New Beginnings

Life After Death

Staring inattentively out of her kitchen window as she weakly stirred a bowl of pancake mix and closely observing the reflection that stared back, Alice could barely recognise herself.

The aching and tired eyes, sadness clouding her make up free features, unwashed hair tied up in a messy bun and black velvet tracksuit that glared back served as a stark contrast to the fierce and gleaming, sharply dressed woman she knew so well, but the horror of grief and lack of sleep from absolute worry for her family would result in that.

Two nights in row she had woken from a brief slumber, hyperventilating and in extreme panic with sweat dripping all over her body as the thought of Hiram coming after her and her children plagued her mind and dreams.

She was on edge, the colour drained from her face as rapid coursed through her and she ground down on her pearly white teeth, a coping mechanism she had learned to replace gripping her fingernails into her palms.

Snapping out of her anxious gaze, she turned her head to find Betty staggering down the stairs, the young blondes arms tightly folded across her chest, her usually upbeat expression completely dull as she approached the kitchen island.

"Hey honey." Alice softly greeted, faking a smile in the process as she pushed through the racing torment in her mind.

Betty remained silent, her lips frowning as she pulled a stool out from underneath and took a seat.

"I made some pancakes. Chocolate chip, your favourite."

"I'm not hungry." Betty grumbled out, her narrowed and reddened blue eyes barely focusing on her mother as she fiddle with the fraying sleeve of her shirt.

Sighing sympathetically, Alice rested the mixing bowl onto the counter, before leaning over the kitchen island, pushing the plate of freshly made breakfast closer to the teen. It shattered her heart to pieces seeing Betty so broken. "Come on baby, you've gotta eat something"

There's a brief silence between the two as Betty slowly averts her gaze to her smiling mother, who was trying her hardest to keep her spirits up, but it wasn't enough, and before Betty knew it, she was bursting helplessly into a mess of tears. Her shaking sobs alarming Alice as she swiftly rose up from her leaning position and pulled her daughter into her arms, rubbing her back tenderly and smoothing her delicate hand through her light brown and red highlighted hair.

The hyperventilating only seemed to subside with this comforting motion, and while Betty would never admit it out loud, but these were the only coping mechanisms to help her through a rough patch. Alice however, was well aware of this anyway, but she found it touching how tough and independent Betty could be while still finding solace and peace in the arms of her mother.

Slowly but surely, the heart breaking sniffles and hiccup like cries were no more, and Betty calmly relaxed herself in her mothers embrace as her tears stained Alice's shirt, but she didn't mind, not one bit, because didn't matter how old Betty and Polly were, Alice still saw them as her baby girls, her pride and joy, the reason she breathed. It was sole duty to love and protect them with her all, and she had no shame in upholding that forever.

The ringing of Alice's cellphone gained their attention as Betty slowly unlocked her arms from around her mother and lifted her head off of her chest, allowing her to make her way to the charger port on the other side and answer the device.

She listened attentively to the call, a blank but responsive expression dawning her face as Betty only observed the seemingly rhythmic head nods, no doubt in response to order. It must've been serious.

"Who was it?" Betty wondered out loud with narrowed eyes filled with curiosity glaring towards her mother.

"It was the police." Alice disclosed softly, tapping the edge of her cell phone into the palm of her hand. "They're releasing your Dad's body tomorrow, so we can finally lay him to rest."