Hereafter (GxG) editing

Chapter 44

I didn't even try to proof read but here's something. :*

"That's it mom? Like nothing ever happened?" Athan almost scowled at her mom who was talking to her.

"Athan, I thought I told you before? Your father just wanted to protect you." Maia moved closer, trying to calm her youngest.

"But still. He took away our choice. He let them curse and then he fled. What do you expect me to feel? Grateful?"

"If it wasn't because of the curse, you wouldn't be alive to today... Neither your siblings..." Maia said just above a whisper.

The vampire looked at her incredulously. "Ok then. I thank him." She cackled. "Thank you and dad... For the many deaths I already lost count."

Her mom remained silent.

"Have you ever experience death before, mom?" She asked and Maia shook her head in the negative. "I'm glad you didn't." Athan retorted. "Because I did and it was terrifying. It was painful. I was killed in ways nobody, even the gods won't recognize me and after that, when I'm breathing again are the nightmares. I kept dying! Even in my sleep I was dying!" she kicked the table in front of her in anger. "I've lived for so long. Been a part of many generations. And guess what? All those rotten years I lived for nothing. I was depressed! I wanted my physical body to just die permanently because my spirit was already dead!"

Maia was just watching her full of concern. "It was for your own good, he love you and he didn't want you to-"

"Dad loves you too!" She snapped taking her mother aback. "But he didn't let them curse you, did he?" The say she said those words were venomous and unforgiving. "Because he knows, ma! He knows that no matter how he look at it, this kind of immortality revenant bullshit is a curse! And he couldn't curse his wife! He only loves you and he did this for his own sake!"

"That's not true!"

"Not true? He simply cursed us so his offsprings wouldn't vanish. That's fucking it, ma. I don't know why you believe his bullshit. You both hid from your enemies while we stayed here being killed over and over again. He's selfish and he only loves you."

The door of Maia, and now Eliodor's room too, suddenly opened revealing the head of their family.

Eliodore slowly pushed the door closed and took a step closer to his daughter and wife. He lowered his voice and asked, "Athan, may we speak?"

Still eye the floor and arms crossed, Athan nodded with uncertainty and annoyance. "Yeah, dad."

Maia remained silent as she evaluated the tension in their current space. She eyed her husband and gave him an encouraging smile.

Taking it as his cue, he reflexively touched her groomed chin hair and started. "I should probably start with 'I'm sorry.'." he said and Athan finally lifted her head to meet his tentative gaze.

After their talk, Athan returned to their room where she encountered Autumn just about to close the door after she made her way out. It clicked closed and Autumn was a little startled as she saw Athan approaching her in the silent hallway. They walked towards each other. Autumn welcomed her with a tight hug as if they hadn't seen each other hours ago. When they let go, the shorter girl asked, "You're going back inside?"

The taller of the two just shrugged before she met her lover's eyes that twinkled to the reflection of the moonlight coming from the large window beside them. "Not anymore." She answered coolly but felt immediate electricity when Autumn touched her arm, rubbing her thumb on it.

"Why not?

Shrugging again, she simply stared at her lover's face with admiration. All the stress and grudges she has boiling inside her instantly taming. "I just wanted to be with you." the edge of her lips moved up to a timid smiling, trying to convince Autumn.