"We are getting ready to visit grandpa, grandma and some folks that want to meet us." Her eyes opening as she looks at the makeup her mom set on them both. The black dresses. The amulet charm on her mom's neck. It was all so surreal and all this time from when she was a mask being to now melted. Looking back at her hair colour. She had ignored this detail until now. Back before her soul was shattered into that, tainted and forced title. Her hair was natural grown half light white and half naturally hazel brown. No lifetime after has had her hair came back to this. It was something she used to achieve with bleaching half her head when she got older.
"Laura?" Her proper human name. She really is back. She really is facing her young face with her mom in the mirror.
"It's OK, mom. I just didn't realize I could look so pretty like you." Her mother has the same hair trait. The same mismatched eyes and that the corest dress befits their cult families proud. Mimic shadow masks with painted black runic patterns. The black ribbons instead of hair ties. This was meant to be the day of tradgic years to follow.
"You are going to someday knock someone dead with that beauty." Her mom blushed to being complemented. There isn't that sad pity or back eye annoyance that mom had after Liza was no longer normal. None of that history of trying many schools. She hasn't been to school yet. The knock at the bathroom door.
"Are you both ready?" Her brother in a neat tux suit too. A mimic shadow mask. A feather in the breast pocket. An amulet bracelet of the death order on his right arm.
"I just need to check on something important before we go." Steeling her nerve and making a few last checks of her human shape. Admiring her hair, her strange black eye and blue eye. Her thumb finger nail is the only not matching thing to before. It was not there this first time either. A small tell that her mind in all those emotions. All those experiences. All those time glitched years.
"Once I am finished my make up, I will drive us. So don't daddle." Her mom had that commanding point finger pose that mothers do. Her brother rolled his eyes and Laura smiled warmly. Express fondness of her role model. Her mom frowns of the strange behavior but chalked it to knowing this event was something warned as important. Laura exits with her brother, she fixed his tie in just feeling it was off center. Pats his shoulder with a nod. He stares bewildered of her skill with adjusting the tie they all were just struggling with no so long ago. Laura evades her normal uncle, his eye bindings that prevents him from seeing the supernatural are intact. She smiled warm to him and he confused nods to her back. Letting him get by. Laura makes it to the back sliding door. Her aunt about to close it. Her one eye is bandage as if she had normal sight in that right eye. Her left socket a empty hole, this is spiritual speaking. Normally on looking her aunt in the eyes, there those normal hazel brown eyes that the rest of the Fallown's own.
"I need to fetch something from the backyard before we leave. I left my bracelet back there."
"Hurry up!" Her aunt tongue clicked in letting Laura past. Back from smoking a cigarette, the smell clings about the skin. It's dark and late in the night. She can't go far with human sight and that's what they expect of her. Staying where the motion light shines. Aunt slides the door closed to stop bug. The loud pitch of the tree frogs, crickets and the lizard under the decking. The humid Florida air is heavy and stills stings the skin long after the sun has set.
Laura makes it to the decking and knocked a pattern of song over the reptiles head. Her rhythm made it reply back and soon it placed thing out from its den for her. She poured her stone collection, a bucket of soul stones she been collecting a long time. It takes this exchange greatly. Once she has the death god weapons and books into her shadow storage. She picked up something of value for the tree monster at the other end this large garden lot. She doesn't need the light to see her steps and as she did at the deck. She stomps a pattern of sounds. The tree shakes and lowered a branch. Accepts her gift and gifted her something in exchange.
"LAURA!" The tree holds still and she quickly goes back to the paved area where the back door is, "We are going." It's her brother hovering the slider door open. She breached into the light and he took three steps back in nearly tripping over.
"Can't leave the back door open." She closed it behind her. She waved away the tree and under deck lizard. She makes right of that back door being locked closed. She elbows her brother in getting him startled to get a move on.
"I will hand the items to those that know where they go." She takes her brothers hand, he wouldn't budge at first and she not exactly strong to pull him away. But with a sharp exasperation from Auntie, he moves with Luara. Fast to buck up into the car seats and watch the windows. She smiles in seeing some folks bewildered of her beating them to the punch in fetching those tomes. The plenty of hunters of Oath standing around the driveway, seeing the dust fall of those devoured by the tree or lizard. The few death domain reapers taking note of her carrying the tomes. They are the few that watch after her, staring at the car move from the driveway and onto the long roads.
"Laura are they safe?" He asked her eventually mid travel. She sighed unamused of the empty dark roads; there isn't anything mystical of horror out there. Just the wildlife of eyes popping from passing water lakes.
"What do you mean?" He waved his hands about in gesture, "If they were a threat to us, there would have been problems already. They been there a long time. You know my rock collection isn't a joke." He lowered in thinking about it and she checked if her mom was listening to this conversation. She wasn't really, a vague half interest but more with the road then them talking. So Laura left this point as it was. She gives a straight stare at her brother, gives a unsure shrug and back to her daze staring of the window.
"You fit in fine with the rest of the family." Her brother looked away to his window, he has someone over his shadow or rather he has a guardian spirit that gave a nod of agreement in his reflection. She couldn't tell if that was some shadow of the damned or if that was a vessel of a god. She suspects with that bracelet of his, a reaper or death god representative. She looked down in knowing she didn't encounter Curiosity... or any versions of him yet. His not been her invisible freind as he did in erased time. But that isn't something she needed anyway. She would have if she didn't know all this stuff that she does. But she is also acutely aware of lacking the normal common sense that others have. Her knowledge makes her deviate from such norms. She can make it by. She looked at her reflection and sees exactly what she expected of her. She is who she will be, who she is now and the one she left behind. If she was that one she left behind, she shivering afraid of this darkness. She not scared of the dark, it what hides in that dark that she half smirks.
"What are we going to do when we get there?" She speaks loud enough for her mom to make input, "wearing nice clothes, makeup and even a neat hair pin from my friends. It clearly isn't a party." Her mom up in reaching a stop light to look at the two children and the curious stares of wanting answers from mom. She focus back forward and nods a few times in prepping for this speech.
"We once talked about not point out the thing that others can't see. We have warn you about interaction with these things. I have had some school trouble because of this." She takes a big deep breath. Knuckles white in the stirring as she takes that turn.
"I guess we get to meet them properly." Her brother nods to Laura's speech.
"Sort of." Mom hummed in unsure, "They like to make talks with the whole family. Occasionally they ask us favours and in return they help us. Your both old enough to at least be counted. When your older, you be helping us with thier wishes. But who knows, I was asked in college for a favour. The favour they ask for aren't impossible but they are hard. I hope you don't need to worry about it." She deflated a little in her seat as she was making the turn for the correct street, "Which freind gave you that hair pin?"
Her mom had wobbled in negative energy. Both children could tell the stress and there was clearly something about all this that puts unease. Her brother braves up his own details about his friend, feeling left out that Laura beat him to saying something.
"He said that he watches over those that pass over. He also said to me that his boss is looking for someone. That this is someone in our family."
"My book gave me the hair pin. I know I have to take good care of this." Her brother sharp turned at her.
"You!? Why you?" Her brother was soon turned away with grumbles of complaints. His reflection which contained that spirit posed pondering this realization. Her mom had a sharp moment with the breaks and throw the heavier breaks for good measure. She leaned at her steering with dreaded thoughts. But she doesn't have long to herself since they arrived at grandpa's place. A stranger knocked at the driver window. This was the mark start of an unspoken test.
"Act as you should as if we are at the supermarket." Laura knew that was a good plan and a smart way for children to grasp what is expected of them. Her brother helps her out with her door as she not strong enough to pull the release and to push it open. They got out on the kirb side in following street smarts. They walked together with ignoring the people around them. They stand wait for mom and she pose reminding them to wear the mimic shadow masks. The ones with runic Patterns. Laura helps her brother tie his and he tied hers. They held hands as they crossed into the house. Already everything was off key and silent. Laura knew this was stopped time and plays it calm. They do as needed in the time frame and the sound was back. There was the sound of frustration and book pages flopping in the kitchen.
"The index core has a new host. That's the only reason." Panic in the man as he throws the book closed and open again. He does this several times. The book had enough of its fill of this human and faded out of material reach of him. He throws a unlit candle out the kitchen and over the kids heads. Both children flinched and ducked plenty in avoiding this. The man uses the garage door to not allow his temper on others. Slamming it behind him and hissing about timing of the universe. She puzzled as she had access to the books a long while and so he shouldn't have reacted to such news now. Not unless it was not what she thought it was over.
"He was caught conjuring things here among the living world. Abusing his abilities as one the rare times a human can access the tome." This was that reaper guy that has protection over her brother.
"Poor victims." She whispered. The reaper pats her shoulder gently as it was a good soul comment. Her brother still frowning deeply in concern about why a Seer was here. He isn't aware of Luara being the bridge child between these two sides. One in every 6 or 9 generations is a both Seer and fallown. As this was the intentional of the two sides to keep their spirit abilities high concentration. There was attempts of branch offs to cycle back in but this failed. As 1 in 8 members has no ability or awareness. It's a loto for the right blood and body. The extra mile for if those abilities further the families.
"Will he go to hell when he dies?" Her brother muttered darkly and as quietly as he can. She hugs his arm and they moved to the living room. She gets them to half bow to the people at the sofas. She doesn't have to explain herself for why she knew there was a monarch of undertakers seated there. Her brother follows her lead at this and they are waved to leave the adults to their talks. They are shuffled off to the side spare guest bedroom where they borrow the TV a often. They will wait in there until this formal event is over or until they asked to be seen. A lot of members that were under age are sent to this room, or at least those not ready. The back office is were their uncle was sent since his an adult with no supernatural values. Distracted with a task for him in there.
"I am too nervous to bother with the tv." Her brother huffed.
"It was interesting to see what was there." She sits on the guest bed, "I guess as long as your a soul being with moves in fate, there will always be those attached unseen sorts." She looked at the other beings in this room as it was just them, "Your not normal shadow people, at least your people among the living that are cursed sorts." They make themselves known to both children, "You don't avoid lights entirely, that was the give away. The other types avoid all light, even if the bulb isn't turned on. Linger the darkness squeezes of the room to avoid that potential burn. Hey, at least they aren't vampires." She jokes in knocked her brothers side, "These lot are... human folks with a bloodline curse." She said to her brother.
"Why is it when you don't talk much it's not at all to the point of being mute? When you do talk, it's creepy or too much."
"But she is right. We are humans with two powers. One of a curse that makes us shadows. This other power is harder to explain." She nods getting it and her brother looks to his allied spirit.
"Mages or Magnus, depending of royalty." His reaper freind nods, "their magic has entire tome of spell words. That's a forbidden book which has been lost."
"I guess someone moved the pathways around again." She pondered and the reaper narrows that she heard him and can see him, "You must be a high ranking in the order Mr reaper. But not godly as there isn't a side affect curse in when you look at others." He crossed his arms in being called out like that, "The book we share is special. Why else would I know?" He tilts as other shared that revolution. The mages although can't see the reaper guessed by her words that the guy since here as a shepherd, "Mr Death would likely be waiting for mail from me. I just don't know how to write yet." She lays on her side with waiting, "I haven't walked the pathways even in my dreams in a long time. I bet my creatures miss me, as I missed them."
"Creatures?" There was wobbles in many voices around the guest bed room.
"Like tree and lizard in the back garden?" Her brother wondered in clarification.
"No and yes. Not them, they are their own beings. But the types of beings they are are similar or more lost then those two. It's nice to know that Mr tree likes that spot to be put there without me. They are great neighbors." She is definitely show sign of being bored as she playing with ribbons or small parts of her outfit. Fidgeting at none important things.
"Little kids, you needed in the room." Her brother sighed at stood but she stops him.
"They are testing us. You shouldn't listen to the shadows as you wouldn't hear them anyway. You only can at the moment because of the unique boundaries of magic at play." He grumbles at sit down, "Besides, that shadow man has bad luck over his shoulder. I know the powers of that God omens well enough to take caution of such things." That was a satisfying answer for him and the reaper. And that is all that matters at the moment.
"Ee-meerrp!" A small little body of tuxedo fur and longest whiskers ever on a cat face. The echo of its voice wasn't living realm but even then she knew who this was.
"It's you!" She sits up and off the bed. She offers her left hand out to them. It sniffed her deeply and looked for something. She showed her hand slowly lowered down and back up softly. The dip to offer it a drink of unknown liquid. It laps up this substance with loud purring. The git of the tongue scratches her hand deeply with some of her own blood being visible. It stops now there wasn't much at all. It hops onto her shoulder and lays comfortable across both her shoulders.
"It's my squeaky." She pets this creature on her and walked softly around in circles by crossing her shoulders. She even felt honored of being its choosen. She soon matched the purring it has, and it knocked harder into her face. Proving love.
"She always has abnormalities, really I just shrug and move on with her." The unease of even the mages knowing that isn't a cat. Knowing that isn't a living creature. Even the reaper evades being near.
"It must be very important things going on among the adults if your here squeaky. Should I go see?" The cat lifted to look at her and then chirps. She takes that as the yes. She softly walks out the room.
"Damned it." Her brother follows after her. The reaper stays back but he close enough to watch over. The mage shadows went through the reaper (as the reaper is not a solid mass in the living realm).
"The tomes are sensitive information to never be read or used forced. The names are power but not power to take." The undertakers are instructing the new book keepers among humans of the dangers. They all were in deep talk with the example tome out. Squeaky lifted up and wiggled to jump, jumps into the pages. Disruption of training thought.
"In there? There must be something missing. He doesn't come out of there unless there was something impossible." She right up to the tome and stared blankly at it a while. She tilted a few times in frowning at her own frustration in not sure, "I wonder if it's gods again. They make holes all the time." She picked up the whole book with ease and brushed the leather bindings softly. Petting the book, "god eater?" She thinks put loud, "wandered off soul?" The book throw itself to the right page, "Wandering soul. Ok. Umm..." She looked about the whole pages in just not bothering about trying to read it at all. She stops to a large empty space. She brushed it with her fingers, "missing... entirely. Traceless. Not even..." She turned over the page to the other side to see through it. She puts the page flat, "The Ender. It's not a big deal. I am sure he will return the name. Or he will fight whomever to do so." Book closed, "very neat leathering. It's beautiful." Putting it back on the table.
"Little girl." The monarch glares at her, "I have a lot of concerns about what you can do and what you said."
"Says you." She peers about his crest and his crown, "Mr King dragon. I look after a lot of books. I do so a lot. They ask me to. I prefer keeping things simple."
"A living Trickster." His advisor said.
"If that's how you want to think." She shrugs, "the tomes are special books. You mustn't read them or they will do things. Those you read without permission will find a way to be a bother for you. I like looking at them like art in a art gallery. We don't think about the deeper message, just glance over the beauty ink. If you do accidentally read one, you apologize to them or something. If you are a bad person with bad intent, expect to loose limbs. I watched a foolish reaper throw the book to the floor. I suspect it was frustration of unrelated reasons. But the book pages came and he was gone. I saved that book from being take by another unworthy. I have been looking after lost books for a while."
"Clearly your doing something right." The advisor sighed.
"You are a Trickster too. But at least your a good soul. You mean well. I can tell." She smiles to the attached creatures on the advisor and back to the grimaced fear these others have, "By the way. The tome can't be picked up by just anyone. It's why I make sure to move them safely, as no anyone can move the books. These books prevent unworthy souls from interaction. Most are attacked by the pages of the book or it is a material that can't be seen or touched. There is worse punishment for worse deeds but I never seen it before. I heard about them. The crows like talking about these things."
"The death carriers?" The king pondered.
"I mean, that's what you call them. They are proud beings and love eating meat. Lizard or worm meat." She sits herself at the coffee table, "If they are made of ink, they eat coal or more ink."
"Ink birds?" A confused Seer pondered.
"The spell for summoning a message carrier makes the ink of the tome into birds. Kids got an active imagination to think they talk."
"Maybe they do and we can't hear or understand it." The point of topic is back to the time talk. Explaining how the book organizes soul names itself. That its better to let it open to the right page itself. Most times the even the blank pages are just not visible to human sight. As not all segments are readable. With her seated and her brother beside, they continue as they were. A deep discussion about the tome trust. She never spoke up again and doesn't feel right to correct them when she knows something was said that wasn't right. She knew from the birds that it was better to keep them ingorant of some turths.
Such as the tome not being a book at all. It just manifests its shape to suit the read writer. Crows shapes are the second most used soul name altering method. She stopped paying mind about the tome and these new tome keepers. She sees her close family acting as hosts for this gathering. Her mom with offering a open tray of nibbles, left hand only. It was no surprise that the guy from before watched her mom a lot. He stares distantly in cold feet. He doesn't have the courage to ask her about anything. He knows full well that the little girl around here is his. He has the whispers of ordered demands from his Seer cult side, talk of capturing the child and mother to thier side. Then there is the Fallown cultists providing security. A guy at the ready to collar the undecided Seer. It's likely one her grandmother's younger brothers that has taken a deep interest to make Laura work for them.
"What is it really made of?" Her brother asked.
"No one really knows, little boy." She looks back to the table as to check the tome. She sees they put it to a crystal state to show it hasn't a true shape.
"It doesn't really matter what it is made of. It best to not ask questions like that. You get swept into dangerous things." She inputs too, "There a lot of parts and to many confusing things. Sometimes it's just as it seems and sometimes its nothing at all like what you think it be. Best to leave the mystery to someone else's fate. There a research team of being that try to unlock these mysterious ways of the universes." The stare falling on her again for saying something strange again.
"Active imaginations." A Seer huffed and takes a drink. They all think it all over with the discussions this far. Her mom got the kids off the floor and waved for them to go back somewhere safer.
"Its fine. They are clearly aware of things and are cautious kids." The monarch voiced, "It's better that they know what not to do in the event of crossing in undertaker or even the business of others. Safer that they know the rules then to let them blindly get into trouble." Her mom gives a soft bow in respect to the this. She glares to them to behave.
"Maybe we should be thankful for such children like them." The reaper been in study of the blank space that Laura was talking of before, "To know that the soul that is an active pillar to the angels operations has gone missing. That would put any orders that angels have into dispute in any courts. It would put some angels to loose wings if they were to listen to orders not belonging to their highers."
It was insight for humans that there is such things as angels and that there seems a command order among them. It put some perspective of how undertaker interact with angel entities. Given the reaper is here, it told humans that there are death gods with upper and lower ranks. So much was being shown without showing the full extent.
The advisor and King would clearly be in conversation with each other as eyes gazed in matching places. They spilt from time to time to look at the room as a whole. Other the other undertakers that are acting message passers or bodyguards.