Ethereal

Chapter 16: Home

"You play the violin?"

"I used to."

Serena looked around the room. There were chests of toys all over, the closet open with tiny little dresses and clothes, the bed was still made, there were books above the nightstand, and the case of the old violin she used to play sat on the edge of the bed.

Some of the tables were thrown over to the floor, books lying around, the curtains were ripped, and lights are broken. The only light was provided by the moonlight, giving the room a glow in dark blue.

Unlike when she was a child, the room grew more darker and old-fashioned.

She made her way across the room, stopping in front of the wall she used to draw on. There were still silly drabbles and scribbles on it but they were fading like everything else.

"And is this you?"

Her attention snapped towards the goddess who held the book in front of her, showing several pictures of a little girl with gray hair wearing cute little dresses and hugging toys.

She gasped in mocked horror.

"Where did you find that!"

Hela grinned "On top of the bed. It was open."

Serena snatched the book off Hela's hands before sitting on the bed, her bed. It felt different. Maybe it wasn't as cozy as it was before or maybe it was just dirty. And somehow, after all these years, after all the regrets, suffering, and pain...

She missed being on this bed.

She missed running to it every time she cried.

"Are you alright, darling?"

She looked up to find Hela sitting beside her, concern written all over her face "Hm, I'm alright as long as you're here." she flashed a small smile

"Now, let's see..."

There weren't a lot of photos to show, it barely even reached fifteen pages since her parents stopped taking pictures of her when she reached the age of seven. When they started hurting her.

Maybe they were too ashamed to show the photograph all the scars they gave her.

"Your hair looks different or is it because the photo is in black and white?" Hela narrowed her eyes before turning to meet her golden ones "Darling, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

Serena blinked as she remained silent.

Hela must've noticed the films used and the backgrounds. Not to mention, she scratched the dates off each photo every time it was taken when she was a child.

She looked away as her face darkened "I was born two years before the first world war. That was almost a hundred years ago."

"You're..."

"I'm a hundred and two years old."

Her age was something she wasn't proud of.

She was shamed for it and it made her hate herself.

She felt a cold hand on her chin, lifting her head up. Hela stared at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the whole universe.

"A hundred years old and you still look this beautiful..." the goddess whispered

Serena felt a smile form on her lips "You're one to talk." she grinned, closing the gap between their faces for a quick kiss

"I must say, you look adorable when you were a child, darling." Hela hugged her waist as she flipped the pages of the album, they looked through it together "I won't mind having a child running around the palace if they're this adorable."