Elise reclined in her throne, throwing her leg over the arm carelessly, showing her ownership. Elise filled the room with her presence alone, and even humans felt her raw power. She oozed regality. Elise presented herself like a queen.
No, Ivy thought angrily to herself, that's not Elise anymore. The act was not Elise, not at all. Elise wouldn't ever take up space just because she could. Elise would share, would offer someone else a seat. Elise wasn't a hog. This Elise was a bastardized version of something pure.
Ivy continued to think angry thoughts, even more upset that that was the only thing she could think since Elise had gone. She hated herself for it, more so because she knew Elise wouldn't want that. Elise wouldn't ever want her to go to such dark places. Sighing, Ivy turned around, not wanting to look at the imitation of Elise any longer.
"Don't you like looking at me, Ives?"
Ivy cringed at the petname. Ever since the Goddess took over Elise's body, she had wanted Ivy close. Ivy assumed it was because of the deal Elise- the real Elise- had made with Rayna before everything happened. But then... then she sometimes thought she saw a spark of the old Elise in those dark, dark eyes. Her hopeful nature thought Elise was trying to keep her safe, even when the Goddess was present.
"Look at me, Ives, honey."
"Don't you have some man to filet?" Ivy snarled. She knew she could snap anytime she wanted- the Goddess never reprimanded her, never punished her, no matter how flippant she became. That, too, was one thing that made her think Elise was still inside.
"Not yet. I want to spend some time with you."
Biting her inner cheek, Ivy turned to face the Goddess, but kept her eyes to the ceiling. It was the only way she could handle her emotions. "Well, I don't want to spend time with you."
Those working around the throne room froze for a beat, then kept moving, pretending they hadn't heard. The Goddess wore a mask of indifference as she lifted herself from her throne oh so gracefully. She glided to Ivy's side and grabbed onto Ivy's waist, much too hard. "I know how you feel about my vessel," she almost moaned. "Unfortunately, I feel something slight towards you, too. Call it a virus. Elise, as you say, infected me with you." She blew into Ivy's ear and ignored the way Ivy cringed. "But I'm not her. I can give you what she couldn't..."
The first time the Goddess had suggested that, Ivy had flushed and considered it, truly considered it. Such intimacy was what she had wanted desperately with Elise. But then she felt shame at ever allowing herself to think of touching the Goddess that way. The Goddess wasn't Elise, and she couldn't give anything real.
"You've already heard my answer," Ivy said, pushing the Goddess away roughly without thinking twice. "Many times." Unfortunately, it had been many times. Over the course of a year, the Goddess had invited Ivy to her bed almost every night, sometimes in the morning too. It was difficult to decline at first, but as time passed, Ivy realized she didn't want any part of the imposter. Elise had charm and kindness. The Goddess had... disguised force.
"Fine," the Goddess growled, lips turning downward. She loathed being rejected, more so by the one woman she was stupidly craving to have. She smacked a maid away when she tried to approach and spun around in a huff. "I'll go to bed then. Alone." She marched out of the throne room and out to the hall, and doors somewhere far off slammed so hard the noise was heard even from where Ivy was and vibrations rippled through the floors.
Ivy let out a breath then turned to help the maid the Goddess had struck. The girl was new, someone Ivy had never seen before. Maids were often replaced for no other reason than the Goddess wanted new faces to look at. "I'm sorry about that."
The girl had tears in her eyes as she boldly glanced up at Ivy. "Why don't you love her like she loves us?"
The words hit Ivy like a punch. No one had ever dared ask her motives before. Everyone feared her since she was so close to the Goddess, and they never approached her or spoke in her direction unless the Goddess was present. It was a lonely way to live but Ivy favored it over being popular with these Goddess worshipping zealots.
Something must have shown on Ivy's face because the girl suddenly apologized profusely, her eyes so large Ivy feared they may pop out. Ivy took the girl gently and helped her stand right. "It's alright," she tried uselessly. "I'm not going to hurt you."
The girl nodded but ran off as soon as Ivy let go. Ivy expected that reaction, but still it depressed her, and she sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. The rest of the staff ignore Ivy and moved around her, not even letting their eyes travel anywhere near her. They took great lengths to make her appear invisible.
Irritated, Ivy made her way to her room, people moving out of her way organically, as if they had planned to move anyway. Ivy ignored the behavior because she didn't want to make waves. If she complained, something was bound to happen. Be it fired staff or something worse, she didn't want to find out.
Ivy's bedroom was directly adjacent to the room where the Goddess slept. She had wanted a room change but there was never anywhere else available. If she tried to sleep somewhere different, by morning she was in the bed she didn't want to be, moved there by someone unknown. This room picked out especially for Ivy was entirely unwanted on her part. She could hear the Goddess do her nightly routine through the thin walls and it made her grimace. She knew the Goddess purposely made the walls that way, paper thin so that every little thing could be heard. She hated it- hated hearing Elise's sleepy sounds, knowing it wasn't really her. It was the worst torture.
Nostalgic, Ivy laid down in bed and clutched her pillow to her chest, the only remnant of the real Elise that she had. Elise's scent had gone away but... it was still comforting. And so she fell asleep that way, with only the faint memory of Elise's forest scent.
Days went on just like that without hardly changing. Ivy was forced to be around the one person she didn't want to be around, and she tried not to be the angry monster she felt she was. But no matter how snappy she was with her surroundings Rayna's promise kept true. Ivy lived in absolute luxury. She had anything she desired and the Goddess enforced that unnecessarily viciously. No matter how frivolous the request, Ivy received what she wanted. The Goddess went far and wide to find to fulfill the wishes.
When she wasn't being brought gifts, Ivy watched the Goddess control the world, destroying those who didn't adhere to her way of thinking. That left the Earth with much more women than men, and even less old world thinking elderly. Anyone bigoted or prejudiced was swiftly dealt with, no matter the age, gender, or race. Crimes that were once ignored were put at the top of the Goddess' list and it caused strange peace. Backlogged rape kits were filed and victims received justice. Men and women wrongfully sentenced to prison time were let free. Hate crimes were no longer ignored and white offenders were labeled terrorists as should be.
Ivy hated to admit it, but the world was a much better place. Things were much more... friendly. Not that Ivy had any time to see it up close for herself. She only knew current events through the news and internet. She was kept inside most days, per the Goddess' request. Ivy didn't want to cause a scene, and didn't have anywhere safe to run, so she obeyed and kept within the Goddess' walls.
Eventually, thanks to her constant presence near the throne, Ivy's name amongst the 'lessers', as the Goddess called them, was the Queen's Poison. Ivy didn't mind the name at all even though it was false and she wasn't as dangerous as the whispers told her to be. But it kept her in solitude as she wanted so frequently, not that she had a choice.
At a point, there were unusual isolated incidents, as the days drifted by painfully slowly. Ivy would be going about her business near the Goddess, then she'd catch a look, maybe a smile, and it would be all Elise. Ivy's heart would flutter with excitement and she'd smile back, hoping the true Elise saw. But then Elise's eyes would harden and the Goddess was back. It only happened a handful of times, but Ivy remembered them all. She kept those moment in her memory as if they were treasured pearls.
After a time, when the incidents stopped, Ivy stopped wearing her signature heels. She wore them all the time, at first, as her own small rebellion, but then it dawned on her that it didn't matter. So, she stopped with the useless footwear. Who would appreciate them now? No one. No matter what she wore no one would care. Elise had been the only one to ever comment on Ivy's attire. With Elise gone, it was no fun wearing stilettos so high Ivy could graze far above doorways.
But then something extraordinary happened. It was only a day after Ivy stopped wearing heels that she noticed the Goddess staring at her feet. The blatant look made Ivy's skin crawl and she scowled the way she only did when she was face to face with the Goddess. She opened her mouth to snap at the Goddess, and she got half of her tirade out before she realized something wasn't right. The Goddess wasn't snarky or sassy or outright humoured. The Goddess appeared... sad. Ivy's heart beat rapidly when she noticed that look was entirely Elise and Elise alone.
"Heels are always sensible," Elise whispered, hollow and faraway.
Ivy gasped in surprise, covering her mouth with her hand. Had she heard correctly? That was something the Goddess would never say. "Elise?" she probed gently, too scared to hope.
The Goddess was the person who looked up from behind those black eyes, and her mouth twisted with unbridled rage. Ivy gulped and looked away. She ignored the Goddess' outburst of upset curses and walked away with her head down and heart hard.
It took a month after the heel fiasco- and numerous pep talks- for Ivy to come around to thinking that maybe what she did would affect the Goddess, and she might be able to make Elise shine through. So, wanting to test her crazy theory, Ivy started eating ice cream for breakfast, playing with her tongue piercing whenever the Goddess looked at her, and even wore one of Elise's shirts that she had managed to save. It was too small, but she wore it like armor. These things she did with great confidence and surety. If she was going to try this, she wanted to say she tried her absolute best.
It took precisely one week for the Goddess to react to any of it- Ivy had counted the days. The scene was as Ivy was eating vanilla ice cream early in the morning, as was her new custom, when the Goddess came into the room. She faltered in her steps and her posture changed in a nano second. Ivy was confused until the Goddess corrected herself and sat at the table wearing a smile that was Elise in every way. It was charming, adorable, and just a little bit flirty without meaning to be.
"Finally realized ice cream is the perfect breakfast, huh?" Elise laughed, her eyes twinkling with amusement. She acted as though it was a regular day before all the horrible things that happened with Rayna and her cult. She didn't seem to notice, or remember, that things were different now.
Ivy dropped her spoon, she was so stunned with what was occurring. Tears stinging her eyes, she stared at Elise, who raised an eyebrow in wonder. It took Ivy a moment but she snapped out of her zone and flung herself at Elise without thinking, and hugged so tight it hurt. "Elise! I missed you so much..." She squeezed with all her might and didn't notice when Elise's body went slack for a moment.
"So, you finally realized you want me, Ives?" The Goddess purred, grabbing onto Ivy's backside lasciviously. She had returned during Ivy's embrace and didn't question the intimate situation.
Ivy was so angry that, after she pulled back and slapped the Goddess away, she threw the melting tub of ice cream across the room and left the mess there. She panted angrily and screamed as the Goddess watched in amused silence. She flew out of the room in a depressed state.
The ice cream incident turned Ivy into a recluse for many days, and she sobbed more often than not. She had Elise, for a moment, and that small ray of hope broke her. She didn't want to try to bring Elise back anymore. It hurt too much to be given crumbs, only to be starved again. In a moment of upset she burned Elise's shirt and removed her tongue piercing. Ice cream wasn't had for breakfast anymore.
When she finally gained the power and left her room for more the bathroom, Ivy was dressed down. No heels, no sexy clothing, no makeup. She stopped trying completely. She thought she could dress up for herself to perhaps brighten her mood but... she didn't have the energy. Not that day. Probably not ever again.
"You look a wreck, Ives," the Goddess said as soon as she laid eyes on Ivy. She had endured Ivy's self incarceration and was tired of it. She hated being denied her little play thing. "No skirts for me to look up today?"
Ivy only glared as a response. She couldn't find the want to snap something clever.
The Goddess frowned, then her face went blank. Her body relaxed and she wobbled on her feet with her head slumped to her chest. Ivy narrowed her eyes, wondering what new trick it was. She thought it might be something to force her to interact. She didn't want to fall for any tricks.
But the Goddess went suddenly rigid, and her whole demeanor changed. She blinked slowly, her lips separated, and the air around her pulsed. She stepped up to Ivy without that queen-like prowl and placed her hands gently on Ivy's shoulders. "I thought I was the one that wasn't supposed to shower," Elise said.
Ivy immediately and openly cried, the sudden change too much for her. She wanted to fall against Elise's chest, but what if Elise wasn't around for that long? What if she had to hug the Goddess again?
Elise leaned forward and licked Ivy's cheek nervously. "You can fall asleep. I mean, if you're tired. I don't mind."
Ivy looked into Elise's eyes, confused. What was Elise talking about? She remembered a similar exchange with Elise in the past... was Elise reliving old memories? Was that how they could communicate? Ivy trembled, then leaned forward and licked Elise's cheek, having faith it was the right thing to do.
Elise shuddered visibly and almost whimpered. "You have no idea what that means to me..."
"I know," Ivy whispered, choking back more tears. So Elise was just a memory, a literal memory, right now. That had to be enough. It had to. "I know what it means now."
"What what means?" The Goddess asked, her eyebrow raised. She touched her moist cheek with two fingers and smirked at Ivy, noticing that Ivy's cheek was wet as well.
Wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands, Ivy walked away. She wouldn't go into another fit of depression. She wouldn't be useless, not again. She was going to do everything in her power to be happy, with Elise being a part of that happiness.
So Ivy started to dress up again. She wore her normal attire, put on makeup, wore a pair of sexy heels, and even put her piercing back in. She did her hair in soft curls and walked around just a little more confidently. Elise wasn't back, but she was there. She was there. Ivy knew it now for sure. If Elise's memories were present in the Goddess, then the real Elise had to be there somewhere. She had to be. Ivy wouldn't allow herself to think otherwise.
Though nothing happened after that, not for a few days. Ivy almost gave up after those few days, wishing to see Elise already, but then something happened in the night that was entirely unexpected.
Ivy was startled awake by an intense presence in her room. She jolted upright with a squeal held in her mouth and she noticed a dark figure standing at the foot of her bed. Scared but level headed, she turned on her bedside lamp, clutching her sheets to her chest.
The Goddess was standing there, staring, creepy as ever.
"What do you want?" Ivy asked viciously, trying to sound tough in her sleepy voice. The Goddess had never done such a thing before, but Ivy didn't put it past the being to try to force Herself into bed for unwanted sex. The Goddess enforced a rule about consent around the world, but she herself was very relaxed about most of her rules. Ivy held her sheets closer and tighter at the thought.
But the Goddess' eyes were watery and she looked so, so scared. Her being was shivering like a frightened child, her knees wobbling in warning. Ivy's face softened with new knowledge and she calmed. It was Elise standing there.
"Don't leave me," Elise whispered, sounding broken. "Whatever you do... just don't leave me."
Crawling to the edge of her bed, Ivy kneeled before Elise. She had no idea how long Elise would be present this time but she wasn't going to waste a moment of it. She grasped Elise's face and gently licked Elise's cheek. "I won't leave you. I swear, I won't leave."
Elise smirked, her fear suddenly forgotten. Tears slipped down her cheeks but no new drops formed in her eyes. "I like the way your tongue piercing feels."
Ivy smiled despite not knowing what was happening. "What?" She didn't care. She was just glad to be around the true Elise, even if it was just a memory.
"You put it back in," Elise said with a sincere smile. "I like it."
Licking her lips, Ivy rethought Elise's person, the Goddess. Elise wasn't reliving memories this time, or at least she knew how to make new ones now. Elise was in there, watching everything, seeing everything the Goddess was. Elise was alive! Elise was alive!
As Ivy fluttered in her mind about this new information, Elise shook away without being noticed. "So, you've finally let me into your bedchambers?" The Goddess chuckled, a sensual smirk on her face. She growled low and attempted to grab Ivy in a way that was too rough and familiar.
Ivy held back her hand from slapping the Goddess across the face. Instead she snapped and made the Goddess leave. The Goddess tried to convince Ivy to let her stay, but Ivy started yelling and pushing the Goddess out.
After that emotional encounter with the real Elise, it became routine for Ivy to stay up late into the night, just in case Elise made another night time appearance. She would remain awake by any means, using whatever she could to keep her eyes open- be it coffee or pills or a good smack to the face.
After a month of nothing, Ivy stopped waiting. The pills were doing damage to her body and she couldn't take the days of nonstop consciousness. It was doing more harm than anything else.
As she recovered from her soft addiction, Ivy was in the halls when one of her heels snapped. She almost twisted her ankle as she fell to the ground, but she was alright. Sitting on the floor, she took off her broken heel and cursed. "This is so not funny..."
"I wasn't trying to be funny," Elise said from behind her.
Ivy stilled, then turned her head and looked up. Elise was smiling down at her. "Elise?"
"I told you to wear more sensible shoes."
"Yeah... you did..."
Elise held out a hand, and Ivy took it without a second thought. Elise pulled Ivy close when she was standing and she didn't let go. Ivy allowed it, desperate for Elise's gentle touch, craving old times.
But, of course, the warmth that spread through Ivy's body was too much to take. Face red, she took her hand back and tried to pull away, suddenly feeling like a schoolgirl with a crush. Elise didn't let her pull away. Ivy's lower stomach ached, as if it had forgotten the feeling of lust, and her head swan. She averted her eyes, not wanting her scent to waft through the halls. She remembered that Elise could smell it.
"I love the way you smell when you get turned on," Elise sighed, smiling wistfully. Her eyes rolled shut in ecstasy and she moaned in her throat. She seemed to be genuinely enjoying Ivy's scent. "Did I ever tell you that?"
Ivy shook her head, her mouth too dry to form words. She idly wondered if Elise could feel turned on, now that the Goddess was inside her. If she could... then they could... it was a possibility.
Ivy bit her lip.
"You look sexy when you do that, Ives," the Goddess chuckled. She could smell the blatant arousal in the air and wanted to taste the origins. "I don't know how we end up like this sometimes, but I really like it."
Ivy walked away so fast, she forgot that she was only wearing one heel. She felt stupid for getting so emotional with Elise. She felt embarrassed that the Goddess now knew what she smelled like. Truthfully, she couldn't believe such a short time with Elise, simply being close and holding hands, had made her so... raw. Her whole person missed Elise.
Ivy avoided the Goddess for weeks after that incident. She couldn't handle it. But then, late in the day on a cold night in winter, the Goddess walked into Ivy's room unannounced, looking almost shy. Ivy looked up from the book she was reading and curled her lip at the Goddess. "I didn't invite you in here," she snapped, slamming her book shut. She was ready to shove the Goddess out, kick and punch if she had to.
"I want you to cuddle with me," Elise said softly. "You're really good at it."
Ivy's heart ached at the realization of who she was face to face with. She had once said that exact thing to Elise, a long time ago. "Elise?"
"Can I hold you?"
Throwing her book away and moving aside in bed, Ivy waved Elise over. Elise sat down, clearly nervous, and gave a shaky smile. "We never have enough time."
Ivy pulled Elise down into bed carefully. She needed this, they both did. "So cherish every second."
Elise wasted no time and shoved her face into Ivy's neck, breathing in deep. Ivy's scent hadn't changed a bit. It was intoxicating. "I'm so sorry."
"Shh..." Ivy wrapped a leg around Elise's waist lovingly and left it there. "Let's pretend it's like it used to be. You cuddle me, I get horny, you laugh."
Elise laughed, the vibrations shooting through Ivy's neck. "I can do that."
Wrapped up in each other, the room felt like heaven. Ivy wanted to cry happy tears. Was this real, or a dream? Ivy pressed herself closer and decided it was real. But, damn, it was dreamy. "How long do you think we have?" she asked softly.
"It gets longer every time, doesn't it?"
"I think so."
Elise lifted her head and put her face next to Ivy's on their shared pillow. "Then, eventually, we'll have forever."
Ivy gulped. "Do you want to kiss me right now?"
Elise smiled. "Can I do that?"
"Definitely."
As Elise leaned close, the air around her changed, her body twitching the barest. Ivy noticed it and pulled back immediately, knowing what it meant. The Goddess frowned at being denied when she was so close at getting what she wanted, and she rubbed herself against Ivy. Ivy hated that she surged with want at the movements, her body enjoying it.
"What?" the Goddess asked. She already knew Ivy was liking what was happening. "Don't you want to kiss me anymore?"
Ivy pushed the Goddess out of her bed, upset. She forced her stupid body to calm and she left in a storm and didn't come back until nightfall.
Elise didn't appear for weeks after that almost kiss.
Ivy was in the tub, soaking her chilled bones. The weather was still cold, but it was heating up by a few degrees. Not enough to Ivy's liking, though. She submerged herself up to her chin and sighed, wiggling her toes in the warm water. It was the only time she allowed herself to completely relax.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Ivy practically jumped out of her skin at the unexpected voice. She crossed her arms over her breasts, her thighs pressed together, and glared at the intruder. The Goddess was sitting on the sink, her lower lip protruding, her eyes sad.
"Talk about what?" Ivy asked, knowing it was really Elise. Now she could sense it just like that.
"Talk about us." Elise moved to sit on the toilet seat. "Talk about anything, really."
Chewing on her inner cheek, Ivy watched Elise. "Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You turn into you but... you replay something that's happened between us. Whenever you come back to me, you say things you've said before, or things I've said before."
Elise kneeled down next to the tub. "It's how I come back to you," she whispered. "I remember things, the Goddess remembers things, and suddenly... I don't know, I'm me."
"Does it hurt you? Being trapped inside Her?"
"No." Elise smiled. "I get to see you all the time."
Ivy placed her hand over Elise's. She pressed a moist palm to Elise's cheek, and smiled. "How can I help make you- Her- remember?"
"Stop avoiding Her. I know it hurts to be around Her, I can see it, but... it's easier for me to bring up memories when you're around."
Ivy nodded. "I can do that."
"Good. Now I should get out of here before you try to drag me into the tub and scrub me raw."
Blushing, Ivy laughed. She waved Elise away, her heart sad. But she was determined to bring Elise back, not matter what it took, no matter how long it took. She would bring Elise back no matter what.
Just as Ivy wanted, Elise's appearances became more frequent, and would last just a little longer than encounters before. Ivy noticed and her heart soared for the possibilities in their future.
It was almost a year before Elise could remain herself for a whole day and night. Ivy took a chance one night and invited Elise to sleep with her, wanting to wake up to Elise's lovely face in the morning. Elise accepted it, nervous but wanting. They fell asleep entwined in each other as they had wanted to for so, so long. But then, in the morning, Ivy woke with a smile only to come face to face with the Goddess. The thing was, she didn't realize it was the Goddess until too late. Sleep still in her bones, Ivy gave the Goddess, who she thought was Elise, a gentle kiss. The Goddess surged at the contact and pushed Ivy to her back. Ivy moaned as a mouth attached to her neck, and she grabbed onto the Goddess's back, begging for more. The Goddess bucked and slipped a hand into Ivy's pajama bottoms. Ivy moaned and pushed up into that hand.
"I knew you'd want this," murmured the Goddess with glee. She growled like the predator she was, excited for her new conquest.
Ivy finally realized who she was dealing with and screamed for the events to stop. There were tears pricking at the corner of her eyes when she was held down and her legs were forced apart further. She screamed harder and, strangely enough, the Goddess reared back and rolled off the bed, gripping her head as though it were cracking apart. Ivy kicked and pushed the Goddess out into the hall and vowed not to have Elise over again for sleepovers. At least not for so long.
A few months later, Ivy and Elise lay in bed, holding each other, slowly falling asleep. Ivy rubbed her hand up and down Elise's back lovingly. "If you wake up before me, please leave," she mumbled. "Last time I woke up with the Goddess and was almost molested. It was not fun."
Elise growled sleepily. She had seen that altercation, and had used every ounce of her power to stop it. "If she does anything to you again..."
"I know, I know."
Satisfied, Elise gave Ivy a kiss, then let herself drift off. Ivy was not far behind.
In the morning, Ivy was the first to wake up. She felt Elise's warmth and smiled, then she panicked. The Goddess was sure to be the woman that opened her eyes, not Elise. In a hurry, Ivy scrambled out of bed, not caring that it was her room. As she tried to put on a pair of pants, the Goddess rolled over in bed. Ivy stilled.
"Where are you going?" Elise croaked, not even opening her eyes.
Ivy was surprised and she almost fell over, one leg in the air, not yet in her pant leg. "Elise?"
"Who else would I be?"
"You're... still here."
Elise opened one eye. "I would never leave you."
Ivy dropped her pants and crawled back into bed. She let herself melt into Elise's embrace, and they fell back asleep together.
When they woke up, Elise was still Elise. She remained that way for the rest of the day, and throughout the night. Ivy couldn't believe her luck.
Then Elise was still Elise the next day.
And the next week.
And the next month.
Ivy was proud to say, the Goddess never returned.