Entering Flashback:
"No." Sebastian said, as the can of peaches finally opened.
Isolde frowned, tugging at her pajama t-shirt in annoyance. She stood at the end of the kitchen isle, watching as her dad prepared breakfast.
"Why?" She glared at him through steely morning eyes.
"Because. I don't see how a sleepover with two boys is a good idea." He says as he drained the sweet water from the can.
"You didn't seem to think it was a bad idea leaving them get drunk with me when you left for that barbecue last month." She grumbled, earning an unimpressed look from her father.
"Oh come on!" She grunted, pressing her palms into her eyes as she leaned against the cold marble. "One of them is gay and the other practically has a girlfriend. I really don't see the issue here, none of them are a threat. Not to mention we are strictly friends and Octavius's parents will be home."
Surprise flashed across Sebastian's face and it was quiet for a moment. Both listened to the cartoons playing on Ines's iPad while contemplating their matter of discussion.
"Why does it have to be a sleepover? Can't you just hangout and then each go back home?" He queries over the sound of chopping.
"Because the Alexopoulos's are planning on taking us snowboarding tomorrow morning. I already told you that." At this point Isolde felt exasperated, but was not about to give up over the stupid response "because i said so".
"Sleepover. Gay boy. Taken boy. Parents. Snowboarding. I've given you a solid reason to allow me to go while all you've have to offer is 'because'. Unless you have a good enough reason to lock me up at home for the weekend while others enjoy the snow, then I'm going." She concludes.
Her father finally shifts his focus from his task to his daughter with a sigh. Isolde holds his gaze, determination and confidence radiating off of her.
Sebastien looks away, returning to the breakfast he was preparing.
"Fine." He says simply, face as blank as Isolde's once was, while she allowed a victorious smirk to dance across her lips.
*
Her father drove off into the sunset reflected road after he had dropped her off at the Alexopoulos's.
Isolde stood at the side of the road, watching a murmuration of Starlings swirl over the barren trees in a sky painted in the pink of a lover's kiss.
Her boots crunched through the snow as she made her way towards the house.
Once on the porch, Isolde rung the doorbell once.
Inside, she could already hear the commotion that came with the Alexopoulos's. There was a yell, a male's voice, then a female one responded, all of which tried to out-yell the loud barking of what sounded like an enormous dog- no beast.
The door swung open and Isolde came face to face with Eulalia Alexopoulos. She had a frenzied look on her face, her wild mane of luscious black curls bouncing around her. She was the splitting image of Marguerite only her eyes were green. Eulalia seemed to be closer to her fifty's, but the wrinkles around her eyes only gave her an alluring charm.
Behind her Isolde spotted the biggest dog she'd ever seen. She'd say it was satan himself. The creature came up to Octavius's waste, ears pointed upwards like the devil's horns, eyes blacker than the pits of hell. Octavius held it by the chain around it's neck, the only none black aspect about that dog.
It started barking again. Straining against Octavius grip, it stood on it's hind legs only to reach his own height.
Without second thoughts, Isolde grabbed the door and slammed it shut, locking herself out.
More yelling came before the barking diminished and the door opened again.
"The dog's gone now agapi." Eulalia said, the remnants of a laugh on her thin lips.
"Sorry." Isolde apologized sheepishly as she peeked over her shoulder. "Not a fan of animals."
"So I've noticed." She laughs, her words laced with a greek accent. "Come on in."
Isolde gingerly steps into the warm house and looks around.
It was big, two stories, with enough windows to make it seem like the ceiling was floating. A strong scent of spices and fruits floated in the air. The decor was colorful and lively, filled with pictures, drawings, medals, and certificates to tell the family's story. The overall style was Mediterranean, focusing on the colors white, blue and light wood. Despite the sophistication of the ornamentation, nothing seemed extravagant. The lavish sofas were humbled by years of siblings fights, family gathering and cuddle sessions with the dog, that wore them out. Scribbles could be found hidden in the corners of the walls, on tables and even on the curtain, and if you looked closely enough, you could even spot some cracks here and there.
"Finally!" Atlas appeared down the stairs. From one of the glass sliding doors in the kitchen, came Octavius.
"Hey Isolde!" He smiled at me.
"Show Isolde to your sister's room Octavius. You can drop your bags in there agapi." Eulalia said as she waltzed into the kitchen, reminded by the incessant beeping that she had something cooking in the oven.
"Is the demon out of the house?" Isolde questioned as she climbed up the stairs behind the boys.
"Apollo is in the garage, yes." Octavius chuckled.
"Can't we just throw Isolde out there in the cold and bring the poor dog in?" Atlas perked up, receiving a smack across his leg.
"Don't worry, Apollo has a warm house in there with enough food and water for the rest of the night." Octavius reassured him.
After Isolde was shown to Marguerite's room and Eulalia made it known that dinner would soon be ready, the bunch headed outside.
It was on the brick of dusk outside, the sky a gradient of navy blue, black and purple at the horizon.
Loud laughing erupted behind Isolde who was too busy staring at the sky. She turned to see Octavius clutching his stomach as he laughed so loud the neighbors peeked out their windows. Her gaze shifted to Atlas, who had a frown on his face, arms crossed. On his head was the ugliest hat she'd ever seen, it's long tip stiffly hanging at the side of Atlas's head.
Isolde started laughing herself, staring wide eyed at the epitome of the grinch standing before her and Octavius. The latter hung onto her, trying his best not to fall over as his breath ran out from all the laughing, and soon enough the two wobbled around the front yard, snorting which only made them laugh harder.
"What." Laughing. "W-what the hell is." More laughing. "THAT!" Wheezing.
The two continued guffawing as Atlas grew progressively as red as the hat on his head.
"I see nothing funny." He stomped his leg against the snow, pointing his nose into the air. "That's the only option I had left since Salem tore my beanie to shreds."
Isolde had never laughed that hard, especially not over something as dumb as the red hat with the long peak, pompom and Christmas illustrations on its earflaps.
Suddenly, Octavius's face was full of snow and his laughter had ceased replaced by a stupefied expression. Isolde looked up just in time, dodging the snowball aimed at her. Her quick thinking moment was short lived though, as a snowball hit her right in the side of the head. It exploded into tiny particles of snow which found their way into her ear.
She turned to face Octavius who had thrown the snowball at her, expression chillingly blank. She charged at him, tackling him into the snow. Whilst sitting on his back, she grabbed a handful of snow, made it into a ball, and threw it at a laughing Atlas.
"Oh this means war." He seethed. With what seemed like a poor attempt of a battle cry, he ran off hiding behind a tree trunk.
Unexpectedly, Isolde was flipped onto her back, as Octavius freed himself from under her and ran, searching for shelter as-well.
Before she could register anything, snowballs began flying all around her, and Isolde, like a dear caught in headlights, found herself amidst the cross fire.
Their war went on until it became completely dark, and an orange halo appeared around their shadowed figures underneath the light of the lampposts. Eulalia had summoned them in for dinner just as it began to snow, and they all stumbled indoors, clothes soaked, noses red, and fingers frozen.
Before dinner, they each went up to change. Isolde, finally got out of the wet clothes and into comfortable sweatpants and a hoodie. She sat on the bed, admiring the collaged purple wall. Marguerite, no doubt, is an alt punk, or at least was. The posters were mostly ones of hard rock bands, accompanied by stolen street signs, skulls, spikes and occasional explicit images.
A knock came at the door followed by Octavius's voice.
"Are you ready?"
*
Dinner was out of this world for it's been a while since Isolde have had a full course meal. Eulalia's greek cuisine had left a permanent mark on her.
It was also the first time she'd seen Nikodem, Octavius's father. He was quite a suave man. Similar to Felix, he did not share the rest's black hair, but he was surely the one to pass Octavius his dark eyes... and bad eyesight.
He had brown hair, peppered with white and grey. The round glasses he wore accentuated the wrinkle between his brows and 'round his mouth. He was dressed in a brown, checkered sweater which completed his intelligent look.
Despite his calm facade, Nikodem was one of the most talkative people Isolde had come across. But it wasn't the annoying kind of talkative. He spoke of literature, art, philosophy and history, and he had such a charismatic way with words that it made anyone want to listen to him, even if what he said made absolutely no sense.
After dinner came board games, then charades, then cards before Eulalia and Nikodem headed to bed and advised them to do so aswell.
Naturally they stayed up longer, watching Sponge bob, which apparently, Atlas's parents forbade him from doing when he was younger.
"Who do you think will be the first to fall asleep?" Atlas asks out of the blue.
They were seated on the "L" shaped couch, the latter spread out at the vertical part of the sofa, while Octavius and Isolde sat at the horizontal part.
"I think it will be Isolde." He said after successfully catching both their attention.
"Well I think you'll be the first to fall asleep." She countered.
"I think it's Isolde too." Octavius joined in.
"Now that's just sexist." Isolde playfully huffed, earning tired chuckles.
She suddenly sprung to her feet and ran into the kitchen, then returned with three glasses of water balanced in her hands.
"Let's play never have I ever with a twist." She says, handing each a glass. "Whenever your answer is 'i have' take a sip of your water. First one to empty their glass loses. The aim is to ask questions you know the others will have done but you yourself haven't so you won't drag yourself down."
"I'll go first." Octavius straightened, now wide awake. "Never have I ever made out with a guy." He said, a smug smirk on his face.
Both Atlas and Isolde took a sip, which earned Isolde looks of surprise.
"Oh shut up." She rolled her eyes at them. "Never have I ever owned a pet."
The boys took a sip.
"Yal are boring. Never have I ever gotten hit on by a professor then bullied by him for turning him down then egged his house and gotten expelled from school and arrested for vandalism." Atlas deadpanned as he stared at them with a completely serious face.
Octavius couldn't hide the shock on his face, but neither could Isolde. Their eyes wide, jaws hanging as they watched Atlas take a large gulp of water.
"I-" Isolde tried but failed to say anything.
"You're not supposed to ask question you relate to Atlas." Octavius, surprisingly, was the one to gain composure first.
"Oh-" Was all Atlas managed to say before he began laughing in a hushed tone, trying his best not to wake everyone up.
*
Octavius ended up falling asleep first, and they had to wake him up to get him to bed, and it was one of the cutest and funniest things Isolde has seen.
The next day they were woken up by a very loud Marguerite who banged at their doors and yelled at them to get their asses out of bed.
In a matter of 15 minutes they were seated in the van, with Marguerite, who had showed up for the trip, and Isolde in the very back seat, Atlas and Octavius in-front of them taking charge of the aux, while Eulalia naturally rode shotgun and Nikodem drove.
"Love your septum piercing." Marguerite grinned at Isolde as she cheekily stared at her. "You make it look hot yet cute if that makes any sense."
"Margo stop hitting on my friend." Octavius turned pulling a face at his sister. He pulled Atlas's ridiculous hat off his head and threw it at her.
"Oh fuck off." She smirked, pulling the red hat onto Isolde's head...
End of Flashback.