The Calling (Aro x Marcus x Caius)

κεφάλαιο βιβλίου • 5

"Altheia, I'm going to the store."

Yia-Yia finally came in around the sixth day, my gaze turning away from the window. The snow had fully fallen now, coating the world in a gentle blanket. "Alright Yia-Yia." She had slowly begun to relax as whatever she was looking for didn't appear, and I tried to ignore how strange it was that anytime I woke up, she was peering thoughtfully at me by the door. "You stay inside." She spoke sternly, her gaze hard.

Despite being completely better, she had grounded me to my room as if me getting sick was something to be punished. I knew better than to argue though. The last time I had argued with her I had earned myself a slap.

I had a feeling that Yia-Yia had one of her visions, but if she did, she never said anything. It was just something my mind whispered to me and it made sense. She always had a problem of overthinking them.

"Stay." She spoke once more before she left the room. I could hear her walking around to gather her things before she left the house. It wasn't too long of a walk to town, but I knew that by the time she came back she'd be fussy from the cold. Yia-Yia never kept it secret that she missed the warmer temperatures of Greece, regretting moving to the states. I often questioned why she moved here, but all she said was people were more accepting of her kind and left it at that.

Suddenly Gaia went alert, snapping me from my distracted gaze. "What is it, Gaia?" Reaching over, I gently scratched the top of her head, but she was too busy staring out the window. "Is it a squirrel?" Smiling softly, I glanced out of the window, but I didn't see anything. It didn't matter. Not two seconds later, Gaia and Leonidas hopped off the bed, whining quietly.

I recognised the noise.

"You guys are lucky you're cute. We'll have to make this quick though. If yia-yia finds out I let you guys outside, she'd have my head." Slipping out of the bed, I couldn't help but sway slightly. Apparently bed-rest made you dizzy.

Taking a moment, I shook my head before walking to my closet. Grabbing my winter boots, I slipped them over my black tights before pulling a soft grey sweater over my undershirt. It was easy to change out of in case Yia-Yia came back for some reason.

"Alright, come on." Walking out of my room, I led the two dogs to the back door to let them out. Hopefully Yia-Yia wouldn't see their paw prints in the snow. "Make this quick, okay? I'm only doing this because I don't want to clean your messes off the floor."

Unlocking the door, I pulled it open, instantly realising what a stupid decision that had been. But it was too late. Erupting into barks and snarls, the two dogs took off outside, dashing into the woods. "GAIA!!! LEONIDAS!!!" Without any other choice, I took off outside after them, the door slamming closed behind me. "PLEASE, COME BACK!!" The cold whipped at my face as I chased after them, following their frantic barks. Something had spooked them and I could only pray it wasn't a bear or something.

"STOP!" My lungs were begging me to slow down, but my mind was focused on my beloved pets. They were stopped in a clearing, and I instantly slid to a stop behind them. Stumbling forward, I landed harshly on my knees, the snow hardly thick enough to cushion the blow. Panting for breath, I leaned forward, the world around me fuzzy. "D-do That again and I cook you both for dinner." I could barely threaten, glancing up with blurry eyes. Gaia and Leonidas were perfectly still, their bodies rigid. "Gaia? Leonidas?" Hesitantly I reached out, but that proved to be my second mistake of the day.

Gaia snarled, whipping around to snap at my hand. With a shriek I yanked away, staring at the dog with wide eyes. It was as if it snapped them from their trances, the two whimpering. Slowly they backed away from me, tails tucked, and I could only stare at them in shock. "What's wrong with you two?.."