WICK

☆11☆

The rain bore down relentlessly, it was as though the Mother herself had tipped a pail of water over the city; washing out the usual stench with an even heavier one, tainting the air with it.

Inside the truck Alessia sat curled in her seat; the heat from the vents was graciously welcomed as she watched a thin layer of dew begin to cover the interior windshield.

She lowered the passenger side window just enough to get small droplets of rain to splash into the car, covering her skin in a slight gleam of dew; the rain had always been a calming force of nature to her.

She'd often find herself drawn to the magical sensation it produced, cleansing the world and leaving noticeable traces of it such as the slight tapping against the rooftops, the earthy smells that arose from the aftermath; she even liked how soft the earth grew once it was covered with enough condensation.

It attracted her like a flame attracted a moth, she remembered the years in Coimbatore where the rain seemed almost endless in certain months, she'd laugh and dance in the soothing droplets and encouraged the other children around her to do the same; back then she'd often get scolded for enabling such behaviors yet she still found joy in the little freedom she had.

This was different though, the rain smelled heavily of garbage and smoke, the pitter patters sounded like thunder against the car roof and it looked too somber for her to fully enjoy the feeling of it against her skin.

She could never find herself dancing with these drops, instead she felt the need to roll her window back up and ignore it; but she didn't, she knew she could never ignore the beautiful cleansing that came from rainfall. Just as she knew that this night's stay was not going to be the most lavish nor the cleanest place that they could have picked.

It had only been minutes since Cat had disappeared into the dilapidated motel but to Alessia it felt like hours- especially with the sudden change in weather; it had gone from a beautiful sunset that covered the horizons into the dreary downpour that trapped her in the vehicle she now sat in.

Hesitantly she turned her gaze to the motel that Cat had settled for; it looked as though it had been abandoned rather than fully functioning business; the outside was what looked like a light blue, however with the amount of dirt and grime coating it she wasn't too sure, she noted that more than a couple windows seemed to be replaced with a solid plank of wood

Through the rain she could see the sign that adorned the top of the building, 'The Plutard' the sign professed, because of the weather it looked as though the sign was crying; and though she knew it was improbable, Alessia allowed the image to soak into her mind. The visual of it was almost enough to pull a smile out of her, almost but not quite because she knew that she would have to stay in the crying motel.

Her stare moved from the motel to the surrounding area, she could hear the music playing across the street clear as day, making her cringe to think of how loud it would be inside. Outside stood two men clothed in black, their stances were wide, giving off a "Don't f**k with us" vibe that was noticed by anyone who stepped up to the doors.

Alessia slightly cowered in the truck, despite the fact that they had not even looked her way,she was sure they could overpower her easily- had they found any reason to do so; the thought had her clutching the seat belt that she still had wrapped around her midriff.

One brave pedestrian had the gall to walk up to them, even from her spot across the street she could almost see the wide, cocky grin that crossed his features.

With a quick nod of his head, he attempted to walk past the two burly security guards, only to find his path blocked immediately.

Alessia almost felt sorry for the man that attempted to enter, however that quickly dwindled as she watched the man begin arguing with the two. She could see his arms flailing as he attempted to scream his way into the club, his voice rising so much that she could hear it over the downpour; which made her worry about the eardrums of the two.

Though the rain drowned out the majority of his ranting, she could still hear an occasional "do you know who I am?" Along with various threats to the men who had stopped him.

However his loud tantrum was interrupted by one of the men stepping forward, his stance turning menacing rather than protective.

The loud man took a trembling step back and began talking once more, this time he could not be heard over the rain; it was as though the one step forward had stolen the volume from him.

She could only watch as the guard took the tantrum man's arm, turning back to the other guard, as he spoke the tantrum man began flailing around in a sad attempt to dislodge himself from the guards, the brief conversation was cut short by tantrum man attempting to kick at the guard which only seemed to make his predicament worse.

The other guard joined his coworker on the other side of the tantrum man, taking his other arm and began dragging him towards a back alley that hid between the club and another worn down building.

She watched where they disappeared for a moment before the sight of another person drew her attention. This person was a woman; she wore a long coat that looked glossy due to the weather and her hair was cropped short; she seemed to have been waiting for the guys to come back before walking in the club, giving a slight nod to the two before disappearing into the building.

Alessia caught herself wondering what the difference was between her and the tantrum man, was it because she had been respectful towards the men or did she work at the establishment?

Her thoughts ran wild with the possibilities that she hadn't even noticed when Cattelaya had appeared at her window.

She let out a loud screech as the car door flung open, allowing the cold and wet droplets to fly onto her exposed skin. She'd hoped that the sound hadn't been too noticeable to anyone walking by- thankfully there had been no one else around in this weather besides the two guards who had resumed their duties and stood in place at the entrance of the club, however they paid the sound no mind as they waved the lady through, however it did bring a chuckle out from her older sister.

She watched as Cattelaya moved around her, her hands quickly moving from bag to bag- searching for appropriate belongings that she would bring with them into their room for the night.

Alessia didn't move, she had no belongings to grab; all of her clothes had been left at the airport back in Indore, all her collectibles she'd acquired and photos that she'd taken throughout the years were just gone. It was as if none of it ever existed in the first place- the thought stumped her, the feelings that she'd refused to acknowledge came at her full force; opening the pit in her stomach that had been waiting silently for its time to engulf her.

The pain started in soft spurts; as if trying to sneak past her defenses, however as the seconds ticked she felt it growing larger, heavier this time- it brought waves of anguish as she began to mourn the life that she'd spent so much effort into making normal.

Her lungs worked overtime to drag in what small amounts of oxygen they could, she was grateful that she was already sitting because with how numb her legs felt, she was sure they'd have given out.

"Alessia?" She heard the worried voice of her sister, repeatedly saying her name- yet despite how close she was to her, Cattelaya sounded so far away from her.

The sounds around her began to blend together, as a high pitched ringing began replacing the noise around her.

It was all just gone, she hadn't even noticed her breathing growing heavier, didn't register the panic that had been absorbed into her own.

All that came into her mind was Ryn, whom Alessia had been forced to leave- the way her mentor's face had twisted in fear as she screamed at the girl to get onto the plane, the men that had surrounded her were so quick to drag her away- she knew she'd never see her face again, that that smile that could have warmed even the coolest nights, would be taken away.

Her body shook as Cattelaya desperately yanked off the safety belt that she'd left on, slightly shaking the younger girl in an attempt to bring her attention back to the present.

She had known that life had been over the moment the agents found them- but she also knew that it was always so much harder to start over again, the thought caused her head to throb; the image of her mentor being taken away, the memory of her racing through the airport with nothing but a name.

Riley Legion. The name that led her to Cattelaya, who had resorted to petting the girl in order to calm her down.

Alessia's breaths came in harsh gasps, she could recognize just how bad her lungs were feeling, she grabbed onto her sister- pulling her close into an almost desperate embrace.

"Les, are you-" She cut off as the younger girl lightly shushed her. The only sound that came from the two was the slight ruffling of their clothes rubbing together as Cattelaya adjusted her weight to her other foot.

It took a few minutes of standing in the position, with Cattelaya clumsily stroking the back of her sister's hair and Alessia holding on for dear life, before Alessia let out a defeated sigh- she felt exhausted.

Alessia's arms went limp as her grasp loosened around her sister, who looked at the younger girl with a deer-in-headlights look, the confusion was evident in both her face and in the feeling that flowed between the two. The panic that had layered onto her own now lay dormant within Cattelaya, waiting with baited breath for something else to happen.

When nothing did, the older girl stood straighter- her arms held out as though she were a butler, ready to carry her to the room like an old porter.

"Are you ready?" Cattelaya asked lightly, she feared that if she allowed her voice to go any louder it would set the younger girl back off- however, Alessia only nodded, twisting her body out of the passenger seat and out into the rainy outside world.

The sound of their footsteps echoed around them as they ascended the stone steps, the thin metal railing creaked as Alessia used it to drag herself up- she felt bad having rejected Cattelaya's offer for assistance but she had not wanted to weigh her sister down with the weight of her body.

The door to the door was as dingy as the rest of the building however it was painted an off-white color, the numbers were a brass color and crooked.

The keycard turned the little light atop green as they waved it at the scanner- allowing them access to the room, its two beds took up the majority of the space available and there were two doors across from where they stood at the entrance; one leading to the bathroom and upon further inspection the other was found to be a closet.

The two slowly circled the small space, taking in the dusty interior and musty scent the room exuded, Cattelaya eyed the beds skeptically before dropping her bag of clothes onto the bed closest to the door- the need to distract herself from the silence was overbearing, finally she leaped for her bag.

"I'll be right back." She said as she passed by Alessia, who looked as though she were two seconds from falling over asleep- before the tired teen could react, the bathroom door slammed shut.

Alessia didn't make any notice of the older girl leaving, she had no strength left in her body to even attempt to question her sister; she was ready to lay down, her body was stiff with the day bearing down on her heavily- she didn't want to think anymore; she just wanted to sink into the darkness of sleep.

Walking over to the remaining bed, Alessia allowed her body to flop onto the dense material- the springs creaked against the sudden influx of weight against it.

She could hear Cattelaya in the bathroom- the water had been flowing yet despite that fact she could tell that the light had not been turned on- from under the door she could still only see black.

She rolled her body off the bed once more, hoping to get a shower in before she fully passed out- however just as she went to knock at the door she felt the familiar static that would cling to her skin, causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end, she felt it as her heart began pounding at the sensation, leaping forward as though to touch the current that had sprung out of the bathroom.

The amount of energy that pulsed from the bathroom caused her to falter in her step, the current gave her a feeling of euphoria, like she had every answer to her qualms.

Finally pushing herself out of the feeling, Alessia's hand met the knob and turned it, the current inside the bathroom was breathtaking, unlike any feeling the younger girl had ever felt- it was almost too harsh to find it comforting, too sporadic to find peace in it; this energy was out of control.

"Cat?" She attempted to call out however, her voice was no louder than a whisper- her voice lost in the waves of endless electricity that surrounded the two of them.

All at once all sensations halted, no longer did Alessia feel the endless waves of electricity- the breathless wonder that had encapsulated her.

"What was that?" She managed to breath out, her wide silver eyes turning from her sister to the room- as though she were searching for the source of the feeling within the confines of the 8x8 cubicle bathroom.

"We needed money." Cattelaya stated simply, she sat hunched over her belongings casually, as though the whole thing were just a normal occurrence; the look in her eyes was wild and almost excited despite that, her demeanor was stiff- she had not wanted to lose control of herself.

The feeling had begun to take over before she could have even attempted to reign herself in- it had been getting harder and harder for her to grasp the waves of power she felt. Harder to pull herself from the intense longing that came every time she used her ability however not using it was also not an option.

She knew Alessia wanted answers but she didn't feel ready to give those answers so instead she stood to her feet and scooped up the wallet that had previously been cradled against her body, its once empty pocket now sat thick with bills.

"You want pizza tonight or chinese?" She asked, giving a wolfish grin before picking up her black cell phone; it matched the ones each of the siblings had- they were the only ones that were deemed safe enough to have, they were low maintenance and easily replaced.

"Chinese sounds good," Alessia said quietly, her eyes moved back into the room that the two had exited- her mind still reeling over the strong surges that threatened to overtake her.

"Cat?" She began lightly, her eyes moved from where her sister sat, the humor had left her face and she sat as still as a statue, she didn't want to talk about it.

The room went quiet for a while before Cattelaya exhaled loudly, laying back onto her bed before looking over to meet her sister's eyes.

"I just have a bit of a hard time controlling it sometimes." She said flatly, her face turned cold as she spoke, as if she were telling an unfortunate truth to someone she didn't even know. Which, when Alessia thought about it, seemed fair- considering they had barely spoken on the phone these days.

They were, in all senses of the word, strangers to each other. The connection they had was still intact yet they didn't even know what the other person liked to do with their free time.

Alessia didn't know what to say in response to her sister's confession- she hadn't the slightest clue if she was even supposed to respond, but she did know that the girl was hungry and that used to have a big effect on the girl's mood.

So, with an awkward grin the younger girl waddled over to her sister, palm out. "Can I see the menu?" She asked, causing Cattelaya to release a sigh of- what she could only guess was relief, before handing Alessia her phone.

•°•°•°

The two girls had both finished their showers and now each donned a pair of Cattelaya's pajama bottoms and a crew neck t-shirt. Food in hand, they talked about the lives they lived before they were forced back together.

"So you're telling me," Cattelaya began, a look of bewilderment sprawled across her face, "you took a batch of homemade caramels-"

"It was toffee!" Alessia exclaimed, pointing her finger accusingly at the older girl she had just interrupted- who took the interruption as an opportunity to stuff another dumpling into her mouth.

"My mistake, toffee," she corrected herself, swallowing the contents in her mouth before chuckling at the thought and the conversation they were having. "Homemade toffee, through hurricane-like weather, to an old man- who you even admit didn't like you even a smidge." She exclaimed, her eyes went wide with amusement as Alessia cringed away from her sister's judgment.

"Yes?" She didn't understand why it came out as a question but she didn't have time to think about it before Cattelaya clapped back.

"Why?" She asked with a single clap to emphasize her point.

"Why not?" Alessia asked back, though her claps were a lot weaker than her sister's due to her laughter.

"Because he was a cun-"

"Cat!" Alessia exclaimed, covering her ears as though she were protecting them from her.

"What, you ain't never heard no one cuss before?" Cattelaya asked playfully, drawing a scowl from the girl who chucked the pillow she had at her older sister- Cattelaya gave one last laugh before throwing her hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry Lessa. I promise I will try to not say bad words in front of you." Her words were light and full of laughter.

"Do you swear?" Alessia asked tentatively, holding out her hand with the smallest finger extended.

Cattelaya looked at it for a second, her eyes trained heavily on the innocent extremity- Alessia almost considered putting down her hand but before she could, the older girl wrapped her pinky around Alessia's, conjoined the two.

"Cross my heart." She said solemnly.

The two talked endlessly about the many places they'd been- the names they went by and the people they met along the way. Alessia took notice of how certain memories would squeeze at her sister's heart causing a now familiar ache to erupt between the two; just as Cattelaya noted how petrified Alessia was, how every mention of what would happen next caused the girl's heart to race and her palms to sweat. They noticed but never mentioned it in fear of bursting the euphoric bubble they were holding themselves in.

The hours seemed to fly by and before either of them knew it, they were both lying in their respective beds; tucked into the sheets and ignoring the smells the best they could.

It was quiet for a moment before Cattelaya began rustling around on her side once more.

"What are you doing?" Alessia mumbled from where she laid, her eyelids felt like they were being weighed down as she continued to force them open.

"Sorry, it's too quiet." Cattelaya whispered back, her hands moved through the darkness with a quick efficiency that ended as soon as they started.

Soon the sounds of water filled the room, the relaxing whooshing lulled the younger girl to sleep almost instantly, which would have been humorous to Cattelaya had the sounds not also begun to put her to sleep.

The room was quiet, the sounds of river water mixed with the storm outside harmonized with the sound of snores- the peaceful ambiance of the room seemed to seep out into the streets as the night carried on, the usual noise of the nightlife had taken a backseat to nature's own soundtrack.

Across the street the club was shutting down for the night, taking away even more audio from the world as the gentle rain cleansed the concrete world that had taken the place of the Mother's creation.

The sound of thunder woke Cattelaya from her sleep, it had sounded too close to be normal- something felt off and she knew better than anyone that if it felt off then it typically was.

With quick but silent movements, Cattelaya was across the room, crouching in front of Alessia's bed.

"Lessa," she whispered, the younger girl didn't respond. "Alessia!" She whispered, again and again she called out for her sister who made no indication of getting up.

Finally she clasped her hand over the younger girl's mouth before giving her a hard shake. "Alessia!" She whisper-yelled, the younger girl flailed her arms around for a moment; startled at the abrupt awakening, before calming down enough to pry her sister's hand off her mouth.

"What are you-" She was cut off by Cattelaya's hand once again over her mouth, this time however, she didn't make a move to remove it this time as her eyes met the space where Cattelaya had been staring at the entire time.

Outside the window stood the shadowy silhouette of a man.

Then there was a knock at the door.