Post by HerWhisperIsTheLucifer on Nov 18, 2014 20:19:23 GMT -5
The Day You Slipped Away: Middle
I do not know what caused me to do it. I stood with my son in my arms, holding his head to my chest as embers flew and people scurried to put out the fire I caused. I had lit Euphoria’s house on fire. No one needed it anymore, for I was taking Thomas to Yun Gong and Euphoria was… Well, you know. I watch embers float by and one lands of my pale cheek, burning it ever so slightly. It was only more pain to feel. Thomas was shaking as if he was cold, though the heat from the fire was scorching so he couldn’t have been. I briefly wondered how he felt about the situation… To have a complete stranger raise him his whole life, his real mother come into the picture and kill the woman who had raised him, and to have the father he never knew banish his mother from ever seeing him again… All within a matter of minutes. It surely couldn’t have felt good. I wish now that I had asked him how he felt about it all… How he felt about me. I put my back to that fire and just walked. I never dared to look back due to my heart not being able to take it… And yet, why was I still staying with Thomas? Surely he would cause me pain, right? That sounds terrible to say about your own son but at least it’s not true… He didn’t bring me pain at all, and I couldn’t leave him again. He’d been walked out on too many times in his short life of eight, soon to be nine years.
“Thomas... ? How would you like to stay with me in a grand palace?” I wasn’t really going to give him a choice in the matter, but I figured that if I asked rather than commanded, he would trust me more. I couldn’t leave a child on the streets. I had no idea where Love was so I couldn’t give him to her (Not that I would anyways), and he was my son. If I gave him up yet again, then what kind of father would I be? An awful one, I’ll tell you that. I was happy to take and care for him, making up for his life of being fatherless.
“A palace,” his little blue eyes lit up, “Are you rich, daddy?” I let out a short sigh of relief. It was nice to get at least one worry off of my chest… Alright then. He didn’t know what his mother and I were, and it was best to keep it that way. It’d be hard to do so, but it was possible, like most things. Except trying to staple water to a tree. No way in Hell you are going to do that… I chuckled and ruffled his hair gently, “Something like that, little one.” Why didn’t I realize it before? He had my deep blue eyes and hair that was as blonde as Love’s. He had his mother’s jawline, which didn’t look bad on him, and he had my nose, which went well with his other facial features. I was just glad that he didn’t get my pale skin and had a little color to him… If he didn’t, people would probably think he was sickly all the time. Trust me… I know what that feels like, and it does not feel good.
Then again… I didn’t remember ever being human, so why would I ever remember him being my son? I guess it’s just something you don’t forget… Yet I did. Somehow… Anyways, I still don’t remember being human, spare a few memories with Love… If you know what I mean. I would wink if you could even see me and if I was remotely in the mood.
I will admit one thing, though… Love and I had made a rather gorgeous baby. There was a reason all along behind Lust wanting me to have her… It was because I had already had her. Countless times, if I remember correctly. Then, I began to wonder… Do all of my fellow Unseen Forces know about Love and I? About me being human before I joined them and became Karma, or Exodus, as I prefer it? They probably did, and this worried me. How would they react to me bringing Thomas in? They’d know about him too, and possibly try to attack him. I was putting my own son in danger… But what else could I do? We had no where else to go. As Thomas closed his eyes and I continued to walk, I began to think: He’d love it at Yun Gong… Or at least, he would, if they left him alone, which they surely would not do.
Thomas had no future. It sounds horrible to know that I, his own father, has said that about him, but it is true. He would be hunted (Along with myself) for eternity, and would grow up too fast… No. He wouldn’t grow up at all. Not to my knowledge, anyway.
Eventually we reached Yun Gong. I decided to let Thomas stay asleep… It would give him no benefit to see the disgust and horror on their faces as their gaze fell upon him. Stepping foot into that wretched cloud palace, I kept my son in my arms and my head held high. I wore a fake confidence all over my body that would surely decay over time. I was not at all confident that I could protect Thomas, let alone myself, and I knew it was going to be a rough and rocky road ahead of us. If Love was here, she could do a much better job than I could…
I knew I was no match for the Unseen Forces if they all decided to attack at the same time, and I couldn’t even win against Life or Death one on one… And, when I was fighting, who would watch over Thomas? That would be their opening to capture and possibly kill the little boy. I began to regret banishing Love from Yun Gong altogether. I realized then the danger that we were all in, but I couldn’t leave now. All eyes were focused on me as I walked to my room and away from them, never batting an eye. I knew, and they knew that I knew, which made the situation all the more frightening for them and I. I knew of their betrayal and lies, yet I didn’t even blink as I walked past the ones who had controlled and, possibly, ruined my life. It was my turn to set them on fire.
I could be dangerous and fearless when I wanted to be, and it was their time to be fearful for the first time in their pathetic and worthless lives. Yes, they had felt and experienced fear before, but that of which I will cause them… Oh, it’ll be a new kind entirely.
I set Thomas on my bed and covered him up with a few soft comforters and went out onto my balcony that was attached to my room. It was then that I decided to write this story. Someone would read it and know the forces that control them, like they controlled me and the path my life would take… They had to, right? Well look what has happened, dearest reader… You are reading this. The risk of writing this story was worth it, for someone knows. You know. You know the feelings I feel, the love I’ve lost, the lies by which I have lived my life by… You. You know. And for that, even though I have not met you in person (Punishing and rewarding is different from meeting you), You are my best friend in this cruel and unforgiving world.
Never thought I’d say that to a human… I mean, assuming that you are one. As you know, Euphoria was the only reason I ever actually started caring for humans, so ever saying those words was something that I had not predicted.
Thomas started to stir as a breeze blew through my room due to my not closing the glass balcony doors. I turned and faced my son, who was now sitting up looking at me. He had been very quiet, not counting the palace conversation we had on the way to Yun Gong, and even now he did not open his mouth to speak. He just stared with his deep blue eyes, the ones of which I gave him. “Have a nice little nap?” He nodded, holding his arms out to me once again. I never thought the embrace of a son would be so warm, so sweet… Yet it is.
It’s almost better than the love I felt for Euphoria!... Oh… Euphoria…
I will confess (If I do not tell you this I will explode) that Euphoria and I did meet after her “Death.” I love thinking about her, yet I hate it at the same time… It is the same way with Love. The things that she had done angered me, but they were reasonable and understandable actions when you get down to it. She, like Euphie, is a painful subject for me… Especially after… Well, what happened happened.
It may confuse you, but despite everything she’s done (A lot of it wasn’t even really her fault), I still care about her. She means a lot to me, though not as much as Euphoria did. Love was the mother of my child… And his savior as well.
“Thomas,” I sat in front of him, taking his tiny hands into mine, “Those people out there… You are not allowed to look at them or speak to them either. Understood?”
At this, he blinked his lapis lazuli eyes. Tilting his head to the side, he asks, “Why not, daddy?”
I did not know what to say… Pretty much everything I came up with would just scare him. “Be… Because…” I wanted to get this right with him. “Because I said so.” Really Exodus? After all of that thought, that’s what your pathetic little mind came up with? That was such a dad answer, it kills me…
“Oh alright.” He laid back down with me next to him and snuggled me. I began to think about my life, think about my decisions… I had lived a very long life, and it made me wonder how long ago had everything with Love happened? It could’ve been recent or a long time ago in the past… For all I knew, the Unseen Forces gave me false memories of always being Karma. Yes, that is what they must have done. Knowing them… They most certainly did. Oh well… It didn’t matter anyway. Everything would be coming to an end entirely.
“Dad… Where is mommy?”
“She’s… I don’t know.” it was truth enough. I had no idea where Love or Euphoria were, so it was the right response for either.
“Will I ever see her again?”
I hope not. “I do not know, thomas.” I sighed as if I was frustrated, which I wasn’t. If he thought that I was, however, maybe he’d lay off. I find it funny that, despite the odds, I was not frustrated at all. I should have been. If someone was trying to kill your son after forcing you into a horrible life, you would be, right? Well… It was a strange feeling, that one. I was calmer than I ever had been in my eternal life, yet my mind raced with worry. I do not think that there is even a word for that feeling… Even so, it most certainly exists.
I have said it before and I will say it again: Thomas was a very smart boy and he knew how to read people very well. He could tell that I did not want to discuss it any further, so he let up. “Alright daddy… It doesn’t matter to me now anyway. I have you, and that is all I need to make me happy.”
If I would’ve allowed myself to do so I would have cried all of the tears I had been holding in ever since Euphoria disappeared. I stopped, feeling the presence of Life. I got up and went down the hall just outside of my room. Before I even turned the corner, there she was. My golden goddess of a cousin had a smile she had been holding ever since she saw Thomas, so long it must’ve been painful. “Exodus,” She took me by the shoulders and for the first time ever, she seemed… Weak, “Darling. Please, please… I beg of you. Please dispose of that awful rat!”
“That rat is my son. I am not disposing of anything, except for you from my mind.”
“Exodus, you-”
“You lied to me! Made me believe I was one of you and gave me a very false life! You are more of a witch than Love ever was!”
“I see you are upset… However, this whole situation made you a poor, little victim of circumstance and therefore my fight and anger is not for you… As long as you let me help you forget all of this and rid of that awful, wretched boy!”
“I will do no such thing!” I suddenly felt a rush - An incredible - as i struck my cousin. She looked surprised and I loved it… That stupid look on her face as she lay fallen over onto the ground. Evidently, my cousin did not think that I had the strength nor the courage to strike down Life… Huh. That word seems odd to me now… “Cousin.”
You know as well as I do that Life is not really my cousin, but I do not know what else to call her, due to me knowing her as such for my “whole” life. I still call her that, even today… Even after… Mmm. Even after Yun Gong no longer exists.
“Alright Exodus… You know what? I’ll let the boy’s fate be shared with you and and become your own!” She stood angrily and grabbed me by the hair roughly, pulling me forward and towards her. “I’ll be sure to torture you, even into the afterlife!”
“Yes… Etch the pain into me! It’ll be my proof of life and salvation! For if you give me pain, I will hate it, no doubt about that, but once you do torture me, I will yearn for death and when you finally give it to me I will be eternally grateful! You cannot torture me in my salvation!”
Life growled in frustration and practically threw me across the room before she stormed off. I slowly got up and ran to my son, who was in my room looking through my wardrobe. I freeze and just watch him for a while. “What are you doing?” He jumped and quickly looked at me, holding up one of my many vests. I realized then I was not wearing one and was one wearing a long sleeved, white button up shirt. I suddenly felt naked.
“I-I know I ripped one of your vests back at Euphie’s house, so I was making sure you had more!” He snuggled the vest some and looked away, “Please don’t be mad at me…”
I sighed and shook my head, wondering what else my (brief) time as a father would bring me. I picked Thomas up and set the vest down, taking him out onto the balcony. “Oh Thomas… What am I to do with you?” He may have laughed and snuggled into me, but it was a serious question.
What was I to do with him? I did not feel that he should stay at Yun Gong for fairly obvious reasons, but where else would I place him? Give him to some stranger again, like Love had done with Euphoria? Hell no. He would not be abandoned by me or anyone else again, and especially not when he was old enough to remember it this time. Besides, if I did that, Life would get the satisfaction she surely did not deserve… My pride was more important to me than my own son’s safety at that time, and that did, in fact, prove to be disastrous later on.
“You do not need to worry about the vest, my little one,” I set him down and kneel next to him, “I consider it an honor to have my clothing ripped my you.” He smiled and wrapped his little arms around me once again, and my heart went off. My back hit the ground hard as I fell, clutching my chest. I let out a short scream, my heart beating at a fast pace as I lose all consciousness and fall into the darkness of truth.
An apple rots as a fiery rain begins to fall all around it, mixed with small droplets of gasoline. Reaching out to grab the apple and save it before it becomes engulfed in the massive hurricane of flames, my hand is instead the one engulfed in Love’s Flame, as her voice says one simple sentence to me: “You mustn’t interfere.” I then wake up in a sweaty screaming fit. I look around my dark room, which possessed no other life form except myself, and I am not even technically a life form. I stood and began to wander around Yun Gong, but it too was dark and dismal… Not an Unseen Force in sight. This began to worry me, as it should have… Where was Thomas?! “Ahh Hell… No… No, I swear to all that is holy…!” My frantic search all over Yun Gong did not take long to start.
After twenty minutes of searching the vast cloud palace, I saw a flicker of light in the gardens followed by a little, slow puff of embers into the air around the glow of the light. As I ran to it, I had no idea what I was about to become… All those years of feeling human… Gone in an instant. Before I could even comprehend the scene before me, I was grabbed by Hate and Lust and dragged to where all of the action was. They had Thomas tied up in a miserable, vestless grey outfit. They began to quickly strip me and that same grey outfit was placed upon my person. “How dreadful… Not even a vest to go with this? How improper of you!” Inside I was panicking though… For I knew this horrid, dreaded outfit. You did not want to wear this, and not just because it looked absolutely horrendous… It was the “uniform” for our killing chamber, the only room in Yun Gong that was allowed to see the horrors my cousins loved to practice. Life stepped forward, a smile unlike the one before on her pale yet lovely face. “Damn… You took action fast. I thought you’d at least think a little bit before doing so.” Her grin only got wider, and this scared me… It seemed to get more maniacal by the minute.
“Why think when I have been planning this out ever since that little brat was born? I knew this day would come, Exodus, so I tried my hardest to put it off. Sadly, I couldn’t for forever. I am no fool, and you out of all people should know this. Now… I give you one last chance to disown that child and your precious memories of him. So what do you say? Come back to your real family, for we miss you.”
“I like it better when you ‘beg of me’...” I chuckled. “You think I’m stupid enough to believe a single word that comes out of that tainted mouth of yours? To just gladly take you up on all of your offers with a clueless smile on my face? No, dear cousin, I will not come back to you or any of the other Unseen Forces for that matter. If this boy is to perish surely I must as well, for you wouldn’t have put me in this dreadful outfit if I wasn’t to do so with him. So if you would kindly go to Hell… It’d be much appreciated.” I returned a grin to her identical, I’d like to believe, to the one that she was wearing.
That mischievous grin remained glued to her lips. “Alright then, suit yourself. I’ve been feeling that lately, Karma could use a replacement anyway.” She nodded towards Hate and Lust, who grab Thomas and I, dragging us to the Killing Chamber.
The Room of Horrors is the size of a small ballroom and is located in the center of the entire Killing Chamber, which is really just Yun Gong’s basement. It is kind of like a Nazi concentration camp’s gas chamber, only the gas released into the room makes you hallucinate before slowly killing you. There is a little window where Life can watch her victims slowly die from madness and suffocation with a joyou smile on her face. As Thomas and I are thrown into the room, I look at her through that little window and, surprisingly, the rotting apple comes to my mind.
I scoot over to my son, snuggling into him for our final moments. Suddenly he begins to speak in a terrified, pain filled voice: “Daddy… I’m sorry! I’m sorry I was born! Maybe if I was never brought into this world, you could live a long and happy life and it wouldn’t have to end here, and certainly not like this! I’m so sorry, daddy… Please forgive me!” He cried into my shoulder and the poison gas was released. Now that broke my heart more than anything else ever had before. “Oh Thomas…” I put his face in my chest, partly so he couldn’t see how helpless I looked and so that he could be blocked from the gas for a little bit. Hallucinations began to cloud my eyes as I saw Love in that window with Life, choking her viciously. Now why would she be there? She wasn’t even allowed in Yun Gong anymore, let alone anywhere near Life. I coughed and held Thomas closer, the gas filling my lungs. He was trembling as I continued watching the hallucination. However, as I did so, I realized what Life had been planning all along.
She had not taken away my powers, therefore I was not human, so I still was unable to feel the embrace of my cousin. She was going to make me watch my son die, which was a greater pain than anything physical ever would have been. I scowled and my eyes filled with a fiery anger that I did not even know I possessed. Thomas was becoming more still by the minute and I wanted desperately to save him, so I stood slowly. My legs were wobbly as a side effect from the gas so I was wobbly on them, like a little fawn learning to walk. I glared and scowled at Life as Thomas’ breathing slowed. I blinked when i felt glass rain upon my face and I discovered that the glass had been broken by Love… Wait what? Wasn’t Love just a hallucination? You’re not supposed to be able to feel them, like I had done with the glass, so… What the hell? I felt a hand on my arm and suddenly I was running with her, Thomas still in my arms. Life was unconscious, bruises all over her neck from Love’s hands. I stumbled around because of my legs, but we made it to a closet as we both hoped and prayed that Thomas was still alive.
Love quickly closes the door, examining Little Thomas. “Dammit Exodus… Why bring him here?!” “Where else would I have brought him?!”
Thomas let out a cough, looking at me then Love. “Mommy…” He hugged and clung onto her, and I felt my ears and cheeks turn red with jealousy. However, maybe it was not right to keep Thomas away from his mother… He loved her and she loved him… The grudge I held was toward Love, not Thomas, so he shouldn’t have had to face the consequences in the first place. Even so, how could I forgive Love for what she did? I still don’t forgive her… And that was a long while ago. “Thank you, love.” She smiled, nodded, and touched my arm. “Anytime, Exodus. I’ll always be there for my son and the man I love.” She went in to kiss my but I grabbed her wrist and pushed her away. “Stop it. Do not use the situation to get a bloody kiss out of me.”
“It was quite easy for me to get one out of you last time…”
“That’s because you seduced me.”
“I did not. You gave into Lust and let him take control of you. You are the only one at fault for that.”
I crossed my arms and looked at Thomas, who was huddled up in a corner. “I hate it when you two argue…” It was so quiet, so absent mindedly said, yet Love and I both heard it and were, at the same time, suddenly sorry. her expression softened as she looked back at me. “Oh Exodus… What are we to do?”
“I… I have no idea, Love.” It was the first time that I actually admitted it to myself. Up until now, I had been lying to myself, saying that I “had a plan” and that we’d “be fine”... How wrong I was. I will warn you that it all turns to shit from here on out… And I don’t usually use such severe language so you know it gets pretty horrible pretty quickly.
“If it would be easier on you two then let me die. Give me over to them and go on to live your lives.”
Ahh yes… The thought that had crossed my mind multiple times. It’s terrible, isn’t it? How a father would even think about giving up his precious little boy just to dispel of all of his own stress and problems? Well yes i thought about it but not for long. The very thought sickened me, just like how easily I allowed myself to be taken advantage of by Love did… Yes, you know, for how could you even forget… When I vomited? I wonder… Does the thought of my anger terrify you until you picture me hunched over a bucket, gagging into it? then you probably laugh and cannot, under any circumstances, take me seriously, huh? That is alright, for just you watch… That will be the reason I’ll grip your soul in my hands someday before passing it onto my dark but lovely cousin.
“No Thomas,” She hugged him, “If we did that, all of the fighting we have done will be for nothing.”
This got me thinking… That rotting apple and Love’s voice… What did it mean? I happened to believe it meant the end of all of this fighting, so I tried to push things along. “Love, let’s not stay in this closet forever… Get us out of here.”
“With pleasure, my dear Exodus.” She slowly opened the door and checked to make sure the coast was clear before grabbing our hands and running out, going to the ballroom. We hardly ever had parties, but when we did we went all out. So life had the hardly used, mostly empty ballroom constructed. The balcony attached to it was almost as big as the actual ballroom itself, with the same magnificent gold and marble floors, which the railing around it was made of as well. Love stood on said railing, her arms spread out and her eyes closed. “Ohh… That wind feels so good on my face. Won’t you join me, Exodus?” “Quit playing ar--” She grabbed Thomas and jumped with him in her arms, causing me to follow suit in a state of panic… As if I could save Thomas that way.
“Love, what the hell is wrong with you?!”
Little Thomas was shrieking like a tortured cat might have as he plummeted down to the earth and, possibly, his death like a Kamikaze skydiver… You know, that sport where you throw your parachute out of the plane and jump after it to see if you can catch it before you become a mess on the ground below you. That scene sounds quite horrific to see, judging from what Death has told me. It is basically suicide if you ask me. We Unseen Forces at Yun Gong do not take kindly to skydivers… On occasion they fell right into Yun Gong and discovered us. So Death took matter into his own hands… If any skydiver came remotely close to us, he would cause their parachute to malfunction and cause them to fall to their deaths. That is why parachutes malfunction for certain people… They were near Yun Gong. We all praised his “genius” idea at the time… But now… Well, now it just seems so cruel to me. I understand Death to a point, for if it is someone’s time then surely they must go… But why cut their lives short, especially when they have their whole lives ahead of them? It makes no sense to me.
Eventually, we hit the ground (As you would expect). Love protected Thomas by landing on her back, breaking his fall. Some of my bones temporarily broke as I landed painfully on my stomach, my ribs taking most of the damage. “Ugh… Goddammit Love… You couldn’t have found a different way down…?”
“Well… I mean sure there were other ways down, but none of them were as effective or quick as the one we took.”
“I broke some of my ribs, for god’s sake!”
“Oh hush now… We heal faster than humans do, so you’ll be as good as new in no time! Now let’s go!”
I slowly and painfully stood, but managed to walk around with them, nonetheless. “At least tell me where we are going, Love…” “To my new home. I built it myself on top of a beautiful, green, lush hill in the British countryside. You both will love it!”
“And if I don’t you’ll just make me love it anyway…”
She giggled, “Yep, probably!” We walked on and on, Thomas falling asleep in his mother’s arms and my ribs healing, until we reached Love’s mansion of a house. I was amazed that she had built a house identical to those of british aristocrats in such a short amount of time, but she is Love… She could do anything.
“Love… This is truly amazing…” She grinned at me and for once I found her extremely beautiful… Oh hell. It was happening.
“Thank you, Exodus. I made Thomas’ room right next to ours.”
I nodded, not even requesting to have my own room. There was no point in it anyway, and… Admittedly, I…
I stopped thinking for a while to realize that Love was already inside with Thomas… She always did like to move things along quickly, for slow was not really her style… As I’m sure you can tell with the route she took from Yun Gong to Earth.
I hurried into the beautiful home and I began thinking of many different things: Euphoria… Love… Thomas… Thomas, Love, Euphoria… That god damned rotting apple. Was the end near? I certainly hoped so then… Now I realize I should not have wanted things to end so quickly… It is one of my biggest regrets in life.
“I’ll show you to your room, Exodus.” Love grabbed me gently by the arm and I chuckled a little bit to myself. “You mean our room, right?” She looked surprised that I hadn’t asked for us to have separate rooms, but she smiled and nodded, looking very pleased. Leading us to our room, Love didn’t look at me, and I briefly wondered why, as I do with most things. I grabbed her hand tightly for two reasons: To see if I could get a reaction out of her and I…
She opened the door to our room and it was truly a gorgeous sight, much like its creator. “Oh… Thank you Love.” I suddenly found myself embracing her tightly… And I liked it.
“Exodus, what is all of this? First you want nothing to do with me, now you just can't take your hands off of me…”
“Are you complaining?”
“No! No, believe me when I say that i enjoy it very much. It just seems so sudden, you know? What changed your mind about me so quickly?”
I laid on our bed, realizing for about the fifth time that day that I was not wearing a vest. I missed it as I thought Love’s words over. What had changed my mind so fast exactly? I knew from my little “infatuation” with both thomas and Euphoria at the same time that I was prone to not keeping my interests in just one single person and falling in love with another quite quickly but with Love it just felt so… Different. I think that the only reason I fell in love with Euphoria in the first place was because the part of me that remembered my human life missed Love, and just moved on to the next best thing.
I smiled at Love and propped my head onto my hand, taking in her incredible beauty. “I was always in love with you… I just didn’t know it.”
“Exodus…” She looked away from me slightly, and this worried me. “...What about that Euphoria girl?”
“What about her? What’s done is done. You killed her.” Despite my best efforts to say this nonchalantly, the words still came out like I had just swallowed some sour milk, as they would have when Euphoria had just been taken away from me.
“I know I did… And I’m so sorry for that, Exodus. I know you probably still hate me for it, but you must understand why I did it. She blinded your eyes with love, and a love that was supposed to be for me, nonetheless. If she was doing so then, what was stopping her from doing it in the future?” This reminded me of Death’s words when he taken Thomas away from me the first time.
Was this the way everyone thought? Were they all so concerned for the future? Look… Yes, you should think about your actions before you even do them because they can have negative effects on you later on, but we all live in the present so enjoy the now. If you constantly worry about the future, you’ll worry your eyes away right before your very eyes.
“You sound just like Death.”
“Huh?”
“He said something similar to that back when Thomas died. He knew I held a certain love for the boy at the time. Said something like, ‘You loved the boy and he was distracting you from your work. If he was doing so now, what was stopping him from doing so in the future?’ Those words bothered me then, and they most certainly bother me now… Perhaps they will forever.”
“...I’m sorry, Exodus. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Don’t be. You didn’t know.”
She laid next to me, snuggling into me. “Exodus, are you feeling alright? You’re really warm.”
“I feel fine.”
She puts her hand over my heart, staring at nothing in particular for a while.
“Exodus…? I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I didn’t even hesitate in saying it. Even when I was angry with her, I felt that I wanted and needed her… That I craved her. Euphoria truly was just the next best thing after Love, but once I had found Love again… The fire that had once burned for Euphoria was eternally put out, whereas Love’s fire became stronger and brighter than ever. Then again… I still didn’t know what the little crush I had on Thomas was. I think it was because, deep down on the inside, I knew he was my son and that I loved him in a fatherly way, but my heart mistook it for the Love of Lovers.
I don’t know… It could be anything, but I sincerely hope it is as simple as that.
You should have seen the way Love’s eyes had lit up when I told her I loved her… And I meant it. She bit her lip after a few minutes and I knew what she wanted. Her lips felt soft as they pressed against mine and I wrapped my arms around her. Yes, eventually clothes were torn off and bodies joined together like they had so many years ago… And I felt alive. More so than ever before. And, it was in that instant that I knew I was home; Where I was always meant to be and where I would stay.
Morning came, as did Thomas into our bed. He snuggled into my bare chest and I, only half awake, snuggled back. Love was already up and, judging from the smell of bacon and eggs was making breakfast. Haha… For a while there, everything was normal… If there even is such a thing… But like most things in my life… It was not to last.
I discreetly put a pair of pants on under the sheets and stood, picking Thomas up and taking him into the kitchen. Love was finishing up the feast of a breakfast she had created, humming a lullaby to herself. I had no clue why, for wasn’t the purpose of a lullaby to try and put you to sleep? Why would she want to put herself to sleep in the middle of finishing breakfast? Ahh, there you humans go again… Oh yes, I think that I have forgotten to mention this. After we escaped Yun Gong, Life was so enraged that she took away all of Love’s powers, making her completely human. This played a huge part in the Demise of Yun Gong.
“Good morning you two,” Love turned around and the morning sunlight made her green eyes sparkle brightly, reminding me of mints, “You’re just in time. Breakfast just got done.” Her smile looked dazzling with those shining eyes she had.
I set Thomas down on the chair he picked, next to my own, as I took my seat. Love set the table and there was so much variety that it was pretty hard to choose what to eat and what to, sadly, leave untouched. She made us each an omelette and two pancakes, along with hash browns, sausage, bacon, and hash. She gave a choice of milk, hot cocoa, or orange juice to drink. Thomas naturally chose the hot cocoa, as any other little kid would. I chose orange juice and Love chose the milk. It became apparent to me that, despite us all being a family, we were incredibly different. Love preferred simplicity, Thomas liked to go along with others, and I enjoyed being bright and standing out on my own. I smiled gently as I thought about this, eating my delicious breakfast.
“So… What are we going to do today?”
I briefly noticed her great posture as I thought about this.
“We could just relax today. After what we went through at Yun Gong… I think we deserve a few day’s rest.”
Thomas nods. “Yeah… I’m still a little tired from yesterday.”
Love sighed, nodding her head. “And here I was hoping you two would be a little more active…” She laid her head on the table next to her plate of breakfast.
Rolling my eyes, I stood and went to go get dressed, as I had remembered that my chest was improperly uncovered. I put on my long sleeved white button up, feeling my chin as I looked at myself in the mirror. I hadn’t shaved for quite a while, and I was reminded of my hatred for facial hair. Love came in a few minutes later, a look in her eyes that seemed unusual to me. She gently grabbed my arm, staring at the floor. “Exodus, if you are really that tired… You should be lying down.” I sighed and realized she was right so I laid down, instantly savoring the feeling the soft blankets and pillows gave me. I kept my eyes on her, finding her behavior and body language most peculiar. I knew that something was wrong, yet she said nothing and kept her oddly blank eyes staring straight ahead.
I nudged her with my foot, but she scooted away from me and I’m not going to lie, for I despise those who lie… It did hurt a little bit. “Alright,” I sat up, “What is it?”
“I do not know what you mean, Exodus.”
“That breakfast. It was unreasonably huge.”
“I just wanted to welcome you and Thomas home.”
“Your body language is quite peculier today.” She said nothing, so I got on my knees, wrapping my arms around her from behind. “And now you won’t even talk to me or tell me what’s wrong… That kinda hurts, Love. What is going on? I hate being in the dark… I feel like I know nothing about anything, especially now… Which is probably true enough, huh Love?” I playfully poked and kissed her cheek, and I could tell tell that she was getting annoyed, so I kept at it. Maybe if I annoyed her to a certain point she’d spill the beans about whatever it was that she was hiding. Finally, turning to look me in the eyes, she said words that took me a long while to comprehend: “I’m pregnant again.”
I felt myself go cold, freezing and just staring at her with the same blank eyes that she had had only moments ago. She noticed this and couldn’t even meet my eyes as she stood. “Last night was not wise, Exodus…”
“Yet… I do not regret it.”
She looked at me sadly, yet her eyes seemed hopeful in a way… If that even makes sense.
“If we were able to live normal lives, then I’d be so excited and would be looking forward to raising a child together, like we didn’t get to do with Thomas, but… We cannot. Not as long as Life and the other Unseen Forces are after us. We’ve doomed ourselves and the child in my womb right now… As long as this fighting continues, you, me, Thomas, and our unborn child will have no future. We’ll just be… Drifting by, Yet not really living. A life without meaning is the same as a slow death.”
“So… What do we do then, Love?”
“We fight and we never stop. Otherwise… We’ll all suffer the same fate.”
I nodded and hugged her, rubbing her back. “I promise… No matter what happens… I’ll fight. If I must fight to the death then so be it… I’ll do anything to protect you and our children.”
In the end… It was the opposite. I did absolutely nothing to protect them. Yet love sacrificed so much to do so… How selfish I was. I let her bear the burden of our sins. Her fire would glow brighter and practically engulf her in it while she rotted away like an apple… A beautiful, beautiful apple.
-End, The Day You Slipped Away: Middle-
I do not know what caused me to do it. I stood with my son in my arms, holding his head to my chest as embers flew and people scurried to put out the fire I caused. I had lit Euphoria’s house on fire. No one needed it anymore, for I was taking Thomas to Yun Gong and Euphoria was… Well, you know. I watch embers float by and one lands of my pale cheek, burning it ever so slightly. It was only more pain to feel. Thomas was shaking as if he was cold, though the heat from the fire was scorching so he couldn’t have been. I briefly wondered how he felt about the situation… To have a complete stranger raise him his whole life, his real mother come into the picture and kill the woman who had raised him, and to have the father he never knew banish his mother from ever seeing him again… All within a matter of minutes. It surely couldn’t have felt good. I wish now that I had asked him how he felt about it all… How he felt about me. I put my back to that fire and just walked. I never dared to look back due to my heart not being able to take it… And yet, why was I still staying with Thomas? Surely he would cause me pain, right? That sounds terrible to say about your own son but at least it’s not true… He didn’t bring me pain at all, and I couldn’t leave him again. He’d been walked out on too many times in his short life of eight, soon to be nine years.
“Thomas... ? How would you like to stay with me in a grand palace?” I wasn’t really going to give him a choice in the matter, but I figured that if I asked rather than commanded, he would trust me more. I couldn’t leave a child on the streets. I had no idea where Love was so I couldn’t give him to her (Not that I would anyways), and he was my son. If I gave him up yet again, then what kind of father would I be? An awful one, I’ll tell you that. I was happy to take and care for him, making up for his life of being fatherless.
“A palace,” his little blue eyes lit up, “Are you rich, daddy?” I let out a short sigh of relief. It was nice to get at least one worry off of my chest… Alright then. He didn’t know what his mother and I were, and it was best to keep it that way. It’d be hard to do so, but it was possible, like most things. Except trying to staple water to a tree. No way in Hell you are going to do that… I chuckled and ruffled his hair gently, “Something like that, little one.” Why didn’t I realize it before? He had my deep blue eyes and hair that was as blonde as Love’s. He had his mother’s jawline, which didn’t look bad on him, and he had my nose, which went well with his other facial features. I was just glad that he didn’t get my pale skin and had a little color to him… If he didn’t, people would probably think he was sickly all the time. Trust me… I know what that feels like, and it does not feel good.
Then again… I didn’t remember ever being human, so why would I ever remember him being my son? I guess it’s just something you don’t forget… Yet I did. Somehow… Anyways, I still don’t remember being human, spare a few memories with Love… If you know what I mean. I would wink if you could even see me and if I was remotely in the mood.
I will admit one thing, though… Love and I had made a rather gorgeous baby. There was a reason all along behind Lust wanting me to have her… It was because I had already had her. Countless times, if I remember correctly. Then, I began to wonder… Do all of my fellow Unseen Forces know about Love and I? About me being human before I joined them and became Karma, or Exodus, as I prefer it? They probably did, and this worried me. How would they react to me bringing Thomas in? They’d know about him too, and possibly try to attack him. I was putting my own son in danger… But what else could I do? We had no where else to go. As Thomas closed his eyes and I continued to walk, I began to think: He’d love it at Yun Gong… Or at least, he would, if they left him alone, which they surely would not do.
Thomas had no future. It sounds horrible to know that I, his own father, has said that about him, but it is true. He would be hunted (Along with myself) for eternity, and would grow up too fast… No. He wouldn’t grow up at all. Not to my knowledge, anyway.
Eventually we reached Yun Gong. I decided to let Thomas stay asleep… It would give him no benefit to see the disgust and horror on their faces as their gaze fell upon him. Stepping foot into that wretched cloud palace, I kept my son in my arms and my head held high. I wore a fake confidence all over my body that would surely decay over time. I was not at all confident that I could protect Thomas, let alone myself, and I knew it was going to be a rough and rocky road ahead of us. If Love was here, she could do a much better job than I could…
I knew I was no match for the Unseen Forces if they all decided to attack at the same time, and I couldn’t even win against Life or Death one on one… And, when I was fighting, who would watch over Thomas? That would be their opening to capture and possibly kill the little boy. I began to regret banishing Love from Yun Gong altogether. I realized then the danger that we were all in, but I couldn’t leave now. All eyes were focused on me as I walked to my room and away from them, never batting an eye. I knew, and they knew that I knew, which made the situation all the more frightening for them and I. I knew of their betrayal and lies, yet I didn’t even blink as I walked past the ones who had controlled and, possibly, ruined my life. It was my turn to set them on fire.
I could be dangerous and fearless when I wanted to be, and it was their time to be fearful for the first time in their pathetic and worthless lives. Yes, they had felt and experienced fear before, but that of which I will cause them… Oh, it’ll be a new kind entirely.
I set Thomas on my bed and covered him up with a few soft comforters and went out onto my balcony that was attached to my room. It was then that I decided to write this story. Someone would read it and know the forces that control them, like they controlled me and the path my life would take… They had to, right? Well look what has happened, dearest reader… You are reading this. The risk of writing this story was worth it, for someone knows. You know. You know the feelings I feel, the love I’ve lost, the lies by which I have lived my life by… You. You know. And for that, even though I have not met you in person (Punishing and rewarding is different from meeting you), You are my best friend in this cruel and unforgiving world.
Never thought I’d say that to a human… I mean, assuming that you are one. As you know, Euphoria was the only reason I ever actually started caring for humans, so ever saying those words was something that I had not predicted.
Thomas started to stir as a breeze blew through my room due to my not closing the glass balcony doors. I turned and faced my son, who was now sitting up looking at me. He had been very quiet, not counting the palace conversation we had on the way to Yun Gong, and even now he did not open his mouth to speak. He just stared with his deep blue eyes, the ones of which I gave him. “Have a nice little nap?” He nodded, holding his arms out to me once again. I never thought the embrace of a son would be so warm, so sweet… Yet it is.
It’s almost better than the love I felt for Euphoria!... Oh… Euphoria…
I will confess (If I do not tell you this I will explode) that Euphoria and I did meet after her “Death.” I love thinking about her, yet I hate it at the same time… It is the same way with Love. The things that she had done angered me, but they were reasonable and understandable actions when you get down to it. She, like Euphie, is a painful subject for me… Especially after… Well, what happened happened.
It may confuse you, but despite everything she’s done (A lot of it wasn’t even really her fault), I still care about her. She means a lot to me, though not as much as Euphoria did. Love was the mother of my child… And his savior as well.
“Thomas,” I sat in front of him, taking his tiny hands into mine, “Those people out there… You are not allowed to look at them or speak to them either. Understood?”
At this, he blinked his lapis lazuli eyes. Tilting his head to the side, he asks, “Why not, daddy?”
I did not know what to say… Pretty much everything I came up with would just scare him. “Be… Because…” I wanted to get this right with him. “Because I said so.” Really Exodus? After all of that thought, that’s what your pathetic little mind came up with? That was such a dad answer, it kills me…
“Oh alright.” He laid back down with me next to him and snuggled me. I began to think about my life, think about my decisions… I had lived a very long life, and it made me wonder how long ago had everything with Love happened? It could’ve been recent or a long time ago in the past… For all I knew, the Unseen Forces gave me false memories of always being Karma. Yes, that is what they must have done. Knowing them… They most certainly did. Oh well… It didn’t matter anyway. Everything would be coming to an end entirely.
“Dad… Where is mommy?”
“She’s… I don’t know.” it was truth enough. I had no idea where Love or Euphoria were, so it was the right response for either.
“Will I ever see her again?”
I hope not. “I do not know, thomas.” I sighed as if I was frustrated, which I wasn’t. If he thought that I was, however, maybe he’d lay off. I find it funny that, despite the odds, I was not frustrated at all. I should have been. If someone was trying to kill your son after forcing you into a horrible life, you would be, right? Well… It was a strange feeling, that one. I was calmer than I ever had been in my eternal life, yet my mind raced with worry. I do not think that there is even a word for that feeling… Even so, it most certainly exists.
I have said it before and I will say it again: Thomas was a very smart boy and he knew how to read people very well. He could tell that I did not want to discuss it any further, so he let up. “Alright daddy… It doesn’t matter to me now anyway. I have you, and that is all I need to make me happy.”
If I would’ve allowed myself to do so I would have cried all of the tears I had been holding in ever since Euphoria disappeared. I stopped, feeling the presence of Life. I got up and went down the hall just outside of my room. Before I even turned the corner, there she was. My golden goddess of a cousin had a smile she had been holding ever since she saw Thomas, so long it must’ve been painful. “Exodus,” She took me by the shoulders and for the first time ever, she seemed… Weak, “Darling. Please, please… I beg of you. Please dispose of that awful rat!”
“That rat is my son. I am not disposing of anything, except for you from my mind.”
“Exodus, you-”
“You lied to me! Made me believe I was one of you and gave me a very false life! You are more of a witch than Love ever was!”
“I see you are upset… However, this whole situation made you a poor, little victim of circumstance and therefore my fight and anger is not for you… As long as you let me help you forget all of this and rid of that awful, wretched boy!”
“I will do no such thing!” I suddenly felt a rush - An incredible - as i struck my cousin. She looked surprised and I loved it… That stupid look on her face as she lay fallen over onto the ground. Evidently, my cousin did not think that I had the strength nor the courage to strike down Life… Huh. That word seems odd to me now… “Cousin.”
You know as well as I do that Life is not really my cousin, but I do not know what else to call her, due to me knowing her as such for my “whole” life. I still call her that, even today… Even after… Mmm. Even after Yun Gong no longer exists.
“Alright Exodus… You know what? I’ll let the boy’s fate be shared with you and and become your own!” She stood angrily and grabbed me by the hair roughly, pulling me forward and towards her. “I’ll be sure to torture you, even into the afterlife!”
“Yes… Etch the pain into me! It’ll be my proof of life and salvation! For if you give me pain, I will hate it, no doubt about that, but once you do torture me, I will yearn for death and when you finally give it to me I will be eternally grateful! You cannot torture me in my salvation!”
Life growled in frustration and practically threw me across the room before she stormed off. I slowly got up and ran to my son, who was in my room looking through my wardrobe. I freeze and just watch him for a while. “What are you doing?” He jumped and quickly looked at me, holding up one of my many vests. I realized then I was not wearing one and was one wearing a long sleeved, white button up shirt. I suddenly felt naked.
“I-I know I ripped one of your vests back at Euphie’s house, so I was making sure you had more!” He snuggled the vest some and looked away, “Please don’t be mad at me…”
I sighed and shook my head, wondering what else my (brief) time as a father would bring me. I picked Thomas up and set the vest down, taking him out onto the balcony. “Oh Thomas… What am I to do with you?” He may have laughed and snuggled into me, but it was a serious question.
What was I to do with him? I did not feel that he should stay at Yun Gong for fairly obvious reasons, but where else would I place him? Give him to some stranger again, like Love had done with Euphoria? Hell no. He would not be abandoned by me or anyone else again, and especially not when he was old enough to remember it this time. Besides, if I did that, Life would get the satisfaction she surely did not deserve… My pride was more important to me than my own son’s safety at that time, and that did, in fact, prove to be disastrous later on.
“You do not need to worry about the vest, my little one,” I set him down and kneel next to him, “I consider it an honor to have my clothing ripped my you.” He smiled and wrapped his little arms around me once again, and my heart went off. My back hit the ground hard as I fell, clutching my chest. I let out a short scream, my heart beating at a fast pace as I lose all consciousness and fall into the darkness of truth.
An apple rots as a fiery rain begins to fall all around it, mixed with small droplets of gasoline. Reaching out to grab the apple and save it before it becomes engulfed in the massive hurricane of flames, my hand is instead the one engulfed in Love’s Flame, as her voice says one simple sentence to me: “You mustn’t interfere.” I then wake up in a sweaty screaming fit. I look around my dark room, which possessed no other life form except myself, and I am not even technically a life form. I stood and began to wander around Yun Gong, but it too was dark and dismal… Not an Unseen Force in sight. This began to worry me, as it should have… Where was Thomas?! “Ahh Hell… No… No, I swear to all that is holy…!” My frantic search all over Yun Gong did not take long to start.
After twenty minutes of searching the vast cloud palace, I saw a flicker of light in the gardens followed by a little, slow puff of embers into the air around the glow of the light. As I ran to it, I had no idea what I was about to become… All those years of feeling human… Gone in an instant. Before I could even comprehend the scene before me, I was grabbed by Hate and Lust and dragged to where all of the action was. They had Thomas tied up in a miserable, vestless grey outfit. They began to quickly strip me and that same grey outfit was placed upon my person. “How dreadful… Not even a vest to go with this? How improper of you!” Inside I was panicking though… For I knew this horrid, dreaded outfit. You did not want to wear this, and not just because it looked absolutely horrendous… It was the “uniform” for our killing chamber, the only room in Yun Gong that was allowed to see the horrors my cousins loved to practice. Life stepped forward, a smile unlike the one before on her pale yet lovely face. “Damn… You took action fast. I thought you’d at least think a little bit before doing so.” Her grin only got wider, and this scared me… It seemed to get more maniacal by the minute.
“Why think when I have been planning this out ever since that little brat was born? I knew this day would come, Exodus, so I tried my hardest to put it off. Sadly, I couldn’t for forever. I am no fool, and you out of all people should know this. Now… I give you one last chance to disown that child and your precious memories of him. So what do you say? Come back to your real family, for we miss you.”
“I like it better when you ‘beg of me’...” I chuckled. “You think I’m stupid enough to believe a single word that comes out of that tainted mouth of yours? To just gladly take you up on all of your offers with a clueless smile on my face? No, dear cousin, I will not come back to you or any of the other Unseen Forces for that matter. If this boy is to perish surely I must as well, for you wouldn’t have put me in this dreadful outfit if I wasn’t to do so with him. So if you would kindly go to Hell… It’d be much appreciated.” I returned a grin to her identical, I’d like to believe, to the one that she was wearing.
That mischievous grin remained glued to her lips. “Alright then, suit yourself. I’ve been feeling that lately, Karma could use a replacement anyway.” She nodded towards Hate and Lust, who grab Thomas and I, dragging us to the Killing Chamber.
The Room of Horrors is the size of a small ballroom and is located in the center of the entire Killing Chamber, which is really just Yun Gong’s basement. It is kind of like a Nazi concentration camp’s gas chamber, only the gas released into the room makes you hallucinate before slowly killing you. There is a little window where Life can watch her victims slowly die from madness and suffocation with a joyou smile on her face. As Thomas and I are thrown into the room, I look at her through that little window and, surprisingly, the rotting apple comes to my mind.
I scoot over to my son, snuggling into him for our final moments. Suddenly he begins to speak in a terrified, pain filled voice: “Daddy… I’m sorry! I’m sorry I was born! Maybe if I was never brought into this world, you could live a long and happy life and it wouldn’t have to end here, and certainly not like this! I’m so sorry, daddy… Please forgive me!” He cried into my shoulder and the poison gas was released. Now that broke my heart more than anything else ever had before. “Oh Thomas…” I put his face in my chest, partly so he couldn’t see how helpless I looked and so that he could be blocked from the gas for a little bit. Hallucinations began to cloud my eyes as I saw Love in that window with Life, choking her viciously. Now why would she be there? She wasn’t even allowed in Yun Gong anymore, let alone anywhere near Life. I coughed and held Thomas closer, the gas filling my lungs. He was trembling as I continued watching the hallucination. However, as I did so, I realized what Life had been planning all along.
She had not taken away my powers, therefore I was not human, so I still was unable to feel the embrace of my cousin. She was going to make me watch my son die, which was a greater pain than anything physical ever would have been. I scowled and my eyes filled with a fiery anger that I did not even know I possessed. Thomas was becoming more still by the minute and I wanted desperately to save him, so I stood slowly. My legs were wobbly as a side effect from the gas so I was wobbly on them, like a little fawn learning to walk. I glared and scowled at Life as Thomas’ breathing slowed. I blinked when i felt glass rain upon my face and I discovered that the glass had been broken by Love… Wait what? Wasn’t Love just a hallucination? You’re not supposed to be able to feel them, like I had done with the glass, so… What the hell? I felt a hand on my arm and suddenly I was running with her, Thomas still in my arms. Life was unconscious, bruises all over her neck from Love’s hands. I stumbled around because of my legs, but we made it to a closet as we both hoped and prayed that Thomas was still alive.
Love quickly closes the door, examining Little Thomas. “Dammit Exodus… Why bring him here?!” “Where else would I have brought him?!”
Thomas let out a cough, looking at me then Love. “Mommy…” He hugged and clung onto her, and I felt my ears and cheeks turn red with jealousy. However, maybe it was not right to keep Thomas away from his mother… He loved her and she loved him… The grudge I held was toward Love, not Thomas, so he shouldn’t have had to face the consequences in the first place. Even so, how could I forgive Love for what she did? I still don’t forgive her… And that was a long while ago. “Thank you, love.” She smiled, nodded, and touched my arm. “Anytime, Exodus. I’ll always be there for my son and the man I love.” She went in to kiss my but I grabbed her wrist and pushed her away. “Stop it. Do not use the situation to get a bloody kiss out of me.”
“It was quite easy for me to get one out of you last time…”
“That’s because you seduced me.”
“I did not. You gave into Lust and let him take control of you. You are the only one at fault for that.”
I crossed my arms and looked at Thomas, who was huddled up in a corner. “I hate it when you two argue…” It was so quiet, so absent mindedly said, yet Love and I both heard it and were, at the same time, suddenly sorry. her expression softened as she looked back at me. “Oh Exodus… What are we to do?”
“I… I have no idea, Love.” It was the first time that I actually admitted it to myself. Up until now, I had been lying to myself, saying that I “had a plan” and that we’d “be fine”... How wrong I was. I will warn you that it all turns to shit from here on out… And I don’t usually use such severe language so you know it gets pretty horrible pretty quickly.
“If it would be easier on you two then let me die. Give me over to them and go on to live your lives.”
Ahh yes… The thought that had crossed my mind multiple times. It’s terrible, isn’t it? How a father would even think about giving up his precious little boy just to dispel of all of his own stress and problems? Well yes i thought about it but not for long. The very thought sickened me, just like how easily I allowed myself to be taken advantage of by Love did… Yes, you know, for how could you even forget… When I vomited? I wonder… Does the thought of my anger terrify you until you picture me hunched over a bucket, gagging into it? then you probably laugh and cannot, under any circumstances, take me seriously, huh? That is alright, for just you watch… That will be the reason I’ll grip your soul in my hands someday before passing it onto my dark but lovely cousin.
“No Thomas,” She hugged him, “If we did that, all of the fighting we have done will be for nothing.”
This got me thinking… That rotting apple and Love’s voice… What did it mean? I happened to believe it meant the end of all of this fighting, so I tried to push things along. “Love, let’s not stay in this closet forever… Get us out of here.”
“With pleasure, my dear Exodus.” She slowly opened the door and checked to make sure the coast was clear before grabbing our hands and running out, going to the ballroom. We hardly ever had parties, but when we did we went all out. So life had the hardly used, mostly empty ballroom constructed. The balcony attached to it was almost as big as the actual ballroom itself, with the same magnificent gold and marble floors, which the railing around it was made of as well. Love stood on said railing, her arms spread out and her eyes closed. “Ohh… That wind feels so good on my face. Won’t you join me, Exodus?” “Quit playing ar--” She grabbed Thomas and jumped with him in her arms, causing me to follow suit in a state of panic… As if I could save Thomas that way.
“Love, what the hell is wrong with you?!”
Little Thomas was shrieking like a tortured cat might have as he plummeted down to the earth and, possibly, his death like a Kamikaze skydiver… You know, that sport where you throw your parachute out of the plane and jump after it to see if you can catch it before you become a mess on the ground below you. That scene sounds quite horrific to see, judging from what Death has told me. It is basically suicide if you ask me. We Unseen Forces at Yun Gong do not take kindly to skydivers… On occasion they fell right into Yun Gong and discovered us. So Death took matter into his own hands… If any skydiver came remotely close to us, he would cause their parachute to malfunction and cause them to fall to their deaths. That is why parachutes malfunction for certain people… They were near Yun Gong. We all praised his “genius” idea at the time… But now… Well, now it just seems so cruel to me. I understand Death to a point, for if it is someone’s time then surely they must go… But why cut their lives short, especially when they have their whole lives ahead of them? It makes no sense to me.
Eventually, we hit the ground (As you would expect). Love protected Thomas by landing on her back, breaking his fall. Some of my bones temporarily broke as I landed painfully on my stomach, my ribs taking most of the damage. “Ugh… Goddammit Love… You couldn’t have found a different way down…?”
“Well… I mean sure there were other ways down, but none of them were as effective or quick as the one we took.”
“I broke some of my ribs, for god’s sake!”
“Oh hush now… We heal faster than humans do, so you’ll be as good as new in no time! Now let’s go!”
I slowly and painfully stood, but managed to walk around with them, nonetheless. “At least tell me where we are going, Love…” “To my new home. I built it myself on top of a beautiful, green, lush hill in the British countryside. You both will love it!”
“And if I don’t you’ll just make me love it anyway…”
She giggled, “Yep, probably!” We walked on and on, Thomas falling asleep in his mother’s arms and my ribs healing, until we reached Love’s mansion of a house. I was amazed that she had built a house identical to those of british aristocrats in such a short amount of time, but she is Love… She could do anything.
“Love… This is truly amazing…” She grinned at me and for once I found her extremely beautiful… Oh hell. It was happening.
“Thank you, Exodus. I made Thomas’ room right next to ours.”
I nodded, not even requesting to have my own room. There was no point in it anyway, and… Admittedly, I…
I stopped thinking for a while to realize that Love was already inside with Thomas… She always did like to move things along quickly, for slow was not really her style… As I’m sure you can tell with the route she took from Yun Gong to Earth.
I hurried into the beautiful home and I began thinking of many different things: Euphoria… Love… Thomas… Thomas, Love, Euphoria… That god damned rotting apple. Was the end near? I certainly hoped so then… Now I realize I should not have wanted things to end so quickly… It is one of my biggest regrets in life.
“I’ll show you to your room, Exodus.” Love grabbed me gently by the arm and I chuckled a little bit to myself. “You mean our room, right?” She looked surprised that I hadn’t asked for us to have separate rooms, but she smiled and nodded, looking very pleased. Leading us to our room, Love didn’t look at me, and I briefly wondered why, as I do with most things. I grabbed her hand tightly for two reasons: To see if I could get a reaction out of her and I…
She opened the door to our room and it was truly a gorgeous sight, much like its creator. “Oh… Thank you Love.” I suddenly found myself embracing her tightly… And I liked it.
“Exodus, what is all of this? First you want nothing to do with me, now you just can't take your hands off of me…”
“Are you complaining?”
“No! No, believe me when I say that i enjoy it very much. It just seems so sudden, you know? What changed your mind about me so quickly?”
I laid on our bed, realizing for about the fifth time that day that I was not wearing a vest. I missed it as I thought Love’s words over. What had changed my mind so fast exactly? I knew from my little “infatuation” with both thomas and Euphoria at the same time that I was prone to not keeping my interests in just one single person and falling in love with another quite quickly but with Love it just felt so… Different. I think that the only reason I fell in love with Euphoria in the first place was because the part of me that remembered my human life missed Love, and just moved on to the next best thing.
I smiled at Love and propped my head onto my hand, taking in her incredible beauty. “I was always in love with you… I just didn’t know it.”
“Exodus…” She looked away from me slightly, and this worried me. “...What about that Euphoria girl?”
“What about her? What’s done is done. You killed her.” Despite my best efforts to say this nonchalantly, the words still came out like I had just swallowed some sour milk, as they would have when Euphoria had just been taken away from me.
“I know I did… And I’m so sorry for that, Exodus. I know you probably still hate me for it, but you must understand why I did it. She blinded your eyes with love, and a love that was supposed to be for me, nonetheless. If she was doing so then, what was stopping her from doing it in the future?” This reminded me of Death’s words when he taken Thomas away from me the first time.
Was this the way everyone thought? Were they all so concerned for the future? Look… Yes, you should think about your actions before you even do them because they can have negative effects on you later on, but we all live in the present so enjoy the now. If you constantly worry about the future, you’ll worry your eyes away right before your very eyes.
“You sound just like Death.”
“Huh?”
“He said something similar to that back when Thomas died. He knew I held a certain love for the boy at the time. Said something like, ‘You loved the boy and he was distracting you from your work. If he was doing so now, what was stopping him from doing so in the future?’ Those words bothered me then, and they most certainly bother me now… Perhaps they will forever.”
“...I’m sorry, Exodus. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Don’t be. You didn’t know.”
She laid next to me, snuggling into me. “Exodus, are you feeling alright? You’re really warm.”
“I feel fine.”
She puts her hand over my heart, staring at nothing in particular for a while.
“Exodus…? I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I didn’t even hesitate in saying it. Even when I was angry with her, I felt that I wanted and needed her… That I craved her. Euphoria truly was just the next best thing after Love, but once I had found Love again… The fire that had once burned for Euphoria was eternally put out, whereas Love’s fire became stronger and brighter than ever. Then again… I still didn’t know what the little crush I had on Thomas was. I think it was because, deep down on the inside, I knew he was my son and that I loved him in a fatherly way, but my heart mistook it for the Love of Lovers.
I don’t know… It could be anything, but I sincerely hope it is as simple as that.
You should have seen the way Love’s eyes had lit up when I told her I loved her… And I meant it. She bit her lip after a few minutes and I knew what she wanted. Her lips felt soft as they pressed against mine and I wrapped my arms around her. Yes, eventually clothes were torn off and bodies joined together like they had so many years ago… And I felt alive. More so than ever before. And, it was in that instant that I knew I was home; Where I was always meant to be and where I would stay.
Morning came, as did Thomas into our bed. He snuggled into my bare chest and I, only half awake, snuggled back. Love was already up and, judging from the smell of bacon and eggs was making breakfast. Haha… For a while there, everything was normal… If there even is such a thing… But like most things in my life… It was not to last.
I discreetly put a pair of pants on under the sheets and stood, picking Thomas up and taking him into the kitchen. Love was finishing up the feast of a breakfast she had created, humming a lullaby to herself. I had no clue why, for wasn’t the purpose of a lullaby to try and put you to sleep? Why would she want to put herself to sleep in the middle of finishing breakfast? Ahh, there you humans go again… Oh yes, I think that I have forgotten to mention this. After we escaped Yun Gong, Life was so enraged that she took away all of Love’s powers, making her completely human. This played a huge part in the Demise of Yun Gong.
“Good morning you two,” Love turned around and the morning sunlight made her green eyes sparkle brightly, reminding me of mints, “You’re just in time. Breakfast just got done.” Her smile looked dazzling with those shining eyes she had.
I set Thomas down on the chair he picked, next to my own, as I took my seat. Love set the table and there was so much variety that it was pretty hard to choose what to eat and what to, sadly, leave untouched. She made us each an omelette and two pancakes, along with hash browns, sausage, bacon, and hash. She gave a choice of milk, hot cocoa, or orange juice to drink. Thomas naturally chose the hot cocoa, as any other little kid would. I chose orange juice and Love chose the milk. It became apparent to me that, despite us all being a family, we were incredibly different. Love preferred simplicity, Thomas liked to go along with others, and I enjoyed being bright and standing out on my own. I smiled gently as I thought about this, eating my delicious breakfast.
“So… What are we going to do today?”
I briefly noticed her great posture as I thought about this.
“We could just relax today. After what we went through at Yun Gong… I think we deserve a few day’s rest.”
Thomas nods. “Yeah… I’m still a little tired from yesterday.”
Love sighed, nodding her head. “And here I was hoping you two would be a little more active…” She laid her head on the table next to her plate of breakfast.
Rolling my eyes, I stood and went to go get dressed, as I had remembered that my chest was improperly uncovered. I put on my long sleeved white button up, feeling my chin as I looked at myself in the mirror. I hadn’t shaved for quite a while, and I was reminded of my hatred for facial hair. Love came in a few minutes later, a look in her eyes that seemed unusual to me. She gently grabbed my arm, staring at the floor. “Exodus, if you are really that tired… You should be lying down.” I sighed and realized she was right so I laid down, instantly savoring the feeling the soft blankets and pillows gave me. I kept my eyes on her, finding her behavior and body language most peculiar. I knew that something was wrong, yet she said nothing and kept her oddly blank eyes staring straight ahead.
I nudged her with my foot, but she scooted away from me and I’m not going to lie, for I despise those who lie… It did hurt a little bit. “Alright,” I sat up, “What is it?”
“I do not know what you mean, Exodus.”
“That breakfast. It was unreasonably huge.”
“I just wanted to welcome you and Thomas home.”
“Your body language is quite peculier today.” She said nothing, so I got on my knees, wrapping my arms around her from behind. “And now you won’t even talk to me or tell me what’s wrong… That kinda hurts, Love. What is going on? I hate being in the dark… I feel like I know nothing about anything, especially now… Which is probably true enough, huh Love?” I playfully poked and kissed her cheek, and I could tell tell that she was getting annoyed, so I kept at it. Maybe if I annoyed her to a certain point she’d spill the beans about whatever it was that she was hiding. Finally, turning to look me in the eyes, she said words that took me a long while to comprehend: “I’m pregnant again.”
I felt myself go cold, freezing and just staring at her with the same blank eyes that she had had only moments ago. She noticed this and couldn’t even meet my eyes as she stood. “Last night was not wise, Exodus…”
“Yet… I do not regret it.”
She looked at me sadly, yet her eyes seemed hopeful in a way… If that even makes sense.
“If we were able to live normal lives, then I’d be so excited and would be looking forward to raising a child together, like we didn’t get to do with Thomas, but… We cannot. Not as long as Life and the other Unseen Forces are after us. We’ve doomed ourselves and the child in my womb right now… As long as this fighting continues, you, me, Thomas, and our unborn child will have no future. We’ll just be… Drifting by, Yet not really living. A life without meaning is the same as a slow death.”
“So… What do we do then, Love?”
“We fight and we never stop. Otherwise… We’ll all suffer the same fate.”
I nodded and hugged her, rubbing her back. “I promise… No matter what happens… I’ll fight. If I must fight to the death then so be it… I’ll do anything to protect you and our children.”
In the end… It was the opposite. I did absolutely nothing to protect them. Yet love sacrificed so much to do so… How selfish I was. I let her bear the burden of our sins. Her fire would glow brighter and practically engulf her in it while she rotted away like an apple… A beautiful, beautiful apple.
-End, The Day You Slipped Away: Middle-
Thank you
