Empire of Eternals (Book 1 of The Eternal Series) ✔️

Chapter 11 | Been Away From Home For 2 Years

The next day, the Village of Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

***Aiden Sullivan POV***

I could never get used to a view like this. The snow-covered mountains, the Staubbach fall, the beautiful valley view from the cable cars. It was my home. Lauterbrunnen had been my home for most of my life, and being away from it for 2 years was making me homesick.

I liked Lauterbrunnen, but not the people, especially the ones in my orphanage. They never hurt or abused us, but they were very controlling. They weren't fit to be taking care of kids, they just cared about the money the government gave them to take care of us.

"Seriously! You lived here, and you never told me it was so pretty?" Adriana exclaimed

After arriving in Switzerland, Adriana and I checked into one of the luxurious penthouse apartments, booking it for 2 days before we crashed at the place last night. Well, at least I had a good night of sleep before I was woken up early from Adriana shuffling under the sheets, typing away on her phone to Hermione.

Since then, she hadn't slept. The excitement was keeping her awake along with me. I didn't want to tell her to calm down, even though it was the middle of the night, so I continued pretending that I was asleep when all long I was listening to her squeal and giggle.

"You were busy with graduation. How was it, by the way?" I asked, taking out my blue denim jacket to put over my black shirt

"It was good." She replied, her back facing me as she stood on the balcony

I couldn't blame Adriana for admiring Lauterbrunnen's beauty, it was charismatic, especially since you got the full view of the valley from the penthouse. That was the only reason Adriana booked this hotel out of the several others.

I went ahead and joined Adriana on the balcony, my arms resting on the railing as I slightly leaned forward, taking in the sight. The smell of the freshly cut grass and the cold wind blew against my body, my wet hair drying as a few strands rested on my forehead.

"I always wanted to come here." Adriana expressed quietly, the corners of her lips in a small smile as her eyes became fixated on the valley

"I've always liked the snow, and a small village settled in the mountains. I like it a lot."

She was right. The combination was nice. A small village settled in the valley of a mountain. It was the one thing I liked about this, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. In a way, this village calmed me down, made me feel like this place had been my home before.

"We should get to the orphanage." Adriana spoke up, turning to face me, reminding me of the terrible place where I grew up

I nodded my head in agreement, letting it hang low. I didn't want to go back there. I hated that place, partly because I never had any friends. Everyone avoided me there, and it hurt me to the point where I once thought of running away.

Adriana's small hands slipped over my large ones, resting on my knuckles as she caressed the back of my hand with the pad of her thumb, the motion forcing the nervousness away as her soft skin brushed against mine.

She had forced a small smile on her face, a few strands of her black hair blowing onto her face by the wind as her eyes glimmered intensely under the sun that was poking through the clouds, reassuring me that everything was going to be ok.

"Let's go." She quietly whispered

She turned around, putting on her mini backpack over her white puffer jacket before we made our way down to the lobby, which was flooded with tourists trying to find accommodation. Adriana and I slipped past the heavy crowd, making our way to the front door of the hotel before stepping out as the bright sunlight hit our bodies, warming us up instantly.