Ever with Hades

Most of all, her Hades would see her as a human being worthy of love.

EVERYDAY LIFE WAS PREDICTABLE by nature, but whether such a routine would feel monotonous depended on the company one kept.

Those who were surrounded with love were lucky. The very repetitiveness of their daily lives was an aspect they treasured. They saw it as a sign of stability and commitment, and there was no greater thing they could ask than the assurance that the rest of the days would allow them to stay together.

But for those who were alone even when surrounded by other people, the sheer monotony of their days would be like a hole in their existence, a gnawing emptiness that would grow every second until they were but shells.

They would stop living.

Instead, they would merely exist...until they stopped existing at all.

I can’t believe it’s just eight in the morning, Ever thought as she started cleaning the living room, which was decorated in shades of yellow. It was the picture of genteel poverty, which was ironic since everyone knew Arisa Carlisle was extremely wealthy. She only happened to be stingy, too, and did not care at all that the wallpapers had faded and started to peel and that the aging carpet covered the entire second floor already had a musty odor to it.

Ever couldn’t help gritting her teeth as she pushed the heavy sofa to the side. It would be nice if she could have someone to help her with the furniture lifting, but that would mean Arisa having to pay for another helper in the house, which was next to impossible.

When Arisa was done with the second floor, she trudged down the stairs carrying the vacuum cleaner to start on the hallway.

Unable to help it, she glanced at the clock once more and suppressed a sigh when she saw it was only eight forty-five.

It had been only less than four hours since she had woken up, but already it felt like an eternity.

Usually, Ever would wake up at four in the morning to treat herself with an hour’s worth of reading. But today, she had woken up late and had barely enough time to shower and eat a quick breakfast before rushing to her aunt’s room at six-thirty.

There, she would assist Arisa to change and take a bath and afterwards accompany her aunt to the dining room for breakfast. While Arisa had her morning nap, the rest of Ever’s day would be taken up by cleaning until it was time for her to have a quick lunch and afterwards to make sure that Arisa would wake up with lunch in bed.

Then after that, there would be the gardening and errands while Arisa had her afternoon nap. By the time she returned, Arisa would have to be woken up to have dinner – still in bed – and after that she would need to prepare her aunt for bed.

It would take about thirty minutes for Arisa to choose a book or pretend choosing one when they both knew her aunt would still end up choosing her favorite bible study companion, one written by the local pastor and which had a condescending and condemning tone throughout.

Another hour would be spent on reading and only when Arisa had snored five times straight would Ever be able to safely leave the room. She could then have her dinner alone in the kitchen and by then, it would be close to midnight.

She would have four to five hours of sleep before yet another day would begin and end, just like how the other days past had begun and ended.

The vacuum cleaner suddenly started making loud noises, startling Ever out of her thoughts. Bending down, she switched the vacuum cleaner off and banged it a few times, the only way to get the decade-old appliance back to its normal self.

Straightening, she glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner and bit back a groan.

Eight fifty-five!

Had ten minutes only passed when she had daydreamed about her day being over?

“BE SURE NOT TO WASTE time gossiping with anyone,” Arisa muttered warningly as she handed her niece her yellowed library card that afternoon. “Once you’re done with the library, go straight to the market, buy the things on the list, and then come back here straight away.”

“Yes, Aunt.” It was easier to agree with Arisa than let the other woman know that a) library cards had been phased out and b) no one in town, with the exception of the pastor and librarian, cared to even look at Ever.

As far as the townspeople were concerned, Ever Carlisle was persona non grata the day Ever’s father died in bankruptcy, his personal fortune swindled by a con artist disguised as a foreign investor.

“Be sure you’re back before five.” Arisa scowled. “You’re probably too selfish to care, but know that if you come later you are choosing to let me starve.”