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Things were still quite shaky with Calliope and her father. Jack was still not favourable towards monsters, and he never explicitly mentioned it, but even turned back human, he never saw or treated Theo the same.
He would take longer trips, out of the town and often the country too. If it bothered her mom, Talia didn’t make it known. She rarely even acknowledged his absence.
Gone were the days of family trips though, as the family just about sat through a meal together without any arguments or snark comments.
It was hard to rebuild relationships after conflicting opinions had dragged them apart. But Calliope hoped that time would heal.
The Burns had officially left the Guild weeks back. Calliope had never fully trusted them ever since the Cooke incident. But they would still hunt monsters, just doing enough research to make sure they didn’t target anyone doing no harm.
Apollo had labelled them the Burns vigilantes, and the reasoning wasn’t far off.
But Calliope knew it wasn’t as easy for her father to let the lifestyle go. She wasn’t entirely sure, but she thought the trips he took were most likely something to do with the Guild.
Jack was currently away on a trip, no one knew exactly where. Only that he would be away from Savannah for a few weeks, or even months.
When Calliope returned from school, the first thing she noticed was the quiet. Usually there was noise of some sort, either Apollo playing music around the house or her mom arguing for some reason.
”Mom?” She called out, hanging up her jacket in the hallway. Silence. “Apollo?” Cal tries, but the house is completely silent.
She walks into the kitchen, relaxing slightly at the sight of a note on the table. At least they didn’t seem in any danger.
The note informed her that her mom, Apollo and Theo were out monster hunting a small pack of dangerous ghouls known for terrorising a nearby town.
So Calliope now had the house to herself. In an ideal world, she would want to invite Juliette around, take advantage of the peace and quiet.
But her girlfriend was stuck at school, working on a group project that she had been complaining about all week, something about less than helpful team members.
Instead, she decides to get all of the practical stuff out the way. Cal sticks a pair of headphones on, and begins to train. She likes to stay in shape, pounding away at the punch bag for hours on end, till her knuckles throbbed.
A loud beep interrupted her workout, and Calliope recognised her ringtone. Juliette. A smile crosses her face and she pauses the music, dropping the boxing gloves and answering the phone.
“Hey Jules” Calliope breathes out in a gasp. She hears the smile in her voice as she replies, “Hey, we finally got it finished!”
Cal feels relieved on her behalf, group projects were not either of their favourite things. “You going home now?” She asked, changing from her workout gear into comfy sweats.
”Yeah, just heading back now. I think mom and dad have this work thing tonight” Juliette explains, her breathe picking up, an indication she is walking faster.
Calliope thinks for a moment, “do you want to come over?” Her voice drops an octave lower. “Dad is still gone, and mom went out to hunt with my brothers. I think they’ll be gone for the night, or at least a few hours”
Juliette thinks, Calliope can hear her soft breaths over the phone. “Don’t you have homework?” She asks, breathing picking up as she continues her journey back home.
Calliope laughs. “I tell you I’m home alone and the first thing you think about is my homework” she counters. Juliette snorts at the end of the phone, her voice light. “I’m just trying to be organised!”
”First time for everything” Calliope murmurs under her breath. “The homework is all done, if you come over, I’ll be all yours” she teases, knowing when Juliette caves in.
”Okay great. That’s good” she garbles, “I’ll be over at like six? Maybe” Jules’ clicks her tongue. “I could be earlier but my cars still being repaired and Ben won’t let me touch his again”
Calliope remembers the car debacle. “Keeping you off the road is safe for everyone Jules” she teases, and they both laugh. “I didn’t mean to hit the wall!” Juliette protests, and although it’s true, Calliope can admit her girlfriend is definitely not a good driver.
“Okay I’m home now. I’ll have a shower and then I’ll be over” Juliette announces. “I’ll see you at 6, I love you” Calliope grins, her smile widening as Juliette returns the sentiment and clicks off the phone.
She checks the time, just gone 5. Giving her under an hour before her girlfriend arrives. Calliope likes to stay organised, she finds a routine helps her focus.
But for once, she is all up to date. Homework, done. Training, done. So Calliope decides to take a walk and grab some snacks from the store.
Calliope doesn’t usually think of herself as a distracted person, she prides herself on being collected and focused. But her thoughts stray to what they could possibly get up to before her family returned.
Cal didn’t notice her keys left on the table as she leaves the house, shutting the door and lightly jogging down the street.
She liked to run. The steadiness of the pavement under her feet, and the consistently thud of her heart beat was grounding. It helped her focus, and stay relaxed.
After picking up a variety of snacks and drinks from the store, she made her way back home. Sticking a hand in her pocket, Calliope was confused when she couldn’t find her keys.
She patted down her hoodie, her sweatpants pockets and looked everywhere. But no sign of them. Realising she must’ve left them at the house, Calliope swore to herself.
Her family, particularly Talia, adopted a no phones rule during hunts. She wouldn’t be pleased if she received a call, especially when Cal mentioned bringing Juliette around.
It wasn’t necessarily her girlfriend that Talia had a problem with, rather her mom set strict rules. And Calliope didn’t think that her mom would accept them home alone for the night when she didn’t even approve them in the room with a closed door together.
When Calliope retrieved her phone to entertain the possibility of contacting her mom, she was met with a blank screen.
Shit. She had not charged her phone after her run and phone call with Juliette. What terrible timing.
So that was out of the question. Perhaps she had left a window open, and could climb in somewhere. But it had been raining earlier, so that seemed unlikely.
Back-up plan, Calliope thought to herself, changing course and heading further downtown. Juliette had mentioned her parents were currently out, so her house would be empty too.
She couldn’t even contact her girlfriend to let her know that she was on her way. Calliope hoped she wouldn’t mind her appearance, probably not as Juliette enjoyed their joint time as much as she did herself.
Reaching the Fairmont house, Calliope sped her walk to a slight jog. Juliette hadn’t specified when her parents were actually leaving, so there was a chance they might run into each other.
The Fairmonts never really hated her, not in the same way that the Burns hated Juliette at the start. Their relationship was still frosty, but the parents tolerated Calliope. Nevertheless, she still hoped to avoid them, Margot in particular had a penchant for asking invasive questions.
Finally, she made it undetected to the house, and knocked at the door. Juliette answered it, and Calliope flushed at the sight. She was dressed in a loose, long t shirt (Cal was fairly certain it belonged to her) and had clearly stepped out of the shower.
She seemed confused, but greeted Calliope with a tight hug and kiss. “Hey what a surprise” she murmurs, pulling back before pressing their lips together.
”Long story” Cal retorted, “Come in, come in” Juliette took her hand and led them through the front door. “Want a drink?” She held her hands out to a few various bottles.
“We only stock squash for our, limited, guests” she offers, presenting three generic branded bottles with a flourish and bow.
Calliope laughs, and takes the purple bottle, moving instinctively to the cupboard to take a glass. “Not that I’m unhappy to see you, but I thought we were meeting at your place tonight?” Juliette asks, taking the squash bottle back
“I kind of, left my door keys at the house” Calliope explains, and can see Juliette biting back a laugh. “Hey!” She pushes her shoulder with a laugh, “not funny!”
”I don’t even want to think how you managed that” Juliette laughs loudly, leading Calliope upstairs to her room.
They take a seat on the bed, and Calliope deposits the carrier bag of snacks onto the sheets. “Ooooh” Juliette lights up, grabbing a pack of jolly ranchers.
She tears the packet open, stuffing a handful into her mouth. “How are you going to get back in later, like before they arrive back?” Juliette asks around a mouthful of sweets.
Calliope raises an eyebrow. She didn’t think of that. In an ideal world, the best solution would be to sleep at Juliette’s and return early morning to explain the situation to her mom.
“My phone is dead, so I can’t even ring her” Cal groans. Juliette reaches into her drawer, pulling out a tangle of wires. “Try one of these, one should work” she offers.
After finally charging her phone, Calliope tries to formulate a plan. “Do you think your parents would mind if I stayed over?” She asks, finally unwrapping a packet of candy, sipping from the glass of squash.
Juliette seems surprised, but smiles anyway. “Oh you want to stay now, at the Fairmont house” Calliope leans back onto to the bed, suddenly tired and stressed.
”I don’t know why we don’t have spare keys or anything” she complains, leaning into Juliette’s touch. “Well my parents should be back late, so if I lock my door then they won’t notice if you stay, just make sure to leave early” the girl offers
Calliope thinks to herself, considering the possibility. She could leave super early, and even catch her mom and brothers on the way in. Apollo would cover for her, she’s fairly certain and let her in.
“That can work” she nods, and shoots her brother a simple text.
“So, we’ve got the whole night” Juliette replies, waggling her eyebrows with a goofy grin. She looks ridiculous, Calliope thinks, and her heart swells with love.
”Whatever will we do with so much time” she counters, already leaning in for a kiss. “That’s a good.. oh” Juliette whispers, and she tastes like candy, sweet.