Ellaâs brain was quite cluttered with her lists of things to do thanks to putting her personal life on hold for a minute while she tried to get her dream in check. It was in the days of the new year now and that meant a fresh start. âNew year, new meâ sheâd heard from passing voices during her triweekly walk in the park (yes, even during the winter she still went; it was a good source of fresh air). Right now, instead of maneuvering around the leaves of the trees, the woman was maneuvering in between various people existing within the compound. She was surprised to see so many people out and about, no longer cooped up in their rooms. Maybe they were under the same impression as she; trying to get their lives together. Who knew? It was a mystery.
The rampaging thoughts were cut short upon ramming shoulders with a younger boy. His voice was harsh, but it didnât even register with her who exactly it was until she shuffled her papers, which consisted of a mixture of sketching pieces piled together with job and internship applications as well as her class schedule (that would be necessary for the weeks to come). âSorry, I justââ Her words stopped short and Ellaâs breath nearly caught in her throat. âLucas?â she asked, mildly scared now but trying to keep it hidden, with a confused look on her face. âWhat are you doing here?â Scrunching together her eyebrows, the woman looked at the floor, starting to ramble. âI mean, obviously youâre part of the initiative, I guess, but I just never thought I would see you again. Not that I didnât want to, that is. I just, well, itâs just â this is coming as a shock to me is all. Did you just get here? Or have you been here for quite a long time? I guess it doesnât matter now, does it? All that matters is youâre here⊠I guess? Yes? Maybe? I donât know.â
He scoffed, he hadnât recognized her until he was mid sentence but he kept his composure even as the twinge of excitement arrived at the sight of his weakest-willed sister. She had always been kind to him which was a little insufferable considering how hard he had been trying to make her upset all the time. Being so much younger, there were times when Ella had to take care of Lucas as a child. It was only natural. Of course, his other sisters would whisper little âpranksâ he could pull on her to slow her other tasks as she watched him. It was mostly a game to him, like being the errand boy for his mother and sisters, the errand being tattling on his step-sister. Despite the fact Lucas has grown and rarely listens to any of them anymore, old habits die hard. And he never really stopped asserting power over Ella.Â
As her speaking continued, Lucas took an extra long blink, obviously rolling his eyes under it. Ellaâs questions came faster than he could answer and, growing frustrated, he put his finger to his lips, signalling her to stop talking. âMy. God. You really ruin your renowned beauty when you talk, you know? Calm down. I donât bite. Iâve only been here since last night.â