This chapter is dedicated to galaxianex
The winner of the second competition in the Old Family book.
Title: Because it's Lara's favorite colour! (And it fits so well with this theme)
Setting: When all my babies were young and innocent(ish).
Idea: Lara wanted a chapter that was light and family-orientated. She wanted a chapter where we had a combination of young Aurora, Trita and Sonya, and then the young Old family bunch. This was such a fun experience for both of us, because we really had the same idea of what we wanted the girls to be like when they were children. Thanks, Lara! This is one of my faves...
The second place winner's chapter will be up next on my writing schedule.
Aurora couldn't help but often think which was worse? Being an only child, or being surrounded by brothers and sisters?
When she was much younger, a little girl and barely above her father's knee, she was often alone at home and in the care of her grandparents. Her father and mother worked tirelessly and endlessly to provide for their small, loving family.
Julio Venerelli had just started as one of the main associates at a local and international attorney branch, but his dream of owning his own practise was still fresh in his mind. Julio had studied hard for years at university and then worked even harder to reach the top of his firm before he'd even reached the age of thirty-five. His loving wife was undeniably supportive, but just as busy with her own career path.
Denise had laboured under her mother's own events company, but after her mother had retired and she'd handed the business over to her only daughter, Denise had tried everything to keep it afloat. The customers were fiercely loyal to her mother, and so it took ages to turn the tide to her side. It was a small town back in the day, and many locals were stuck in old ways. It was difficult for Denise to get through new ideas and branding; and even more difficult for her to not bring her work home with her.
And so their only daughter was left with little choice than to entertain herself. Aurora, however, didn't mind. Denise and Julio felt immense sadness and guilt for having no time for their angel in the afternoons and only ever saw her in the evenings, when work was done and their minds could rest. She was a delight to come home to.
Although they weren't fortunate enough to have one of them be a stay-at-home parent or employee, the Venerelli's had made a silent pact to one another when Aurora was born- never would the house be empty and lonely.
Their little girl would always have a friend or two around to keep her company.
Trita and Sonya were never far away from the Venerelli house. The family mansion on the cliff was a bit smaller when they were younger, with a larger garden and a great backyard, which later, was converted into an infinity pool overlooking the ocean. When the girls were younger, the yard was the best place to be.
It could be whatever they wanted- a land of fairies and elves or an old jungle filled with prehistoric creatures! Trita and Sonya loved being in Aurora's backyard, dreaming up fantasy.
For Sonya, being with Aurora and in her home after school was a joy. It was a time to relax and play with her two best friends. Her brother, Neil, was five years older than her and at that time, very committed to his rugby. He was young still, but the private school they attended was extremely serious about picking talented players at a young age to train and coach them for the big games.
Neil was a sweetheart, much like his sister, but he was far more outgoing than Sonya. He loved her dearly, but training and friends took up most of his time.
For Trita, things were a slightly bit more complicated...
Trita's parents had divorced about two years back and at the time, the news had hit her rather hard. Trita was the only child between her parents, but with their divorce and new marriages, new siblings had entered the picture too.
Her mother, Anika, had married a wealthy stockbroker. It was well and good, but he had two children of his own that were nightmares, to put it mildly. Little Carmine and Carlos were twins and troublesome. They were a year younger than Trita and did everything in their power to make her feel left out and stupid when she didn't understand any of their inside-jokes.
To make matters worse, her father had remarried to a woman with three children of her own and they weren't much better. They were all older- Anthony was the eldest and a star cricket player, Andre was top of his class and the youngest, only two years older than Trita, was Liana; who also happened to excel in her art classes.
Their mother was an extremely driven person, but didn't take Trita very seriously whenever the little girl mentioned her love for the arts and the theatre. She always used to laugh and wave her hand to dismiss the silly notion; "Oh, please, Trita. You're too pretty. Maybe you should just try modelling. Let me see if could get you an agent. Leave the thinking to the others..."
It hurt. It did, but family life was always complicated for her and so Aurora and Sonya's homes became the place to slip away to and just think. Think and dream- even if the mere notion made others laugh at her.
Aurora loved it when her two best friends were close. It ate away at the strange feeling of emptiness she held deep within her and often, when they were all cuddled up in her room under the afternoon sun and the light smell of the ocean down below, she'd lift up her hand against the warm rays and imagine a time and a place where the three of them could slip away and fall into a fantasy forever.
The afternoon was warm and sunny, and the three little girls laughed loudly as they ran around in a big circle, chasing the wind.
"Watch out!" Sonya chuckled and swung her pink scarf through the air; "The monster's going to get you!"
Trita growled and chased after Aurora, her green eyes filled with laughter. Aurora giggled and squealed loudly; her excitement too much to hold in. "Ah! Hahaha! Keep up, monster!"
"Grr!" Trita snarled, but it sounded less menacing than she intended.
Aurora abruptly turned around and Trita nearly slammed into her, but the blonde girl caught her best friend in her arms and swung her around until they both landed on the thick grass with an oomph. "Now I got you!"
"Sons, help me!" Trita yelled out and reached her hands up to the lighter blonde to help her up from the ground, but Sonya skipped away laughing; "Nah ah! I don't want to be eaten!"
"Meanie!" Trita stuck her tongue out and Aurora tried to tickle her sides. Trita laughed loudly and rolled Aurora onto her back and chuckled evilly; "Tag! You're it!" She darted up and bolted for the large jungle gym at the end of the gardens.
"No! Not fair!" Aurora moaned and jumped up, racing after Trita, but then saw Sonya skipping close by and decided to divert her attention to an easier prey. She lunged for Sonya and the girl squeaked with surprise. "Tag!"
"No! You know I hate this game!" Sonya moaned and protested, while Aurora ran off in the opposite direction. Sonya was the slowest among the three- she always complained that it was her short legs, but in reality, she hated running.
"Don't be a loser!" Trita yelled from the top of the high wooden tower and laughed as Aurora mocked Sonya from far by pulling funny faces to make her angry. Sonya huffed up and crossed her arms. "You guys are stupid!"
"You're stupid!" Aurora snickered, but then suddenly pointed behind Sonya with wide eyes; "Oh no! Look out! It's the evil dragon!"
Sonya swung around quickly, only to find Aurora's German grandmother walking up to them with an amused look in her eyes. Her smirk said it all.
"And who are you calling a dragon, little lady?" Oma Adeline laughed and beckoned the girls closer with her hand; "Come, come. The cake is done and I need help setting the table."
Sonya cheered happily- partly because of the cake, but mainly because she was no longer 'it' and wouldn't have to run.
Trita jumped from the tower and quickly ran up to take the old lady's hand as Sonya did the same. Aurora walked in front, skipping and smiling with her mind full of cake. Her grandmother's cakes were the best!
After they'd set the table for Aurora's to grandparents and their old friends who were coming to join for a spot of tea, the girls grabbed their own big slices of fresh chocolate cake and plucked themselves in front of the television. Their favourite kid's show was on- old cartoons!
The girls watched for nearly two hours- laughing at clumsy and quirky cats and mice trying to chase each other and then before they knew it, the cake and afternoon sun had pulled their eyes shut.
The girls snored lightly as their heads rest on each other's shoulders. Sonya laid with her feet up on Aurora's lap, while her head rested on the armrest. Trita was tucked close to Aurora and her feet were propped up on the couch and tucked under a blanket. They were fast asleep.
By the time the sun set, Julio and Denise were home and bid Denise's mother a goodnight, thanking her for the leftover cake and her keeping an eye out over the girls for the day.
Julio tapped Aurora's little head and smiled as she struggled to open her eyes; "Wake up, honey. It's time to get these two home."
Trita and Sonya groaned awake and parted their mouths with effort- the cake and sugar and dried out their tongues. "Aww, already?" Aurora moaned and gave her father her best sad look, but he shook his head and laughed.
"Come on; let me drive you two home or you parents will wonder what's taking so long."
"Okay, Mr. Venerelli." Trita said as she stifled a yawn and stood up from the coach. Sonya nodded and stretched her back.
The girls hugged goodbye and Julio couldn't help but notice how sad they were to leave, even though they'd be seeing each other early the next morning for school?
Julio drove them home and dropped them off. He stood and chatted with Sonya and Trita's fathers each until he bid them a goodnight and returned home. Aurora's head was wet from her recent bath and her mother was listening intently as Aurora told her the day's activities.
Julio laughed when Aurora mentioned the monsters in the backyard and how Aurora was going to stop them tomorrow.
"And how will you do that, huh?" Julio asked as he stepped to the fridge and opened it to take out some cheese for his sandwich.
"I'll wave my hands around and cast a spell!" Aurora laughed and showed him what she meant.
"A spell?" Denise's eyes widened and she chuckled; "What kind of spell?"
"I don't know yet; one they won't like! Maybe I'll send the sun into their eyes! Yes! Monsters hate the light, don't they?"
Denise looked at Julio over her shoulder as he smiled down at the chopping board and grabbed a fresh tomato. "I don't know- do monsters hate the light, Julio?"
He laughed softly and shrugged; "I'll consult my advisors and get back to you on that one. Maybe I'll ask my clients..."
Denise laughed loudly, but Aurora still too young to get the joke. She pulled her lips and pouted; "You work with monsters, daddy?"
"Sometimes it feels like it, honey." Julio spread butter on his bread and sighed; "Would anyone else like a sandwich?"
"No, thanks." Denise stood up and removed her heels. She was dead tired and needed a good shower to get the day's stress washed off of her body.
"Nah, I'm still full of chocolate icing!" Aurora laughed and swung her blonde hair around and watched the long tresses wave in the air.
"Come. It's time for bed, little lady." Denise tapped her daughter's head with a small smile and gestured with her chin for her to get up.
Aurora sighed dramatically, but did as she was told; "Can I plan my attack in bed?"
"Sure. I don't see why not?" Denise chuckled and took her hand and led the girl towards her bedroom. Julio watched as his daughter walked beside his wife, chatting all the way to her room.
He wished he was here more often to listen to her rant about whatever strange thing fascinated her that day. Aurora really was an odd child, but it was a good kind of odd. She was curios about the world around them and sometimes, she said things little girls her age shouldn't even be thinking about.
She was clever and it pained him sometimes that she was so lonely. They'd tried to have more kids, but after so many months of trying, they went to the doctor for a medical opinion. It turned out Julio was nearly infertile and Aurora had been a great blessing and an extremely rare conception.
Another child just simply wasn't meant to be.
Julio brought his sandwich to his mouth and took a bite; absentmindedly he stared out across the vast backyard and thought of ways in which he could convert it into a child' paradise. Perhaps he'd add another swing set, or a little castle, fit for a princess?
But why did he have the feeling Aurora was more of the dragon-slaying type than the waiting in castles for a prince type?
The mere act alone was very difficult at first, but now, it was far more straining than Thanatos had first thought it could be.
He was trying to practise his Astronomical magic with his Shadow, but each passing day, Shadow was becoming less of a distraction and more the cause of one.
Shadow purred and cooed as Eris stroked her little hands over its back and head and giggled whenever it chirped in glee. Thanatos rubbed his face with his hand and sighed.
His sisters had interrupted his magic lesson about three times now, and this time, it didn't look like they were going to leave any time soon. Apate chuckled and rolled onto the floor next to Shadow, pretending she was a jaguar as she roared and waited for Shadow to mimic her. She held her hands in the air like paws- her fingers bent in- and kicked her legs in a circular motion like she was underwater.
Shadow made an odd chirping sound and rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling with interest, eager to see what the little girl saw. Eris followed close behind and purred like a cat. "Let's see how many animals he can do!"
Apate barked like a dog and jumped back onto all fours; "Look!"
Shadow swished back up and tried to bar, but the sound was an odd mix between a chirp and a snarl. Apate and Eris laughed loudly, falling back onto their backs and clutching their stomachs.
Thanatos slanted his eyes with impatience; "You two do know that I'm meant to study, right?"
"But Shadow wants to play with us!" Eris whined; her big, black eyes full of wonder as the joyful shadow flew up to the high ceiling and spun around like a rocket.
"Can't we play with him outside?" Apate asked pleadingly and wrapped her arms around her big brother. "Please!"
"Please!" Eris joined in and leaned onto Thanatos from the other side. The young boy sighed and rolled his eyes; "No! I need him."
"But he wants to play! Look!" Eris pointed up at Shadow dancing around on the mantelpiece. The girls laughed and clapped their hands in encouragement. Apate giggled; "Let's go see if he can fly to the top of those tall trees along the path!"
"Apate-" Thanatos was about to scold his sister, but another feminine voice interrupted his annoyed tone.
"Let Thana practise in peace!" Hemera wasn't much younger than Thanatos, but she acted more mature than most of them. She folded her arms over her chest and pulled Eris by her little hand towards the door; "And aren't you supposed to be studying yourself?"
"Hemera!" Eris whined loudly and pulled her hand, but Hemera kept a strong grip and shot her younger sister a look; "Mater will be so angry if you don't!"
"Mater is visiting friends; she won't know..." Apate muttered and pinched Thanatos as he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate back on his breathing. He jumped from the sudden sting on his arm and shot his sister a deadly look; "Could you not?"
Apate giggled and jumped onto Thanatos with laughter and a mischievous look in her eyes; "Roar!"
He tried to dodge, but Apate was faster. She smothered him under her weight, while he tried to spit out her dark hair form his mouth. "Apate! You're being annoying!" Thanatos shouted and growled as he tried to push his sister off, but she clung onto his waist with determination. Eventually though, her strength couldn't last up against his, and he managed to untangle her limbs from his body. "Go to Chiron! You have class..."
"But I want Shadow to come with me!" Apate pouted and tried to pinch Thanatos again, but he managed to catch her hand before she reached his upper arm. "Shadow needs to help me with this spell. When I'm done, I'll send him your way, okay?"
"Fine." Apate stood up and huffed up. She tried one last time to annoy her brother by pressing her dirty foot against his cheek. Thanatos pulled a face in disgust and kicked her bum as she tried to jump away from his revenge. With the momentum from his kick, she raced out of the room and loudly yelled back; "See you later, Shadow!"
Shadow chirped happily and flew down to rest on Thanatos' head like a crown.
Eris laughed and Hemera couldn't help but join in as they watched Thanatos' annoyed expression deepen. Hemera tugged Eris towards the door and the little toddler came willingly this time. Apate wasn't here to fuel her mischievous mood.
Thanatos inhaled with great effort once they were gone and smiled softly. Finally, some peace... Now, the spell-
A whack of something both hard and soft hit Thanatos square across his face.
"Wha-" The young boy spluttered out feathers and quickly covered his face to protect it from anymore surprise attacks, but Dolos was too busy laughing to try again.
"Dolos!" Thanatos growled and jumped up to grab the torn pillow from his brother, but the boy was very agile. Dolos was smaller than Thanatos and quicker on his little feet. He was also a pain in Thanatos' ass. "Come back here, you little jackal!"
"Catch me if you can!" Dolos ran out into the hall, a stream of white feathers following him all along his escape route.
Thanatos stood with an irritated frown at the doorway and considered running after his little brother, but it would be a waste. Dolos knew so many secret hiding places that it would take him nearly the whole day to track that hyper boy down.
"Malaka..." Thanatos muttered under his breath and sat back down on the pillow in the centre of the floor. Shadow purred and cooed next to him, eager to carry on with the lesson so he could go out and play with Apate and Eris.
"Now, where were we?" Thanatos sighed and closed his eyes again, but quickly, he opened them gain, just to check if Dolos wasn't hiding somewhere close by in case he let his guard down again. Nothing. The hallway was clear. For now...
"Okay, so air bending." Thanatos regulated his breathing and lifted his hands to feel the air move between his fingers. He waved his one hand around to start up a swirling whirlwind of slow air and then transferred it to the other hand with careful concentration. One wrong move and his creation would disintegrate.
He watched it flow with ease and was careful to control his breathing and hand rotation. It was working! It was finally working! Or some reason, air had been a more difficult element for the young boy to master, because he was naturally not a very 'airy' person. He wasn't light in his emotions and he certainly wasn't someone who took light of most things, but what he was light in, was his feet and his movements- so he used that to his advantage. And it ultimately paid off!
Thanatos watched with pride as the small tornado grew bigger with each passing turn of his hand and then it finally grew, until-
"Thanatos!"
The small magic of the tornado cracked and blew into dust.
Thanatos sat staring at his hands in frustration.
"Thana- Oh! There you are!" Momus strolled into the room with a big book in his hands. "Can you help me quick? What does 'affiliate' mean?"
"To associate with something." Thanatos quickly replied, but Momus' confusion only increased and his frown deepened. Thanatos tried again; "Um... To be connected or related to something."
"Ah!" Momus wrote a few words down next to the word in question and nodded thanks to his older brother. Thanatos smiled and lifted his hands to try again, but Momus turned back with another frown; "What about 'preposterous'?"
"Ridiculous or mad." Thanatos answered quickly, eager to get to his work for the day. The more time he wasted, the less time he'd have at the end of the day to relax and rest.
"Thank you!" Momus smiled broadly and walked off, eager to delve deeper into his book, now knowing what some of the terms meant.
Thanatos watched him leave and slanted his eyes when his brother didn't close the door. As usual... There was no privacy here, was there?
"Okay," Thanatos beckoned Shadow closer; "I want to try that again, but this time-"
"Thanatos!"
Moros' loud shout of pure shock startled the young boy and he jolted right up and stormed towards the door. Before Thanatos had the chance to bolt out of the entryway, Moros rammed into him, his eyes wide.
"What happened?"
"Eleos! She's crying!"
Thanatos frowned and shook his head in confusion. It was uncommon for babies to cry. Eleos was barely a few months old. Alright, given Eleos was by far the sweetest baby Nyx had ever had, but she was still just that- a baby. Crying wasn't all that strange.
Moros clearly hadn't gotten the memo.
"So?"
"So! I think she's hungry! Or maybe she's hurt? I don't know what to do! Mater told me to watch her and now she's awake and she's crying!"
Thanatos sighed- honestly, this was not what he had time for. Moros was the worst person to babysit anyone or anything for three main reasons- he got far too easily distracted, he got nervous whenever people around him were upset and lastly, he needed a babysitter himself.
"I'll go check." Thanatos muttered and waved Shadow over. The entity curled itself around the boy's waist and chirped excitedly as they left the study chamber. Moros followed close behind- his eyes still wide.
When they reached the room, Eleos was silently laughing in Irma's arms. The old nanny had come to the rescue just in time and Moros sighed in relief. Thanatos rolled his eyes and pointed towards the passage that led outside; "Go play with the girls. I'm sure Irma doesn't need you sweating so close to her whenever Eleos makes an odd noise."
Moros mimicked Thanatos in a funny voice and grumbled in annoyance at his older sibling, but did as he was told. Irma shot Thanatos a wink and turned her attention back to Eleos. She was nearly fast asleep.
The young god smiled and turned back to his chamber, only to find Nemesis blocking his way with two swords that were far too big for her. She smiled broadly. "Let's fight!"
"I can't right now, Nema. I need to finish this lesson."
Nemesis pouted and dropped the swords to her sides in annoyance; "But you've been busy with the same spell since his morning."
"Because I don't get any time to do it!"
Suddenly, a wild Dolos appeared.
Thanatos' face was smacked with the feather pillow and a few white plumes sprung out and into the air on impact. The little boy giggled naughtily and ran off to his secret hiding place before Thanatos had even realised who'd hit him.
"DOLOS!"
Nemesis laughed loudly and held her stomach to compose herself. "He got you good!"
"Malaka!" Thanatos shouted at the air, not exactly knowing where Dolos was hiding. But he knew the little bugger was somewhere. Dammit.
"Come on! Challenge me to a duel!" Nemesis pushed the sword towards Thanatos and he pushed it back with annoyance. "Later, Nema."
"Aww." She pouted again, but this time Dolos didn't jump out and make it all better.
Thanatos finally reached his room again, but just as he rounded the corner, he bumped into his twin.
Hypnos smiled merrily; "There you are!"
"Oh, please no." Thanatos moaned; "I can't do anything else. I really need to do this spell before mater gets back-"
"Mater sent word with Aetes- she's only returning tomorrow night, after dinner. It seems father is taking her away for a bit." Hypnos flashed the official letter- it was decorated with father's black seal.
Thanatos felt a great weight lift off from his shoulders. "Really?"
Hypnos nodded eagerly and swung the letter into the cackling fire. "So... What do you want to do first? Go horse ridding or go swimming in the steam baths?"
It was rare that the boys got days off from their work, but with their mother gone for a bit- the kids were free to terrorise the palace grounds all they like.
Thanatos smiled mischievously.
"Well first, I want to catch Dolos and drop him into the pool. And then..." Thanatos rubbed his hands together and grinned from ear to ear; "We gather everyone up and hike to the waterfall!"
"Yes!" Hypnos laughed and the boys chuckled evilly. Mater hated it when they went there, but who cares? Today was a day for fun and some sun.
Tundra was hotter during summer and the boys wanted to use all the sun they could find.
The twins ran outside and gathered all their siblings, except for little Eleos, and all of them went off into the woods with a royal escort of guards.
Today they'd have a good time and worry about studying later!
It was late at night and the two young children were laying in their beds, staring up at the night sky.
Aurora's blue eyes scanned the heavens; her balcony door was closed, but the curtains were drawn open to allow the moonlight into her room.
Thanatos lay on his side, watching the dark night reflect the stars with grace and beauty- his balcony door was open and the crisp air was comforting.
Their minds were still running with thoughts of adventure and freedom- their worlds so implausibly different. And yet...
The night sky they were watching might have been nearly two thousand years apart, but there would come a time when the stars would align again and their moment would draw closer.
It might not have been the same starry sky they saw that night, or the same full moon, but does the universe ever really change or is that change as constant as it is volatile?
One thing was for certain.
Their souls were born together, time ripped them apart, but then again, time is known to heal all wounds...
Merry Christmas and happy holidays xx