Chapter Text
"It's as if.. a waterfall of happiness just splashes on you."
Wide, wondrous eyes, stared up at the thirty year old woman as she spoke. She had signs of wrinkles forming around her eyes, cheeks, and mouth from so many years of laughter and smiles. The woman had deep brown irises the color of dark chocolate. They mirrored the color of her skin that seemed fit for a goddess. Her hair was pulled back into a bandana to hide the fact that it was falling out from the young child.
"You and Papa?"
The small three year old girl sat on the beige carpet floor, in between the legs of the older woman as she played with her Winnie the Pooh teddy bear. She had the same chocolate brown eyes as her mother but a shade or two lighter skin, resembling that of toffee. Her wild hair was being braided back by shaky hands but the young girl didn't have half a mind to even think about it.
The two were sitting in the living room of a one bedroom apartment that sat on top of a boulangerie. It was a humble home that didn't feel too small or too large for the two girls. It was large enough to fit the two and the woman's large array of candles and other objects necessary for her religion.
"Me and Papa, babygirl. One day, it'll be the same for you and the person you'll end up falling in love with, whether it be a boy or a girl."
"A pretty one?"
The woman smiled fondly as she finished the braids and patted the young girl's shoulders. The small child giggled and turned around before climbing up the woman's legs to sit on her lap. The woman let out a puff of air but laughed it off, tickling at her daughter's sides. The slight pain was worth hearing the giggles fall from the young girl's lips.
"As pretty as you want, Erie." She hummed, rubbing her daughter's cheek with the back of her hand
Erieanna Laurie Bellerose was Katya's first daughter. It seemed as if she'd be her only one, with the older woman's state. Katya, the mother, didn't mind. Her daughter was her greatest accomplishment, even if the young girl had only been on this earth for a few short years.
The woman knew her time was limited. Her doctor told her that it would only be a few weeks, a few months at most. That was two months ago and she knew her time was quickly approaching to less than a week or two now. Rather than spend the rest of her time stuck in a hospital bed, Katya wanted to make it worth it and spend it with her daughter.
The woman knew that only shortly after, or possibly before, the wolves would come for her daughter. Her lover, Erieanna's father, had warned her of this before. She's been awaiting this. Maybe that's why she hadn't called any of her family members to ask if they could be her daughter's guardians. She knew that Erieanna would be safe wherever those wolves would take her. Safe with people that were like her.
"Together forever, Mommy?" The young Erieanna asked, her wide eyes looking up at her mother
The smile on Katya's face was both fond and melancholy," Always, princess. No one breaks us apart."
The small child giggled and pushed herself up to hug her mother around the neck. Katya let in a deep breath before exhaling out slowly, her eyes closed as she hugged her daughter back. She didn't know what she did to deserve this beautiful creation but she was grateful.
Erieanna slid off of her mother's lap to go run off but, the older woman, with greater strength than she thought she had, gripped her daughter's forearm in her hand.
The young girl looked up with wide eyes, confusion laced in them. She didn't say anything, waiting for what her mother wanted to say.
"Stay with me for a bit, chère. You wouldn't want to leave your mama alone, would you?"
"Never, mama." Erieanna smiled, sitting by her mother's feet
The woman smiled fondly down at her daughter, her mind wondering back to her lover. Erieanna had so many of his features - his dark skin, the slight upward slant of his eyes, the speckles of gold in the seemingly obsidian irises. He had been the one to bring color into her dull gray life.
The couple had only known each other for a few months, eight, before Katya was pregnant with their child. The man had revealed his true self to her shortly after. The twenty-five year old woman had fallen in love with a Roman god.
He came to see the two at least two to three times each month, defying the strict rule implemented by Jupiter, the lord of the gods. Katya was filled with love whenever he came. He showered her and their daughter with so much love and gifts. They were far too spoiled.
"Mama," Erieanna said, looking up at the woman," When's papa comin'?"
Her mother smiled fondly, rubbing the back of her hand on Erieanna's cheek," Soon, babygirl. Papa's gonna take such good care of us, chère. He's our gris gris, baby. The loa brought him to us."
"Gris gris." The tiny girl repeated, nodding in approval
Katya was a firm believer in the positive effects of voodoo. Through her religion, of course, was where she had met her beloved in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was All Saints' Day when she had met him. She had been at the crypts when a beautifully dark man had sparked a conversation with her. The moment their eyes locked, Katya was able to note how all the colors that she had been taught in her schools when she was younger were coming true. With the color introduced into her life, the man was even more beautiful. She had lit her candles and prayed to her loa that evening to keep that man in her life.
"Mama, dodo." Erieanna mumbled
To prove her point, the young child yawned cutely as she rubbed at her eyes with the paws of her onesie that she was wearing for bed. Katya looked up at the clock that was on the wall across from her, placed a few feet above the small television set of theirs - 10:30 p.m.
"Oh, chère, I didn't know it was so late. C'mon, beb, off to bed for you." Katya smiled softly, standing up and heaving a big sigh at the tight feeling she felt all over her body.
The woman held her daughter's hand in her own as she led her into their shared bedroom. Erieanna put her arms up and Katya chuckled, picking her daughter up and setting her down in her crib.
"Colors?" The small girl asked
Her mother smiled fondly as she tucked the young girl in, handing her her adorable Princess Tiana plush toy that she adored sleeping with," You see colors when you see your soulmate. Whenever your soulmate is close to you, you'll always see color. Whenever they're away, you go back to seeing gray. The gods and our loa made it like that to make sure that our lives would be free of pain and sadness."
"But no colors?"
"Some people might never meet their soulmate. Their lives would always be gray."
The small girl pouted and hid her face behind her doll. The older woman chuckled softly, watching as her daughter slowly pulled her doll away.
"I wanna see you, Mama." She pouted
Katya's smile was bittersweet," Not just yet, beb. When you meet the love of your life, yes."
Erieanna only hugged her plush doll closer to her body, clearly deeply saddened by this. Her mother rubbed her cheek with the back of her hand to soothe her.
"Erie, chère, you have to listen to me on this, okay? Can you do that?" Katya asked
The young girl looked up at her mother and nodded," Yea, Mama."
"I'll always be with you, no matter what, chère, even if I won't be here physically. Your papa's gonna take care of you. He'll make sure you'll grow up to be the incredible woman I know you'll be." The small child just stared up at her with wide eyes, not truly understanding the meaning behind her mother's words. Katya just smiled sadly," Sweet dreams, beb. Mama loves ya."
"Love you." Erieanna mumbled before yawning once more and closing her eyes, wrapping herself around her plush Princess Tiana doll as her mother watched her silently
She only wished she had a few more years or at least months with her daughter instead of days.