𝕋𝕙𝕖 H𝕖𝕝𝕝'𝕤 𝕄𝕚𝕣𝕣𝕠𝕣

Chapter 14. It's Been that Long...

Music reverbed and echoed through the silent water – muted hums, no voices within the music – sound.

Pale green fingertips moved like a ribbon under the water causing slight bubbles to arrive on the surface. Where; the Niece waited – holding a plate of snacks – getting into the habit of becoming a live-in servant despite being granted protection.

Opening her eyes glancing up at the clear image of her Niece standing on the edge of the pool. It was odd having such near-perfect vision as only in reality would she ever achieve this blessing through the use of goggles which made her squint and feel as if her eyes were being sucked out.

"Have a nice dip?" Niece squatted down so that Gem could grab one of the crackers and cheese off the silver plate. Whipping away the water that clung to her white eyelashes, Gem gave a smile, popping the snack into her mouth with her thumb like she would flip a coin "It would be better had there been sun down here. I miss the beach," she answered.

Unsure of what it was but the Niece's curiosity got the best of her as her thoughts then ran out of her mouth "How long has it been since you came down here?" butting harshly on her bottom lip and closing her eyes afraid of the scolding look that was expected from her aunt but was met with a hum.

"Well I died at age twenty-four–" Gem trailed off gazing around the pool as she climbed out to her full height. "That was in the nineteen-sixties somewhere I believe so that would mean I've been here for about almost fifty years... at most."

"I was only curious since I died in my thirties when I was alive" Niece explained greedily grabbing a handful of the snacks and shoving them in her mouth accidentally nicking her fingers with her fangs.

"That would mean that the current year is twenty sixteen.." Gem's voice was soft-spoken as her Mid-Atlantic accent came through – eyes searching the water as it reflected above "My how time flies when you're gone."

"If it makes things easier – I did know what happened about your mirror store," Niece said, catching Gem's attention. "From what I remember during a horrible family trip to San Fran is that the store was turned into an antique shop."

Knowing that a place that held so many memories and sorrows to be turned into an antique made Gem chuckle a little finding the irony of the fact that people could now take a piece of her sorrows away to make moving on all the more easier but also the bitterness of never seeing the things of her childhood again.

"It's been nearly half my contract time, since being down here," Gem says aloud, running a hand through her reflective locks.

"Your contract time?" Niece questions frowning her brows "Do you have like a set number of years before you get reincarnated?"

"Don't be silly," Gem laughs ruffling Niece's hair "When coming to Hell, I had unintentionally taken something from Lucifer which he wasn't all pleased with. Death had made me numb to fear so when he demanded it back I made a compromise of a contract on me living out the years I wasn't able to."

It was comical of Niece's expression – her heterochromatic eyes squinted in disbelief, "That's just dumb, Lucifer is not supposed to be trusted as he's like a narcissist and shit."

If Gem had a roll of stickers like her elementary school teacher did for every time a student got an answer right she would be decorating her Niece like some binder notebook by now, "Unless you know how to talk right and not make a fool's move," Gem states before dipping back into the pool floating on her back allowing for her body to become a reflection of the water that beamed off hair and freckles.

Muttering how everyone in this family is crazy. Niece walked out of the pool area – and out to the living space. Gem smiled, opening her eyes as she declined back into the water – hearing the faint sounds of echoes of the mirrors sing to her. So much had changed since death and yet there was nothing else except waiting for it to end once more.