｡✩⁺ The Stray We Brought Home ˚♪º
⊹ ₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆₊⋆☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆₊ ⊹
Morning sunlight slipped through the apartment windows, spreading a soft warmth across the rooms. Outside, the streets were quiet, the sky clear, and for once, the apartment itself was peaceful.
It lasted exactly three minutes.
“NESSA!”
The peaceful morning was gone.
A loud crash came from the hallway, followed by a second, smaller crash.
Then silence.
A few seconds later, Mara Veyne floated through the wall.
She stopped in the middle of the hallway, arms crossed, staring at the person standing outside her bedroom.
Nessa Vale looked completely innocent.
Which meant she was absolutely guilty.
Mara - “You.”
Nessa blinked.
Nessa - “Me?”
Mara - “You put my books in the freezer.”
Nessa - “They needed to cool down.”
Mara - “They are books.”
Nessa - “They looked warm.”
Mara stared at her.
Nessa stared back.
Neither moved.
Then Mara slowly lifted one hand.
The bedroom door behind Nessa slammed shut.
Nessa jumped and immediately turned around.
Nessa - “Seriously?”
Mara smiled.
Mara - “Seriously.”
Nessa narrowed her eyes.
Nessa - “You know I can smell you even when you’re invisible, right?”
Mara’s smile disappeared.
Mara - “That’s cheating.”
Nessa - “It’s not cheating if it’s my ability.”
Mara vanished.
Nessa groaned.
Nessa - “Oh, come on.”
A second later, something flew across the hallway and hit Nessa lightly on the head.
A pillow.
Nessa picked it up.
“Mara.”
No answer.
“Nessa!”
Elia’s voice came from the kitchen.
Both of them froze.
Nessa - “What?”
Elia - “Are you two fighting again?”
Nessa - “No,” she answered immediately.
Mara’s voice came from somewhere behind her.
Mara - “Yes.”
Nessa turned around.
Nessa - “You could’ve lied.”
Mara - “I don’t lie.”
Nessa - “You are literally a ghost.”
Mara - “And?”
Nessa - “That doesn’t even make sense.”
Elia sighed from the kitchen.
Elia - “I haven’t even finished breakfast.”
Nessa looked toward the kitchen.
Nessa - “Is breakfast ready?”
Mara appeared beside her.
Mara - “Is breakfast ready?”
Nessa glanced at her.
Nessa - “Why are you copying me?”
Mara - “Because you asked the important question.”
Nessa - “You weren’t even hungry five minutes ago.”
Mara - “I became hungry.”
Nessa - “You don’t even need to eat.”
Mara shrugged.
Mara - “I enjoy eating.”
Nessa opened her mouth to argue, then stopped.
Nessa - “Fair.”
They walked into the kitchen together.
Elia Rowan stood by the stove, one hand holding a wooden spoon while the other reached for a plate. Unlike the other two, she was completely human.
No supernatural abilities.
No strange powers.
No glowing eyes.
Just Elia, an oversized shirt, messy hair, and the exhausted expression of someone who had somehow become responsible for two supernatural disasters.
She looked at the two of them.
Then at the pillow Nessa was holding.
Then at Mara.
Elia - “Why is my pillow in the hallway?”
Mara - “Nessa attacked me with it.”
Nessa - “I did not.”
Mara - “You threw it.”
Nessa - “At you.”
Mara - “Exactly.”
Elia closed her eyes for a moment.
Elia - “I don’t want to know.”
Mara - “Good.”
Nessa - “Breakfast,” she reminded her.
Elia pointed the spoon at her.
Elia - “Sit.”
Nessa immediately sat down.
Mara floated toward the table.
Elia looked at her.
Elia - “Chair.”
Mara - “I can sit.”
Elia - “You can also float through walls, but I’d still like you to use the chair.”
Mara sighed dramatically and lowered herself onto it.
Nessa smirked.
Mara - “What?”
Nessa - “Nothing.”
Mara - “You smiled.”
Nessa - “I always smile.”
Mara - “You don’t.”
Nessa - “I do.”
Mara - “You look suspicious.”
Nessa - “You always look suspicious.”
Elia placed the plates on the table.
Elia - “Can we please get through one meal without an argument?”
Mara and Nessa looked at each other.
“No promises.”
They said together.
Elia stared at them.
Then, despite herself, she smiled.
This was normal.
Their apartment was never quiet for long.
Mara was a ghost, which meant she could disappear whenever she wanted, walk through walls, move things without touching them, and occasionally appear behind Nessa just to scare her.
Nessa was a werewolf, which meant she had sharp hearing, enhanced strength, a ridiculous sense of smell, and absolutely no sense of restraint when it came to annoying Mara.
And Elia was human.
Somehow, she was still the one keeping the other two under control.
Mostly.
Breakfast lasted approximately seven minutes before Nessa stole food from Mara’s plate.
Mara stared at the empty space.
Mara - “Did you just take that?”
Nessa - “No.”
Mara - “I watched you.”
Nessa - “Then you saw nothing.”
Mara - “I have eyes.”
Nessa - “You’re a ghost. Are you sure?”
Mara slowly reached for the cup beside Nessa.
It lifted from the table.
Nessa’s eyes widened.
Nessa - “Don’t.”
The cup floated toward Mara.
Nessa - “Don’t you dare.”
Mara smiled.
Nessa lunged for it.
The cup vanished through her hands.
Nessa - “MA—”
Elia caught it before it hit the floor.
She placed it back on the table.
Elia - “Enough.”
Mara and Nessa went quiet.
Elia pointed at both of them.
Elia - “Five minutes.”
They looked at each other.
“Fine.”
They said together.
Elia nodded.
Elia - “Thank you.”
Three minutes later, Nessa accidentally snapped the handle off her chair.
She stared at it.
Elia stared at her.
Mara slowly covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
Nessa pointed at the broken handle.
Nessa - “It was already loose.”
Elia raised an eyebrow.
Elia - “It wasn’t.”
Nessa - “How do you know?”
Elia - “Because I checked it yesterday.”
Mara finally laughed.
Nessa glared at her.
Nessa - “You’re next.”
Mara stopped laughing.
Mara - “I didn’t do anything.”
Nessa - “You laughed.”
Mara - “That’s not a crime.”
Nessa - “It is today.”
Elia shook her head and began cleaning up.
She had long since accepted that living with Mara and Nessa meant something was always going to be broken, misplaced, floating, or on fire.
Usually more than one.
By late morning, the apartment had returned to something resembling normal.
Mara was reading on the sofa.
Nessa was lying across the other end of it, pretending not to read the same book upside down.
Elia stood by the door, putting on her shoes.
Elia - “I’m going for a walk.”
Nessa didn’t look up.
Nessa - “Bring something back.”
Elia paused.
Elia - “Like what?”
Nessa - “Food.”
Elia - “You have food here.”
Nessa - “I want different food.”
Elia - “Then go buy it yourself.”
Nessa finally looked up.
Nessa - “I can’t.”
Elia - “Why?”
Nessa pointed at Mara.
Nessa - “She’ll steal my stuff.”
Mara turned a page.
Mara - “I can hear you.”
Nessa - “Good.”
Elia shook her head.
Elia - “I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back later.”
Mara waved without looking up.
Mara - “Don’t get lost.”
Elia - “I’m not five.”
Mara - “You’re the human. Anything could happen.”
Elia opened the door.
Elia - “That’s comforting.”
She stepped outside.
The door closed behind her.
For once, there was no shouting.
No arguing.
No supernatural powers being used to annoy someone.
Just a quiet walk.
Elia breathed in the fresh air and continued down the street, enjoying the peace.
Then...
A faint noise caught her attention.
Elia stopped.
She looked toward the bushes beside the path.
There it was again.
A soft, strained sound.
She stepped closer.
Elia - “Hello?”
The bushes moved.
Elia carefully pushed the branches aside.
A fox was curled up beneath them.
It was small, its reddish fur dirty from the ground, and one of its back legs was visibly injured.
Elia’s expression softened.
Elia - “Oh.”
The fox lifted its head.
Its eyes met hers.
For a moment, neither moved.
Elia crouched down.
Elia - “Hey. I’m not going to hurt you.”
The fox watched her carefully.
It looked exhausted.
Elia slowly held out her hand.
The fox didn’t run.
Instead, after a few hesitant seconds, it lowered its head.
Elia smiled.
Elia - “You’re hurt, aren’t you?”
The fox gave a small whimper.
Elia - “Okay.”
She looked around.
There was no one nearby.
Leaving it here wasn’t an option.
Elia carefully wrapped it in her jacket.
The fox tensed for a moment.
Then relaxed.
Elia - “I’ll take you somewhere safe.”
She stood.
The fox rested quietly against her.
Elia looked down at it.
Elia - “Just don’t tell my roommates.”
The fox blinked.
Elia sighed.
Elia - “Actually, they’ll probably know anyway.”
She started walking home.
The moment she opened the apartment door, Mara looked up from the sofa.
Nessa looked over from the kitchen.
Both stared at the bundle in Elia’s arms.
There was a long silence.
Mara pointed.
Mara - “What is that?”
Nessa frowned.
Nessa - “Why is there a fox in our apartment?”
Elia looked down at the injured animal.
Then back at them.
Elia - “It’s hurt.”
Mara stared at her.
Mara - “I can see that.”
Nessa folded her arms.
Nessa - “Why did you bring it here?”
Elia carefully placed the fox onto a blanket.
Elia - “Because I couldn’t leave it outside.”
Mara and Nessa looked at each other.
For once, they didn’t need to argue.
They both had exactly the same thought.
“No.”
Elia looked between them.
Elia - “What?”
Mara - “No.”
Nessa - “Absolutely not.”
Elia frowned.
Elia - “It’s injured.”
Mara - “We already have enough problems.”
Nessa nodded.
Nessa - “Exactly.”
Elia looked at the fox.
It had curled itself into a small ball on the blanket.
She looked back at them.
Elia - “Can we keep her?”
Mara’s expression changed immediately.
Mara - “No.”
Nessa pointed at Elia.
Nessa - “You already have us.”
Elia blinked.
Elia - “What does that have to do with anything?”
Nessa - “You’re already responsible for two supernatural disasters,” Nessa said.
Mara nodded.
Mara - “You don’t need to add an injured wild animal to the list.”
Elia looked at the fox again.
The little creature slowly opened one eye.
She sighed.
They weren’t wrong.
Taking care of an injured animal would mean more work.
More responsibility.
More things to worry about.
Elia thought about it for a few seconds.
Then she looked at Mara.
Then Nessa.
Then the fox.
Elia - “Yeah.”
Mara smiled.
Mara - “Good.”
Elia - “We should keep her.”
Mara’s smile vanished.
Nessa stared.
Nessa - “What?”
Elia smiled innocently.
Elia - “It’s injured.”
Nessa - “We said no!”
Elia - “I know.”
Elia picked up the blanket and carefully moved the fox somewhere more comfortable.
Mara and Nessa stared at each other.
For once, they had completely agreed on something.
Unfortunately, Elia had ignored them.
After several minutes of complaining, arguing, and unsuccessfully trying to convince Elia to change her mind, the two rivals finally gave up.
Mara crossed her arms.
Mara - “Fine.”
Nessa sighed.
Nessa - “Fine.”
Elia smiled.
Elia - “Thank you.”
The fox curled up beneath the blanket.
None of them noticed the way its eyes briefly shifted toward the hallway.
None of them noticed how carefully it listened to every word they said.
And none of them knew that the injured stray they had just agreed to keep was about to change everything.
⊹ ₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆₊⋆☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆₊ ⊹
