Important!
I have finished editing chapter one till six. There aren't really any significant changes, but you still might want to reread the story.
On another note, I have decided to change this story's rating to 'T'. Originally, I had planned the storyline a little differently than it will be now. Besides I have read a few other fanfictions that deal with the same themes and have the rating 'T'.
If there comes a time where I will choose to write an 'M' rated scene, it will be either in a separate oneshot or a sequel.
Also, there is another thing that I just need to mention. This story has 147 favorites and 206 follows! You can't imagine how happy that makes me. Thanks for that.
I would appreciate it if you could leave a review and hope that the next update will be much faster.
Warning! Shameless self-promoting: I have published another Self-Insert story. If you like Tokyo Ghoul, you should try it out.
Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. Self-Insert
Enjoy!
Chapter 9
Learning How To Live
"Man may have discovered fire, but women discovered how to play with it."
― Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City
14 January 1942
It was amusing to watch my siblings fail at shadow traveling. Running against walls. Landing at completely random destinations. The amusement that filled me each time I saw them fail was as inappropriate as it was exhilarating. I hadn't had so much fun in a long time.
Obviously, everything ceased being so amusing when father told me that it was my turn. He preferred it when we didn't train at the same time, like this he could keep watch better. Bianca, being the oldest, was the first one to try out. Nico came after her, then it was my turn.
In the Underworld there were enough shadows that it didn't matter what time of the day it was. Actually, if it weren't for the small watch mother had given to me on my seventh birthday, I wouldn't have known when a day started and ended and my perception of...well, everything time related would have been completely muddled.
The first time I ran against a wall, I felt like crying. Not because I felt ashamed or frustrated, no, it was because I almost broke my nose. Gods, did it hurt.
Afterwards, a smirking Nico gave me a piece of ambrosia and practically told me to suck it up. The only thing that stopped me from being mad a him was the way he kept rubbing his own nose.
None of us managed to shadow travel on the first day, neither on the second. The third and forth weren't any better.
My twin was the first one to do it, landing somewhere in a small village in China. He passed out and father retrieved him before anything bad could happen. Nico didn't wake up for the next three days.
It took Bianca two weeks to manage shadow traveling to Bulgaria. She landed in the capital and when she finally woke up after a few days of sleep, she told me that what she managed to glimpse of the capital was quiet beautiful.
Despite my siblings happiness, my mood was at it lowest. Three weeks and I still hadn't managed to get the shadows to swallow me. I had even developed an irritated tick. Each time I ran against a wall my eye started to twitch in an ugly way.
Father was more than amused.
''You need to focus, Nora. Become one with the shadows, but do not let them swallow you. You're the one in power.'' He told me for what felt like the thousandth time.
I glared at him. Father would have blasted me into pieces had I been anyone else. As it was he just gave me an unimpressed look.
I turned away from him and huffed. The time had come for another meeting with the wall. Yay me.
Predictably, I once again hit the solid object. Luckily, in the last three weeks I had learned the perfect way of avoiding most of the pain.
The shoulder that collided with the castle's brick wall throbbed slightly. By now I was way to used to the pain to even spare it more than a thought.
On the other hand, I had to stop myself from punching something. I didn't fancy a broken hand.
I was broken out of my angry musings by father. He gently ruffled my hair and patted my wounded shoulder lightly. ''Maybe you should try again tomorrow.''
I registered that it wasn't a request but a demand, yet that did not stop me from denying him. Normally, I wasn't so bold. After all, I knew better than to anger my father. ''No, I will do it today.'' My eyes widened in an innocent way. ''Just two hours. I will stop the moment those two hours are over.''
''No longer than two hours, Nora. I will not watch you hurting yourself.'' His gaze moved away from me. ''I have some things to take care of. Don't leave the castle.''
He probably didn't want me colliding with Persephone too far away from him. The goddess had been in a foul mood for a few days and she liked showing this foul mood to us. Rancid woman.
''Yes, yes.'' I was already a few steps away from the wall, regarding it with thinly veiled hatred.
And then I was running and colliding with it once again.
And again and again.
What did I do to deserve this?
With both of my hands on my hips, I stared unblinkingly at the wall. Or to be more exact, at the shadow it was creating.
It was really weird. I could will the shadow to move in all directions, I could hide in it, but I could not shadow travel. You have no idea how frustrating this was.
My shoulder hurt after my hundredth rendez-vous with the brick. I seriously considered giving up, but the knowledge that I would have to continue this the next day stopped me from doing so.
Maybe I just wasn't meant to shadow travel? Maybe I hadn't inherited the ability?
It sounded lame even to me.
Those thoughts were proven wrong some time later(It wasn't at the end of those two hours. Nothing remotely as cliché.) when I felt myself being ripped into all directions. Compared to this, shadow traveling with father was a pleasant experience. The vertigo I felt was almost as bad as the exhaustion the usage of shadow traveling caused me. When I finally arrived at my destination the first thing I did was throwing up my dinner. Poor pizza.
Anyway, while in the shadows I planned on arriving in our old home in Venice. Somehow, I was more than certain that it's not where I landed. Considering the Asian people all around me I could only guess where I was. They were looking at me as if I had grown a second head. Perhaps, that's what the mist made them see.
I promptly passed out. I could only hope that father caught me before I landed in my own vomit.
27 April 1942
Shadow Traveling became quiet useful after we got the hang of it. We could finally leave the Underworld without our father( Not that he truly let us do that. He always watched us, no matter where we were.). Often times he send one of his subjects with us. I believe that Alecto has come to hate us because of that. She hated playing babysitter.
There were only a few instances where we were allowed to leave on our own. One of those instances being me visiting 'Charlotte's Sweets and Sweeties'.
I think I started doing it as some kind of punishment. Going back to the place which reminded me of the day my mother died. Eating the toffees that I came to love that day. That left a bitter taste in my mouth each time I ate them.
I went there so often that it caught the attention of shopkeeper. Her name was Charlotte, obviously. She was a middle aged woman with blonde hair and coffee brown eyes. There were small freckles on her nose and a dimple in her left cheek.
No one could ever replace my mother, but she came close to it.
It was after two weeks of constant visits that she spoke to me for the first time. Normally, one of her workers would wait behind the register, take my money and let me leave without a comment. On that day she was the one who took my payment.
As she packet my toffees in a bag, she said, ''You like those a lot, don't you? Maybe I could teach you how to make them?''
At that moment I felt like a drowning woman taking a much needed intake of air.
Charlotte Lambert taught me how to bake and became my last true link to the mortal world. Before her my mother held that role, the only mortal in my life.
The way I attached myself to other people wasn't normal and neither could it be healthy. Somehow, I couldn't care less.
Nico and Bianca never met her. I just knew that they wouldn't have liked her. Most likely, they would have accused me of trying to replace our mother. I would never do that.
But I was only eleven and truly desired a mother figure.
''Les œufs, Nora. Do not forget les œufs.'' Charlotte said while pointing at the eggs on the counter. She had a thick french accent.
I nodded my head and reached forward with one hand. ''I know.''
We were currently backing a chocolate cake with strawberries. I was preparing the dough, whereas Charlotte prepared the chocolate filling.
The older woman smiled a little and added some sugar into the bowl in front of her. ''Have you turned the four on, petit amour?''
I was so glad that I had taken some french classes in my previous life. Otherwise I wouldn't have known what she was talking about half of the time we spend together.
''Uhm...'' I smiled sheepishly. ''No? I will do it now.''
Charlotte waved her right hand in front of my face. ''Non, non. You cannot stop mixing la pâte. I will do it.''
I added some cocoa into the dough and mixed it slowly. Charlotte always took care to tell me that it was important to be gentle with the movement. When it was finally smooth and none of the ingredients were recognizable, I put the dough into a round baking tin.
''Give it to me. I will put it into the four.'' The french woman picked the baking tin up. ''It should be ready in an hour.''
I sat down on a chair near the kitchen counter. I couldn't wait to finally eat the cake. Have I mentioned before how much I love chocolate and strawberries?
''When do you have to go home, Nora?'' She washed her hands in the sink and dried them with a green towel.
''Father is awaiting me in two hours.'' I smiled slightly. ''There is still enough time for me to eat some of the cake. I am sure that it will be fantastique.''
As it turned out, the cake really was fantastic. When I started those meetings with Charlotte I thought that I would be horrible at baking, after all, I couldn't even cook some rice in my previous life. But I had to admit that I enjoyed baking.
I shadow-traveled home one and a half hour later. Luckily, Charlotte allowed me to take some of the cake home with me.
My siblings did not ask where the cake came from. They didn't want to know. But they did enjoy eating it.
