Black and White

Part 5

"No, no, I'm good," Hope reassured her. She stiffened her spine and began to move about her room tidying up, despite how her space was almost completely spotless already. Lizzie recognized the behavior as an attempt to exert control when she felt as though she had none. Lizzie took a seat at the foot of Hope's bed to wait for her to calm down or to say something else. She did her best to sit quietly; just keeping her company.

"I do... I do everything I can to be as perfect as possible. All I want is to make the sacrifices my family has made feel worth it. I have to be worth it for them." Hope had finally worn herself out and collapsed back into her pillows. "Every single member of my family has died, almost died, or sacrificed immensely for me since before I was even born. I never asked for any of this. I didn't want it. They named me 'Hope' because that is what I am supposed to be for them. That is what I am supposed to live up to, what my family has lost so much for. How am I supposed to be their hope?" she asked, tears trailing down her temples and onto the pillow.

"Just because your family expects something of you, doesn't mean you have to be that. Who you are is enough. You are enough, Hope, and you always will be, just by being yourself." Lizzie said, her voice strong and certain as she let Hope know exactly how she felt. "Fun fact about us lesser demons... my kind is incapable of lying. We get what we want through selective truths, omission, and manipulation. My dashing good looks can't be counted out either."

Hope smiled quietly to herself trying not to laugh out loud. She had only known Lizzie for a few hours but felt as though the tall blond demon's understanding of her was greater than anyone besides Penelope's already. "You would never believe how badly I needed to hear that today," Hope replied.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Lizzie asked, even though she wasn't known for often going out of her way to ask for work. She was the devil on the shoulder, not the angel. The very few good parts of Lizzie had come from her sister.

"Just sit with me for a while? Distract me if you can. Tell me a story." Hope patted the where she had piled in amongst the veritable wall of pillows. She reached over to her nightstand and pulled out a small pencil case and sketchbook. "You're in charge of handing me pencils when I ask." Hope placed the small plastic box and put it in Lizzie's lap when she sat down and balanced her sketchbook across her knees. "I would prefer the 2B to start if you don't mind."

Lizzie looked through the little baggie and passed Hope the appropriate pencil and began to speak, staring up at the ceiling so as not to peek at the drawing.

"Once upon a time, there was a pair of beautiful twins. One was light, the other dark, and they loved one another more than anything or anyone else, save for their Master. The angelic sisters provided a balance to one another. The fury of the dark twin was offset by the gentility of the light, the more stoic twin was softened by the chaotic. The siblings were inseparable and most often were found in the sky; flying and playing with one another. Lizzie set up the story and Hope could tell automatically that what she was telling Hope was deeply personal.

"One of the H's please." Hope requested almost laughing at how Lizzie didn't reach into the bag, choosing instead to manifest one in her hand. She created a glass of water for herself as well and sipped it before continuing her story.

"The twins loved one another dearly and it was well known by everyone around them they were willing to do anything for one another. Upon their sixteenth birthdays, the twins learned of a traditional ceremony for angelic twins like themselves called the Merge. The ceremony would take place at twenty-two years old and only the stronger, dominant twin would emerge victoriously... or at all."

Hope could hear Lizzie swallow roughly, and reached for the next pencil she wanted for herself instead of asking. She paid more attention to the story than to her work now. The art took place instinctually while her ears focused on Lizzie's voice. The blonde demon had Hope's full attention now.

"The light twin, with her baleful doe-eyes, and sunshine smile resigned herself to her fate, confident that her darker half would win. Meanwhile, the sister worked night and day looking for ways to prevent the Merge from ever having to happen. She was terrified at the prospect of having to either die or lose the most important person in her life. She soon realized that her sister was more important to her than their Master was. They were not supposed to love anyone more than their Master. This was one of the greatest sins one of their kind could commit. The dark twin knew herself to be broken and irredeemable, so when she was unable to find a way by which to prevent the Merge, she cast herself down, not out of misguided loyalty, but love for her sister."

"The dark angel, the fallen one was never to fly again. She was never to play or to bask in the radiance of their benevolent master again. Worse, she was never to see her sister, or at most could see her about once per decade. Even then it was only a brush by and a meaningful look. She could only guess at her sister's feelings, but the demon girl knew her own heart had been shattered."

"The demon girl missed her wings. They were a part of her and they were gone. Completely irreplaceable but worth it to keep her sister safe."

Lizzie finished her story just as Hope was cleaning up the lines of her sketch and set her supplies to the side. She was tempted to hug Lizzie or take her hand but remembered what she had said before. Instead, she attempted to slide her hand close enough to Lizzie's that their pinky fingers were pressed together. Hope knew the comfort those small actions could offer. She knew how it felt for a heart to be shattered.

Lizzie had lived with this heartache for a long while, centuries now. It had been around a decade since the last time she had seen her sister. Hope was a warm and comforting presence at Lizzie's side despite all of the mental and emotional boundaries she had put up around herself. She cleared her throat and pushed herself up and out of bed. "I'm going over your homework one more time so you won't have to worry about it in the morning." Lizzie refused to look back at Hope who pulled her laptop out and started to watch a show. She wanted to give Lizzie the space she seemed to need.

When Hope looked at Lizzie she didn't see any sign of her being demonic in the other girl. There was a pain in her eyes that Hope recognized and identified with. She knew that by her summoning, Lizzie was supposed to be there as an assistant to her, but Hope felt the deep need to help her as well. She wondered if, without Josie, she had anyone in her life to look after her now.