Freefall | Eren x OC

Chapter 02: Ghosts of the Past

I am falling,

I am fading,

I am drowning

Help me to breathe

'Duvet' by bôa

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Yurie opens her eyes to find herself in her mother's humble bedroom. The small and cracked open window lets in a cool breeze, the sound of far-off sirens, and the glow of the golden hour. The breeze makes the blinds sway to a silent tune Yurie wishes she could hear.

It's been a long time, maybe an hour, since he stormed out, but the room still feels like it's vibrating from his, no THEIR collective energy. Yurie can still hear her little heart beating in her ears from the all too familiar discord between her estranged parents.

The room is quiet now save for the soft crying Yurie can hear coming from her mother's closet. Annalise's been in there since he left, and though young, Yurie already knows she'll be that closet for the remainder of the day, if not well into the night. Shifting on her mother's bed, her young face looks down at a bright pink plastic box containing a brand-new Barbie, a gift from Alfred before he left. She knows why he bought it for her; it means he won't be back for several weeks if not months. Shutting her eyes, she holds it tightly against her chest as if it could dampen the feelings of loneliness seeping from the little girl. Yurie can't, or maybe won't cry; she's gotten used to these feelings by now.

The girl's small frame slinks off the bed and slowly treads over to the closed panels of her mother's closet. Her little balled up fist raises and knocks, though she sure Annalise knows she's been there the entire time.

"Mommy..." she says timidly, "please come out Mummy. I'm sorry you're sad. I miss Daddy too..." The sound of sobbing stops and Yurie braces herself for the doors to swing open, but they never do.

"Leave me alone Yurie darling, I'm not coming out," her mother's voice murmurs in a funny way, long and drawn as if she's slowly remembering how to talk after a long sleep. Yurie wonders if this means she'll be sick again later, or if she'll be in bed for a long time.

"Please, Mommy, I'm hungry..." the little girl mewls as she slowly reaches for the doorknob. Yurie turns it and ever so slightly opens the door, hoping to see her mother's face through the small gap. Instead, a loud bang hits the other side of the panel so hard, she jumps back as if she's been smacked.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME! I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT OF THIS ROOM, YURIE ROSE! GO MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN FOOD!" her mother shouts as she grabs at the knob and slams the door shut.

Yurie stands there for what feels like minutes, stunned and scared, her tiny heartbeat thumping in her ears all over again. The sobs come back but this time they're louder and huskier, as if Annalise is nursing an old wound or trying to outrun her shame. She sobs for several moments before her voice drifts off and goes silent. She's nodded off.

A six-year-old Yurie looks down at the plastic Barbie box that fell to the floor when she jumped. She solemnly picks it up and bring it back to her chest as she walks out of the room and down the short hallway to the living room. There are still some open bottles of wine from last night when her father was over. It's hard to believe it was just yesterday when there was laughter and dancing and music as the three of them played family. Yurie had danced with her parents to the liveliest music on the radio station which Alfred proudly claimed as his own creation. Yurie and her mom listened to it all the time, especially when Annalise missed him.

Last night, her mother had giggled and sipped on her wine from the couch before her father playfully swayed her way, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up for a slow dance while Yurie looked up at them both with the deepest devotion.