Hallows: Pretty Snakes & Devils

Dads

Bad Omens- THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND

B.B.

The farmhouse built between the outskirts of Northern Hellnbourne and Old Town, is the one place my dad forbade us all to come to when we were kids. As we approach the house on foot, I understand why. I taste the centuries of malice coming from inside. My jaw aches and saliva fills my mouth to the point of drooling. Dec is the one that notices first.

"You okay, Lil Mama?" he grips my wrist as I swallow for the hundredth time.

"I feel it too," Carson says. "She can taste all the bad s**t Blackstones have done in that place,"

"So, it's what? Like the haunted mansion?" Ahsan asks.

"Worse," I shake my head. "It's like thousands of haunted mansions in that four-bedroom farmhouse,"

"We were never allowed to go in there as kids. Some of the spirits trapped there can jump into empty vessels. Hunters are safe. They're warded against possession. They can't be touched by anything between the veil,"

"What about us?" Dec whispers. The three of us smile at him. They can't and won't touch us but his irrational fear of spirits is so cute. He's literally one of the scariest creatures in the world himself.

"Just ignore them," I give his hand a squeeze.

He mumbles something under his breath. It sounds a lot like he's praying. We all go still when the sound of SMGs goes off. In the windows of the farmhouse, the flashing starts downstairs and moves up to the second floor until it all falls quiet. We look over at the spare snake and devil. The two of them shrug.

"Don't look at us. We were just here for a snatch and go," Thomas shakes his head. We all freeze when the front door is ripped open and my mom walks out fixing her black and red Fallen Baseball Jersey.

"Mom?" I call out. She freezes and then turns to look over at us.

"B, you can't just be popping up places, Baby. That's how you get killed, Mensa," she growls at me.

"What are you doing here?" I growl back annoyed.

"These are the f***s that blew up David's house, right?"

"Yeah," the guys all laugh.

"My sons could have been in there. I wasn't just going to stand around doing nothing. Where the f**k were you?" she places her hands on her hips like I'm the one doing something wrong.

"These two tried to kidnap Ahsan," I point at them. "We got a little held up,"

"There you guys are," my dad appears behind her. He's trying to wipe blood off his face. "This s**t is not coming out, Baby,"

"That's what you get for using one as a shield,"

"I don't like getting shot," he rolls his eyes as he dabs at his flannel. "This is my favorite one. Del gave it to me in Atlanta this Summer,"

"Brandon is really good with stains," Carson tells him.

"Is Asshat with you guys? I'd like to see this place blown to s**t," my dad tosses the rag in his hand over his shoulder. I turn around and start making my way back to the car.

"I thought you said you wanted to see San blow s**t up? Carson calls after me.

"I'll be at the house," I shrug and take a deep breath. I pop up by Percy's stable. Christmas Coal lets out a loud screech and bounces around until she can get away from me. Tim and Percy could care less. I do it all the time.

It was stupid. I'm so f*****g stupid and lame, but I can't help the way I feel around my parents and Delilah. Seeing them around. Seeing mom in her Fallen t-shirt. Dad's stupid flannel. I can't be around them because of what I am. Because I'm alive and they're not. The closer they try to get the worse things always seem to get for me. That's the point, isn't it? To have them within reach without ever being able to be close. It just feels lonely. This loneliness is f*****g heavy and it only makes these negative emotions in me louder. It makes my hate and anger stronger. There are days that I just don't know what to do with all of it. It's ridiculous but I can't control it.

"I wasn't aware you were home, Miss," James comes out of Sundae's stall and shuts it.

"I just got back," I clear my throat.

"You've been preoccupied as of late," he comes closer. I place my hand on my horse's head. "You only take on as much as you can when you're hiding something. You know you can talk to me about anything, yes?"

"Yes," I try to keep my voice even but it comes out as a squeak. He sighs placing his hand on my head.

"Come now. Out with it," he encourages.

Before I can say anything a loud explosion catches his attention. His eyes come back to mine and I pretend I didn't hear a single thing. I did want to see Ahsan blow something up but my parents kind of ruined the moment. Even if I had stayed I wouldn't have enjoyed it.

"B.B.," My dad's voice comes from outside and the sound of Liquorish's feet hitting the damp soil follows. When I glance up at James he seems to understand why I'm upset.

"Why don't you go inside, Miss? Change out of these," he points at my gear.

"I'm going out," I shake my head.

"Alone? Again? You have a pick of willing accompanists to go with you," he reminds me.

"I know. I just want to be alone right now,"

"B.B.," my Dad calls out again. He walks into the barn his beautiful nightmare of a horse in tow. "There you are,"

"I'm not staying long," I tell him leaning into Percy.

"B.B., why are you upset?"

"Because you're here," I snap. He flinches taking a step back.

"Do you not want me to be here?"

"You can't be here. You and Mom can't be around me. My powers go insane when you are. You're dead. Every time you come here I have to be reminded of that,"

"B, I just want what's best for you and Del,"

"You can hang out with Delilah all you want because she's f*****g dead too, Dad. Do you not understand how f****d up this is? Having you around reminds me that I can never really have any of it. You're a phantom in my life and it literally drives me f*****g insane,"

I pop to the front door and open it. I am instantly greeted by my Grandmother Penelope. I groan forgetting that I wanted to speak with them about the hunter marks on the boys.

"She's upset," she says looking over at my Grandfather.

"She can see us. Dante must be nearby. I swear that f*****g kid never listens," he shakes his head.

"Hey," I greet them.

"Hi, sweet face," Grandma reaches for him like she's going to tip my chin. My skin breaks out in goosebumps when her hand passes through me.

"I wanted to ask if you guys know anything about the hunter marks outside of the Mark of Obedience," I say.

"Come," my Grandfather offers me his hand. I glare at him making him smile. "Forgive me. Force of habit,"

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"The study," he answers.

He begins to make his way up the stairs. My heart starts beating really fast as I follow behind him. Up here is where all the other spirits are. I've only encountered one other one and he was kind of a stiff. When I reach my old room, I stop dead in my tracks. An overwhelming sensation comes over my skin and I shiver. There's a woman standing in front of what used to be Lucien and Carson's old room. Her glowing blue malevolent eyes are trained on me but she doesn't move.

"Away with you, Eirwen," my Grandmother hisses at her. The woman melts away like hot wax into a puddle that rolls away into the shadows. "Sorry, she's just curious. Eirwen Hunter was murdered and discarded into a vat of acid by her daughter. It's why she's slimy. You'll get used to her,"

"I don't want to," I admit. I stay close to her as she leads me to the study where my Grandfather waits. "Can't you go in?"

"No, I am only allowed entrance by one of my own," he shakes his head.

"Okay," I nod and open the door for him. "Now what?"

"Hold your hand out for me to take," he bows slightly.

"Will you be able to?"

"We'll find out," he smiles. I flex my hand and hold it out.

"B.B.," my Dad calls out. I groan and take my Grandfather's hand. It's solid. He smiles and steps into the study. Not as a ghost but as a man. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"That's interesting," he says looking down at his hands. When he looks back up at me he smiles and reaches out to take a strand of my hair. His eyes fill with tears and they slide down his face. He reaches up to catch one.

"B.B. I'm so-" My dad freezes in the doorway. His eyes go from me to his father. "What the f**k did you do?" he accuses me. "Get away from my daughter," he tries to reach for me but I step away. "B.B. he's dangerous,"

"No, he's not, Dad. I need him to show me where I can find information on the Hunter Marks that the boys were born with,"

"Son," Grandpa greets him.

"Don't call me that," my Dad growls at him.

"Doctor Blackstone," I poke him. He smiles looking down at me. His eyes crinkle along the edges. They're an intense blue.

"Right, come here, love," he takes my hand. My Dad steps into the study not taking his eyes off us. We make our way over to the bookcases where there are several armor pieces. "This entire section here is dedicated to the Marks of the Reaper or as you call them, Hunter Marks,"

"Marks of the Reaper?"

"Yes," he nods. "These are marks of hell created by our ancestors to claim their humans. This is something that skips your generation as it did your father's because the two of you can mark your mates with your snakes. But this is how we did it," he reaches for a book. "The Mark of Obedience," he hands it to me. "It was one of the first marks created by Alexandria Blackstone,"

"How did she lose control of them?" I ask him.

"It's not as complicated as it seems. The marks are a lot like having a familiar. Absolute obedience is not an easy order to accomplish. However, the more you demand obedience the stronger the bearer becomes. Humans are fickle. They were created to be free wild things. It is their nature to resist as it is ours to reap. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I nod flipping through the pages.

"Alexandria became reckless. She abused her power over her mate and he snapped. Vaughn Helsing tried to reason with her but reapers are often born without a conscience and we demand excellence," he shrugs. "He took the spell and shared it with his brother and sister. The power he unleashed on humanity was so strong he was able to break free from Alexandria's hold. He demanded she remove the marks and when she didn't he betrayed her,"

"David couldn't die when his mark was on him. How did the other hunters die?"

"Alexandria was his maker. His soulmate. She created the monster he became and she destroyed it. Too late she realized what she had done and when it was over, she ended herself as well. Leaving her son, Mavollo Blackstone alone at six years old. Savage Boy lived to be nineteen. Hunted by Vaughn's siblings. He fathered two vessels during his time on the run. Mina and Marcelous Blackstone. Those two fought to the death for the Reaper. Mina proved to be the strongest,"

"Grandpa, can I show you something?" I ask him.

"Uh-" he says nervously. "Sure,"

"If I leave the room will you become a ghost again?"

"No, not until I walk out of it,"

I pop into my lab grab the new syringes I've been working on and pop back into the study. He and my dad are in the same exact position I left them in. My dad is standing by the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. My Grandfather is still standing where I left him.

"Okay, so I was able to adjust your formula," I say. It instantly catches his attention. "Take a look at this," I hold up the small vile and give it a shake. "Cool huh?"

"It's a very small dose," he taking it.

"Yes, a more concentrated one," I pull my sleeve up revealing the shamrock tattoo I let Dylan do on my hand when he was bored. He's been helping me with this. I take one of the syringes and pierce my skin. I squeeze a small amount and it instantly starts to blur and then altogether disappears.

"Pain?" he asks.

"Miminal. It actually feels cold. It doesn't feel like fire anymore. I added my venom," I explain. He looks up at me and smiles.

"I never thought to do that," he admits.

"I only tried because Carson suggested it. I told him it burns and I've bitten him before. He said it helps with the pain and suggested I try using my venom before the serum. It didn't work but when I added it while I was making more. It totally worked,"

"Smaller doses," he nods. "And it would work on all Hallows because of the serum itself,"

"Exactly," I nod.

"You are a magnificent little creature," he grins.

"Would you like to see my notes?" I ask him. This is the first time anyone gets excited about this with me and his approving eyes are a little addicting.

"I think it's time for him to go back out," My Dad pulls me away from him.

"Aww, but-"

"Enough, B.B." he growls. "Go away, old man,"

"Dante-"

"I said go away," he says a little louder. "Or I'm taking you back to hell with me, right now,"

"Dad," I push him away.

"B.B. you can't let him in. This is what he does. You're not a person to him. You're just a thing that's entertaining him right now. I get it. When he's praising you and loving everything that's coming out of your mouth, he's the ideal father, but when it stops. He'll turn back into the piece of s**t that he really is," he growls glaring at him. "Trust me, Pinky. He's not what you think he is. He never will be,"

"He's right," Grandpa nods. "I think I should go back. It's not safe for me to stay in here for very long anyway,"

"But-"

"Belladonna," Dad growls tightening his hold on my arm.

Grandpa stops when he turns around and sees what's hanging over the doorway. His head. The one Kelly Hayashi stuffed and gifted my father after he killed him. He lets out a dry huff before stepping through the doorway and disappearing. I pull my arm out of my dad's grip and turn to face him.

"You had no right to do that," I growl at him.

"I have every right. I am your father," he shouts.

"He's my Grandfather and the only other person smart enough to understand me," I say angrily. "Maybe he would get upset with you because you would rather play your guitar and write your little emo poems on the walls than try to understand what he was trying to teach you. I assure you that he will never have that problem with me,"

"My father was f*****g insane!" he growls so loud the room shakes.

"You're Black f*****g Death," I scream. "Do you know what that means? It means you don't give a s**t about anything other than yourself! Get out of my house. Please!"

"B.B. I'm trying to keep you safe," he calms down.

"The only things you need to keep me safe from are you and Mom," I remind him. "I don't need nor do I want your protection anymore,"

"Tough s**t," he wraps his hand around my mouth to shut me up. "You are my daughter and even if you're kicking and screaming like you are right now, I will do everything in my power to make sure you are alive,"

"Let go," I claw at his arm.

"You don't get to decide if I'm going to be in your life or not, Belladonna. You are mine! That thing" he points to the door. "He will f*****g ruin you! The same way he did my mother. The same way he did me. You are not allowed to be alone in this study with him. Do you understand me? Never,"

"Dante," Carson growls from the doorway. My dad releases me and I stumble back. My hands immediately go up to my face where he was gripping me so hard it felt like he was going to rip my jaw right off my face.

"You're not allowed in this room anymore," he goes to the door and removes the key.

"You can't do that," I try to take it out of his hand but like the USB with the audio file that almost killed Lucien, he makes it disappear.

"James," he calls out. The demon appears behind him.

"Sir?"

"Get all the journals on this wall out and put them in the library,"

"You can't close this room," Carson shakes his head. "She's not the only one that uses it,"

"This room can give the f*****g evil spirits in this house flesh," Dad snarls. "And she just brought my father in here. There is no f*****g way I am going to let her do that again. Get on board with this decision, little Kennedy. There are cannibal Blackstones haunting these halls. s**t, you can't even begin to imagine in your worst nightmares. This is not happening again,"

"This is my house," I remind him. "This is all mine,"

"Yes, it is and you belong to me. You are not to come to this room again, Belladonna. I forbid it,"

"B-" Carson reaches for me. I pull away from him because I know he's going to side with my dad on this.

"You're not doing this to keep me safe. You just don't want me to see him. You really are selfish. If you can't have all the attention, no one else can,"

"Get the f**k out of here," he growls at me.

"I'm not always going to need you to see him,"

"Keep pushing, Bella," he leans in so he's inches from my face. "And I will take that motherfucker back to hell with me. You'll never see either of us again,"

"One can only wish," I shove him and walk out of the study.

"B.B." Carson calls out to me but I can't be here anymore. I need to feed and maybe break some s**t.