*~*Rika's POV*~*
I was sitting in the living room at home. In what passed for our home that is. I mean, it was nice, don't get me wrong, but it was hard for me to act like I was a normal person when I lived in a giant castle that always had more soldiers in it than anything else. What I wanted more than anything at the moment though, was to live a normal life.
I knew that there was a lot that I needed to do in my future, and that I had a lot to live up to. But I had a dilemma here. How was I supposed to know what I was capable of if I was always living in the shadow of my parents? How was I supposed to be able to grow as a person if I wasn't forced to fend for myself?
No, what I needed right now was a place of my own. And just as I thought about that, I knew that it was the only thing that would settle my nerves at the moment. And then, like he was summoned by my thoughts, my brother, Reagan, came sauntering into the room.
"You're thinking too loud." He laughed at me as he sat in the chair across from me.
"Huh?" I was shocked at what he was saying. Had he actually heard my thoughts? I mean, there are cases of twins reading minds, right? Was it possible that he had read mine just now? Did he know what I was thinking about?
"You look like your head is about to explode with your thoughts. I didn't mean anything by it, honest. I just thought that you needed someone to lighten the mood. Why were you thinking about something that you shouldn't be?" He waggled his eyebrows at me as if he was suggesting something dirty.
"Eww, no. Not that I would talk to you about that anyway." The disgust was only half exaggerated. I didn't want to think about what it would mean if I were to talk about things like my sex life, or lack thereof, with my brother.
"Then what is it? What has you feeling so stuck?" His joking expression turned almost instantly to one of concern. "Come on, Ri, you need to talk to me." He was always concerned about me these days.
"Well, I..I.." I hesitated as he looked at me, trying to figure out how I was going to word this. "I uhm, I..I was thinking that I wanted a little change of scenery." I looked around the room, making sure that no one else was listening in.
"You mean, like going somewhere, or something else?"
"I mean that I want to move out." I said it. I can't believe that I actually said it.
"Oh. Yeah, I have been thinking that too. Levi, Luka, and I have been talking about it. We were actually about to talk to people about it soon. I know that Mom and Dad might be a little upset about it, but we're almost twenty and we need to have a place of our own soon. We could live on campus, but we could also get a place in the city close to the university. It would make things a lot easier for us in the long run. Would you get a place with Lyssa and Alexa?"
I can't believe that he was talking about this too. I knew that he and I were often on the same page, but I didn't think that this was one of them. Then again, leave it to my brother to get to this point first.
And the more that I thought about things, the more that I wanted to say no to him in response to the question that he asked me. While Lyssa was my best friend, and Alexa was right there in second, I didn't think that I wanted to live with them. I wanted to be fully independent. I wanted to get out on my own and see what I was personally capable of.
"No. I hadn't thought about that at all. I want my own place. Somewhere that will be just mine and no one else's. I want to see what life with just me is like. Not that I will be fully alone. I will have classes with everyone else from time to time. I wouldn't be without interaction."
"So, you've been thinking about this already, huh?" I heard a voice that I had not planned on. And a moment later my parents walked into the room with Talia right behind them. I don't know why I hadn't smelled them coming. Probably because I was so used to their scents so that it wasn't anything new to me.
"Mom?" I looked at her with wide eyes that clearly showed how nervous I was. She had heard what Reagan and I were talking about.
"It's alright, Rika." She gave me a comforting and knowing smile. "Your brother said it already, you're almost twenty. It's only natural that you would want to be out on your own. I had hoped that you would wait until after you were done with university, but I understand the desire to be your own person in your own space. I was eighteen when I moved in with your father and away from home."
"Yeah, but you didn't have a choice." Talia said as she sat at one end of the sofa to the side of Reagan and I.
"That is true, but I was still out of the house and in a place that was then considered mine. It was Reece's, yes, but it was also mine. And your brother and sister are getting to the point where they want to get out on their own."
"We're not actually going to entertain this idea, are we, Little Bunny?" Dad asked with a pleading look in his eyes. Little Bunny was what he called my mom, it had been her nickname since the night that they met. I knew that there was a story there, but I didn't like to think about it too often.
"What do you mean, Reece? They are nineteen, they could leave anytime that they want to. Just be glad that they seem to be taking our opinions into consideration at the moment."
"Little Bunny, this is crazy. They are just kids. They can't be out there on their own." Dad was still acting like this was the worst idea in the world.
"They are both older than I was when you and I got married. They are not kids anymore Reece. You need to stop holding on too tightly."
"That is simply impossible." Dad had crossed his arms and shook his head as he looked at mom with angry eyes.
"Dad?" I pleaded with him. "It won't be like I am that far away. And I will come back for dinners from time to time, but I think that I am old enough to try living on my own. At least for a little while."
"Yeah, Dad, I agree. Rika and I need our own space to do what we need to. We're adults, and we need the chance to figure out what we're going to do with our lives." Reagan was pressing the issue as well. Was this really about to happen? Were we going to get permission to leave the castle? Was I going to get my own place?
"I agree with them, Reece. And, like Rika said, they won't be far. Just down in the city." Mom was putting the nail in the coffin that was my dad's argument. She was on our side, and she was the one in charge. That was a benefit to be living in a matriarchal society. Mom was going to convince Dad of what we needed to do.
"You're not going to let me win here, are you, Trin?" Dad pleaded with her once more.
"Nope. I most definitely am not, Reece. They are right, they need their own place. They will always have their rooms here in the castle, but they need to grow as people. And I am going to make sure that they do it with the proper support. If they run away and do this on their own, they won't have any sort of life that they want. Support them, Reece, give them your blessing, and let's do this with them."
"Hahh." Dad sighed, he knew that he was beat. Honestly, I was probably as shocked as Dad looked right now. I did not think that my mom would be this accepting of what I wanted. As I looked at her, the similarities that I shared with her, and the ones that Reagan had with her, and I found a new appreciation for her than I had before. She was shorter than me, about five feet four inches to my five foot eight. But she was powerful, even in that thin and delicate looking frame of hers.
At that moment, Dad turned to look at Talia, an angry expression in his eyes as he pointed at her with his index finger.
"Don't you even think about asking to move out as well. You are way too young."
"I wasn't going to." She glared at him in response. "I am too young for that, I know it and so do you. Not to mention, when I am older I will be moving into the palace in the underworld, so I don't need my own place right now."
"GAH!" Dad ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he thought about it. "I refuse!"
"You can't." Talia looked cool and nonchalant and she pretty much told our dad what was going to happen. She had a lot of confidence for someone her age. I had to give her that.
"Alright then." Mom got the attention of everyone back onto her as she spoke. "We need to work this out quickly. I am sure that you two would like to be in your new places before you start the new semester. So, that gives us about a week to get you moved in so that you can be settled before classes start."
"A week!?" Dad practically sobbed. "No! They are too young. This is happening too quickly. Look at her, Little Bunny, Rika is still just a little girl, my little girl."
"I am a woman, Dad. You need to accept that." He put his fingers in his ears then, shaking his head no as he tried to block out the sounds.
"LA LA LA LA LA LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! LA LA LA LA LA LA!"
"Don't let him bother you." Mom laughed at him. "He is a big baby when it comes to you guys." I smiled because I knew that it was true. Dad had always been a very devoted father that was there for us whenever we needed him.
"I know." Reagan said. "And that's a good thing. Still, we need to be out on our own."
"Yes, you do." Mom was just talking over Dad as he continued to pretend that I wasn't a grown woman with a life of my own. "Now, we can go into the city and look for some places today. We have a real estate agent that will work with us as well. You want different places, I am sure. Reagan, you're looking for a place with Levi and Luka. You should call them and tell them that you have our permission. I am sure that Shawn and Dietrich will agree that you all need to be given this freedom. And, Rika, are you sure that you want to live alone?"
"Yes, I do." I was quick with my answer. I had been thinking about it, and that was the way that I wanted it.
"Alright. We will look into things right away. It's still early today, so we can head into the city and look at some options right away." This was all happening really fast. I didn't think that it would be this easy. I mean, they were good parents, but they were the kind that kept us close for a long time. This was a big change for them, as well as for us.
I was happy though, and more than ready for this change.