So this one's a little lot bit short of 5000 words too but please Don't be mad. A lot of pretty intense stuff happens in this flash back banaza of a chapter. I'll do what I did with all my other stories, I'll guarantee 5000 words after this story gets 5000 views. That's fair right? keep reading my friends.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my oc's
Song suggestion: If I Die Young by The Band Perry
"You. You're lying." Autumn replied as she looked over to her friend who was visibly in pain. Autumn blinked away tears that were threatening to fall as she took her tomahawk from off her back and charged at the grim reaper and use all the strength she could muster to swing it at him. Spark flew from the collision of Autumn's tomahawk and the Grim Reapers scythe which with an effortless swing sent Autumn flying into the wall across the room.
"You're just lying to yourself." The grim reaper pointed out as he held his Scythe, ready for Autumn's next move. Autumn collected herself ready to run at the Grim Reaper again when the grim Reaper changed his position and allowed his scythe to cut through Susan. Autumn stopped in her tracks and stared at lifeless and empty but unmarred shell that once held Susan's soul. Autumn fell to her knees as tears stained her face while jack took over her battle against the Grim Reaper. Autumn looked down at the small Tomahawk in her hands as she fell into a world of now painful memories.
"Why are you crying?"Asked the voice of a young girl. Autumn looked up to find a girl no older than 5 staring at her from her place under her favorite tree.
"Huh?"Autumn asked as she wiped the tears out of her eyes.
"Are you lost too?" The girl asked as she tiled her head to the side. Autumn looked at the girl's face and noticed that her eye where puffy from crying as well.
"You can" Autumn started but paused before continuing. "See me?" Autumn finished her question as she stared at the girl with amazement.
"You're silly. Of course I can see you." The girl replied with a giggle and a small hiccup. "My name is Susan Parker. What's your name?" The young Susan asked as she took a small step closer to Autumn.
"I, I don't have one." Autumn admitted.
"You don't have one?"Susan asked confused to which Autumn just nodded. Susan looked at the tree of colorful leaves behind Autumn then smiled.
"I'll give you a name then. Your name is Autumn." Susan said happily as she clapped her hands as Autumn's eyes lit up from happiness.
"Then Autumn I shall be." Autumn said happily as she stood up and dusted herself off. "Let's go find your parents." Autumn added as she offered her hand to Susan and lead her through the woods.
The memory swirled and faded as a new memory took it's place.
"Autumn?" asked the five year old Susan curiously as she rubbed the sand from her eyes to find autumn floating above her bed. "You can fly?" Susan asked amazed as she stared at autumn.
"Yep, pretty cool huh?" Autumn mused as she did a back flip in the air.
"How?" Susan asked now sitting up fully awake in her bed as she wiggled around excitedly.
"Because I'm the spirit of thanksgiving." Autumn explained simply causing Susan's eyes to twinkle with wonder. "And you are the only person to see me in the past three hundred years." Autumn added as she allowed herself to gently lower herself down to Susan's bed. "You must be one special kid if you can see me." Autumn added which caused Susan to giggle with delight.
"Susan! Are you awake still?" Asked the voice of her mother from the bottom of the stairs. Susan looked at autumn then back at the door and called down to her mother.
"No" Susan replied thinking she was cleaver.
"I don't believe you" the mother replied with a small laugh.
"I don't believe you either!" Susan called back then looked back to autumn as if she completely solved the problem.
Autumn could hear her tears hit the metal blade of her axe as she remembered all that she and Susan had gone through, Autumn helped Susan through her child hood, her teenage years and even on Susan's wedding autumn was there, through raising 4 kids and even the untimely death of her husband Autumn was there for Susan and Susan was there for autumn.
"Be honest with yourself you always knew this day would come." The grim Reapers voice echoed through Autumn's mind pulling her back to reality. Susan was dead and it was her fault the Grim Reaper found her. Autumn looked up from her weapon to find Jack struggling to move from under the pressure of the Grim Reaper's Foot. "She was in pain, If anything I delivered her from her torment. You should be thanking me." The Grim Reaper pointed out as Autumn weakly stood up, her shoulders hunched as if they were holding a great weight with her tomahawk in her right hand. Autumn glared at the grim Reaper as she charged and screamed. Yet again the Grim Reaper blocked Autumn's attack with his scythe only this time Autumns Small tomahawk was now a large battle axe which cut a small notch into the Grim Reaper's Scythe. Both Autumn and the Grim Reaper pushed against the other causing them both to fly back a little, both landing safely on their feet. The Grim Reaper Tsked as he noticed the damage that Autumn did to his weapon and conjured a dark shadow on the wall behind him. "It's been fun but I have other places to be." The grim Reaper stated as Jack stood up from the floor and moved to grab his staff. By the time that Jack fired ice at the portal it was gone leaving a frosty pattern on the wall where the portal once was. Jack turned to find Autumn standing at Susan's bedside looking at her solemnly.
"Autumn," Jack said softly only to be cut off.
"We need to get her to a hospital."Autumn said as she put her now tomahawk sized axe back in its holster on her back.
"Autumn," Jack started again in a more serious tone only to be cut off once more.
"They can save her I know they can. Medicine has advanced so much over the past five hundred years that I've existed." Autumn stated as she reached to grab Susan out of her bed only to have her arms phase through Susan's body. Autumn stared at her Arms Horrified by the blue glow that they gave off as they went through Susan's body as she tried again and again to remove Susan from her bed.
"Autumn, I'm sorry but she's gone." Jack said as he walked so he could stand next to Autumn. Autumn just shook her head as she pushed past Jack and ran out of the house allowing the wind to carry her away. Jack exited the building as well closing the door behind him as he watched Autumn fly off. Jack shook his head as he started his trip back to the North Pole. "I told you I'm not good at this stuff." Jack thought as he flew into the air. After a few days travel full of stops to make snow days and snowball fights jack made it back to the North Pole.
"So how did it go? Well I hope yes?" North asked curiously as jack walked to the main platform of the globe room.
"Sorta." Jack replied honestly as tooth and baby tooth joined then.
"so she'll join then? Oh it will be so nice to have another girl on the team." Tooth said happily in her mile a second manner.
"Not quite." Jack replied as her fiddled around with his staff after making it to the main platform.
"What do you mean not quite?" Bunnymund asked with a raised eyebrow as the sandman gave the same look but with a sand question mark floating over his head.
"She said that she hated our side less so she guessed she'd join" Jack started only to be cut off by a mixture of happy cheers. "But" Jack continued getting their attention once more. "She lost her only believe that she has been protecting for the past eighty something years to the grim reaper and she ran off so I have no idea where she is now." Jack explained gaining a mix of sympathetic looks for the young holiday.
"Oh no the poor girl" Tooth said sadly as if she could cry for Autumn's lose.
"If something so terrible happened then why are you here?" North asked confused.
"I told you she ran off. I don't know what to do now. I did what you sent me to do." Jack pointed out not sure what else he could have done. North took out a snow globe from his pants pocket and began to shake it.
"Where did you say she lived again?" North asked as he looked at the swirling snow inside of the glass orb.
"Jamestown." Jack replied causing a small image of the town to show up in the snow before north threw it creating a portal.
"Come we are all needed now." North replied as he put on his big red coat and grabbed his swords from a nearby vase like container then put on his Russian hat before walking through the portal with jack, the easter bunny, the tooth fairy and the sand man.
"Grimmy is back!" Halloween announce happily as she watched the hooded figure exit his portal so he was now in Pitch's layer. The Grim Reaper removed his clock to show his true form. The grim reaper had the same dark hair and ashy skin as Pitch. The Grim Reaper slipped off his black dress shoes and flopped onto a red velvet couch that had only one arm.
"I told you not to call me that." The Grim Reaper stated coldly as his red eyes narrowed into a glare while he loosed the black tie that went around his neck.
"Calendula Grim is being mean to me." Halloween whined causing the day of the dead to let out a groan.
"Look just call me Calen if you can't say my name properly. Not marigold." Calen replied as he walked over to Halloween's side doing his best to remain patient with the young holiday.
"You're too soft on her Dia de los Muertos. She needs to learn respect for senior ranking spirits and holidays." The grim Reaper pointed out as he removed his black vest with a red silk back and let it rest over the top of the couch so he could comfortably lounge in his light grey pinstriped dress shirt and black dress pants.
"Respect you guys? Well maybe if you showed me some respect first I'd respect you." Halloween pointed out in a huffy tone.
"If you want respect then you have to earn it." The grim Reaper stated as she reach behind his left shoulder and pulled out a good sided ice crystal that had imbedded itself into his back then nonchalantly tossed it onto the nearby coffee table as if it was a splinter. "Take out Jack Frost then I might consider respecting you as a holiday." The grim Reaper said sarcastically.
"Fine I'll be back before you can count to ten." Halloween replied as she stepped up onto the arm of the nearby two armed couch and fell back into her shadow and disappeared.
"You seriously want her to go and fight that guy?" Calen asked as the unnamed girl in the loose dress started to laugh through her demented smile. "Dang she's creepy." Calen thought as he took a slight step back.
"What do you see thirteen?" Pitch asked the young holiday of fear.
"I see death, death, death." The girl chirped with a cackle "so much blood to spill." The girl said in a giddy glee.
"I don't think I'm ever gonna get use to her doing that" Calen softly muttered as he looked away from the girl disgusted.
"What was that?" Pitch asked as he looked over to Calen with narrow eyes.
"Nothing, nothing. I'm just going to go to my room." Calen announced as he turned and walked away from the group and down a hallway that lead to a festive redwood door with golden hinges and a golden door knob. Calen opened the door and walked into a room full of colorful lit candles decorated skulls and marigolds. Calen closed the door behind him as he walked over to a small shrine with a small black and white photo of a young woman standing in front of a ram shack house next to a young boy who was smiling happily. Calen got on his knees with a sigh as he looked at the picture. After looking at the picture for a while he used his index finger to stroke the woman's face before hanging his head. "Mama, am I doing the right thing?" Calen asked the picture as he allowed himself to fade into memories of his past.
"Mama" Calen could hear his younger self's voice call as he and his mother hurried through the dark moonlit woods.
"Hush baby." Calen's mother cooed as she held his hand tighter as they ran when she heard the sound of dogs barking echoed through the woods.
"Mama I'm scared." Young Calen said quietly as he and his mother hid in a hollowed out tree.
"It's ok baby, just hush for now." Calen's mother replied as she held him close and waited for the best time to make a break for it. After hours of standing still and shallow breathing, Calen's mother grabbed Calen by the hand and ran again making a break for the swampy marsh. Calen could hear gunshots as they ran for the dense marsh until he felt a pain rip through is right shoulder.
Calen winced as he used his left hand to grip his right shoulder as he remembered the pain. Even though he had been injured he and his mother escaped the plantation that they had worked on as slaves and made it to a small town near the border of Mexico where they could be free. Calen's Grip on his shoulder relaxed as he remembered learning to read and write in Spanish as he and his mother worked in the small town as bakers. Calen took in a deep breath through his nose with a smile as he remembered the sweet smell of his mother's cornbread.
"Mama, Mama," Called ten year old Calen as ran into the kitchen of their small home.
"what is it my Calendula" Calen's mother said affectionately as Calen scrunched his nose.
"Why do you call me that, it's so girly and the other kids laugh at me because of you." Calen asked argumentatively forgetting the reason he had came into the kitchen in the first place.
"Am I your mother?" Calen's mother asked calmly as she slowly stirred a pot of beans for their dinner.
"Yeah" Calen replied curious as to if to ask if that was a rhetorical question.
"I see, And are you my Baby?" Calen's mother asked after taking the beans of the fire and pooring them into a bowl.
"Well yeah I guess."Calen replied once more as he scratched the back of his head.
"So long as I am your mother and you are my baby I will call you as I please." Calens mother replied as she put the bowl of beans next to a small plate of sliced chicken meat, tortillas, and corn bread.
Calen chuckled as he remembered his mothers strong unbreakable will. No matter how hard it got there was always chicken, beans, and cornbread on the table.
"Mama" Calen could hear his ten years old self ask over the dinner table.
"Yes" Calen's mother replied simply before putting some cornbread in her mouth.
"Tonight is the parade in town for Dia De Los Muertos." Calen started then stopped to see his mother reaction.
"that's true." Calen's mother replied then ate a spoonful of baked beans.
"So I was wondering if I can go. I'm ten years old now and all my friends are going too can I please go?" Calen pleaded his words spewing out as an increasing rate.
"Honey you know I don't like staying up that late." Calen's mother replied now looking at Calen instead of her plate like before.
"You don't have to, I can go by myself I'm practically an adult and the town knows we're poor so they wouldn't bother to mug me." Calen pointed out not necessarily to his advantage.
"Calendula we are many things but we are not poor." Calen's mother Replied, ready to drop the subject altogether as she got up from the table with a sigh as she walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a small bag of flour and a bowl of water and a small brush then walked back to the room and put the supplies on the table along with three pesos. "That's all your allowance for the next year you understand. I don't have any paint so you'll have to make do with water and flour."
"I can go?" Calen asked happily as he looked up at his mother with a huge grin.
"Yes you can go, but I expect you to be home by 10 is that clear?" Calen's mother asked as she pointed to the small clock on the wall that showed 6 o'clock.
Calen smiled as he remembered his first festival then the many festivals that followed every year after that. Every year Calen would ask his mother if he could go and every year she would give Calen the bag of flour the bowl of water and three pesos. Calen's smile started to fade as the memories of his final night flooded his mind.
Calen was nineteen now. It had been the perfect night for the first time Calen remembered to buy paint with some of his work money so he didn't have to wear flour to the parade and he even got a kiss from the most beautiful girl in the village after he gave her the brightest red marigold for her hair that this three pesos could buy. Calen looked up at the stars in the clear night's sky with his hands behind his head as he happily walked home from the festival. As Calen walked past the Cemetery near his home he noticed a few strange figures in the Cemetery. Calen looked at them curiously until he noticed that they were digging.
"Hey!" Calen called as he held onto the top of the low fence with his left hand so he could jump over the fence. The men looked at him and dropped the shovel as they began to run away. "Hey!" Calen yelled again as he ran after them planning to knock them out and take them to the sheriff's office. Calen ran and jumped the fence that lead to the woods where he saw the men run to. After a short while Calen stopped. And noticed it would be too dark to find them. "Great" Calen said annoyed as he turned to go back to the village only to hear a gunshot go off.
Calen winced once more as he looked at the hole in is left chest with a red marigold painted around it then went back to his painful memory.
Calen gasped for air as he shoot up from where he was laying to find that he was still in the woods.
"What the." Calen thought as he looked around for the men who attacked him to find that they were not anywhere to be seen. "Aw man, its morning mother is gonna be furious when she sees me walking in." Calen said to himself as he ran as fast as he could through the wood into the cemetery back to the street and to his house. Calen opened the door just enough for him to slide in and closed it gently behind him. Calen looked around the small main room to find his mother staring at the lit fireplace crying.
"Mama, It's ok. I'm home. Sorry I was out late but you know how it is." Calen said as he walked closer he could hear more and more of his mother muffled cries.
"My poor baby. My Poor baby." Calens mother repeated as she rocked back and forth as she cried.
"So you heard about the grave robber thing huh? It's ok mama I'm here and I'm ok." Calen said as he put his hands on his chest when he felt something sticky on his left side. "Huh?" Calen thought as he looked down at his hand to find it covered in blood and a bullet hole in his chest right where his heart is. "Oh boy. so I didn't come out of that unscratched but I'm here. I'll be more careful I swear." Calen said softly as he moved to put his clean hand on his mothers shoulder only to have it phase through in a blue light. " What the" Calen exclaimed horrified as he looked at his mother.
"My poor baby. Why did you have to die so young and leave your mother all alone?" The mother cried as she allowed her head to fall into her hands as she sobbed.
"I died?" Calen felt his heart sink as he took a step back.
"I died the night of my holiday." Calen thought as he looked at the picture sorrowfully then placed it back on the shrine. "Am I doing the right thing? Dia De Los Muertos is suppose to be a happy holiday, not a feared holiday or spirit like these other guys." Calen thought as he flopped on his small single person bed. "But no matter what I do the kid that see me are afraid of me anyways." Calen counter argued. "I guess if the kids are going to be afraid of me anyways there's no harm in being here." Calen thought siding with his second argument. "Right?" Calen asked himself as he looked at his dull ceiling.
Well that's all for now. This chapter was mostly for character development so i hope you liked it. You can expect what thirteen predicted to happen soonish.
Thirteen: I see death, death, death. so much blood to spill.
bye bye till then. thirteen go back to your corner please. TT_TT