by Amanda Churi
“I am most certainly saying that,” the man confirmed, untwisting his body and standing up, defiantly facing the night. He turned his palm out towards the broken lifeforms, the scar at his wrist line suddenly twinkling with a chilled blue essence. Veins of winter encased the wall between the fresh and ruined skin, a ripple of aqua blue magic flowing within the confines of the injury. “It is time to join together and throw away the empty hearts of the sovereigns. Are you with me?”
Many were skeptical, but many more knew the road which would now lead them to greatness. Determined to right the wrongs and bring back the long lost days of innocence, heads bobbed as uncountable people signed the pact to rebel and forget their pain.
As though their consent formed its own plague, one by one, each wrist of the Returned mirrored the action of the instigator. A mystical blue hue began to entrap the pocket of air around them—a beautiful sight that perfectly camouflaged the evil surrounding the call.
The man smiled. It took a bit of baiting and waiting, but now it was time to suffocate everyone who had ever complicated his path to conquest, and if one more person crossed swords with him, they would find out quite quickly that he was not the person to spar with.
Bunching his hand into a fist as Reeve called upon her followers, the man raised his arm to the heavens, shadows drowning his pupils that became a narrow, vertical strip.
Small essences of blue began to light up the once sleepy town; those locked in slumber were awoken, and those wandering the streets immediately looked down at their wrists. The minacious voice of a spirit abandoned long ago, only now regaining lost ground, filled the minds of those infected.
It’s time, children… she coaxed them in a soft, tempting voice. Leave it all behind… Take yourselves away from the shambles around your ankles, and discover a new era of peace that will be born from your bravery. Avenge the lost lives of the faultless, and rise with me.
“We must go,” the man announced, pushing past those who stood in his way and proceeding to walk down the street towards the distant woodland, holding his wrist high in the air for all to see.
Many shuffled to the doors and windows of their homes, watching with interest as many of the Returned decided to give in, following the man with a stone face as they made way for the most sinister part of themselves. One by one, those who had not yet decided to follow in the footsteps of those like them caved, gathering their coats, and what they believed was their sanity, before joining the march down the main street of Phantome, which began to swell in size as more and more answered the call.
We’ve got them now, Desmond, Reeve’s voice whispered to her partner in crime, the man at the head of the group grinning wickedly.
I told you that we would, he thought back. Righteous vengeance is one’s greatest ally...
“…Isn’t that right?” he snarled aloud, breaking communications from his evil queen. “You thought you were so great… Went down in history as a hero… Little do they know…”
With his hateful past rising, the light in his wrist burned stronger, pushing out the signal farther and farther so that he could gather every gullible soul possible as he flounced into the woods with a swarm behind him. With his terrible history reopened and the wounded hearts of the Returned asphyxiating them within, their heads were held high as they prepared for battle, ready to
slay any and all without mercy.
Thirty-one
Crimes of the Mind
“What are you doing?! Keep your eyes straight ahead and focus!”
Daisy grunted, her eyes flickering with bursts of pink as she crouched atop the rotten staircase, focusing on a large wooden beam lying on the floor of the befallen cottage. She tried to clear her mind, gather her strength and collect her thoughts as she ordered time to entrap the object, but the log remained still and stubborn.
“Come on!” Sam lashed from the ground floor, her face gnarled at Daisy’s incompetence. “What’s wrong with you?!”
Daisy grunted again, but still, no progress was made as she attempted to complete her task. A weak ray of twilight littered with petite snowflakes filtered down through the semi-collapsed roof, the opening being the only major gap left in the ceiling as, piece by piece, Daisy and Sam refurbished the establishment that hardly bore the decency to be called a home. Sam took to tending to the smaller parts, cleaning up glass shards and trying to expunge the multiple critters hidden in every nook and cranny, but Daisy’s job was larger. She needed to learn how to control and manipulate things just as Cecil could, and Sam figured that they could kill two birds with one stone—establish a nice, semi-luxurious hideout, while also honing in on the power seething beneath Daisy’s fingers.
Sadly, Daisy knew that she was not doing well; she could manipulate small stones and timbers to an extent, but something as large as a wooden pillar proved to be a formidable opponent. With each passing day, she felt her strength and sharpness waning. Not to say that she was ever the sharpest sword in the scabbard, mentally nor physically, especially when it came to accessing her magical counterpart, but still… She swore she was struggling more than usual as of late. Her mind and senses had essentially corroded amongst the edges; the potential was still there but not the performance. Her gut was tangled, and her head was throbbing, her bones pulsing a continuous ache through her vessel as her seventh day with Sam approached, neither sleep nor nutrition giving the child much relief as Sam pushed her as far as she could go.
Her muscles quaking as beads of sweat perforated her clothing, Daisy cried out in distress, the light in her eyes gaining strength as she gave it her all. The wooden beam reacted to her for a fraction of a second, recognizing her aura and bowing to its master until it once again declared her unworthy, never lifting off of the allergen-prone ground.
Discouraged, the aurora prancing in Daisy’s eyes abandoned her, the heart-wounded child falling to her knees in failure.
“That’s it?” Sam spat, crossing her arms as her irises darkened. “You’re supposed to be a savior, and you can’t even lift a piece of wood?” She scoffed, crouching down and grabbing the degraded beam from underneath, slowly dragging it off into the sheltered recesses of the once magically disguised cottage. “Most powerful child my ass…”
Daisy frowned, her head low as she clutched her puny shoulders for both warmth and assurance. The blustery wind scattered her bleached locks, her chin digging farther into her sternum as the terrible claws of fatigue skinned the lining of her stomach. This life that Cecil had attempted to glorify for her… It was nothing to be envious about. Ever since that first night, one chip at a time, her real self was lagging behind, and Sam’s training was no different. Daisy couldn’t keep up… The walls of her very identity were falling, and with each strained breath, the desire to amplify her self-importance trickled away.
“…I’m talking to you!” Sam’s enraged cry cut into her lobes, Daisy inching her eyes down to the woman, who was wasting no time revealing her true colors as the poison weaving through her veins continued to metastasize. “Why won’t you listen?!”
“I’m trying…” Daisy hissed, the voice emerging from her frail body proving she was anything but weak. “But it’s hard when you’re dancing around the bush like everyone else and not helping me discover just who I am or what I can do. You promised you would…”
“And I will!” Sam blurted out, her arms shooting from her sides in irritation. “But we are on equal ground here! I got you away from Cecil, so you help me with what I need before I go any further, and at the moment, that’s making a stakeout away from his irrationality!”
Daisy retracted her hands from her shoulders, a cloud passing over her eyes. “That was never the deal.”
“Oh, deals shmeals!” Sam flamed, taking a single step forward as she thrust her finger furiously at Daisy. “I’m sick of being bound by contracts at every corner! First, Cecil places my freedom in chains, and now you try to do the same?! What the hell makes you think that you have the authority to do that?!
I don’t care what you are! You’re young, inexperienced, and certainly incapable of holding the world by the balls! You’re nothing!”
Daisy sharply inhaled, her pupils compressing into slits as her hand instinctively found Sagey, holding her companion in an iron grip as bubbles rose in her blood. Nothing… Nothing?! No, maybe she wasn’t everything, but she was much more than Sam—much more than another human who could not keep their word if their life depended on it! “Oh yeah, and what are you?!” Daisy shot back. “A woman who struts around showing everything she’s got because she has such low self-worth? A woman who seduces Cecil and causes everything that he ever loved to be ripped away? From my view, it seems like you are the one who is nothing!”
Sam retracted her finger, straightening up as she took in Daisy’s words. “I see…” she grumbled, dangerously calm. “So that’s your view of me…
“Just another woman who apparently can’t keep her legs closed,” she continued flatly, the unsettling glaze of ice beneath Sam’s irises freezing Daisy solid. “Someone who screws things up, right? Who has no virtues or morals besides bringing men into my bed?” She snickered, a haze smothering her vision as her head dipped hardly a degree. “Surprised you aren’t Cecil’s daughter with the way you think; you certainly don’t hold anything that even remotely resembles who I am, other than the fact that life fucks you over left and right.”
“Wh-what are you talking about?” Daisy shrieked, yanking Sagey into her chest for protection as she watched the humanity fade from Sam’s eyes, her devilish veins viciously throbbing as they formed the final layer of her mask. “Sam?!”
“IT’S ELIZABETH SAMANTHA HELM! AND YOU TELL CECIL BUCOY TO NEVER FORGET THAT ONCE YOU SEE HIM IN HELL WHERE YOU BOTH BELONG!”
The veins overlapping her cheeks and nostrils came to life, in a millisecond completing their warpath. They soared over her eyes and ruptured, charcoal-colored blood masking the air with death as her skin was blown away at the speed of light, leaving only tainted muscle and ill-crusted bones visible. Her skinned feet swung in to face each other; her spine shot up and extended her torso several feet, her ribs growing out and down, hooking her to the earth. The bones of her greedy fingers bent in unnatural ways, twisting and crunching as the tips forged the identity of sticks, twigs and spear-like branches bursting out of her elongating arms. A heart-wrenching predator shriek split the air, her eyes flying out of their sockets as her thirsty, earth-borne fists barreled down on the child, shooting through Daisy’s chest and out her back, impaling her.
Daisy could not say anything, her eyes wide and body limp as her dimming sight collapsed onto the wrung, rotten, frozen tree absorbing her gushing blood. Crystalized mist hissed around the deceased oak that once held the body of a human driven to insanity by her own battles, its branches sinking deeper into Daisy’s fragile body as gravity continued to pull her down to Fate’s feet.
Her neck had given up its strength, hanging as the wooden spires shattered her sternum and ribs, suspending her like bait for whatever predator was next to come. Blood raced out of her mouth and down her paling lips, her swinging arms joined by her hands that weakly held Sagey.
Air became an enemy, turning against her as her torn organs and failing organelles gave way to Death. Her eyelids drooped, fog concealing her vision. Her fingers twitched involuntarily around the small doll, a single, passive tear streaking down her cheek.
Daisy…! No!
A sudden spark was lit deep inside of Daisy’s skull—a sensation that she had never felt before. It was sharp and quick like a needle, but from that moment forth, it was almost as though Daisy had another side to her. She felt the same externally—broken, fleeting—but somewhere in the furthest pockets of thought that were rarely used, a foreign presence entered and made itself at home.
Another spark raced through her cells, an unidentified essence signing the deed to her mind, allowing for her release into elsewhere.
***
She stood in a land of lavish vegetation. Trees reigned high and wide both above and across their subjects, a cloud of heavy, humid air settling atop the canopy of the forest. Mosquitos traveled in swarms, bugs of all assortments wandering across the thick underbrush as birds patrolled the air and critters, ranging from mice to large cats, claimed the earth. Sun filtered through the lush leaves and elaborate branches, only a few scarce patches of light touching the soggy earth between her toes.
Daisy’s mouth was wide as she turned about, taking in the marvelous world that she had never envisioned. The agonizing pain present only mere moments ago was just a subtle throb in her chest now, Daisy instinctively looking down and running her hands across her belly, finding that she was in one piece. Her tongue dried up, Daisy whimpering as she continuously patted herself down in disbelief, hardly even registering the touch of her own skin. “No, no, no…!” she sobbed, gasping and panting as the realization of what was happening dawned upon her. “Not yet!”
The sharp snap of a twig caught her attention, Daisy spinning towards the source and heaving for air. A blur of pink raced across the overgrown forest, Daisy trying to follow it with her sharp eyes. The peculiar entity leaped onto the limb of a low tree, the glare around them settling down as they dropped into a squat, their burning pink eyes still shining bright.
Daisy loudly inhaled; how could she not? The face was identical to the one she had seen for so long now. He looked to be the same age, but he seemed to be filled with life, purpose, and, dare she say, happiness.
The sight brought a troubling sense of uncertainty to her fluttering heart. Daisy raised her hands before her face, and almost on command, small sparks of the most gentle, innocent pink light rose through the pores of her fingers, making the air around her sparkle. Pink… She had never seen another magical being with this aura, but there was her mentor—strong, powerful, and finally providing proof to his unwavering claim.
With a hefty spring, he suddenly flew as a streak of luminance across the forest, taking refuge on yet another branch. Even though she did not move, Daisy could see everything that he did, and what she saw intrigued her deeply.
A dark-skinned woman sheltered deep within the depths of the forest sat in a puddle of green moss and flowers, arranging the petals to form a heart. A soft melody brushed over her black lips as she fell into a trance of happiness, swirling the floral design with her fingers, while feeling the soft, velvety texture of their innocence against her. Cecil said nothing, transitioning to his ghost-like state as he continued to watch her, crawling from branch to branch on his hands and knees, in awe over the sheer beauty both in and out of the specimen before him. Daisy did not know anything about this woman, even remotely, but just by evaluating her body language and physique, she could sense the sunlight burning within her soul.
And she knew Cecil could too.
Memories of every degree bowed to Daisy’s eyes, swirling into a whirlpool of so many sights that she had trouble following what she was witnessing.
In the doorway of an old, crumbling, baked sand home erected in the desert, Cecil loomed, his eyes wide and curious as he watched the graceful woman shuck reeds in the protection of the shade, continuing to hum that comforting tune. Unable to restrain his interest, Cecil stepped inside without permission, the beautiful flower frightened when she found herself face to face with the tall, menacing figure. Cecil shut the door behind him, gaiting forward with the stature of a zombie before taking her face in his hands and searching her soul. Although difficult, eventually, tension dissipated, and the woman was drawn into Cecil’s eyes, which had never been more full of energy.
Days passed, and they continued to meet like such every day after the woman had completed her duty of gathering reeds along the banks of the fertile river, Cecil always waiting to help her with the shucking. There, for hours, they worked alongside and talked, small at first, but as days turned to weeks, their lips gradually shifted from tight and wary to comfortable and free. They took to watching the moonrises and sunsets togeth
er, finding comfort in the arid plains with each other as time began to entrap them, their fingers tightening and their smiles widening.
One thing led to the next, and as time began to warp forward once more, the two consummated their relationship in the safety of the night, and there was only one name to be heard through the frequent phrases of “I love you” from her mentor: Alice.
The days rolled on, and the stomach of Alice grew. She screamed, cried, and begged for mercy when their child chose to enter such a beautiful and terrifying world. From the safety of her womb, Cecil took a gorgeous baby girl into his strong arms, never more happy and more scared in his entire life as he named her: Ezri.
Ezri… Daisy thought, staring at the cooing child as she tried to piece together the situation she so recently began to figure out. Cecil claimed that Sam was the mother of Ezri… Not Alice, whose name had never once been mentioned. She… She was purposely misled, but why…?
He stayed with them through thick and thin, the young family growing and prospering despite the angst always bubbling behind Cecil’s eyes. He knew the error of his actions, as breeding was against his code of honor, but he did not abandon his family. He hoped that he would be forgiven, but the overseer of his spirit thought otherwise.
Three wolves came by moon, on a mission in a land completely foreign to them at the command of their master. Blood became the new element of air, and crushed bones nourished the soil. Both Alice and Ezri were eliminated in front of Cecil’s wronged eyes; his powers were useless against the henchmen, and he was attacked as well, but he survived. The wolves took the lives of his family, but they only stole Cecil’s identity, leaving him broken and bathed in blood with gashes dominating his muscle and skin, scorning him forever.