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Chapter 1 - Home

Lilith

The cold air kissed my skin, leaving behind the promise of winter in the breeze. I took a deep breath and enjoyed this final moment of solitude as the train whistled behind me. Ringing out the last call before it left the station for the evening. My last chance to turn back and return to the safety of my dorm room and the piles of assignments I had to leave behind to come here.

'No, Lilith, your parents need you. It would be selfish to go home now.' That little nagging voice in my head shouted as it tried to reason with me.

I opened my eyes, taking in the empty little station of Teveil. My hometown, where I had spent my whole life trying to escape, only to wind up back here only a few months after leaving because my sister had been murdered.

Of course, I was sad my sister was gone, upset that someone had ripped her out of our lives, but at the same time, she had it coming.

Was that a horrible thing to think?

'Yes, horrible and not okay,' The voice reminded me.

It was so weird hearing the words leave my mother's lips as she called me sobbing at five in the morning. Demanding I come home right away to support her and my father and be present for her funeral.

I felt numb to the whole situation, unsure how to think about the death of the one person who made my life a living hell when I was growing up. Eve was the perfect child, the one who followed god and made my parents proud.

She always attended church on Sundays like a good little girl. She always got perfect scores and grades. And to top it off, she became a nurse so that she could save people's lives.

A perfect ten to all those who bought it her little act of purity and all things holy. But I knew the real Eve, the conniving bitch who smoked pot behind the school bleachers and blamed me for the pot smell whenever our parents caught a whiff of it. The asshole who hid her bottles of alcohol in my closet and then had me grounded so I couldn't go to the concert I had spent the whole summer saving up for just because I wouldn't lend her one of my summer dresses. The same girl who stole my school essay for her final report and then claimed that I stole it and tried to plagiarise her work.

But why would anyone believe me, over perfect, proper Eve?

Maybe it was fucked up that I would rather be at college working on an essay about nature vs nurture than be here dealing with people reminiscing about how perfect my sister was, but it was the truth.

I blew out a heavy breath as I forced my legs to move towards the train station entrance where my parents were waiting for me to arrive.

I knew now that Eve was gone, their attention would shift to me, and I cursed Eve even more for it. It was as if she had to get in one last blow before kicking the bucket like the sour bitch she was.

The drive to the house was quiet. My parents were both too worked up over my sister to really mutter anything more than a quick hello as they rushed me out of the station.

They parked the car and made their way into the house. I took a moment longer than them, preparing myself for what was to come.

The car door squeaked open, just another reminder of the cold weather coming our way. The wind whipped my hair across my cheeks. I ducked my head as I grabbed my bag and made my way into our family home. The tiny brick house I had resented for most of my childhood mocking me now as I returned to it.

The smell of fresh baked bread and coffee filled my nose as the heat of the fireplace warmed my skin. I kicked off my boots and hung up my coat.

"I laid out your clothes for tomorrow on your bed. And you have freshly washed linens as well." I looked up at my mom, her blonde hair looking more grey with age, her brown eyes dull from lack of sleep. She smiled at me, one that was forced and didn't reaches her eyes. I nodded, making my way to the stairs. Pictures of my sister and I lined the walls, but I tried my best not to look at them.

"Thank you."

"I also left a bowl of stew for you in the microwave. Just remember to remove the tinfoil before you turn it on." I nodded again, not having the heart to tell her that I had already eaten on the train and wasn't hungry.

I made my way up the stairs, the steps creaking beneath my weight. My room sat at the end of the hall; Eve's the one before mine. I looked over into Eve's room on instinct. Finding the bed perfectly made and her nurse's outfit handing on the door, ready for her next shift as if she was coming back. It felt weird, unnatural that it hadn't been moved yet.

I forced my legs to move, opening my bedroom door and flicked on the lights. Not much had changed since I left. My bed was still the same, and all my belonging were right where I had left them, but somehow this room felt different, foreign.

I placed my bag by my desk and moved the outfit my mom had picked out for me—a black dress with long sleeves, a pair of stockings and my best shoes. I placed them on the chairs and stripped off my clothes, leaving on my underwear and tank top on before curling into my bed and turning off the lights.

The train ride had exhausted me, and the thought of dealing with everyone tomorrow made me want to curl into myself and die too.

I couldn't believe I was back here; I never wanted to come back here.

Fuck you, Eve; why did you have to go and get yourself killed?