WICK

☆8☆

The thick, sweet smoke eagerly entered the girl's lungs sending a wave of calm through her system, she sighed in relief as a surge of cool rushed through her body silencing the vibrations that had danced across her flesh, sending goosebumps down her arms.

She relished in the quiet that seemed to encapsulate her; her racing thoughts were stalled in the mass haze. However, at the same time though, her mind seemed to relax she felt as though the peace she felt was simply a frail imitation- a mirage she put up to withhold from the impending fate of having to not only relive the day by talking about it, but also find a way to move on.

Her breath caught in her throat as the realization began to set in, I have to take care of us.

Precariously she smothered the lit object, making sure the red ember had died down before placing it in the cup holder beside her as the thought brought on a new, worsening feeling of horror as she stared forward.

Beside her she could feel Alessia stir uncomfortably as the terror iced the girl's body, she felt her own dread begin to fill her body as her mind wandered back to the numerous plants she'd attempted to have over the years that had ended up being rescued by her guardian or worse, tossed in the trash after succumbing to the dark trenches.

Her eyes wandered to her sister's questioning stare as she took another puff, Alessia's more than old enough to be able to find her own food if I forget, right?

Her eyes darted from the car in front of them to the younger girl once more; the image of throwing her sister's body in the trash flashed through her brain causing her to shudder before looking back to the front quickly.

She took a second to let the image float away before she looked back at the younger girl, taking the opportunity to pass the leading car.

"So Les," she began, her cracked and shaky voice caught her sister's attention quickly sending a jolt of worry through both of them.

Cattelaya's eyes turned away from her sister as she roughly cleared her throat, the girl wasn't sure whether or not the ice breaker she had been attempting to use as a distraction would suffice to quell the slow building panic that stood to suffocate the older sibling.

"H-how," she tried hesitantly, it felt like a cord had struck between the two; Alessia's entire body shifted towards her sister's. Her intentions reading as clear as the furrow of her thick brows; she was going to make her Cattelaya talk to her, whether she wanted to or not.

Had she not been responsible for both parties in the car, Cattelaya felt as though she would have just listened to the song and let Jesus take the wheel; see if he could handle the amount of pure mortification that hung in the air.

A part of her almost considered doing it regardless, if not to escape her sister's striking leer.

Jesus f*****g christ, how the hell can I actually feel her stare?

And it was true; whenever the younger girl's eyes landed on any part of her older sister's body, it felt as though a physical force had grabbed at the appendage and began pulling it towards her.

Soon, Cattelaya felt the pressure against her cheek; at first it felt like a slight nudge, however the longer she attempted to ignore the feeling, the harsher it became until she was forced to turn and face her sister.

Alessia's curious eyes ran over the older girl's face slowly, "what's wrong kit-Cat?" She asked softly, she seemed to be trying to read something on Cattelaya's expression but looked disappointed as the older girl smoothed her features, clearing any signs of panic that had been present.

"Nothing's wrong Lessa Lou." She exclaimed, the obvious lie left the back of her mouth tasting as sour as spoiled milk. She'd always hated lying, it was one of the worst parts of her life; every time a new life was spun from thin air she felt as though it were an insult to the Mother above.

But a lie to the family felt like an exile sentence; for her to hold anything away from her sister would mean for her to, in some way, sever their connection.

Her brain felt as though its contents were morphed into a cacophony of curses to herself, for her own suspected future shortcomings and her inability to be what her sister would truly need.

Maybe I could find a sister coven that could hide her? She thought to herself, the suggestion was enough to make her stomach clench painfully.

The notion of spending another decade running but this time, without the benefit of a guardian to keep the pressing danger from eroding her psyche was terrifying. And even moreso, the thought of having to once again separate from her sister, after spending so long wishing to see her family; to be able to sit beside any one member as she was now, it felt as though she were being asked to give up the air that flowed through her lungs and continue living while the rest of the world leisurely inhaled.

She felt as though a trap had sprung that she'd not even known had been placed, the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach grew heavy, with the new weight of it acting as a pulley system to try and drag her body inward.

The sudden influx of emotion sprung forth the urge that had lay dormant under her skin; the current that once whispered sweet pleas now roared its demand for escape.

She felt as though her heart had developed a new rhythm; beating far more erratically than she believed should be healthy, her breathing began to stutter out of her windpipes, and her hands had begun shaking against their grips on the wheel.

For a moment she could only sit in her spiraling thoughts; her anxieties had a grip on her throat, causing its airways to feel somehow even more constricted and in the midst of her suffocation the urge grew to a blaze, the upholstered seats under her seemed to sizzle and c***k as she shifted uncomfortably at the sudden heat that accompanied the feeling.

Just breathe. The voice of her mentor suddenly seemed to drift forward from the deepest realms of her psyche, in the back of her mind Cattelaya recounted the various techniques they'd acquired during her many past attacks.

The constricted feeling in her chest began to dull as she forced oxygen through her airways; the ability to breathe was soon paired with the one to think clearly, her brain began its task of sorting through the day, storing away the heavier situations for when they were better situated to deal with it.

The semi-smooth, relatively backed up road ahead of them provided no real distraction for Cattelaya, but at least with the slow pace she could think without worrying about potentially crashing and causing yet another delay.

Like a jigsaw puzzle coming to fruition, she felt the pieces of a plan starting to form, its ragged edges slowly beginning to link in order- they would not separate; at least not yet.

First they needed to find shelter for them, Jersey has tons of motels which would be good for keeping their opponents busy guessing which one they'd be in; if they even realized the two had stayed so close. After Jersey they'd probably go somewhere on the West Coast for a while.

Maybe we can meet back up with DJ? The fleeting thought caused her heart to stutter; to unite with another member of her family seemed almost greedy at this point- especially considering just how close they had been to getting caught.

No, I can't risk so many of us. Her teeth clenched as a sudden wave of anger crashed over her, the iniquity of their situation made her want to track down the gods and goddesses themselves and cuss them til the sun no longer rose or fell.

But knowing that her quest would be in vain, she instead decided to breathe and continue thinking of the wishy washy plan she'd begun forming.

She was seventeen; in certain states all you need is a signed document stating that you're fit to live on your own, a couple of minutes and she'd have just that- without all the legal hassle that usually came with such a process- all she needed was a place to stop; and after she had the documents, they would simply need to wait in the motel til she found a place that was safe.

It was flawed and barely thought through, but it was a plan nonetheless. Cattelaya slowly reached her hand forward to once again grab her rolled joint and lighter; allowing one last lingering thought on their situation before sparking the object and allowing it to once more take her wandering mind away.

Her fingers danced around the steering wheel as her mind swirled, its rhythm changing with every thought that flowed through her body- the softer thoughts were met with slow, light touches; whereas the harsher thoughts- which took a lot more energy to ward off, were met with fast, erratic beats to match their ferocity.

She didn't say a word to her sister as she sat watching her from her own seat; both girls could still feel her bubbling dread underneath the surface- however, Alessia knew that Cattelaya would be more likely to raid the Hunter's headquarters blind than she was to talk to her about the distress she was in.

The silence dragged on as the car slowed to a crawl just outside of the city; the only sound between them was the continued tapping from Cattelaya and a flash NEWS update that had taken over the radio.

Apparently there had been an accident a couple yards after the poll booth which had drastically slowed all the lanes down causing the backup; they were looking at a good 45 minute wait at least.

The older girl took a puff of her makeshift doobie, reveling once more in the cool waves of bliss that flooded her body and allowing the silence to carry her thoughts away from her own constant paranoia and letting her focus on the facts she had at the moment.

She knew that her and Alessia were safe, knew where they were going, also that Orion was probably squatting somewhere waiting on her call and lastly she knew without a doubt that her guardian was gone, the hunters wouldn't have allowed a being of her stature to escape alive and the fact that she hadn't popped up yet was a bigger indicator of that fact. But what happened to Alessia's?

•°•°•°•

The incessant tapping of her fingers against the wheel caused little pitter patters to be heard through the vehicle, Alessia's still figure suddenly shifted- the seat that she was in began to decline as she made herself comfortable once more.

The quiet was something the younger girl was beginning to grow more than a little tired of, she'd never had such a difficult time getting anyone to open up to her; hell even the most bitter of elders would c***k a smile and coo at the sight of her passing.

She remembered the first time she'd ever met a man that immediately didn't like her; she'd been way younger then, about 7.

Her and her guardian- Ophelia, had been searching for a decent place to settle in for weeks at that point and finally they were set to move into a smaller bungalow in Coimbatore.

Alessia recalled her initial excitement of being somewhere so new and pretty; she remembered looking at the luscious green hills around her and imagining herself rolling from the top of one of them all the way down to the bottom, and then her disappointment when her guardian told her that it wasn't possible without catching too much attention.

At first she had believed that maybe they'd taken a field trip to a fantasy land, rather than them being in danger- they were instead having an adventure.

When they'd first arrived at the home Alessia took off in search of her living quarters, the speed at which she was running should have been worrisome enough- considering at that age Alessia was more clumsy than a giraffe on skates; however when she rounded the corner and crashed face first into the older real estate agent, who looked down on her with so much disdain that she abandoned her previous quest and darted back to her guardian, she knew that this experience wasn't going to be the field trip she expected.

However after the initial introductions, Alessia found that even Mr. Singh had a weak spot; his came in the form of Kismi Toffee.

No matter what time or day it was, Mr. Singh was always munching on his toffee, and it was to the point where even his wife would say that he could replace her with the sticky stuff and would only care when he realized he'd have to clean for himself.

At the time it seemed like an amusing jab at the old man, however the longer they knew each other the more true that statement seemed to be.

There was a particularly rainy week that had left not only the roads but also the fields flooded, that same week happened to be the week that Mr. Singh had to have a mild surgery; leaving him bedbound and, seeing as Mrs. Singh had refused to brave the storm in order to restock his inventory- completely toffeeless.

Little Alessia, being desperate to finally get on the man's good side, scrounged the town's entire library looking for a decent toffee recipe and when she'd finally found one with a close enough taste to his originals, she went to him.

Her bouncy curls were weighed down with raindrops, every delicate coil moved each time the warm liquid dropped off the strands- landing on her shoulders.

Thankfully the weather had also been relatively warm or she feared she would have gotten sick from just how soaked she had been, the rain had yet to give up it's rampage as it beat against her small frame with the wind following closely after, at a certain point she had almost talked herself out of going over; hoping to come once the storm had calmed slightly.

For a good portion of the small journey to her neighbor's home, little Alessia cursed her own stubbornness- however as her small fists made contact with their door she felt a small surge of pride for having finished the task; she'd made it through the tumultuous storm.

When a wary Mrs. Singh opened the door to find the bone soaked child she was horrified and quickly ushered her inside with such panic that Alessia had initially forgotten the reason for the trek, quickly she apologized to the lady for the fright but then her shock turned back to excitement as she asked for the man of the house.

As soon as he appeared, Alessia gently presented the squished container that she'd tucked close to her body.

At first the man refused to touch the plastic, too busy lecturing the young girl on the importance of weather safety to care about whatever had caused the girl to be so reckless- however as soon as the gift had their attention neither the Mr. nor Mrs. could find a word to say.

"I made your special toffee!" Little Alessia joyfully cried as she attempted to shove the sweets into his grasp.

After a little bit of prodding the older man allowed his hands to tighten around the container; the gooey light brown delicacies were awkward in shape but smelled like a home that Mr. Singh knew was long gone, one he seemed to have almost forgotten himself.

The girl was certain that her eyes had been playing tricks on her when the first tear ran down his face, but after the second and third one Alessia found herself panicking.

She'd never seen an adult cry; let alone a man, in fact at that time she was under the impression that adult men couldn't cry at all, so when Mr. Singh broke out in sobs she was prepared to face whatever consequences would follow- however she was surprised when he instead scooped her into his arms in an embrace.

From that day on, anytime the two would meet he'd take out his toffee and tell her stories of the woman who started his toffee addiction; his mother had been a sweets maker for his entire childhood so it was obvious where his love derived from.

Alessia would listen and giggle at the many tales he would narrate for her about a time before her or even her father, she imagined his words in her mind- creating people and places to fill her cast as he continuously wove his life into a story for her to enjoy.

After Mr. Singh came Ms. Patel, who had lost her daughter in a house fire some years ago; she'd taken to her after Alessia began helping with her garden. Then came Mr. and Mrs. Kumar then Mr. Devi, then the other Mr. Singh.

There had been plenty of Jack Frosts that Alessia ran into and one after the other they all thawed into open and loving people with just the right amount of TLC.

So why isn't she reacting the same way? A small spark of anguish shot through the girl as she thought over their entire reunion- and then her mind once again began swimming to her life before.

Before she could get too deep in thought Cattelaya's voice sprung through the void, causing Alessia to jolt slightly at the sudden intrusion.

"What happened to Ophelia?" The trepidation in her voice was gone- in its place was steel layered in ice; cold and impenetrable.

For a moment Alessia could only stare blankly at her sister; the question itself didn't seem like it was the hardest question she would have to answer- yet with the worst of their imminent threats almost an entire state away, Alessia was finally was able to take in the entire weight of the events that had taken place that morning and the night before causing her heart to pound against her ribcage; her thoughts, which had been so absorbed in the chances of finding her sister, now cleared of the fog and haste of their exploits turned to her guardian.

They'd only just been in the New Delhi market when it happened, an entire group of hunters had came barreling towards the two- to the spectators around them it would have had to have looked as though Interpol were coming through to arrest them; men and women in protective gear with their weapons drawn and ready.

It had especially looked that way when Ophelia began attacking the approaching menaces, the age old mentor threw her entire being at the group- taking a few at the front down before they could even reach to pull the trigger.

Alessia's heart stuttered painfully as she remembered the terrified howls of her mentor; pleading with her to flee- to find a Riley Legion and stay safe with them until she was able to return, and so she did.

Alessia's pain turned to anger, at the hunters for once again ruining the life she'd built, at Ophelia for telling her to run under false pretenses of a reunion, at herself for following the command.

She wished the stubbornness- which had driven her to brunt hurricane level wind speeds and rain that slashed at her face and neck, would have come forth in that moment.

A part of her pondered what would have happened to her had she attempted to stay and fight beside her guardian; would they both be in the car with Cattelaya- trying to break through her cold exterior as a united front rather than Alessia's weak solo attempts? Would they have even survived at all?

Their last moments had been so confusing and messy, to say the least- and, though she wished it weren't so, she was sure that Ophelia hadn't made it out as she had promised Alessia she would.

Her eyes fell forward just as Cattelaya turned to face her; the entire atmosphere shifted as the question hung in the air, even the radio seemed to quiet down for her answer.

She felt as though she were on a stage, even though her only audience just happened to be the person driving the vehicle- it still made her feel a sense of stage fright to be suddenly put on the spot; especially since she'd just barely had enough time to fully think about and process what all had happened.

She weighed her answer carefully, trying to decide whether it would be for her own best interest to delicately answer or if she could handle the bluntness that her sister had always been drawn to.

Letting out a shuddering breath she closed her eyes and allowed the words to form behind her eyelids before releasing them to flow through the cab.

"She's gone."