"Sylvie!"
I came darting into the living room, expecting something to be very wrong. At seeing Daniel staring at his sister as if he'd seen a ghost, I finally ventured a question.
"What's all the excitement about?"
"Edie spoke." Daniel answered quietly.
"But she speaks all the time."
"He means clearly, Sylvie." Edie chimed in.
I whipped my head towards her, knowing my face mirrored her brother's. I opened my mouth to respond, but my voice seemed to be stolen.
"Not as broken anymore." Edie smiled proudly. "I suppose I'm finally learning."
"You-you...Wow." I stuttered. "Edie, this is incredible!"
"All that hard work we did," Daniel looked on the verge of tears, "it's finally paying off. I'm so proud of you."
Edie jumped to her feet and hugged us both. "Little Edie isn't so broken anymore." She sighed happily before gliding past us and up the stairs.
Daniel and I both shuffled to our chairs and plopped down into the soft cushions. I knew our faces still held that identical look of shock.
"I can't believe it." He whispered, staring into the fire. "I mean, I know it's not that big of an achievement, but-"
"Not that big of an achievement?" I repeated, sitting up in my seat. "She's finally achieving some semblance of normal, like you both always wanted. Like she said, she's not broken anymore."
Daniel held a smile, but only for a moment. He stared deeply into the flames as he spoke. "She's finally learning. Her mind is finally evolving. Soon, she...she won't need us anymore." Daniel's eyes shut tightly, as if the vision of it physically hurt him. "She'll be able to go off on her own."
"Baby birds have to leave the nest sometime, darling." I looked to Daniel with sympathy in my eyes. "It won't be goodbye forever, especially not with her. You have loved, nurtured, and protected her all this time. That's something she'll never forget."
Daniel looked to me, blood red tears swimming in his stormy eyes. It took him a bit, but he managed a smile.
"How grateful I am to have you here, my beautiful voice of reason." He complimented quietly.
I just shrugged, turning my gaze toward the fireplace. "I do what I can, my love."
He reached a hand out to me and I took it, giving it a few squeezes.
Morning was creeping closer as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling through the translucent fabric of the canopy. Daniel had his arm around my waist, his face buried into my neck as he slept peacefully. I toyed with his hair gently, peppering kisses on his forehead every now and then. My thoughts wandered back to the other night, to that overwhelming feeling of absolute dread and terror. I thought the danger was over when we rid ourselves of Nadine and Damien. I thought we were finally free. What was coming? Why couldn't I pinpoint it?
"Some gift." I muttered to myself. I finally closed my eyes and found myself drifting off to sleep.
A scream ripped through the halls, jolting me awake. I looked around me and noticed that I was alone.
"Daniel? Edie?" I called into the dark. No response greeted me.
I slid from under the covers and grabbed the small candelabra from the bedside table. I opened the small drawer and pulled out my matches, lighting the candles. I slowly made my way from our room and down the hall. I almost reached the stairs when I heard the scream again, coming from inside Edie's room. My footsteps quickened, and I wrenched her door open. The sight I saw made the candelabra slip from my grasp.
Daniel was pinned to the far wall, his body cut open from his navel up to his collar bone, his intestines slowly seeping out from the incision. Next to him, stood Nadine, her eyes ghost white and her skin peeling from her body in chunks. Her throat was still clawed away and there was still a gaping hole in her chest.
"Look who's finally come to play, darling." She hissed.
I turned from her and I almost wish I hadn't. To my left was Damien, still sporting an open chest cavity. His skin peeled and fell to the floor like Nadine's. In front of him was Edie. She was sobbing and speaking, but she made no sound. Damien looked from her to me and his wicked smile widened.
"An eye for an eye, and a heart for a heart." Damien's laugh was like nails on a chalkboard as his hand shot into Edie's chest.
Her agonized scream ripped through the room and I started to cross the room toward him. I was stopped by a wave of flames and suddenly they all disappeared from view. All around me, I could hear their screeching cackling laughter intertwined with Daniel and Edie's tortured screams. I dropped to my knees, covering my ears and sobbing until my throat was sore. My eyes shut tightly, trying to will the visions from my mind.
My eyes shot open and I was back in bed. Daniel was propped up on his elbow, staring down at me. He was wiping my face and that's when I realized I had been crying. I let the tears continue to flow freely as I buried my face into his chest. He cradled me close, his soft voice reassuring me that everything would be okay. In that moment, I didn't know if I could believe him.
The next evening, I hesitated to get out of bed. I stared through the glass of the French doors, watching the moon slowly rise in the sky. I was thankful Daniel opened the curtains when he rose and it warmed my heart that he remembered how much I loved to watch the moon rise.
My mind raced a million miles a minute as my dream replayed in my head over and over again. This gift of mine was trying to tell me something was coming for my little family. I had no idea how to combat it or what it even was. That's what was driving me the craziest. I had never felt more defenseless in my life. I needed to protect my family, but how? A soft knock distracted me from my racing thoughts. The soft scent of lilacs floated to me and I smiled sweetly.
"Come in, Edie." I called out.
She opened the door and strolled in, looking almost like a new woman. She was wearing jeans and a long sleeve band shirt. Her hair was brushed and pulled back neatly into a ponytail. I almost didn't recognize her.
"Wow." I marveled, stretching my limbs and climbing from my bed. "You clean up nice."
Edie's laugh twinkled in my ears as she did a little twirl. "I did it all by myself! And Daniel said I can go hunting by myself!"
I was slightly taken aback to hear her use her brother's name. I quickly recovered with a smile. "That's wonderful! Remember what we taught you. Or at least, what he taught you." I placed my hands on her shoulders, looking over this quickly growing young woman.
"Don't worry, Sylvie." She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I'll be careful. Promise."
I simply nodded and off she glided from my sight. I looked after her, a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Is this what all of my "mom" friends used to warn me about? That sinking feeling of knowing your little baby bird is all grown up and will soon fly from the nest?
"I don't like it." I frowned to myself.
The thought of motherhood jolted a thought into my brain. It had only just hit me that I hadn't said hi to Tammy in a while. She was probably worried sick about me. I knew when she saw me, I was going to get the talking to of a lifetime. I let out a chuckle, the thought kind of warming my heart. It was nice to have someone to care for me enough to fuss. I quickly dressed myself in just jeans and a black tee and trotted down the steps.
"Give Tammy my best." Daniel called from the kitchen.
"Get out of my brain, ya butt-butt!" I called back. At Daniel's laughter, I exited the house.
The bookstore's parking lot was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday night. I peered at the window next to the entrance to see a telltale poster.
"Ah. Costume contest." I nodded.
I trotted across the parking lot and to the entrance, thanking an elderly gentleman who opened the door for me. I looked around the grand bookstore, not terribly surprised that everything was still the same. An excited squeal to my left caught me by surprise. I turned to see Tammy, trotting toward me as fast as her arthritic legs could carry her. I bounded toward her and she pulled me into that tight hug that I missed so much.
"My baby!" She squealed, her voice cracking with emotion. "I've missed you so much!"
"Hi, Mom." I answered lovingly. "Sorry I've been so ghost lately."
"If I wasn't so happy to see you, I'd fuss so bad, you don't even know." She scolded playfully. Her arm linked mine and we began a leisurely stroll through the shelves. "Where have you been, sweetie pie? We miss you around here!"
"I know, Mom." I sighed. "Things got a little...weird after that night. I've been taking a backseat and getting my head back on straight."
"I can definitely understand that." Tammy gave my arm a loving pat. "Still, it's good to see your face back in here. Especially, since no one's seen Shane in a bit."
I felt like a shard of ice had just traveled up my spine. "What do you mean, Mom? What happened to Shane?"
"I don't know, honey." Tammy sighed sadly. "No one's heard from him in a few days. He's not answering his phone and apparently he hasn't been home."
None of this sat well with me. Shane and I weren't terribly close when I worked at the bookstore, but he was a good guy. A little rough around the edges, but still good. To Tammy, he was another child she adopted, and I knew this was hurting her.
"I'll see what I can do to help track him down, Mom." I reassured her. "Maybe he's taking a break from the store. This place can tear you to pieces if you let it."
"Ain't that the truth!" Tammy laughed.
I smiled again as I lay my head on her shoulder. "How about a passion fruit tea, just like old times? My treat."
"You spoil me, sweetie pie." Tammy gave my cheek a loving pinch.