Shattered Innocence Ch. 17

"You really never had a slumber party?" Charlie asks in horror as she, Vaggie, and Emily are setting up some sleeping bags in the Lounge.

Emily shrugs. "Not really. Before…" she looks down. "…arriving here I didn't have too many friends. I guess the closest would be whenever Clara and Odette slept in the same room as me to help keep me calm."

"They sound like wonderful sisters."

"Hard to believe given who their mother is," Vaggie comments.

"Vaggie!"

"It's, it's fine," the disguised seraphim attempt to calm the blond down. "I was a little unnerved after finding out what she does for a living myself. During the short time I've been in Hell, I've learned that sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to survive here. But…" she looks back at the couple. "There must be some goodness in her to have taken in someone like me."

Charlie nudges her girlfriend. "See, Vaggie! Even Emily believes that there is good here in Hell."

"Fine, fine!" Vaggie relents. "I guess even an arms dealer can be kind once in a while."

"So, what do you do at one of these slumber parties?" Emily asks.

"Oh, lots of stuff!" the blond starts listing off. "We can play games, watch movies, gossip, tell secrets, make up scary stories."

The Hotel Manager leans into Emily. "FYI. Her scary stories aren't that scary."

"Don't say that, Vaggie. They can truly be terrifying."

"Oh, ya. Cause Mr. Huggle Monster who wishes to smother everyone with his giant bear hugs is such a horrific sight," she smirks at her pouting girlfriend, reminding her how cute the blonde can be.

"I know?" a bulb went off in Charlie's head. "How about a simple twenty questions, Emmy? It'll give us a chance to get to know one another."

The seraphim shrugs. "I'm okay with that. I would like to know you better as friends. How do we play?"

Vaggie explains. "It's simple. We ask a question then you ask a question, and all that has to be done is answer honestly."

"And you can ask anything," Charlie continues. "The question can be personal or impersonal. Ready?" she receives a nod. "Okay. You can go first, Vaggie."

"Alright then. Emily. Family topic. What's something embarrassing about the Carmine's? and it can be anything."

Emily squirms a little bit. "Okay. Just don't let anyone know that I told you this. Especially my sisters. Odette. When she goes to bed, she, she doesn't wear any underwear."

"What?"

The couple stared at her in disbelief.

"Not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't that."

The New Guest glances away. "She says that she feels restricted while sleeping. Will you please just promise me you won't tell her that I told you this?"

The couple glance at one another before turning back to Emily and Charlie says. "She won't hear it from us, Emmy. Now, that counts as a question. My turn. Pickles. Is that your favorite food or something?"

"I honestly don't know. It wasn't my favorite back in… back before Hell. It's just that whenever I'm hungry, it's almost all I can think about."

"Then what was your favorite?"

"Chips. The fattier the better and it's kind of embarrassing," the other two women blinked at that with Vaggie raising a brow. "You see, my family from before Hell was rather strict and I was expected to be an example. They controlled just about everything around me. From what I do to what I eat. I always had to eat the healthiest food possible. Nothing surgery, barely anything with meat. But one day, when I was out and about on my own. I caved in and bought a bag of chips. Since then, I always kept a bag hidden in my room for whenever dinner wasn't filling enough. That would be my first sin. If my sis… family ever found out, who knows what they would have done," she then pauses. "Though, I guess I have an idea now," the disguised angel then shakes her head and looks up at the two. "That was two questions. So, I get to ask two of my own. And that wasn't a question, so it doesn't count." The couple glance at one another with a smirk.

.oOo.

After spending hours having fun, the girls had finally fallen asleep. But Emily had woken up at one point. As she carefully glances up, the young seraphim's eyes wonder over to where Charlie and Vaggie are and smiles at the sight of the two cuddling.

How can that be so wrong?

The disguised angel tiptoes over to the nearest window and starts opening it but stops at the sound of a creek. Glancing back, she hopes that the sound didn't disturb her roommates. Once confirming they're still asleep, Emily opens the window the rest of the way.

Like earlier that day, she finds herself looking towards the city wishing for a glance at her home. Emily then takes out her phone to send a quick text message.

"Do you miss it?"

Emily had to refrain herself from screaming at the sound of the voice.

Vaggie is leaning over the windowsill next to her, looking. "Home. Do you miss home?"

"Of course I do," the young seraphim turns back to the city. "When I was at the lowest point of my life, instead of treating me like something to be thrown away they took me in. It's why I'm here. If there's a possibility of saving them from Extermination, I want to do anything possible to do so."

"I meant Heaven."

Hearing that, Emily's eyes widen including her chest eye and she briefly reaches up to her head thinking the false horns fell of in her sleep but there they remain. "I-I, I don't know hat you're talking about," her eyes darts away, looking at anything but the woman in front of her.

"I know that you're not Emily Carmine. You are Emily, the Seraphim of Joy. Sister of Sera, Leader of the Seraphim."

"How did you…" the disguised angel's brows then rose, and she reaches for Vaggie's hair and holds it back. "You're an angel? I thought I'd seen you somewhere before," she lets go. "Your hair used to be shorter."

"Yeah. Saw no point in keeping it short after Falling. I'm honestly surprised you remember. We've only bumped into each other once in Heaven and we didn't even talk we were just passing by. So, how did the sister of the High Seraphim end up in Hell?" Vaggie could see the hesitation on her fellow Fallen's face. "How about we swap stories?" she looks back to the sky at the pentagram. "That way you'll know how I got stuck here as well."

Emily smiles before saying. "I don't like talking about it. Sometimes I do miss it, but I don't think I can see Heaven as home anymore. As I've learned the truth, and I was punished for it. Only to end up punished even more after I got here."

"What do you mean?" the eyepatch woman then notices the tears running down her face and finds herself hugging the seraphim in an attempt to comfort her.

.oOo.

Carmilla is disturbed from her sleep when her phone dinged. The Carmine lets out a groan as she lifts the phone up, half expecting a business emergency and half figuring it's someone who doesn't know who they're trying to contact this late at night.

As soon as the Matriarch sees the name, she immediately sits up and reads the message.

Emily: Night, Mom. I miss you.

The woman smiles as she sends back.

Carmilla: I miss you too. Please stay safe.