"Anna, come on! We need to get to the club before we're late again!" Nicole's voice floated up from downstairs, a mix of impatience and playful urgency.
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling. "I'm coming, Nicole! Just give me a second!" I called back, grabbing my jacket from the chair.
Nicole was always the punctual one — tall and radiant at 5'6", with long blonde hair that shimmered with soft streaks of red and fair, sun-kissed skin that made her look like she'd just stepped out of a summer daydream.
Me? I was her contrast in every way. At 5'3", my long brunette hair fell in waves down my back, threaded with subtle green highlights that caught the light when I moved. My skin was a light tan, warmer than hers, and sometimes it felt like we were two sides of the same mirror — similar, yet beautifully different.
I hesitated for a moment, feeling that familiar twinge of frustration mixed with pride. Working at the club was exciting, sure, but it often reminded me how easily people compared me to Nicole. Everyone seemed to notice her first — her height, her glow, her effortless confidence. I admired her for it, truly. She had this magnetic presence that made life seem lighter, easier. But I couldn't deny the tiny pang of envy that surfaced every time someone mistook me for her reflection — a shadow in her brightness.
Still, beneath it all, there was a spark inside me, a quiet determination to shine in my own way, even if it was different from hers. I loved Nicole, always, but I also wanted the world to see me.
As I headed down the stairs, I caught the low murmur of Father's voice drifting from the sitting room. "Dearest Mira, I think it's time to tell the girls about the Blood Fated ones that come from your family line." Mother's soft sigh followed. "I know we should, but I fear something might go wrong… or worse."I froze mid-step, my heart giving a small, nervous flutter. Blood Fated? The words echoed in my mind like a secret I wasn't meant to hear. What could they possibly mean? Curiosity prickled through me, but I forced myself to shake it off and keep going.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, my twin sister Nicole was already waiting—arms crossed, a teasing grin tugging at her lips. "Finally," she said playfully, tapping her foot in mock impatience. "I was starting to think you'd fallen asleep halfway down."I couldn't help but smile at her tone, the tension in my chest easing a little. No matter how strange things felt upstairs, Nicole's lightheartedness always managed to ground me. Together, we stepped out of the house, the crisp evening air brushing against our faces as we made our way toward the car.
As Nicole drove through the dimly lit streets, the hum of the engine fading into the background, I stared at my phone—my heart thudding with a strange mix of dread and wonder—as I searched the meaning of 'Blood Fated.' The words themselves felt heavy, ancient, as if they carried the weight of something I was never meant to uncover. When the definition finally appeared on the screen, my breath caught—a soul bond forged by destiny, unbreakable even by death. A chill ran down my spine, the truth sinking into me like a whisper from another world.
Nicole glanced at me, her brows knitting slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice calm but edged with unease. "You're awfully quiet all of a sudden. Come on, spill—what's bothering you?"
I hesitated, my fingers tightening around my phone. Finally, I whispered, "I… I overheard Mom and Dad talking about something… something called the Blood Fated. I didn't understand all of it, but it sounded… serious."
Nicole's eyes widened slightly, and her grip on the steering wheel tightened. "The Blood Fated?" she echoed, curiosity and concern mixing in her tone. "You're not just imagining things then…?"
I turned to my twin, my green-highlighted hair catching the faint glow of the streetlights. "No, I'm not making things up—why should I?" she said softly, though a hint of frustration trembled beneath her words. "Anyway, I think Mother and Father want to talk to us about it."
Nicole ignored my question and said, "So, you think they have something to tell us about this Blood Fated thing? I think it's just a saying, Anna. So… don't worry about it, oh okay?"
I opened my mouth to protest, but a sinking feeling in my chest made me pause. "Yeah… okay," I murmured, though my mind buzzed with questions I didn't know how to ask.
By the time we arrived at the club, the neon lights reflected off the wet pavement, painting the night in streaks of pink and blue. Inside, the music throbbed like a heartbeat, and the air was thick with anticipation.
For a heartbeat, my eyes caught a taller figure's gaze—a chill running through me, as if recognition sparked from nowhere. There was something in that glance, fleeting yet impossible to ignore, a subtle pull that made my pulse skip. Then the moment passed, swallowed by the crowd, leaving only a lingering sense that paths were about to cross in ways I couldn't yet understand.
Why does he feel… familiar? I wondered, a knot of unease twisting in my stomach. And why does it feel like I'm meant to notice him?
Nicole followed my gaze and immediately noticed who I was staring at. Without a word, she took my hand and gently guided me forward, her touch grounding me as I walked toward the strangers.
The first was impossibly tall—6'11"—with long black hair cascading over broad shoulders and piercing ice-blue eyes that seemed to see straight through me. His presence radiated an otherworldly calm, yet beneath it was a tension I couldn't ignore. My stomach tightened as I tried to steady my racing pulse. There was something magnetic about him, a pull I couldn't name.
Beside him stood another figure, even taller at 7'8", with long golden-blonde hair and eyes like molten gold. He moved with effortless confidence, an aura of strength and quiet watchfulness surrounding him. I couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and caution, my mind struggling to process the strange intensity both radiated.
Nicole's voice cut through my thoughts, warm and confident. "Hello, gentlemen. We just wondered if you're new in town? My name is Nicole Rosewater, and this is my twin sister, Anna Rosewater. And what are your names?"
The taller one's ice-blue eyes fixed on us, his expression unreadable for a moment before he finally spoke, his voice low and smooth. "Thanatos."
As his name slipped into the air, a subtle warmth spread through my chest despite the chill that lingered in his gaze. My pulse stuttered for a heartbeat, though I forced myself to keep my composure, aware of the strange, magnetic tension threading through the room.
The golden-eyed giant beside him offered a small, polite nod. "Hermes," he said, his tone calm but commanding.
I swallowed, a mixture of curiosity and unease twisting inside me. There was no denying it—something in Thanatos's presence had already reached into me, tugging at a part of myself I didn't fully understand yet.
Unable to resist, I found myself asking, a small, teasing note in my voice, "So… your parents named you after Greek gods?"
Thanatos's icy eyes flickered with the faintest hint of amusement, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips, though his tone remained controlled and low. "Perhaps they did… or perhaps some things are simply inevitable."
Hermes let out a soft, almost imperceptible chuckle, the gold of his eyes glinting with a playful light. "A fitting question," he said, his voice warm yet edged with mystery, "though names alone rarely tell the whole story."
Nicole leaned in slightly, a proud smile on her face as she added, "By the way, Anna actually studies Greek mythology—her favorite gods are Thanatos, Hades, and Hypnos. Her favorite goddesses are Gaia, Aphrodite, and Athena."
Thanatos's lips curved into a subtle, almost imperceptible smile, a glint of intrigue in his ice-blue eyes. "You have… interesting taste," he said quietly, his tone measured but not without warmth.
Hermes's golden eyes twinkled as he nodded slowly. "It seems your studies are well chosen," he remarked, his voice carrying a soft, teasing note. "One can learn much from the gods… and perhaps from those who admire them."
I nodded, a small smile tugging at my lips. "We can learn from the gods and know more about who they are," I said softly, matching the quiet intrigue in their voices.
Nicole nudged me gently toward Thanatos, her mischievous smile teasing. "Yeah, Thanatos, why don't you dance with my sister?"
Thanatos's eyes flickered with a faint hint of surprise, then softened slightly. He inclined his head toward me, a small, measured smile tugging at his lips. "I would be honored," he said smoothly, his tone calm but carrying the same quiet intrigue that had first caught my attention.
I hesitated for just a heartbeat before placing my hand lightly in his. His touch was cool, but steady, and the contrast sent a tiny spark of awareness through me. As the music shifted into a slower, more rhythmic beat, he guided me with effortless precision, his movements controlled yet fluid, as if he had danced this dance a thousand times before.
The world around us blurred slightly—the pounding bass, the chatter of the club, even the neon lights—everything faded to the background. All I could register was the subtle magnetism of his presence, the way his long fingers curled around mine, and the quiet confidence in the tilt of his shoulders.
I noticed a faint curiosity in his ice-blue eyes, mirrored by the flutter of unease and intrigue in my chest. Each step felt almost like a conversation, unspoken and intimate, drawing us closer in a rhythm that was at once unfamiliar and strangely inevitable.
Hermes and Nicole lingered nearby, talking quietly, but it felt like we existed in our own orbit, the club's chaos fading into a quiet hum behind the tension that seemed to pull between us.