#perseohone

Persephone returned to the dining room to join the others. The three men stood in the entryway of the dining room chatting and laughing. She felt blessed to have part of her family returned but she felt a nagging worry in the back of her mind at the panic state of Eurydice. She wasn’t sure why the girl was so afraid but she knew it was not her place to push, even though she desperately wanted to. “Aunt Persephone, it’s good to see you!” the young man ran towards his aunt, enveloping her in an embrace.

The warm embrace of her nephew calmed the nerves that had previously plagued her mind. “My Orpheus, oh how I have missed you!” She pulled back getting a good look at the boy in her arms. He hadn’t changed much, some dark circles under his eyes but other than that he looked the same. “I was quite surprised when I was informed you were coming back,” she kept a teasing tone in her voice.

She knows most of the story as to why he is back but she was still surprised to hear he was coming home. Orpheus had spent many nights calling his aunt for advice. “Come, everyone, let’s eat!” Persephone guided everyone over to the table. After everyone was settled at the table Hades turned towards his wife. “Where is the girl?”

At the mention of a girl for whatever reason the young man’s stomach filled with butterflies. All-day he had been feeling kind of off, almost like he was anticipating something to happen. “Girl?” He tried to keep the conversation casual as to not sound too excited.

Persephone was confused by the hopeful tone hidden in the boy’s voice. “An employee of Hades. She helped us set things up tonight,” she paused looking around the beautifully decorated dining room. “She had to leave though, she wasn’t feeling very well.” That nagging feeling that something wasn’t right hit her again but she pushed it away to focus on her family.

Eurydice quietly opened the door to the bathroom, not wanting to cause any attention. She could hear the chatter from the dining room. Her heart was begging her to try to sneak a peek at him but she was too afraid of being caught. She could hear the laughter inviting her into the room but she refused.

Slowly she inched herself closer to the front door. Her feet stopped at the fork in the hallway, one step to the right and she would be just outside the dining room. Her subconscious was begging her to take that step but her heart and mind were telling her to leave. One little glance at him could break down the walls she has built up and she can’t allow that to happen.

If she lets her walls fall she will crumble into the darkness and never escape. Maybe that is what is best for her though? No, she can’t think like that now. Right now she needs to focus on getting out of this house unnoticed then she can go from there. The sound of a chair scraping on the floor caused her to finally move her feet. She hurried towards the front door, begging for an escape.

Her hand hovered over the doorknob, unable to grip it though. Her body was fighting to stay, fighting to go see him and demand answers. Her mind was screaming at her to leave though, to stay protected by avoiding any more pain. A splitting headache was coming on very hard making it even more difficult to fight off her body’s desire to go face him.

After a few moments, and some very deep breaths, she was able to clear her mind and push herself outside. With every step she takes she could feel her heartbreaking even more. This time she was the one walking away from him. Does he even care about her anymore? Wouldn’t he come looking for her if he did? Maybe he just doesn’t have time yet? Or he just forgot about her…

Eurydice’s head was spinning with all of these questions. It was impossible to focus on anything other than her racing thoughts. The world around her blurred, she came crashing to her knees. She was so lost in her swirling mind she couldn’t control the tears falling from her eyes. The dam that she had built up to stop the tears was bursting.

She had completely lost control of her body at this point. Her feet started to drag her around the side of the house, careful not to destroy any of Persephone’s hard work. The light from the dining room beckoning her like a light at the end of the tunnel. She remained hidden in the shadows as she made her way closer and closer to the window.

When she spotted him she thought that her legs were going to give out. There he was sitting in the dining room that just hours before she decorated. Her mind was screaming at her to remain hidden in the shadows but her body moved without control closer towards the window.

She just had to have a better look at him. She needed to know if this was actually him. When he flashed she knew it was him without a doubt. She used to do whatever she could to make him smile, it used to be one of her favorite things to look at. His smile didn’t fully reach his eyes though, it wasn’t fully genuine. Even though she was angry at him she couldn’t help but want to go in there and make him really smile.

Something inside of her started to nag at her to run, begging her to leave but she couldn’t move. Having him in her gaze again kept her feet glued to the ground. The air around her felt like it was thinning, breathing became a struggle.

She watched the poet suddenly stiffen, his head turning towards where she was. As she continued to panic, her feet remained glued. She lost all ability to breathe the moment she met his gaze.