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Should I A):
Go back to college to get my Masters degree?
Or B):
Let Fanfiction consume me and become the hero author with the extensive library of works that I looked up to in childhood?
I can only do one! There’s only so many hours in a given day!!
I promised the second part of this little fantasy/heist story I've created, so here it is. Like I said before, I won't be actively contributing to this story anymore, but I wanted to edit what I've written so far in order to share it.
Hope you enjoy <3 (also read the first part here)
content warning for gore and suicide mention
Ezra
“Hey Ezzie.” The door squeaked shut. Ezra ignored the shuffle of footsteps and scowled.
“I told you to stop calling me that.” She reorganized the vials and medical serums covering the table, again.
Lenny stopped to perch at her side. “Is she...doing any better?”
Ezra stopped her mindless idling and sighed. “Tomorrow’s the last day,” she said in a small voice.
“Oh,” he replied in an even smaller voice.
Ezra sniffed, suddenly overcome by the enormous effort it took to keep tears out of her eyes. “What if I can’t save her, Lenny?” Her voice broke and she stifled a sob. Then another.
As soon as that happened, there were comforting hands on her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. Lenny shushed her. “Don’t think like that, Ez. You’re the best healer I know.”
Despite her feelings, Ezra chuckled weakly, healer my ass.
She felt the walls inside her crumble, tears flowing out of her eyes like a raging river. She sobbed into Lenny’s shirt, deep, ugly wails. Lenny’s hands made soothing circles down her back, and, eventually, she felt herself relax.
“Lenny, if I don’t wake her up, do you think James would throw me out, too?”
Lenny pulled away and scowled. “If James wants to continue being the asshole he is and throw you out next, then poison him good, alright?”
Ezra laughed, “Lenny! What if he hears you!”
“What would he do? Throw me into the dungeons for committing high treason against his Royal Highness?”
Ezra laughed again and wiped her eyes. She sniffled. “You should go to sleep, it’s going to be dawn soon.”
“And what about you?”
She shook her head. “I need to save Luna first.”
“Ezra-” Lenny cut himself off with a sigh, “just don’t overextend yourself, okay?”
She nodded as he left the room, and Ezra followed to make sure the door was shut tight. Once the hardwood was locked, she slid down onto the floor, too exhausted to stand.
Ezra wanted to scream and cry, out of despair yes, but mostly frustration. Luna had, at best, forty-eight hours to live, and she would work tirelessly through every one of those in order to get her back.
James
James snuck back into the abandoned manor house, simultaneously grateful to not meet anyone on his way, but also disappointed with the patrolling work of his gang.
He was barefoot, his trousers ripped to the knees and the remnants of his shirt laying in tatters across his chest. He didn’t even know what had become of his jacket. He found his was to his office, a room no one else would dare to enter, and collapsed onto the floor.
He was cold, tired, and bleeding heavily through multiple wounds on his legs and chest. It was a pain to even pull himself up, but he knew he had to do that. Using a broken mirror and some towels he’d acquired from a nearby bathroom, he was able to examine the extent of his injuries.
Up and down his legs were vertical slashes, the worst gouges an inch deep, and probably requiring stitches. His arms had been sparred of anything besides minor scratches, but when he cleared away his shirt, what he saw caused him to shudder. Three identical scratches across his heart, like a taboo. They weren’t deep, but they were worrying. Apart from those, his upper body was mostly intact, so he moved on the bite in his neck.
There were two gouges where the teeth had sunk in, but the most worrying was that the skin around the wound had puffed up and was oozing a dark liquid, not blood, but something stranger. In the dim light, it seemed black, but when he held it up to a candle, it was inky blue.
Are myryad bites poisonous? he thought. No stories had mentioned this before, so James was operating under the assumption that it was an infection, not a poison, and he needed to act fast. He did not have the medical supplies with him to patch himself up properly, but he dreaded making the climb down to where Ezra help camp, and much worse, the chance of seeing Luna.
To stop the bleeding, he cut strips of the towels and wrapped them around his legs as well as he could. Halfway through, he realized, with mild panic, that he was simply too exhausted to do this on his own. His vision swam again, and he panicked, thinking he was underwater and unable to breathe.
James needed help, but he refused to admit it. He couldn’t tell anyone what he just saw, who would believe he had an encounter with a creature of myth?
No one, besides Luna, he thought. And it was true. The one person who would believe any word that came out of his mouth was dying, and it seemed he would die with her.
…
James woke in a panic, limbs and joints protesting after having fallen asleep in a twisted position. Although he couldn’t hear the rain outside anymore, it was still dark, and now wind wailed through the old house loud enough to wake the dead.
He’d bled through his makeshift bandages, and now the congealed blood caked his legs like a second skin. James felt sick. He hadn’t eaten or drank anything since running away, and now his head spun, which could have also been from the blood loss. He staggered up, body and mind both feeling sluggish. He lit a candle and used the fractured mirror on the desk to check his other wounds, but almost screamed. The bite on his neck and swollen to the size of an egg in his sleep. The skin around it looked black, and it continued oozing that blue stuff. What was worse, was his face. His eyes were red and puffy, surrounded by dark circles from exhaustion, but splitting his face like a scare was a vein of darkness.
James wanted to throw up. The rational part of him knew it was only the infection causing this, but he was too tired to be sensible anymore. He looked like a monster, and it was all his fault.
Ezra
“Ezra!”
Ezra woke with a gasp, disturbing the vials balanced precariously on the table. She hurriedly looked where Luna lay, but she was still unmoving. A moonlit sleeping beauty. If she hadn’t been the one who spoke then who..?
Her questions were answered when a loud whisper repeated, ““Ezra, over here!”
Ezra rubbed her eyes. In the corner, just where the light of the fading candle couldn’t reach, stood a person, but why weren’t they coming closer?
“James?” she asked, coming to her senses.
“Yes, it’s me,” he said, “Listen, there’s been a sort of...accident. I- ugh. N..need some help.”
Confused, she stood up , dusting herself off, “What do you mean ‘accident’? Did you hurt one of the crew?”
“What? Gods, no. I- it only happened to me.”
Ezra hmped. “Sounds a little like karma,” she said as she folded her arms across her chest.
James sighed in frustration, “Look, if you don’t forgive me for the thing with Cee, that’s fine. Just give me some bandages and I’ll be on my way.”
Ezra chewed her lip. “Do you have a fever?”
“No, why would you assume-”
“You said, ‘Gods, no’ earlier. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve repeatedly shown little faith in anything other than yourself.”
James made another noise of annoyance. “Could you just give me some damn bandages?”
“Why? To wrap you broken ego-” She caught herself off in the middle of her tease as the light shifted in the room, revealing something scarlet blooming across James’s legs. She gasped, “Good Goddess, James! You’re actually bleeding!”
Ezra rushed over, but he held her away at arms length, far enough she couldn’t see his face, still covered in shadow.
“I need you to keep this between you and me,” he said, “No one else knows.”
Ezra’s eyes widened, but she nodded. She stepped back to give him space, and after a moment of hesitation, he followed her into the light.
Her jaw dropped, “James! I- what happened?” Blood seeped through poorly done bandages on his legs and a lump of swollen skin pulsed with some sort of darkness, the infection already spreading to his face. Dark veins stood out on his pale face, eventually spilling even more darkness into his eye. Ezra wondered if he could even still see.
James didn’t answer at first, only cast his eyes to the floor. As Ezra got him seated in a chair, he mumbled, “I was hoping you would tell me.”
Ezra huffed, hands on her hips. She saw through his obvious lie, having been around him enough. “You have to tell me what bit you if you want my help, James.”
He stared up at her in surprise, “How’d you know it was a bite?”
“The two very obvious puncture wounds, plus it seems to be excreting some sort of venom, a poison, maybe.”
James hesitated, “Do you...do you know about..the sea folk?”
“Uhm,” Ezra thought for a minute as she took the bloody bandages off his legs. His flesh was torn up from ankles to thighs, numerous deep vertical slashes. “I think I remember a story Cap told us once. Like mermaids but- ugh, what were they called?”
James gulped. “Myryads,” he whispered.
“Oh yeah, I remember.” She worked quickly and efficiently on his legs, cleaning and disinfecting the wounds as best as she could. James, for all his part, didn’t flinch or wince away much. She looked around her medical supplies for a sewing needle and thread, and got to work disinfecting those.
“So the mir-miryad, what about them?”
James hissed when the needle first punctured his skin. She handed him a bottle of whatever leftover alcohol she had used to disinfect her supplies and he chugged it gratefully. Only when he set the empty bottle down did he continue.
“I think I was bit by one.”
Ezra paused in the middle of a stitch. She laughed, nervously.
“James- you sure you don’t have a fever? When was the last time you ate something-”
She searched his face for signs on the joke, but he looked dead serious. Ezra stared at the bite on his neck, “You don’t mean-”
He nodded, “It’s true, look.” He moved part of his shirt away, revealing three distinctive claw marks directly over his heart. The rest of his chest was untouched, so it almost seemed as if- as if they’d been done on purpose.
Ezra was staring, wide-eyed in disbelief, as she went back to working on the stitches. “It- it couldn’t have been something else?” she asked, “like a snake or..?”
James shook his head. “It happened last night. I was walking by the beach and- one pulled me under-”
Ezra scoffed, “You followed one to the beach? Were you feeling suicidal? Don’t you know the stories?”
James huffed, “More than you, but that’s besides the point-”
“How did you even manage to escape! Actually, no, how were you stupid enough to follow her into the water in the first place?”
“Well obviously I didn’t do it willingly.”
“Then-”
Ezra looked up to find James staring at Luna across the room. A faint blush spread into his face, but that could have just been his very probably fever. Still, Ezra knew that look. She rolled her eyes, men.
“So she tricked you, and you got attacked? But you got away? Okay-” Ezra finished the last of the stitches and took out a roll of bandages- “but what do you plan on doing now?”
James scowled, “How should I know? You’re the medic so,” he gestured to his neck, “fix it.”
Ezra shot him a glare and tied the last bandage extra tight. He yelped and she patted his leg, rising up.
“It’s not like I have magic hands, James. I don’t know a thing about myryads.”
“Ask Cap then, Ezra. Besides, aren’t you a poison specialist?”
“Real poisons,” she crossed her arms across her chest, “Not poisons from fantasy creatures-”
“Please, Ezra?” James bit his lip, “Look, I know I may have said some things and been a bit rude-”
“A bit?” she raised a brow.
“Okay, I was an asshole. I know you don’t forgive me, but-”
Ezra raised a hand to stop this awkward apology. “I don’t want to hear your excuse. I know it wasn’t right for you to kick Cee out like that, but I guess this is your gang. I’m not forgiving you,” she sighed, “But you know I’ll try to help.”
He smiled, “Thanks, Ez. You’re-”
“Save your forced praise,” she interrupted. “I’ll go talk to Cap. In the meantime, get something to eat and drink, oh, and here,” she handed him a small vial, “this should reduce the swelling.”
He nodded and risked a glance over to where Luna slept.
“James, about her-” Ezra started, but he shook his head to stop her.
“I know you are doing your best,” he said and hobbled out of the room.
Ezra sighed. She walked over to Luna to check on her, but again, she hadn’t moved. Ezra straightened the blankets on top of her with a chuckle, “This blasted wind, am I right?”
She looked around to make sure she was alone before giving Luna a kiss on her forehead. Ezra sighed wistfully, “What has James gotten into now, Luna?” The girl’s hand was soft when Ezra picked it up, but growing colder. It was a harsh reminder of her impending fate.
Someone knocked on the door. Startled, Ezra dropped Luna’s hand and moved away from her.
It was Lenny, “Ez?” He asked through the door, “I brought you some food, thought you might like some.”
Ezra shot one last lingering look at Luna before going to the door, “You’re the best, Lenny,” she said as she unlocked it, “Come in.”
***
After eating, Ezra left Luna’s sick room after what seemed like weeks, but could have only been a little more than a day.
She was greeted by the rest of the gang sitting quietly in one of the living rooms, playing cards. They paused when she entered the room, no doubt she, too, looked like a fright from not sleeping for days.
“Bonsoir, Ezra. Is everything alright with Luna?” Jacques asked
“Same as before, Jacques,” she huffed. “D’you know where I can find Cap?”
“Check the porch in the back,” answered Shaemus, Cap’s second.
She nodded and bid them a goodbye before heading outside. The storm wasn’t quite over yet, as a fierce wind blew in from the ocean. Ezra shivered, wishing she had worn her jacket.
“Hey Cap.” She sat down on the bench the old sailor was using as his footrest once he’d made room for her.
“Hello, lass.” He took his pipe out and smiled at her with crooked teeth. Ezra liked Cap, he’d always been kind to her, even when she had been a rebellious teenager and had done everything in her power to become hated by everyone around her. It helped that she was his favorite, too, out of the rest of the kids here.
“Have you been getting enough sleep?” He asked, “Eating? It ain’t good to focus yourself too much on the lovely Lady.”
“I know Cap, thank you.”
“Aye, don’t mention it.” He coughed, “Someone has to look after you all from time to time.”
Ezra smiled, and they sat there in comfortable silence as he went back to smoking from the pipe and she looked off into the distant sea.
“Cap, do you know anything about..mir-myryads?”
His brows furrowed. “Aye, had my encounters with the sea-beasts. Why do you ask?”
She shrugged. “Just came to my mind. Must be the weather.”
Cap nodded. “Well, I’ll tell you, they’re nasty little devils. Drag you down and drink you dry, as my buddies used to say. No compassion those sea witches-” he quickly added, “No offense to your lot of witches, of course, just ‘em are bastards.”
“None taken,” sighed Ezra, “So they bite humans? But what if one escapes?”
He shook his head, “No escaping the sea-folk once they hook their little claws in you.”
Ezra frowned. “Surely someone had to have escaped once.”
Cap sighed and leaned closer. “Don’t say this to anyone else, but I knew a fella who got bitten by one of ‘em. One of my crew, actually, a long time ago. We managed to haul him up before the fool was bled dry-”
“And? What happened? Was the bite poisonous?”
“Well, know that I think ‘bout it, sure enough I might’ve been. By come morning it’d swollen to the size of an apple. All black with the sea folk’s blood too.”
“Did he.. did he survive?”
Cap shook his head. “We lost him the next day. Some poison I tell you, spread through his veins like fire.”
Ezra gulped. “Was there… any way to cure it, you think?”
“Not that I know of,” he must have seen the disappointment on her face because he added, “Aye but don’t worry, lass. Sea folk don’t come this far inland. S’long as you don’t go strolling by the beaches you won’t get bitten.”
Ezra laughed, if only to lighten the mood. “I promise I won’t, Cap.”
“Aye, I know you’re smarter than that, Ezra.”
Without another word, he went back to his pipe, watching the dark sky. Ezra went back inside, wondering how she was supposed to tell everyone both Luna and James were fated to die by tomorrow.
Shaemus spotted him approach the group first. He slurred, “Ey Lenny, where ya been?” It was obvious they’d all found more liquor reserves in the cellar.
Lenny
“Here and there,” Lenny shrugged as he sat down next to the group playing cards.
“Any words from le capitan?” Jacques asked.
Lenny shook his head. “He’s probably still hiding in his room, too scared to face us.” They all laughed.
“After what he did-” someone started.
“I’m sure he had his reasons,” Lenny shut them down, quick.
“To throw a little girl onto the streets?” Jacques scowled.
Lenny shrugged “Well, we aren’t all highly virtuous.” This brought on another round of laughs.
“Have a drink with us, play a round, Lenny.” Shaemus swung an arm around his shoulders. He poked a finger into his chest, “You’ve been too tight since we’ve come ‘ere.”
Lenny shook my head, “Have you all forgotten ‘bout the Hits?”
Most of them shrugged. Rai said, “It’s dark and cold, with another storm coming. Doubt even the Hits would stay out in weather like this.”
Lenny looked around at their expecting faces, all eager to get back to drinking and gambling. To them, he had always been the carefree one, the one to pull the others into a game, the one that lounges around, drink in hand, singing old ballads about fair maidens and riches.
Lenny hated himself for making them believe that’s who he was. Still, he gritted his teeth and smiled.
“Alright, alright, but just two rounds and a toast.”
“Why not three?” They laughed.
“Three toasts? Bring it on!” He flashed them a grin as the first shot of rough liquor went down his throat. It burned but he pretended he liked it, already in line for more.
I wish James was here, he thought miserably.
Cee
Cee couldn’t leave the island because of the storm. Them and Sarj wandered as close as they dared to the abandoned manor, trying to find shelter. Eventually, they found the remains of a tiny fishing village, hardly more than a few houses and a broken dock. It, too, was abandoned like the rest of the island, its inhabitants long gone.
They chose the house that looked the safest, the walls and roof still intact. Inside, it was dusty and predictably empty. Sarj found some wood in the back and coaxed a small fire in the cold fireplace. Soon, the cottage, and it really was more of a cottage, glowed with a warm light. Cee settled themselves on a pile of straw next to the fire and drew their knees to their chest.
“Sarg,” Cee looked up to the giant of a man sitting across from them, “Why is this island abandoned?”
“You don’t know the story?” he asked. They shook their head.
“Oh, well some time ago, this entire island was the property of a really important man, a Lord, actually. He welcomed many people onto his lands to fish and farm, until he effectively created his own little kingdom.
“Everything was running smoothly, until one night, where he turned mad. Some say it was because his Lady died, a broken-heart, others say it was from an illness. Regardless, he terrorized the people on the island, even his own daughter, kicking her out of her childhood home. Except, anyone who tried to leave,” Sarj pantomimed slicing his neck, “you get it.”
Cee nodded, sullenly. “His Lady died.. like Luna? Lady Moon?”
Sarj shrugged, “Guess you could say that.”
“So then what happened to the Lord?”
“Oh, well,” Sarj laughed nervously, “Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore, and- ugh, he jumped off the cliff by the manor. Legend goes that his spirit now haunts the entire island, welcoming visitors, then stopping them if they ever try to leave."“
Cee shivered.
“Oh, but don’t worry! It’s just a story. The only reason no one’s ever come back to this island is because the weather’s so piss poor. Ghosts aren’t going to hurt ya, much less stop you from leaving.”
Cee nodded. “I wasn’t worried,” they said, even though they were, in fact, a little worried. A lot worried. This island made them feel trapped, just like the lab.
“So how are we gonna get off if the entire island is abandoned?”
“Ah,” Sarj began, “I didn’t say the entire place was abandoned. There’s still a lighthouse on the Southern end, meant to keep ships from crashing into the rocks near the coast. I reckon someone’s up there, and we could wait ‘til I supply ship comes for them and then barter our way onboard.”
“And what if we can’t do that?”
Sarj ruffled their hair. “Don’t think like that, Cee, we’ll be able to escape.”
Cee smiled, weakly, “Thanks again, Sarj, for deciding to come with me.”
Sarj smiled back. “No problem, kid. It’s the least I could do.”
Ophelia's Lament
At three in the afternoon, a single, small sunbeam forced itself through the thick smog surrounding the shabby, forgotten pool that Ophelia claimed as her own. The weak, little light did no more to disturb the dark, murky water than highlight the old dust particles that lazed on its oily surface. Ophelia lunged towards the warmth with lustful desire, felt it puff against her frozen bones and whisper around her vocal cords that had gone tight with disuse. "Hello!" she cried out, waited one beat, maybe two, only to hear not even an echo in response. Fearing the gnawing, pummeling ache of loneliness, she did not call out again.
At just a minute past three, the tiny, flickering sun disappeared, leaving Ophelia in the company of stagnant water and rotting, wilted flower petals and their pungent fumes. Unlike the greasy sludge at the surface, her body slowly began to sink and desperation revived her weary muscles into movement, yet as she frantically paddled to keep herself afloat, the water did not even ripple. There were no tempting calls from the heartless void below, no compassionate aid from the swishing tree branches somewhere far away, nothing to garner that there was still some form of life drowning in that pool. Ophelia, in a state of anguish and tears, was left ignored and alone in her sodden grave— almost as if she wasn’t really there. Almost as if she was a ghost.
Sons of Anarchy and Good Omens
“So much as a scratch, and I can personally arrange for you to spend eternity in the dampest parts of Hell,” Crowley sneered behind his custom designed sunglasses.
“My dear boy, that’s no way to acquire professional services. I assure you, good fellow, he was in fact requesting your finest handy work and you shall be paid handsomely for your efforts.”
“Damn straight. Just cause she’s a bit of history, that don’t make the tune-up free,” the grease covered garage employee gruffed as he eyed over the Bentley.
“It’s a ‘he’,” Crowley whinged as he conjured the mortal a pair of car keys and reluctantly forfeited them over.
A little something I wrote long ago but decided to revisit and edit today. There will be a second part but I don't think I will continue to write story any time soon (little busy with Jamie and Luke's novel :P)
Previously, a runaway science experiment offers her services to a gang in the city in order to be smuggled out of the country. Little do her allies know she is being hunted by the best army on the continent (The Hits). They use her powers to pull off a daring heist, but that places a target on their backs, so now they, too, are on the run, currently taking shelter on a deserted, supposedly haunted island off the coast of their city.
James
"Boss, boss, boss!"
James looked up from the multitude of papers covering the desk he’d commandeered as his own. Lenny had barged into his make-shift office looking paler than a ghost. Maybe he had seen a ghost- again. If that was the case, James had no time to entertain such fairy tales, not when their lives were at stake.
He grumbled, "What now Lenny?"
Lenny was breathless. "It's Luna— they've taken her! The Hits have got her."
“What.” James stood so fast a teacup that had been perched precariously on a stack of files fell to the floor with a crash. He payed it no attention. “Explain,” he said, gritting his teeth, “Right. Now.”
Lenny still struggled to catch his breath, and now he raked a shaky hand through his hair, a tell of his nerves. “W-well, we were on watch— me and Rai— i-in the trees next to their camp. And- and she was doing her rounds, too, when they came out of nowhere— I wanted to go help her, I swear, but then the Hits would’ve known we've been spying on 'em, you know? And- so me and Rai watched them take her to the docks-"
James had heard enough. "I can't believe this.”
He stormed out of the room. Lenny called after him, “James! James, wait!”
James did not stop. Not even when Lenny caught up with him and grabbed his arm, pulling him back. James simply shook him off, “Get Ezra, get Cap, and get me a boat so I can get off this fucking island!”
Lenny’s voice was pleading, “James, you can't go marching into their camp like- like this!”
James turned to him, the well he kept his anger in threatening to overflow. “Then what do you want me to do? Leave Luna there to die?”
He didn’t mean to shout, but Lenny flinched anyways. His voice was low. “Look James, I don't want her to stay there either, but we need a plan. Isn't that what you are always telling me? That a good plan is the key to success?”
James looked down at his second in command, his first second in command, right into those big blue eyes that had tricked him into believing in their false innocence long ago. Lenny was right, unfortunately, and it annoyed him to have his own words reflected back onto him.
He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “Alright. I need a plan.”
“We need a plan.”
James waved a hand, “Yes, yes.” He merely agreed for the sake of it, he had no intention of asking any of the others for help. He could do it on his own. James ignored the worried look in Lenny’s eyes and walked off, already weighing the toll of the heist he would have to pull off to get his girl back.
...
After sacrificing the last of his luck to the Goddess of Fate, James is successfully able to infiltrate the camp and get Luna back, not without first learning the values of cooperation and teamwork (he could not, in fact, do this on his own). However, there’s a problem. The Hits had given Luna some sort of experimental drug that knocked her into a coma, and it seemed she was not waking up any time soon. Ezra, the gang’s resident poison specialist and sorry excuse for a medial professional examines the girl and the toll the drug has done on her body. They were too late. Luna had, at best, three days to live.
...
James
The whole world was falling apart. Shapes that should have been in focus now blurred around him as his vision swam. The ocean was too far away, but James could swear he heard the crash of waves in his head as his heart beat a furious crescendo in his body. He should have felt sad, heartbroken, even, but all he saw was red.
Anger had been a familiar taste on his tongue ever since he was an invisible boy in a seaside town where those that did stop to hear his words usually only laughed. He’d gotten good, over the years, of keeping it in check, of building that well inside him brick by brick just to keep his anger from spilling out.
But now that well had cracked and crumbled, been bombed away by a horror worse than supernatural— something man-made. Naked anger had crawled out of that deep well he’s made just to laugh at his measly attempt to keep his true nature at bay.
Without walls, there was nothing stopping it now. And there was only one person responsible.
“You.” James’s glare singled out a singular body in the crowd. The small little seedling he had allowed to take root in his gang now threatened to overshadow them all. It didn’t take long for all conversations to die around him, and it took Cee much less to realize what he was about to say.
He watched her shrink away from him, as if he was the predator and she was prey. He did not relish in the fear in her eyes. It made him feel worse. The more innocent she acted, the more the hatred in his gut pointed at himself, and that made him angry. Angry enough to move mountains, angry enough to command the tide.
“That's it. You’re done.”
“W-what?” Her voice was so small. James hated her for making him feel bad. She was the weapon of mass destruction. She was the they were on the run from the Hits. It’s her fault Luna is— Luna is—
“Dead. You’re dead to me,” he pointed a finger at her chest with each word, “Get. Out.”
“James-” Sarj warned, crossing the room just to get in between them.
“No.” James turned to him. “I’m the leader here. I say who stays and who goes. She’s been enough of a problem as it is, and now I want nothing to do with her.”
Ezra spoke up, “James, she’s just a girl. Are you really throwing a child into the streets?”
James was sent fuming at her tone. “Just a girl! Are you kidding me? She is a super weapon ready to explode! All of our misfortunes have been her fault!”
Silence rang through the crowd. But in the silence, a small voice chirped, “I’m staying.”
James turned back in disbelief to see Cee standing with her chest puffed out in defiance. “You need me with Luna-”
“Don’t say her name!” It took three men to hold him back from lunging at the child. James didn’t even realize he’d moved. He was more so surprised at the snarl in his voice. He felt like a monster. But he couldn’t stop.
“You are the reason she got in this mess in the first place! If you hadn’t brought the strange soldiers to us, we would never be in this situation! We wouldn’t have to be squatting in a ditch on the run for harboring you! I am sick and tired of other people telling me how to run my gang because of you! You are the reason Luna is going to-”
He couldn’t finish the sentence, his shouts about to turn into tears. He refocused on that raging fury, anything, to stop thinking about the girl dying in the other room.
James looked right into Cee’s eyes and continued. “I want you out. Out of my sight, out of my gang, out of my life! And if you ever think of showing your face in my city again, I will turn you in myself.” He spit out the last words as if they were poison. He stood there for a moment, transfixed in the way he was reflected in Cee’s blank, glassy eyes. He was red in the face and yelling with wide eyes, sheer insanity burning in them.
At last, he turned and faced the rest of his gang. “As for the rest of you,” he huffed, “back to work! The Hits won’t stop looking for their lost lab reject and I’m not going back to that camp to save any of your sorry asses if you get captured.”
No one moved. No one spoke, either, until Ezra faced him, pleading, “James, you’re being unreasonable. You can’t just throw a girl out onto the streets when her life is in danger. Please- what would Luna think?”
James ignored the sting of her words. “If you,” he made a show of turning around to face every other person in the group, “or anyone else disagrees with me, then I think it’s time you found another gang willing to take in your sorry reject of a soul.”
With that, and his jaw set in determination, James walked out of the manor, right into the pouring rain.
…
The storm raged on around him with the intense passion of a desperate lover. It reminded him, bitter sweetly, of his home, and the storms they used to get coming down from the North. That rain was always cold, threatening to freeze your bones in place if you so much step outside to get to the outhouse, and all through the night the only sound was the churning ocean below as it tore apart docks and boats and anything else in it’s way.
This was not that type of storm, but Jamie felt like it was, regardless.
Thunder rumbled somewhere close by as he found his way down to the beach, past steep cliffs and scraggly bushes that would sooner shred him to bits than offer a cushion to land on. Only when he reached the pebbly bottom, though, did he feel his resolve crumble.
The beach was just like the one back home.
James screamed. His voice was the thunder, every crashing wave, every lightning strike. He did not find peace letting his voice go hoarse, instead he felt all his emotions rise up in a catastrophic wave, threatening to drown him.
His situation was bad. Although he’d done what was best for the future of the gang, he knew it was wrong. A few members on the fringe would leave after his harsh words. Sarj, his only muscle, would go. He’d grown too close to Cee over the past few months to let her go alone. Jaque and Rai had enough money to buy themselves out, if they so chose to. Lenny was too far in debt to run, now, so he had no choice to stay. Neither did Ezra, since she wouldn’t leave Luna for the world.
Luna. What would Luna think of what he’s done? It was her idea to help Cee, would she be angry with him for not seeing it through? Cee had done her part of the bargain in getting them through the heist, and now he wasn’t keeping his. By letting her go, he was shunning their contract in the first place. A betrayal like that demanded divine punishment, but James ignored the warning signs.
His mind ached for Luna. He craved her calming presence, her graceful air, he craved her. Luna, as gentle and beautiful as moonlight itself.
“Jamie?” He stirred from his thoughts. That was Luna’s voice, no one called him Jamie— no one dared— besides her. It was his Luna— had Ezra managed to heal her? Had she woken up, stirred by his panicking thoughts?
“Luna?” He turned, frantically looking around at the cliff side, but she was not there. Instead, she was already on the beach, ankle deep in the incoming tide.
She looked like she did before, skin smooth and gleaming as if shining from underneath, and hair a soft silvery cloud being whipped around by the wind.
She looked at him like she always did, as if he was a red-hot steel bar that she just couldn’t let go.
“Luna!” Once he realized she was not an illusion created by his own mind, he ran to her. He picked her up in his arms and spun her around. She was much lighter than he remembered, and surprisingly cold, and wet. She had been outside in this storm too long, he needed to get her back inside before she caught a cold.
“Jamie,” she breathed, still in his arms.
“I missed you so much” he said, choking on tears. Sadness threatened to spill out of him almost as eagerly as his anger had before. He held it back, if only for Luna’s sake.
“H-how are you back? Did Ezra heal you?”
“Jamie.” Luna looked at him with sulky eyes. The tide was up to his knees now, it was really coming in fast.
“Luna?” He said only her name, but it was phrased as a question. “Are you alright? You’re creeping me out.”
Her motionless stare, her body, too shimmery to be real, and her scent. Salt and brine. The ocean, something one couldn’t smell like unless they spent all their hours close to fishing docks and seaweed filled water. Something was wrong, and it was not just the fact that the water was now up to his thighs, climbing to his waist, and threatening to pull him under. Just like the creature in front of him.
No sooner had what he thought was Luna’s strong support turned into the deadly vise of something not human, that he knew it was too late— all he could do was catch a breath before he was pulled under.
…
Calloused, worn hands rocked him back and forth. Somewhere outside the safety of these warm arms breathed the ocean, a gentle rumble in the background, nothing more.
Still, the dark clouds on the horizon filled the house with tension, and Jamie wished he could ease his grandmother’s worries.
Neither of them talked as they sat on the rocking chair, the older woman boring a hole into the window and the younger boy burying his face in the clean scent of her clothes.
Finally, James had the guts to ask, “Why are you scared?”
It took his grandmother a moment to answer.
“When I was a girl, I wanted to go swimming on the eve of a storm.”
The sun began it’s descent as she continued, “It was around midday, but the docks were deserted. I remember setting down my towel, a blue one with stripes, and sitting down on the old boards, just plunging my feet in, feeling the seaweed drift around my ankles, and then feeling something else.
Hair. Underwater. It felt soft, but thick, similar to the seaweed, but the darkest blue I’ve ever seen. So close to black, that I thought it was one of my own kin coming to spook me, but no, it was something different.”
A little girl, not much older than me, peeked her head out of the water. Her skin was the blue of a breathless baby, and she smelled like death. But she smiled when she saw me, a smile full of pointy teeth.”
“Were you scared?” James interrupted. He knew about the sea-folk. Everyone in town did. He’d heard the warnings, he understood when not to go near the water, and he knew to turn around when he heard his name called by the ocean, no matter what lovely voice sang it.
Don’t trust the sea-folk, they said. They’d sooner drain you dry then love ya, that’s for sure.
His grandmother stopped rocking. “I wasn’t as scared as I should have been. I was foolish— and curious. I didn’t believe the stories, but there one was right in front of me. I guess I was luckily, because she was young, too. She didn’t try to grab me, only smiled, as if it, too, was her first time seeing someone different from her. Finally, she asked if I still wanted to go for a swim with her. I managed to shake my head and, with a disappointed shrug, she sank back under. Poor me sat frozen on those docks until the first droplets of rain began pouring, in which I quickly picked up my things and ran back home.”
“Don’t fill his head with garbage.” His uncle walked into the room, cradling a bottle. “The sea-folk don’t ask for permission ‘fore they drag you under. It’s just bam! And then you’re good as gone.”
His grandmother shot the man an irritated look. “Don’t interrupt me, I wasn’t finished. You see James, although I was sparred by the Goddess of Luck that day, others did not share the same fate. After the storm, we found three bodies, pale and shrunken, washed up by the tide. Three claw marks around their heart told their fate— and one of the marks were smaller than the rest, as if made by tiny hands. I reckon it was my sea-girl’s first kill. You never know when you’re luck is going to run out, James.” She lowered her voice, “So, remember, it is best to never bargain with the myryads in the first place.”
…
The water was dark, filled with debris and swirling bubbles. The thing that held James in its claws and would not let go had dissipated it’s illusion. No longer did it pretend to be Luna, instead what emerged from the bubbles was a gangly monster, vaguely feminine with drippy hair like dark seaweed and saggy skin covered in shiny scales. This creature, he knew, was a story. A fairy tale, nothing more than Lenny’s ghost. But it was right here in front of him, and it was begging him to say it’s name: a myryad.
Although the salt water stung his eyes, he refused to let them close, favoring to face death head on. Even as he furiously struggled, the sea-girl’s grip did not falter. When she had pulled him far enough under, it turned it’s head to him. Her eyes were huge, dark pits in its milky-blue face. When it opened it’s mouth, it was not Luna’s lovely voice that came out, but a high-pitched scream, a cry, a siren call to it’s friends. More were on their way.
He felt frozen, paralyzed, both by the stories he grew up with and the very real, very dangerous, fairy tale creature in front of him. Her claws ran over his skin, stopping at his mouth. He shut it tighter, clenching his teeth, as she tried to wedge it open.
James did not waste time assessing the situation. He’d been in worse situations before, but he still panicked, struggling harder than before. Claws tore into clothes, then skin, as if it was paper. Although he couldn’t see very well, he knew the water filled with his blood, getting just the coppery taste on his lips. The myryad sniffed and looked him in the eyes. Hungry.
James knew he was running dangerously low on air, and he frantically tried to remember any stories of sailors escaping capture from the sea-folk, but his mind turned up blank. The only thing he could do was fight, the revolver in his belt useless, but the small dagger in his sleeve still plenty useful in creating a gap between him and the sea-girl.
However, quicker than the lightning above, she was back on him with a cry, even as he slashed at her scales, scoring through flesh. She squeezed his wrist, and a bolt of pain shot through him, enough to make him drop the knife, foolishly. Defenseless, she gained the opportunity to strike, sinking two sharp teeth into his neck.
James cried out instinctively, before he remembered that he was underwater, and managed to swallow a mouthful of ocean. His head swam and the sea-girl began sucking him dry. It was so painful, James felt his body go numb. In a last ditch attempt to get himself free, he lashed out and managed to poke the creature in it’s big, glassy eyes.
It caused her to go reeling back, shrieking. James took that opportunity to start paddling to the surface, but he was too slow. The myryad recovered fast, and latched onto his leg. James kicked wildly, and, somehow, her grip slipped. Her claws tried to latch on, but they ripped through his legs like butter. James grit his teeth at the pain, and put all his remaining energy into kicking to the surface. The sea-girl was shrieking, and somewhere close by other shrieks responded.
Panic raced through James’s gut, but it was overwhelmed by the need for air. His head pounded, his heart beat faster than it ever had, and black spots swam in his vision, enough that he thought he was a lost cause, that this was it, he would sink to the bottom and die, feasted on by the myryads, but, miraculously, he breached the surface.
Gasp. He took a greedy breath of air before resuming his frantic paddle to the shore. When he finally pulled himself onto the sand, he definitely cried. Relief, pain, frustration, it overwhelmed him. He was so thankful to be back on solid land he didn’t even mind the pouring rain above.
James laid on the beach for what seemed like eternity, just breathing like he had never breathed fresh air before. He had really thought he wouldn’t make it. He had never even said his goodbyes. Fortunately, his luck had not run out yet. Before the adrenaline ran out, he staggered up and started for the manor. There was a pool of blood, slowly sinking into the sand, where he used to lay. His injuries stung in the rain, and he knew he needed immediate medical attention, lest he wanted them to get infected. He remembered his grandmother’s warning, his luck could run out at any time, so he hurried as fast as he could as far away from that beach as possible.
Excerpt from There Were Six of Them
Nick
A Saturday in November, Junior Year
It was an off day, and on off days Nick needed to take a walk.
Walks were good. Nick liked that his great uncle's house was right next to the woods. They were large and easy to explore. Easy to get lost, too, but Nick had spent his childhood running around woods so he felt confident in his abilities to not do so.
The woods were calming. An eerie hush fell upon them at this hour, too early for the world to wake up, but too late for it to fall asleep. It's not the Nick particularly wanted to spend his early morning hours wandering outside, but he had woken up from a night of no sleep with an itch under his skin that meant he either had to run or cut himself and his friends would be disappointed if he did the latter.
That's why he was putting one foot in front of the other on a barely visible trail this cold November morning. This day gave him the ick. Life have him the ick. He wanted to tune it all out and the woods gave him the opportunity for just that.
One by one, he turned off his senses.
It was cold this morning, but he'd put on a jacket. There was no sun in the sky to warm up the air so his fingers quickly turned red. He shoved his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't see that. No more.
The woods were vast, but not so vast. He could hear the shum of cars on the highway miles away. Under his feet were the sounds of branches breaking and leaves crunching, so he gently tuned that away too.
It smelled cold, but the cold before a freezing wind, not the cold before a snow storm. Disappointing. Somewhere in the woods a cabin was using it's fireplace. Nick could smell the smoke. He could taste it too, but not because it was nearby, he had just forgotten to eat breakfast and now that was on his mind. But one wish, and no more.
Finally, he closed his eyes, trusting his feet to carry him. A dangerous endeavor, with the state of the trail, but he would be fine. He just wanted the world to be silent, dark, numb as the way he felt all the time.
Nick kept walking well into the morning.
Then it became the afternoon.
Did Nick have something to do today? That question was weighing on his mind, eating away at the calm he tried to enforce.
Why did he feel like he was forgetting something?
His stomach growled. Oh, he'd forgotten to eat. Yeah, that was probably it.
Nick was so far into the forest that he didn't recognize his surroundings, but he was, by luck, able to find a road that led him out of it.
By the time houses started popping up more frequently, Nick's stomach was killing him. His hunger led him to a small shopping center off the side of the main road.
Thank fuck there was a small, greasy pizza joint in between a nail salon and UPS store. He walked in, jumping at the sound of the bell in the door as he did so, the first reminder of humanity he's had all day. He relaxed as soon as the warmth of the giant oven hit him, very welcome to his now numb limbs.
He approached the counter, thought for a second, then reached down to grab his wallet from his pocket first.
Except his pocket was empty.
Patting around, he found his phone, dead as hell— when was the last time he charged it?— and a few crumpled up dollars in his jeans that probably had been through the wash.
He had a total of seven dollars and thirty cents to his name.
Great.
Okay, Nick. You're going to go up to that counter and ask for a slice of pizza. You are going to speak clearly and concisely. You've been learning English for four years now, this is elementary stuff.
He approached the person behind the counter.
“Excuse me? How much for this?”
Nick wanted to facepalm.
The worker looked at the chump change he had pushed across the counter. That, his accent, and the acute redness of his still thawing body must have made him look homeless.
He wanted to go back and explain that no, he did actually have a home and it's here in the U.S., he's just been on a walk in the woods for hours, but it was too late.
The cashier nodded slowly. “Well you can get a slice and a small drink, is that okay with you, sir?”
Nick didn't like the babying way they spoke to him, but that's probably his fault for walking in looking like a drug addict.
“Yes. Just cheese and one diet coke, please.”
“Is pepsi okay?”
Nick looked at them. “There's no way you just asked that.”
The guy behind the counter chuckled, “Sorry, I had to. Anyways, we'll have that ready for you in just a minute. Feel free to find a seat while you wait.”
Oh, he was kind of cute. Nick forced these thoughts out of his mind as he sat in a torn booth.
First he'd been annoyed at the guy now he was falling in love with him.
Nick watched him busy around the kitchen as he worked. He couldn't have been much older than him, maybe a senior working a part time job on the weekend.
He had fluffy brown hair and broad, strong shoulders.
Nick didn't even realize he was the only customer in the store, and this guy was the only worker.
Absently, he took out his phone as if to text someone about this encounter, but his phone was still a lifeless brick.
Nick sighed. He had to go through more dreaded interaction today.
“Hey, really sorry, do you have a charger I could borrow? My phone's dead.” Nick had approached the counter again and was holding up his phone with the dark screen and pointing to it as proof.
The guy looked up from his phone again. “Oh yeah, uhm, let me check.”
He went into the back for an excruciatingly long second where Nick thought he'd abandoned him and his pizza, but when he came back he was holding a black cord.
“Does this work? Sorry, I had to loot my boss's office. She's the only one that owns a Samsung.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Nick took it and went back to his seat. He plugged his phone in and powered it on. As soon as it had one percent, he was suddenly flooded with messages.
His friends, his psychiatrist, even his speech therapist, it seemed, had texted or called him multiple times on every single app imaginable. He even saw a text from his Great Uncle, but that one just said ‘friends looking for you’.
Nick set his phone down, not too keen to deal with that until he fixed the gnawing hunger in his stomach, but unfortunately, he didn't have the liberty of choice.
In no more than two seconds, his phone rang. The caller ID was one he was very familiar with.
“Hello?”
“DUDE WHAT THE FUCK!”
Nick flinched from the speaker.
“What is it?”
The person on the other end- Codi- huffed an angry breath. “North!! Where have you been?? Everyone's been trying to contact you for hours? Do you know what time it is??”
Nick checked the top of his screen. “Three pm?”
“Fucking funny, wise guy. You missed your appointment with your psychiatrist and when she contacted all of us to try and see why, we found out from your uncle that you haven't been seen all day?? Where the fuck are you North, what the fuck have you been doing?!?”
“You sound mad.”
“Holy fuck- yeah no shit I'm mad, Sherlock.” He sniffed. Codi sounded like he was crying, sometimes he did that when he was angry, which just confirmed Nick's suspicion.
“Where are you? Are you okay? Have you taken your meds?”
Something flashed in Nick's memories. A bottle of pills, untouched, on his nightstand and a bright screen in front of his face and a thick comforter he did not want to get out of and the distance between him and his nightstand that seemed unsurpassable. He may have remembered why his phone was dead this morning.
At the same time, the guy had come with his pizza. He looked awkward having overheard their conversation, but set his food down silently.
Nick asked him, “Where is this? Like the town?”
“Ugh, Burkford.”
“Burkford.” Nick said into the phone.
There were many grumbles on the other end. It sounded like someone else said “Burkford?!?! Where the fuck is that?” Followed by a short pause then- “Forty-five minutes away?!?”
Codi sighed into the phone. “Okay, North, I need you to stay put okay? We're gonna drive to get you, so don't do anything crazy. You're in some place warm, yeah?”
“It's cozy.”
“Okay, send me your location and we'll be there soon. And don't worry, okay? I'm not mad, I'm just glad you're okay.”
“Wait!” Nick stopped him before he hung up. He lowered his voice. “Who's with you right now?”
“The whole gang, we're in Lux’s basement. Why?”
“Well ugh-” He lowered his voice even further, maybe mumbling a bit, “Could only you come? And maybe Flynn? Not everyone else. I don't want them to see-” -me like this. He didn't finish, but Codi understood.
“Okay,” he spoke, much gentler than before, “see you soon, kay? TTYL.” Then he hung up.
Nick set down the phone. The pizza guy was still standing there.
“Yeesh, that your boyfriend? He sounds strict.”
Nick’s heart jumped at the word ‘boyfriend’ but there was no hostility behind how the guy said it. “No, it's my friend. And he's just worried about me.”
He started eating his pizza. Grease and cheese had never tasted so good.
The guy sat down across from him in the booth, despite never being invited. Nick noticed he had multiple rings on his fingers.
“So what'd you do? Run away from home?”
Nick looked at him, and maybe the stranger got the wrong idea, because he quickly followed up with, “Sorry, small town gossiper instincts. We don't get a lot of strangers here— you don't have to tell me if you don't want to- I realize that could be a very personal question-”
Nick swallowed. “No, I just want to eat first. Sorry, I'm starving.”
The guy laughed. He had a chipped tooth. Right in the front. “Damn, here I am interrupting your meal. I'll give you a second, yeah. My name's Jeremy, by the way. I go to college in the state, but my aunt lives up here so I come see her on the weekends and work part time. It's a good trade off, except for the gas money.
Oh shit, he's way older than I thought.
Nick chewed slowly, trying to come up with a good story because he didn't want to seem like a lowly high school kid to this cool older guy. For once he was grateful for his freakishly tall height that will let this lie pass.
“I'm Nick.”
“Nice, do you go to college around here?”
“College isn't for me. I'm thinking about getting into modeling.”
Jeremy nodded approvingly, “Well, you certainly have the looks for it.” He didn't hide the way his eyes raked over him.
Nick sipped his diet coke. “Thanks.”
Holy shit did a cool older guy just seriously flirt with me???
“Ugh, you don't look half bad yourself?” Nick had heard that phrase in a movie once. He was pretty sure it was what you were supposed to say when complimented.
Jeremy laughed, “You're so silly. Anyways, I heard your friend isn't coming for another forty minutes so..” He looked at him through his eyelashes. “Wanna kill some time?”
Nick felt his heart beating furiously in his chest. He choked on the carbonation in his soda. “Uhm, I guess?”
…
Jeremy had a Nintendo Switch. He brought it because apparently his shifts were boring since barely anyone came down to the restaurant. They played Mario Kart and Jeremy showed Nick his Animal Crossing island. Then a black SUV pulled up in front of the place and Nick stood up.
“That's for me. I have to go.”
“Aw, alright. Can I get your Snap, at least?”
At the same moment, the bell above the door rang. A short curly haired devil appeared at Nick's side. “No you cannot, because he doesn't have Snapchat.”
Jeremy seemed surprised at their new addition. Codi had already hooked his arm protectively around Nick’s.
“Oh, are you more of a discord guy? I could give you my ID.”
With an eager nod, Nick let Jeremy type in his username into his phone and sent a friend request. Once that matter was settled, Codi dragged him out.
“Bye!” Nick managed to wave before the door slammed shut.
Codi opened the passenger side door. “After you,” he did a little gentlemanly bow. Nick chuckled.
He climbed into the car and said hello to Flynn, who was driving. Codi climbed into the passenger's seat right next to him. He sat in the middle so he was closer and could also type the directions back home into Flynn's phone.
They were on the highway before Nick even realized. No one said anything, but Codi grabbed his hand, which was a welcome, grounding presence.
It was getting dark and Nick suddenly felt really sleepy. He rested his head on Codi’s shoulder. Codi started running fingers through his hair.
“Are you gonna tell us where you've been all day? I made sure the girls weren't in the car with us, but they were worried. We were all pretty worried, North. You just disappeared on us and no one could contact you- we thought- I thought the worst-”
“My phone died. I didn't get a charger until I was at the restaurant.”
“Okay, but how did you even get there? It's so far away-”
“I walked.”
Codi laughed. It took him a second to figure out Nick wasn't joking.
“Wait, you're serious? You just walked? It's at least a five hour walk! How?! Why- don't tell me you were meeting that older guy. Why didn't you just tell us? We could have driven you-”
Nick huffed. “I didn't know I was going to meet him. I just went for a walk. Then I was hungry. He works there and we were just talking.” His tone was a bit more defensive than he meant it to be. Codi must have figured that out and dropped the subject. It was a while before he spoke up again.
“You're stupid, you know that? You went walking in the middle of the woods with a dead phone and no way to contact someone if something happened.” He poked him in the temple, “No brain cells in that pretty little head of yours.”
Nick pouted. “Not true, there's so many brain cells.”
“Right, and I'm guessing it was those brain cells that passed the physics test we had yesterday?”
Nick groaned. “He posted the grades?”
Flynn spoke up from the front. “Yeah, you know Kasser, punctual as always. I narrowly avoided failing. Brought my average down five whole points.”
If Flynn had done this bad, Nick was terrified to see his own results. Codi rubbed his scalp some more. It calmed him, and that, combined with the heat on full blast, made him even sleepier. Nick forced himself awake. He didn't want to fall asleep, he wanted to keep talking to his friends. They made his icky day feel a lot less ickier. He wondered why he hadn't gone to see them sooner.
Suddenly, Nick's stomach grumbled. Maybe one slice of pizza for both breakfast and lunch wasn't enough.
Codi regarded Flynn, “You think Uncle Tao will have some free food for us poor little guys?”
Flynn snorted. “The only poor little guy is me for having to put up with your free loading.”
“Hey! You're supposed to be the nice one! And you can't say that because you're taller than me, so,” Codi stuck his tongue out at him. Flynn must have done so back because Codi laughed.
Nick recognized this part of town and when Flynn turned towards his apartment.
Codi focused back on Nick. “You need to eat some food and then take your meds. I grabbed them from your uncle's house on our way here. Also, you're gonna have to explain to Whitney why you missed your appointment.”
Nick hummed. “I didn't know you were on first name basis with my psychiatrist.”
“Yeah, I didn't know how to tell you this, but I'm going to be Mr. Whitney Mellows soon,” said Codi, completely deadpan.
Flynn whistled, “Congrats,” at the same time Nick flicked Codi on the nose.
“I'm hungry. Let's get out of here.”
“Let's.”
Taglist (ask to be added/removed): @thebonecarver @victorfrankingstein @confused-as-all-hell @iambecomeyourvillain @brekkercookie @purpl-cryptid @reyyya @thecurlychameleon @naz-yalensky @thesexypanda-boo @kazoo-the-demjin @twelve-kinds-of-trouble @oc-writing-corner
Chapter 5 - A Black Heart Laced with Neon Green Ribbons
Content Warnings: mentions of violence, cemeteries, and death
Link to the previous chapter and link to the next chapter
Part Two: Curses
There was only so long one could ignore a growing pile of “jobs” and “responsibilities” and “duties” before someone came in and pushed the stack over.
Raven was met with such a situation as he powered on the obsidian tablet that most citizens of the Underneath used to communicate (because cell phones, as they say, were for losers). Immediately, message upon message began popping up, most from annoyed clients who demanded a discount for late services. He ignored them all, even some warbled garbage sent by an unknown sender, but stopped when he got to one name in bold.
Boss (derogatory): Come see me.
A time and place were not specified, yet Raven knew exactly what it meant. He had no desire to go back to the Underworld, much less the City of the Dead, and he definitely did not want to meet with him.
With an weary sigh, Raven took a sip of his drink, finding comfort in the puffs of steam that curled out of the teacup.
Usually, cafés were uncomfortable places filled with too much noise and movement, but this one was nice. It was owned by an old friend, although she wouldn’t like to be called that, who took pride in preserving the ancient space as it had been a hundred years ago in the midst of the Roaring Twenties.
Raven liked the effect that the dark furniture and dim lighting cast, it felt both mysterious, edgy, and easy to disappear in. Among the swamping leather sofas and bursting bookshelves, he was just an ordinary guy enjoying a cup of tea. Maybe he’d pick up a book or put on a record. Life was simple, it didn't matter that Dahlia was dead. It didn’t matter that she was the fourth girl (along with two other guys) who’d met an untimely demise all because they decided to fall in love with the wrong person. Him.
Maybe it is a curse. Maybe he accidentally pissed off some deity and is unknowingly passing the misfortune on to some poor mortals. The fortune teller from before did seem especially ire with him...
Whatever. Now was not the time to genuflect. The glowing red text on the obsidian tablet in his lap provided an excellent distraction.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he muttered to the air as he stood up and dusted himself off. He stuck a wad of cash under his used saucer and turned to leave.
And was met with a very dirty, very prickly, broom to the face.
"Heyyyyyyyyy Margie," he casually said, emphasizing the nine Y’s at the end of ‘hey’ to prove his casualness.
The woman behind the broom, an older lady that looked like she was straight out of a boxing match, stared him down. She was taller than him, larger than him, and had biceps that looked like they bench pressed willowy teenage boys just like him.
If it wasn’t for the affectionate tilt of her mouth and the crow’s feet around her eyes she would have given even him a scare.
“Get the hell out of my café you rat." Although there was no real anger behind her words, Raven put his hands up, and backed away slowly.
“I mean no harm, Margi— I’m just stopping by— love what you’ve done with the place by the way.”
“Hmp.” Margi folded her huge biceps over her chest. “Am I s’posed to assume all of that’s true?”
“Ughhhhhh..”
Raven needed a way out of this conversation that contained the least amount of fists to his face. Luckily, Margi saved him the trouble of formulating some brain dead reply.
“What do you want.” A statement, not a question. “You know I don’t serve any criminals no more.”
Raven tried a laugh fit for a guilty man. “Criminal? Who— me? Pfftt..”
Margi gave him a Look.
“WELL ANYWAYS,” he began, as if being louder would erase the awkwardness of the subject, “ignore the details— do you, by any chance, still exchange demonic currency?”
៴
Like every other heartbroken teen, Raven had spent the past few days wallowing into tubs of lemon sorbet and Tinkerbell reruns. He didn’t actually cry, but just the thought of it was enough to make even the most waterproof mascara run.
However, just like any coming of age film, there has to be a point where enough is enough, where maybe the best friend comes in to pull the protagonist out of their moping by the hair and gets them to snap out of it. Unfortunately, Raven has to be his own best friend in this case, and pulling yourself together was much more difficult alone.
Regardless of if he enjoyed it or not, there was work that needed to be done, so he slapped on some kick-ass eyeliner and put on some kick-ass boots to go thlunking through the cemetery— because that was a normal thing to do.
Raven had a complicated relationship with cemeteries. He appreciated the lengths people would go to honor their loved ones, maintaining graves even generations later when there was no one left alive to remember the kind of person the body in the ground used to be, but grave sites also brought about a sort of stillness within him that he absolutely hated.
Even the air was calm, despite it being night and definitely much creepier when the corroded angel statues looked at you with weeping eyes. He felt like he could breathe again, for the first time since— Mother knows how long.
And if he could stay and recharge for hours, Raven felt, with no doubt, he would have enough will to charge into Hell itself and bring back Dahlia, and Rose, and Martin, and River…
Maybe he hated cemeteries because they reminded him of the people he lost. If he looked around, how many of the graves were there because of him?
His chunky boots slammed into the hard packed earth as he walked, a comforting thump in the silence. It had stopped raining ages ago, but the grass was still wet and now that the coolness of the night set in, condensation seemed to hang in the air like wet laundry strung out to dry.
The place was silent, not a rustle of wind or chirp from a cricket to break it up. That was why the voice boomed across the mossy gravestones like an uppercut.
"Oh my my! Don't we have a special guest here tonight!"
A young girl appeared out of the fog as if xe was a hallucination. She sat on top of a giant mausoleum in the center of the cemetery, swinging xer stockinged legs freely. They made hollow thumps when they hit the stone, giving the impression she was moreso a wooden doll come to life rather than a person.
And she did look like a doll, with a tiny figure and ruffled dress consisting of only the colors black and neon green. However, what xe lacked in intimidation factor, xe made up for by carrying a huge metal club that was also swinging at her feet.
Raven stepped closer, near enough to see her delicately painted face.
"Hello, Arcane. Still on gate duty I see."
The girl opened her mouth in what could have been a grin, if someone learned how to smile by listening to instructions of how to move your face muscles rather than seeing the real thing happen in person. Xer teeth were black as coal, and so was her tongue.
"Oh you would like that, wouldn’t you~” She started in a sing-songy voice, but then, after Raven raised a brow, xe cleared her throat, cheeks flushing.
“Nah, I'm just filling in for this Jack kid. Heard you were coming back and just couldn't wait to see ya."
She pushed off the building and dropped down next to him. Or.. not quite right next to him, because she was floating in the air a short, safe distance off, something that requires way too much energy just to remain on eye level with him.
Raven snorted, spirits and their vanities, and tossed her a sack of newly acquired gold.
Arcane snatched the gold out of the air before he had so much of a chance to blink, and began counting the coins. The next few moments were silent, other than the sharp click of metal being dropped back into the bag.
Although Raven really hated his job, one of the few benefits was learning how to read people— and finding a way to use that to his advantage.
Arcane was a wrathful entity— a spirit given flesh with the promises of cold revenge— or something else along those lines. What that meant was she had a passion, but unfortunately xe also had a big, big contract with some Guardian of Death in the way of that passion. So, the sooner she paid off xer debt, the faster she would be freed into the world to wreck as much havoc or despair as she so pleased.
And that, friends, is a very good bargaining chip.
“How many do you have patrolling the perimeter?” In less than a moment Raven had reclaimed her spot on top of a mausoleum as if it were his throne, forcing Arcane to turn quickly if xe didn’t want xer back to him. She looked stricken.
“What? How did you- how did you know that?” The wobble in her voice betrayed her as she clutched the sack of money to her chest like a shield.
Raven tilted his head. “You think I wouldn’t know? Come out, come out, wherever you are, demons.”
A shadow condensed in the corner, spitting out a humanoid beanpole who began frantically signing to Raven, some stuff about begging for mercy which was complete overkill since it’s not like he would actually kill any of them.
“Ah, just Neroli? I was expecting a bigger army for my visit.” He began signing too, now that he needed them both present in the conversation.
Raven didn’t know much about Neroli other than the fact he was some sort of low-tier entity like Arcane, but he did know that the two of them together had a special affinity that he so desperately needed.
"I want a quiet entrance into the Underneath, one that doesn’t appear on any radars, and I know you two can do it. I’m willing to pay handsomely, by the way.”
Arcane sniffed at the ‘handsomely’ part. Xe’d already counted the money and knew it was jack shit compared to what others would pay. That's why Raven was very much counting on his fear factor to get him what he wanted.
"Can't you already portal directly into the City-" Arcane began the accusation with an irritating huff, but was cut off by a warning nudge from Neroli.
The boy looked ready to lay his life on the line for Raven, probably as a thank you for not ending it so soon. (Again, Raven wasn’t going to, he needed them both alive, or, in whatever in-between state they were in currently.)
"Will you open the gate or not?" He forced his voice to sound terribly bored with this conversation, regardless if his entire body was screaming for them to say yes. If he wanted things to go smoothly in the City of the Dead he needed to get in (and hopefully out) quick.
Luckily, neither of them sensed the urgency, and after a private conversation, Arcane begrudgingly agreed.
"Fine, we will. But don’t spread the word that we can be bought for cheap, ya hear?"
Raven agreed with a polite smile, and once the deal was brokered, they all eased back into comfortable familiarity. Arcane switched back to her haughty personality and Neroli poked fun at xer whenever he got the chance. Raven, too, joined them as if they were old friends, enough to keep everyone laughing and chipper until he was through the gateway and in the bleak gray lands of the Underneath.
Tag list: @thebonecarver @victorfrankingstein @confused-as-all-hell @iambecomeyourvillain @brekkercookie @fallen-from-olympus @purpl-cryptid @reyyya @thecurlychameleon @naz-yalensky @thesexypanda-boo @kazoo-the-demjin @twelve-kinds-of-trouble @crime-mastergogo
Excerpt from There Were Six of Them
Lux
A Sunday in November, Junior Year
It was Sunday, and on Sundays the gang went out for brunch.
Today, the weather was so dark and rainy that Lux had mistakenly thought it was only seven in the morning when she woke up past ten. Even at eleven, when she had finally dragged herself out of bed, there was still a small shower that soaked through her Uggs.
Ugh, why she wore them, when they were impractical as hell, she had no answer.
Every Sunday their entire friend group straggled out of bed to flock to a restaurant for a late breakfast, usually Lux’s treat because she loved spending money on her friends. It was her way of making up for things, she supposed.
Because today was so cold and gloomy, they decided to go to a retro dinner by the main street in town for some cheer. It wasn't far, so Lux decided to walk.
On her way, she pulled out her phone, reading through messages in the group chat to make sure everyone was going to be there.
She cherished these moments when they were all together, not that they were few and fleeting, but because she hated being alone.
A new message popped up.
Codi: Me n North running late k ily bye
Lux felt fleeting nausea in her stomach, but responded back with an enthusiastic ‘k’.
She bit her thumbnail, a habit she did whenever she was deep in thought.
Lux hoped everything was okay with Nick. He had disappeared yesterday and caused quite a panic. Luckily, they had found him in the end, but only Codi and Flynn had seen him. She was left to worry if what they said about his state was true.
Lux arrived at the diner faster than she had thought, but luckily Cleo and Flynn were already there. Flynn lived just down the street, so it was hard for him to be late.
“Hey guys,” Lux smiled and waved.
They waved back, offering their own greetings.
“Is Summer not here yet?” Lux asked.
Cleo answered, “No, she couldn't make it, remember? She has that competition in Manchester, she won't be back until tonight.”
“Oh, right.” Lux had completely forgotten. Again, that nausea in her gut surfaced.
“Oh!! But since it's still early maybe we can FaceTime her. I don't think her game starts until one, if we hurry we may catch her before she goes to warm up.”
“Yeah,” Lux agreed. Flynn gave two thumbs up, but Lux didn't think he had been listening. He was looking up the street.
“They're gonna be late, should we sit down?”
“Yeah, let's get out of the rain.”
Lux followed the two inside. A waitress led them to their favorite booth, they'd been here so many times the staff already knew their habits well.
Lux sat on one side and Cleo and Flynn slid into the opposite one.
Lux rubbed her hands together. They were cold.
Cleo must have picked up on this. Absently, she reached across the table to hold them in her own. Lux was glad for the heat. Her friend's familiarity with her habits almost made her cry.
“So what did you think of the math test, Lux?” Flynn began the idle chatter. “I did way worse than I wanted to..”
The conversation went back and forth about school and clubs and movies until they were interrupted by the arrival of Codi and Nick. Nick was trailing behind Codi, stooped over, like a lost puppy.
Codi greeted them all loudly, “Don't worry guys, your favorite has arrived!” He slid into the seat next to Lux, Nick right after him.
“I wasn't worried.” Flynn mumbled, with playful antagonism.
Codi kicked him under the table.
He slung an arm around Lux's shoulder, pressing up against her. “Did you at least miss me, Luxy?”
“You were late like, ten while minutes, so, no.” She pretended to push him out of her space but secretly she was glad for his warmth. It must have been cold in the diner.
Lux’s head turned to Nick, and she saw Cleo’s eyes on him as well. Nick was jittering his fingers nervously.
When no one said anything, he folded first.
“I’m so sorry for disappearing yesterday I know it was really irresponsible but I promise nothing bad happened.” He had his hands pressed together and head down as if he was begging for their forgiveness.
Lux chuckled, “That's alright North, important thing is you're safe.”
Cleo nodded. “Yeah, and you can always come talk to us if you need to get your thoughts out, none of us mind.”
Codi added, “Don't worry guys, I already gave him the lecture.”
Nick looked grateful. With the apology over, he seemed less nervous and shifted back into his usual self.
Codi asked, “Hey, where's Captain Levi? She running late?”
Captain Levi was Codi’s nickname for Summer. Lux did not know how or why he started calling her that, maybe because she was always captain of every sports team she joined, but Codi likes having weird nicknames for his friends.
“No, she’s at competition in Manchester. Oh! We should try calling her now, actually.” Cleo pulled out her phone and presumably rang Summer.
After a few seconds, she picked up.
“Heyyyy!” Everyone at the table said in unison.
Summer chuckled on the other end. Wherever she was, it sounded noisy.
“Aww, hi everyone.” When she saw Nick, her face brightened, “Nick!! You're okay? Everything safe and sound?”
Nick gave a thumbs up.
“Awesome. Are you at the diner? Don't tell me I'm missing Sunday Brunch.”
“You're not missing it because you're here right now!” said Cleo.
Lux butted in, “Summer, where even are you? It sounds so loud.”
“Oh, I'm in this big meeting hall, there's a lot of families here, that's why. We just had breakfast with one of the pro players and now we're going to attend a seminar or two.”
“When's your match?” asked Codi.
“Not til three pm. They moved it because of the conferences. Ugh, I'm not going to be home until nine, maybe even ten.” She groaned.
Flynn spoke up, “Need someone to drive you?”
“No, I'm good. There's a bus that takes us back, then I'll walk home from the school. Oh– I wish I could keep talking, but they just opened the auditorium doors so I think it's starting. I'll talk to y'all later, byeeee! Muchos besos! Mwah.”
Everyone waved and said bye. Then Cleo hung up. They continued their idle chatter where they left off, only stopping when someone came by to get their order. Everyone ordered the usual.
Lux felt a bit in a daze. The rain outside and grey skies only made everything feel even more dreamy. She loved her friends, so much, she wouldn't know what she'd do without them.
…
After brunch, they all went their separate ways. Cleo said she had a lot of work to do for school tomorrow and went back home. Flynn and Nick went to Flynn’s apartment to do their homework too, although probably much less efficiently than Cleo was about to. Codi followed Lux home because he was annoying like that.
Whatever, Lux was secretly glad for the company. She didn't want to spend her day alone.
“What's wrong, Lux? You seem a little sad today.”
Lux shuffled her feet. “I'm allowed to be sad sometimes.”
Codi bumped her shoulder. “Not what I meant silly, but I'll drop it if you don't wanna talk about it.”
“What about you? Why don't we ever talk about you? What's on your mind today? Are you doing fine?”
“Is that what you're worried about?”
Lux slumped. “No.” She had hoped to deflect the conversation onto him, but Codi already knew her tricks.
Luckily, Codi did drop it. They walked in silence the rest of the way. Halfway there, Codi grabbed her hand and swung it around. He probably would have proposed skipping home if she hadn't been in a foul mood.
Lux had forgotten her key, but the housekeeper let them in. Lux tried to get her to stay home on Sundays but Sarang said it was the easiest day for her to work.
Once inside, both Lux and Codi as acted systematically. Lux grabbed popcorn while Codi made hot chocolate.
He claimed making hot chocolate was a delicate art, getting the right balance of chocolate and heat was nearly impossible, so Lux sat on the counter and watched him work.
He carefully measured two heaping spoons full of hot chocolate mix, the one that came in packets and tastes like sugar— because that's the one Lux likes— and followed with boiling water in their favorite mugs. They had matching mugs. One said ‘Idiot #1’ and the other said ‘Idiot #2’. Lux had found them online and instantly knew it was a thing she and Codi had to have. They constantly switched who was the first idiot and who was the second, though. It didn't even matter, really, because they usually ended up drinking from the same mug anyways.
When Codi finished counting out the perfect number of marshmallows, they took both mugs and the popcorn with them to Lux’s room.
Her house was an old Victorian, only slightly renovated to maintain its structural integrity or whatever. Her dad grew up in one like it, so maybe it had meaning or something.
Her room was at the very top. It had flower patterned wallpaper in a baby blue color and a large reading nook by the window. The ceiling ended in a peak like a dollhouse. There was a big fancy wardrobe along with a matching antique dresser, vanity, and bedframe. Lilac curtains covered in embroidery hung over her bed. She had put tiny fairy lights in them, too, so felt extra dreamy.
The door of her closet, a crawlspace that was too short to be a part of the room and ran along the whole side of the house, was open, but the clothes she had thrown on the floor getting ready today were put away. Sarang must have already gotten to this room.
Codi made a beeline for her bed. He set up her portable desk and put the hot chocolates on top. Lux set the bowl down, too, and grabbed her laptop.
She browsed through YouTube before she found a good video about ghost hunting. She liked those videos, she thought they was funny.
She snuggled up next to Codi as the intro played. They'd already seen this video, but it was a good one, so they would watch it again. Codi didn't like watching them anyways, because he said her house, being so old, was probably haunted, and therefore watching ghost videos would summon the ghosts or something. But he would make an exception for her, he always did.
They made it two minutes in before he broke the silence.
“You want to know about my day? I didn't sleep because I spent the whole night watching North, just to make sure he was really there, and okay. But he slept soundly. At one point Flynn made me take Benadryl so I would pass out. Got like three hours of sleep.”
Lux let him keep talking. She listened to him, while her eyes remained on the screen in front of her. “I was so goddamn worried yesterday- Fuck-” His voice broke in a sob. Lux took his hand. “I thought he was gone. I thought surely he had run away, delirious or confused, and gotten hurt.”
At that moment, the video recounting a murder in whatever haunted mansion they were exploring this time. When the narrator said, “found dead in a ditch,” Codi replied, “Yeah, what they said.”
He laughed, but it sounded sad.
“That fucker was just in the woods. The woods! Can you believe it? For hours, he just walked. Phone was dead, no one was around, just himself and his thoughts— ugh, why didn't he just talk to us. I should've been there— I should've called him Friday night and made sure he took his meds-”
“You can't dwell on the past-” Lux interrupted- “Your practice ended late Friday night, and you were worried about making it on to the regional team this winter, those were important too.”
And it's not just you, we all could have been there for him. I was doing fuck all Friday, I could have just as easily called him same as the rest of us. But we didn't.”
“Is that what made you upset?”
“No,” Lux ate a handful of popcorn. “I know I can only be there for him if he asks for help first, so it's partly on North too for not reaching out. Not that he really could, but-” she sighed, “-we all need so much from each other- Oh, did you see that? I think I saw a shadow on the screen. Can't believe I haven't noticed that before. Hold on, I'm gonna replay it.”
She clicked some buttons on the laptop and was thrilled when her observation was right. Codi sat there quietly, perhaps contemplating.
Then, suddenly, he chuckled. “Yeah, you're right. North can maybe take care of himself. You know what he was doing when we got there?”
“Hmm? What?”
“He was at some small pizza joint talking to this guy that works there, they were the only people in the restaurant. They must have hit it off because the guy asked North for his discord— he's so much older too. Must already be in college.”
“Ooh, North’s getting bitches.”
Codi chuckled again, “Yeah.” His cheer dropped. “I'm not mad at that.”
“You seem a little mad.”
He scowled. “No I'm not, North can talk to anyone he wants, even if it's hotter older men. I don't care.”
“Sounds like you do care a little, honey.”
“Not at all, dear.” Codi emphasized the pet name and Lux rolled her eyes. ‘Honey’ had just slipped out, they were so used to calling each other pet names ironically it didn't even register in her brain.
After some silence, Codi asked, “Is North hot?”
“I didn't get him a modeling gig for nothing. The industry eats up looks like that.”
“No, but is he attractive? Does he look older? It's probably the height, right?”
“Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?”
“Well of course I think he's pretty. He's also pretty stupid sometimes. And dense.”
“Not as much as you.”
“I'm hurt,” Codi pretended to be wounded, placing a hand over his heart and dramatically fainting into Lux’s lap.
“Why do you beautiful women vex me so?”
Lux pushed him off, “You're blocking the screen. I like this part.”
Codi huffed and sat up. He buried his head in the crook of Lux’s neck. “I don't like this, it's scary.” He mumbled.
“Grow a pair,” Lux huffed. Still, she turned it off and found the documentary they had started a few nights ago. Codi relaxed. Maybe he had been scared.
“You're gonna tell me why you're upset?” He mumbled into her neck.
Lux twitched. “It's always the same. I love my friends and I can never seem to get enough of them. It's pretty selfish. But it makes my stomach toss and turn into knots. I don't know why, I'm just on edge.”
“Mmm..” He patted her head. The consoltation felt stupid and somehow his idiocy made her feel better.
“Hey! Don't fall asleep, I'm not restarting the video if you miss it.”
He huffed, “Three hours of sleep, remember?” He stretched out across her pillows and closed his eyes. “Watch it without me, I don't mind.”
“Well then I'm putting back on the ghost video.”
Absently, she reached out for his hand, and he took it.
The rain outside continued to drizzle, while the video droned on. She took a sip of hot chocolate and finished the popcorn while listening to Codi's breathing. Slowly, it evened out. Although he'd fallen asleep, she didn't feel alone.
