Aviritia Lust

Chapter Thirty-Three

Eden's POV

I swallowed hard, my hands trembling as I held the door knob, staring at it. Fuck, my throat was swollen.

I-I don't know if I can do this...

"You can do it, E. Things are going to be alright," It's been years since John and I had seen our parents, last time we had seen them was when they were leaving for work around eight in the morning. How the fuck was he so calm?

"Wh-What if they're angry?" I mumbled out, petrified. Worse than petrified.

"We'll never know if we don't try, E. I know you're scared but so am I," He replied, patting my shoulder, "Now is not the time to become a big pussy, again."

I looked at him as he chuckled, glaring at his bullshit grin, "Now is not the time."

I took a deep breath, slowly opening the door to the house and pushing it open.

They hadn't moved in all the years that we were gone, had they been waiting for us to return? I honestly couldn't believe we were returning, especially after what they did to us. I mean, would you if your parents locked you away from everyone and beat you if you so much as dropped a fork?

John slowly entered the house, both of us calling out hesitantly, "H-Hello...?"

He was nervous, possibly more nervous than I was and finally showing it. His voice was trembling and riddled with terror and fear, and his whole body was stiff as a board.

A woman with blondish-grey hair came into the room, wearing mother's old hot pink apron with the same stupid little Mom-Of-The-Year pattern on it.

"J-Johnny Cade, Edenic, Is that really you?" She asked, as she stared at us in shock. I ignored the part about my full name even though it made my body want to shrivel up and die. How come J got a cool nickname? Fucking horseshit. Mother nicknamed him after Johnny Cade from The Outsiders and the old man says mine names not for religious reasons but I call fucking bullshit.

I swallowed, "H-Hello, M-Mother."

The knife in her hand alone had me ready to push John forward and run for the hills, the sweat daring to drip down my neck along with my skin ready to turn whiter than fucking paper. Her knife dropped, the blade landing perfectly into the wood flooring as she ran up and hugged us tight.

W-Well, that's new. Her hugging?

I dared to ask, "Wh-Where's father?"

She looked at us both, the did-you-sleep-under-a-rock-or-something look plastered onto her face, "He's dead. He died a year after you left, he was so drunk he didn't even realize the bridge he was crossing was falling apart and fell into the river below. Did you not hear about it? It was on the news."

John swallowed, daring himself to speak, I could tell he had been thinking the same damn thing I had about the knife, "We've been living in another state since we left. We're sorry to have brought it up, w-we know how much you lov--"

"Not bloody likely," We looked at her, surprised to hear her say such a thing, "Don't you ever say I loved such a horrid man in my house, don't you ever dare. You think I loved that, that monster? I never. I had no choices with that man, not even with you two. If I so much as said one word, I was beaten in the bedroom until my knees gave out. Don't you ever say I loved that man because I never loved him."

John and I looked at each other, feeling a little guilty for blaming her about basically everything for our childhood and for leaving her with our father. We had no idea he abused her, too. We thought she was just as abusive as him, we never knew he was forcing her to participate.

I hugged her tightly, sinking to my knees and gripping her apron and shirt as I teared up, "W-We never knew, ma. W-We just thought you were as awful as he was. I-If we had known, w-we would've stayed to help you or taken you with us...w-we didn't know. I-I'm sorry."

"I-I'd rather have had you blame me and run away than have had you stay in this house with him another second."

I looked up at her, her fingers combing through my hair, "Why'd you stay in this house, though? You could've moved at any time."

"A-And risk you both coming home and me not being here to see you both all grown up? Not a bloody chance! Just like you risked leaving and coming back, I risked staying just to see you both again. I had no idea whether you would come home, but I risked it anyway," She cupped my cheeks, "Family doesn't abandon family. Yes, we may have differences. Yes, we may fight and spat. Yes, we may have problems. But, in the end, we are a family and we do love each other."