Certainly a town. Almost a city actually. They were expanding the right side of the town, the stables, everything. The bank was growing. Well... WOULD be if it apparently hadn't been just robbed. Law looking around, scrounging, it was around midnight too, so it was disturbing everyone...
When it was night, it was hard to tell what was what, who was who, where a person was. And even harder when you've been tackled, into the dirt.
Someone was pinning Johnnie to the ground, seeming to try and tie his hands up.
Celine woke up as Rumi the child finished the call. The tail end of it sounded like Rumi was apologizing. The girl put the phone gently down on the receiver before curling back into a ball on the chair. She looked over at Celine and winced when she noticed she was awake. She didn’t say anything, so Celine spoke up, hoping she’s wrong as dread pools in her gut.
“Sweetheart, who was that?” She flinched at Celine’s question, guilt warring with worry on her face. Celine took a breath, trying to avoid panicking. “It’s ok, I won’t be mad, but I need you to tell me who that was on the phone.”
The child shes so small who could dare hurt her scratched at the scars on her throat before answering. “The pink one.” Her voice is small, and she’s looking at Celine like she’s worried Celine will decide to kill her for that.
Celine closes her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She only has a minor injury, a gash on her arm, but the child must have panicked when she didn’t wake up right after the surgery. Of course she would call Mira, what else could she do?
“Ok. Ok, that’s fine, you’re not in trouble. Before they get here, I need you to move your chair next to the bed, ok?” Celine keeps her voice even, trying not to let the panic show in her tone or expression.
The child nodded at her, standing up to start moving the chair. Even after the last three weeks of feeding her regular healthy meals, shes still so painfully thin. At least you can’t see her ribs as clearly, though she does still sometimes wake up in the middle of the night panicked about being outside that wretched kennel.
The minutes pass quickly, with doctors coming and going from the room. Theres three other patients in the room with her, each one recovering from something or another. Shes going to get discharged, or so Celine is told. It’ll just take forever to do the paperwork, because nothing can be easy, can it?
She can tell they’ve arrived when the Honmoon ripples, like a rock dropped in a pond. It’s an old trick, one she likely taught them before coming here during the switch. The Honmoon bounced gently off of her and the child, but she knew they would ignore how it reacts to her. They couldn’t see her as anything but a demon, which is why she had run with her in the first place.
The demon watched the ripples with dread, trying her best not to move as it bounced off her. Even after the time Celine’s spent talking with the child, she still doesn’t understand she can help the Honmoon.
They come into the room, Zoey in the lead with Mira close behind. They look relieved when they see Celine, but their expressions darken when they see the child quivering in fear next to her.
“Celine, why is that thing sitting next to you. Actually, why the hell did you just vanish like that?” Mira’s voice rises until shes almost shouting, a passing nurse shushing her stopping the tirade of questions.
Celine looks at the two of them, keeping herself poised as she considers their states. Mira looks disheveled, dark bags under her eyes speaking of restless nights. Her clothes are wrinkled, clearly thrown on in a hurry from wherever she could find clean cloths.
Zoey isnt looking much better, her normal space buns looking like they’ve been partially pulled out, looking lopsided. It would be funny if not for the glare shes directing at the child cowering next to Celine.
Celine takes a breath, steeling herself for what she knows was always going to happen. “That thing is my daughter, and she is sitting there so I can protect her from the two of you.” Mira and Zoey gaped at her, shocked, but she’s not finished. “We left because I realized that you both wouldn’t be able to change how you saw her, and that you’d probably try to kill her instead of seeing her as what she is.”
Mira stalked forwards then, glaring at Rumi the child. “What have you done?! What kind of spell or charm have you put on-“ shes cut off by the glowing blade suddenly pointing at her.
Mira follows the blade with her eyes to Celine’s hand, looking up slowly into her eyes. “You will step back, Mira, before I make you. I won’t let you abuse this girl anymore, even if it means fighting you.”
Mira steps back then, looking rattled. Celine dismisses the blade, not taking her eyes off Mira until she’s back next to Zoey. Zoey tries then, stepping forwards. “Celine, look, it’s obvious something’s wrong. Did you hurt your head while you were training it?” She threw a glare at the cowering half demon, who winced at her words.
Celine laughed gently, a mirthless sound as she shook her head. “Nothing that simple, I’m afraid. But let’s just say I’ve had a change in my worldviews and, shocking I know, I don’t want to abuse a child anymore!”
Mira and Zoey look even more confused, looking between the balled up and trembling form of the half demon, and the angry look from Celine.
Celine decides now’s a good of a time as any to show them. Turning partially so she can keep the two of them in her eyeline, she addresses Rumi the child. “Sweetie, can you do the trick I showed you, where you make the pretty sounds?” She turned back to glare at Mira and Zoey, knowing that she’ll do what Celine asked her too.
The child closes her eyes, and as Mira and Zoey look on in confusion, she begins to hum. Their confusion turns to shock as the Honmoon begins to react, dancing and swirling around her as she hums one of the sunlight sisters songs.
After a few minutes, she fell silent, opening her eyes. Their brown, now, and she looks far more relaxed then the two hunters had ever seen. Then she seemed to remember who she was in front of, and she curled back into a ball, hiding behind her knees.
Mira and Zoey can’t seem to speak, staring at her with confusion and more than a little fear. Celine decided to put the final nail in the coffin.
“She’s the third Hunter, the one you’ve been searching for. If she’d ever been allowed to sing, or hell even laugh, you would’ve seen it.”
Zoey looks like shes about to cry. Mira looks like she wants to hit something but doesn’t know what.
“Go back to the island, you two. Once they release me I’ll meet you there.” She leveled a cold stare at them both, making it clear this isnt a request. “You will destroy that horrible kennel, and break and get rid of every instrument of pain that’s been used on this girl. Then, and only then, will I explain everything. Now,” Celine smiled, all teeth. “Get out.”
They left, trembling slightly, shutting the door behind them quietly. Celine sighed, finally relaxing and leaning back. She was worried they might’ve tried to attack or even kill the child, something she would’ve been forced to stop.
Turning with a much softer smile, Celine reached out a hand. Slowly, always slowly, because even now the child flinched when she saw Celine reaching towards her. At least now she knows Celine won’t hurt her.
Celine rested her hand on the side of her face, brushing away the tears that had begun to fall with her thumb. “You did well, little tiger. You were so brave for me.”
The child started to cry in earnest then, and Celine held her other arm out in an invitation. If it had been three weeks ago, or even one week ago, she might’ve refused. But now, finally, the child understood. She threw herself into the bed, wrapping her arms around Celine as she sobbed. Celine ran her hand through her hair, gently soothing the child and holding her tightly.
It took several minutes for the child to calm down, and when she did her breathing kept slowing, becoming deeper and deeper. Finally, Celine realized shes fallen asleep. Celine does her best not to cry at that.
When the child wakes up, they’ll head back to the island. She’ll have to explain how she’s not from this world, and that she’s not the Celine they knew. But for now, all she has to do is hold her child in her arms, and make sure she sleeps soundly in them.
Hope y’all liked it! I saw that post a while ago about Celine gettinf hurt and mirror!Rumi panic calling the Mirror!Zoey and Mirror!Mira, and I thought “hey, let’s make them have emotions about it!”
Hope y’all enjoyed it! Be sure to drinks some water!
