did not respond.
"Oh, please, please, wake up," Rebecca said. "Please."
Silence was as present as oxygen, but not as easy to inhale. Rebecca stared at her friend, squeezing her thin fingers so hard her own hand ached. Her bottom lip quivered.
"I gave up my fashion show for you, Lizzy," Rebecca said. "The one thing I've always wanted more than anything else in the whole world. You understand why you have to wake up now, don't you? Don't you ?"
Eden was ripped away from the memory, but while her thoughts reached out to Lizzy, she also thought on something else too. Rebecca and Osier. "I want to get rid of it, but the baby's father won't let me." But Rebecca had decided not to abort. No matter how much her dad had pleaded with her to keep Eden, it had been Rebecca's choice in the end. The law gave him no real say in the matter, either.
"I gave up my fashion show for you, Lizzy." The words echoed in her ears.
"I gave up my fashion show for you."
Those words were true for Lizzy and Eden. Her mom had given up the one thing she wanted more than anything else in the world to raise her. Her mom may have been selfish, she may have resented her in the end, but even with her selfishness, there was love. And her love showed through even though Eden had never heard the words.
It was now, as Eden floated in darkness, that she felt the broken seams of her heart begin to mend. She had seen how much her mom would sacrifice for her, for others, in the name of love. She had never thought in somebody else's grief, she could heal herselfâbut she had. Her mom had shown she would be willing to keep her, even if she had to give up the one thing she loved above all others.
Eden saw white light and knew she headed back to Purgatory. And her mom.
Chapter Eight
When Eden opened her eyes, she lay on the ground bedded with twigs and stared up into her mother's eyes. She sat up and a smile crossed her face for the first time in what felt like years.
"Eden." Yuri's voice was soft and awed.
She saw her mom's companion, Henry, hovering over her too. He was tall and thin, too young for her mom.
"W-we," Eden said, then began again. "We need to go to Gabriel, Yuri. My mom is my fifth soul. We've done it. We've done it."
The woman stared at her with wide, confused eyes.
"I don't understand," Rebecca said. "What have we done? What's going on? And Eden, what happened to you?"
Eden exchanged glances with her friends and then began to speak. When she was finally done with her story about her and her five souls, her motherâs mouth hung open. Henry hung back, his hands in his pockets.
"You⦠What did you see about me?" her mom asked.
"I saw you and Lizzy and⦠me, Mom," Eden said, frowning. She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around her mom's waist. "Thank you and I'm sorry about your best friend."
Everything went still. Her mom shuddered and tried to push her daughter away, but Eden held on strong. Rebecca smelled the same way she had on Earth, of coconuts and citrus fruit. She released a shaky sigh and then finally stepped back.
"If you saw Lizzyâ¦" Her mom shook her head. "It's impossible. I know you said you can go into my head, but there are things in there nobody was ever meant to see. Things about youâ¦"
"Trust me, I know," Yuri said. "She's done it to all of us. I don't think anything you did can be worse than what I did."
"It's different," her mom snapped. "It's about her. It's about me, her, and her dad. How does it even work? How can a soul share memories with somebody else?"
"I don't know. Our souls connect and meld for a moment," Eden said. "But I⦠I saw good things too. You gave up everything for Lizzy, and you gave up everything for me."
Everyone was silent for a moment. Aaron placed his hand on Eden's shoulder and gazed at Rebecca with a frown.
"I hate to break up the family love fest, but I think we should get to the Blood Stone chapel before Satan discovers you've figured out how to
"Oh, please, please, wake up," Rebecca said. "Please."
Silence was as present as oxygen, but not as easy to inhale. Rebecca stared at her friend, squeezing her thin fingers so hard her own hand ached. Her bottom lip quivered.
"I gave up my fashion show for you, Lizzy," Rebecca said. "The one thing I've always wanted more than anything else in the whole world. You understand why you have to wake up now, don't you? Don't you ?"
Eden was ripped away from the memory, but while her thoughts reached out to Lizzy, she also thought on something else too. Rebecca and Osier. "I want to get rid of it, but the baby's father won't let me." But Rebecca had decided not to abort. No matter how much her dad had pleaded with her to keep Eden, it had been Rebecca's choice in the end. The law gave him no real say in the matter, either.
"I gave up my fashion show for you, Lizzy." The words echoed in her ears.
"I gave up my fashion show for you."
Those words were true for Lizzy and Eden. Her mom had given up the one thing she wanted more than anything else in the world to raise her. Her mom may have been selfish, she may have resented her in the end, but even with her selfishness, there was love. And her love showed through even though Eden had never heard the words.
It was now, as Eden floated in darkness, that she felt the broken seams of her heart begin to mend. She had seen how much her mom would sacrifice for her, for others, in the name of love. She had never thought in somebody else's grief, she could heal herselfâbut she had. Her mom had shown she would be willing to keep her, even if she had to give up the one thing she loved above all others.
Eden saw white light and knew she headed back to Purgatory. And her mom.
Chapter Eight
When Eden opened her eyes, she lay on the ground bedded with twigs and stared up into her mother's eyes. She sat up and a smile crossed her face for the first time in what felt like years.
"Eden." Yuri's voice was soft and awed.
She saw her mom's companion, Henry, hovering over her too. He was tall and thin, too young for her mom.
"W-we," Eden said, then began again. "We need to go to Gabriel, Yuri. My mom is my fifth soul. We've done it. We've done it."
The woman stared at her with wide, confused eyes.
"I don't understand," Rebecca said. "What have we done? What's going on? And Eden, what happened to you?"
Eden exchanged glances with her friends and then began to speak. When she was finally done with her story about her and her five souls, her motherâs mouth hung open. Henry hung back, his hands in his pockets.
"You⦠What did you see about me?" her mom asked.
"I saw you and Lizzy and⦠me, Mom," Eden said, frowning. She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around her mom's waist. "Thank you and I'm sorry about your best friend."
Everything went still. Her mom shuddered and tried to push her daughter away, but Eden held on strong. Rebecca smelled the same way she had on Earth, of coconuts and citrus fruit. She released a shaky sigh and then finally stepped back.
"If you saw Lizzyâ¦" Her mom shook her head. "It's impossible. I know you said you can go into my head, but there are things in there nobody was ever meant to see. Things about youâ¦"
"Trust me, I know," Yuri said. "She's done it to all of us. I don't think anything you did can be worse than what I did."
"It's different," her mom snapped. "It's about her. It's about me, her, and her dad. How does it even work? How can a soul share memories with somebody else?"
"I don't know. Our souls connect and meld for a moment," Eden said. "But I⦠I saw good things too. You gave up everything for Lizzy, and you gave up everything for me."
Everyone was silent for a moment. Aaron placed his hand on Eden's shoulder and gazed at Rebecca with a frown.
"I hate to break up the family love fest, but I think we should get to the Blood Stone chapel before Satan discovers you've figured out how to
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