For the damned | ✓

29

CENTURIES AGO - PART II

"WILL YOU COME, LILAH?"

She was shaken out of her thoughts, gaze flicking towards where Helio was standing beside her on top of the tower. He came by often nowadays, every Monday and Sunday. She hadn't realized at first that there were names to the specific days, but Helio lived off organization, a stark contrast to her own chaos. He brought books and stories, her prison blossoming into something warmer in his presence. The last century had felt like an eternity, but these past decades with him seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye.

"What did you say?" she said.

"To my inauguration as the next Grim Reaper," he said," it's this Sunday. Will you come? I would love to have you there."

"I can't leave this place, Helio," she said quietly.

"I know," he murmured," still, your mother can't lock you up here forever. You deserve more than that, Lilah."

Vaguely she thought of how she used to hate her name, the way Delilah meant delicate, the way she was her mother's porcelain doll even when she was called upon. Every time the nickname Helio had given her slipped off his tongue though all she felt was warmth, like she was given the same vibrance as the color simply by him speaking it into life. She couldn't imagine life without him anymore, but she couldn't imagine a life outside of this tower either.

Most of the reasons keeping her back were out of concern for her mother, but she couldn't deny that a part of her was scared of the unknown as well. What if everything changed?

But couldn't it only be better than this?

"I'll talk to my mother about it," she said.

Helio beamed at her, taking something out of his cloak to hand to her then. "It's about the Egyptian gods this time, all the stories and the folklore. I figured you'd like it now you've memorized everything else."

She looked down at the golden book, hieroglyphs scribbled on top of it, eyes glittering as she glanced back at him.

"Thank you, Helio," she said," I love you."

He immediately took a step back, losing his balance and falling down. Before she could help him he had jumped up, cheeks completely red as he mumbled something she couldn't decipher and ran off.

"Helio!" she called out after him.

"I have to go," he said," very urgent business, I'll see you later."

With that he was off, leaving her behind with her new books. She placed down the one she had gotten on a stack which she hid when her mother came by, eyes flicking towards the opened book on the floor. Cooking, she had never attempted it, but it said it was fitting in moments of celebration. Helio had done so much for her, she really wanted to give him something back.

"Delilah."

Her whole body froze as she spun around, the books disappearing as soon as she closed her hand. Normally her mother wouldn't be back this early, what was she doing here? Delilah didn't have much time to think about it though, because a moment later the woman stood in front of her, ethereal as ever in the shimmery light of the stars. Her eyes were a fiery gold, dark hair cascading down her back like stormy waves at sea. For all the beauty she had, she always carried that element of danger in her, like she could barely contain all the power underneath her skin. Her white dress flowed in the wind with every step she took, covering her sight for a second as her mother gripped her cheek.

"What got you distracted?" she inquired.

"Nothing, Mother," Delilah smiled," what are you doing here this early?"