So hello! I am so sorry for the giant gap between updates…I'm not gone, just to let you know. My life has just been really, really messed up and stressful and I've been searching for my muse. It's coming back I think, haha. Be patient with me. I still LOVE this story and want to keep working on it, but it will take me time :P
Thank you all so much for your favourites and follows and reviews…it really helps push me to write more. I hope you enjoy this chapter! The next one will be longer and better, I imagine.
It was nearing one in the afternoon when Mona finally rose from her bed. She was groggy and dressed slowly and ungracefully, almost falling over on multiple occasions. After ten minutes of putting together a sloppy assortment of clothing, Mona's mind had cleared enough for her to walk to the dining room without seriously harming herself.
Her sleep the previous night had been a solid, dreamless one. Mona barely remembered lying down or falling asleep, and felt as if she was still stuck in slumber, moving on sheer instinct. The dining room was uncomfortably bright, and Mona lazily shielded her eyes from the sunlight as she shuffled to the nearest chair.
Someone sat two spots down the table from her, and emitted a chuckle when Mona slumped into her seat.
"Afternoon, sunshine," a male voice said. Mona groaned, blinked, and finally looked around at the details of her surroundings. The owner of the voice turned out to be Sid. He was wearing a mocking grin, clearly finding her bleary state hilarious.
"Hmmnnng," Mona replied.
"Aww, would little Mona-poo like some coffee?" the werewolf cooed. Mona shot him a glare, which only served to entertain him further. "Did poor Mona have a long night? Drink too much, perhaps? Ittle bitty Mona have a—"
"Jesus!" Mona swore, throwing herself to her feet from sheer irritation. "You'll be the death of me, Sparky," she said as she strolled purposefully to the kitchen, giving the Exile a cuff on the head as she passed. Sid laughed and rubbed where she had hit him.
"Hey, grab me a cup of coffee, too!" he called behind her. "With extra sugar!"
The kitchen was as clean and organized as ever, with the exception of one greasy skillet sitting on the flattop elements. Despite her prior annoyance, Mona was smiling at Sid's antics as she reached the Kurig and grabbed two Morning Brew K-cups. She was in the middle of stirring the first cup and brewing the second when her mother joined her, wearing a surprisingly tasteful pencil skirt and blouse. Typically Persephone was in skin-tight dresses that exposed too much cleavage. Mona did admit that her mother was very beautiful, but was uncomfortable at her choice of dress.
"Hey, mom," Mona said, her voice still a bit scratchy from sleep. She pushed her coffee to the side and began preparing Sid's.
"Are both these cups for you?" Persephone asked, gesturing to the coffee.
"Lord no. One's for Sparky."
Persephone chuckled slightly. "Good. Honestly, the amount of coffee you drink, I wouldn't be surprised if you intended on having both."
Yawning expansively, Mona finished preparing the coffees and carefully picked them up. "Any news on the angel?" she asked her mother while walking towards the dining room table. Thankfully Mona's balance had returned and she was able to transport the hot beverages without incident.
"Actually, I was hoping to talk to you in private about the new arrival."
"Oh, sure."
Mona placed the mug of coffee in front of Sparky, who was staring expectantly at her. She flicked him on the ear and continued walking to the office with her mother. There was a irritated snarl from behind, but then only content slurping followed as the werewolf guzzled his beverage.
When Mona entered the office, her mother followed and shut the door behind her. She smiled warmly at her daughter, and Mona felt herself smiling back. Despite the fact that her parent's constant bickering had distanced the three of them from one another, Mona was undeniably close with her mother, at least compared to her father. She loved them both, but had little trust left for the Merovingian. Years ago Mona had read somewhere that girls with daddy problems often grew up with sexuality issues. She had dismissed this as a trait subscribed to humans, but soon discovered that, indeed, her sexual identity was rather messed up. After all, her psychology and emotions were based off humans. It was no real surprise. After this discovery Mona further cursed her father for putting her through such turmoil.
"Tomorrow we're receiving Heller," Persephone said.
"Yes, I remember."
"Your father is very excited about this occasion. He wishes for you to be present, of course, as with the other Exiles."
"Alright."
"You're expected to be well-rested and alert."
Mona quirked a brow. "His words or yours?"
"Technically his, but you do look tired and distracted lately, my love," her mother said, mustering a perfect concerned-mother expression. "Get a good night's sleep for once."
"You know I try. I don't have a screwed-up sleep schedule on purpose."
Persephone frowned slightly, then looked down to the coffee cup Mona was lovingly gripping. "All that coffee can't help."
"Don't blame the coffee," Mona said protectively, bringing the warm beverage to her lips and sipping it with defiance. Her mother's concern deepened and Mona sighed. "Okay, okay, Jesus…I'll try to go to sleep and a reasonable time."
Persephone smiled. "Thank you." She turned away from Mona and walked towards the central mahogany desk, where she sat in one of the large comfortable armchairs. "Come sit, I have something else to talk to you about."
Mona was suspicious, but sat down regardless, setting her cup of coffee on the desk on top of a stack of papers to prevent leaving a ring. She looked expectantly at her mother, wondering what conversation they were about to have that would warrant them having a seat.
"How are you doing?" Persephone asked softly.
"Fine."
"I mean really, how are you doing."
"I'm fine, really," Mona insisted, glancing at the ground. That worried look seemed to be perpetually pasted on her mother's face, and Mona was getting sick of it.
"You don't seem fine," Persephone said. Mona remained silent, and her mother sighed. Mona looked up and, for a moment, it looked as if Persephone was just as exhausted as she was. Physically, emotionally drained, sick and tired of the fight. But then it was gone. "I know how hard it is," her mother continued. "I love you so much, Mona, and I just want you to find happiness."
Mona continued to say nothing, but met her mother's eyes. What could she say? Either she'd lie and reassure Persephone that she was doing well and there was no need to worry, or she'd tell the truth and lay her problems on her already-fretted mother. Besides, as close as she was to her mother, Mona was not all that comfortable with sharing her dark emotions with her.
Seeing Mona's hesitance to respond, Persephone carried on talking. "I know you've struggled with relationships in the past."
Mona snorted and muttered, "What relationships?"
"There was that nice boy, the Asian…"
"Mom please. I saw him for three weeks."
"Yes, and now you seem to have no interest in anything. When was the last time you went out and had a date?"
"Mom!" Mona snapped angrily. "What the hell does that have to do with anything? For your information, I've been happily coding for the past few days, and I have a goddamn date in two days! Not that it should matter!"
Persephone's face took on an expression of patience, like she was dealing with an unruly child. "Like it or not, Mona, being wanted and needed by a partner is important for the mental health of most people."
"Well like it or not, maybe that's not all that important to me. Just because your partner is an absent adulterer doesn't mean that dating and finding a husband should be top priority."
An awkward silence settled over the room, and Mona regretted her words. Her anger at her mother didn't abate, but Mona admitted that she shouldn't have retorted so intensely.
"Sorry," Mona finally said, running her fingers through her hair slowly. Persephone leaned forward and took her daughter's free hand.
"Listen to me. You're very good at shutting your emotions out. This can be very handy when it comes to dealing with stressful situations, but you need to face your problems at some point or else they'll eat you from the inside." Her mother's voice was stern but concerned. "You may be able to fool the other exiles and even your father, but I can see that something has been…consuming you. It's no surprise; this life is far from easy. It's hard when you're trapped with the same people over and over again, and the humans are so difficult to relate to. But don't isolate yourself further. We're here for you. I'm here for you."
Persephone was correct (aside from the part about finding happiness with a man), and yet Mona was still fighting the overwhelming instinct to flee. She didn't want to talk about this, not now, not with her mother. Hell, she hadn't even fully wakened up yet. Mona tried to calm herself down and hoped she didn't look too much like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming semi. She attempted a grateful smile and looked at her coffee cup.
"Seriously, Mona. Don't hide."
"I know…I know," Mona said. "It's just hard. I'll be more aware of it."
"That's all I ask," her mother said, and released her daughter's hand. "Now go on…enjoy your coffee, go keep Sparky in line. But get a good rest tonight."
Mona rose and picked up the warm mug. "Thanks…mom." She turned and mercifully left the room, shuffling quickly back in the direction of the dining room. Then she stopped, thought a moment, and instead retreated to her bedroom. Mona felt strange, like a big secret of hers had gotten out and she really couldn't stand to look anyone else in the eye. Even though it was just her mother who was becoming wise to Mona's issues, she knew that Sid would read something off her face with just one look. Sid was a joker most of the time, and this often gave others the false perception that he wasn't very caring or aware of other people's emotions. It was quite the opposite; there were a couple times where Sid had walked in on Mona crying and insisted on comforting her. He even offered some actual good advice.
But, as nice as Sid was, Mona wasn't in the mood for any more questions or guidance. What she really wanted was to enjoy her coffee in peace. She wanted to bury herself in her coding and forget about tomorrow night, the date with Roxus coming up, and the Twins. Most of all, she wanted to forget about what her mother had said.