I made a family tree to explain how Sylvia can have the last name Nightshade and not be related to Jonathan. I posted a picture to my tumblr, but couldn't manage to make a link for it. So just a brief description is that Jonathan's Great Great Grandfather was married but then divorced and the woman kept his last name while having someone else's baby who took the last name Nightshade. So there you guys go.
There was a loud reverberating rumble from outside that sent Sylvia's already pounding heart into overdrive as she scurried down the hall to the room next to hers. She was already a teenager, who had already killed giant animals from the forest and never batted an eyelash at the amount of blood, but there was one thing she could never overcome. Lightning. The deep rumble of thunder was a warning the flashing would start soon in the valley. She had tried to hide in her closet but the slits in the door brought in the light. She still needed someone to assure her the electricity wasn't for her, and Marshall was no longer around with his aquamarine eyes and entertaining magical tricks.
Sylvia didn't bother knocking on the door, it was after sunset and they had just gotten back from an all-day training trip with Valentine. He had been around much more over the last few years, and Jonathan's bitter attitude towards his father dimmed, and he stopped muttering about a stupid angel boy. Sylvia didn't know what he was talking about, and she didn't really care either. She was getting stronger, an equal match for Jonathan, and a perfect partner. They knew each other's movements, habits, flaws, and they weren't even parabatai. They never would be, Valentine said having a brother warrior made one weaker instead of stronger, which made Sylvia glad she would never be attached to Jonathan in such a serious way.
She cracked the door open wide enough for her to slip through then quickly shut it behind her just as a bright flash shown through his window. She flinched away from it trying to remind herself that nothing was going to happen after nine years away from them, who were probably dead, or imprisoned. Sylvia always hoped for the end of their lives.
"What are you doing in here?" Jonathan demanded stepping away from his closet. He was shrugging on a plain white shirt, Sylvia caught a glimpse of the growing scars across his back before the fabric covered them. Jonathan could never keep his mouth shut, and never tried hard enough to please his father even when they became the center of his attention. Training them day in and day out until they were too tired to move. Whatever kept Valentine away for weeks at a time had stopped and now he had a new focus.
"Shut up." Sylvia spat trying to act like there was no problem, but then another streak cut across the sky. The flash lit up Jonathan's thin silhouette casting shadows across his annoyed expression. Sylvia's whole body trembled with the rumble of the following thunder as she forced herself to casually step over to his bed.
"This is my room, Nightshade. I can say what I want." Jonathan said flatly as he watched her cross the room. She sat down on the edge of his bed, hands clamped around the hem of her over-sized shirt so tightly her knuckles were turning white and the fabric was starting to give. "Why are you here?" He questioned as he shut his closet.
Sylvia searched her head for a reason. For some sort of lie that would distract Jonathan from her real purpose of invading his room. It didn't take her long to come up with a topic.
"Father's been around a lot more lately. Do you know why?" She asked. Jonathan leaned against the closed closet doors with his arms crossed over his chest. His dark eyes watching her like a hawk, he was so much like his father Sylvia noticed.
"He's not your father." Jonathan stated. Sylvia mentally groaned for forgetting to call father, Valentine when she was around Jonathan. He had thrown such a fit the first month Sylvia had began referring to Valentine as so, that Valentine had locked Jonathan outside the cottage to sleep out in the cold meadow for an entire night. A maid suffered dearly when Valentine caught her trying to give the cold boy a blanket and something warm to drink. After that Sylvia only called Valentine father to his face, and Valentine to Jonathan. It kept the boy's temper under control.
"Why is he here so often now?" Sylvia pressed on. Another streak lit up the sky and she had to force her eyes to stay open instead of clenching them shut and covering her ears to block out the rumble that followed.
Jonathan's dark eyes narrowed at her as he replied, "The stupid angel boy is out of the picture." He smirked at his words.
"Who's this angel boy you keep talking about?" She asked as her fingers ripped through the hem of her shirt.
"Why are you here?" Jonathan asked stepping forward away from the closet. Arms still crossed over his chest, and eyes dark and narrowed.
Another flash of lightning shown outside the window, closer than the rest, making Sylvia flinch away. She hated feeling weak around Jonathan. He would easily make fun of her and never let her live it down. He would probably use her fear against her just for his amusement, she would if their roles were reversed.
"Do I see you trembling Nightshade?" Jonathan quirked a smile. Sylvia glared at him as she removed her hands from the holes growing in her shirt.
"Of course not Morgenstern." She spat back. Being weak in front of Jonathan was hard, but being weak in front of Valentine was impossible. If he knew surely he would dispose of Sylvia just like he disposed of the maid that tried to help Jonathan when he was locked out. "Who's the angel boy? Is he your brother?" She asked and saw it was the wrong thing to say.
Jonathan towered over her with a murderous look in his dark eyes. "He is not my brother." He hissed. "And you are not my sister." He added uncrossing his arms. His hands were in fists at his sides, and Sylvia could feel his hot breath against her forehead.
"Like I would want to be your sister." She replied putting a hand to his chest to push him away but instead he grabbed her wrist.
A smirk crawled across his face again. "You are shaking." He commented as Sylvia snatched her arm back. "What has the little girl all scared?"
As if on cue to answer Jonathan's question lightning lit the sky causing Sylvia to flinch away unprepared. Flashes from those horrible nights strapped down powerless as her muscles twitched and burned against her will flooded her mind as she clamped her hands over her eyes. The dark was safe. The dark was a safe place. No flashing lights, or sizzle sounds, or the smell of burnt skin was in the dark.
"Now these years make sense." Jonathan said knowingly.
Sylvia's stomach tightened. Jonathan had figured out her secret. Her fear. During the past years the thunder storms happened either in the middle of the day and Sylvia would have Jonathan train with her until it stopped just to distract her, or late at night and she would sneak into his room to hide. He never cared enough to wake up all the way to ask questions and just let her sleep on part of the bed, by morning she would be gone.
"Scared of a little lightning?" He chuckled leaning over her.
"It's not little you fool. It can kill." She fought scooting back farther onto the bed until her back hit the wall it was pushed up against.
Jonathan chuckled again as he brought up one knee to lean against the mattress. "So you do have something to fear. How pathetic." He scoffed.
Sylvia leaned forward and swung out one of her hands. Her palm stung as she pulled it back to her lap, her midnight eyes glaring at the shadowy figure across from her. "What's pathetic is that you've been jealous of this stupid angel boy since I arrived. If you want Valentine's attention and praise, stop being so rebellious." She hissed back as his cheek grew red from her slap.
Jonathan turned to her with a deep growl in the back of his throat as he grabbed at her ankles and pulled her towards him. Sylvia was temporarily stunned by the action and by the time she realized she should have moved it was too late. Jonathan was on top of her, forearm against her throat while his other hand was tangled in her hair keeping her still.
"You don't know anything." He hissed and his breath covered her face. It was minty and warm.
"I know plenty, Jonathan. We're monsters. We hate. We are strong. Valentine needs us." She spoke in an icy tone. Their eyes locked in a tense stare that only broke when Jonathan rolled off of her.
"By the angel you're annoying." He grumbled sitting up.
"Tell me something I don't know." Sylvia muttered back. She ran her fingers through her hair unkinking the knots Jonathan had caused.
Jonathan pulled back the blankets to his bed and crawled inside. "Shut up and go to bed, brat." He ordered.
"Jerk. There's no room." Sylvia said wedging herself between Jonathan and the wall like she had grown use to doing when she snuck in during the nights of storms.
"Then go back to your own room." He stated rolling onto his side giving Sylvia a little more room.
"Don't spoon me." She said turning her back to him and kicked at his legs.
"Who would." He scoffed annoyed.
"Why the hell did you punch me for?" Jonathan hollered at Sylvia as they made their way downstairs. They weren't even dressed for the day yet and it was coming up on ten o'clock. Jonathan was sporting a darkening bruise on his left cheek.
"I warned you last night not to spoon me, and this morning I find you wrapped around me like a vine. Disgusting pervert." Sylvia explained as they entered the small kitchen. The maids had stopped working to stare at the teenagers with wide startled eyes. Sylvia knew what their conversation sounded like but she didn't care enough to clear it up. They were too young, and they should have known better than to think she would ever see Jonathan like that. He was an annoying jerk that only ever got in her way though they were suppose to be partners.
Jonathan took a swing at Sylvia's head but she dodged his fist by dropping into her seat at the table. He growled in the back of his throat and went for another swing.
"Not at the table Jonathan." Valentine's deep voice sounded behind him. The boy dropped his arm with a roll of his eyes as he took his own seat.
"Yes, manners Jonathan." Sylvia smirked at him. He glared back. "Good morning father." Sylvia said turning to Valentine who had taken his seat at the head of the table. She could feel Jonathan's dark gaze burning into the side of her face for calling Valentine father, but there was nothing she could do about it. He had ordered her to call him that.
"Sylvia." Valentine nodded.
"Lord Valentine, sir. This just arrived, by Hugin." A third maid said hurrying into the kitchen with an envelope in hand.
"Excellent." Valentine said taking the letter and opening it.
Jonathan and Sylvia remained silent as they watched Valentine read the letter while the maids served breakfast. His eyes skimmed over the white paper, his brows drawing closer together with each line he read. Then he lowered the letter and ripped it to shreds which a maid promptly disposed of.
"What is it?" Jonathan spoke up.
Valentine's dark eyes looked at his son, then to Sylvia. The crease in his forehead smoothed out as he straightened his posture in the chair like he had been slouching, but Valentine never slouched. He was always presentable.
"When breakfast is done we will be heading out again. Be prepared for a challenged." was all Valentine said before he began eating.
Jonathan and Sylvia exchanged looks of smug warriors that wouldn't let the other win. Both of them wondering what challenge Valentine had prepared for them? What was in the letter that upset him so much? How tough was Valentine's training going to be today?
For those who didn't catch how old they are in this, right now they are 13 and 14, Jonathan the oldest.
Leave a review please. They make more chapters possible.
