Ava wiped her tears away and started walking towards the kitchen and grabbed some other rare ingredients: peanut butter and jelly. She added sliced bananas and cheese on the sandwich. It was one of the weird cravings that her mother would remember when she had the twins. One of the few things that would cost a water bill to get these ingredients.
In the Grottos, meat was a luxury, like chicken and skirt steaks. But pork was the only meat the family knew they can eat. But never realized that Ava would buy them the pork the whole time. Her mother, Maria, would work while pregnant with the twins. Even when Ava told the managers to give them a pamphlet to sign for the Official Empath Maternal Program. Maria denied the offer and kept working. Ava would let out an exhausted sigh.
"We did this because we wanted to make sure our family is ready for us to be here with us, including Abuela. I didn't expect for anyone to get hurt. We just wanted what is best for our family." said the guilt-ridden Ava.
Someone knocked at the front door. Ava checked the monitors and saw a familiar face. An employee from her company's building came to give them a case with the company's logo on it. Mr. Draven approached to the intercom answered the call.
The employee spoke in the microphone, "Um, Miss Moira? I came here to deliver these reports you wanted today."
Mr. Draven stated, "Miss Moira is unavailable at the moment. You may leave the case at the opening."
He pressed a button, and it opened a small conveyor belt with an opening the size of a carry-on bag.
"Oh alright, I will put them in the opening." said the employee, he placed the file box in the compartment.
"Thank you and have a snack on the way back young one." thanked Draven.
The hatch closed after they placed the item in it. Draven took the contents of the box to the side and prepared a small paper bag. He placed the bag containing a small sandwich, cookie, and a bottle of fruit milk in the compartment.
He wrote a note that said, 'Thank you and have a good day!'
Then the delivery person took the items and left. Draven carried the case and walked to the livingroom. The children became more unperturbed when they ended up going to sleep after their big adventure. Ava was sitting in her room, isolated and dealing with most of the Protectors conversing themselves on what to do next with what was happening.
"They want us to help them." declared Zakor.
She looked inside the box. The contents inside was a picture of when she was young and innocent. Covered in soot with a hand on her shoulder.
Ava switched out, Moira showed up, not transformed just in the same body, and tears of silver fell from her eyes. The strong-willed Protector became vulnerable to the strong exterior of a judge, jury, and executioner.
'Senora? Estas bien? Vamos a dormir. Un buen dia se va a venir manana. Duermense. < Miss? Are you alright? Let's go to sleep. A good day will come tomorrow. You go to sleep. >' said the soft-spoken Moth Woman.
Moth Woman became more in form, and revealed herself that night to soothe the System with a lullaby.
● ● ● ● ● ●
The next morning, Moth Woman woke amidst to the sound of a knock from the other side. She got out of bed and brushed her teeth. She dropped the items, and then the door opened in reaction.
"Ay no!" said Moth Woman in a panic.
"Ava!" said two high-pitched children, running to their big sister's room.
The kids ran to the bed, but saw Moth Woman, and yelled, "Angel! Scawwy angel!"
Andres ran away, but Amora stayed, and stared at the hooded skeletal woman.
Moth Woman greeted the child, "Buenos dias, Amora."
Amora just smiled and walked to Moth Woman, hugged her, and said, "I miss yuu."
Amora looked up at Moth Woman. Moth Woman remembered when she would hold Amora and take her out to the night sky. During a full moon to put baby Amora to sleep when she cries almost non-stop. Moth Woman then picked up Amora and sang some melodies and flew outside and left without a trace. She left the moms to sleep in. Whilst Draven looked after the kids.
The house was too big for the family. They always had a humble house and made sure that the walls in the house would not separate their closeness as a family. Like in the Grotto, where there was always violence around for which few resources were available.
They were happy together, especially visiting Abuela during the holidays. When the Grottos became a night of celebration amongst the chaos for new life, friends, and family.
Draven took care of the children so they could get ready for their new school. Moira informed him that the best excuse for children from the Grotto is their being sponsored by the company.
So, Amora held onto the rosary tightly, and Draven provided the supplies for their new school.
● ● ● ● ● ●
Moth Woman got away from the Ethereal City to arrive at the hideout. She floated down and saw the mess made by the System. She started cleaning up the mess around the Lab. Some music started from her wings like a radio, filled with bachata and salsa, dancing in the air. Being happy about doing something positive and brought joy to the System when she is not there.
A person who was always doing their best from behind the scenes. After cleaning for the past 2 hours, she just relaxed and took an old video cassette and blew the dust off. Puts it in a VHS box and pressed the play button on an old television from the 2000s.
A novela about how there was a woman named Joan who is a virgin going to live her life like a novela. Happy and full of nostalgia when Abuela would watch with them on Saturday nights when the twins were sleeping over.
Moira switched with Moth Woman, "Something is amiss everyone..." she looked around the building to find out where the ominous presence is coming from. They stood up and found a couple of men wearing tutus outside. More people came from the town with weapons and greed in their eyes. Children with amputated limbs and disease-ridden faces ready their broken bottles. And then a hooded silhouette approached at the front, unable to see his face with a cat mask and giant fur paws. One of them stepped forward.
"How quaint to find such a wonderful place for headquarters." Said the tiny figure.
He laughed maniacally and cocked their shotguns. It scared Moth Woman stiff, but she couldn't take the assailants seriously. Their attire just weakens their effects on the skeletal insectoid.
She was merely frightened of the weapons that they carry and sang accordingly while flapping her wings, creating a sort of pollen-like dust that surrounds the lab. Only it had failed when some carried gas masks, and Moth Woman would only produce the dust for so long that she would waste away and starve herself. The men in tutus have begun their formation of assault in the dust.
Shadows were moving left and right, an illusion itself was being made in front of her eyes. It swarmed like a plague of locusts that eventually tethered to the floor. Restraints that tore their wrists slightly constricted her wings. She shrunk herself and tried to not move.
A giant figure appeared and hovered over her. The dust surrounding them settled and revealed a pair of pink eyes. They pierced through the thin veil across its face. The System themselves felt weak from the restraints. where Ravu couldn't help when he's needed most. 'These damned shackles dare to imprison the Ravenous Ravu?!' he said. She felt nothing but fear, and she was hyperventilating. Her vision becomes blurry, and then nothing. The figure dragged the unconscious body away and then drove off from the Lab.
● ● ● ● ● ●
Draven was wandering about the facilities at the City of Waifs. Keeping the image of Moira by working throughout the night. Made himself a cup of tea with an assortment of Petit Fours. A New Day a New Purge is a novel he was reading. He enjoyed the macabre and explicit genre as a method of understanding how to live in the modern world of the Ethereal City. The old man remembered a time when religion became abolished. Many of them were radical enthusiasts who use words from sacred texts to justify their crimes. Such as an attempt to invade a symbol of democracy, and the preachers would speak of unholiness in its halls. True criminals are the ones who can manipulate sleeping humans, kill their young, and ostracize their siblings. Burn places of worship, vandalize them, and even massacre their followers.
Draven was a child during those events, always hearing the blood-curdled screams from holocausts that flooded through his small town. A lasting memory was when he volunteered as a soldier in the Private Army, in order to survive after his mother died from a preventable disease in 2021. He couldn't even fathom how she had died an unfortunate death. A sudden sharp pulse radiated from his abdomen. He limped towards the medicine cabinet.