Eleanor walked to the other side of the lifeboat, emotions controlled.
Sofia Lamb sat with her back against the glass, overlooking the ocean, the apparatus that saved her nearby. Her hair and dress were quite messy. She looked terrible, still quite shaken, but a hold of herself, sternly. Eleanor watched Mother withdraw a wet, crooked cigarette, and put it in her mouth. Mother pulled out a lighter, flicked the top open, and tried to spark flame. Crrk, crrk, crrk. It wasn't working.
Dr. Sofia Lamb wanted to curse under her breath, but then noticed a small flame burning, but it was not coming from her lighter. She saw her daughter kneeling, bearing a little flame above her thumb. Sofia dropped her lighter. Eleanor lit Mother's cigarette, but since it was wet, she had to keep the flame burning for several seconds before the tobacco could smoulder.
"Doctor... Smoking kills, you know," Eleanor commented.
Keeping eye contact and a stern face, Mother lowered her head and raised her eyebrows, but said nothing at her daughter's comment. Eleanor watched the Little Sisters playing, and she stroked some hair from her eyes.
Eleanor sat beside Mother, making herself comfortable, resting her elbows on her knees. She looked at Mother, but Mother did not look back. Ms. Lamb inhaled twice, then exhaled a mouthful of smoke which trailed across Eleanor. "I hate the smell of cigarettes."
Sofia did not care. "Those glasses were expensive, Eleanor," Mother said nonchalantly, undoubtedly referring to the eyeglasses she lost during her little swim.
"So was the porcelain I smashed," Eleanor remarked. Sofia chuckled softly at those old memories.
Mother and daughter stared at the sunset, the Little Sisters playing in the background, lifeboat gently rocking, waves calmly splashing...
"You were always a brat," Sofia remarked, Eleanor's turn to chuckle softly.
"Yes... Yes, I was, Mother. Yes I was," Eleanor agreed with a little humour. "And you were always a bitch."
Mother almost snickered.
Neither said anything for a while, Mother smoking, daughter waiting.
"You want to know why I did it, do you?" Sofia asked, finally breaking the silence, but still did not look back at Eleanor.
"Because you wanted me to be a perfect, altruistic genius, the exact opposite of what you are. You did not want me to be like you."
Sofia exhaled another mouthful of smoke.
"I almost succeeded. You could never understand your hidden blessing, nor could you ever understand the value of my ideas... You would have been so much more than what you are now."
"Maybe. But Mother, do you regret anything?"
"No," Sofia immediately replied. "Do you love your own Mother?"
"No."
"That explains why you tried to drown your own Mother."
"Yes, it does. I hated you, I wanted to kill you, and my hands were shaking... But I forgave you, that's what Father would have done." Eleanor paused, Mother not reacting, focused on her smoke. "Contrary to wanting everyone to die for The Rapture Family, you're the one who raced into the lifeboat first, hmm?"
Mother blankly tittered at that comment.
"We are still surrounded by lots of water, Mother..." Eleanor jokingly threatened.
"Eleanor..." Sofia said quietly but firmly, as if speaking to a toddler caught red-handed, though in fact, Sofia was the one caught red-handed. Dr. Lamb sighed at that thought. Eleanor looked at her, noticing Mother's eyes getting shiny, but Sofia was good at fighting against emotions. She certainly did not want her daughter to see her weak, especially now, but Eleanor still cared.
"Look, Mother… You never wanted me to be myself, but love is just a chemical reaction. You are the one who decides its meaning. You changed, Mother, you finished your last game, and there's no going back. We both know what this means for you. For us. This is what Father would have wanted," Eleanor explained. Mother huffed. "Deny it if you want, Mother. But you couldn't bear to watch me mourn Father, and we both know why. You are not who you used to be. The door is open for you. Father is proud, Mother, proud of us both."
Dr. Sofia Lamb wanted to tell Eleanor that Delta was not her Father, and she, not his daughter, then go on a tirade. But how could Sofia ever sever their bond, even after his death? Mother kept quiet. She rubbed her eyes before any teardrops fell, and returned to her usual self.
"Mother, when you were drowning... I offered you air, but you did not take it. I had to plunge it onto your face. Why didn't you take it?" Eleanor asked.
Mother did not reply, just smoked.
Eleanor answered for Mother, "It was your guilt and regret."
Another silence, another puff of nicotine…
Daughter and Mother stared at the sunset, warmth melting the silenced tension between them. Eleanor was still curious and fascinated about the sun, and she stared at it relentlessly. The heat of sunlight felt so much better than heaters down below, and it made her sleepy. She yawned. Eleanor really wanted to talk with Mother about something important…
"Mother?" Eleanor asked, "Mother? Mother, look at me." Sofia did not listen. "Mother!" Eleanor nearly shouted, leaning into Mother, and Sofia scowled at her, but the two made eye contact. "Do you love me?" Eleanor asked with puppy dog eyes. Mother paused. Sofia's scowl faded away, leaving behind blank coldness.
"Yes," Sofia replied, still keeping eye contact, though Eleanor was not convinced. "Even though I couldn't make you what I wanted you to be... What you should have become... And all this time, I only tried harder for the Rapture Family... You were quite the investment and the debt, and all of it is wiped away. And now, everything is gone… Everything."
The Little Sisters still played around without a care in the world. Mrs. Lamb looked back at the ocean and sighed.
Eleanor extended her long, long legs, having a good little stretch and a good little yawn. She softly rested her head on Mother's shoulder.
"No, not everything, "Eleanor whispered. "Besides, Mother, I'm the one who's baby-faced. How could you ever think of trying to change that?" Mother made a little smile, holding back a chuckle. "I must have been a really cute baby, hmm?"
"You were," Mother agreed, thinking about Eleanor's big smiles, big eyes, little feet, and little body, all those years ago... Playing with and tickling her feet while she giggled and kicked...
"But you and Father wanted me to be good, and I am. My parents succeeded. I am good, and that's good enough."
"I would have made you so much better... I would have... l...wanted that."
"Tell me again, Mother, do you love me?" Eleanor asked softly, getting a little sleepy, feeling rather comfy beside mom. Sofia exhaled another round of smoke.
Eleanor would not give up easily, but already knew that her carefully selected words were gradually getting past Mother's stern defences.
"Yes, I love you, Eleanor, I do. But, I won't forgive you. I will never forgive you."
"I suppose we're even, then. Debt neither of us owe, and now, we are both free," Eleanor remarked, head still on Mother's shoulder. Sleepiness crept up on Mother, and soon, Sofia rested her head on her daughter's, eyes gradually closing.
"How did you escape, anyways?" Mother asked sleepily, inhaling her cigarette twice and then exhaling slowly.
"I could control the Little Sisters. They are the reason I escaped and freed Father. My bond with them was much, much stronger than you thought," Eleanor replied, eyes closing. "I gave them their freedom."
"Huh. Remind me to keep a closer eye on kids next time," Mother commented. Eleanor tittered.
Tired and worn-out, Sofia exhaled softly, but then opened her eyes. Cigarette needs attention. She had another puff, then flicked her cigarette with her thumb to shake the smouldering ashes away.
"So, where would you like to go, Mother? Iceland? Greenland? Ireland? Scotland? Wales? Norway, Denmark, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Boston, New York, New Jersey? I think Canada would be the best place for you. Lots of nice people there, eh?" Eleanor spoke with some optimism, but Mother winced at the thought.
"Canada? Heavens no. I'd rather go to Colombia," Mother replied, letting her head lean back against the glass and closing her eyes. She looked exhausted.
"You mean...British Columbia?" Eleanor teased.
Sofia had another generous portion of tobacco. She sure had a tough pair of lungs. Cig almost gone, she tossed the thing away, and a Little Sister promptly stomped on it.
"Hwah!" The child crushed the cigarette dead.
Sofia slowly exhaled the smoke through her nose. Eleanor's eyes got heavy, and she felt herself going to sleep. She would never have guessed it would be so comfortable sitting with Mom.
"Let's... go to Ireland, they actually speak English. I don't want to be surrounded by... Germanic-speaking mumblers," Mother mumbled, her eyelids closing. Eleanor felt Mother's head get a little heavier.
"Yeah... South-east, then, to Ireland," Eleanor muttered. The pair dozed off.
Eleanor awoke a while later, several Little Sisters standing in front of her. She saw the dawn, and still felt Mother's head on hers.
"Big Sister?" a Little Sister squeaked.
"Cold," another Little Sister said, hugging herself and bending her knees.
"Cold, cold..."
Eleanor smiled, then gently got up, being careful not to wake Mother, who now leaned against the glass.
"And no hidey hole!"
All the Little Sisters looked up at Eleanor. She conjured a fireball.
"Whoa!"
"Oo!"
"Ahh..."
Eleanor placed the fireball down, where it served as a steady source of heat. Eleanor looked at Mother. She had curled up into a ball in her sleep, and being human, was obviously cold. Eleanor got an idea, and her telekinesis activated...
The Little Sisters gathered around the floating flame, putting their hands before it. A Little Sister turned her head, seeing that Eleanor had used her psychokinesis to place Delta sitting against the glass and then gently slide him against the still-snoozing Sofia, his hands still crossed. Eleanor was quite happy with what she did, something she always wanted.
A family...
She stroked some hair out of her shiny eyes, and smiled warmly.
Eleanor Lamb, and Dr. Sofia Lamb, sat at either side of Father, both leaning against him. Eleanor made herself comfortable and closed her eyes. The Little Sisters smiled. Some yawned.
One by one, the Little Sisters snuggled around Delta, Eleanor and Sofia. Once comfortable, the Little Sisters watched the twilight. As Eleanor's conjured fireball shed warmth and light, at long last, the girls could finally sleep without monsters.