Twelve years later....
"Lyric!" A shrill voice called from below my window.
I swung my legs off the bed, making my way quickly to the window and pulling the curtain open to stare down.
"Why the hell are you yelling?" I screamed down at the long legged figure standing below my window with a wicker basket in hand- Rae Robinson; my best friend and only allowed company.
"A romantic gesture, because I love you?" She gave me a sheepish expression, raising a shoulder and grinning.
Rae was tall with long legs that seemed to go on forever. A natural brunette- though her hair was dyed blonde at the moment, she had porcelain skin that gave her an almost doll like appearance- save for her facial features.
With a pair of siren eyes, a beaked nose and a wicked smile, Rae was every bit the 'devil-in -disguise' and I absolutely adored her.
"Just come on up, will ya?" I turned around to hide a grin at the face my best friend made.
Moments later, Rae and I were sitting cross legged on my bed, the basket open between us and a plate of grilled sandwiches next to them.
"So, who's hosting this year?" I asked, popping a berry into my mouth, sucking hard to extract the sweet juice.
"Are you sure you can't be present yourself?" Rae asked, raising a finger to wipe some bread crumbs from the side of her lips.
"Yes Rae! We've been through this before. This isn't your first rodeo." I muttered, raising a beaded hand to massage my forehead.
"Okay cranky." She raised her hand in mock surrender, her lips tilted in a half smile.
"Anyways, the Moore's are hosting this year. Apparently Ezra Moore just came home. All the eligible 'maidens' will be preening to get his attention at the Pledge Ball. You know, the ladies all love the 'new and exotic'." Rae continued, rolling her eyes at the last words and earning a chuckle from me.
"Evvie's going with mother and papa. What I don't know, is if Brea's going with them or with Michayl."
Michayl Gastrell was the first son of the Gastrell house and Brea's husband. Fallon House was the Gold House though, and hence superior to the Gastrell House. Whomever, Brea chose to attend Pledge Ball with, could be viewed as a show of solidarity.
Our world was a close knit one, its inhabitants divided into Houses to serve the Throned gods. The gods had made their first descent decades ago, determined to raze the human population to the ground and start a new generation of people- a pure line.
A group of powerful families had stepped in, offering to prove that the humans could be of great relevance and their chance came when shortly after the first contact between the gods and man, the beasts came pouring into earth- an event that would come to be remembered as The Great War.
"Has your mother picked a suitor for you yet?" I wiped crumbs of bread off my plaid dress, staring imploringly at my best friend who scrunched up her nose distastefully at the question.
"Henrik's being a terrible pain in the ass following me about like a lovesick puppy. But he's a literal angel compared to Ravi Dolivo." She replied, flipping her blonde hair over a denim cladded shoulder.
"Dolivo? Ravi's an arrogant prick. I highly doubt he can see anyone, what with how far his head is stuck up his own ass." I snorted, nostrils flaring, as Rae laughed.
"True. But his house has been garnering favor lately. Their hunters caught the vradîk that has been causing a bit of nuisance. Mother now claims their House has potential and my Uncle is ready to agree to any decision she makes, as long as it's guaranteed to get us out of the house and off his back permanently." She sighed warily and I gave her hands a small squeeze.
As is tradition, after the death of a family head, his closest family- preferably male, steps in to handle and manage the affairs of the family and House. After the unfortunate demise of Joseph Robinson, Rae's father and leader of Robinson House, his brother Malcolm took up the position and was now responsible for the wellbeing and growth of his late brother's family, a responsibility he fulfilled with absolute nonchalance and indifference.
"Enough talk about Pledge Balls, Houses and ridiculous, infuriating suitors. I have amazing news to share." Rae announced, her green eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Well, don't keep me hanging. Get on with it!" I prodded her arm with my elbow and she pulled it away from me, gasping.
"Woah! Easy there, firecracker, before you mutilate me with that pointy elbow of yours. I went across the veil today." She laughed, simultaneously rubbing her arm and giving me the stinkeye.
"You did? Little wonder you were late. Where did you go? Tell me everything!" I gushed excitedly, peering up at her.
With a sad smile, she said, "I wish we could have gone together."
My own smile fell, and I bent to pick invincible lint off my sheet, my red mane obscuring my face from her view.
"You know I can't Rae. My parents are extremely overprotective, especially after the accident. Papa just won't let me out of his sight again." I muttered, hiding a grimace at the familiar words.
"Hey, I know. I'm sorry I brought it up." Rae groaned and I looked up to smile at her.
"Forget about it. I'll tell you all about my adventures. You won't miss out on a thing. I even have pictures." She continued with a big grin.
And she did. For the next minutes, Rae droned on about the movie she watched at the cinema with a bunch of other nameless people, the rooftop club she attended, with amazing music and hot bartenders. She described in vivid detail, such that I saw everything she did through her words and for a second, I felt a pang of sadness at the fact that I might never experience any of the things she mentioned.
"Hey. Do you think your mysterious penpal is from the Otherside?" She suddenly asked, in the middle of describing how a guy wouldn't stop trying to coerce her to give up her number even after showed her disinterest.
"Nahh. I'm pretty sure he's from the Aetherside. For the love of Evadne though, I can't seem to figure out who he is."
I started exchanging messages with my mysterious penpal, few days after my sixteenth birthday when Rae tried to 'hook me up' with a decidedly cute guy who she claimed I'd be totally into, in an attempt to 'level up my flirting game'.
Somehow, I must have mixed the number up, because I ended up messaging a different person altogether and after my initial mortification of getting the number wrong died out, we seemed to hit it right off and have been talking ever since.
"Hmmn. What if this mysterious person is female though? I mean, what if she's pretending to be male to protect her identity?" Rae mused aloud, arching an eyebrow at me.
"Oh I'm sure it's a 'he'." I remarked in response and she clicks her tongue at me, falling backwards onto the bed dramatically, with me following normally, immediately after.
"Why? 'Cause females cannot be dark and mysterious?" She asked with mock indignation and I rolled my eyes at her.
"Oh please. Of course females can be mysterious. I mean, I'm pretty sure he has no idea who I am either. Hello? Female, me. Mysterious, also me. All I'm saying is, I'm sure he's male." I replied, watching as she propped her head onto her hand, her elbow creating a dent in my soft mattress.
"Uh huh. Speaking of dark and mysterious, the Cordovas' have returned from the hunt. I heard mother telling Uncle Malclom all about it at breakfast this morning." Rae informed, making me shoot out of bed like an arrow.
The Cordovas' were enforcers; the Throned gods' weapons of justice and retribution. If the Gold House Fallon was at the Throned gods' right hand, House Cordova was at their left. The Cordova name was one that evoked equal fear and respect in our world. The first house to rise in ranks from a Bronze House to a Silver at the Throned gods' command.
Their House leader Niklaus Cordova was father to Aquila, Blaise, Caspian, Draydon and Elodie- the only female child. Their mother, Nola had died shortly after Elodie's birth.
For months now; Aquila, Blaise, Caspian and Draydon have been on a 'special' hunt for Throned god, Tahkye. Their return would be sensational, especially since it was perfectly aligned to meet up with the Pledge Ball.
Catching my lower lip between my teeth, I worried the tender flesh as I wondered for the hundredth time, what it was the Cordovas' were on a hunt for. Even Papa was unaware of what it was and he usually was on par with everything concerning the Throned gods and other Houses.
The whole thing was shrouded in so much mystery and that only seemed to fuel my curiosity.
"Lyric!" Rae's sharp voice jolted me out of my thoughts as I realized sheepishly that I had spaced out, completely missing out on everything she had been saying for the past minute.
"I'm sorry. I-"
A sharp knock interrupted my words, pulling both Rae's attention and mine, to my ivory door.
"Yes?" I called out in my most authoritative voice- the one I reserved for servants, as only person in the entire house knocked on my door with such precision.
The door opened slightly, revealing the side profile of the person in question; a tall, bald man— the house's Butler, Aspen.
"Miss Fallon, Miss Robinson. I'm afraid I have to cut short what I'm sure always is a delightful meet." Aspen said, giving me a curt bow, before turning to Rae, straightening his black suit.
"Mrs Robinson phoned. She's expecting you within the hour." He informed her, giving me another bow, shutting the door and turning to return back to wherever he came from, as silently as he arrived.
"Does Aspen ever smile?" Rae asked as soon as the butler was out of earshot, grabbing her empty basket- its contents long polished off.
"He has, at my request, once. But, the thin line his lips made could have reduced a babe to tears." I replied conspirationally and we both burst into a giggling fit.
We shared a warm hug, promising to continue our conversation later. She waved one more time, heading out- through the window of course!