she’s okay?”
Claire nodded.
“Okay.” Jade
whispered. “Come help me.” She replaced the teddy bear and moved to hang the
curtain rod.
Claire whispered,
“Did you see Raven’s face?”
Jade nodded
quietly. Claire’s eyes were as round as saucers when she remembered the blank
pieces of Raven’s face.
“What happened?”
Claire asked.
“I think the Void
want her. I think they are trying to make her like them,” Jade’s voice was so
low that she could barely hear her own voice.
Claire handed Jade
the curtain rod. She said, “What happens if they succeed?”
Jade didn’t want
to answer. She didn’t want to think about it. While she slipped the rod into
the first groove, Jade said, “We will lose her forever.”
Hanging the last
of the protections, Jade pushed the chair back under Claire’s desk. It was a
wooden desk and wooden chair. Mom had been talking about getting Claire an
office chair for Christmas, but then Claire asked for a pool. The request
might have been strange for anyone else, but fortunately Amazon sold everything
all the time and Claire got an inflatable pool for Christmas instead of an
office chair.
For the hours
Claire spent with the pool, even in the middle of winter, Jade had to admit it was
a worthwhile investment. Give a Water Elemental a puddle of Water, and she’ll
be happy a long time.
Not that Claire
sat at her desk anyway. Most of the time she used her laptop on her bed. Jade
sighed. The fight was over, but it felt like only the beginning.
Mindy crawled out
from under her bed.
Jade picked her
up, cuddling her before she even said a word. It surprised her when Mindy
said, “Raven cry.”
“Okay, Cricket.
I’ll check up on her,” Jade tucked Mindy into her bed. Mindy smelled like Earth,
but there wasn’t a single dirt particle on her. Jade asked, “Are you okay?”
“Mindy hide,”
Mindy grinned and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Jade was supposed to gently
remind her not to suck her thumb. They were breaking her of the habit. She
was too old, but tonight Jade let it go.
“That’s great,
Cricket,” Jade said. She wondered how many more times her baby sister would
have to play hide and seek from sinister monsters. Then she returned to the
sister who might become one.
Chapter 5
~~ Jade ~~
Raven was sobbing with
her head under the covers when Jade walked in. It was a hard thing to listen
to. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Jade would have just
crawled into bed and pretended not to hear.
Instead she sat on
the end of Raven’s bed.
A muffled cry
said, “Leave me alone.”
Jade put a hand on
what was probably Raven’s leg. Jade said, “We’re in this together. I’m scared,
too.”
“You’re not
turning into a faceless thing,” Raven said.
Jade had to admit
that Raven had a point, but she knew what it was like facing the abyss. She
said, “Maybe not, but I’ve been down my own dark path. We’ll find a way
through this.”
“Can we watch some
television in the living room?” Raven sounded so small when she asked.
“Sure. I’ll make
us popcorn and hot chocolate,” Jade didn’t mean the fake kind, either. Raven
took a side trip to the bathroom to wash her face while Jade airpopped the
popcorn and heated milk on the stove.
“As sisters go,
you’re not that bad sometimes.” Raven said, gathering blankets and pillows for
the couch.
“What a ringing
endorsement,” Jade joked. She forced a smile while her stomach churned with
fear. Sometimes it felt as if darkness surrounded the Gray family, lying in
wait, and one wrong move would end them forever.
Raven turned one
of the kitchen chairs backwards and sat on it with her legs stretched to either
side and her arms resting on the back, “I think we should switch rooms.”
“In what way?”
Jade’s greatest fear was that Raven would say that she, Raven, should stay with
Mindy. That would be
Claire nodded.
“Okay.” Jade
whispered. “Come help me.” She replaced the teddy bear and moved to hang the
curtain rod.
Claire whispered,
“Did you see Raven’s face?”
Jade nodded
quietly. Claire’s eyes were as round as saucers when she remembered the blank
pieces of Raven’s face.
“What happened?”
Claire asked.
“I think the Void
want her. I think they are trying to make her like them,” Jade’s voice was so
low that she could barely hear her own voice.
Claire handed Jade
the curtain rod. She said, “What happens if they succeed?”
Jade didn’t want
to answer. She didn’t want to think about it. While she slipped the rod into
the first groove, Jade said, “We will lose her forever.”
Hanging the last
of the protections, Jade pushed the chair back under Claire’s desk. It was a
wooden desk and wooden chair. Mom had been talking about getting Claire an
office chair for Christmas, but then Claire asked for a pool. The request
might have been strange for anyone else, but fortunately Amazon sold everything
all the time and Claire got an inflatable pool for Christmas instead of an
office chair.
For the hours
Claire spent with the pool, even in the middle of winter, Jade had to admit it was
a worthwhile investment. Give a Water Elemental a puddle of Water, and she’ll
be happy a long time.
Not that Claire
sat at her desk anyway. Most of the time she used her laptop on her bed. Jade
sighed. The fight was over, but it felt like only the beginning.
Mindy crawled out
from under her bed.
Jade picked her
up, cuddling her before she even said a word. It surprised her when Mindy
said, “Raven cry.”
“Okay, Cricket.
I’ll check up on her,” Jade tucked Mindy into her bed. Mindy smelled like Earth,
but there wasn’t a single dirt particle on her. Jade asked, “Are you okay?”
“Mindy hide,”
Mindy grinned and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Jade was supposed to gently
remind her not to suck her thumb. They were breaking her of the habit. She
was too old, but tonight Jade let it go.
“That’s great,
Cricket,” Jade said. She wondered how many more times her baby sister would
have to play hide and seek from sinister monsters. Then she returned to the
sister who might become one.
Chapter 5
~~ Jade ~~
Raven was sobbing with
her head under the covers when Jade walked in. It was a hard thing to listen
to. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Jade would have just
crawled into bed and pretended not to hear.
Instead she sat on
the end of Raven’s bed.
A muffled cry
said, “Leave me alone.”
Jade put a hand on
what was probably Raven’s leg. Jade said, “We’re in this together. I’m scared,
too.”
“You’re not
turning into a faceless thing,” Raven said.
Jade had to admit
that Raven had a point, but she knew what it was like facing the abyss. She
said, “Maybe not, but I’ve been down my own dark path. We’ll find a way
through this.”
“Can we watch some
television in the living room?” Raven sounded so small when she asked.
“Sure. I’ll make
us popcorn and hot chocolate,” Jade didn’t mean the fake kind, either. Raven
took a side trip to the bathroom to wash her face while Jade airpopped the
popcorn and heated milk on the stove.
“As sisters go,
you’re not that bad sometimes.” Raven said, gathering blankets and pillows for
the couch.
“What a ringing
endorsement,” Jade joked. She forced a smile while her stomach churned with
fear. Sometimes it felt as if darkness surrounded the Gray family, lying in
wait, and one wrong move would end them forever.
Raven turned one
of the kitchen chairs backwards and sat on it with her legs stretched to either
side and her arms resting on the back, “I think we should switch rooms.”
“In what way?”
Jade’s greatest fear was that Raven would say that she, Raven, should stay with
Mindy. That would be
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