Auriella Everleigh Soleil

Muscles that I hadn't used in weeks were aching with the stretching I was doing. I followed the other girls in the class easily keeping up with the routines after I had been walked through them and repeating them multiple times.

The class was small, only seven other girls besides myself and no boys, which was different especially since the classes I attended in London often held just under thirty people minimum and had more or less an equal ratio of girls to boys. And this teacher was decades younger than the ones I often took classes with. Kerry Rowe was only a couple of years older than me in her mid twenties.

"Point your toes, Kadence." Kerry instructs the girl next to me but I stretch my toes out more ass well. I had found it helpful to apply other people's corrections to myself, it helped further me as a dancer. I rise onto my toes and turn making sure my other foot is sitting at the right place on my knee. I make my body turn fast enough that I can complete a triple turn and end in the right direction before I need to move onto the next move. I keep my head set on a certain spot on the wall so I don't get dizzy before stopping at the same time as everyone else before moving onto the next step, extending my head so it is above my head.

"Well done class." Miss Kerry grins at us as we breathe heavily after the hour and a half class.

"You're really good." A dark haired girl acknowledges as the group of us move to our bags. Her name was Juliette, she had dark hair and eyes that complemented her dark skin and she had amazing turns. "How long have you been dancing?"

"Since I was seven." I tell them and they all eagerly listen to my stories from dancing in London. Every dancer's dream is to dance in England, New York, Paris or Russia at one of the top dance schools in the country. And I often did intensive work at the Royal Academy of Dance or The Paris Opera Ballet School. They were two of the most renowned ballet schools in the world and I was extremely blessed to have the opportunities to dance there.

I got along easily with the girls, there were seven of them. Kadence, Juliette, Paityn, Erin, Skyla, Daisy and Lilia. Only Juliette and Lilia lived in the same town as me though, the other's lived in the surrounding towns, and all of us with the exception of Daisy who was homeschooled went to the same school so at least I didn't have to rely on my siblings or boyfriend for friendship.

Skyla looked at me for a few seconds before a look of realisation crossed her face. "You're the kid that was kidnapped all those years ago." As soon as the words left her mouth it was quick to realise she hadn't meant to say it out loud as a bright flush spread all the way around her pale skin. The other girls looked at her with disappointment, so she was the one that couldn't hold her tongue I muse.

"Yeah."

Since I wasn't bothered by her question they took this as the chance to answer all the questions that they were bursting to know. "So you lived in London?" Daisy asked.

"I moved to London when I was thirteen and my adoptive father passed away to live with my cousin. Before that I lived in Cambridge which is like an hour and a half drive."

"And you got to dance at the RAD?" Juliette asks, a wistful look on her face.

"Yeah." I nod, unlocking my car and tossing my dance bag to the back seat. I had changed out of my leotard and tights into an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I couldn't wait to get to the house to take my hair out of the tight bun and take a hot shower to soothe my aching muscles. "I'll see you either at school or on Wednesday." I wave bye and reverse out of the parking spot easily and head back to the house.

I had ballet on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 3:30 to 5. It was also mandatory for me to do an in school sport or club so I had decided to join the track team that met Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and had meets on either Friday afternoons depending on whether or not there was a football match which took priority over any sport in this town. If I had a dance competition it would be on Saturday so my weeks were starting to get busy already.

I easily slipped into the house without alerting someone else. Everyone was busy, Lilianna and Nicholas weren't home from work and the siblings weren't in sight. The only person I passed on my trip to my room was Grayson who glanced at me then walked away without a single comment.

I started slightly seeing someone sitting on my bed, my body automatically tensing ready to protect myself before catching sight of familiar raven hair and a tall body sitting against my headboard, a laptop on his lap. Gray eyes meet mine as I enter a welcoming smile as he puts the laptop onto the side table and he opens his arms for me. I close and lock my door so we can't have another interruption before moving to him.

I crawl on my bed before settling on Xander's lap, straddling him with my head in the crook of his neck. His head was damp from what I presume was a shower since he was dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt unlike what he went to school in. His arms wrap tightly around my body in a hug but his hands soon move to rub my back softly and then up to my hair where I feel him loosen it until my curls are all falling around us.

"So how was it?" I ask, tilting my head to see Xander's face but I can only see the slight stubble on his chin until he tilts his head down to look at me, pressing a kiss on my head while he's there. I wanted to know how his first time playing football went.

"I'm not sure yet, I mainly spent the practice learning the rules and basics of the sport."

"And are you going again?"

"I think so, but I don't want to be on the actual team. I'll go to learn about the sport but I think I'm going to join the basketball team competitively." Xander rubs my back and I let out a soft whimper when he presses a tender spot making him frown. "Are you sore?"

"A little, I didn't realise how long it's been since I've danced. My muscles got a shock that's all." Before I can process the movement, Xander's got me lying on my stomach, a head on a pillow and he's walked to my bedroom. I go to sit up but he's already back and guiding back down onto the bed to the position he's previously placed me in. "Xander, what?"

I was confused until I felt him lift my shirt up to meet my bra line and start massaging up my back. "Xander."

"Shhh." He whispers softly, gathering all my hair above my head. "Let me take care of you."

"You always take care of me." I answer but my eyes are closed enjoying the sensations that are easing the built up pressure in my body.

"Can I take this off?" He asks gently, grasping my shirt and waiting for my consent before lifting it up even though he'd seen me many times before.

"Xander." I say again after minutes of silence.

"Yes love?"

"I love you more than anyone else on Earth." I remind him for the billionth time in our lifetime.

"I know, Ella. I know."

Xander starts at my lower back kneading up all the way through every muscle and knot that he could find all the way up to my shoulders and then starts going back down my back, down my legs to my aching feet.

His phone buzzes and he uses one to grab it while the other stays on my shoulder and I turn my head when he lets out a soft sigh. "Do you have to go?" I know the answer before he says. He doesn't answer me, instead I hear the water running from my bathroom and Xander re-enters the room, scooping me up only setting me down on the bathroom counter. He feels the water before helping me out of the rest of my clothes and setting me into the bubble bath he had filled with all sorts of healing salts.

"Eleanor wants me back for dinner and I still have a few things to do before then, but I can stay if you want.'' I peered up at him, Alexander was watching my facial features for any indication of what I was feeling.

"I love you." That gets a smile out of him, a small one but it still counts.

"You didn't answer my question, tesoro." He looks at me for a second before continuing. "But I love you too, Sweetheart."

"I know. I'll be fine, I promise. I'm stronger than I look." I remind him.

"You're the strongest person I know, Elle, there's no doubt about that. But I also know that we've been going through a lot at the moment." He kneels down on the floor so that he is at eye level. "Our whole lives have been upturned and we're pretty much living in a different reality at the moment."

He was worried about me, like how I was worried about him. This wasn't easy on either of us but we did what we had to to keep others safe.

"One thing hasn't changed." I remind him. "One thing that will never change, and that's us. Whether we're Auriella and Alexander, genius, billionaire CEO's or Nathaniel and Everleigh, two people that were kidnapped and placed into an awful situation."

"You're right." He gives me that soft smile that's only reserved for me. "We never change and we'll never change."

"Pinky promise?" I held out my finger that was covered in bubbles and was wet and without a second's hesitation Xander links our fingers together

<><><>

"Dinner time." Ezra announces, soldering into my room without so much as a knock which makes me give him the side eye. My eyes fall back onto my laptop screen as I finish typing what I had started before closing the lid and following him.

This was going to be the first dinner without the Walker's, it was only going to be Grayson, Gabriel, Emmeline, Elijah, Ezra and I along with Nicholas and Lilliana.

"So what have you planned for this week?" Lilliana asked everyone but we could all tell it was directed at Emmeline and Gabriel.

"We've been invited to a party on Friday night." Emmeline tells her excitedly as the two of them discuss that. Meanwhile Gabe talked to Nicholas about sports he was playing. The rest of us sat in silence, the only thing making me uncomfortable was Nicholas and Lilliana glancing at me every few minutes.

I don't think they truly believe I'm here. Maybe it's the trauma of losing a child and the fear of losing me again that they've distanced themselves from me or maybe it's because they hardly interact with five of the seven children they raised.

"So Everleigh." Nicholas actually names someone other than Gabriel and Emmeline, I raise an eyebrow waiting for him to finish. "How was your first day of school, and you went to your first dance class today, didn't you?"

"School was okay, different to what I'm used to but okay." I wait for a bit, taking a bite of my food before continuing. "And ballet was great. They have a competition in a couple of weeks and I might compete, if I do I have something for you to sign."

"And how much will it cost?" Lilliana interjects. From what I've heard they turn down activities, because they won't pay for it.

"All my extracurriculars come out of my trust fund."

"And who pays that?" Lilliana asks. "Aren't guardians supposed to look after the money aspects?"

If this woman thinks she's getting a single penny of my money she is sorely mistaken.

"In some instances, but my father set it up in a way only my cousin, financial advisor and myself can access my accounts."

"And how about overspending? We like to monitor each of our children's expenses so they know how to budget."

"I have a monthly cap that I can't exceed, and it'll stay there until I'm eighteen." I explained that it was true but I didn't use my trust fund until it built up and then I invested it in property or something.

"Are you done grilling her about her money?" Grayson interjects, trying to get Lilliana off my case and it works because she starts lecturing him about respect and how to speak to people.

I look at him apologetically and when he catches my gaze I mouth a 'thank you'. In return he sends me a wink that makes me want to laugh. Something tells me he does this a lot to get the parents off his brother's backs.

"That's a pretty necklace, Everleigh." Emmeline comments, a hint of jealousy in her voice and I immediately look down even though there are only two necklaces I'm currently wearing, the two that never leave my body. And like I predicted, a pair of angel wings covered in diamonds are sitting on top of my sweater instead of underneath it like it normally is. I lift it up, placing it safely back on the inside of my sweater against my collarbones. "Where did you get it from?"

"Thank you." I say politely. "Nathaniel bought it for me a couple years ago."

"It's pretty." She says but it sounds condescending. "The fake diamonds are a bit tacky though."

"They're real." I stand up with my empty plate. "Thank you for dinner, it was really nice."

I didn't wait for any more comments, I just stood up and left the room. The next time I was interrupted was half an hour after I had left the table. I was sitting up against my headboard, cross legged with my laptop set on my lap as I tried to finish some more work.

"Yes?" I ask the person who had knocked on my door without looking up as I finish typing and only when I finish I look up meeting Grayson's eyes that are identical to my own. "Sorry, if I pause I forget what I was doing and then I waste time restarting."

"It's okay." He looked a little awkward standing there, or maybe it was because of the reason he came here.

"Would you like to come?" I pat my bed, inviting him in and he takes the opportunity entering the room closing the door behind him. "What's up?"

"Are you okay?" He blurts out, but he meant it. "I mean mom and Em weren't the nicest at dinner and I thought I would just check."

"I'm good, I've dealt with worse than them." Way worse. "But I really do appreciate it, and thank you for helping me out of that conversation at dinner."

"It's okay, I don't know why she cares about your money."

"Greed, she knows I have a lot of money but she also doesn't know how to get it so by cornering me in front of you all she thinks I'll just hand her my card."

Grayson studies me and I send him a questioning look, wondering if I had something on my face. "Can you actually read minds or do you just pretend to?"

The question was so random it got a laugh out of me. "I can read body languages, there's a difference."

"Sure." He rolls his eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow, Everleigh."

"Night Gray."

In the few days since I have lest posted I have read though all the addicted books and I'm on Fuel the fire. I was reading it on the 5th and I found out that was Roses actual birthday. Anyway I share a birthday with Jane Cobalt so that's pretty cool.

Next chapter should be out pretty soon since I wrote it a while ago I just need to finish that. Does any one else just write future chapters when they have the inspiration for it.

I've started the Gray/Ella friendship and these two are going to make history.

I have a question, I want to start posting Opulent Influence, which is a series of one-shots for Elle and Xander but do you mind if I post future family content without finishing this book. You guys already know Ella and Xander are going to end up together, this isn't a romance book. 

Anyway please vote and leave a comment and have a great week.

Ara <3