¦~°SILENT GAZE°~¦
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"S-Stay back, demon!"
Deon cried out, the unused kitchen knife quivering in his hand. He had explained the situation in fast, panicked rambles as he'd dragged Lydia away from the woman. Though explaining why he had actually chosen to bring this weird person to their house was beyond him.
The black-eyed girl stared back at them, now perched upon the table, not a single hint of fear in her face, only mild confusion.
What was once their beloved flatscreen TV now lay in ruin, flickering with a vague hint of life as if spluttering out its final breaths. Tiny sparks glistened from its wound, a burst of electronics through the center, as though it had been hit with an oversized bullet.
She hadn't touched the damn thing, even gotten all that close.
And on top of that...
"Jesus, D, quit it!"
Barked Lydia, directly into his ear, fighting against her brother with all her might as he held her safely behind his back with the other arm.
"You saw it too, right?! That thing, it just...just poofed! Turned into flying ash and wooshed across our living room then boom, turns into a girl again! I don't know what this thing is but it damn well ain't human..."
"Will you calm down already, she isn't doing any harm!"
"She just blew up the goddamn TV!" He snapped his head back to face his glaring, pouting little sister, "How in the hell are we supposed to explain this to Ma?! She's, she's actually a ghost, isn't she? Fuck, I knew it, I should have guessed as soon as I saw her skin-"
Lydia aggressively jabbed her fingers into his sides, her long, pale blue acrylic nails adding to the damage as Deon's hands flew upward with a pained yelp.
She ducked beneath his arms and approached the stranger, not bothering to look back at her cowardly brother, who was now on his knees with his arms wrapped around his waist.
"That...really hurt, Lyd!" He growled glaring up at her, "Wait, what are you doing?! Stay back!"
"Hey there."
The young girl smiled, crouching down before the long-haired woman, "You must be awfully cold, huh? You're all wet and very...exposed. Should I get you something?"
Remaining perfectly still, the stranger only tilted her head slightly, her dark hair slipping down from the table's surface and brushing the ground. She stared deeply, taking in every part of this new person.
From the shoulder-length blonde hair to the pleasent painted nails. The faint freckles sat above a small, button nose. Glowing teal eyes that perfectly matched the boys, the one who had brought her to such a strange place.
She liked how they looked, both of them. The colour was nice.
Lydia let out a gentle sigh, happily strolling across the living room, stepping over the sparking TV, to grab the old, brown blanket they kept behind the sofas for movie nights. After draping it over her pale skin, the young woman seemed appreciative, gripping the edges and pulling it closer around her body.
"I'm Lydia, and that dooche back there is my big brother, Deon. Do you have a name?"
"Don't bother, she hasn't answered me once. I don't think she has any idea what we're saying."
Sighed Deon, feeling a little embarrassed while he put the knife away, the stranger's gaze falling back on him every other moment with a mild look of confused guilt.
It made him feel bad, as though he'd been yelling at a puppy. From what he could tell, this girl didn't understand them. And judging by how he found her, she'd obviously been through hell even before ending up in their house.
But that didn't negate the fact that, whatever she was, she most definitely wasn't human.
Still, it appeared as though Lydia was right. She was, as least when sat calmly like this, relatively harmless.
"Hmm...no, I'm pretty sure she understands me. Don't you?"
The pale stranger nodded slightly in response to Lydia's words, gripping the blanket tighter between her thin, white fingers.
"Wha- she didn't nod for me..."
He muttered, crossing his arms.
"Well, I suppose if you don't have one, we'll just have to come up with a name for you. Deon, I have a set of clothes on the desk in my bedroom I was going to wear tomorrow, go grab 'em. I'm sure she doesn't want to stay naked, poor thing."
"Why do I have to-"
"You turned into mist before...how about Misty? That's pretty cute. Ooh, or Faye? That sounds mystical..."
Lydia continued talking to the stranger, completely blanking her brother, who glared irritated daggers into her back while he trudged his way up the stairs to her bedroom.
Lydia had never been too strict when it came to her room. Deon remembered hearing stories from his friends about how their siblings would murder them if they even dared think to step inside.
However, the pair had always been pretty open with each other. From the day she could walk, Lydia would happily waltz into his bedroom whenever she felt like it.
Of course, once they got a little older, it became a strict rule to knock first.
Her room hadn't changed, not one bit since she was eight years old, when the three of them decorated it for her birthday. Deon could remember painting those baby blue walls and how boring it was. But, the look on Lydia's face by the end was totally worth it.
Their mother had listened to her requests, decorating according to her flamboyant daughter's desires.
Pink butterfly stickers wound around the walls, their reflective surface glistening beneath the central light and its dangling crystal lampshade.
White drawers with golden handles and matching shelves above her precious vanity mirror and desk directly across from her bed, where she buckled down to do her makeup, and occasionally some homework too.
It was the first time he'd stepped inside since returning home, even his year away hadn't made a hint of a difference.
Silky bedsheets hanging from the edge of the mattress for dear life, clothes scattered about all over the place, attempted and failed crafts projects strewn around the bin, where she'd presumably thrown them in anger.
Deon smiled to himself, glad she was still trying to make creative little bits and bobs. She was always so determined, no matter how many times she failed, she'd only come back stronger.
He never wanted her to lose that part of herself.
Shaking his head, he quickly remembered that there was a naked demon in the living room in desperate need of clothes.
Scooping the neatly folded outfit from the desk, he jogged his way downstairs.
Lydia was a petit girl, even for her age. And this stranger was not only taller, but something told him that the clothes his 'undeveloped' sister wore wouldn't fit the woman's more feminine figure.
Just thinking about the two in the same context sent a disgusted shudder through Deon's body as his head shook those nasty thoughts away.
"Yo, Lyd..." He began, glancing down at the labels as he reached the bottom of the stairs, "You really think these'll fit? I mean, she's-"
"Shh!"
Hissed Lydia, waving her hand back at him.
"Don't shush me." He frowned, walking closer, "I was just asking if..."
Several of their mother's vases sat surrounding the stranger on the table, all bursting with lively, colourful flowers.
Though, he hadn't replaced any since she'd left...
"Holy shit, D, watch..."
Lydia whispered, grabbing a pair of scissors she had hidden by her side and snipping all the flowers dead from one of the vases.
"Hey, you're making a mess!"
He stepped back, several flower heads falling to the floor by his feet only to lay among a surprisingly vast collection of dead plants.
"Shut up and look..."
Pushing the vase toward the stranger, Lydia sat back with an excited expression.
The stranger looked hesitant, glancing between Lydia and Deon before holding her pale hand over the dead flowers.
Deon froze in place, gripping the clothes tightly against his chest as he watched the stems of the plant rise up, effortlessly growing in an instant, winding around the woman's fingers before forming small bulbs, each gently folding open, blooming bright colours within her hand, even more vibrant than before.
"...she's magical..."
Lydia squeaked, looking back at Deon with a gleam in her eyes.
"H-how did you even..."
He muttered, unable to finish the thought while his mouth hung agape.
"No idea, she, like, has the power to control the plants or something!"
His little sister bounced in place, clearly taking this impossible reality a lot better than he was.
"You cannot control nature..." A new voice spoke, catching the pair off guard. They both looked back, only to see the woman smiling peacefully at the flowers that sat within her palm, "...only guide it..."
Her voice was a little deeper than he expected it to be. Smooth and gentle and delicate. Calm and soothing, with just a few words, he felt utterly at ease.
Then, he remembered their entire previous encounter.
"Wh- hold on, now you'll talk?! I was asking questions left and right, how come I never got an answer?!"
"Hey, chill..." Growled Lydia, elbowing his leg, "So Maria, what else can you do?"
"Maria?"
He echoed, rubbing what would likely soon become a bruise on his lower leg.
"It's the name she chose. We went through a bunch and that was the only one she liked. It suits her, doesn't it?"
Lydia gleamed.
"...you...want us to call you Maria?"
He asked the woman.
"I like that one. It has a very pleasant sound. Ma-ri-a. Yes. I like it."
She spoke softly, her pure black eyes glimmering in the light which bloomed from the gap in the curtains, sunrise already creeping up on them somehow.
"Oh right, clothes." Lydia stood up, taking them from his hands, "You, go wait in the kitchen so she can change."
"I mean, she's already been naked this entire time. Why do I need to leav-"
"Out, pervert!"
She shooed, slapping his back all the way to the kitchen doorway.
As he'd expected, the clothes were pretty tight on the poor girl. In the end, they went with a pair of Lydia's dark grey pyjama shorts and one of Deon's old grey shirts, as childishly oversized as it possibly could have been.
After lifting her hair from the ground and placing it on the table behind her, Lydia's hand paused as it swept the loose strands from the woman's face, both of them locking eyes. She was unbearably calm, so much so that even Lydia was beginning to feel at ease within such a bizzare situation. Fingers grazing her cheek, she took note of how cold she was to touch. Though, that could have just been the wet nakedness taking effect.
Deon could barely even react, his mind still aghast with the entire situation, finally seeming to sink in. He'd been willingly allowing ignorance to play the part up until now, casually going along with it all as though it were normal.
But now, it was time for answers.
He took Lydia's place knelt before the girl, who still hadn't moved from her perch atop the coffee table.
"Christ, where do I even start..." He groaned, rubbing his tired eyes, having lost an entire night's sleep thanks to Lydia and this new stranger, "Um, so...Maria...that whole thing you did with the flowers...what was that exactly?"
"They grew."
"Yeah, I got that part, but why?"
"Because she cut them." Maria answered calmly, pointing to Lydia.
"...alrighty then...so, uh, back in the woods, you had that doohicky stuck on your head, right? What was that and why were you even there to begin with?"
"Um..." She looked to the side, her fingers gripping the edge of the table as she thought, "Well, this form is very new to me, so I was getting used to it for a while, but then I picked up the scent of...ah, we don't have a name for them, but I followed it for a few days because it was definitely a bad one, but after using my other forms to try and move faster, I did not realise how weak I was and suddenly I was surrounded by other people and they took me away and put me in a scary place. But that was okay, I got out easily enough. However, I did not know how to get that thing off my head and I couldn't see with it on and not being able to see was a little hard so-"
"Stop!" Deon gasped, pressing his hands over her mouth, "Please, Jesus...I have no idea what you're telling me...you lost me at 'form'. The hell do you mean by this form?"
"Oh. Well, like this."
Once again, her body disappeared into a thick cloud of black mist, only to reform as a small blackbird with unusually shiny eyes, tweeting calmly as its small feet tapped on the table.
Deon stumbled back, almost tripping over his feet as he collided with Lydia.
"D-Did she...just..."
He spluttered.
"That's so cool!" Gasped Lydia, diving forward and leaning her face close toward the bird with a beaming grin.
Only seconds later, the process reversed and Maria was back in place, coughing once she returned.
"I'm sorry, I cannot keep that up for long right now..."
"Mari, you're brilliant!" Lydia praised, taking her hands.
"...she turned into a bird..."
Muttered Deon, collapsing onto the sofa, "...the naked girl I found...with black eyes...who tapped along my floor...flooded my bathroom...blew up my TV...turned...into a bird...hah...I've lost it, haven't I? I finally cracked. Well, t'was a good run, I suppose..."
"You said you can't keep it up, so is something wrong?"
Lydia asked, ignoring her brother, who was mid-existential crisis.
"Yes, I am very weak right now, I'm afraid." Answered Maria, wondering why the girl was holding her hands, "This is currently my true form, my newest one. Using older ones is rather draining."
"Huh...so then, if you can turn into a bird, can you shapeshift in other ways too? Say...if you only added the wings, like an angel? Ooh! Could you change your hair colour, or something like that?!"
"I...suppose? I don't know if I've ever been a human before this, so I may have never tried. Besides, I don't dare try now. Last time I collapsed I ended up with a...what was it called...doohickly on my head. And I'd rather that doesn't happen again, it wasn't a very enjoyable experience."
"Doohickly..." Deon scoffed, his hands pressed over his eyes, "I like that better. You're funny, bird lady."
"Okay, Mari honey, do me a favour and wait here." Lydia grinned, patting her head before turning to face her brother, "You, come with me, we gotta talk."
"Wait, you want to leave her in here alone? What if she blows up something el-"
His breath caught in his throat as Lydia grabbed his shirt, dragging him up from the sofa and into the kitchen.
Her brown sandals slapping against the black and white tiled floor, Lydia huffed loudly, pushing him down onto one of the kitchen stools.
"Take a breath. Stop freaking out, dammit." Rubbing her head, she took a seat beside him.
"Why are acting like I'm the one being weird here? There's a demon lady in our living room, how are you so okay with this?!"
He fretted, the cold surface of the marble island on his fingertips comforting while the rest of his body was burning up.
"Yes, I know it's freaky, it's absolutely insane and, honestly, I'm still questioning whether or not I'm going to wake up soon, only to find this was all some crazy dream. But, D, don't you think it's also amazing? I mean, you saw what she could do, she's like an angel, or a fairy or-"
"Those things don't exist!"
"As far as we know!" She spoke firmly, staring into his eyes, "Yeah, she probably isn't anything like that, but you get what I'm saying, right? I get it, it's tough to comprehend, but she's here now. This is some brilliant, powerful force that's been thrown into our lives and now we have to deal with it. Besides, I know you, it's not as if you're just going to throw her out into the streets anyway."
"What, you want us to keep her here? You saw what she did to the TV."
"She didn't mean to, it was an accident." Lydia assured, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. Only, it was burst open from the inside, utterly broken, "I think it's technology or electricity, or something like that. While you were upstairs, I pulled my phone to take a picture of her and it just sorta popped. She didn't move or even realise it was there, it just...reacted to her. I bet yours is busted too, since you carried her all the way here. Then again, if it were all electronics, surely the lights and the sockets would have burst by now too...Deon, gimmie your phone, let's she if she breaks it!"
"What? No, I'm not letting you take my..."
Patting his pockets, Deon's face quickly drained of colour.
The woods, he'd dropped it when he'd first run into the weird girl. And, like a dumbass, he hadn't remembered to pick it up again.
"Fuck, mine's...lost."
"What?"
"I dropped it when I found her. I'll have to go get it. Shit, and I was supposed to call Grace first thing in the morning..."
"Ugh, either way..." Lydia groaned, gently slapping his cheeks to get his attention again, "We have to help Maria."
"Uh-huh. You realise we pretty much know nothing about this girl, how exactly are we supposed to help her? Does she even need help?"
"Well, from what I could gather..." Holding a finger against her chin, Lydia spun around on her stool to face the doorway, "...she was looking for something, but ran out of 'energy' before she could find it. So it's simple, we let her stay here to recuperate then help her find whatever it is she's chasing."
"...then, we let her go on her merry way and never talk about it again?"
"I guess...I mean, it's not like anyone'll believe us anyway, right?"
She shrugged.
"...fine, okay." He said, standing up and rubbing the back of his neck, "We can help her find this...whatever it is, but that's it. After then, she can go back to wherever she came from."
"...don't sound too happy about it."
Lydia groaned, watching her brother huff his way back into the living room.
Deon had always been kind, as far back as she could remember.
Teaching her to ride a bike, to paint, helping her with pretty much all her homework, always being there for her when she was upset. It was always him, no one else. Deon would destroy anyone who dared threaten her, give away all his saved up money for a gift she wanted. He truly had a kind heart, that's what she thought.
But she couldn't depend on his kindness forever. He left her, to go live with his father. To live a better life without her.
Because everyone leaves eventually.
Tossing her broken phone onto the kitchen side with a sigh, Lydia followed her brother through to the living room, where the pair found Maria fast asleep on the table, all curled up and calm.
The light from the window, now a burning orange, illuminated her pale skin in a way the night couldn't compare to. Her pitch-black hair so seamlessly blended into the shadows cast behind her back, such an unnatural sight, yet beautiful at the same time.
"It's...probably best we don't wake her." Lydia spoke quietly, "She was so worn out before, poor thing could barely stand."
"Agreed. Besides, this may be how she re-energises herself? So that's step one of two down, hopefully."
Deon moved quickly, swiping a blue hoodie he'd left on the floor and pulling it over his head as he made his way toward the door.
"Uh, and where are you going?"
Lydia frowned.
"To get my phone. Plus, you need cat food for your gremlin."
"He isn't a gremlin, he's a sweet, precious baby boy."
She glared, crossing her arms.
"He has the eyes of a goldfish and his face literally looks like an old man with mutton chops."
"Okay, I'd normally kick your ass for insulting my cat, but I'll let you off this once if you bring me pop-tarts."
"Deal. Keep an eye on her, I won't be long."
"But I only want the-"
"Frosted raspberry, I know." He smiled to her, closing the door behind him.
Lydia sighed loudly, leaning against wall as she stared through the door's small, foggy window, watching the blurry figure of her dumb big brother shrink until it disappeared.
He didn't look back once.
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After grabbing her spare phone from her room, Lydia took a seat on the sofa across from a sleeping Maria, prying into the broken remains of her precious mobile.
The heavens opened up along with her shimmery pink case, revealing a magically still intact sim card.
Thank goodness, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Slipping it into the spare, she waited as the older model slowly struggled to life, grabbing a glass of water to sip on while she reinstalled all her social media accounts.
You see, Lydia was no fool.
She, like the highbrow tech prodigy she was, had backed up all her photos and videos.
Tucking her knees against her chest, she chuckled to herself, fully aware that this 'tech prodigy' had never actually touched a computer, other than the one time she accidentally spilled coffee on Deon's laptop.
He went absolutely ballistic.
Ah, those were the good old days.
Now he was gone, and with no music to drown out her thoughts, Lydia was left alone with her old nemesis.
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Silence.
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No longer could she ignore the throbbing pain in her head, a ruthless reminder of the evening.
That would be the last time she would be pulling any all-nighters for a while, could she help it.
Though, she didn't expect Deon to get so grumpy about it.
Plus, as far as he knew, she was just hanging with a friend from school.
At last, the screen flickered to life with no password protection. A picture of her and Deon sat on the wall above the beach, still wearing their school uniforms greeted her, sending a nostalgic pang straight to her heart.
How old were they then?
Deon didn't have the scar on his neck, so he must have been sixteen at the oldest.
Then again, judging by his unstyled hair, it was clearly from before he discovered his iconic swish. Making him between fourteen and fifteen.
It was almost strange to see his hair done any other way. He still refused to let their mother cut it back then, so he looked pretty emo.
"Man, you're gonna cringe so hard when I show you this..."
She mumbled to herself, flicking through all her new notifications.
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MOM
3 missed calls
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Every teenager's worst nightmare.
They weren't too long ago though. And besides, if it was urgent, there'd be way more than three.
Setting her water down on the table, Lydia quickly called her back, kicking her legs up onto the arm of the sofa and leaning back.
"Hello?"
The familiar, gravelly voice answered, sounding even rougher over the phone.
"Hey, you called?"
"Oh! Hey baby! Just wanted to check in and see how my angel was doing."
Yeah, as if she'd believe that.
"Has everything been okay so far? Uh, is school going okay?"
"You've barely been gone for two days." Lydia scoffed beneath her breath, "Yeah, school's fine as always. Don't worry, the world isn't falling apart just cuz you aren't here."
"Still hanging out with all your little girlfriends? Just as popular as your mother, hm? That's just how it is for us pretty girls, hehe!"
That's right, sound like the perfect mother in front of your new eye-candy. She was talking loudly, she wanted to be heard. She had always been like this. And Lydia couldn't do anything but oblige.
"...you know it. In fact, we had an awesome time just last night."
She hated it, lying through her teeth. It made her feel sick.
"Aww, good good. Glad to hear you aren't staying cooped up inside all day like your brother used to. Is he doing alright?"
"D's great, as always. But, uh, mom? I kinda, maybe, sorta broke my phone, I'm using my old one right now. Is there any chance you could-"
"Lydia, again?" There it was, the scolding tone which always pinched at her nerves, Lydia tensed up at the very sound, "We agreed that this would be the last one. How many mobiles have you gone through this year?!"
"It wasn't my fault, I swear! It was an accident, I just-"
"Use this one for now, I'll see about getting you a replacement for your birthday. But don't expect that new laptop you went on about."
"But mom-"
"I gotta go, I'll call you later."
"...bye..."
She muttered, though her mother had already hung up.
No 'I love you's' or anything like that.
Clearly, by the end of that call, she didn't have an audience.
She'd always been like that, acting all perfect and sweet whenever someone was around. But as soon as they were alone, it was as if she'd never had a daughter in the first place.
Her new boy-toy was most likely the one who reminded her to check up on them in the first place.
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Lydia was invisible.
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Once Deon was gone, that became painfully clear, more so than before.
He had it lucky, a kind father who was willing to take him away from this hellhole of a town.
So, she had to make the most of a shitty situation.
He was a fool to come back in the first place. Even if he were getting paid, their mother now knew he was willing to take away her parental responsibilities, so who knew how many private holidays were coming up?
One thing was for sure, she wasn't going to take her daughter with her.
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Not that Lydia cared.
No, she didn't care at all.
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Grabbing the water, she sipped loudly, drowning out her depressing thoughts.
That's right, she was Lydia Keene. She was the life of the party, a shining gem in that shithole town, her peers knew it for sure.
All the girls were jealous of her, all the boys wanted to date her.
She frowned deeply, scanning all the notifications.
Nothing from last night, other than some blurry photos from some of the other girls.
What had even happened?
Most of it was a fuzzy memory of flashing lights and deafening music.
Actually, now that she thought about it, she didn't even know who's house that was...
Her eyes fell onto the water left in her glass.
It was moving.
Well, not moving. More like rippling.
Sitting up, Lydia smiled to herself as she held the glass a little closer to Maria.
Just as she thought, the ripples were moving towards her.
She set the cup right beside the sleeping girl and knelt down on the carpet, leaning in curiously as the pulse of the water was now so strong, it was almost sliding out of the glass completely, as if reaching out toward her.
"You really are fantastic..."
Laying her head on her hands, Lydia mused quietly, "...I'm going to help you. Whatever it is you're trying to do, you impossible anomaly. I promise."
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*****
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"There you are, you son of a bitch!"
Deon breathed with a grin, brushing away the loose dirt and twigs before lifting his phone from the ground.
With one click of the power button, he could safely confirm that it was still in working order. No cracks. At least, no new ones.
Once the background and pattern lock popped up, he could have kissed the damn thing, were he not concerned about the millions of diseases he could catch from doing so.
Wiping the screen as best as he could with his sleeve, Deon tucked the phone away in his jeans and made haste toward Tommy's store.
The more time he spent out in the fresh air, the more he could truly comprehend the situation waiting for him back home.
Perhaps this was his punishment for having dared try to leave the miserable town?
As impossible as it seemed, he couldn't deny what he had saw. That girl, she truly was something that any sane person would call a tall tale.
He couldn't deny it, if Lydia was right and this girl needed help, then he wanted to help her. Of course he did.
But they still barely knew anything about her.
No matter what it came down to, he'd do what was best for his sister. If she was in any danger whatsoever, then that was it.
The weird demon girl would have to go.
Even though, looking back, she certainly had a particular...calmness about her.
Not just that she seemed relaxed, but it was more in the aura she gave off. Even then, he couldn't quite get her voice to stop echoing in his mind.
Gentle and tranquil.
She seemed to have no discernable accent whatsoever. If Deon had to describe it, he would have said it was vaguely Scandinavian in some places, strangely enough.
Though, he wasn't the best with accents anyway, so what did he know?
Following the path along the forest line, he was glad to see barely any cars passing the road to his left. His house was right at the back-centre of a large block for housing, all decently sized with nice gardens, it was always a pleasure to walk by and see how all the locals had decorated their own little patches of heaven.
At the end of the houses was a crossroad. Behind would take you straight back where you came from, right would take you to the forest trail and eventually out of the town altogether. Straight on was where Deon was headed, the quietest part of town, small too. A park, a few smaller, cheaper houses and everyone's favourite local store, Tommy's. The old chap was friendly with every and all passerby and a damn delight to talk to, even if he tended to ramble at all the worst times.
To the left, you'd head straight across the bridge, a long path and roadway overlooking the beach below, where the tall cliff stood on the far end, supporting the glorious, and ridiculously sized, Pascao Manor.
But Deon didn't want to think about that place...
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Continuing along the bridge would take you straight into town, the busiest, liveliest and most awful place to be, in his opinion.
He hadn't ventured there since returning home, and didn't plan to, could he help it.
Even before he moved away, he would only go when absolutely necessary.
Travelling through the main street to reach school had always been a nightmare.
Reaching the final row of houses, Deon's eyes fell upon a familiar face, tending to the box of tulips outside her door.
It was Gabe's grandma, who'd known them all since they were practically babies.
She was a lovely old lady, whom they all lovingly called Ninny, her childhood nickname. Thinking back, he realised that he never actually found out her real name. Not that he needed to, of course.
She was always going to be Ninny to them.
Her English wasn't the best, but they were all used to that. She was Japanese, and very proud of it. As if the bonsai trees positioned at every window didn't make that clear enough.
Deon jogged across the road, calling out to her.
She looked around for a moment, confused until she noticed him stood at the end of her pathway.
"Eh? What you want? I don't want no more microwaves. Go away."
Her voice was as rough and horse as ever, but so many old memories filled his mind just hearing it.
"No Ninny, it's me, Deon."
He grinned, pulling down his hood.
She glared daggers at him for a moment.
"...mm...no, Deon is gone, you lie? What password?"
"Daifuku. Your favourite dessert."
He said, proudly.
Ninny gasped loudly, grabbing her walker and waddling forward, meeting him halfway up the garden and hugging him tightly.
"Oooooh, Deon, look at you..." She cooed, pinching his cheeks a little too tightly, "Looking how big you are! You are giant next to me!"
"I've not even been gone a year."
He chuckled, taking her hands, "It's really great to see you. Oh, is Gabe inside?"
"No, no, Gabe is home now, with Warren, probably. Those two, like pods inside a pea. Soooo close. They miss you very much, you seen them?"
"I saw them briefly yesterday, but it was late. I'll try to meet them again as soon as I can."
"Ooh! Come, come inside, I make French toast, but too much. You should eat, so skinny. Get meat on those bones."
Knowing a few extra minutes couldn't possibly hurt, Deon was helpless but to follow the cheerful old lady into her quaint bungalow, taking a seat in the cramped kitchen and watching her bustle about the place.
Ninny was a fascinating woman. With the face of a kind bulldog, little raisin eyes lost beneath layers of time, in other words, wrinkles, a large mole on her left cheek and bright pink curlers in her hair that Deon had never actually seen her without. Perhaps she stuck them in there several years ago and forgot to take them out again? For someone like Ninny, that didn't sound so unreasonable.
Her pale lilac dressing gown was by far her favourite piece of clothing, always worn over some simple cotton pyjamas, fitting neatly upon her...vast frame.
Safe to say, her hair wasn't the only thing with many rolls.
Staring at him with squinting eyes through comically oversized, round glasses, she spoke loudly through red-painted lips.
"How is the Shōjo? Eh...the small one?"
She asked, placing a warm plate of French toast in front of the hungry boy.
"Lydia? Yeah, she's great. From what I've seen, she's completely up to date with her homework, so I'm glad to see she didn't struggle without her big bro. She was out late last night though, I hope she was at least with some decent friends. Haven't you seen her much since I left?"
"Eh, your mother...isn't liking of me, I only saw young Lydia when with with Deon, poor thing. Very beautiful, you make sure she marries handsome man, yah? Make beautiful babies. Just like you all were. I 'member, you four boys were like brother, sooooo cute. Watching you grow, eh...happiest, in my life."
"Well, I'm sure I was the most beautiful baby."
Smiled Deon, taking his now empty plate and washing it in the sink, surrounded by endless amounts of junk. Ninny always was one for collecting nicknacks, though she never knew where to put them.
Her entire home was like stepping into an old fashioned Japanese house, head to toe. Tatami mats, hanging plants, shoji doors, you name it.
There was, however, the odd Western touch here and there for Gabe who spent a lot of his time there.
Such as the kitchen table and some comfortable sofas.
"Baby? Oh, yes, you were very beautiful. But, hm, most? Most was probably...ooh! Eddie! Most lovely eyes, so big, so precious. You see Eddie lately?"
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Deon's hands froze still in the sink.
"...uh...no. We stopped talking a while ago, Ninny. Don't you remember?"
"...oh. Oh, yes, yes. Sorry, I forget..."
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence in the house as Deon put the clean plate away and returned to his seat.
"...what, eh..." Ninny began, scratching her ear, "What happen? You boys used to, eh...you like family."
"Ah, don't worry about that, Ninny. That's been and done. Eddie just...grew out of us, I guess. After all, he's always lived a very different life, up there in his palace."
"The Manor, yes..." She nodded, "Pisscow, was it? Stupid greedy, why they need house to be so big?"
"They're just compensating for their empty souls." Deon smirked, standing up, "Well, I really gotta be off. Hey, next time, I'll come along with Gabe. And I'll be sure to bring Lydia too, I bet she'd love to see you."
"Ooh, that'd be lovely...take care, darling."
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Spacing out for the next few minutes, Deon was barely aware when Tommy's turned up right before him.
His mind swam with his childhood years. Him, Gabe, Warren and Eddie. The dream team.
Mischief was their middle names, adventure was their favourite game.
Just what happened for them all to end up here...
Skulking along the isles, his lack of sleep caught up with him. He could practically hear his eyes begging to be closed.
What did he need, what was most important...
Right, pop-tarts. Lydia loved those.
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Scanning for the right flavour, Deon noticed a small old lady close by, reaching up for a packet of raisin-oatmeal, just out of her reach
Without thinking, he strolled over and grabbed the packet.
"Here you go, ma'am..."
But as he turned with the product in hand, she was already walking away from him without looking back.
A dark, passing glance from a young man walking by quickly reminded Deon of his status in that town.
Even after being gone for a while, it seemed nothing had changed.
Dejected, he returned the raisin-oatmeal and grabbed everything he needed to get out of there as soon as he could.
Just like always, Tommy greeted him with a bright smile.
"Well now, if it isn't Deon Keene?" he chuckled, "So, what brings the city boy back to this dreary old town, huh?"
"Just watching my sister for a few weeks while Ma's away."
"Ah, I see. So I can assume that you'll be outta here again the second she's back?"
"You know it."
Deon chuckled, handing Tommy the oversized bag of cat food. He dug his hands into his pockets, uncomfortable while Tommy took his sweet time, rambling on about how he and their mother used to be good friends.
He could practically feel the eyes of the person behind him in line, burning into him with searing judgement, just like everybody else.
"But say, isn't little Lydia old enough to stay at home by herself now? Did you really need to come all the way out for her?" Frowned Tommy, tossing Deon's goods into a reusable bag.
"She's only fifteen, Tom. She may act and dress like an adult, but she's still just a kid. Besides, we can't say for sure how long Ma'll be gone. I don't like the idea of her being alone for ages..."
"Fifteen? Cor, blimey, I didn't know that. Those boys she was going around with the other day sure looked older than that. Then again, kids do look much older nowadays..."
"Uh-huh..." Deon nodded, eyeing the exit while not fully paying attention. The customer behind him had decided to huff loud enough to make sure he heard it, signalling that it was most definitely time to go, "Well, I'll, uh, see you 'round, Tommy. I'm sure I'll stop in a few more times before I leave."
"Aye, make sure you do. Next time, you'll have to tell me all about what your dad's like now. I remember when he first came here with your mother, oh now, he was such a friendly-"
"Okay, talk later!"
Deon called out, already moving through the doors.
Slight jog, eyes forward. Take the shortest route, cut straight through.
Just get home.
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That uncomfortable, tense and unwelcome feeling was something Deon had almost managed to forget.
Judgemental glares, sneers and the like.
All over something he never actually did.
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Rumours in that town spread like wildfire, and not having a good start to begin with didn't help, what with the disdain those people had for his father.
It didn't matter now, he had to look past it. This wasn't his home anymore, he was no longer confined in that tiny box of false accusations.
Why anyone would willingly choose to stay in such a place, he had no idea.
The cat food taking up both arms, Deon was glad he hadn't locked the door behind him, as fumbling around for his keys would have definitely proven impossible.
Right as he hopped up onto the porch, trying to balance while swinging his foot up to use his heel on the handle, his old neighbour appeared beside him.
Strangely enough, after having lived side by side for so many years, Deon still didn't know the old man's name.
He stood beside the porch with his hand on his head, presumably blocking the sun from his eyes. That, or it was a very untimely salute.
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"Uh...can I help you, sir?"
Deon asked, slowly and awkwardly lowering his leg.
"You certainly can." He glared, his ashy white brows furrowed, "What was all that noise at stupid o'clock in the morning!? You kids startled us awake with all your banging and clanging!"
"O-oh, uh, I'm really sorry about that, there was a bit of an accident...I promise, it won't happen again, mister..."
"You better see it don't." Spat the old man, "Or I'll have half a mind to call your blasted mother, see what she has to say!"
He continued to grumble to himself as he walked away, clambering up onto his own porch before taking a seat on one his deck chair, now staring at the guy with intense eyes.
The same eyes as everyone else.
With a deep sigh, Deon shrugged off the pensioners unpleasant gaze and forced the door open, quickly slipping inside and closing himself off from the outside world.
He dropped the bags to the floor beside the shoe rack, stretching out his tired arms and aching back while kicking off his old shoes.
From the front door, he could see straight into the kitchen, while the living room was just ahead on his left.
The moment he took a step forward, hoping to relax on the sofa, Lydia came sprinting out from the kitchen, carrying a glass of water with a large grin on her face.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Asked Deon, taken aback.
"Oh my god, D!" She squealed, skidding to a halt, "Dude, you have to see this, come on!"
His excited sister suddenly grabbed his sleeve, dragging him across the smooth wooden hallway and toward the living room.
As she did, he felt his socks suddenly go damp, only to find that the floor was covered in water, leading into the main room.
"Lyd, the hell is this?"
He groaned, fully aware that he would likely be the one to clean it all up.
"Shut up and watch!" Lydia beamed, turning to face Maria, who was still sat on the table.
Only now, she was surrounded by water, both on the table itself and their mother's cream carpet.
Strangely enough, Deon had almost managed to forget about Maria, what with running into Ninny and thinking about normal life for a while.
But, this strange pinch in reality wasn't going away that easily.
"You ready, Mari?"
Bouncing on her heels, Lydia seemed way too into whatever she was doing, Deon thought.
"I suppose..."
Maria, on the other hand, didn't seem excited at all.
In fact, her expression and tone were both just as blank as when he'd first found her.
Without a moment's hesitation, Lydia thrust the glass forward, sending its contents flying straight toward a stone-faced Maria.
Only able to take half a step forward in time, Deon froze still and stared at the scene before him.
The water hadn't hit her, not even a drop.
In fact, it had instantly slowed to a halt entirely, in midair, nonetheless!
Gently floating around the girl in a thin, swirling stream.
"Isn't she brilliant?!"
Lydia gushed, bouncing up and down.
Her brows furrowing ever so slightly, Maria left out a short breath before the water instantly fell to the ground, dripping from the edge of the table.
"Ah, I'm sorry..." She said, quietly, "I don't think I can do it again..."
"Oh shoot, right, you're all outta 'energy', aren't ya..." Lydia remembered, placing the empty glass by the lamp in the corner, "Sorry, I totally forgot. It's just, that's so cool! Did you see, Deon? She can control water!"
"I'm not really controlling it..." She said, "I just...calmed it down, I suppose you could say. Hitting against someone would be quite distressing, I imagine. Water wishes to flow, that's all."
Deon rubbed his forehead, having no idea what to do or say.
"...I refuse to clean that up." He finally groaned, "You're doing it."
"Psh, it's just water, it'll dry anyway."
"Lyd..."
"Fine! I'll get a towel, jeeze! Why are you so grumpy today? Huh? On your period, big guy?"
"There are so many reasons..."
With a heavy sigh, he pushed his hair back, looking down at Maria, who silently stared back.
While Lydia was upstairs, searching for a towel, Deon shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, having finally had time to clear his mind.
A little, at least.
"Uh...I'm not sure if Lydia already told you, but..." He began awkwardly, rocking back and forth on his heels, "We've decided to try and help you. If we can, that is."
"Oh. Thank you."
She replied, not a single movement in her expression.
"...no problem. So, uh...what's first on the agenda? We have to start somewhere."
"Well, I'm far too weak to achieve anything right now. So, I suppose, I need to fix that..."
"Coolio. So how do we un-weaken you then? Do you need me to like, get you something? Like, some medicine, or..."
"I don't know." She spoke, bluntly, "I only reformed last night, my mind is still fuzzy when it comes to most things. Being reborn into a new body must be quite jarring for my thoughts, after all. Besides, being a human is likely very different to being a badger. I feel awfully heavy."
"So...before last night, you were a badger?"
He frowned.
"That's right."
"Okay then...if you've never been a human before, how the hell are you speaking English? And why didn't you talk to me back when I found you?"
"Oh, it's incredibly likely I've been a human a few times already, I just can't remember it. When my body dies, it decomposes into the ground, which then births a new form from the soil. It's always a little frightening, and it takes a short while for my memories to come back. But, right after I was born into this body, several people attacked me and took me away, covering up my eyes. I'm not sure what it was, but I used an excessive amount of energy escaping a strange building. They almost caught up with me while I was getting away, but I just kept going, following my senses until I ended up in your woods. By then, I had remembered who I was, but the human parts were still coming back to me. When you first appeared, I didn't even know I could talk."
"People attacked you? Why? Do you remember what they looked like?"
"No, they put a doohickly on me."
"Oh, right. The helmet..." Deon muttered, "So, you have most of your memories back now, right? Just not how to recharge your weird abilities?"
"I think so. Though, I can't exactly say what I do not remember when I do not remember it."
The familiar scratching sound on the window caught Deon's attention.
Pushing the curtains aside, sure enough, the living feces sat there, expectantly. Starting up at him as if to say, what are you waiting for, peasant? Let me in.
Then again, if it were to talk, it'd most likely be inaudible grumbles and groans.
Half wanting to close the curtains and pretend he hadn't seen anything, Deon begrudgingly let the beast inside.
"Lydia, your gremlin is here!"
"He is not a gremlin!" She hissed back, appearing in the hallway with an old towel. "Hello baby! Come here, mommy missed you, Snuffy-wuffy!"
Dropping the towel over a puddle, Lydia crouched down, reaching out her arms as the old cat clambered across the back of the sofa.
Deon had never understood what she saw in the damn thing. He, for one, hated the dumb animal.
And it wasn't one-sided either, the nasty thing hated him back. When he was still a kitten and being trained, the wicked feline would only ever poop in his bedroom, not in a single other part of the entire house. Once, Deon even woke up to find some of that rotten-tuna excrement on his bed, while the cat stood by the door, laughing maniacally behind that vacant gaze.
It's dirt brown fur with white on the cheeks below whiskers that came out so far they drooped, the snake-like, bug eyes which looked in two completely opposite directions, it was ugly beyond belief.
Trust Lydia to have chosen the only grotesque animal in the entire shelter.
He didn't pay any attention to his beloved owner, however.
Instead, the moment his feet hit the ground, he turned to stare at Maria, his tail slowly waving back and forth.
"...I think he's about to pounce on her..."
Deon said, using his foot to try to push the cat so it would run off, but it wouldn't budge.
Slowly, his white paws made their way across the carpet, leaping up onto the table to sit directly beneath her, while she stared back, the two of them sharing a similar, empty expression.
"Ah, he's taken a liking to you, Mari." Smiled Lydia, "He's usually pretty nasty with strangers, but look how calm he is! I've had Snuffin there since he was just a tiny baby, isn't he adorable?"
"Don't bother trying to make eye contact. It's hard to focus on either one of them."
Deon snickered, earning himself a nasty glare from his sister.
Delicately rubbing the fur beneath his chin, Maria's face softened for the first time, even the hint of a smile appeared upon her lips.
"I like him..." She said, quietly, "It's a shame I'm so weak, otherwise, I'd take his form and play with him."
"You mean you can turn into a cat?!"
Gasped Lydia.
"I can turn into most things. Anything I've already reformed as."
"Mari! You're so cooool!"
She cheered, leaping forward to hug her tightly, "I'm so glad we met you! You have to show me what you look like as a cat when you have your energy back."
Still taken aback by her first real change of expression, Deon shook his head to once again clear his mind.
Maria needed to rest, that was all he knew. So she could get her memories back and tell them what she needed.
And clearly, Lydia wasn't planning on leaving the poor girl alone.
Whatever of those strange powers she had left must have been wastefully used up by Lydia's mindless curiosity. She looked even more tired and worn out than when he'd first found her.
"Oh yeah, you wanted pop-tarts, right? I bought your favourite."
"Ooh, yes!" Lydia cheered, fumbling to stand up, "Can you toast 'em for me? I need to use the toilet, I haven't peed since yesterday afternoon."
"Didn't need to know that. And don't remember to feed your gremlin. His food's by the door."
"Yeah, yeah, I won't!"
She called out, already halfway up the stairs.
Smiling as she disappeared, Deon grabbed the pop-tarts from his bag and made his way toward the kitchen, only to hear a thump as he did.
Turning around, he saw Maria now on the floor, looking up at him helplessly.
"...what are you doing?"
"I was trying to follow you..." she tried pushing herself up, though her arms shook when she did, "But my legs just...didn't work..."
After standing there for a moment, Deon sighed, tucking the box beneath his arm and reaching down to help her.
"Why do you want to come into the kitchen anyway? It's not very interesting."
He asked, taking pretty much all her weight as she tried to walk, though her feet were barely skimming the ground. Somehow, he felt as though she would snap if he actually made her apply any weight.
"It's just...you were both leaving, so..."
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She didn't finish, holding onto his shoulders while he sat her up on the kitchen side like he always had for Lydia when she was little. Only, this wasn't a toddler, it was a full grown woman.
Without making any noise, she calmly watched as Deon grabbed the toaster and plugged it in on the opposite side of the kitchen, tearing open the box of pop-tarts.
He never liked them much himself, far too sweet. But Lydia could live off the things if he'd ever let her.
"So..." He began, too uncomfortable with the silence, "Do you have...a family? I mean, are there others like you?"
"Like me?" She echoed, now staring out of the kitchen window into the back garden, "Yes, there is one. But I have not seen him in many years..."
"Oh...did something happen?"
Asked Deon while Lydia happily strolled inside, taking a seat on the stool behind him.
"We...had a disagreement. I don't remember much, just that I was very angry and did not want to see him anymore. But...I guess I miss him..."
"Eh, another one?" Said Lydia, swinging her legs back and forth, "Does he have a name? What did he look like?"
"We don't have names for each other." Explained Maria, shifting to the side so Snuffin could jump up beside her, "We didn't use words back then. In terms of looks, if I remember correctly, last time I saw him, he was a...what do you call them...an owl?"
"Hold up." Deon turned around to face her, "How were you able to argue if you guys were animals? Can you talk when you're an animal?"
"Every living creature communicates. Besides, when we stayed together, we always reformed together as well, so I'm sure I was also an owl, which would have made it easier."
She spoke casually, letting Snuffin settle on her lap.
"That didn't really answer my question..."
Murmured Deon, peering inside the toaster to make sure nothing was burning.
Snuffin once again sat up straight, staring at Maria head-on, as if entranced. She stared back for a few moments before leaning down closer toward the cat.
"...did you two used to have a dog?"
She suddenly asked, out of the blue.
The siblings shared a quick glance before Lydia stood up.
"Y-yeah...how could you tell?"
"Ah, I was just wondering why he seemed bothered, is all..." Maria spoke calmly, gently running a finger down the cats head, who purred loudly and began to rub against her.
Before Deon could ask what she meant, his phone began to ring.
With Maria safe at the other side of the room, he wasn't too worried about it exploding when he pressed it to his ear.
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"Heyo, Dee-dee, how's it goin'?"
Gabe's energetic voice cheered through the speaker.
"Hey. I'm good." Deon chuckled, happy for another slice of normality to peek through during the chaos, "What's up?"
"Ouch, why so cold?" he could practically hear him pouting over the phone, "I thought you'd sound at least a little more excited."
"Dude, I only saw you yesterday. I'm not that clingy."
Deon smiled, pacing across toward the glass door, glancing through into the back garden.
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With Lydia also on her phone, checking through her social media, neither of them noticed as Maria took an interest in the microwave, sat just across from her.
Curious, she slowly scooted across the kitchen side toward it.
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"Bruh, you only hung out with us for, like, an hour? You've been gone forever, how could we not miss our boy?! I don't have any work today, so we're on our way to your place to hang, just like we used to."
"Wait, you're coming here?" Deon asked, knowing he'd have to guiltily send them away otherwise they'd see Maria, though fully unaware of her avid fingers reaching for the on switch, "Where are you now?"
"Uh...we're by a cloud that looks like a lion."
"Can you be more specific, please?"
"Simba."
"For christ sake, put me on speaker so I can talk to Warren!"
He ordered, getting a little stressed.
After some fumbling noises, the less brain-dead voice of Warren answered.
"Ignore him, he's had six caramel lattes already. We're just stepping onto your street now, we'll be there in less than a minute."
"What?!"
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Suddenly, both Deon and Lydia were scared out of their skin when the old red microwave blew up, sending a frightened Maria tumbling to the ground.
While Lydia rushed to grab her, Deon's heart sunk, having no idea how he was supposed to now explain both this and television to his mother.
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"Jesus, what the hell was that?!"
Fretted Gabe, "Dude, we're coming right now!"
"No, Gabe-"
But they had already hung up.
"Argh, shit!" Hissed Deon, kicking the metal bin, only to dent it, "Oh, are you fucking kidding...Lydia, quickly, take Maria upstairs, I'll deal with those two!"
"Got it!"
She nodded, helping Maria up and quickly making her way upstairs.
Praying he had enough time, Deon grabbed the broken TV and tossed into the garden shed, out of sight. However, he couldn't grab the microwave before the front door burst open.
"Deon, my dude, are you alright?!"
Gabe called out, standing dramatically in the doorway, a half-drunk chocolate cappuccino in hand while Warren stood meekly behind him, peeking over his shoulder.
"I'm fine!"
He answered, a little out of breath, stood before them in the hallway.
"The hell was that noise? I thought there was an explosion or something!"
"Well, there sort of was." Deon laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I forgot I left a fork in the microwave, the whole thing just sorta...boomed. Come take a look."
They were convinced, thankfully, and asked no further questions.
Not wanting to explain the water all over the carpet, Deon opted to take a seat in the kitchen and the pair followed suit.
Even with the current situation as awkward as it was, he couldn't help but feel glad to see these guys.
They had been there for him all his life, unlike some people.
From the day they met in kindergarten to now.
Gabe was an eccentric individual, never able to sit still for more than a few moments and always talking about the most random things. He was born to a Japanese father and Chinese mother, both extremely religious, to the point where they named their only child after the angel Gabriel.
However, he preferred to go by Gabe whenever they weren't around. He didn't agree with their beliefs, but followed their rules respectively, praying before meals and attending church regularly as a child.
Nowadays, he didn't see them as much. Spending most nights with his grandma, Ninny, who loved him dearly. After school, he was hired at a local café/coffee shop and quickly became quite knowledgeable. His foam art was still impressive to Deon. With black hair, bright hazel eyes and an addicting personality, he was fairly popular in that little café, drawing in regular customers, to his boss's delight.
Warren was almost the complete opposite. He was a skinny guy, almost frighteningly so, with deep, dark circles beneath his eyes and a forever morbid expression.
Living alone with an alcoholic father, Warren spent most of his time with Gabe and Deon, before he moved away. Though he tried his best, Warren wasn't able to find himself even a part-time job, anxiety and paranoia often causing problems. Tired of getting yelled at by his father for it, he began sleeping over with Gabe almost every night, which Ninny of course didn't mind at all.
With soft brown hair and deep, dark eyes, he had a cute face in the rare instances when he wasn't frowning or looking suicidal.
Along with the worst fashion sense known to man.
Ridiculously oversized shirts and old jeans were Warren's forte.
"So yeah, now this Lizzie girl literally comes in every Friday and starts flirting with him. And I mean, he's a nice guy, so he smiles and nods but jesus, can you see the pain in the poor bastard's eyes. She needs to give up, man. He's, like, way nicer than that hoe deserves."
Rambled Gabe, sipping on his coffee while leaning on the island.
"Sounds like you still love the place." Deon chuckled, "Lydia and I will have to come visit while you're working. You can give us the V.I.P treatment, maybe a few free cakes, hm?"
"Pfft, yeah. You'll get free cake after you suck my V.I.Penis. I love you, man, but Judy is a bitch about losing profit. She's like a real-life Mister Krabs. She'd probably fuck the money if she could."
"I thought you liked Judy?" Warren said, quietly, fiddling with a small ball of blue-tack
"Oh no, she's a darling. But she's stingy as hell. I bet she's never given to charity. I'm telling you, if I owned Deja Brew, things would be a lot better. The first thing it needs is a makeover, mint green is fine and all, but it's boring after so many years, you know?"
"Uh-huh..." Deon nodded mindlessly, watching Warren sadly lay his head on the island. The problem with Warren was, you could never tell if he was actually sad. Because he always looked like his pet just died.
"You still got some mean dark circles." he noted, "How much did you sleep last night?"
"Uh..." Warren sat up, thinking carefully, "...eight minutes? I mean, not consecutively, but it's fine. You're not even that blurry."
"I know, look at him!" Exclaimed Gabe, leaning forward to get a good look, "He's always awake when I settle down, and when I wake up too. Yo, do you ever actually sleep?"
"...I close my eyes sometimes when I sneeze?"
"That's not the same thing!" Gabe cried out, grabbing his shoulder, "Dude, how are you not dead? You can barely keep your eyes open. Here, have some of this, it'll wake you up."
He said, pushing his coffee in front him.
Deon almost asked if he wanted to take a nap on the sofa, before remembering that Lydia was still hiding a black-eyed nature demon upstairs.
"I don't really like coffee...but thanks."
Warren mumbled.
"There's no such thing as don't like coffee. Coffee is the liquid of the gods, it is our holy lifeblood, it runs through my veins and gives me strength."
"Sounds like you ought to cut down on the coffee a little there, Gabe."
Deon laughed.
"Dude, I am coffee. In fact, in the cafe, they call me coffee cause I grind so fine."
Gabe winked.
"Oh yeah?" Grinned Deon, "They call me coffee because I keep you up till three am."
"They call me coffee because I'm really bitter and nobody likes me without changing some aspect of what I am."
Warren joined in, snickering at his own sense of humour.
"...boy, you don't need coffee, you need therapy." Gabe chuckled, "Oh, but that does remind me, hot stuff. How's Grace? We didn't get to hear any saucy deets yesterday since you disappeared so quickly. I don't even know what she looks like, you got pics?"
"Oh man, she's stunning, here..." Deon smiled wide, grabbing his phone to proudly show her off.
"Dang, she's real cute..." Swooned Gabe, pulling the phone closer to get a better look, "I thought you were pulling my leg when you said she was a model, but damn, whoever she's working for's got it good."
Deon couldn't agree more. With her ebony skin, luscious chocolate eyes and thick, curly hair, he couldn't have dreamed to end up with such a flawless human being.
"She's not just pretty, man. She's athletic, she's in, like, eight different sports clubs and she's hella smart and crafty. Oh, she also knows way more about cars than I do, and she's fucking hilarious, has me wheezing every five minutes when we're together."
"Gosh, you fell hard, huh?"
Warren smiled, lightly.
"Dude, and when I bury my face in her poofy hair, ugh."
Deon felt a wave of sadness wash over him, remembering that he wouldn't be able to see Grace for a good while.
"Jeeze D, I've never seen you like this before." Chuckled Warren, "What's she done to you? You're so soft now."
"Oh, I'm sure he's anything but soft around her." Gabe finally let go of the phone, "So, when did you last talk to her?"
Deon gasped, quickly opening his text messages and beginning to type.
"Shit, I was supposed to call her this morning...I totally forgot..."
"Tut tut, how could you forget about your own girlfriend, man?"
Teased Gabe, shaking his head.
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While Deon continued to carelessly chat with his friends, Lydia had her ear pressed against the bedroom door, praying they would leave soon.
Warren wasn't too bad, just super depressing. But Gabe was so stupid that she could find him nothing but annoying. Even hearing his muffled voice from downstairs was bothering her.
"I didn't mean to..." Mumbled Maria, for the thousandth time, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to see what it did, I didn't want it to die..."
She was sat on Lydia's desk chair, close to the window where the branches of one of the neighbours trees almost touched the glass.
"Mari, honestly, it's okay."
She smiled, crossing the room to open the window and let some cool air in, "It was an accident. Me and Deon will just...have to be more careful around electronics. It was our fault for not keeping an eye on you."
She still seemed sad, resting her head against the windowsill with her hand poking out into the cool air, streaks of sunlight that broke through the trees lining her pale fingers.
Sighing to herself, Lydia leaned up against her desk, staring into the mirror.
Her makeup from last night hadn't come off, though the mascara needed touching up, to say the least.
Pulling the drawers open, she grabbed a wipe and began scrubbing as her other hand fumbled around for her foundation.
She didn't need anything fancy, it wasn't as if they were going out to any parties that day, or even out at all most likely.
But still, knowing she looked decent helped put her at ease.
With the bare necessities out of the way, Lydia reached around her neck, unclipping the gold chain and tossing it onto the desk, rubbing her newly liberated skin. She hated wearing necklaces, her neck always felt strange afterward. But it matched her earrings, so what the hell.
She removed those too, as well as the bangles and untied the french braid, shaking her hair loose again.
It wasn't nearly as long as she wanted, barely passing her shoulders even when wet.
However, she had to thank her mother for the natural, pale blonde colour she had been blessed with. Pretty much all the other blondes at school were fake.
Too tired to do anything with it, she tied it up in a high ponytail, more than enough to keep it out of her eyes.
Hidden behind the wardrobe door, Lydia slipped out of her pale blue summer dress, finally able to change into something more comfortable.
She had this one pair of jean shorts she absolutely loved, especially after she had embroidered herself a flower on the left hip. Even though she had little to work with, they seriously accentuated her butt.
Those and any old white tank top worked fine, as the weather was ungodly hot in town that time of year.
"Hey Mari, I was wondering, does it feel weird to change form? I mean, it can't not feel like anything, with your whole body reshaping and all, crushing down to make a teeny little bird. Though, you do turn into floating dust or whatever first, what's with that by the way? It's almost like you disintegrate and..."
Lydia paused, stood before Maria by the window, noticing the bloom wrapping around her fingers.
Maria herself seemed none the wiser, peacefully staring up into the sky.
It took Lydia a few moments to even realise what she was looking at.
"Wait...we're on the second floor, how is..."
She muttered, leaning over the pale girl to peer down.
Surely enough, a long, green vine now made its way up from the ground, crawling along the side of the house until it reached Maria, winding around her forefinger with a miniature white bloom on the very end.
"Oh, I'm sorry..." She hushed, gently pulling her hand away, "I didn't notice..."
"Don't worry. Actually, I quite like it." Lydia smiled, "But, why do you look so glum? You aren't still feeling bad about the microwave, are you?"
"Yes, but also...I'm feeling something, and I'm trying to figure out what it is. It's similar to when I first reformed, I just can't..."
"You mean like...an emotion? Or a sense? You mentioned at the beginning that you sensed something, and you were chasing it-"
Suddenly, Maria perked up.
"He's close!"
She gasped, reaching for the window.
"Hey, Mari, what..." Confused, Lydia watched for a moment as Maria forced the window fully open, before attempting to dive straight out of it, "Woah, hey, what are you doing?!"
She yelled, grabbing her by the waist before she could fall.
"I know where he is, I need to go!"
"Where who is?!"
Lydia grunted, using all her strength to pull her away from the window.
During the struggle, the two fell backwards, hitting the floor with a loud bang, catching the attention of the boys downstairs.
Knowing Maria couldn't get to her feet, Lydia scrambled to close and lock the window, panting.
"Dude, you can't just jump out of a window, do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!"
Maria didn't listen.
Instead, before Lydia could even take her next breath, the strange girl disappeared into mist, flying through the slightly ajar door and straight downstairs.
Lydia's heart sunk instantly as she raced after her.
"What the hell..."
Gabe stood up, glancing through the doorway only to see a mysterious black mass zoom out from the staircase.
He cried out, stumbling back and knocking his chair over as it slammed into the front door a few times before flying around.
Warren was speechless, mouth hung agape as it swung past the ceiling light, it's light bulb shattering and raining glass into the hallway.
"Maria, calm down!"
Deon yelled out, grabbing his jacket from the doorway and chasing after her.
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"Maria?!"
Gabe blurted, frozen in place as he watched his old friend stumble around the living room after a sentient cloud of smoke.
Climbing onto the sofa, Deon was able to leap off, catching the strange mist beneath his jacket as he fell to the ground.
Gabe and Warren stood back, utterly dumbfounded as their friend forcefully pressed his jacket against the floor, desperate to keep whatever was under there still.
Then, before their very eyes, a beautiful girl in loose clothing appeared beneath the jacket, panting heavily.
There was a moment of silence between the four of them, all staring silently at her. No one had anything to say.
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"...are you okay?"
He asked the mysterious girl, who gently nodded, glancing nervously at the two new strangers with her pure black eyes.
Lydia stepped beside the two, crossing her arms as Deon turned to face them.
"So, uh..." He awkwardly chuckled, "...this is kind of a long story. You may want to sit down."
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*****
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"Well...this sure is a lot to process..."
Gabe muttered into his hands, sat across from Maria who had returned to her perch on the table.
"We were planning to keep it just between us." Lydia huffed, stood in the doorway, "But you doofs just had to show up at the worst possible time, didn't you?"
"Listen to me, you can't tell anyone about this." Deon said, sternly, "We're just helping her out and that's it, things will go back to normal and we'll all act like none of this ever happened."
"Only you could stumble into this kind of situation, Deon Keene." Gabe scoffed, "Alright, Maria, was it? So what, you're some kind of nature Goddess then? I wanna see some of this magic myself. For all I know, the mist thing was a trick and you guys are all fucking with me."
"How could they possibly have faked that?" Frowned Warren, who had been silent up until that point.
"I'm afraid I'm too weak to do anything for you..." Maria apologised, "And, whatever meagre energy I have left, I have to save it for him."
"Him? Who is this guy you're suddenly freaking out over?"
Lydia echoed, moving closer to stand beside Deon.
"The one I was after, I caught his sense again. I realised why I was drawn to your town, he's here." She explained, calmly.
"Right, that thing from your ramble, that's what you need help with. But don't you need your energy or whatever first?"
Said Deon.
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"If I don't go soon, I may lose him again."
"Who even is he? Why are you after him?"
Gabe probed, leaning closer.
"Well...we don't have a name for them. But, as far as I can tell, this is my purpose. These things are...people...no, they used to be people, but now are only a hollow shell of what they once were. A reflection, almost. Ah, how do I explain..." Maria thought carefully, "...when a person does something bad in their lives, purposely causing harm to another, cruel acts with no remorse, or leave this world without ever having purpose, they are trapped once their physical bodies decay. So they come back, living in torment, suffering. No normal person can see them, and-"
"Holy shit!" Lydia gasped, slamming her hands against the table, "It's ghosts, she's talking about ghosts! Yeah, fuck you, D, I told you they were real!"
"Um, not quite ghosts as you know them." Maria said, "As I said, these aren't the original person, not entirely. Only their subconscious. Most don't even have their memories intact."
"So you hunt down these things and...get rid of them?" asked Gabe, "Meaning, you're basically a magical Ghostbuster."
"She doesn't want us to call them ghosts." Lydia hissed, lightly slapping the back of Gabe's head, "Hmm...I think they sound like an echo. A copy of the person, like a repeat, right? That's what we should call them, Echos!"
"You're very good at naming things, Lydia."
Maria smiled.
"Can't we just say ghosts?"
Frowned Gabe.
"Okay, okay," Deon raised his hands, "Let's get this clear. Right now, you want to go find this...Echo...and get rid of it. And that's what you came here to do?"
"That's right."
"So, all we need to do is help you find wherever the bastard is and get this over with."
He said, standing up.
"Wait, how can you find him?"
Maria asked.
"That's right, she said normal people can't see them."
Lydia recalled.
"Oh yeah...I mean, is there no way we can see them at all? Won't it even appear briefly, like a...well, a ghost?"
He asked
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"Well, there is one way..." She spoke quietly, tightening her grip on the edge of the table, "I...can give humans the ability to see things they shouldn't. But, once I do, I can't take that power back. You'd be stuck seeing strange things for the rest of your life, and I couldn't possibly do that..."
"Don't worry about it, Mari." Lydia smiled, "Since you can't walk anyway, Deon will be carrying you. Then, all you have to do it tell us which direction to go to find it. I mean, it's not far, is it?"
"No, not at all."
"Alright then." Deon breathed, "Let's get a move on."
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"Oh, wow, okay, we're really doing this."
Gabe clambered onto his feet, following Deon toward the door with Lydia to put their shoes on.
Warren, however, stayed behind.
He stood awkwardly beside the strange girl, who continued to stare forward without acknowledging him.
"Um...excuse me?" He muttered, quietly, catching her attention, "What Lydia said, about the flowers...you healed them, right? You had the power to fix them."
She nodded silently, her black eye glistening beneath the light.
"Then, does that mean...could you do the same thing...for a person? Could you...fix them?"
"No time to waste, demon-girl." Deon suddenly appeared before them, lifting Maria up into his arms.
"Wait, Mari, make sure you keep your eyes closed."
Lydia said quickly before they opened the door.
"Why?"
"Because, we won't be able to explain why they're black if someone see's us."
"Oh, okay..."
Closing her eyes, Maria calmly rested her head against Deon's chest as the small group left the house.
Following her directions, they made their way toward the bridge, where Pascao Manor stood dominantly above them, practically peering down at them with disdain.
"Ah, down, it's down there!" Maria fretted, blindly pointing over the bridge, toward the beach below, "We have to hurry, before it realises I'm-"
"Shh!"
Lydia hissed, pausing in place.
Halfway across the bridge, they noticed an elderly woman heading their way. She spotted Lydia and sped up with a smile.
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"Oh! Miss Keene, it's so nice to see you out and about!" She gleamed, "Isn't the weather just lovely today?"
"Nice to see you too." Laughed Lydia, crossing her arms behind her back, "What brings you all the way to this side of town, Mrs Taylor?"
"Ohh, just visiting an old friend of mine. She had some work done on her old veranda, you see. I must say, after you and your class volunteered at the home, the place has been so much brighter and livelier, my dear. I do hope you'll visit again soon."
"Ah, yeah, I think we're doing another few weeks of work in May, actually. It'll be nice to see you all again."
"How lovely. You know, you should meet my granddaughter! I was telling her all about you the other day and she..."
The old lady's eyes fell onto Deon and her attitude instantly changed as she fell silent.
With low brows, she glanced down to Maria in his arms and frowned.
"...what's going on here?"
"Ah, this is our new friend!" Lydia jumped in to the rescue, "She was staying at ours but started to feel really sick and fell asleep, so we're taking her home now."
"Hello."
Said Maria, cluelessly, still with her eyes closed.
"Aha, she talks in her sleep too, isn't it cute?"
Forcing a laugh, Lydia smiled wide, standing in front of Deon.
"...goodness, look at that complexion, she must be foreign, no?"
"Uh, yeah, she's visiting from Scandinavia, actually." Deon smiled, "Hasn't had much sun till now, I'm surprised she doesn't have sunburn already."
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The lady continued to glare at Deon for a moment before patting Lydia's shoulder.
"Well, stay safe, my dear. And you boys make sure that girl gets home safely, okay?"
She said, looking only at Gabe and Warren.
"Yes, Ma'am."
Nodded Gabe.
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Patiently waiting until the crone was out of sight, Deon hastily made his way to the end of the bridge, pushing past the overgrown bushes to reach the old stone steps leading straight down onto the beach.
"There's no one here, you can open your eyes," He said, the others trailing behind him, "Can you see it?"
Glancing around for a second, her vision locked onto the rocks beside the cliff.
"He's there!" She gasped, "Let me down."
"What, but you can't walk!"
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"I don't have a choice, quickly!"
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Though hesitant, Deon lowered Maria down, her pale feet sinking into the white sand as her knees shook, her arms held out for balance.
"Deon, what are you doing?"
Lydia glared, catching up with him.
"She told me to."
He shrugged, watching her slowly creep toward the rocks, barely able to stay upright.
With the sound of the waves crashing against the sand, they couldn't make out what she was saying as she got closer and closer to this apparent invisible being.
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"...you're sure she isn't just crazy?"
Gabe whispered, watching uncomfortably from over Deon's shoulder.
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"After what we've already seen, I'll believe anything she says..."
He watched, nervous for her.
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What was she even going to do?
Would she approach it and make it vanish?
Lydia bit her lip, pressing her hands together.
"...is it okay to just leave her like that?" She said, "Shouldn't we go over there, just to be safe?"
Right after she spoke, Maria seemed to fall back suddenly, landing harshly in the sand.
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"Mari!"
Lydia yelled, running toward her.
But Deon, he knew something wasn't right.
"Lyd, wait!"
He spoke sternly, grabbing her arm and pulling her behind him. He could tell, simply from the way the girl had moved.
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She didn't fall.
She was pushed.
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Maria then struggled back onto her feet, only to be violently thrown into the rocks close by.
"Shit, Mari!" His sister cried out, fighting against his iron grip, "Deon, let go, she's hurt!"
"It's too dangerous!"
He barked back, sharply, as Maria fell to the ground.
Once again, her body was thrown into the sharp rocks at an impossible speed, slicing her pale arm open, spilling crimson blood over her white skin into the sand.
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"Fuck, take her!"
Deon ordered, passing Lydia to Gabe and running forward.
Deon was fast, even with his feet skidding in the sand.
With barely enough energy to keep her eyes open, Maria prepared for the next hit as she was lifted into the air. Only this time, Deon grabbed her before she was thrown.
"Are you okay?!"
He gasped, wiping the blood from her face as it trickled down into her eye, the gash on her forehead likely needing stitches.
"I-I thought I could..." She stammered, "He's so angry, I-"
Suddenly, she flew out from his grip, being dragged along the sand by her foot.
He flailed at where the figure should have been, but his hands only met air.
He couldn't see it, couldn't touch it.
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There was nothing he could do.
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Maria was forced into the water, pressed down into it by the invisible force as it tried to drown her.
He leapt into the ocean, using all his might to fight against the inhuman strength, just able to pull her out of the water as it disappeared for a brief moment.
"Mari, let me see it!"
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"What?"
She gasped, gripping onto him tightly as he dragged her out of the water, both of them now drenched as they stood on the sand.
"The ability to see them, give it to me!"
Overwhelmed, he was yelling in her face, able to see Lydia wrestling with Gabe over her shoulder. He wasn't very strong, he wouldn't be able to hold her much longer.
"But...I'll never be able to take it back! You'll be stuck with it, forever!"
"I don't care, do it now!"
With a pained look in her eyes, she gripped his shoulder tightly, pulling their faces closer together.
With a shuddering breath, their gazes locked as that dark mist appeared from nowhere, swirling around her head.
For a split second, the world around him flashed white and, next thing he knew, she was gripping him tighter, gasping for air.
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Before he could even take his next breath, he saw it.
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The disfigured form of a man, running straight toward them both across the sand.
Without thinking, he pushed Maria to the side, out of harm's way.
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Now, he could definitely feel it.
He took the next hit, head-on.
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And had never felt pain as excruciating as this.
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