.

I shook my head, "He was quite sweet actually,"

"Now let's have a talk about responsibility, that you need to start taking," He said, sitting up straighter as his voice turned stricter, "What happened to keeping your phone charged and a power bank with you? You're not alone anymore, there are people who look after you and you need to remember that you live with people and they worry about you. You need to start thinking about the people behind you." He stopped for a moment and I stood up, hoping it was over. It had been quite a time since I had been scolded. I was so used to being alone that I didn't even think about how disappearing would affect now that I have people who care. But well, a scolding from Octavian is not fun and I wanted it to be over as soon as possible. 

"Sit," He commanded. I took in a deep breath and sat back down. "You're grounded for three weeks, straight to school and other classes and straight back home. Nowhere in between and electronics are limited to 4 hours a day, only to do your schoolwork."

"What? That's so much though, just for not calling you?" I whined a little. And it was true, I just hadn't called, for like a day and he was grounding me for almost a month.

"And disappearing in a snowstorm without telling anyone," He replied. I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off, "Do you want it to be bumped up to a month?" I quickly shut my mouth and slumped in my chair. A moment or two passed before my attention was drawn to the letters clutched in my hand. I sighed and stood up.

Picking out Octavian's letter from the bunch, I walked over to him. I handed him the letter, "I found it in mom and dad's room when I was exploring last night," I muttered. He took the envelope from my hand and nodded which I took as a sign for me to disappe- leave.

I opened the door to exit the room and turned around to call Sky, "Sky, heel," I ordered but I was only met with a small whimper as she pressed further into a distraught looking Octavian. He looked up at the small sound and then glared at me. 

He tried to pick her up and set her on the ground but I stopped him, "Don't, I think she should be with you for now," He needed her more than me right now and I know better than anyone how good Sky is at consoling when you're sad. 

The last think I saw before closing the door was him finally opening the letter with careful hands.

•••

A/N

So yeah, another chapter!

Also, what do you guys think about Esai and Aaron? Which one do you like better??

Anyways, don't forget to vote and comment and tell me about your favorite part of this chapter!!

QOTD: It's a lite early for this question but are you ready for this year to end?
AOTD: Idk, this year just slipped away so quickly that it felt like a blink, so I'm definitely hoping for something exciting in the remaining year.

SIBLING MEME!!!

toodles

~Ash