"Mum, as much as I love you, it's time I move out I'm twenty!"

"Which is like a baby in the eyes of me. I'm three hundred years old Sebastian and as soon as you realise how painfully expensive living is, I'm sure you'll come running back to your mother."

"You don't understand." Sebastian said slowly and calmly, almost as if he was talking to a toddler. "The perks of being a werewolf are that you live forever and look the age we subconsciously are, yet we die almost as frequently as mortals do. Yes twenty may be a young age to you, but it's old to me and I want to live my life."

Pinching the skin between her eyebrows, my mum replied.

"Give it a few more months and if you still feel the same way, you can leave the nest."

Deflating slightly, she sunk into the chair as she let out an almost inaudible sigh.

"Mum, you know I don't meant to stress you out, it's just, I want a break from the stress and drama of being a royal."

Sadness glazed his forest green eyes as he looked down at our weather beaten mum's form. Running a hand through his blonde tresses, he rubbed her shoulder lovingly and patted her greying flame red hair. The flames in her clear, sea blue eyes seemed to dwindle under the torrent of emotions drowning in her pupils.

"Please Sebastian I'd like to be left in peace, see to Ava for me, I'm too tired to move."

Nodding vigorously, he swiftly pivoted on his heels and softly shut the door. Leisurely, I strode towards my mother, placing a placid, yet charming, smile upon my face.

"Mother, I told you not to over exert yourself today. You've reverted back to the mirage of a forty year old woman, and you haven't been this way since you last gave birth. I must request for you to sleep, all these meetings and paperwork you've endured has made you look a little worse for wear. I'll run you a hot bath and put some muscle relaxing bath crystals in it. Let me take care of my brother and sister tonight."

"If you insist my dear, you know I hate letting you look after your siblings, it's not your responsibility. Are you sure you don't want me to gather some babysitters to handle the job?"

"It's okay, bathe and relax mum, you don't let me do this often enough for you."

"No I vary let you look after your sister."

"Mother, she will be asleep in less than an hour and Sebastian can look after her whilst I attend a meeting. Nap mother, get back some more youth to your appearance. Goodbye."

"Bye Magnus, I love you."

"Love you too mum." I quietly replied as I soundlessly shut the door.

Striding across the hall of my mothers floor, I opened the pristine white door of her ensuing bathroom. Inside was cluttered in a homely way, ornaments stood tall and proud on shelves, and her bath stuff all in the drawers under her sink. Turning on the taps, I watched as the water danced with the bubbles I had just put in. Within a few minutes, the room had gone foggy and was steaming up the mirror and any other glass objects. Calling or my mother, I placed a towel on the radiator, switched off the taps before the room flooded, and made my way downstairs.

"Maggy, braid my hair please!" My seven year old sister Ava asked, excitement filling her voice as she knew I could never say no to her.

"Sit down bean, I'll get the bobbles and you can put a movie on."

Squealing in delight, she rushed towards the tv to chose something for us to watch. Lately, she had felt pushed away as I was busy dealing with our so called father. Every time he was mentioned, Ava got a look on her face like a wounded puppy. She tried to hide her emotions like us royals had too yet she hadn't learned how to hide them from me.

"Seriously, this again? We've seen high school musical about a thousand times. When will you get sick of it?"

"Brother, you know me well enough to know I will never give up on high school musical! Me and Troy are meant to be!"

"Poor Gabriella."

"Not really you two will be perfect together, she's smart, just like you!"

Laughing, I sat her on the stool in front of me and started to softly brush her hair, careful not to hurt her like the hired staff did. Humming along to the opening song, I started to deftly Dutch braid her long, reddish hair. I always enjoyed moments like this with Ava. If people didn't know she was my baby sister, people would have mistaken her as my daughter due to the fact she looked exactly like me.

I sometimes felt sorry for my twin Sebastian as he looked nothing like any of us, once or twice I had even wondered if he was actually related to us. The only the thing we shared was our age and last names.

"Magggnnnuusssss, stop daydreaming."

Shaking myself out of a daze I simply laughed at the girl who had me wrapped around her finger and finished off her hair. Grinning up at me with her pearly whites she thanked me profusely, peppering my cheeks with kisses, and almost making my heart explode with love. Ava was the only girl to get under my skin.

"Lay down, I'll make you a bed time pancake and a hot chocolate." I said, hiding a smile at the joy lighting up in her blue eyes.

Half an hour later, with two plates of pancakes and a mug of hot chocolate each I re entered the room to see Ava glancing up at me with eyes as wide as saucers, she sure did love food. She wasn't fake like the rest of the girls who ate salad and drank water to stay skinny. Ava was literally a human waste disposer, going round after meals and eating the leftovers. Even though we were rich, we didn't believe in great feasts and wasting food.

Dancing along to 'Get'cha Head in the game' I ate half of my pancake as Ava almost inhaled hers. Turning on me with puppy eyes and a pout, she glanced between me and the rest of my food. Human bin over there was never full. Passing her my plate, she grinned a chocolatey filled smile and inhaled the pancake, rivalling even the best of food eating competitors.
Seriously, we had her compete and she beat the record for eating twenty hotdogs the fastest.

After washing up, I carried my newly sleeping sister up to her room. We shared a floor of the castle as I could never leave her alone, she was the light of my life. Kissing her forehead lovingly I looked down upon her sleeping form. She looked like an angel, snoring loudly but looking ever so peaceful. I dreaded the day boys started to notice her. She was a rare jewel compared to the dull stones of her classmates.

Sneaking out of her room as to not wake her up, I slipped into Sebastian's room and asked him to watch our family. Of course he agreed, his desire to please us making a way into his hungry eyes.

"I'll be back in a few hours, if Ava wakes up call me."

"Defiantly! Question, where are you going?"

Raising an eyebrow, "oh, Sebastian, I thought you knew better than to ask."

With that I jumped from the window and took off running. Time flew with me as my legs burned with exhilaration and my hair tangled with the wind in a fight to the death. I didn't care. I felt free. Unfortunately, it wasn't often I got to do this, with work and responsibilities getting in the way. About half an hour had passed and I had reached my destination.
A cottage in the woods near the castle. It wasn't much, but it was mine and no one knew about it. My little secret.

From the outside it didn't look like much, a small garden with a few blooming roses but on the inside it was a whole different story. Inside had a state of the art kitchen with cupboard full of ingredients for when I cooked or baked surprises for my family but mostly Ava. That girl ate like a horse. There was also a security alarm yet it wasn't very expensive due to the land being private property and people not wanting to trespass on royals. There was also a small gym in the room that was supposed to be the master bedroom as I could never stay overnight. I could never leave my sister.

However, my favourite room had to be the armoire and my training room. Ever since I was young I had always wanted to protect my family, and this was how. It started off small, with basic self defence. Yet when Ava was born I decided self defence wasn't good enough and I became able to use various different weapons. From blunt pencils to knives and arrows. It was endless. I had survival books, books on how to kill, and books on how to protect. For years I had been training for I had a feeling something was coming.

Yet it was a four bedroomed and I did have an office for more practical things like reading newly released books and to do my work in peace and away from the prying eyes of my brother and the staff.
Deciding to not waste any time, I headed straight to the weapons room. Inside, was full to the brim of different weapons.  Swords, knives, daggers, axes, javelins and spears adorned the walls get a rack filled with bows arrows and guns filled the table. The table itself was a hard, solid wood and had a map of the world adorning its surface. Grabbing a bow and some arrows, as well as a katana, I opened the sore that conjoined the training and weapons room together.

Inside the room was mostly bare, with targets on the walls and the simulator in the corner. Striding up to the simulator I contemplated which ability to test first. Speed. Placing the katana in a sheath and placing it on the floor I drew an arrow and stood back in the centre of the room. Seconds passed and I felt the simulator come to life hurling various 'weapons' for me to avoid and people for me to shoot. Minutes or hours passed until I finally ran out of arrows. Simulators were very expensive and I had paid for it out of my own money from a secret job I had. It was nothing special, an apprenticeship for a human company. I was the only supernatural being in the building.

Deciding to call it quits for the day, I took a quick shower in my office and changed into comfortable clothes. It was only around midnight so I decided to make my sister her favourite desert. Brownies. Mixing in the last of my ingredients I added my own twist, chocolate syrup.

Deciding not to procrastinate whilst they cooked, I cleaned the kitchen and tidied away anything that I had gotten out. Hearing a beep, I looked over to the oven to see that they were done. Breathing in deeply, I grinned. Ava was going to love them! Wrapping them in clingfilm and putting them in an empty container, I set off for home.
I always felt close with nature, the sway of trees always made me feel at peace it was almost as if they were waving at me. The dampness of leaves swirling through my senses making me feel utterly calm and reading to conquer anything. Deciding one o'clock in the morning was no time for a power walk, I began to carefully jog home as not to make the brownies crumble. Looking forward, everything felt surreal. How could a place as corrupt as earth still have so much beauty that was eternal. Sometimes I felt a spike of fear around it. At anytime I could be killed by Mother Nature. She ruled everything and everyone with her vast amount of power.

A pressure pressed against my heart, yet it felt nice. Nothing could seem to shake my happy mood. Laughing, I bounded through the last of the trees and came to the clearing. That's when I heard it.

Terrified screaming.
Coming from the castle.

Smile melting off my face I threw the forgotten brownies to the floor and started to run towards my home, towards my sister.

~*~*~*

See a mistake, point it out! Thanks for reading my latest chapter. Until next time!