Just Checking Up! Part Twenty-Seven: Four Seasons in a Snowglobe

Silks:

Gathering up the last bit of evidence from the last raid, about twenty more members had been arrested. Wandering into a worn room, peeling ruby wallpaper drooped from years of neglect. A single snow globe with a nasty olive green horned figure intrigued me, the carved wooden base donning unique magical symbols. Adjusting my gloves, perhaps no skin contact would prevent any sort of transportation. Setting up an evidence box, one poke whisked me into a winter torture festival. Gone was the horned figure, its lack of a muscular figure drawing a quiet fear into my nervous grin.

“Not this idiot!” Mary Allen bitched audibly, her irritated snarl twitching away. “Figgy can go to hell!” Sensing a secret under that bitter tone, a flit of her eyes to the scratches lining my cheeks told me not to push her too hard. Tripping into a tombstone, inches of snow hid what couldn’t be discovered. Dusting off my usual peacoat, the burgundy sweater dress underneath hugging my larger bump. Things were starting to get real, my patience wearing thin with everything. Closing my eyes, Rip and Avery’s smile flashed in my head. Smiling softly to myself, family drove me through the rough times.

“How about I crack this snow globe by ending him? Ta-da, Figgy is as good as gone. Count on me to fix the problem.” I assured her with my genuine smile, her fingers digging at her neck. “Ignore the scratches. Whoever he is to you doesn’t matter. Whatever darkness haunts you can be controlled with a bit of therapy. Besides, wasn’t it nice to be reunited with August? Family will always be what you are to me. Family helps family. Get that into your thick skull.” Fixing her hair, Flamios mumbled something in my mind. Linz jumped up and down next to me, his tail wagging a mile a minute.

“Must you be a fool? My fate could seal you into a most frightful death.” She shot back defensively, befuddlement twisting my features. “People always get hurt around me without fail. How are you going to be any d-” Putting my hand up, her brows furrowed. Inky blackness clouded her eyes before returning to normal, curiosity mixing into my earned confusion. Did something happen at her death or was she partially possessed? So many questions and a lack of answers. Give her time and a bit of space to get used to you, I told myself. Opening up will happen at some point, patience paying off when she trusts me.

“Like I said, whatever bullshit ails doesn’t fucking matter. As a team, we can work through that ugly crap together. Okay?” I returned serenely, her head bowing in shame. “If it makes you feel horrible, people used to use my blood for all kinds of things. Granted it didn’t summon shit. Just a long while ago, I thought this was all fake. Hell, I take it all in stride. If you wallow in your suffering, misery will stick to you like glue. How about you let me get that glue off of you?” Rolling her eyes, the way her attitude matched mine threw me off. Every time I spoke with her, the mental hoops became how I would talk to myself to relax the nasty vines of anxiety. Parting her lips to speak, a flash of olive green paralyzed me. Snow melted to reveal lush green grass, eerie cream flowers creeping up the tombstones. Tilting my head to the right, Mary Allen knocked me to the center of a dead circle. Standing in front of me, her arms stretched as far as they could. Poisoned darts shot from the center, a golden energy wall deflecting every single one. Touched by her actions, a big heart once beat in that chest.

“Stay down.” She hissed under her breath, her lips pressing into a thin line. “One prick from those and you become a permanent fixture of this snow globe.” Thanking her silently, a single nod would be all I ever needed from her. Snapping her fingers, golden chains shot up from the grass. Peeling off my coat, horror rounded my eyes at Flamios passing out in my soul. Attempting to ignite any flames, the lack of crackling heat sank me into a deeper fear. Why wasn’t it working? Digging at the dirt, intense heat dried out the flowers. Green grass dried up, another attempt to wake up my flames failed. A transparent hand yanked me into the mausoleum, inky eyes boring into mine. Kicking up a broken ornate copper handle, the dark side of her clawing at me. Leaning on the door, the jagged handle dug into my back with every jiggle from Figgy on the other side. Cursing under my breath, holding my arms granted me enough space for survival. Claws curled around the metal, panic forcing my mind not to work properly.

“Mary Allen! Shut it down!” I ordered sharply, a male growl sending chills up my spine. “God damn it!” Pushing her down the curved stairs, dark energy knocked me into the wall. Sliding down the wall, every one of my muscles screamed in protest. Scraping frightened the shit out of me, clawed fingers digging into my left calf. Screaming through gritted teeth, a male voice doubling over Mary Allen’s sarcastic tone.

“Such a broken soul. The more broken the better.” They mused together, the sarcastic tone mixing poorly with the sorrow of her heart. “Time to destroy you to your core, my dear pal.” Fighting a wave of tears, ruby pooled cascaded down the cracks. Jamming the piece of metal into her face, claws tore more tissue on the way out. Hot summer air lashed at exposed skin, the rusty metal door flying over my head. Figgy sprinted past me, his muddy boots splattering me on the way down. Slapping in the face with his tattered robes, three voices began to argue rather strongly. Hoisting myself to my feet, the metal acted as a cane. Limping down cautiously, a poke of my head revealed an intense battle. Olive green darted around the room with a splash of ivory, my eyes not able to track the basic moves. Flamios stirred in my soul, his voice sounding groggy in my mind.

“Give me a couple of minutes to stoke the flames.” He whispered weakly, the flames working hard to warm up my soul. “Please don’t be mad at me.” How could I ever be pissed at him, his composure beginning to slip by the second. Don’t fall apart on me, damn it! Silent tears danced down my cheeks, the raw agony becoming too much. Linz glued himself to my good leg, internal pleas for Flamios to take care of himself fell on deaf ears. The center of this hell had to be somewhere, Linz pointing his nose in the direction of the wall of coffins behind me. Spinning on my operating leg, the way out had to be somewhere. Warm blood dripped onto the cold marble underneath me, the first coffin protesting my pushes. Breaking the wood via a couple of smashes, empty wood glared back up at me. Yanking the next one off the shelf, wood shards shot into the air. Moving out of the way to avoid an injury, a rusty skeleton key captured my sharp eyes. Kicking it into my eager palms, a small door groaned into place on that very shelf. Tucking the metal piece under my arm, grunting and intense pain accompanied me lifting my dumb ass closer to the next part of this dimension. Sliding the key in, creaking woke up a healthy amount of anxiety. Strobe lights flashed in some sort of mirror hallway, a thumping noise intriguing me. A cracked jade heart pumped in the center, a devilish grin dancing across my lips. Lowering myself onto the other side, a jolt of shocking pain rattled me to the core. Hopping down, Linz wagged his tail while sniffing my wound. Making my way to the heart, the dark version of Mary Allen zoomed in my direction. Ripping the heart from its case, a toss into the air brought it into her hungry c/laws. Crushing it into dust, cracks traveled across the mirrors. Snow globe water roared a far distance away, Mary scooping me up. Lifting up my good leg, her sheer strength slamming me into a shard of glass caused me to scream loud enough to wake the dead. Growling in my ear, a forked tongue licked flickered away on my cheek. Shuddering through multiple tremors of raw stinging cramping, disgust mixed poorly with desperation at me attempting to separate us without hurting her. Then again, how could I?

“Mary Allen, I know your heart used to beat within that chest. Seek out the kindness that lives in that golden heart.” I pleaded through a wall of tears, the inky blackness dying down for a moment. “Remember the good times growing up with August. Smiles, I don’t know! Anything to get you there! Please, I will never be mad at you.” Glancing down at the ruby coated shard sticking out of the tissue out of my leg, morning sickness threatened to visit me. Drops splashed onto the spreading foundation, a spot of guilt bringing her back for a second.

“Shadows grip us all. What one does to escape makes you a better person!” I continued warmly, the corner of my lips quivering. Snatching me by my chin, rancid breath wafted up my nose. Digging those claws into the barely healed scratches, fresh angry scarlet beaded to life. Begging for her to wake up, her other fingers snaked around my throat. Breathing became a hot commodity, a final boom erasing his domain. Worn floors brought us back to reality, voices coming from the other room snapping her back to reality. Dropping me onto the floor, a splash showed off how much blood had been lost. Apologizing profusely, her words faded in and out.

Donning a shadow of a smile, she had to know that no ill feelings were being experienced.

“Stop it.” I wheezed through a series of coughing fits, her failed healing attempts causing a full blown panic attack on her end. Rip skidded in, his eyes flitting between her and me. Shoving her out of the way, his orders had the medical team rushing in. Fretting over me, blurred vision whisked me away into a rough slumber.

Rolling onto my side, fresh scars covered my legs. Soaking in the walls of my bedroom, the scent of Avery’s magic hung in the air. Mary Allen sulked at the end of the bed, shame dimming her eyes. Golden tears cascaded off of her chin, August hovering behind the open door. Running through what to say, her actions came from a horrible death. Staring at my reflection, a faint bruise haunted my neck.

“How are you holding up, Mary?” I inquired warmly, her wet eyes meeting my exhausted grin. “August, can you have Avery bring me a cup of tea?” Floating away, hesitation lingered in her eyes. Sitting up stiffly, a train might as well hit me.

“Now that your secret is being kept, who possessed you the moment your heart gave out?” I interrogated her patiently, her fingers scratching at her neck. “If we figure that out, Rip and I can cleanse your soul. A name is what Bookworth would require to come up with a separation spell. Boom, that soul is all yours to control. Who was Figgy to your possessor?" Patting the mattress, her cool form plopped down across from me. Parting her lips several times, a lump formed in her throat.

“He was this idiot’s brother.” She uttered dejectedly, her hands folding across her lap. “How the hell do you plan on kicking him out? I can go to Heaven if you split us up. Why would you want this constant approaching panic attack ? Hell, death almost swallowed you whole. That would have happened by my hands. Let go of me so I can go back to floating around.” Cocking my brow, my bemused expression shut down her a bit of her anxiety. Mulling over how to calm her down, this secret wasn’t the worst one to have. No one owned her future, especially not I.

“How about I lay this down for you? Family takes care of family. Nothing would convince me otherwise.” I assured her firmly, my hands cupping hers. “Get over that. If you wanted to go to Heaven after a much needed separation, then so be it. People come and go, the memories sticking around in what we call a heart.” Scooting closer to me, a bit of lightness claimed her murky aura. Leaning over to dig through my nightstand, a salt dough bead bracelet rolled into my clammy palm. Gliding it onto her wrist, black lightning whipped about before dying down.

“Salt pieces created by me allow the good while shutting down the bad.” I explained softly, relief showing on her features. “That being said, intention controls the level of protection. Pour strong emotions into it to strengthen the jail you have on him, ‘kay!” Avery knocked on the door frame, August hovering behind him awkwardly. Waving him in, a cup of ginger tea steamed in his quaking fingers. Rip stomped in, Mary burying her face into her lap. Donning one of his simple black t-shirts and jeans, today had to be a day off. Approaching Mary, all eyes tracked him walking up to her. Lifting up her head, his gentle smile did little to relax her fraying nerves.

“Do you mind if I teach you a spot of healing magic?” He offered sincerely, her eyes illuminating visibly. “Bookworth found a few spells that could work with your condition. Therefore, you could reverse the damage of that bastard taking over. Well, until we detach him from your poor soul. Judging from the damage, signs would have pointed to Silks dying if you hadn’t stepped in. Possessed or not, you saved her. Did you let him take charge to win the fight?” Nodding her head once, his eyes darted to the salt bead bracelet. Sternness claimed his features, Avery snuggling into my open arms.

“I don’t know if you realize how powerful those are. That fool is practically sealed away.” He pointed out stiffly, a chill running up my spine. “Only take that off in case of an emergency and put it back on immediately. Forgiveness comes as long as Silks says so, my initial instinct to yell at you shrinking down to this level of talking. Family stands stronger together, our hope being for August and you finding peace in what you call my little slice of paradise. Silks, are you holding up okay?” Scarlet flushed my cheeks, his lips hovering over mine. My breath hitched, a bit of his vibrancy returning. Kissing my lips tenderly, time slowed down. Getting lost in the moment, the release of his spell left me looking a bit aloof. Sipping at the tea, Avery began to go on about his adventures with August. Asking questions at the right time had him perking up, his palms clasping together. Rip clung to me like his life depended upon it, the burn scars stealing away any joy I had in the moment. For too long flames flared up for stupid sorrow, guilt gnawing at my heart. Clutching my necklace close to my chest, part of me hoped my former friend was correct about my current spirit guide. People tried to talk to me, familiar hands steadying the shaking teacup.

“Everything is going to be okay. Beauty knows no bounds with you. I love you, scars and all. Scars tell the tale of how you fought to be here.” Rip whispered lovingly into my ear, his lips kissing away the involuntary tears. “Sorrow is meant to be felt. Closure doesn’t end that. Mary did her best on the last trip, her intentions coming from a good place. You brought her back. I don’t know what you said but she kept glitching in and out of that state after. She didn’t stabilize until Avery did his thing. Please take it easy on her.” Shivering in his arms, this damn anxiety and terror held the grief captive.

“Thanks but I plan on keeping her around.” I returned sweetly, Mary conversing just as shyly with her brother. “Fate had to bring us together and I am going to help her. God damn it, I will. No one deserves to be trapped on this Earth for a botched ceremony. Sure, I will get hurt. She always tries to fix the problem. Teach her those spells to boost her confidence while I teach her to fight without using that bastard.” Pulling me onto his lap, Avery found his way next to August. Chatting with him, something felt alive about the house once more. Smiling softly to myself, a quick prayer to the Lord was in due order. Please listen to this odd request, bring peace to my new friend if you can. Her condition may exclude her but maybe look the other way in that aspect. Sprinkle her with a bit of bliss. Please do it for me. Perhaps one more thing, say hello from an old pal. Pass on this, life may be tossing me about. The trials are getting tougher by the day, the mystery of my parents not getting any clearer. Who the hell would know about them anyways? Maybe one more thing, grant my family good luck in such shadowy times. Darkness nips at the edge of my kingdom, a bit of the bad luck finding its usual way onto my lap. Please listen to me in that department. Many thanks, my dear friend.