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Over a thousand years later, in a small town in England...
Ever Carlisle wiped the tears from her eyes surreptitiously as she closed the book and hid it under her pillows. Although her bed was but boards of wood and her blanket was nothing but an old discarded curtain, these little discomforts ceased to exist the moment she lost herself in the stories of the Underworld.
She could no longer count the number of times she had read this particular version of Hades and Persephone, but she was pretty sure she would continue reading it over and over. It was just so beautiful and romantic, so...much everything that her life was not was.
The buzzer in her room sounded, reminding her on cue that Hades and Persephone’s love story was a dream and this—-
The buzzing went on and on, threatening to shatter her eardrums.
This was reality.
She had once asked Arisa if the volume could be adjusted, and her aunt had only given her a look. The next day, the buzzing had gotten twice as loud, and Ever had learned her lesson.
Biting back a sigh, Ever sat up and reached for the intercom. She pressed the number for her aunt’s room. When her aunt picked up, she murmured, “Good morning—-”
Arisa cut her off rudely, demanding, “What’s taking you so long?”
“I’m sorry, Aunt. I’ll be right—-”
Arisa slammed the phone down on her.
“—-there,” she finished unnecessarily. Returning the receiver to its place, she walked to the windows of her bedroom, which was really the house’s old and unrepaired attic. The world outside beckoned, with its cerulean skies and the sound of life.
Chirping birds, the low chatter of neighbors greeting each other, and if she closed her eyes, she could even imagine hearing the way the wind sang of all the dazzling and beautiful things it had seen.
This world was beautiful, but for one like her, it was but an oppressive cage and she would gladly trade it for a world of eternal night if it meant she could just be...
Free.
Outside, the skies slowly turned overcast. Lightning flashed. Thunder rolled. And then it started to drizzle. She closed her eyes, the sound of raindrops soothing her.
She loved weather like this, mostly because she felt like this was how the Underworld would be.
Exquisitely, soothingly dark, and ruled by a king and queen who loved each other.
I don’t care if I’m stupid, Ever thought with a rare burst of stubbornness. Dreams were free anyway so why couldn’t she let herself dream of the most magical things?
And for her, that dream would be to find her own Hades one day.
Her Hades would sweep Ever off her feet and take her away from all of life’s cruel realities.
Most of all, her Hades would see her as a human being worthy of love.
****
EVERYDAY LIFE WAS PREDICTABLE by nature, but whether such a routine would feel monotonous depended on the company one kept.
Those who were surrounded with love were lucky. The very repetitiveness of their daily lives was an aspect they treasured. They saw it as a sign of stability and commitment, and there was no greater thing they could ask than the assurance that the rest of the days would allow them to stay together.
But for those who were alone even when surrounded by other people, the sheer monotony of their days would be like a hole in their existence, a gnawing emptiness that would grow every second until they were but shells.
They would stop living.
Instead, they would merely exist...until they stopped existing at all.
I can’t believe it’s just eight in the morning, Ever thought as she started cleaning the living room, which was decorated in shades of yellow. It was the picture of genteel poverty, which was ironic since everyone knew Arisa Carlisle was extremely wealthy. She only happened to be stingy, too, and did not care at all that the wallpapers had faded and started to peel and that the aging carpet covered the entire second floor already had a musty odor to it.
Ever couldn’t help gritting her teeth as she pushed the heavy sofa to the side. It would be nice if she could have someone to help her with the furniture lifting, but that would mean Arisa having to pay for another helper in the house, which was next to impossible.
When Arisa was done with the second floor, she trudged down the stairs carrying the vacuum cleaner to start on the hallway.
Unable to help it, she glanced at the clock once more and suppressed a sigh when she saw it was only eight forty-five.
It had been only less than four hours since she had woken up, but already it felt like an eternity.
Usually, Ever would wake up at four in the morning to treat herself with an hour’s worth of reading. But today, she had woken up late and had barely enough time to shower and eat a quick breakfast before rushing to her aunt’s room at six-thirty.
There, she would assist Arisa to change and take a bath and afterwards accompany her aunt to the dining room for breakfast. While Arisa had her morning nap, the rest of Ever’s day would be taken up by cleaning until it was time for her to have a quick lunch and afterwards to make sure that Arisa would wake up with lunch in bed.
Then after that, there would be the gardening and errands while Arisa had her afternoon nap. By the time she returned, Arisa would have to be woken up to have dinner – still in bed – and after that she would need to prepare her aunt for bed.
It would take about thirty minutes for Arisa to choose a book or pretend choosing one when they both knew her aunt would still end up choosing her favorite bible study companion, one written by the local pastor and which had a condescending and condemning tone throughout.
Another hour would be spent on reading and only when Arisa had snored five times straight would Ever be able to safely leave the room. She could then have her dinner alone in the kitchen and by then, it would be close to midnight.
She would have four to five hours of sleep before yet another day would begin and end, just like how the other days past had begun and ended.
The vacuum cleaner suddenly started making loud noises, startling Ever out of her thoughts. Bending down, she switched the vacuum cleaner off and banged it a few times, the only way to get the decade-old appliance back to its normal self.
Straightening, she glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner and bit back a groan.
Eight fifty-five!
Had ten minutes only passed when she had daydreamed about her day being over?
****
“BE SURE NOT TO WASTE time gossiping with anyone,” Arisa muttered warningly as she handed her niece her yellowed library card that afternoon. “Once you’re done with the library, go straight to the market, buy the things on the list, and then come back here straight away.”
“Yes, Aunt.” It was easier to agree with Arisa than let the other woman know that a) library cards had been phased out and b) no one in town, with the exception of the pastor and librarian, cared to even look at Ever.
As far as the townspeople were concerned, Ever Carlisle was persona non grata the day Ever’s father died in bankruptcy, his personal fortune swindled by a con artist disguised as a foreign investor.
“Be sure you’re back before five.” Arisa scowled. “You’re probably too selfish to care, but know that if you come later you are choosing to let me starve.”
She nodded obediently. “I’ll come back as soon as I can, Aunt.” Privately, though, Ever believed her aunt could miss a dinner or two for her own good. For as long as Ever could remember, Arisa had been complaining of mysterious aches and illnesses while stubbornly ignoring her doctor’s advice about leaving the bed more often and eating less.
Arisa tried to hide her irritation from Ever. Hateful child, she thought furiously. The girl just didn’t stop smiling, no matter what Arisa said or do, and it was positively grating on her. Every day of her life, she found herself hating Ever more and more, with the way the girl reminded Arisa of how she had also been young and pretty once, and most of all, without these pounds of extra flesh that she had to carry like baggage.
The changes in her physical appearance was something Arisa couldn’t make herself accept, and it had turned her into a recluse in the past decade, with only the pastor and librarian allowed inside her home.
“May I go now, Aunt?”
Arisa glared at her niece. “You can’t wait to leave, can you?” And no wonder, Arisa thought nastily. Outside, Ever would be able to bask in the men’s attention, whose gazes would all be glued to her niece’s pert breasts and swaying hips.
It was not fair, Arisa thought bitterly, that she had been once just like Ever – and now she was like this.
She saw Ever staring at her, and Arisa burst out, “You think I’m nothing but an old, disgusting, fat bitch, don’t you?”
Ever blinked at the sudden vicious change in Arisa’s words. “Aunt—-”
“Even after all these years,” Arisa snarled, “you only see me as someone paying for the bills and nothing else.” Her voice turned into a shriek. “Don’t think I’m not aware you’d like me to die!”
Ever shook her head, horrified at her aunt’s insinuation. “I would never—-”
“If you think you’re getting a penny out of me on my death, you’re wrong!” Arisa laughed wildly. “When I die, all my wealth will go to Pastor Nolan’s church, just as it should be. The nerve of you, to think you could inherit my fortune even when you still owe me money—-”
Ever’s temper began to strain, which was rare since poverty tended to effectively beat pride out of one’s system.
“You’re just like your worthless mother, scheming to get money you haven’t worked hard—-”
Ever’s temper snapped. “Don’t talk about my mother like that!”
Rage turned Arisa’s cheeks a deep shade of red. “How dare you raise your voice at me?”
Her aunt raised her hand, and the next thing Ever knew, a stinging slap landed on her face, the blow forceful enough to turn her head to the side.
Arisa clenched her fist, telling herself that she had done what was right. She had disciplined her niece, which was her duty. To spare the rod was to spoil the child, she told herself determinedly. The Bible was on her side on this.
When Ever raised eyes filled with pained shock to her aunt, Arisa pushed the guilt away and snapped, “You deserve that for showing such disrespect. You came to me when you were seventeen. Don’t you forget about that, you ungrateful brat. You came to me and asked for my help to pay for your father’s coffin—-”
“He was your brother,” Ever cried out.
“He ceased being my brother,” Arisa said harshly, “the moment he chose that woman over his own flesh and blood.” Even now, she could vividly remember the humiliating silence as the town’s wealthiest family turned its back on Arisa and her parents, the consequence of her brother jilting his affianced bride in favor of a lowly woman from the wrong side of the tracks.
She stared at Ever, the offspring born of that unwanted union, and felt hatred so deep she found herself screaming, “Get out!” When Ever didn’t move, Arisa grabbed the teapot on the bedside table and threw it at her.
“Aunt!”
The pot crashed against the side of Ever’s head, and burning hot liquid spilled over the side of her face.
Horror washed over Arisa, but still she screamed, “Get out! Get out!”
She watched Ever whirl around and run away, and a devastating sense of fear seized her for one moment.
If Ever truly did leave—-
She would be alone.
No one would care enough to look after her like Ever did.
She would die alone—-
Arisa blindly reached for the phone. The pastor came to the line a few rings after, and she said desperately, “Pastor, I need your help. It’s Ever, she’s become unruly and I don’t know what to do.”
Thoughts of the future loomed ahead of her, one where Arisa would die alone, and she began to cry.
“You have come to the right place, my child.” As the pastor spoke, he leaned against his seat and closed his eyes.
Ever.
He had his eye on her for a while, but he had also forced himself to tread carefully around the girl since Arisa was also one of the church’s most generous benefactors.
Patience was always the key, and now he was being rewarded.