Eleanor sat down in her comfort zone—her private lounge bathed in soft, natural light, tucked away on the east wing of her family's grand estate. The plush velvet cushions cradled her elegantly as she curled her legs under her, a glass of sparkling water in one hand and her phone in the other.
Her long silk robe from Milan brushed the floor as she shifted, staring at the screen—though her thoughts were far from whatever post was trending. Her mind kept returning to Ariel. To the way she danced so freely in her modest home. To the way her silver hair shimmered even without effort.
Eleanor's brows knit slightly. Her comfort zone—usually filled with light banter, imported candles, fashion magazines, and the scent of garden roses—felt strangely too quiet, too still. The memory of Ariel's movement, that natural grace, gnawed at her. Not with admiration, but with a rising unease she couldn't explain.
With a sigh, she leaned back, allowing her head to rest against the edge of the couch. She tapped a nail against the glass in thought, wondering who this girl truly was. And why she felt… threatened. Eleanor had always reigned unchallenged, the mysterious beauty with the perfect life—but now, someone else was starting to stir the gaze of those she cared about most.
****
Got it! Here's a rephrased version with the call happening at night before school:
The night before school resumed, Xeveir lay comfortably in bed, his room dimly lit by the soft glow of his desk lamp. The gentle hum of the ceiling fan mixed with the quiet buzz of his phone as he joined a video call with Audrey, Mateo, and Rain.
Audrey appeared first, her hair tied up in a lazy bun, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she sat cross-legged on her bed. Mateo popped up next, lying shirtless on his couch, eating cereal straight from the box, while Rain sat properly at his desk, books stacked around him and glasses perched on his nose.
"Okay, let me guess," Audrey started with a smirk, "Mateo hasn't even looked at the practical assignment yet."
Mateo scoffed, mouth half-full. "Why would I, when I know Rain's already done half of it?"
Rain sighed with a shake of his head. "I have, but I'm not doing all of it. We're meeting after school tomorrow, remember? The music room."
Xeveir laughed softly, relaxing further into his pillows. "Yeah, I remember. You just like the music room 'cause it's quiet."
The group shared a few more jokes, recalling memories from their last hangout—Rain falling asleep during practice, Mateo flirting with the art teacher, and Audrey almost setting the bunsen burner on fire. The laughter came easy.
As the call went on, the screen flickered between banter and yawns, until one by one they began to sign off.
"Night, nerds," Mateo grinned, stretching.
"See you tomorrow," Rain said calmly.
Audrey gave a small wave. "Don't forget your lab coats."
The call ended with Mateo and Rain logging off first, leaving just Xeveir and Audrey on screen. There was a moment of silence, the kind that felt familiar rather than awkward.
"Are you about to sleep?" Xeveir asked, adjusting his camera a bit.
Audrey scoffed lightly, rolling her eyes. "No, I'm about to dance," she replied sarcastically, her tone dry as ever.
Xeveir chuckled, leaning his head back against the headboard. "Must you always be like this?"
"That's the only version of me you've got," she said, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
Their conversation lingered in that comfortable back-and-forth rhythm, the kind only two people who understood each other well could manage.
"Hazel… Hazel… come to me…"
The voice drifted through the darkness like silk laced with shadow. Soft, beckoning—feminine—but with a pull that wrapped around Ariel's mind like fog.
"I'm not Hazel," Ariel snapped back, her voice echoing in the void. It was the first time she dared to speak to it.
The silence that followed was chilling.
"You can't lure me!" she shouted again, louder this time, heart pounding like war drums. Her voice cracked with defiance—but also fear.
Yet the voice came again, persistent, like it had waited ages for this moment.
"Haaazel… come… let me show you who you are…"
A shiver ran down her spine. Ariel stood frozen, her pulse loud in her ears. It didn't sound threatening this time—it sounded like a truth she'd never dared to chase.
And then everything shifted.
The air around her turned thick, almost tangible. The ground beneath her seemed to ripple, and before she could react, the world around her melted away into silver mist. She wasn't in her room anymore.
She was standing in a vast, moonlit field. The stars above pulsed like breathing lights. In the distance, a figure stood, draped in shadows, her long hair fluttering like ribbons.
"Ariel…" the figure whispered, voice soft yet ancient. "You are more than you know."
Ariel took a step back—but something inside her, something buried deep, wanted to step forward.
Absolutely—here's the continuation, now weaving in the significance of the necklace Allan gave her:
The figure in the moonlit field began to walk forward—slow, graceful, almost floating. Ariel's breath caught as she stared at her… the woman's features were a blur, yet oddly familiar. Like she had seen her in flashes—moments in mirrors, dreams she couldn't remember.
"You wear his mark," the woman said, her voice as soft as wind brushing through leaves.
Ariel blinked, confused, before her hand instinctively moved to the necklace around her neck—the one Allan had given her before the gala. The silver pendant, etched with strange symbols she had never seen before, was glowing—faintly, but unmistakably. A soft pulse of light, like a heartbeat.
"What… what is this?" she asked, her voice trembling.
The woman stopped just a few feet away, her face still lost in shadows.
"The boy may not know it yet, but what he gave you was never meant for this world. It recognizes what lies beneath your skin… your soul."
Ariel staggered a step back. "You're lying. I'm just… I'm just a girl—"
"No. You are the key."
The words echoed through the field like a command from the stars. The light from the necklace surged suddenly, wrapping around Ariel like a ribbon of warmth and energy. It lifted her slightly off the ground. Her eyes widened in terror as the field began to blur—wind rushing past her ears, colors bleeding together.
Then, everything stopped.
She woke up.
Gasping. Sweating. Heart hammering.
The necklace still glowed faintly against her chest before fading to silence, like it had been asleep the entire time.
Ariel sat up, clutching it, eyes wide in the dark.
What the hell was that?
Her room was quiet again, but nothing felt normal. Something had been unlocked—and deep down, she could feel it. The dream wasn't just a dream.
It was a calling.