Unloved Unclaimed Unbound

Chapter Eight - Serenya

Later that evening, I am curled up on a chaise in another area of the library, k****e in hand and listening to some music. I could live in just this room. I feel like Belle in the Beast’s library. Though I am not going to be twirling and singing. I have half a mind to just stay put until it is time to vanish back to my bedroom upstairs unnoticed.

Elyria startles me by popping her head into my view, shattering those plans. I take out my buds and put them back in their case as I say, “I’m a little too young to have a heart attack.”

As I look back at Elyria, I see Isolde a few feet behind her giving her sister a push forward. “Go on, ask her!” I stop myself from smiling, little conspirators.

Elyria glanced back at Isolda and hissed, “You’re the one who said she’d say yes if you asked because you were younger and cuter!” I blinked and surprised them by laughing. They smiled, and I smiled back, which Elyria took advantage of before just pressing on, “We decided that it was best to just come to you instead of sneaking around to catch you off guard. We just came to ask you,” she pauses, looking back to Isolde again, gaining a nod of encouragement, before looking back to me. “Will you join us for dinner?”

I blinked. Dinner. I had been having my dinner in their expansive kitchen at the small bar since arriving. I didn’t want to have dinner with them yet, to be honest.

“You want me at the table with your family? What, so Mr. Dravenhold can scare me into a better sitting posture?” I finish dryly.

Isolde stepped forward, “No. Because it doesn’t feel right to leave you out. And Elyria says she has heard that you make the best faces when people say stupid things.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Who told you that?” Both girls shift their feet nervously, but I decide it’s not worth lingering on right now, so I cross my arms and puff out my chest a bit, “Though that is very true.”

They giggle and Isolde comes closer, “So will you, Serenya, please join us for dinner?”

I uncross my arms and bring my right hand up and tap my chest with my index finger. “It all depends on what is for dinner.” Elyria grins and Isolde not catching on as quickly as her sister, deflates, which oddly, makes me feel guilty. “You are relentless.”

“I prefer the term determined.” Isolde states seriously

For a moment, I weigh my options—retreat upstairs to my room to read and sulk and go to the kitchen later to heat up the leftovers, or risk stepping into something that is suspiciously like... belonging. I stood making my decision as I brushed off some imaginary dust off my jeans, gathered my k****e and ear buds' case before looking back at them.

“Alright, I’ll go. But if someone starts signing show tunes, I’m out.”

“Deal!” Isolde says with barely contained glee. It makes my heart happy. It reminds me of what Kaelith and I have. I watch as she practically skips ahead. Elyria and I following behind her.

“She is a handful most days and persistent. You have no idea how happy you’ve made her,” Eylria says as we continue walking out of the library and turn right toward the dining room.

“Oddly, I don’t mind. I would have loved a little sister, but obviously I don’t and given my parents and how I grew up and what they’ve done. I’m glad that I don’t have a younger sister,” I say softly.

“But you have a brother, right? He is your twin?” Elyria askes. I nod. “From how Daddy told us, he noticed that you two share a deep bond.”

I glance at her for a moment before looking forward again. “Kaelith. Yeah, I’d say we share a deep connection.” Then I ask, “Mr. Davenholt could tell by just seeing us together one time?”

Elyria shrugged. “Daddy is really good at reading people; he has to be. He didn’t become one of the top attorneys in Tennessee for nothing.” She motions me to go ahead as we come to the dining room door.

I walk through, and I am greeted with the sound of Isolde excitedly telling Mr. Dravenholt that I decided to join them for dinner. I pause to take in the room, because it was one room I have avoided. The dining room feels like something out of an old-world painting—the long oak table polished to a mirror-shine, golden light spilling from a chandelier, windows open to let in the cool mountain night air. It should have felt suffocating, like suffocating, just like that dinner with my parents, but it didn’t. Not exactly.

Elyria walked past me, looking at me with a smile and motioned for me to follow her. She pulled out a chair for me, directly across from Isolde, who now was for some reason acting shy. Elyria sat to my right and Mr. Dravenholt sat at the head of the table. The chair to Mr. Dravenholt’s right and Isolde’s left was empty. Was that for their mom? If so, where is she?

I was still contemplating that when Mr. Dravenholt spoke, I jumped slightly. “I’m glad you joined us tonight, Serenya. As I said before, you set the pace. Nothing more, nothing less.”

I nodded and looked to Isolde and to Elyria, “Well, I had a little assistance in this decision.” They both shrank back into their chairs. I began tapping the silverware lightly, the flat sarcasm rushed out, “Though I figured I’d risk it. By the way, you’ve got better wine glasses than Linda and Glen. I doubt they’ll explode if I touch them.”

Elyria snorted into her water glass and Isolde giggled. Mr . Dravenholt only smiled faintly as if expecting my sharp edges and refusing to take offense. Dinner was this luscious spread of roast chicken, seasoned vegetables and warm bread. Simple, hearty, nothing like the sculpted dishes my parents always paraded around guests that they attempted to sell as their own when it was really catered.

Elyria leaned in with an almost conspiratorial grin. “You should see Daddy’s version of scrambled eggs. The man can negotiate a merger but can’t whisk without burning something.”

“Last time the smoke alarm went off, and he tried to bribe it with maple syrup.” Isolde chimed in eagerly, eyes shining.

Elyria came up closer to me, hand hiding her grinning mouth, “For her benefit.”

Both girls dissolved into laughter and to my surprise, the corner of my mouth twitched. I reached for the breadbasket, shaking my head, “Bribing a smoke alarm. Bold strategy.”

For a while, conversation drifted between sisters—Elyria sharing school gossip that was circulating in her girls' group chat, Isolde recited facts she’d memorized from a history book, while Mr. Dravenholt would occasionally drop in comments that showed he was listening to every word. No forced to answer questions. No lectures.

Halfway through, I caught myself staring at Isolde. Something about her blue eyes tugged at my memory. They were... familiar, like I had seen them before. I just can’t picture their face. Frowning into my glass of water as the thought slipped away before I could pin it down.

When the meal ended with a triple berry caked cheesecake. Oh, my f*****g gawd. Delicious! Mr. Dravenholt folded his napkin neatly and set it aside. “You are welcome at this table whenever you wish, Serenya. As you just witnessed, there are no performances. Just dinner.”

The words hit differently than anything my parents had ever said, whose guards were up at all times, making sure their “performance” was pristine. This... There were no expectations. No pressure. Just... dinner.

I just nodded. For once, I didn’t feel the urge to run.