eight !
*ೃ✧˚. ❃ ˊ-
CAROLINE LOVED SCHOOL. The thirteen-year-old girl treasured being anywhere but home. Her parents had begun to favor her older sister four years ago, and it sucked.
She was being constantly compared to Cecelia. And Cecelia barely spoke to her anymore. They weren't as close as they were when they were younger.
Being at school with Coriolanus and their relatively new friend Sejanus was like a breath of fresh air. She didn't have to worry about them choosing Cecelia over her, or ignoring her for Cecelia. She was almost positive they didn't know the girl, which was a first.
Although it was fun when the trio hung out, Caroline especially adored the time spent with just her and Coriolanus.
He was her escape from reality. She felt as if every guard she put up, could be let down with him. Caroline could open up to him and he would listen to every word. Her was her best friend, and she was eternally grateful for him.
Sejanus knew that his two best friends had crushes on each other. It was obvious. Plus, both of them confided in him about their crushes on one another. He wasn't going to intervene, though. They must figure it out on their own.
Today, Sejanus and Coriolanus were coming over to Caroline's house. She was excited because she had begged her parents and cleaned the whole house for them to come over. They had maids, of course, but she wanted to prove to her parents that she could be just as responsible as Cecelia.
Although they had visited on numerous occasions in the past, today presented a different scenario – Caroline's parents were out of town. The responsibility fell on Cecelia to stay at home and be there for them, just in case anything were to happen. Convincing both her parents and her sister was no small feat.
At sixteen, Cecelia was a typical teenager, more inclined to spend time with her friends than act as a guardian for her younger sister and her friends. The internal struggle between her desire for independence and the sense of duty cast a shadow over what would otherwise be a typical day.
A knock was heard at the door. Caroline sprinted to open it, and when she did, it revealed an equally excited Coriolanus and Sejanus.
"Hi, guys!" She chimed happily.
"Hey, Carebear." Coriolanus smiled back.
The endearing nickname he coined for her five years ago remained a steadfast presence, as did her nickname for him.
Coriolanus' smile possessed a captivating charm, a magnetic force that had the power to weaken her knees whenever he uttered her name with that radiant smile.
The passage of time had done nothing to diminish the enchantment woven into those moments when their special names and shared smiles created a unique bond between them.
"Coryo. Sej. I've been waiting for you guys."
"I know. Coriolanus kept trying to fix his hair because he wanted to impress―"
"Sejanus Plinth!" Coriolanus scolded.
"Anyway, what I was trying to say is that it was his fault we were late." Sejanus finished.
The girl shrugged, "It's okay. You gave me more time to find the friendship bracelet Coryo gave me."
"You lost the bracelet?" He frowned.
"Yeah, I have no idea where it went. I'm sorry. I'll check the cameras later to see if I can see myself misplacing it."
"It's okay. We can always get new ones." Coriolanus offered.
"Of course."
Caroline looked up at him. He had always been taller than her and it was annoying. She always had to look up to him or when he would tease her by putting his hand farther up than she could reach.
As she tilted her head up, she found herself lost in his ocean-blue eyes. They were mesmerizing. It was difficult not to lose yourself in the pools of blue.
"Can you guys stop staring at each other so we can go play outside?" Sejanus sighed.
Both kid's cheeks turned red at his comment. Caroline did a way better job at hiding it than Coriolanus.
For a couple of minutes, they engaged in a lively game of tag outdoors before transitioning to Caroline's trampoline and swingset. The heat of the day prompted occasional retreats indoors, where they indulged in refreshing sips of homemade lemonade, crafted by the diligent housekeepers. The rhythm of their play intertwined with moments of respite, creating a summer day filled with laughter, activity, and the sweet taste of citrus-infused coolness.
In the middle of playing Popcorn on the trampoline, Coriolanus excused himself to use the restroom.
"Well, we can't play Popcorn with two people." Caroline huffed when Coriolanus was out of their vicinity.
"Yes, we can. You go in the middle." Sejanus says.
She crossed her arms, "You're not big enough to Popcorn me well enough. It needs to come from both sides of me so I go higher."
"Whatever." Sejanus rolled his eyes and sat down criss-crossed next to the girl. He gestured for her to join him.
Sitting down, Caroline worked up the courage to ask her friend something she'd been pondering about at night, "Do you think Coriolanus would like someone like me?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean―like, Coriolanus is perfect. He's funny, he's smart, he's charming and everyone likes him. But, me? I'm like, a ghost. Nobody notices me."
"We noticed you." Sejanus countered.
"Well, technically, Coryo and I noticed you. And Coriolanus only noticed me because I looked upset."
"True." He agreed.
"But, that's beside the point. I feel like he would like someone like Cecelia, not me. Cecelia's older, and prettier. I'm younger than you guys and I was never as pretty as her." She explained.
"You're only younger than us by a year, but we're still in the same grade. And we don't even know Cecelia."
"I guess so. Which is weird, because everyone knows Cecelia. Everyone wants Cecelia. It's nice to have something separate from her. You and Coryo are my friends and my friends only." She admitted.
"We don't need to know Cecelia, we know you." He told the girl.
"That's the first time anyone has ever said that." She muttered.
"It's the truth."
"Where's Coryo? It's been like eight minutes."
"Maybe, he has the stomach bug." Sejanus reasoned.
Caroline's face scrunched up in disgust, "Ew. My poor maids, they have to clean those bathrooms."
Sejanus only chuckled at her statement. He internally rooted for Caroline's happiness and success, because in his eyes, she deserved it more than anyone else.
"You're a great friend, Sej. I'm happy I have you." Caroline ruffled his hair teasingly, giggling at his groaning in response.
"Thanks, Caro."
.ೃ࿐
CAROLINE SNUCK INTO her father's office, knowing he wouldn't be home for another day. She was eager to find the friendship bracelet that she had lost earlier that day.
Sejanus and Coriolanus had just left around fifteen minutes ago, and Caroline had spent those minutes helping the maids clean up their mess as much as she could. Now that she was done, it was time to find the bracelet to make Coriolanus happy again.
After successfully guessing her dad's computer password ( it was Cecelia's birthday, of course ), she directed the mouse to the security camera app on his laptop.
The app opened to the live cameras in the hallways of her house. She flipped through the footage, going back to earlier in the day.
Fastly clicking the playback button to the beginning of the day when she was cleaning, Caroline spotted a flash of platinum blonde hair on the top square of the screen. The top grid was the upstairs hallway.
Her eyebrows furrowed, confused about when Coriolanus was upstairs in her house that day. She fast-forwarded until she spotted the familiar hair on her screen.
Caroline watched intently as Coriolanus entered Cecelia's bedroom. Her door remained opened, and Caroline could see most of the room from the hallway camera.
Why was he in her room?
He approached her with deliberate steps, and Caroline observed his lips moving. Curious, she clicked the volume up button, eager to catch every word he uttered. The hushed anticipation hung in the air as she leaned in, intent on capturing the essence of his words with heightened clarity.
"It's about time. I've been waiting for you." Cecelia spoke.
"Let's make this quick, I'm supposed to be using the bathroom." He said.
"Oh, whatever. I know you would rather hang out with someone cool like me than my loser sister." Cecelia scoffed.
"Um―"
"Anyway, let's get to it."
Coriolanus sat down at her desk and started writing something. He was there for about six minutes before getting up out of the desk chair and standing up.
Cecelia walked up to him and slipped something in his hand, "Keep this quiet. Don't tell anyone, especially not my weird sister, got it?"
"Cecelia―"
Caroline watched as her sister stood on her tip toes to press a kiss to Coriolanus' lips. He kissed back, losing any thoughts of his previous words.
Once they pulled away, he blushed, "You have got to stop doing that."
"There's more where that came from, next time you come over," Cecelia smirked before pushing him out the door and back into the hallway.
Caroline shut off the computer completely and lifted her knees to her chin. Coriolanus and her sister had been flirting all this time.
She felt like a fool. A stupid, stupid fool. Of course, Cecelia got Coriolanus. Cecelia got everything she wanted — everything Caroline wanted.
She felt even angrier at Coriolanus. He knew how much Caroline despised her sister, and he still went for her?
The sense of injustice overwhelmed Caroline, fueling a surge of anger within her. In a burst of frustration, she stormed to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. The full-sized bed became the arena for her emotional turmoil. Grabbing a pillow, she vented her anger by striking it repeatedly until exhaustion set in.
As weariness replaced the initial rage, a sudden wave of sadness enveloped her. Collapsing onto the bed, she pulled her knees to her chest, seeking solace in the embrace of her tears, allowing the emotional storm to find release in the quiet sanctuary of her room.
Caroline's realization that she would never be the first option cast a shadow over her heart. It was like perpetually lingering on the periphery of a dazzling stage, watching the spotlight of affection illuminate someone else. The ache of being the second choice deepened when the boy she had developed feelings for over the past few years chose someone else. The pain cut even deeper when that someone turned out to be her own sister, a twist in the plot that left her feeling like the forgotten character in her own story.
Things would never go right for Caroline Ellis, and that was her fate. She belonged in her sister's shadow, or as an invisible ghost that nobody noticed.
Coriolanus Snow was only a page inside her novel — a page in which she'd aggressively ripped out.
Every single book she read about love as a kid, was bullshit. Having your heart interlinked was bullshit.
And right now, Caroline wanted to die. While, Coriolanus was probably off at home, gleaming about the kiss he shared with a pretty girl, Caroline laid in her bed, her hands struggling to grip her pillow from the amount of shaking. Her eyes were puffy and red when Coriolanus' were probably upturned. Her lips were trembling while his were tugged upwards.
Coriolanus Snow and Caroline Ellis could never have their hearts interlinked. They could never share the same feelings and understand them the same way. They were too different from each other.
Love wasn't real. Neither was having your heart interlinked. She would never have her heart interlinked with anyone, ever. It was a setup for failure.
.ೃ࿐
― dee speaks !
someone give this girl
a hug.
one more flashback and
then they'll be gone for a
bit ! we will get back to the plot
soon