Weapon in Her Veins

Moonlight spills over Isolde as she lies across the roof of her mansion, a place that belonged to parents who are gone now. It's what fills her head in this moment, what has filled it every day lately. The way she was made an orphan in seconds still replays, turning her whole life upside down. Rather than the comfort of her mother's arms around her, Isolde falls back on other habits now to settle her nerves, to steal a few minutes of peace. But that's the thing, she's done it for as long as she can remember. She's never really known what it feels like to have a mother who soothes you, who notices you, who loves you. She never had that, and now she absolutely never will. Even when her mother still lived, she knew there was no hope of her ever changing. Isolde was always going to be neglected. No one cared, and no one ever will. Her father was no different. To him, the only things that mattered came down to wealth, status, and devotion to that pathetic boy, Julian Cross. "The Boy Who Endured"? Who exactly decided he deserved that title? Why does he draw all this fame and praise? He's not special. Her parents believed otherwise, though. That's why they belonged to the Order of the Dawnfire. The hidden rebellion meant to bring down Lord Nightbane and his death eaters. The Night Lord is dead now, though, and her parents are too. They died in the Battle of Ravenhurst. How? You might ask, but nobody knows. No one has an answer. Maybe they were burned alive or something, but their bodies were never found. Lying on her rooftop, Isolde runs back through all the chaos of the past few months and lets out a sigh. She needs to clear her head. She needs to leave the past behind. Tomorrow is the first day back at Ravenhurst, where she'll finish her final year at the Ravenhurst Academy of Sorcery. First, though, she has to pack her things. In about an hour, she'll be out of this house and moving into her boyfriend's mansion. Packing went quickly; with a flick of her wand, every possession she owned was shifted and sent over to her boyfriend's house. Then a knock sounds at the door, and with a sigh, Isolde opens it to find her boyfriend standing there wearing a huge grin and holding a bouquet of flowers. "Isolde!" He exclaims while she lingers there awkwardly, letting out a nervous laugh. "Hey Mattheo, who are the flowers for?" "You, obviously, silly." He says, pulling her into a hug. "They're beautiful, thank you Mattheo." She says, taking them from his hands. "So, are you set to go? couldn't wait to get out of that wretched house. It wasn't because the place wasn't lavish enough; she already knew that. Easily among the biggest nearby. What mattered was the memories, and the torment her parents put her through every single day. He offered her his hand, and she accepted it. Together, they left her mansion behind and passed through the front gate. Mattheo was nearly as rich as Isolde's family and owned a grand mansion too, so it wasn't as if Isolde was leaving her old life behind. And besides, Mattheo's house was only five minutes from hers, so after tuition each day Isolde would go and see her childhood best friend Mattheo, and they would just waste time doing whatever. Nothing was really changing; now she'd simply be under his family's roof. it would stay that way for some time, because ever since they were babies, both sets of parents had already planned for them to marry, and both Mattheo and Isolde knew it. So one afternoon after tuition, Mattheo asked Isolde if she'd be his girlfriend. It felt sweet, honestly. It happened out on the balcony of his mansion, over a candlelit dinner. How romantic. "So," Mattheo said, reaching for Isolde's hand only for her to pull away fast. "How are you feeling?" "Excited, nervous... scared your parents might not like me." Isolde felt none of that. She truly couldn't care less. "Don't be ridiculous. My parents have known you from when you were little; they already adore you." He chuckles. "Probably more than they love me!" "Yeah, you're right. They love me more than they do you." She adds with a wink, and he only rolls his eyes before giving her a light shove as they walk the path toward Mattheo's place. front of Mattheo's grand mansion. Isolde keeps hold of her boyfriend's hand as they walk inside, and the smell of food cooking hits her as soon as they step inside. father says suddenly as he appears. Of course I'd be his favourite. I'm the only Devereux still left alive. "Mr Riddle, it's nice seeing you again." After the greetings and welcomes, Isolde heads upstairs to the bedroom Mattheo shows her. It's right beside Mattheo's, and a door connects the couple's rooms. "How lovely!" Isolde says with a smile across her face. Even so, she wasn't exactly happy. She already felt as though her privacy would be invaded constantly, considering how clingy Mattheo is. But it's better than nothing! The second Isolde steps into her room, her eyes catch on every possession sitting where it should in her new bedroom, arranged exactly the way she wanted. "So, what do you think?" Mattheo asks her. "This is amazing."