/x/
Greg whistled as he stepped pass the front door of the Hebert home, as he studied the furnishings of the living room of the girl who took him in. A flat screen TV with a wooden plaque hung over it, symbols and verses from some text he didn't recognise carved into the wood and painted over in white. The walls were painted beige, with the edge of each wall marked with a red line. The grass green drapes over tightly shut windows smelled of sandalwood and roses, while the beige carpets had more charms sewn into the borders of the material in gold.
"A bit paranoid, don't you think?"
Taylor shrugged as she removed her shoes and placed them on a rack, which prompted the blonde boy to follow.
"Can never be too careful when dealing with the Others." Greg felt really small when the wavy haired exorcist cast a judging gaze on him. Taylor gestured for him to follow as they sat down at the kitchen table. As she set the kettle to boil, the exorcist pulled up a chair opposite Greg and began writing into a pocket journal she pulled out from her pants pockets.
"You mentioned I was paranoid." Taylor said without moving her gaze from her journal.
"Explain."
Greg Veder's chest puffed with pride.
"Well, let's start with the clearly marked out walls. Despite the beige paint and the paintings you hung over them, it's clear you had a boundary field set up on each of them."
The blonde pointed at the borders closest to the front door, then moved his finger towards the successively redder lines as they led to the kitchen.
"The borders signify the strength of the field. The thicker the line, the stronger they are as they absorb the energy of the previous boundary."
"Clever deduction, Greg." The wavy haired exorcist said without lifting her head. "Except each of the fields are just as strong as the previous one, and I had a field set up per brick."
Greg's smug grin fell for a second, before it recovered.
"Like I said, paranoia. And I did get the part about the fields correct!" His voice grew more excited as he pointed to the drapes.
"And the drapes? An obvious defence against scrying and to ward off any wandering Others with the smell."
Taylor snapped the journal shut before she gave a slight smile towards the blonde boy, who was grinning from ear to ear.
"I suppose you got the yew wood charm to ward off possible infiltration too."
The blonde teen gave a smug grin which had returned in full force after Taylor had deflated it moments ago.
"Not even a shithole like Winslow will skimp on mandatory Protection class." The exorcist cocked her head at the triumphant smile from Greg, who continued to boast.
"And I paid attention."
Taylor removed her black jacket and laid it on her chair. Greg cast an appreciative gaze at her tall, slim figure in black pants, white shirt and brown vest with bulging pockets.
"Didn't do much good for you this afternoon did it, Veder."
Taylor winced as the blonde's expression fell.
"Sorry, that was despicable of me." Taylor shook her head at Greg's attempt to speak. "I was wrong. Something awful happened and it was over the line."
The exorcist walked over to the kettle and poured the steaming liquid into a mug, before setting a tea bag, ice and a straw into a mug. She then placed the mug before Greg, her smiling face now only inches away from the blonde's own.
Triumphs have to be savoured after all, and the exorcist was savouring it fully as she spoke.
"Your next line is, Let me help you with that."
Greg sat stiff as a statue, with only his eyes moving from side to side. Taylor cracked open the diary she was writing in and showed him the page she was working on. The boy looked at the outline of the kitchen drawn on the page, with his name written next to where his chair would be.
"Or it would be, if you could speak."
The exorcist opened Greg's lips and slipped the straw in, giving him an apologetic smile. She looked at the shadow cast by the blonde boy and nodded in satisfaction.
"You probably thought the whistling kettle was a defence I set up," Taylor said "against possible hypnotism in case you were compromised."
A grey cloud billowed out of Greg's shadow, the smoke hovered above the boy's head before it formed into the shape of a pale, thin man with thinning hair. The blonde boy found himself unable to remove his gaze from the sunken cavity below the spirit's neck, the hole barely covered by bandages. Greg shivered as pitch black eyes glared at him.
"It is, but it's also a distraction while he," Taylor pointed at the newcomer, " gets to work on possessing your shadow."
Greg kept his eyes fixed on the grey figure, ignoring Taylor.
"But don't worry, because I've also taken the time to set up a secondary threshold here in the kitchen so you don't go snooping around while I'm busy."
"Dad, this is Greg Veder." Taylor said as she reached for her own mug and took a sip.
"Greg, my father Danny."
Taylor set her mug down on the table as she took out a roll of red string from the kitchen cabinet.
"Dad, why don't you release the bind on his mouth so he can share a drink with you and chat?"
Greg swallowed nervously as he felt his control over his mouth and throat return. A nervous tic on his left eyelid developed, as the ghostly figure helped put back the straw as it fell from his mouth. The exorcist shrugged at the two in the kitchen as she put on a pair of slippers and reached for the back door into the yard.
"Sorry for doing this, but I need my privacy."
Taylor gave one last look at her guest and father, her hand hovered above the door knob.
"Have fun."
They looked at Taylor as she gave her cheery goodbye before the door closed. Greg gave a nervous smile to the grim face of the Hebert patriarch.
"So," Danny's voice echoed, the hole throbbed as he spoke.
"I've heard some interesting things from my daughter about you."
/x/
Taylor stared at the makeshift shed that stood in the middle of her yard, as moisture rolled down the sloped tin roof and the chicken wire walls rattled. The bamboo grove within the shed was partially shrouded in a dark cloud, while sounds of chewing and wailing came out from the shadowed parts of the shed. A lump was spat out and Taylor pinched her nose at the stench from a vaguely baby shaped lump of raw meat that landed with a splat at the door of the shed. The exorcist removed a satchel from her vest, before she poured yellow ash onto the lump and began to chant. The ash lit up and Taylor began to heave in relief as the flames consumed the pile. The sobs grew louder, as the exorcist watched a woman with long, wavy black hair crawl out of the dark. Her mouth was stained with blood and meat, her fingers stained brown with dirt. Brown eyes like her own stared at her, pleading.
"Taylor? It's me, your mom." Her hands groped the wire walls, but fell back with a shriek when sparks flew when she touched the mesh.
The wavy haired girl removed the roll of red string and began to run the string through the eye of a sewing needle.
"Really? I dunno. She kinda died when she gave birth to me."
The woman tried to approach the mesh again, her body mere inches from it.
"Taylor, please. I know it's hard to forgive what I did. But when you laid out this invitation for me," The woman pointed at the burning lump, "I knew you wanted us to reunite again."
"The aborted fetus is actually more bait, along with the shed and bamboo grove serving as a snare."
The exorcist removed the glove on her right hand, revealing an array of tattoos over a pale slender hand with fingernails caked with blood.
"But if you're really the leech who wears the body and face of Annette Hebert, then this silver needle and thread with my menses blood should do fuck all against you."
The Other opened her mouth, but Taylor threw the needle and thread at the forehead of the woman like a dart. The tip of the needle began to smoke and the red string wrapped around the neck of the Other as the string glowed like a fire engine's siren.
It screamed briefly, before it was choked by the bloody string and the needle dug into then pass the head of the Other.
Taylor opened the door to the shed and watched, as the darkness around the bamboo faded away along with the body of the Other which began to melt into a grey slush. The exorcist fished out a popsicle stick, hesitated before dipping it into the slush.
Taylor looked hesitantly at the stick, before she touched the sludge coated tip of the stick and it lit up like a match.
"Chin up, girl. "Taylor muttered under her breath. "Gotta do this to remain human."
The exorcist swallowed the flaming stick, before she fell to her knees and began throwing up grey sludge.
Grey smoke gathered and formed into the shape of a thin man. Danny looked upon the heaving figure of his daughter, his pitch black eyes filled with concern as he knelt down to rub her back. The exorcist fell back onto her butt, taking care to avoid sitting on the sludge.
"You don't have to do this, kid."
Taylor's eyes gave a sideway glance at her father, before she snorted.
"I kinda have to, Dad. Not after what that thing wearing Mom's face and name did to you."
The exorcist stood up, brushing off the damp grass from her pants.
"Besides, Mom needs her eternal rest in Paradise." Taylor paused, before she noticed her father wasn't with her guest.
"Where's Veder?"
"He's passed out." The ghost said. "Not sure if he's suitable if you're looking for a partner."
The exorcist chuckled lightly, before she started to walk towards the house.
"Taylor."
The wavy haired girl paused, her face tense as she recognised the tone her father was using.
"Why did you leave the house without me or your Relic."
Danny held out a dagger, the silver blade and ornately decorated hilt glowed in the moonlight.
"Said it a million times, Dad." Taylor continued marching towards the house, pointedly not looking at her father.
"Just because you're my Guardian Spirit, doesn't mean I'm comfortable with using you like a tool."