Shadows Of Eden

Desmond

Graves- Blacklit Canopy

Desmond and Eve maintained eye contact for a moment. His body buzzed with nerves, scared that this would be the final push. He truly didn't know how she was going to react to the information he was about to tell her.

He gently sat down next to her, long limbs gracefully obeying his mental commands. The paused TV made the room glow a dim shade of white. It illuminated her face, which Desmond noticed still held an unhappy expression. He decided to just rip the bandaid off.

"I'm unsure if this will make you resent me. Or change your feelings toward me, as if I already haven't changed that myself. Regardless, I owe it to you. If you need a break...." he paused, "please tell me".

She blinked at him. His hand reached out to rest on her knee, but she pulled it away stubbornly. Yet, she was willing to listen.. and Desmond was grateful for that. He nodded and pressed his lips together before speaking.

"I'm 412 years old."

Her eyes widened before her brows crinkled once more. The number didn't feel real. It seemed like a sketch, like he was reading from a script. There was no way. But she knew it was true. He was no longer going to alter the truth for her.

"I was born in 1609 in a small village on the outskirts of London, England."

Her mind reeled as she thought of her social studies classes throughout the years. 1609... what was happening in America at that time? Her mind processed until it hit her. Colonial America.

The fucking pilgrims, she thought. Oh my god.

He studied her expression. It was obvious she was taking it all in already.

"My mother, Hazel, was a servant for a very wealthy family. The Charbonneau family. They immigrated to London after years of maintaining old money in France. This family had been rich since the 1500's. They built a mansion in this village and employed only a handful of servants.

They were extremely selective, and my mother ended up on the roster. She worked for them almost her entire life, eventually becoming very close with all of them. They'd taken her in almost as one of their own. She lived on the property and rarely went out to do anything else. She took pride in her work and cared deeply for this family. My mother didn't come from the best upbringing, so the Charbonneaus were the closest thing she'd ever known to family. And in turn, they treated her extremely well. Except for one specific night."

Eve continued to listen, trying to mentally picture the time period he was describing. Her heart lurched at the realization she was finally cracking Desmond. She was finally hearing everything. The mystery would be no longer. It made her heart race.

His mother's name was Hazel? How beautiful.

"One night, the Charbonneaus threw a birthday party for one of their sons. It was grand, the ballroom was filled with all sorts of wealthy characters. My mother naturally worked herself to bloody knuckles, so she was waiting on everyone hand and foot. The alcohol was flowing and the crowd was quite rowdy. By the end of the night, my mother had been taken advantage of.. raped in a broom closet. And she fell pregnant shortly thereafter."

Eve gasped as her stomach twisted. Her hand flew to her mouth. She didn't expect.. that.

"Oh my god," she breathed.

"I don't know who my father is, and.. neither did she. It was some random, drunk, rich maggot. Anyways, once she began to show, things became complicated. She wasn't married, since she dedicated her life to serving this family. Being pregnant out of wedlock was enough of a crime to get you killed back then. Not nearly like how anything is today. Since she'd been taken advantage of, the family showed mercy on her. They kept her employed and carried on with their lives."