Third person pov~
Rain tapped against the small window as it cast streaks of silver against the wooden floor. Lyra crouched by the hearth, her fingers fidgeting with a broken toy. Across the room, Eva sat on the floor as she played gleefully with a doll.
"You're going to break it if you're not careful," Lyra said as she tossed a small piece of bread towards her sister.
Eva looked up with her bright blue eyes as she took the bread in her tiny hand. She smiled at her sister. "I'm fine, sister. Don't worry too much."
Lyra tilted her head, a small smile forming on her face. "Oh yeah? Then how come a piece of paper manages to injure you."
"Sister!" Eva whined but later laughed. "It was one time."
Eva immediately shifted her focus to her doll, playing with it carefully, as if Lyra's words had made her more cautious.
Lyra's eyes followed her sister.
Eva was a bubbly child with black hair and blue eyes, her smooth skin and gentle face made everyone who met her melt as they stare.
Lyra's gaze shifted from her sister to the fireplace but her mind focused on the rain outside which tapped steadily against the window and filled the quiet space with a gentle rhythm.
A sudden noise from the hallway made both girls startle. The front door creaked open, and their parents rushed in, slowly taking off their soaked raincoats.
"Mommy! Daddy!" the girls chorused as they rushed to hug their parents before either of them had the chance to completely take off their raincoats.
Their mother laughed as she ruffled Eva's hair. "Slow down, you two, or you'll get drenched."
Their father carefully took off his coat even though Lyra was clinging to him tightly. He carried Lyra in his arms and gave her a small kiss on her cheeks. "The storm is worse than I thought. Good job protecting your sister before we arrived, sweetie."
"Eva is no problem at all, daddy," Lyra smiled.
"I'll prepare dinner then," their mother said, giving Lyra a light tap on her head and setting Eva aside, "you two must be hungry."
Their father set Lyra down gently but the little girl still clutched to the edges of her father's trousers, while Eva jumped up and down as she followed their mother, chatting excitedly about the rain and the puddles outside.
"Can we go look at the garden after dinner?" Eva asked excitedly. "I want to see if the flowers got all wet."
Their mother laughed softly.
"Arya, dear," their father called out. "Why not change out of your wet clothes first before thinking about dinner."
"Oh, dear me," Arya touched her face. "That completely slipped my mind. Thank you, dear."
The couple led each other away from the living room, leaving their two daughters as they played with the plates in the kitchen.
"That's not how you set up, Eva," Lyra cautioned as she watched Eva put a fork in her mouth.
"I was just tasting it," Eva said innocently as she removed the fork from her mouth.
Lyra rolled her eyes and continued playing house.
"You two stay out of trouble till we get down," their father yelled from his room.
The girls giggled and Lyra responded.
"We'll be good, Daddy."
****
The aroma of warm soup and freshly baked bread soon drifted from the kitchen, making the girls' stomachs rumble in anticipation. Their mother ended up rearranging the table since the girls didn't set it properly.
Eva wiggled as she got into her seat. "It smells amazing, Mommy."
Lyra joined Eva at the table while their parents served the meal.
"Sit properly, both of you," their father warned. "And remember to say thank you before eating."
"Thank you, Mommy! Thank you, Daddy!" Eva and Lyra chorused.
The four of them began to eat, and even though the loud rain pattered against the window, they all still shared stories about their day.
Their father paused mid-bite as he looked at his two girls. He set his spoon aside and cleared his throat.
"Girls," he called.
The girls looked at him.
"I have a bit of news."
The girls glanced at each other. They couldn't understand why their father suddenly had a serious look on his face.
"I know you girls have always complained about living in the woods. You want to mix with others and discover yourselves. I'm sorry that your mother and I have kept you locked up for so long."
The girls' expressions gloomed, but Lyra immediately brightened up. She was older, she understood where her parents were coming from.
"It's fine, Daddy. We understand. We're not like the humans."
Her father smiled and his gaze shifted to Eva. "Yes, but so far, only one of you has turned. So, Lyra, I'm sorry for continuously keeping you here to watch over your sister even though you can live a normal life."
Lyra's eyes widened. "Daddy! Why would you say that? I love hanging out with Eva."
She sounded genuinely offended that her father was apologizing.
Her father laughed. "Sorry, Eva. Sorry, Lyra."
The two girls smiled.
"Did you bring it up to remind us that we can't mingle with children our age?" Eva asked.
"You can't ask that, Eva!" Lyra shook her head, not surprised by her sister's bluntness.
"No, Eva," their father answered, not seeming to mind Eva's question. "I have a question for you two."
Arya held her husband's hand and gently squeezed it. Lyra noticed this exchange. She knew that her mother only ever performed that gesture whenever she wanted to reassure her husband.
"What question?" Eva asked.
"How would the both of you like to go to school?"
Lyra raised a brow and Eva scoffed.
"How?" Lyra asked. "We're in the middle of the woods."
"Well," Arya spoke, she seemed slightly excited. "Your father and I have been thinking about this for a while, and you two deserve to go out into the world and define yourselves. So he made a request with his company and they agreed to transfer him to the city."
Eva dropped her fork, stunned.
"Y… you're serious?" Lyra asked, also stunned.
Their parent nodded and the two girls erupted in screams that somehow seemed to overshadow the rain.
They jumped out of their seats and ran to their parents, then continued to jump and squeal in joy. Their parents smiled as they watched their two daughters.
They were all happy.
If only they knew how badly this decision would ruin them.