Willow sat where she did every Sunday, in the front row of the somewhat large church for the overly small town. She watched her father stand on the raised floor, his body covered by a stand that held his many notes while his powerful voice took over every set of ears in the room, echoing off the ceiling, and for most sitting in the seats, reached their heart.
If there was one thing Willow would give him points for, it was that fact that he was passionate. Not about the things most are. Her father wasn't worried about global warming, education cuts, the current state of the government, the overwhelming urge to make a different, but instead, God. The lord was Gerry Davis's be all and end all. It was the very thing that kept him alive, kept him breathing, made him want to start the day.
If Willow was being really honest, it was what motivated her whole family. It was really the centrepiece of everything. The very foundation her parents relationship was created on. It was how they parented her, how they began every meal, they needed god to live the way they needed air.
"The lord is worthy to be praised, and praised he shall be"Her father spoke, finishing his speech the way he did every Sunday, the crowd responded "amen". It was his tradition, one he made sure Willow knew would be carried on when she took over the church for him. It was his plan, their plan. It was the legacy he was leaving her for, one he'd hoped would be passed down for generations.
As her father stepped down from the raised platform, Willow and her mother stood up, the quiet talks from the church goers filling the high vaulted ceilings as the priest walked into his chambers, the two girls following behind him.
"That was amazing honey" Juliet spoke, her hand finding her husbands shoulder as he sat in his brown real leather chair. A smile fell onto the older mans face, erasing the creases from his cheeks just for a second.
Willow couldn't help but smile at the two in front of them. They were the golden couple around town. The two that would never split, the relationship everyone wanted and the pair that everyone in the church went to for advice. They were the perfect example of man and wife, of the way a relationship should look, in the lords eyes.
Sometimes, when Willow looked at her parents, she felt like she was watching a 60s tv show, it was exactly how it sounded. Her mother was the baker, the cleaner, the organized one that kept the three of them on track.
"Willow? Hunny?"Her mother said, snapping the daughter out of her thoughts as she brought her eyes up to meet the couples.
"Sorry, what did you ask?"Her eyes looked up in a daze, almost confused, as if she'd missed hours of conversation.
"Are you all ready to go back to School?"Her mother repeated, a small smile spread across her face as she looked proudly at her daughter. Tomorrow was the start of her 11th year in school. It wasn't the beginning of so much.
"Its a shame there isn't a christian school near by, you'd think that after all this time, with such a strong community, they would.." Willow tuned out again after this. She just wasn't interested anymore. She was 17, and she had heard the words of the lord everyday of her life, over 6,205 days, and she was tired.
Willow was beginning to think she believes in something different, she wasn't sure what she did and didn't believe. All she wanted to do was sit down with every religious text and just read them, study them, learn them. Willow never really believed that only one religion was 'right'. Not the way her parents did, Christianity was over everything, that was their rule.
To Willow, it began to feel more like the bible was a rule of ethics in her family, more of a ruler than a passion for shared religion, and that disappointed her. It was another reason she wanted to explore, find and learn new things.
How could she not? Those in her religion are the ones telling her she is wrong, and there is not a single thing wrong with her.
But is a girl worth her family?
No.
At least she didn't think so.
_____
It's short, but this is really chapter "zero". The set up before everything!
A lot of this story is based on personal experience. Certain parents weren't okay with me, because of religion.
Published: 04/01/2021
Edited:
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Easier ↠ Rosalie Hale
Fanfiction"It would be easier, wouldn't it? If I fell in love with a man, married a man, dreamt my whole life with a man. It would make explaining things easier, would make Christmas cards easier and family gatherings less tense. It would make the seats at my...
