(Credits to: 🦋MintyRoseArts🩵)

The carriage ride to your new home was quiet, the sound of wheels over uneven cobblestone filling the silence. You sat still, small fingers gripping the fabric of your worn-out clothes. Across from you sat Mordecai Heller, the man who had adopted you. His face was unreadable as he gazed out the window. Beside him, his wife wore a softer but guarded expression. Their reasons for taking you in remained unknown.

At seven years old, you understood more than most expected. You knew abandonment, knew what it meant to be unwanted. Your earliest memories were shadows—faces, fleeting voices, then emptiness. Left behind at two, you had spent years in the orphanage, watching others come and go. But today, you were leaving.

The carriage stopped, revealing the vast and imposing Heller estate. The towering house loomed in the evening light, casting long shadows. Inside, dimly lit halls stretched before you, lined with paintings whose eyes seemed to follow. The air smelled of old books, candle wax, and something faintly metallic.

You followed without question.

In the large living room, a fireplace crackled, casting flickering shadows. Six children stood before you, their expressions varied—some indifferent, others serious, even annoyed. Only two, Elaina and Esther, seemed neutral. Silence stretched until a girl with piercing eyes and a sharp tone broke it.

"Who is he?" she asked, glancing at Mordecai. You would later learn her name was Edith.

Mordecai stood firm, his presence commanding. His response was simple yet final.

"A new member of the family."

All eyes turned to you, their stares assessing. Some indifferent, others more intense.

You remained still. Calm.

You had no fear.

Whether they accepted you or not didn’t matter.

You were here now.

(Their names are Esther Rose Heller, Elaina Heller, Elijah Heller, Edith Heller, Issachar Heller and Rehna Heller, btw)