Electric Blue

by Jamieson Wolf

  Poppy smiled to herself and felt that warm her body. She stretched her hands out to either side of her again, fingers dancing on air. She focused on the wings, their black sound, and heard them grow louder, until all she heard was the flapping of wings. The sound seemed to grow with intensity, until the flapping was all around her, until she was breathing it in. She felt a curious sensation on her hands. When she opened her eyes, she saw black feathers sprouting on her fingertips. She closed her eyes shut again, afraid that if she opened her eyes while she was Changing, it wouldn't work. She began to feel pin pricks along her arms, down her legs. It felt as if she were being pricked with a million needles. Poppy felt her face begin to elongate and stretch, she felt herself grow smaller. She had a moment of panic when her mouth became a small beak, when her lips disappeared and she was unable to speak. "Relax. . . ." Alicia said inside her mind. "Just take a few deep breaths. . .you're doing fine," she said.

  Poppy smiled to herself, or tried to. Her face had changed beyond recognition and she could feel different muscles trying to respond. She opened her mouth to say something to Alicia, that she was afraid, that she was not what they thought she was, and out came a harsh caw.

  "It's Okay, Poppy. . ." Alicia said. ". . .trust me, you're almost done."

  Poppy tried to nod, but her head felt funny. She felt the pinpricks all over her body now; her face, the backs of her hands, her eyelids. Her skin felt as if there were something alive beneath it. She felt it moving, shifting just above her bones. She knew it was almost over, that she was almost done, because the prickling intensity doubled. There was one sharp, painful moment where she saw red and then she felt the world falling away from her. Blackness swallowed her and she knew nothing until the morning.

  * * * * *

  On the third day in the cave, Poppy opened her eyes. Except that they were not her eyes. They belonged to someone else. Or something else. She saw the world in blacks and whites, shades of grey and whiter shades of pale. She turned her head and looked around the cave that had quickly become their home. Alicia lay sleeping beside her. She stood and found her legs shaky. She looked down to see not her legs, but two long, black legs ending in talons. She let out a shriek of shock, but it came out as a caw. She stretched her arms, only they were not her arms, but feathered wings. It amazed her that she was thinking so clearly inside the body of a crow, but then again, stranger things had happened.

  She nudged Alicia with her beak, marveling at the feel of her body now. She felt the air stir her feathers, felt the wind want to lift her up and take her away. She was so aware of the world around her now. Even if her sight was in black and white, it was still sharper than her human sight. She saw the rocks, the grains of stone and sand. Alicia stirred beside her. She opened her eyes, the dawn of the coming day casting yellow gold shadows over everything. "Well, hello there," she said. "Told you it would work." Poppy cawed.

  "You can speak to me in your thoughts, Poppy," she said.

  Poppy regarded her with a look that said "I don't think so." She cawed again.

  "Trust me on this, you can think your thoughts and I will hear them."

  Like this?

  "Just like that."

  This is just so weird, Poppy said. I'm not sure how I'm doing this.

  "Magic," Alicia said smiling. "And now, before we have breakfast, how would you like to try to fly?"

  * * * * *

  Fly? Poppy said inside Alicia's head. You mean really, really fly?

  "You're a bird." Alicia said. "Of course I mean fly. What do you think your wings are for?"

  Now is not the time for sarcasm, Poppy said.

  Alicia laughed. “It's not that hard. Just concentrate on flight and flap your arms."

  Hardee har har

  "Who's laughing? You've got wings, remember. You have to picture yourself being lighter than air. There is magic inside you, Poppy. Use it to your advantage. You know that old party game?"

  Which one?

  "Light as a feather, thin as a board?"

  No, Poppy said. How does it work?

  "Well, you have to close your eyes and try to picture yourself light as a feather. If it works, you would normally be able to levitate."

  Poppy scoffed. Right.

  "I'm serious! Try it."

  Poppy sighed inwardly and closed her eyes. Light as a feather thin as a board, light as a feather, thin as a board, she repeated. It became a mantra, a chant inside her head that reverberated through her body. She began to flap her wings by instinct, her Crow Self taking control instinctively. Even as a Shape Shifter, a crow is still a wild bird. Instinct is one of its rules. She felt her wings cut through the air, felt the air move around them. It felt as if the world around her ceased to exist.

  "Open your eyes," Alicia said.

  Poppy did and let out a scream, which came out as a rough caw. She was flying. She couldn't believe it, but she was flying. The world was below her, the ground a short distance away. She let out another caw, this time one of triumph. This was more magnificent than changing shape, flying was the ultimate magic.

  "Come on down now and change back!" Alicia called to her. "You don't want to overdo it."

  You're right. I'll be right down. Poppy landed with grace right at Alicia's feet.

  Alicia laughed. "Show off."

  It seems to come naturally. It's like. . .it's like coming home in a way. . . .

  "What do you mean?"

  Well, I feel like I belong here more than in the real world.

  "Must be the magic in you."

  Must be.

  "Do you think you can change back? Remember; focus on the image of you as a human. When you're a human, you change by picturing your Crow Self, so now picture you as your Human Self."

  Poppy closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt the pinpricks all over her body now, that sensation coming fast as if it had never left her. She felt it on her face, the backs of her hands, her eyelids; her skin felt as if there were something alive beneath it. She felt it moving, shifting just above her bones. It didn't gross her out this time though. It was familiar. She knew it was almost over, that she was almost done, because the prickling intensity doubled. There was one sharp, painful moment where she saw red and then. . .colour. Her vision had returned to normal. She looked down at herself. She was human again. "Will it hurt all the time?"

  "You will get used to the pain," Alicia said, helping her up and holding her in her arms.

  "Lucky me," Poppy said. "Well, you know what they say: No pain, no gain."

  Alicia smiled and kissed her on the nose.

  * * * * *

  That night, Poppy dreamt again. The dream came on her again, fast and furious. It railed around her head, batted at her dreams until she let it in. She heard the voices again. . .it was a voice, repeated a million times. It was as if the owner of the voice didn't know which voice he was comfortable with, or as if the voice itself was surrounded by water. There was a rush of air before the voice spoke.

  ". . ..You are angry with me. . . ."

  Poppy shook her head and cawed. And realised something else. Much like Alice through the rabbit hole, she had changed, become, developed. She was a crow, black winged and raven feathered. Poppy tried to speak, but could only caw. Then she understood. The voice she was hearing was inside of her head. Inside her.

  "How can I be angry if I don't even know what's happened?" she thought.

  “. . .I have made you into the stuff of dreams. . .and nightmares. . . ."

  "You've transformed me."

  ". . .Correct. . . ."

  "Why?"

  ". . .because. . .it was your wish. . .by the sacrifice of your blood. . .you have become the stuff of shadows. . . ." the crow said.

  "But I didn't ask for this. . .why did you change me?" Red tears formed in the black feathers around her eyes. They fell to the floor to mingle with the blood that had slipped in amongst the cracks in the floorboards of her room.

  ". . .through your blood, we are
connected. . .change is necessary in life. . .but you will always remain what you were. . . .You were chosen. . . ."

  * * * * *

  When she woke, Poppy vaguely recalled the dream. The sun was rising on their fourth day in the cave. She went to their sacks and got the makings for breakfast. Her stomach was rumbling. They had not eaten much since they had arrived in the Otherworld, but then again, it seemed they did not need to. She felt a pain on her right hand. She looked down and there, at the base of the thumb, was a mark like a black wing. It throbbed and began to glow a soft amber colour. Her father was calling to her.

  Chapter Thirty

  No Other Choice

  They had taken Roz to the House on Harrow Hill. When Naomi had suggested they put Roz in a secluded room, Cecelia knew just the place.

  "It's where we found my daughter, Monica," Cecelia said. "It's perfect; she will not be disturbed."

  "I still can't believe that I'm letting you all do this," Chip said.

  They were all headed towards the Coven House. No one had been back there for quite a few days. David wondered how Monica was doing and how she and Moe were holding up. He was riding in Orlando's car with Chip, Orlando and Lucia. Naomi and Cecelia were taking their own car. Roz was riding with them.

  "Naomi and Cecelia think it is the only way to protect Roz, Chip. A demon pregnancy in a human can be deadly; but more often than not, it drives the woman insane."

  "And we can't forget the prophetic dreams she is having," Orlando said. "She seems to be a link between Poppy and where she is in the house. If something is hunting her, something that will prevent her from finishing her quest, the results could be devastating." She paused, letting her words sink in. "We have no other way, it seems, of knowing how Poppy is fairing inside the house. Roz seems to be linked; blessed and cursed all in one."

  "Besides," Lucia said. "You remember what happened last night. If she wants to keep the baby, she will have to be watched. She's a danger to herself."

  "I still can't believe what happened. . . ." he said. "That wasn't Roz. That wasn't my Roz."

  David put an arm around his friend and patted his shoulder. It was all he could do. Last night had been hard on all of them. He remembered her face as she was waking up after the dream. It was happy and content. It had not stayed that way for very long. Even thinking of it now pained him.

  All eyes turned on Roz, who had opened her eyes and was smiling. She lost her smile a moment of two later when they continued to stare. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Why is everyone looking at me like that? Will someone please tell me what's going on? Why am I lying down on this couch?" she looked at Chip. "Tell me what's wrong," she said.

  Chip had cleared his throat and had told her that the child inside of her was a demon. She went white for a moment and then started to cry. "Why?" Chip asked. "Why didn't you tell me it wasn't my baby?" "And tell you what?!" she screamed. "That it wasn't my kid because Jethro screwed me! Is that what you wanted to hear?" She sobbed some more, her words coming out between the sobs."When you guys told me I was pregnant, I knew whose baby it was. Why do you think I tried to kill myself?" she was practically screaming now, her voice rising up to a high pitch. Chip pulled her to him to calm her down.

  "It's okay. . . ." he said. He could think of nothing else to say.

  "No it's not!" she said. "Don't you understand, it's not okay? I have these dreams of Poppy, Chip, dreams that she`s in trouble. I can FEEL her inside the house." Roz was starting to look frantic, a twitch starting just below her right eye. "At the same time, there is something controlling me. I know it is the baby in my stomach, that it will drive me crazy." She laughed a nervous giggle."It's driving me mad, you know." She stood up then, lightning quick, fast as could be. She began to pace around the room, giggling softly.

  "Why is everyone looking at me?" she said. "I have a cake in the oven; I have to get home before it burns. I have to get away."She was pacing, trying to find a way out of the room.

  "What's happening to her?" Chip asked.

  "The demon is trying to mask what is going on inside her," Cecelia said. "It is why she could never remember anything in the morning. By masking what is happening to her, the demon is trying to make her forget, to take away the pain."

  "The demon is eating her from the inside out," Naomi said. "It is taking the nourishment it needs to grow stronger from her. Usually, the woman carrying a demon baby is driven insane and will then die from malnourishment; she is a husk of her former self."

  "That won't happen to my wife," Chip said. "I'll abort it before I let the baby kill her." Chip stepped forward and grabbed a hold of Roz's arm, making to pull her out of the room. Except, Chip didn't get very far. Something sizzled in the air, an electric blue zap of energy, turning to gold and white. It ran through Chip and threw him into the bedroom wall. The electricity flickered around Roz as if it were a womb.

  "What's happening?" David asked.

  "The demon is protecting itself. It knows that Chip means it harm."

  "Please!" Roz said through clenched teeth as the electricity ran through her. "Please don't try to hurt the baby. If you do. . .it will kill me." She took a few deep breaths. "Besides, I want this baby."

  Chip stirred at that. "What do you mean?" he asked warily. "It could kill you anyway."

  "Because. . ." Roz clenched her teeth harder. "It's trying to control me. . .I don't have much time. . . ." she took some more breaths. "Because after this, I may never. . .have children again. . .and that would be more horrible than. . .what I'm going through now. . . ." She held her hands up in front of her when Chip started to rise."Don't come near me. . .it's not safe. . .I love you Chip. . .promise me. . .that if I die. . . ."

  "I won't let you die," Chip said fiercely.

  "Promise me. . ." Roz said, "That if I do. . .you will raise the baby as your own. . .and love it like your own. . . ." her eyes pleaded with him. "Promise me. . . ."

  "I promise," he said.

  "I love you Chip."

  "I love you too."

  Hearing that, she smiled finally and slumped to the floor. Chip ran to catch her but Cecelia held him back. "Wait," she whispered. They watched as the electric blue energy left Roz, gave one last flicker and died. "I think we can touch her now."

  "What are we going to do with her?" Lucia asked. "She's a danger to herself, to us. If we try to get near her when she is awake, we'll be zapped."

  "We need to find a secluded room," Naomi said. "We need to keep her safe."

  "I know just the place," Cecelia said. "It's where we found my daughter, Monica. It's perfect; she will not be disturbed."

  Riding in the car now, Chip thought their plan was cruel. "You realize we're putting her in a prison," he said.

  "We're keeping her safe," David said.

  "Too safe, maybe," Chip replied.

  "What else do you suggest we do?" Lucia asked. "We can't touch her, but she wants the baby. When she's awake, she's almost mad, but at night, she is our only link to Poppy and Alicia. We have no choice."

  "I know," Chip said. "That's what breaks my heart." He stopped talking as they drove up the drive way towards the House on Harrow Hill.

  "This will keep her safe," Orlando said softly.

  "That's what I'm worried about," Chip said.

  They got out of the car and helped Naomi and Cecelia carry Roz's still sleeping form up the stairs to the attic of the Coven House. When they reached the attic, they went to the second bedroom. They knocked on the door but there was no answer. David put his ear to the door and heard voices. "There's someone in there," he said.

  He pushed open the door. When it opened, and they all saw what was inside, they all began to scream.

  Chapter Thirty One

  Locked Away

  Monica and Moe were on the bed in the bedroom, stark naked and going at it like a couple of jack rabbits. The sight of two ghosts in the throes of love making was the last thing any one of them expected to see, so it was quite a shock to everyone's a
lready sensitive state of mind. When everyone started screaming, so did Moe and Monica, so shocked to be found in their love nest by their friends. The fact that they were both naked didn't help either so they quickly grabbed the bed sheet and wrapped it about themselves. They all stopped screaming at once. The only sound was the shallow breathing of everyone as they tried to regain their composure. Finally, Cecelia spoke.

  "What is going on here?"

  "I should have thought it would be obvious," Monica replied.

  "You know what I mean!" Cecelia spat.

  "Actually no, I don't. We're having sex in my room. I should be asking all of you what is going on."

  "This is not the time for questions," Cecelia replied.

  "Actually, she's right," Moe said. He had the grace to blush. "Can all of you give us a few minutes to get dressed please? And then you can tell us what was so important that you had to barge in like that."

  "How about you tell us what you were both doing?" Cecelia said.

  "How about you give it a rest," Monica snapped. "I'm older than he is for frig sakes. It's not like we're breaking any rules, Ghosts are allowed to have sexual intercourse, are they not?"

  "There are no laws against it," Naomi put in.

  "There you go then. We've grown attached to each other, Moe and I. So if we want to have a little afterlife love affair, it's our business!" No one challenged her. "Good! Now how about you all clear out for a few so we can get some clothes on, Okay?" She sighed. "Please."

  They all stepped out of the room and closed the door. Cecelia was livid. Naomi put a hand on her arm. "Your daughter has not known any love for quite some time, not even from you. If she and Moe have been able to help each other and love each other, shouldn't you be happy?"