Unbound Dynasty

Eve and Aaron hadn't always been together. It was a time before that, when they were children, that Eve had begun to wonder if he would ever speak to her again.

It was a Sunday in the summertime, and the heat of the day had not yet begun to fade. Eve was playing in the mud puddle in their back garden, splashing around with her knees deep in brown water. The sun beat down on her bare skin, warming her up until she could hardly bear it--she wanted more than anything to cool off in the pond behind their house, but she knew she wasn't allowed. It was too deep for them to swim in, their father said, and it would be dangerous. She didn't know why; she thought that he must just be being unfair again.

Her mother called from inside the house: "Evelyn! Aaron's here!"

Eve ran into the kitchen where Aaron sat at the table, dripping wet as he dried off his hair with a towel. He smiled at Eve and gave her a friendly wave.

"Hello, Aaron," Eve said politely. "Would you like some tea?"

Aaron nodded enthusiastically and hopped off his chair to follow Eve over to the counter where she picked up a cup and poured him some hot water from the kettle on the stovetop. "You're such a good girl," he said to her as she handed him the cup.

He took a few sips and then set it down on the table next to his chair.

They sat there silently for a while until Eve heard their father's loud footsteps coming down the hallway from upstairs. "I'm home!" he called out, his voice echoing through the house as he walked into the kitchen and set his bag down on one of the chairs at the table. "Did I miss anything?" He leaned over to kiss his wife on top of her head and she smiled up at him as she continued stirring whatever was in her pot on the stovetop nearby--it smelled like chicken soup. His eyes fell on Aaron and Eve sitting next to each other at the table across from him, both looking up expectantly at him. "Hi Aaron," he said as he sat down on his own chair opposite them, smiling at both of them broadly before directing his gaze at Eve first. "How are you?"

"Fine," she replied softly while looking down at her own hands folded in her lap. She pulled one of them away long enough to pick up her cup of tea and take another sip before setting it back down again on its saucer next to Aaron's full cup resting on its own matching plate. The spoon that had been stirring things behind them clinked loudly against its side of their shared bowl as it was set aside by their mother before she turned around to face everyone sitting around them at the table--she smiled warmly at Aaron who returned it just as joyfully from across from her before asking: "Now what did you boys get up to today?"

Eve watched as Aaron shrugged offhandedly before turning towards her with an ecstatic smile spreading across his face: "We went swimming today!" When she looked over at him curiously as though asking why they didn't tell anyone else about it earlier, he shook his head slightly before continuing: "Our parents don't know." He let out a giggle before adding: "We snuck out after we finished our chores so they wouldn't see us leave."

She couldn't help but smile back excitedly herself now--she had loved swimming with Aaron every time they went together! They had put off going this past week because their father had told them that they needed permission to go swimming or else they would get into trouble if they got caught sneaking out again--so sneaking out had seemed like a great idea! But since they got caught anyway...Eve hadn't known what to think about that until now.

"What do you mean we're getting into trouble?" Eve asked nervously as she followed behind their father upstairs after dinner that night, peeking over her shoulder nervously towards Aaron who trailed behind them closer to where he'd followed them inside earlier in order for him not to get left behind by himself outside alone when their parents had entered without giving him any warning first except for telling him to stay put once they were all inside together again after leaving him outside like that for however long it had been--she hadn't really noticed because she'd been so concerned about getting punished herself along with Aaron once they found out what they'd done!

But now they were going upstairs together instead of getting separated into different rooms like last time before getting told everything after dinner like usual...weren't they?

"What do you mean we're getting into trouble this time?" Eve asked again once she reached where her father stood waiting for them outside of their parents' room with its closed door shut tight behind him once everyone arrived outside of it in silence with nothing left but wondering what was going on now until finally something happened when their father reached forward with an open hand towards both of them...