(Disclaimer: I do not own The Violet Eden Chapters. Apart from my own characters, I've added, all rights belong to Jessica Shirvington.)
Falling: Chapter 1
Trapped. Calls were made. Deals exchanged. A message was sent, and everything was set. I never thought that this day would come.
Three years have now passed, since the deliverance of Lilith.
Undoubtedly, so many things have changed; I won't be coming back to what I knew before, and they won't exactly have me back as I was either. But there was no longer a choice for me, for the flash of images filled with a dragon, fire, and mercury blood glinting off swords continued to plague me. If that wasn't some bad mojo, I don't know what is. I had tried not to remember.
There were so many things that I've mulled over and over, trying to see alternate endings to the chapters we've already closed. What if?
No. Responsibilities have grown on me, and priorities have changed. It was no longer about just us and what could have been. It was so much more now. As we passed sceneries, it reminded me of times Steph would ask me to come back. She would ask me to picture the quiet and it would always, almost work.
"Picture the quiet, Vi, and what do you see? What do you smell, feel, hear, touch?"
I close my eyes and focus on my heart beating, and each inhales and exhales as I pictured nothing.
A glimpse of a mural, a crumpled sheet laying beneath. A smell of rich scented coffee, and basil underneath the sun. A warmth, as invisible arms wrapped around me, keeping me up when I feel it got a little too much. Forever whispered in my ear, a promise made so believable I want to grab it by the hands. And a soul which shined and entwined itself to the root of my core, but it wasn't there anymore. It left me hollow, wanting the thing that could destroy me the most.
That's when the cold would creep back in. I would be shaken out of the quiet, and come back to my senses.
"Mummy?" A quiet voice asked.
"Hmm?" I was shaken out of my reverie.
"Where are we going? Are we going to finally see Aunt Steph?" Big green sparkling eyes asked me.
"Yes, Honey, we are. Go ahead and take a nap, Sweetheart. I'll need help unpacking later on, okay?"
Soothing melody was all that was heard in the car. Familiar buildings began to fill the windscreen view, leaving me feeling like I was finally close to home.
I thought back to what I had done almost three years ago. What I had sacrificed and who I had said goodbye to. I left that day thinking that I couldn't, no, wouldn't forget them all, but that time I never knew I was pregnant. With twins no less.
The new life had never been me being resuscitated. It turned out, barely a few days old into existence, the twins were what filled that prerequisite that allowed Phoenix to impart his Angelic essence to me. The power of the Sole that helps me heal so well, allowing me to heal other Grigori, was what also protected the twins throughout the torture, fight and brief death. Regardless of how the angels were and are still vaguely active in their assistance, at least they made having them possible.
I looked in the rearview mirror and saw my little angels beginning to awaken. Their names were Cedric Aaron and Celine Ardith. They share the characteristics of me and Lincoln: Cedric has hazel eyes and light-brown, untamable hair with blonde highlights; Celine has green eyes and brown wavy hair that she likes to hide behind when shy.
Parking along the kerb side, behind a familiar Volvo, I texted Steph to come out as I got out.
The front door opened and out came my best friend who I last saw for an hour 6 months ago. As we hugged and leaned on one another, a bit of the cold receded before retaining its hold.
"Oh, my gosh, Vi. I missed you guys so much! How are my little angels?" The twins smiled through the tinted window and yelled an enthusiastic hi. Steph opened the car door and hugged the kids, ruffling their hair and giving them kisses. She practically threw herself across to get to both of them. Dear god, does this women have no decency?
"Auntie Steph! No! Too much, can't breathe!" Cedric wailed dramatically. This prompted a small tiff between the twins as Celine called him 'Drama Queen'.
I interrupted the bicker. "Do you have the keys? I didn't exactly want to come here today, Steph. We should make this quick. You can see us tonight."
"You're no fun, Violet." She pouted, but she took the keys from her back pocket. "Here, and expect me to expect your lasagna tonight. Take it or leave it."
"Ugh, lasagna! Why don't we order pizza? I still have to unpack clothes-" she raised her eyebrows, "and stuff… Fine." Flashing her brilliant smile, she winked at the kids who were once more safely hidden.
Going back into the car, it felt too easy being back and so close to him. Maybe it won't be so bad. Too late did I remember not to tempt fate. Just as the ignition was on, a woman I didn't know stepped out of the warehouse. It would have been fine, as she wouldn't recognise me as anything but a stranger. Yet the person who followed her, smiling, was what truly shook me.
He didn't look like he aged at all. However, slow ageing did come with being Grigori. I barely looked held together when away from my twins. They're the reason why I am almost myself, almost whole. They were a by-product of us. They contained enough of him to soothe the cold and the broken pieces, that I didn't fully depend on Phoenix's switch.
He, after all that happened - soul shattered and lost in the Angelic Realm - looked fine to no longer be whole.
I quickly made to exit from parking, however, the twins had to yell bye to their aunt. Steph who waved back eagerly had not yet noticed that Lincoln was outside. Unluckily, just because Steph didn't notice him, did not mean he did not notice Steph was outside. More importantly, with the twins voices echoing, his head snapped down the stairs, past Steph and straight to the back of the car before looking straight at me.
Oh. My. Soul.
A rush of baked sunscreen and honey barreled me down, leaving me incapacitated in the driver's seat. This was not going as I planned.