You are definitely my happy ending.

Nick:

Six-year-old me stacked up the small wooden blocks, my eyebrows furrowed in concentration- Caleb was studying colourful stones next to me. His face was alit with a childish glow- one that I envied.

"Master Nick?" Prue- our maid- smiled nervously at me. "Your dad wants to see you in his study. He has another test for you."

My heart sank and I exchanged alarmed looks with Caleb. We both knew what the 'tests' entailed.

I swallowed down my nerves and followed Prue through the myriad of hallways in our mansion. My small feet beat down on the well-worn carpet and I stared briefly at the unsmiling oil paintings mounted on white walls. I caught the eye of a serious-faced intimidating man dressed in a suit and shuddered, looking away from his soulless black orbs.

I was snapped out of my reverie when Prue knocked tentatively on the heavy oak door.

"Enter!" A deep voice boomed.

"Good luck Master Nick!" Prue whispered, gently pushing me to my doom.

I swallowed down the fear gnawing my stomach and pushed the door open.

"Father." I said coldly, standing tall with my hands clasped behind my back. I'd never been in my father's study before, so I took this opportunity to examine it in detail.

The walls were bare- not a single photo hung on their smooth surface. A window on the right one allowed faint dappled light to shine through, hitting the red carpet and illuminating the room with a warm rosy glow. Dominating the centre, a brown desk was covered in papers organised in neat stacks with a laptop resting on top of it. A miscellany of  dusty books with un-cracked spines lined the bookshelf to my left, next to a drinks cabinet.

"Take a seat, Nicholas." Father gestured to the wooden chair in front.

I obeyed and stared at his blue eyes- a carbon copy of my own- with a hint of trepidation. Father is a dangerous man- irascible with no conscience.

"Nicholas, the time has come for you to complete your final test." His voice was clipped. He gestured to the gun resting on the table- one I didn't notice before.

I picked it up, the familiar metal instantly cooled my skin. I loaded and readied it, my small finger curled around the trigger and stared expectantly at Father.

"Curtis? You can bring the prisoner in now." He called. I looked behind me in time to see a man dressed in a suit- seriously, what is the family's obsession with suits?!- dragging a figure behind him.

I inhaled sharply at the woebegone man at my feet. His head was shaved and every inch of his body was covered in blood. I stared at him in horror and Bloodied Man sneered, revealing gaps between his equally bloodied teeth.

"Shoot him, Nicholas." Father demanded.

My spaghetti arms trembled as I raised the gun. Bloodied Man gazed at me, uncontrollable fear shaking his body. I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled the trigger.

With a sickening thud, the bullet found its mark. I didn't dare look as Curtis dragged the dead man away. It was my first kill.

"Well done, Nicholas." Father patted my shoulder, a hint of pride in his tone. "I'm proud of you."

I didn't reply.

With a gasp, I jolted upright, my heart thudding so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest.

"Oh God..." I whispered, burying my face in my shaky hands. A traitorous tear slipped down my cheek and I swallowed, my throat dry.

I ripped off the covers and padded softly to the room a few doors down. Hesitantly, I pushed it open slightly, allowing a thin strand of light to illuminate the figure on the bed.

"Nick?" Arya asked, her voice less groggy than I expected it to be. Was she awake?

"Hey Ree." I said softly, fidgeting slightly. "I had another nightmare." I heard the sheets rustle and Arya was in front of me, studying me with her bright green eyes. She wore an oversized grey top and black shorts. 

"Oh Nick..." She whispered, squeezing my hand gently. She knew I was uncomfortable with physical contact and refrained from hugging me. "Come on, I'll make you some hot chocolate."

I nodded mutely, following her downstairs to the kitchen. I sat down on the wooden barstool and rested my head against my outstretched arm, listening to Arya hum a soothing tune as she poured the brown powder in my favourite blue cup. I couldn't stop the grin spreading across my face as she passed me the drink, topped with the perfect amount of whipped cream and marsh-mellows. Taking a slow sip of the sweet beverage, I felt Arya's curious stare burning into the side of my head. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" She questioned quietly. Sometimes, I did and other times, I didn't- Arya never pushed or patronised me. It was a refreshing change. 

My eyes fluttered shut and I steeled myself against the onslaught of bad memories. "My father is a vile man. As far back as I can remember, he forced me and Caleb to go through brutal training that tested our physical and mental capabilities until we broke and then some more. H-He wasn't always like that, though. It was only after Mum-" Pain took a liquid form, spilling over my lashes. I wasn't ready to talk about her yet. "T-tonight my nightmare w-was about my first kill." 

I hunched over, the familiar churning of guilt ripped at my insides like a wild beast. Arya gently pulled me towards her and I collapsed as she rubbed soothing circles on my back. 

"I was six, Ree." I said, my voice hoarse. "And to this date, seventeen years later, it still haunts me. T-the man was staring a-at me with this look. I-it was like the purest form of terror anyone could feel and I- I should've done something-" 

"You were a child, Nick." Arya murmured. "It is not your fault. You couldn't have done anything, okay?" 

I nodded, not fully believing the words. "Does it ever go away?" 

She stiffened, as if locked in place by my question. I frowned and looked at her. For the briefest of seconds, I saw the tsunami of emotions battling in her eyes. It was gone so quickly, I thought I'd imagined it. 

"No." Her voice was scarcely louder than a whisper. "It never goes away. And sometimes, it never gets better. You just get used to carrying the burden around." I opened my mouth to ask her what she meant- 

"Having a party without me?" Caleb grinned entering the kitchen and making a beeline for the fridge. I could tell he knew I had nightmare and came to check up on me, but used the guise of getting orange juice- in the middle of the night- to cover it. "You okay, Nick?" Translation:  I know you're not okay. I'm always here for you. 

Caleb is always seen as the goofy, irresponsible one. He's the one who will crack an inappropriate joke at a funeral, or accidentally set fire to a store (don't ask); but I knew underneath that layer was a responsible, serious Caleb. When we were little, Father would do the worst experiments and tests on him and he took it all with a smile on his face, never allowing the world to see his true torment. Sure, sometimes I question if one of us was switched at birth, but at the end of the day, he is my big brother and I would do anything for him. 

"I'm fine." I'll be okay. 

Arya smiled and I noticed the dark bags underneath her eyes. I furrowed my eyebrows, realising how exceptionally pale and thin she was becoming. "Ree, are you okay?" 

She ignored my query, pushing her chair back and wincing as it grated across the stone floor. "I'm gonna sleep. See you boys in the morning." She left faster than I could blink. 

What is going on with her? 

End of chapter 4. 

Little bit on the twin's backstory! 

Qotc: 

1. What is going on with Arya? 

2. Thoughts on the twin's father?

3. Thoughts on the six word sentence I put at the start of each chapter? 

I hope you guys liked it!

Stay safe and thanks for reading :)