Bridgette floated through the air as one would float through a sea, riding the nonexistent currents, ‘feeling’ the nonexistent breeze ruffle the raven-black feathers of her wings. Quite often she would feel a little speck of something land upon her cheek, her neck. Ash. Falling ashes. Soft, beautiful ashes always falling from an unreachable grey sky and twirling, dancing down to the burning hell that was Purgatory’s new reputation. She scanned the Victorian themed School-town as it passed below. Looking for the crumpled figure of a Second Death child. A group of monsters crying out with glee. A puddle of velvety crimson blood. Anything that would tell her what she needed to know.
Yet, so far, there had been nothing. Nothing at all. Just…the bleak.
Groaning with displeasure, Bridgette decided it was time for a spell. A simple, elementary one, but incredibly useful one nonetheless.
Holding up her fingers at an angle, the human woman uttered the first two lines and watched as wispy black strands of magic passed through, over, around them. “Find it sure, find it fast. Find it so you make it last. Give it time, but it won’t pass.” As she completed the third line, the strands suddenly went taut and straight, wispy no more. They started to extend themselves like a rope, a leash to lead Bridgette forward.
She smiled and followed in the direction they lead her, wings beating so silently and gently she almost forgot they were a part of her.
______________________
Darla was enraged at what she was seeing. Why were these kids even listening to him, let alone doing what he said? Forget the candy, the beds, the toys. This was exploitation she was dealing with here. Hands on her hips, she trotted up to Orphin and stepped in front of him. “ALRIGHT. Now whatever loony show you’re trying to pull here…It’s not going to work. I’m not going to do anything a freaky looking man in a black coat tells me to do. Never. Forget it. I should beat you up right now…I’ve taken grown men before...” As she said these words, the young hyena leaned in dangerously close to Orphin and poked his chest with a finger.
Back with the others, Brenna looked over and saw what Darla was doing. She had been making her bed as told, but not in a rush: she had been doing every part insanely carefully, with perfection, hospital corners and all, just like she used to back at home.
“Darlaaa! What are you doing?” she cried, before dropping the comforter she was turning like a hot potato and running to her best friend’s side. She pushed her out of close proximity to Orphin and stood to Darla’s side, one hand extended protectively in front of the hyena, the other still tightly gripping her precious rosary. Little did she know that, if she let go, and her rosary was seen, it would be quickly seized and destroyed and she would be punished even on her first day.
Bridgette did not tolerate anything religious in her school: rosaries, bibles, Wiccan crosses, Korans, marble Buddhas, you name it and Bridgette would find a way to destroy it.
“You’ll have to excuse Darla, sir,” Brenna said, her voice laden with anxiety. “She knows not of what she speaks.” The unicorn turned and glared at her friend. “Violence is never the answer, Darla. We need to just do what he says and find a peaceful solution.”
“Oohh ho ho, I know very well of what I speak. This guy here is cruising for a bruising!”
One seething with anger, the other dripping with fear, the two children started to gently grapple with each other for who would have control of this situation.
______________
“Oh joy, oh joy! What a fun way to pass the time before a Surgery.” Aike-Aike turned back around, ultimate glee spreading across her face faster than butter across toast. She skipped to the boy’s side. “Don’t you tell me where it is, now…” the Nurse leaned in closer and whispered the next part, her voice betraying her motive…“‘Cause that’s cheating. Buuuuut, and this is just between you and me, little guy….Aike always wins.”
She watched him as he breathed, or tried to, a thin blood trailing from the corner of his mouth from internal damage, his chest heaving up and down at an insane rate, heartbeat wild from his trauma. Then she smiled and took four things from the pocket on her dress: one, a tiny pink book. Two, an oversized sewing needle. Three, a spool of equally oversized black thread. And, four, a tiny knife.
“Don’t think that Aike’s an idiot all the time,” she announced, this time loud enough both the boy and the Doctor to hear. “She has a job, that she does, and she tries to do the best at it she can…That is why…she keeps stock of what she owns.”
Aike took the knife and quickly tore through the tight threads around her right wrist, connecting her hand to her arm. They made a popping sound as they broke, and as the final thread was loosed, her hand fell to the floor, cold, limp, white, like it was dead. She put down the knife gingerly and took up in its place her little blue book. Grinning, she addressed her newly removed hand. “Dearie, you remember what Aike owns don’t you? You’re smarter than her if I remember right.”
Shuddering briefly, the hand came to life. It gathered itself onto its five lithe ‘legs’ and performed a horrid sort of bow. “Oooof coursssse….I live for yooooouuuuuu….” Its voice was feminine, but odd, even more odd than Aike herself, and sounded like a nymph drowning in oil.
“Good. Then help Aike find what’s missing. I’m going to start over here.” The wolf strode to the other side of the room and opened up her book. Inside was a list of everything she owned and how much she owned of each thing. Alone, it would take forever to discover that Nero had hidden a syringe despite having this list. But with her hand, who had a brain capacity several times larger and reasoning skills to boot, it would take no time at all.
Cheaters never prosper, they say, but Aike even cheated on her own games--- and when you're slimy enough to cheat on your own games, then people don't bother to try and correct your habits.