Chapter 69.3

Evelyn redoubled her grip on Amara’s hand, her heart racing a mile a minute as Evie cracked open the door to Rosie’s bedroom. The light scent of lavender paired with the quiet hum of a simulated thunderstorm, the latter of which Evie turned off with a faint click as she entered the room. Ancient bed springs creaked as Evie sat down, and Evelyn waited with bated breath to hear Rosie’s voice.

“You should go first, Mom,” Amara whispered, quietly enough that no one but the two of them could hear.

“What? Amara, today is all about you, and—”

“That’s not true in the slightest, Mom,” Amara said. “You think I didn’t see how emotional you got every time we talked about Rosie? This is just as much a reunion for you as it is an introduction for me. You go in first, take however long you need, and I’ll happily wait out here until the time is right.”

Nearly overwhelmed by her love for her daughter, Evelyn pulled Amara into a smothering hug. “Thank you, dear,” she whispered.

From inside the bedroom, Evie spoke in similarly hushed tones. “Mamá? How was your nap?”

“Well, it’s over now, so it could have been better,” an elderly voice said, a hint of playful sarcasm on her tongue. The two women in the bedroom laughed quietly with one another, then Evelyn heard someone rustling with a bottle of medication.

“Must you fuss with those pills already? My eyes are barely open!”

“You’ll forget if I don’t.”

“I’m not gonna forget! There’s no need to force it on me like some kind of prison guard!” Rosie protested.

“That’s not true and you know it,” Evie muttered. “The last time I stopped checking, you skipped an entire week of pills and were complaining about your hip for a month straight.”

“Bah, that was unrelated.” Rosie grumbled. “That was the month we had all those storms, remember? You know this blasted metal hip of mine acts up whenever it gets too humid. It’s actually not feeling too great right now, I’ll bet it’s going to rain later today. Just you wait!”

“Even if you’re right, Mamá, I’m not letting you skip your meds. C’mon, drink up!”

A brief pause, then Evelyn heard someone set a glass of water down. “There, all done. Now move aside so I can get up! Did I hear the boys earlier? I didn’t know they were coming over today.”

“Actually, before you get up, I have a bit of a surprise for you,” Evie said. Even out of sight, Evelyn heard the playfulness in Evie’s smile.

“Ooh, is it cake? I’ve been dying for a slice of chocolate cake from the corner bakery. Did you know I was good friends with the man that started that bakery? He used to sneak me an extra slice every time I went there, Max was always so upset with him. Of course, he wasn’t upset with what the cake did to my figure, if you know what I—”

“Mamá, please. I don’t need to hear about that.”

Rosie chuckled maliciously. “Okay, well, if it’s not cake, what is it?”

“It’s better than cake, I promise.”

“Now I know you’re lying, dear. Better than cake, ha! Do you hear yourself right now?”

The bed springs creaked again as Evie shifted closer. “I met an old friend recently, Mamá.”

Something about this moment called to Evelyn. She barely knew Evie, and they hadn’t even discussed a phrase or cue to enter on, but she knew this was right. Evelyn briefly smiled back at Amara before turning to the bedroom and stepping forward.

“An old friend? What are you—”

Evelyn’s heart leapt into her throat as she saw Rosie again. In the twenty years since they’d last met, Rosie’s rich black hair had turned completely white. The smile lines on her face were as pronounced as ever, yet they flattered her face with all the dignity of a decade’s old lover. It was impossible not to see the effects of her long life; she’d grown thinner in her old age, and a slight rasp filled her voice whenever she talked. In spite of the ravages of time, however, her deep brown eyes were as wide, curious, and loving as they’d been when she’d first met Evelyn nearly a century earlier.

“Momma Ev?” Rosie whispered.

“Hi, Rosie,” Evelyn said, her voice cracking.

“You came back!” Tears sprang into Rosie’s eyes, and she threw her covers aside to try and stand up. Evelyn didn’t give her the opportunity—before Rosie’s feet found the floor, Evelyn had raced across the room and sat beside her. She pulled Rosie close and hugged her tightly, both of them sniffling as they held each other.

“I missed you so much.” Evelyn shut her eyes, gently brushing Rosie’s hair aside.

“I never thought I would see you again,” Rosie muttered. “Especially here, of all places. All those years of hiding, refusing to meet my family… What changed? Are you okay?”

Rosie pulled away from Evelyn, and the two women stared deeply into each other’s eyes. Evelyn gingerly wiped the tears from Rosie’s face, and the older woman returned the favor. They both smiled, feeling for a brief moment like they’d never parted ways all those years ago, when a bright flash of light filled the room. Ancient plastic gears buzzed and whirred with excitement, drawing everyone’s attention to the young woman standing awkwardly in the doorway.

With everyone in the room now staring at Amara, her face flushed with embarrassment as she tucked a photograph in her jacket pocket. “I know I said I’d wait, but I just… it was such a perfect shot and I— Shit, now I’m ruining my introduction and—”

Evelyn burst out laughing. “Rosie, meet your sister, Amara.” With a quick wave, Evelyn gestured her daughter closer. “Amara, this is Rosie!”

“Amara! Oh, I’ve always wanted a sister, and look at you! You’re just as beautiful as Momma Ev!” Rosie said, her voice bursting with excitement. Evelyn stood up to free space on the bed, and Amara took her place before happily throwing her arms around her half-sister. They both laughed, their voices shockingly similar despite the many decades between them.

“I’ve heard so much about you, Rosie,” Amara admitted. “I almost can’t believe it myself. I’ve always wanted a sister too!”

“Wait a minute! If you know that I’m your sister, that means Mom told you the truth about herself!” Rosie cast a suspicious gaze back at Evelyn. “There’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there? What’s going on here?”

“It’s… honestly a bit of a long story, Rosie,” Evelyn said, unsure where to start.

“Maybe it would be easier to just show you?” Amara suggested, looking over for permission. After seeing Evelyn nod, she backed a foot away from Rosie and summoned a small flurry of hellfire atop her head. The flames split into two small pillars that reached up and back, eventually dispersing once Amara’s powerful horns were on full display.

Rosie gasped, then reached out. She traced her delicate fingers over Amara’s horns, though ultimately her hands fell to Amara’s face instead. “A demon? But how?”

Amara cradled Rosie’s hand in her own, nuzzling it gently. “Against all odds, I’m a mortal demon. I only found out a few months ago, and the other week Mom finally realized that she had no reason to keep this part of her life a secret anymore. So… y’know, here I am!”

“Maybe we should start from the beginning?” Evelyn suggested.

“Before you do,” Evie said, breaking her silence and stepping forward, “Amara, can I borrow your camera? I think the three of you deserve a family portrait.”

Although obviously nervous about handing her camera to someone else, Amara seemed too excited to turn down Evie’s offer. After a few moments of shuffling, Evelyn, Rosie, and Amara had gathered together for the very first time. They looked over at Evie, who seemed quite comfortable operating the vintage camera, and smiled for their picture.

Another flash, another chorus of ancient whirring gears, and the camera spat out a photograph. “Alright, let’s take a look!” Evie said excitedly, holding up the picture.

“Not yet!” Amara panicked and her amber eyes flashed with power. Tendrils of smoke and shadow sprang into existence around the photograph, eventually forming into a tight sphere of darkness. “It can’t be exposed to light for at least five minutes or else it might not develop correctly!”

Evie, as surprised as she was to see her hand disappear in a cloud of illusory darkness, steeled her nerves and maintained her hold on the picture. “Oh, that’s… going to take some getting used to.”

“And we’ve got all the time in the world to do so!” Rosie said excitedly. Grabbing both Evelyn’s and Amara’s hand, she pulled herself out of bed and stood up. “Let’s stop waiting around, shall we? I want to hear all about the last few months, and we need to get you some pictures of the rest of the family! Have you met them all already? Oh, you’re going to love them!”

With all the introductions taken care of, Rosie led the charge back into the family room hand-in-hand with Amara. The two of them were shockingly alike, and Evelyn allowed herself one final moment of quiet joy before she joined them as well, eager to spend the day with her family.