The Siren's Voice Calls

Chapter 4

-Lydia's POV-

I arrived back at the manor after the sun had just gone down. In the dark, the place looked even more hauntingly beautiful. As I walked in, I was awaited by four individuals by the staircase, including Nicolae. They each looked different, unique in their own way, but they all had the same skin tone. Welcomed once more by the eldest, he then introduced me to his family.

"Miss Canteles, this is my sister, Lorie." "Pleased to meet you, Lorie. You can call me Lydia." She wore a cute pink dress, perfect for a six year old. Her eyes were of a pinkish hue and she had strawberry blonde hair that looked more pink than blonde. The little girl had an interesting look on her face. (Is she giving me a wicked grin?) I couldn't quite understand her facial expression until she spoke, "Well, at least her name is pretty. Can't say the same for her face." She then turned and ran up the stairs out of arm's reach of her brothers. An awkward silence filled the room followed by repeated apologies from Nicolae.

The tall blonde with amber eyes, dressed in a white zipped up sweater and black pants, stared at me. He seemed to have been undressing me with his eyes, which made me uncomfortable, given what I had recently endured. The young man then smirked, winked at me, and turned to head upstairs as well. "And that is Drogo," Nicolae said with annoyance. "It's okay, Nicolae. Don't worry about it." "No, it is not okay, Miss Canteles. I will have a word with them tomorrow morning." "Please, call me Lydia," I insisted.

The last remaining family member walked up to me slowly, catching my attention. He introduced himself, shyly, as Peter. He took my hand to bring up to his mouth and laid a gentle kiss upon my knuckles. The point of contact sent shivers up and down my spine. I was frozen in place, unable to take my eyes off him, even after he let go of my hand. (Why did I let him touch me? We only just met.... He is so gorgeous!.... Wait! What?)

Still feeling the warmth of where his lips caressed a moment ago, I stared into the most beautiful emerald green eyes I had ever seen. I could feel my heart pounding. Peter had dark jet black hair with a tint of blue that hung down to his jawline. He wore black skinny jeans and a faded blue form fitting long sleeve tee with a design motif of skulls. (Oh, my goodness! His eyes are like my birthstone. Am I breathing? Breathe, Lydia. Breathe, so you don't faint in front of him.)

He asked me a question, but I didn't hear it. All I responded with were mumbled words. "Hmm?" He whipped aside a few strands of hair that fell down in front of the left side of his face. Embarrassed, I answered," I'm sorry. What was that again?" "I was asking if you needed help carrying your luggage up to your room?" Awaiting my reply, he gave me a smile I will never forget. It made me feel warm inside.

"Oh! Um, sure. I mean, uh, yes, please. Thank you," I responded after coming to my senses. (Great first impression, Lydia. Get a grip on yourself! How humiliating!) I followed him up the stairwell, down the hall, and through the last doorway on the left. Peter laid the bag on the edge of the bed. He lingered without a word for a moment. With hands in his pockets, and leaning back and forth on his heels, he avoided my gaze briefly. "Um... Was that all you needed to have brought up?" "Yes, thanks, Peter." "Okay, well, good night then." "Good night."

-Peter's POV-

I closed the door behind me and all I could think about was the way I felt when she said my name. It was like something was pulling and tugging at my heart. In all the years I have lived, not once have I felt such strength against my reasoning. She was definitely different from the others. Knowing Nicolae would be in his study, I decided to go downstairs and speak with him about her.

"Hello, Peter. Did you get her settled in okay?" "Yes. I also asked if she had eaten anything for dinner and she said she had a meal before leaving the motel again." "Good. Thank you for checking on that. One less concern for the evening." "I noticed she only brought a small bag of clothes and her laptop briefcase. It made me wonder if she was running from somewhere. Am I correct? Do you know what it is, Nic?" "I suspected much the same, but no, I do not know her story. I was not going to invade her privacy like that. You of all people know how precious the mind is. How many dark secrets it can hold, stored deep inside."

I nodded in agreement because my brother has always been understanding of my own past. He has been there for me whenever I was having my bad days. "Nicolae?" He stopped writing and placed the quil down, looking up to me to continue. " There is something different about Lydia, isn't there? I felt it just before leaving her room to come talk to you. Even her eyes glowed for a brief moment like crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea." He nodded in confirmation, taking in thought of my revelation. "So, what I mean to say is, if she was to learn the truth, none of us would be able to compel her, would we?"

Nicolae let out a deep sigh and answered, "No, you are correct. We would not. She has gifts of her own. Though, I doubt she is aware of them at present. For now, we will be silent of our way of life, but it will only be a matter of time before she does come to know of us." I agreed with him and promised to look out for her wellbeing on campus whenever I could. Back in my own room, I sat on the bench and lifted the cover to begin playing one of my own compositions on the piano.