Faithful Heretic

Blood of Christ, Inebriate Me

Dorothea hadn't had this much fun ever as far as she could remember. She caught herself wishing that her and Edith could become closer, but she felt that it was selfish. She had been told many times of the stories of Lilith and her betrayal of God's laws. Though it's claimed Lilith and Samael were in love, they were still traitors of God no matter how you look at it. If Dorothea were to take a moment of someone else's time purely for her own joy, she felt as though she may be betraying the God who had raised her and taught her all for one small moment. A moment of closeness between two people, a moment of time where nobody else was important enough to truly exist in this reality of theirs. Though it sounded like bliss and the thing Dorothea had been longing for since her eternity began, she was too fearful of God's wrath in the tales of Lilith.

But even Eve was tempted to eat from that tree of knowledge to fill the gaps of what she didn't know.

Dorothea and Edith danced until Edith could no longer keep up; no matter how young and agile Edith may be, Dorothea is still an immortal with the infinite energy of a seven year old child. There was a small, yet intricate row boat along the shore. Edith skipped over to it with very few words exchanged between the two, and Dorothea followed: whether from curiosity or admiration, she would not admit.

Dorothea crawled into the boat and Edith pushed it off the shore and climbed in as well. As Edith was already tired from spinning and laughing, Dorothea tried her best to row them close to the center of the lake. When she was satisfied with where the boat sat, she laid the oars down and grinned at Edith, and all Edith could do back was the same.

A moment with no significant sounds, and yet a moment so loud all the same.

"So, why are you here in this little town of mine?" Edith pondered.

Dorothea wasn't quite sure how she ended up coming here, perhaps it was the way this town shined in glory so bright that it was visible from even Heaven, or maybe it was just a simple case of luck and randomness that led her here.

"I'm not sure, but I'm glad I am," was all Dorothea could say.

Edith looked surprised, maybe a little excited, that it seemed Dorothea was happy to spend time with her. Edith ran her hand along the side of Dorothea's round face, appreciating the slightest of bumps and markings. Dorothea's green eyes stood out to Edith the most in comparison to everything else about her. They reminded her of the apples her mother used to help her pick from the apple trees her grandparents had grown in their large backyard. Memories full of warmth and kindness and childish joy.

Dorothea noticed Edith shift closer to her, which she wasn't exactly unhappy about, but she remembered the way God watched her. He wouldn't be pleased with their closeness, so Dorothea made an effort to turn her gaze away and focus on something on the distant shore rather than the potential hurt look in Edith's caramel brown eyes. Edith wasn't upset, though she had to admit she was a little disappointed, but she made it her goal to become closer with Dorothea over time.

The girls shared a small moment of awkwardness but giggled it off and headed back to shore, where Dorothea waved Edith off as she went into her house. She then herself took a small walk to explore around the lake once more where she had first experienced the feeling of warmth inside her chest she would never be able to explain.

Dorothea and Edith began making it a regular to hang out after church services. They took walks through town and visited shops, took the boat out onto the lake many more times, and sat in Edith's room giggling for hours about the absurdities of their days. As they grew closer, Dorothea began to fear the unease of God's gaze less and less. One day, Edith locked her pinky with Dorothea's as they were sitting in church, and Dorothea locked hers back in an attempt to find that warmth once again. The girls slowly became closer and closer over time, learning how to hold hands while hiding them in a childish way behind their dresses. Though Dorothea didn't know how exactly to describe what it was that was bubbling up in the back of her throat making her stumble over her words every time she was around Edith, she knew it could only be a good thing.