(when heaven falls)

HEAVEN. The idea of an eternal utopia where the good lived happily, united as one under the rule of a divine being- usually known as God. But once you think of it a little bit more, the idea of heaven starts developing holes. Holes, such as the fact that almost no person is good. They have all committed some kind of sin. Perhaps not a grave one, but sins nonetheless. So heaven is not perfect. There are sins, but just as much- so how does that make it any different from earth itself?

Besides, the idea of heaven itself is a hell for introverts.

Heaven is heaven for a little while, until it falls, and everyone ends up with two hells.

Was her life before Mareena's death and Melody's passing really heaven as she so often likes to think? Perhaps not. She and Sarah were always at each other's throat with sly jabs. James was unconfident in himself and always seeking approval from those around him. It was still flawed, but better.

Was that her heaven? Perhaps. But if this is hell, why didn't it hurt anymore? It was all tolerable now, as she walked back to the McHill house with Victoire at her side. The two girls had already stopped by Victoire's school to drop Holly off. Livia had asked for permission to eat at the McHill's house- Jason and Victoire insisted, and the McHills were finally all home. She didn't expect it to last long, so she decided to take the chance while it lasted.

"I want to curbstomp a small child," Jason muttered absent-mindedly while Victoire looked on in horror.

Livia's eyes flicked from the sister to brother. "Your sister, delinquent?"

"No, no. She's not that small. Her ego's too big for that."

"Hey!" Victoire yelped, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "Have I told you that you sucked before?"

Jason's eyebrow raised suggestively.

"Okay, shut the fuck up, Jay, no one needs to hear what comes out next from your mouth," Livia snapped. "There's children here."

"A child here, not children."

"Whatever." Livia let out a frustrated sigh. "You know what I mean."

"Actually, I don't."

"Don't be fucking annoying," Livia snarled.

"You're the one cussing like a mad man," Jay shot. "Shut up, Wong. Tell her to shut up, Victoire."

Toire stuck her tongue out. Livia shook her head and muttered a soft 'idiot'. Of all the people to back him up, he chose Toire, who will almost definitely be on her side. "Let's just go," Livia huffed. "I'm getting hungry."

"It's five o'clock," Jay pointed out. "We won't eat until it's at least seven," he scowled.

"We can have snacks," she shrugged in reply. "Don't be an idiot."

"He's always an idiot, what the heck are you talking about?" Victoire snorted. "He can't stop. It's in his blood."

"Why on earth are you this nasty?" Jason asked, glaring at his sister. Victoire shrugged innocently.

"Because I can be?"

***

"Livia, darling, it's so nice to see you again!"

Livia grinned as Alicia McHill glided into the doorway, a smile adorned on her kind face. The woman looked beautiful as ever, her blonde hair tied back in a braid that fell on her shoulders. She was dressed in one of her own designs, a black blouse.

"Hello, Mrs McHill. Nice to see you too!"

"The twins are upstairs, probably gaming. Victoire.... You look like a mess!"

Victoire shrugged half-heartedly. "Yay?"

"Honey, go take a bath," the woman frowned, taking in her daughter's messy attire. "You can't eat dinner looking like that!"

"Actually, I can," Victoire retorted with a hmph. "It's just not ladylike. But you should have cared about that before sending me to a delinquent school, eh?"

"Victoi-"

The girl darted off, climbing upstairs as quickly as possible. Livia raised an eyebrow. "She's still not over that?"

"I'm afraid not," Mrs McHill sighed. "Oh well. We mustn't let her temper tantrum ruin the mood. Come, children, let me get you some refreshments." They followed. The three waltzed into the kitchen, where Mrs McHill got a help to make a cup of tea for each of them. Livia offered the olive-skinned woman a firm smile.

"How fast time passes. You're a college student now!" Mrs McHill exclaimed with a shy smile. "Soon, you'll be married with kids... I still remember when we first met you, Livia."

"You haven't changed at all," Livia laughed. "I, on the other hand..."

"Children grow," she mused. "Me, I refuse to age."

"Puh-lease," Jay snorted. "You've definitely grown older, whether you like it or not."

"Jason!" Mrs McHill scolded. "You don't talk about your mother like that!"

"Yeah, Jay Jay, don't you have any manners?" Livia mocked, taking a sip from her cup.

Jason let out a loud groan. "I hate all of you."

"No you don't!' sounded the woman, scandalised. "Be polite, dear. I didn't teach you to be rude!"

"Actually-"

"Jason," Livia seethed. "Listen to your mother."

Jason rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever. Yay. You win." He slumped against the wooden chair while his mother frowned besides him, her head shaking. Livia swallowed down a laugh. She's so bad at controlling her kids.

"I'll go check on Dylan- you guys do what you want. Please help me make sure Victoire is taking a bath and not planning to run away again."

"Victoire tried to run away?"

Jason mouthed a quick 'don't ask', so Livia shut her mouth. We'll do that, Mrs McHill, don't you worry."

The woman gave her a toothy grin. "Thank you, Livia. You're simply wonderful. I wish Victoire was more like you." Jason looked horrified, and Livia stifled back a laugh. Goddamnit, she's so clueless.

The moment Mrs McHill left the kitchen, Livia turned to Jason. "How and when the fuck did Victoire run away?"

"I said don't ask," Jason snarled. "Come on, let's find the little brat."

"That's your sister you're talking about," Livia pointed out.

"That doesn't mean anything," Jason riposted. "Come on, hurry up, or I'll leave you in the dust."

"That was a forced rhyme."

"Livia."

"What? I'm just saying."

"You guys finally made it?" That was an unimpressed Jack, his arms crossed at the top of the staircase. Livia flicked him a blank look while Jason flashed him a middle finger. "I thought you two died."

"You wish, Jack," Livia muttered, rolling her eyes. "You bloody wish."

"Hell yeah I do. Come on, idiots, we're in my bedroom. James' playing Assassin's Creed again, and I feel like strangling him. Someone stop that man."

"I can tackle him onto the ground," Jason offered.

"I could totally try to stab him," Livia shrugged.

Jack fixed both of them with a glare. "No. No violence."

"But you just said-"

"I said I felt like strangling him, not that I will strangle him," he rebuffed with a wave of his hand. "Check your ears."

"Shut the fuck up, Jack," shot James' voice as he pushed the door open with a glare. "I could hear you from a mile away."

"Less than ten metres."

"Livia."

"Is it just me or is Livia extra insufferable today?" Jason scowled.

"It is not just you," Jack huffed. "She's so annoying right now and I don't know why."

"No she's not!" Victoire muttered as she skipped into the bedroom, draping her arms around James' waist. "She's okay today! Same as always!"

"Toire, you're not short, no need to crouch to hug me," James frowned, pulling Victoire up.

"Nah," the blonde girl shrugged. "I like being the height of a toddler."

"Get up, Toire," Livia chortled. "You just took a bath, and god knows what the fuck Jack does in his bedroom when no one's here."

Jack shot daggers at her.

"Fair point," Toire nodded reluctantly, climbing up from the ground. "He's a weirdo."

"Exactly," Livia smiled, showing teeth. "Come here. Sit besides me," she said as she patted the spot besides her. "Let's watch the boys kill each other."

"We are not about to kill each other," Jack argued.

Livia stared at him blankly. "Yes you fucking are. Don't lie to my face, McHill."

"I am not lying, Wong," he grunted.

"Whatever."

"Boring. Try harder," Victoire harrumphed. "This is so tiring. We can't all play nice?"

"You just called me a weirdo!" Jack snapped. "Don't talk to me about playing nice, Toire!"

"At least you guys know I can," Toire pouted. "You, on the other hand..."

"Please kick this gremlin out of my room."

Livia instinctively wrapped her arms around the little girl, who shrunk into her embrace. "Try that, and I'll kick your ass."

"Oh, I bloody will," Jack snarled, pulling up his sleeves. James held out his arm, pushing his brother back with a glare.

"I'm just kidding," he sighed. "Can't take a bloody joke."

"Ha, please. I wasn't worried for her, I was worried for you."

Livia flashed a toothy grin, running her hair through Victoire's soft hair. "James knows what's up. Smart boy." James' cheeks flushed as he pushed his locks back. "Looks like it's just Jason and Jack who didn't get the brain cells..."

"Why on earth was I linked to this argument?"

"You're a McHill." Livia shrugged. "That automatically links you and makes you relevant to this conversation."

Victoire stared at her with admiration. "Your logic is flawless," she whispered with feigned awe. "It has no problems and is absolutely perfect. Teach me your ways, great Livia."

Livia narrowed her eyes and pushed Victoire off her lap. "Now you're getting on my nerves..." The younger girl crossed her arms and stomped her feet with a glare, letting out a growl before spinning on her heels. Toire marched towards James, kicking him to the side and sat down where he was as he looked up in alarm.

"Do you have no manners?" He asked, nudging his sister towards the side. "Move, child, move."

"No." Victoire's answer was firm. "Not moving. You move. Ladies first."

"Technically speaking, in China, the saying is that elders go first, not the youngsters... but you do you, Toire," Livia snickered. "I'm not going to bother arguing with your... very flawed logic that doesn't make any sense and endless youth."

Toire looked shattered. "I was praising you..."

Livia shrugged apologetically as Jason let out a grunt. "You all suck. Drama queens and... boys with no logic."

"You're the king of that," Jack spat. "All of you are simply insufferable today and I do not know why. Is it something in the water?"

"You drank like a bajillion gallons of water today!" James scowled. "Though, I suppose we won't be able to tell if the water made you wonky..."

Livia pinched her nose. "Idiots."

"That includes you," James shot. "You're one of us. You've always been one of us."

"Until it comes to intelligence," Livia riposted with a chuckle. "My Asian genes give me a distinct advantage regarding that, thank god."

"You wish."

"I don't need to wish when it's the truth, Jack."

"Bickering fools," Jason huffed. "Let's just play a game, goddamnit."

"Ooh! Ooh! We're playing Animal Crossing. Where the fuck is my Nintendo Switch?" Victoire's soft voice echoed through the bedroom as the rest of the group released a collective sign. This was going to be fun.

***

"Look at all of you, all grown up now!" Mr McHill proclaimed proudly as his eyes darted between the three graduates, all sat next to each other. Victoire rolled her eyes, stabbing her fork into her pasta, looking rather unimpressed.

"I know!" Mrs McHill gushed. "I was just talking to Livia about it!"

Their enthusiasm was adorable, but also a bit annoying, not that Livia showed it on her face as she continued to grin from ear to ear, letting them do the talking.

"I remember when I was your age... Full of ambition and plans for the future. Brave and optimistic... and it worked, didn't it?"

"It quite did," Mrs McHill grinned cheekily. "Worked quite wonderfully! You must have done something right."

Well, this is just awkward now. Perhaps this was better off a conversation on their wedding anniversary dinner date instead of a meal with a friend (if she's considered that, anyways). Livia resisted the urge to burst into laughter while Victoire narrowed her eyes.

"You're being embarrassing, Mom," the girl grunted. Mrs McHill looked slightly ashamed, sending her husband a quick look. He let out a sigh. Rebellious stage. It happens, Livia mused quietly to herself. And unlike her parents, who ruled her with an iron fist, Mr and Mrs McHill are treating her with the velvet glove- no. They're giving her the velvet glove.

"Sometimes I wish Livia was a part of our family," Mrs McHill snorted. Livia glanced up, alarmed, ready to launch into a rant on how she really needs to stop comparing Victoire and her. "Victoire could finally have a companion except... these boys."

"We're your sons."

"Horrible influences," she sniffed. "Oh, I'm just kidding with you, dears."

James huffed. "We know. You love us."

Her eyes twinkled. "I did something right!"

"To be fair," Livia interrupted, "I pretty much am part of the family at this point. This is basically my home away from home!"

"But you're not an actual part of the family," Toire pouted.

"We could make you part of the family," Mr McHill joked with a chuckle.

"Haha," Livia deadpanned. "I'd love nothing more."

--

this chapter is just to prepare for the next :))) the book is almost ending, with only one chapter left!! whoever's reading this- thank you for sticking around for this long!! i really appreciate it!!