Toriels House Novels & Stories

"What is it like?" Eilad's eyes brightened. "It is beautiful. The mountains rise up on all sides, their peaks covered in snow even in summer. The rivers run clear and cold, and the forests are full of game. The pack house is carved into the side of a cliff, with windows that look out over the valley." "It sounds like a fairy tale." "It is home." He looked at her. "It could be your home too." Tori smiled, but her heart was heavy. "Perhaps. Someday."

After driving around town for a bit, trying to catch up and just kill some time after school, we finally pulled up to the mansion. Tori let out a whistle that bounced off the gates. "Wow, Atlas," she leaned in, excited to get a better view. "Do they have, like... a hundred servants, or does this place just look straight out of a movie?" I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help but smile a little. "Nope, no hundred servants here, Tori," I replied, noticing she was already snapping a photo of the mansion from the car.

“ Home? “ Tori asked, lying on the sofa. “ Yes. Can you give me your address? “ Dorian asked. “ The sky. I live amongst the stars, it's been three decades now “ she sat up, struggling to keep her eyes open. “ Three decades huh “ Hank snickered. “ What do we do guys?, we don't know where she lives or her friends and worse, her phone is down “ Xavier roughed his hair. “ Yes, her friends “ Cole turned to Tori. “ Tori you came with your friends right? “ She nodded, “ Yes “ . “ Can you tell us their names so we can look for them? “ he asked again. Tori looked around, before beckoning to them. “ Come closer, i don't want others to hear it “ The boys moved closer to her, filled with expectation. “

Cleanse it. “We will go see Tori,” I said. “You need to see her, and she needs to see you. She’s been worried. She might also help ground you. She’s the half light of your siblings, Vlad. She might just be what’s keeping the house from falling apart.” “Very dramatic,” he muttered, but I saw the tension in his frame ease slightly. —- When we entered the twins’ room, our Tori was lying sideways on her couch with a cold compress on her forehead, dramatically unmoving.

“Not thinking of taking her place, are you?” “In the asylum? Do you think I qualify?” She wasn’t joking, just angry. “You know what I meant. That would be a sacrifice too far.” Tori changed the subject then, asking how my mate’s wedding dress was coming along now there was no Mel. She was making a point. “Why? Want to try it on for size?” And so was I. The look on her face made me want to kiss the hurt away. Greenvale wasn’t anything like how I imagined it would be. The house was modern with a ramp for wheelchairs and the garden area at the rear was small as I saw from the window of Fran’s room.

“Especially after everything. That’s the point.” So I said yes. Tori and Derek’s new place was in Pasadena—a small craftsman with a porch swing and a garden full of succulents. Inside, it was warm and lived-in, with photos on the walls and books on the shelves. “You made it,” Tori said when she opened the door. She looked nervous, her hands twisting in front of her. “I said I would.” She hugged me—brief, tentative, but real. “Thank you.” Oliver shook Derek’s hand. “Congratulations on the house.”