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Rachel opened her eyes, ears twitching as DC’s nighttime life pricked her brain; she felt surprisingly spiritually rejuvenated by the internal experience—probably something Mei or her mother had done.  However, any speculation in that direction was dashed as her mom sank into her chair with a tired drag of air.

“Mom?  What is it?”

Darting to her side, she gripped her hand as her mother gave her an exhausted smile, guiding her down to kiss her forehead.  “I’m okay; don’t worry about me.  Facilitating something like that is just… draining.  I did quite like Mei, though.  She’s crafty and skilled, finishing off what I started without you even realizing, I bet.”

“You’re not just trying to stop me from worrying?”  Rachel pressed, spotting Anthony showing a similar wariness as he leaned over and rubbed his face.

“No, Speedy,” her mother whispered, shaking her head and holding up her hands.  “Hehe.  Help your old mom up?  And you do realize what time it is?  I’ve… had a long day,” she yawned.

“Sure,” she sighed, pulling her mom to her feet to be welcomed into a hug.  “Going to bed, then?”

“I would already be in bed if it weren’t for my worrisome daughter,” she winked, pulling away and motioning to Anthony with sleepy eyes.  “It seems your encounter with Tintreach was a bit extra on you, as well.  Channeling divine energies can be exhausting.”

“Ugh.  Yeah, you could say that,” the Legend mumbled with a weak laugh, sweeping his hair back while looking up at them.  “I can feel him… somewhere inside me.  Haha.  Kind of weird, but yeah.  I think I’m going to pass out.  You, Rach?”

Rachel shook her head as her mother took them to the door, heading to join her father, no doubt.  “Naaa.  I’ve still got a few things to do before hitting the sack.  Umm.  You’ll be joining the rest of Omen for Scarlet’s funeral?”  she asked to be positive of his attendance.

“Uh-huh.”  Forcing himself up to stretch, the man went to the doorway to lean against the frame and watch her support her mom to bed.  “Do you think I’d miss you injecting my fiancée with goddess blood?”

“Technically, Personification and not a Goddess,” she corrected with a backward smirk that he conceded to with a casual tilt of the head.  “Although, it’s not like either of us really knows the difference.”

“Doesn’t stop you from being right and winning the point,” Anthony mused.  “Catch you in the morning, Ears.”

Rachel didn’t have a good comeback for the man while seeing her mother inside her room, spotting a twinkle in the black-haired woman’s brown eyes as she silently giggled and kissed her forehead before shutting the door; her mom could be so frustrating.

Turning to give him a light glare as he passed her, she tried to find an insult, yet what angle of attack did she have?

He was a girlfriend’s total dream.  He had his master’s in chemistry.  He owned his own side business training martial arts students, which doubled as a hobby.  He wasn’t shy about joking around or getting serious when needed.  He appeared to be a good leader since she hadn’t gotten any complaints from the other Mythickin.  He was muscular, tall, and handsome.

Perhaps that was the issue.  She didn’t know him that well.  No, maybe there was a thread to pick with his obsession.  Anthony blamed himself for Amelia’s cursed cancer, but there was no way to know if becoming the Legend of Diarmuid was the cause, and it wasn’t as if he’d caused her cancer to begin with.

Anthony went to the 3rd level without another comment passing between them due to Rachel being locked inside her own spinning mind.

Strategically, she needed to find a weakness or flaw; it was something that dug at her mind, which was possibly a problem of [Strategic Mind].

Crossing her arms, her back pressed against the wall, she closed her eyes and broadened her hearing to listen to Anthony pull out his phone and text Amelia good night.  The urge to work angles to put herself in a better position dug at her psyche, grating against her will and probably [Lunar Pride].  She didn’t like it.

Fidgeting uncomfortably, Rachel scratched at her neck.  Why is this turning on me?  Is it because I don’t have an enemy in front of me, or I’m bothered by something with Anthony?  Stop!  she internally snarled, fighting through the pushing drive.  

Sure, tactically, it was sound, yet from a friend and ethical point of view, it made her stomach sick.  She wouldn’t want any of her teammates trying to identify her weaknesses.  Why was she looking for them in the first place?

He was joining Omen, which meant she had to know her people and herself to manage things going forward, but that was a far step away from trying to nail down points of attack on people she was supposed to trust.  Sure, she had to have some understanding of people’s weak points to keep them out of trouble; that wasn’t this.

“Chill,” she breathed to herself, working around her neck as it cramped.  “Take a step back; regain control.”

She turned these Feats on and off; well, most of them.  They were supposed to be for her benefit; they didn’t control her!  Yes, it had helped her discover many issues inside herself as of late, and all of the Legends and Myths around her had their own personal issues, yet for some weird reason, at this moment, he stood alone from her introspection.  Why had it taken her this long to focus on his weaknesses?

Amelia was usually up around this time as of late, and it was bothering her that the couple were chatting.

“No!”  she growled.  The gears in her head worked while Anthony went into the upstairs bathroom to get ready for bed, speaking to his girl to chat and wind down.

Why am I fussing over this right now?  There are so many other things I need to focus on!  Anthony’s afraid to give up control like me, sure… but is it really that simple?  Is this me having control issues?  It’s not his problem.  It’s me!  He has no issue tossing me the reins, where it’s pulling teeth to get me to do the same…  Does that mean he’s a lot more emotionally mature than me?  Probably…  Dammit!

Her tail shivered as she sighed and prompted Nia to change her outfit, swapping to their jogging attire; the bun had her purse, so all she needed to do was collect a phone strap for her arm.  Nia was running out of inventory slots for stupid items like that to take up space.

“…Does that mean you’ll be joining us shortly?  You weren’t gone for all that long, but Scarlet’s stalling on dress shopping.”

Understandable, Rachel mumbled, trying to overcome the battle winding around her chest.  She went into her room to fish through the equipment bag Scarlet had returned with after she’d gone to dinner with the UK and French Legends.

Just help her relax.  I’ll be there shortly.  I need to clear my head and get my heart in the right place.  Mei made it sound like she’d be bringing the Graceful Moon, or that’s what I’m calling it, into a physical location that I can use, but she has no idea where that will be since she’s following the path Chang’e sets.  Oh, and Anthony’s got a new roommate like you and me.

“Oh?  That’s exciting.  I’ll have to tell the others.  Planning to unwind by just burning off calories and working up a sweat?  You do feel unusually stressed,” Nia pressed, not letting her off the hook.  The bun was probably a bit annoyed she was wasting her precious, limited time as an adult; the woman still wanted a quality shopping trip with her.

Rachel put her phone in the case with a long sigh.  She’d never had to share her time like this with so many people since she’d been such a loner for much of her teenage years.  Now, everyone wanted a piece of her.

She took a long, calming breath not to snap back at her outfit’s agitation.  Nia was totally in her right to push it, considering the woman’s unique circumstances, but Rachel needed to find some alone time to recharge, as well.  She had to work through this sporadic pressure.

That being said, she understood it was challenging for Nia since the bun was the exact opposite of her, and recharged in group activities, which was limited to the older bunny since she could only be active for six hours a day in her adult, unrestricted mental state.  In the last two weeks, it had just been so hard for Rachel to find alone time for herself.

Yeah, I’ll run that way.  Don’t worry, we’ll be able to spend at least forty minutes shopping for outfits.  I’m sure you have a few besides that one you told me about earlier to show me.  Let Fi, Maria, Jeanne, and Scarlet know I’ll join in the next thirty or forty minutes.  We can talk about what happened with Anthony’s upgrade.  Wait, you heard…

Nia’s tone became notably less frustrated as Rachel jogged downstairs, wanting to get out of this cramped hallway compressing in on her.

“Sorry to be so pushy, Cap.  And yes, I heard he is joining Omen, which is wonderful.  It’s just… today has been…  Mmmmm.  Today has been a bit of a letdown, I suppose.  Nothing really sparked my interest with the whole dinner thing or other random stuff since I’ve mainly been a third wheel.  I could have disappeared, and what would have changed?”

A small smile lifted Rachel’s mouth as she entered the chilly DC night and broke into a casual pace that would have been a full sprint to her as a human.  It felt so good to be outside and not in the cramped building, which wasn’t even that cramped, yet she needed more space to move.

Not much for dinner, sure, besides some comedic relief moments, Rachel laughed over their link, but huge changes for Scarlet.  You helped me a ton by being with her.  I know she feels kind of shoved off to the side as I work things out with Tom and the President, despite the time we’ve spent together over the last two weeks; there’s always someone who wants me for something.  I need some time to unwind, too.  Cool?

“Haaa.  Of course.  Again, sorry if I’m coming off as unreasonable,” Nia grumbled, probably scratching her ears and making the other women question what was aggravating the bun.  “I know I shouldn’t complain since I have the most time with you…”

Nonsense, she laughed, feeling the frigid wind press against her sports bra and shorts on her run through the sparsely populated streets, not that the cold bothered her as much as it would have before.  Comparatively, you actually spend the least amount of time with me as an adult.  I know it’s not the same feeling when you’re a kid, which I absolutely understand can be frustrating.  We do what we can.

“…Yeah.  See you soon, Captain Hops.  Don’t break a leg.”

Haha!  It’s ‘break a leg,’ and I don’t think that fits in this context.

“Damn.  Ugh.  I’m learning.”

You’re awesome.  Catch you shortly, Lt. Big Bun.

Hanging up to let her ears and mind wander, Rachel didn’t focus on anything in particular, allowing herself the time to decompress and find her center.  Her idea of unwinding came in the form of turning off her brain and just going hard physically, which she could now do.

Slowly picking up speed, she felt the falling moon fill her with power again, becoming a blur as she took a sweeping route to meet up with Scarlet and the girls.  She easily overtook the cars on the freeway, keeping a pace that she could maintain without burning out; the sprint would be for the end.

Her balance and reaction time were on a whole different level compared to her baseline a month ago.  Yet, her new, breakneck pace felt insufficient, and she knew why: after channeling the Blood, Black, Hell, and Greater Harvest Moons, the bland lunar sphere overhead didn’t give her anywhere near the spike she’d come to desire.

“Dammit,” she snarled, jumping from roof to roof now as she tested her acrobatics, lunar platforms easily providing her reach she couldn’t dream of when under the Azure Moon.  “I’m so slow and limited…”

Flipping around to land on the sidewalk, she fed power to her thighs and broke into a sprint that brought on a stitch, making her slow to a stop.  Huffing and puffing, she leaned against a wall, glaring at the paved street.

I can’t live with the expectation of performing the same way I did during the Event or Unique Moons.  Yes, I can access incredible powers through them, but clearly, I’m nowhere near strong enough to sustain them on my own… or even with Nike’s blood in me, which will gradually lessen as she recovers.

It was a sobering thought that made her scratch her arm as she pushed away from the wall to walk the last few streets to her destination.  The uncomfortable truth found its way into her tempered brain as she went: why was she jealous of Amilia?

Dismissing it, she let that knot of unresolved anger drown in her subconscious, returning to something she could tackle.  The damage she’d sustained from the Legend Quest had put her on the back foot for two weeks, and next time, she might not be so lucky.  She couldn’t rely on the Unique Moons without risk to her health, but the Greater Harvest Moon could be an asset if used sparingly.

After her thirty-minute run, the band compressing her chest had lightened, yet new thoughts were now creeping in.  There was still a lot she had to confirm with Maria and Fiona.  The Scarlet Hand’s potential appearance also put a nervous spike in her side, but that also came with the anticipation of a challenge and fight.

What chaos awaits us in Miami?

Soon, her thoughts gave way to other topics—thoughts not connected to Anthony—as her mind began to tick again.  A few intriguing discussions pricked her raised ears as she settled down.  For one, some chatter in the Pentagon revealed a rather shocking development that resurfaced Mei’s warning.

Interesting…  The Seattle Vampire has been killed by a teenage girl wearing a red cloak.  I guess that strikes him off the potential danger list.  Huh.  Although, you never know these days.  Is it a rival vampire group?  There have to be multiple factions due to their popularity in pop culture and history.  It also can’t be a coincidence that Scarlet’s powers deal in the realm of vampirism, as Alexa likes to say…

She stopped in front of the glass window of the shop her team was in, spotting the gang enthralled by a dollhouse Fiona was exploring; it had been a topic amongst the Fairy, Scarlet, and Alexa since she was having trouble in a world designed around the average human size and strength.

Rachel thought back to the wealth of study and discussions Selvaria, Fiona, Scarlet, and her sister-in-law had on the whole vampire aspect of the Vespertine Reaper’s abilities.  They’d gone down some insane rabbit holes and even frightened Kid Nia a bit since she was eavesdropping on their conversations.

It all spiraled down a rather troubling angle; this funeral was a powder keg waiting to explode.

Tom has been careful to keep things under wraps, but the Scarlet Hand has had decades to prepare.  Sure, I caused some kind of disruption, yet Relica admitted they didn’t see anything off until The Oscillation, when everything started to collapse in the wrong direction… starting with Scarlet.  My misfortune damaged their network, but far from destroyed it.

Scarlet was broken by her parents…  They intended for her to be some destroyer of worlds and savior of multiverses, or something along those lines.  She had the skillset and aptitude to be a true end boss, and Veronica proved how effective she could be when fully utilized only hours after the change, she internally reasoned, listening to the fanged girl laugh at the hand-crafted, high-value items Fiona commented on.

Fiona currently sat on the furniture in the dollhouse, acting out her daily activities, using a cell phone as a TV/streaming device in her tiny front room; seemingly, the doll shop was open 24 hours over the past week, having seen a lot of customers lately with the Fairy, Pixie, and other small Faekin that now found their giant homes a bit much.

A lump dropped down Rachel’s throat, her ears tilting to the left as Nia pointed her out, and she smiled and waved.  Jeanne had noticed her already but probably figured she was waiting outside for a reason.  

Whatever the Scarlet Hand has planned, they haven’t made any moves that I can tell yet.  Scarlet should be able to keep her eyes out for any vampires in our vicinity, though.

Entering the store, she was welcomed by the shop owner, and Nia changed her outfit to a more winter casual sweater, skirt, and tights.  She settled in with the crew, Fiona showing off some of the items the store had—the Fairy Queen was diving headfirst into the world of dolls.  The store owner was by their side in saleswoman mode, discussing some of the custom orders and things her business was working on providing for other ‘little people.’

Rachel fully invested herself, nodding and commenting where needed as Fiona reassured the woman that they’d return later to make more detailed orders.  The Fairy only purchased a black dress and garments that she’d ordered tailored to her figure three days prior before they exited.  It was surprisingly liberating to let herself get swept up in the energy of the women, with Jeanne diving head first into friendship territory, which was sweet.

On their way to a few late-night outlets, Rachel had to laugh as Maria brought up something interesting.

“Aye, you tryin’ to move some chica into my pad and set up my bro, liebre jefe?”

Ears falling forward as she tilted her head to give the Unicorn a questioning stare, she asked, “What’s going on?  You’re talking about Zoe.”

“Oh!”  Scarlet snickered and gave her a twinkling smile.  “Apparently, Felix is a cat guy, and Zoe found out he has a bunch of game cat girl posters, so…  Hehehe.”

Fiona, Alexa, and Jeanne nodded emphatically, snickering with the reaper, as Maria balked.

“Yo, no!  I had no clue Felix be posting up that gaming shit, and what the hell’s he talking about, eh…  Fantasy fourteen?  Damn, I feel out of the loop.  I swear, chica, if I go back and he’s got claw marks or hickies…  Rach!”

Rachel held up her hands defensively, giving her a look that asked what she was supposed to do about her brother’s love life, and Nia chuckled, guiding them into another store, twenty minutes before she reverted back to a kid.

“How is his cat-girl thing my problem?  Is Zoe into it?”

“Seems that way, Cap.  Hehe.  Apparently, she’s a shy tease with her tail.  Oh, it’s in here—and you have to choose between the black or red because those are the only colors you like.”

“Oh, shut up,” Rachel snorted, rolling her eyes and seeing the other girls give each other nods, ganging up on her.  “I have plenty of other colors in my wardrobe.”

“You mean that your mother bought you?”  Alexa jumped in, the blonde getting surprisingly forward with her now that the girl group was backing her.  “Last time I saw you come home with shopping bags, it was training shorts and five sports bras since you ruined some of your others.  Guess what color, Nia?”

“Black?”

“Black.”

Rachel waved them away, humor shaking the other girls’ frames.  “Okay, sue me!  I know a lawyer,” she added, winking at Fiona.  “Besides, I don’t think red will do for the occasion.”

Nia presented it as the employee produced it for her from behind the counter, showing the red and black colors.  “Easy solution…  We’ll get both!  You can just dress yourself rather than having me dress you like a toddler, Captain.”

“Damn, girl,” Maria laughed, bumping fists with her.  “Girl needs some moon balm for that burn; liebre can’t even dress herself!”

“Ha-ha,” Rachel laughed, taking out her card to pay for it as Nia swiped it out of her hand to dance to the dressing rooms.  “Hey!”

“First, you need to try it on!  You do have a bigger bust and tail than me, so we have to check!”

“Okay!  Okay!  I’m going.”

She allowed the girls to bully her into the changing room for a fashion show that Little Nia soon absolutely loved, jumping up and down at the many outfits Big Nia had picked out.  Without a doubt, the woman would require her to present them in their internal world tomorrow.  Rachel felt bad they’d only had a short time together; she had a lot to make up for, but she absolutely did need to take those thirty minutes to punch herself in the face.

Finishing up, Rachel’s mind drifted back to their Green Beret buddies as their night wound down; the soldiers would be joining them at the funeral, and it wasn’t hard to hear a few of the off-duty ones spread around DC, still up at this hour with loved ones that flew in to be with them.  It made sense after what happened to Vincent: they didn’t know if this would be the last time.

Half the platoon had been given time off since they were now under Barbara, and she’d heard a rather sobering conversation three days ago between Lt. Mateo and his murdered soldier’s wife, who lived in the DC area.  The situation made her stomach cramp while thinking about returning to Miami and what the Scarlet Hand might have waiting for them.

Waving off Jeanne as she broke away, having her own hotel to stay at.  She was a tad surprised when Maria and Fiona went to the place down the street to sleep in Erika’s hotel room; although, on second thought, it made sense since the fox woman was going through a rough breakup, and it would be nice to have other women around to comfort her.

At the door, she hugged Scarlet and Alexa, seeing Nia pull Scarlet to the bathroom first to get ready for bed, discussing some manga the reaper had gotten the girl into.  However, the blonde stopped her outside her brother’s room, and she heard him inside, waiting up for his wife while reading online sources for PMCs.

“Umm, Rachel,” she gulped, fidgeting with her jacket front and shooting her an embarrassed smile.  “It was… really nice to hang out with you all.  Haha.  The basketball, working out, yeah, it, uh, it felt like…  I had a magical night with everyone,” she finished.

“Hey…”  Pulling her in for another hug, Rachel squeezed a bit harder to make her grunt, picking her off the ground.  “Sorry for being a total ass.  You’re a part of the family.  Scarlet invited you to the funeral, so I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow.  Let me know if Nam is staying here to be with Dad since Mom’s going.”

“Sure!”

Seemingly trying not to be emotional, Alexa waved her off and entered the room to be welcomed by her husband, asking about her day and gesturing to Rachel as she left.  Yeah, her brother did score a catch…  It didn’t matter if the blonde didn’t have all that much in common with her; she was good for her brother.

Moving upstairs, she smiled, thinking about the time, albeit short, she’d spent with the blonde; Scarlet, especially, had been thankful to have a fellow anime-lover to join in the fun.  The traumatized girl needed all the support she could get with the emotional cyclone that was coming up.

The girl obviously could sense her emotions, as well, resonating with them.  She hugged her, and Nia joined in on the miss-matched sandwich, taking the fanged girl from behind and making her giggle.

“I’m okay…  Well, I’m not… but I’m working through it with your guys’ help.  Thanks, Rachel.  Thanks, Nia…  Both Nia,” she whispered, shifting to bend down and embrace the child.

“Yeah!  Cap and I will have your back, Sgt. Fangs!”

“I bite!”  Scarlet snickered, chomping her teeth and making the bun squeal and slip out of her grip to run to Rachel’s room.  “Hehe.”

“Insubordination!  You’ll be disciplined tomorrow, Soldier!”

“Shhh!”  Rachel held a finger over her lips and hugged Scarlet one last time before retiring herself.  “Night, Scarlet.  We have your back.”

“Thanks.  Night!”

Seeing her rosy smile disappear behind her door, Rachel sighed, heading to her room to see Nia hugging her pillow and rolling around the bed; she’d come off her sugar high soon.  Helping the girl settle down, she thought back to her conversations with Fiona and Maria.

As Rachel predicted, Erika wanted to block out everything regarding her lousy breakup and had promised to dive into the legal stuff regarding PMC with her brother when she woke up, and even Alexa wanted to have a part in it.  Her big bro had taken on more of an active role in the business side of her new company, learning the legal workings.

Unfortunately, that meant that her father was left to do a lot of extra work regarding their accounting firm. Unexpectedly, their dad seemed rather supportive of Nam helping her in this new venture she wanted to get into; she expected him to be on her mother’s side and add resistance toward anything dangerous, yet he’d surprised her.

Slipping into bed with her new attire securely inside Nia’s internal wardrobe, the little bun dispersed in twinkling lights while swapping to their silky black nightgown.

Rachel pushed her lips to the side with a huff while plucking at the hem of the item she would probably never purchase herself as Nia snuggled in around her form to sleep.  “You love dressing me up, even when we’re going to bed, don’t you?”

A low, internal chirp came from the child.  “I had a good day, Cap!  I got to play basketball with Selv and the PIG game, I got to go running with everyone, and I got a new dress…  Thanks, Captain…  I’m so tired,” she whimpered, gown hugging her tighter and feeling as if the kid had her arms wrapped around her.

Rubbing her stomach, Rachel crawled into bed as Coral slipped in through the closed window, phasing through the wall to join them.  She pulled over the sheets to let the squishy minion snuggle up to them.

“Fifififi.”

Nia grumbled at her addition, Rachel chuckling.

Then get some good sleep, Lt. Little Bun.  Did you have fun, Coral?  We’ll probably have a fight on our hands tomorrow.

“Fifi!  Fififiiii…”  she explained with a jagged, toothy yawn, probably talking about her time with Selvaria.

“Yeah, well, I’ll kick them in the face and rip their shirt…  I can be a mean and bad bunny, too, Stupid Coral.  Humph.  Selv likes me, too.  You don’t have to be scary for people to like you.”

“Fifi.”

“Ewww!  You will not drool on me!”

“Fififififi…”

“Humph.  Insubordination…”

Rachel let them work it out, feeling her gown push the ghost aside under the sheets, but shortly after the girl drifted off into her dreams, the marshmallow wiggled in to cuddle up to her commander.  There was some respect there at this point, but primarily due to Big Nia’s time with the spooky blob bun.

Tomorrow, they’d learn what was in store for them.  For now, it was time to train inside her internal world, strengthening her skills with her hammer, even as she dreamed.

 

* — * — *

 

Scarlet whimpered, jumping up in bed as a loud crack of thunder sent her tumbling over the edge to fall on her face.  Groaning, she found herself on the wooden floorboards of her internal universe, the perpetual world-ending hurricane raging outside in the isolated little house that Veronica had built for her.

“Stupid storm…”

A cool breeze made a quake run down her spine as she turned to the steps leading downstairs, where the light clattering of china could be heard.  Fear gripping her belly, she slowly got to her feet, fixing her gray nightgown and hugging herself.

Please, please, do not be some creepy monster or person waiting in a chair for me to come down!  Why is this villain crap always happening to me?!

Channeling her inner Rachel, Scarlet gingerly crept to the stairs.  All of the thick drapes were pulled, keeping the frightening blood sea and storm outside hidden, yet it couldn’t stop the perpetual tapping of crimson rain, howling wind, and bone-rattling thunder.

Her first step on the wooden stair made her wince as a sharp creak sounded, somehow bleeding past the other sounds of the small, two-room, rickety house.

“Stupid.  Stupid.  Stupid,” she snarled, breathing out her stress before peeking down to study the dully lit 1st-floor combined room.  “C’mon…  Why!”

Bright blue eyes lifted to show a cheery smile as the blonde she’d known almost all her life sat inside an armchair, a cup of hot tea resting in her lap.  “Scarlet, eh-hehe, I know this is kind of suspect, but isn’t it right out of a novel?  Hehe.  Sorry for the spook!”

Hands tightening under her armpits, Scarlet breathed out her stress and just accepted it with how insane her life was.  She went down a few more steps but remained on the staircase, nervous jitters hitting her stomach.

“Veronica…  Wait, you could be the creature pretending to be her and are actually a mental projection of the thing underneath the Red Sea…  Or maybe you were corrupted or brainwashed?  Ugh…  I’m too tired,” she groaned defeatedly, reaching up to rub between her eyes.  “What do you want?  Why don’t I have any control over this stupid place like everyone else?!”

She peeked up, expecting her to teleport in front of her or do some jump-fright scare, yet Veronica only remained in her sitting position, spinning the teacup around her fingers; the blonde wasn’t even looking at her now, her somber smile directed at her dark tea.

“…You don’t have control since you haven’t taken it…  Hmm.  Do you remember that trip we took to Paris when your parents paid off some policemen to help us get into the catacombs to perform some rituals?  Hehe.  You were so over it.”

“Yeah?”  Scarlet mumbled, deciding it wasn’t worth the effort to be terrified at this point and resign herself to her sure doom in this nightmare scenario; hey, maybe it was a nightmare for all she knew.  “It was winter, snowing, and the skulls everywhere weren’t my thing.  Why?”

She walked down the rest of the way to sit in a chair across from the creepy girl, tiredly accepting the steaming cup of tea in front of her and playing into the whole wannabe-friend-turned-villain vibe Veronica had going on.

The blonde maintained her focus on the cup, playing with the rim.  “We were preparing things for the future… everywhere we went.  Haha.  I figured it out when lost in the Red Sea.  All those fake rituals they did, putting on a show for us… they were doing other things in the background.  Sooo much preparation.  It’s kind of overwhelming to think about.  It’s impossible to stop them all.”

“Stop… what?”  Scarlet asked, finding the sweet flavor of the tea actually extremely tasty.  “How are you even in my dreams, or whatever… is this a dream?”

“Meh.”  Veronica shrugged her shoulders weakly.  “Isn’t reality just a dream of perception?  Hehe.  And there I go… reverting back to my hopeless self, muttering random drivel in the Red Sea, searching for… anything.  Hmm.  It’s… frightening coming back,” she whispered, giving a start and jumping as a purple flash struck the sea near them, shaking the house.  “I’m half-happy I left.”

Now figuring she was in some kind of cutscene with how non-responsive the blonde was to her questions, Scarlet sighed and glanced off to the side, going the denial coping route.

“So, you’re just some kind of recording, set off by a time-release or event trigger…  Cool.  Just another ghost inside my soul.  How many more cutscenes does this game have?”

Veronica giggled, making her sit straighter as the girl set the cup on the small plate between them before settling back in.  Right before her eyes, the teen transformed into a full-blown woman, aging to the point of maturity as she moved to the glass and turned to study her.

“You have no idea how long I’ve spent here, Scarlet.  To you, it’s been nearly three weeks since The Oscillation, but for me…  Haha.  Let’s just say it’s been a bit longer,” she said with a reflective stare at the restless blood.  “I built this place for me, actually… to escape… to think better thoughts.”

Shifting uncomfortably, Scarlet glanced toward the pulled-back curtains to see the raging ocean world outside.  “Where are we?  Are you even Veronica anymore?”

The woman’s melancholy blue eyes drifted to the crashing waves that broke over the stable house, somehow surviving the impossible forces outside.  “The Veronica that you know?  No.  No, I’ve more or less abandoned everything that name meant… long ago, taking on the name of Twilight.  How would I describe it?  Hmm…”

Leaning against the wall, she hugged herself, a quiver running through her frame while peering into the murky, bloody depths.  “Ten thousand nights have passed…  Change doesn’t happen overnight, Scarlet… or does it?”

Her fingers caressed the glass, spinning in circles.  “There is a tug-of-war within those tides that will bring you to a meridian where everything melts away.  The past, future, present…  Where everything blurs, and your shackles are rusted and shatter.  Where do we land in the Red Sea?”

Scarlet leaned forward to rub her face.  “Mmgm-hmm-hmm.  Are you intentionally trying to confuse me, or is all this cryptic bullcrap for a purpose?  What do you want from me?”

Twilight’s sad eyes shifted to her, words shaking her to the core.  “What all souls desire… to be understood.  Oh, Scarlet, you must stand instead of crawl, holding onto Rachel’s legs.  As she dives into the Red Sea, you need to rise and fall with her.  Don’t be like me… friend I never had.  If you want to grab hold of your life again, then you know what you must do…”

A lump formed in Scarlet’s throat as the woman gestured to the closed and locked door; a quake struck the small house, forcing her to the ground and shattering the cups of tea across the floor.  When she looked up, Twilight was gone, and a crack appeared in the glass.

In the next second, she jolted away, blood slicking her skin.  In a delirious panic, she cast her eyes about to collect herself, expecting to see dozens of bodies—yet there were none, only an empty room.

“Did I kill every—”

Rachel burst through the door, Coral on her head and Nia forming behind her, where Anthony and a few others within the house were gathering.  “Scarlet!  You were screaming?  Are you—blood?”  she asked, ears high and alert as the others scanned for danger.

Looking down at her quaking hands, she saw the liquid pulling back into her body.  “I, umm…  N-No, it was, uh, a nightmare.  I, heh, I think this is just… sweat.  Sorry!  I’m sorry, guys…  Sorry.”

Rachel was brushed aside by her mother as Molly moved past her to sit on her bed and pull her into a hug, making Scarlet’s chest flutter, heat rising in her throat.

“Hey, it’s okay, Sweetie.  You’re safe.  You’re not alone; we’re here.  It’s okay…”

Blood leaked out of her eyes as she sucked in her bottom lip, fangs cutting into her lips as she began to cry.  Fiona zoomed out of the hallway to hug her neck next, and Rachel moved to sit on her bed, holding her hand.

She couldn’t get any words out, she couldn’t stop, and before she knew what was happening, Molly was cuddling up next to her on the bed, laying her down to rest with her.  Her warm embrace reminded her of her mother, comforting her when she’d had nightmares as a little girl, redoubling her whimpers and tears.

Tonight, she was burying her father—her father that she’d killed—her father that had turned her and Veronica into monsters.  When she woke up, she had to face this new reality, and it hurt in ways she couldn’t explain, so she cried until she couldn’t anymore.

After a time processing her lost family and the new one comforting her, Scarlet’s eyes grew too heavy, and the waves of emotions pulled her into a dreamless sleep.

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