Episode 12

Aria

I am embraced in the chest of someone, it is a woman who runs desperately through the forest, they chase us, I hear the sound of her heart pounding, her breathing is difficult, we reach what seems to be a river, there is something on a rock, but what is it? A wolf? It's not a wolf, it's a man, who is he? I try to see his face, but it's very blurry, all I hear is the woman asking him to cross me over the river, she says she will follow us later, I feel a kiss on my forehead and everything becomes bright and I open my eyes, I find myself in the same room where I woke up the night before and was all of that, a dream? It seemed so real, I was lost in my thoughts when I hear a knock on the door

"Please come in."

Agatha - Miss, breakfast will be served in 15 minutes, I brought you some clothes to change into, they belong to Miss Azula, I hope they fit you.

Aria - Thank you, Mrs. Agatha, I would like to take a bath, is there a river nearby or perhaps a bucket you could lend me?

Agatha - (surprised) A river? A bucket? Why would you need that? If you want to bathe, you can do it here.

Aria - (embarrassed) I follow Mrs. Agatha through the room, she guides me to a white door, upon entering, I can see that it's the bathroom, everything necessary for grooming is there, Mrs. Agatha explains how the shower works and where to find shampoo and conditioner, as well as where I can find more towels. How embarrassing, Mrs. Agatha must think I'm crazy, but I've never been able to use a shower in my life, I always bathed in the river near Sunshine or fetched water in a bucket.

I take a hot shower, I really needed it, then I come out wrapped in a towel, I dry my hair thoroughly and see that the clothes Mrs. Agatha brought are on the bed, she must have left them there along with a bag beside.

I look at the clothes, there's a white blouse, black leggings, and then I take the bag and inside there are a pair of white sneakers and also a smaller sealed package, I open it and see that it's white lace underwear, I put it on and it's a bit tight on the top, but it doesn't look bad, I hurry to put on the rest of the clothes because I remember I have to go down for breakfast.

I go to a dressing table next to the bed, I see perfumes, creams, and makeup, but I only take a brush to comb my hair, I wouldn't know how to use the rest of the things, especially the makeup.

As I leave the room, I walk through the long hallway, until I reach the stairs and go down, when I reach the lower floor I don't know where to go, what do I do now? Which way is the dining room?

Serena - Use your sense of smell, look for the scent of your aunt and uncle.

Aria - I follow Serena's advice and manage to catch their scent, I follow it and find a beautiful dining room where my aunt and uncle are already seated, and next to them are two young people, the same ones I saw yesterday in my room, my cousins Vlad and Azula.

Suddenly, Azula gets up and in a blink, she is already hugging me and spinning around me, smiling.

Azula: You have no idea how happy I am to finally have a cousin, we'll be like sisters, I'm sure.

She leans in close to my ear and whispers: being the only woman in the third generation of guardians is horrible, our cousins are truly a headache, and not to mention Vlad, he's a pain in the ass.

Vlad: (with a grumpy face) Azula, you know we can hear you perfectly when you whisper, right?

Azula: (sticking her tongue out) Well, that was the idea, maybe that way you'll stop scaring away the guys who ask me out, and I can't get it out of my head that it was you who told our cousins to do the same when I visit them.

Vlad - (indignant and nervous) I have no idea what you're talking about, I've never told Magnus or Jace anything, and you should be grateful, the idiots who ask you out were cowards who wet their pants just by looking at me.

R. Amaranth - (sarcastically) That's enough, children, stop fighting.

Vlad - (indignant) Mother, I am a boy of 20 years old, the only girl here is Azula.

Azula - That's not true.

Armand - (Serious) Vlad, Azula, take a seat and enough of your ridiculous fights. Apologize right now to Aria, who had to witness your embarrassing spectacle.

Both - We're sorry, Aria.

Aria - (holding back laughter) Don't worry about me, you didn't bother me at all. On the contrary, it was quite amusing.

After that amusing incident, breakfast proceeded peacefully.

Azula - Aria, give me a minute. I'll go up to my room for my bag, and then we can go to the city. Mom, will you drive us, right?

R. Amaranth - I'm sorry, dear. I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you. I have an urgent meeting. But don't worry, Vlad will take you in the van.

At that moment, Vlad, who was taking a sip of coffee, nearly choked.

Vlad - (recovering his breath) Why do I have to do it? Can't the driver or a warrior take them?

Armand - (Serious) Your mother has given you an order, and it must be obeyed.

Vlad - Understood, father. Without saying another word, he left the dining room grumbling.

Aria couldn't help but feel bad. She didn't want to be a burden to Vlad.

While waiting for Azula in the foyer, my uncle Armand approached me. He searched through the pocket of his coat, took out a small blue box, and placed it in front of me.

Armand - Dear, this is for you. Please wear it at all times and don't take it off for any reason.

Aria took the box, and upon opening it, she realized it was a golden medal with a pendant shaped like a crescent moon. She turned it around and saw an engraved "A" on the back.

Aria - Uncle... This is...

Armand - Yes, dear. It's the same kind of medal that Vlad, Azula, and I use to change our appearance and conceal our scent. We still don't know who is behind the attack you experienced, so for now, it's best to hide your identity.

Aria took the medal out of the box and put it on. In that moment, her hazel eyes changed to green, her hair turned blonde, and her scent disappeared.

Azula arrived in the foyer and saw Aria with her new appearance. Smiling, she said,

Azula - Wow! You look so different, but I must confess I prefer you with your true eye and hair color.

Taking Aria's arm, she said goodbye to her father, and they left the mansion.

Vlad was already waiting for them in the car. Both of them got into the back of the van, but before they left, Azula approached her brother.

Azula - Vlad, change your eye color to green and lighten your hair more. That way, the three of us will look like siblings.

Vlad - (sarcastic) Azula, you and I are siblings. Without saying anything more, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were no longer golden but green, matching the current shade of Aria's hair.

Azula did the same, and then they set off to city B.

During the entire journey, Aria couldn't stop admiring everything she passed by. Her eyes would sparkle whenever she saw something new to her.

In the front seat, Vlad, wearing sunglasses, observed Aria's reactions through the rearview mirror. "This girl is so strange. Has she never seen things like this before?" he thought.

A few hours later, they arrived in city B and headed to the mall.

Azula took Aria from store to store, making her try on all sorts of clothes, while Vlad followed closely behind. He couldn't help but observe Aria's reactions every time she saw something, her face filled with surprise and then happiness over such simple things like ice cream. It puzzled him. What had happened in her life? Was there no such things where she lived? He looked at her curiously. His father had told him that Aria was his cousin, Aron's long-lost sister, and for now, he had to keep her appearance a secret, but he hadn't given him further details.

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