Mazy May

Chapter 1: Meeting Mazy

"Mazy May," he asked softly, lightly tapping his knuckles against her door. He leaned closer, putting his ear close to the smooth surface listening intently.

A rustle of cloth, the faint squeak of her mattress, a soft whimper followed by an airy sigh.

He smiled tiredly when a mumbled 'yeah' emitted from within. Upon entering through the doorway he was greeted by a warm darkness. His eyes adjusted quickly after closing the door, allowing him to observe his-her- surroundings.

A wooden desk sat to his left, a small library littered all the available space and more, collecting on other surfaces. A bean-bag he broke once when flopping onto it after a tiring day. Her TV and movies (mostly action and romance hidden in the back) on the right. A door leading into her bathroom and shower. He stepped carefully and quietly around the obstacles of books, clothes, movies, and more books until he reached her dresser. Her mirror was lined with pictures of various creatures, his parents and grandfather (these were given to her by John before he was forced into an early retirement from a particularly nasty bite from a werewolf), and even one of Abe, his uncle. He had asked her one day why she didn't have pictures of herself and she coolly countered him with,

"The same reason I don't have a picture of you. Camera shy and all."

His amber eyes met his own in the mirror and he allowed himself to look a moment to find whatever it was Mazy seemed to be so fond of at times. He saw his Father's eyes, his Mother's raven-colored hair, and the rest of what he saw wasn't something he wanted his mind to dwell on. He looked away from the mirror- her mirror- and found the music box he gave to her for her 'sweet sixteen'. The lid was slightly ajar, barely permitting his a view of the soft red velvet inside. Feeling curious, he opened it fully to reveal its hidden mysteries.

But what his eyes fell upon caused him to tilt his head in puzzlement. It looked like a bunch of junk: a rock, some type of shriveled dried flower (probably her favorite), an old piece of cloth that looked like it had seen better days, among other random things.

'Figures Mazy would have a different idea of treasure than the average person'. He thought, 'But she isn't exactly average either…'

He closed the box gently to return to his previous agenda and turned to the sound of her soft breathing. He crossed the short distance with two long strides; kneeling next to her four poster bed, he pulled back the sheer silver curtain to find her in a lump under the covers. "Mazy May," he called again in a whisper while his hand ventured under the dark purple blankets, searching for his friend. The tips of his fingers grazed against a lock of silky hair. He tugged on it gently and playfully sing-songed,

"Crazy Mazy, Upsy Daisy." A groan erupted from the mass. "Trevor?" she asked, in barely a whisper of a sleep-fogged voice.

He chuckled "Come on Crazy Mazy, you overslept."

She shifted under the covers of her protective cocoon, accidently brushing her face against his fingers briefly, surprising both to pull back a small fraction but still close enough to feel the other's body heat. A small hand pushed its way out of the make shift cocoon, her fingers spread wide and flexed, making small popping noises that disturbed others, but to him showed she was relaxing. He lifted a small corner of the blankets carefully, peering inside her safe haven to see her frowning, lips slightly pouty. Her brown eyes framed by long lashes glared half-heartedly in reprimand, "I'm not crazy Trev'."

"I know you aren't." He said seriously meeting her 'glare' head-on. He added as an afterthought, "Uncle needs to see us this morning. He wants to talk about our recent missions."

Her body seemed to deflate and soon she receded into herself, curling into a ball and closed her eyes again. "Oh, don't ya' mean 'cheap-ass training'? Since we 'technic'lly' haven't actually been on a mission…yet."

He chuckled in good nature knowing she had a point in a weird kind of way that only she could come up with. "I know, but you know how my Father feels about this 'cheap-ass training' and how 'necessary' it is to know what we're getting into." He defended, quoting his Father and Uncle.

It was then he realized that Mazy had a reason, a very good reason, to feel the way she did about their missions. Personally, he didn't mind that he wasn't risking life in limb fighting some random monster or spirit that decided to come up and wreak havoc on human kind. But then again, he never had to either. Not like Mazy did. But that was before she came to the bureau and before his Mother died. No, that wasn't the right word for it. She passed. His Mother…passed.

xxx

He remembered two days of his life very clearly. The first, and probably the worst, happened when he was very small, very young. He was inside his parent's room napping on their bed hidden under the covers.

Well, he wasn't just napping, he was …scenting? Yes, he was memorizing his parent's scents when his Father came into the room smelling of a concoction of salt, decaying vegetation and something else that his young self couldn't identify. He was clearly upset, a state he had never seen his Father in unless it involved his personal safety or his Mother's.

The giant dropped onto the bed accidentally dropping his weight on top of his son's much smaller form. Realizing he was lying on top of him, he moved and peeked under the covers with the face of a man that had lost his everything. And that was when he was told of his Mother's…passing.

The next day his Father started on THE mission. He returned at the end of a long and lonely week for Trevor with a bundle in his arms wrapped inside his leather coat. It was something he clutched to his body, almost in an overly protective way; and when Trevor asked him what it was…his Father kept walking, disappearing into the infirmary.

A while later he came back out with his Uncle Abe and a small girl, young like him.

"This is my son, Trevor, he's like us too." His Father said, introducing Trevor to the girl holding one of his Father's stone fingers in her tiny hand.

"Who is she Father?" Trevor had asked in confusion. How did she get here? And what did he mean, 'Like us too'?

"She's…shy Trevor. We don't think she can even tal-" But he was interrupted by a voice no one had ever heard before…

"I'm Mazy. But I shouldn' tell you that."

xxx

Mazy stayed with them ever since. And over time she began to talk more and more, slowly but surely only starting with small random comments. Facts, she called them. And only said them in 'the Red man's' presence. Gradually she began to talk to Abe and then shyly with Trevor. She never talked to the agents, with the obvious exception of 'the boy-scout man'.

Then, one day, when Trevor was sixteen and she fifteen, Mazy began to talk about something else. She told Trevor what it was like 'before'.

"Yer Dad and Abe already know this by default but, I've never told anyone this before. And I don't want it to be broad-casted, ok?" He promised.

Unfortunately after this she receded back to her earlier days of nightmares, leading her to a short while of insomnia, and then…silence.

xxx

Yes, he definitely knew Mazy wasn't kidding when she called their 'missions' cheap training. This was play time compared to what she had told him so long ago.

"What'r you thinkin' about?" she asked tiredly, pulling him from his musings.

What should he tell her? 'I was thinking of us.'? After a short moment he changed the subject back to matters at hand. "Uncle doesn't like it when we are late, so hurry up Maze'."

She smiled, mischief in mind, "Ya' well your Uncle doesn't like you staying in my room so long without 'adult supervision' either ya know."

He raised his right brow, giving her a questioning look. "Ok. I will leave then." He teased, getting up and walking towards the door. She giggled, "Whatie'? Oh good! I hafta' get dressed anyways."

xxx

They were late. Ok so maybe she was late, but that didn't mean she did so on purpose. Abe on the other hand had to comment on her tardiness as if it were of actual importance.

"Now that you are both here, we can begin to discuss the matter at hand which has come to be of some…trouble."

What the hell? "It has come to our great displeasure that recent happenings in the southern part of London are actually pieces of a greater puzzle." He opened an old leather book and read some of the scripture inside its yellowed pages. "And once again the Hollow One shall rise from the grave upon his summoning with that of twenty and one souls and reign ultimate supreme on middle Earth for forever and a night feeding on the souls of the chosen and unlucky."

Mazy spoke first, "The Hollow Man's Calling, by an unknown author. Page 69, lines 96 through 100." She spoke softly, as if recalling a faint memory from long ago.

How did she know that?!

Both males' faces wore surprise and mild shock ranging in difference. Trevor dropped his jaw open a crack and shot his brows into his hairline while Abe and Trevor's Father, whom had just stumbled into the library, tilted their heads to the side in question.

"Someone's been readin' again." Said the red giant dropping down to sit next to the smaller version of himself and Liz. "I like to read." She said to them simply as if it was just another normal everyday thing.

Abe was the next to comment. "I believe the correct term would be a 'book worm'. " He said with a hint of play in his voice. "Ok so she's smart. What are we doing here Uncle?" asked Trevor with clear impatience in his tone. "Ya, Trev' said you wanted to talk about our recent…missions." She said with minor difficulty on the last word.

"Yes indeed Mazy. We have discovered, rather unfortunately, that as the excerpt said, the 'Hollow Man' is being summoned to Earth. I don't believe I need to tell you what this means to mankind." Abe said gravely.

"So you guys are telling us this because…why? I somehow highly doubt you'll let me and Trev' out in the field, unless ya'll changed yer' minds of course." Why tell us unless they need us?

"He's going but you aren't girly." Replied Trevor's Father.

What?!

Out of the two younger adults, Trevor spoke first. "I'm not going without Mazy, Father. I can't leave her behind when we both have been working for a chance like this." He was honest but firm, determined to make his Father see what he was asking for. Damn Dad just let her try!

"She doesn't seem too worried about it son." He replied matter of factly. She was just sitting by the fireplace in her usual spot, her 'nest' as she called it at times. "Why am I not invited? Or surprised for that matter?" She said to herself bitterly but unfortunately was heard.

"You know why Mazy and right now we aren't going to talk about it. And you are going without her no lip. Those are the rules and how they are gonna' stay." The big man ordered from his spot on the couch not even glancing at his son or Mazy.

This was when Abe, whom previously had been observing the scene before him, decided to interject. "Maybe Trevor is right. It would be unfair to bring him without Mazy."

"What's not fair, is bringing me along for half the trip only to drop me off before we even get there." She snapped. "What's not fair, is going through all this cheap-ass training when all I'm ever gonna' do is sit here hoping my friend is gonna come back in a piece while I'm being treated like shit from the agents. And what's worse-"

"That's enough girly! I should-"

"Should what?! Are you gonna ground me? Like a big fuckin' difference that'll be when I'm already stuck here!"

Both were clearly livid, no longer sitting down but standing agitatedly. "It's the only way to make sure you're safe Mazy, and I'm going to make damn sure I do understand? And don't forget where I found you."

"How can I forget when you won't let me Hellboy?"