Chapter 21: Death and All His Friends

"Claire!" Zoey yelled out, finally finding her in the far fields. The young girl in question was running around in the grass chasing Simon, who was enjoying the attention like nothing else she'd seen; his tail was could shoot off at any second it was shaking so much.

Claire stopped, dropping to sit on the ground, Simon falling to the ground in front of her, turning onto his back to show his belly which Claire rubbed immediately.

Zoey reached them; rubbing Simon's neck and ears as he dropped to the ground, panting loudly.

Claire stayed silent, and Zoey smiled awkwardly.

"I'm sorry we woke you up."

Claire didn't say anything as she absently rubbed Simon's belly.

Zoey smiled, and tugged on Simon's ear twice, a personal trick of hers that she taught him just last week. She hated to admit she used Charles' power to help ingrain the command, but it always worked.

Simon jumped up quickly, barked, and gave Claire a kiss before running away.

Claire raised an eyebrow at her, but Zoey only shrugged.

"I hope we didn't scare you... I mean you're still in a new place, but being thrust back into something familiar... did they fight alot? " she asked quickly. She hadn't really planned on what to say to her.

Claire shook her head.

"This isn't a – session, is it?" Claire asked quietly.

Zoey stopped, and frowned.

"Wait, has my... new role been preventing the lot of you talking to me as friends?! I mean, I came here to apologize for waking you up... I know Charles and I have our differences, but me bringing the League here might have pushed a button or two..."

Claire grinned at that.

"It was kind of comedic, the way he rolled in, babbling."

Zoey laughed.

"Yeah, I can understand. I didn't let him on about The League until I met them at the gate."

Claire's eyes widened before she laughed, hard, her body shaking.

"That explains so much!" she said, catching her breath. "He actually said, and I quote: 'She's mad. She's utterly, completely mad, I tell you.'"

Zoey laughed as well.

Claire wiped at her eyes, and then nodded.

"I'll bite, then... this is as friends."

Zoey smiled, and caught her breath, nodding.

"So..."

Claire took a deep breath, and nodded again.

"My parents did fight, sometimes waking either me or my brother up. It started after I found out... who I was. I melted a snowboard into a puddle."

Zoey rested her hand on top of hers.

"I'm sorry but that's awesome. What happened after?"

Claire faltered.

"John, my brother... he was there when it happened. He acted scared at first, but then he thought it was so cool. He ran to my parents not in fear, but excitement..."

"And your parents?"

She shrugged.

I mean its understandable, it was unexplainable... but they were scared of me, I knew it: watching my every move, scared I would melt the sink, the coffee table… it…"

"Claire, the way your parents acted when Charles and I came to get you, they acted nothing like-"

"I remember like it was yesterday. Why did you get so flustered you had to leave?" Claire said hurriedly, taking the chance to change the subject.

"All the parents Charles and I have met since we turned this place into a school… they all were terrified of their children. Their children. They would meet us with glares mixed with utter fear, as though Charles or I would grow fangs and eat them whole." She finally looked back to Claire, meeting her questioning gaze.

"Your parents, they greeted us smiling. Even your brother was there, your family wanted to sit by you while we talked, not eavesdrop in the other room eagerly waiting until we left. The love your parents had for you, after seeing hate and fear from so many others… it was too much for me."

Claire tilted her head.

"Something tells me you didn't have normal parents."

"Singular, just my mom and I. Never met my dad, and my mom was never willing to talk about him. Though honestly, with the two of us, I didn't question it that much."

"That close, huh? I liked to think of my mom as a friend, but after the 'Snowboard Incident' as we called it... it kind of changed for a while..."

Claire's face suddenly turned solemn, and she turned away.

Zoey blinked, and looked down at her hands, getting ready to leave.

"Again… I'm so sorry we woke you with our yelling. Bringing that back must've-" she started.

"Don't even, Zoey!" Claire interrupted.

Zoey almost jumped at the outburst, and raised an eyebrow.

"You two were yelling at each other not in anger… but with enthusiasm… passion. Yelling at each other just like my parents did," she said, bending her head down before she continued: "You two are… a team."

Zoey frowned at the words…

"You totally eavesdropped, didn't you?" Zoey asked.

Claire blushed but shrugged.

Zoey laughed, but only shrugged.

"I just took charge when I wasn't my place - I mean I'm still new… ish. I've only been here for-"

"Don't give me that, Zoey. Even I feel it - and I've been here less than you have… we are a family."

Zoey stopped and stared.

"You're a mother to Ori, an older sister to Janie and Alex, a buddy to Sean and Joey. Hank calls you his sister-slash-mentor-slash-caretaker. It doesn't matter how long you've been here, Zoey, but you belong. And it's hard to accept, I know, but I'm starting to feel the same way too. Like you're also a second mother-slash-mentor-slash-sister, as Hank describes."

Zoey tilted her head.

"Hank?" she asked, changing the subject away from her, her mind still reeling over what was just said about her...

Claire looked down.

"He's the only one I consider a good friend here, also Janie, of course, and as I told you, you're-"

"Hank's a good one. One of the best. They all are," she interrupted, not wanting to hear it again.

Claire smiled.

"I've figured that out a long time ago," she grinned.

It was almost a routine now, it happened almost every night.

Zoey had to get Ori and Simon to come inside at sunset.

She stepped outside, and frowned. Usually Ori's laughter and Simon's barks echoed throughout the grounds, but it was silent…

She started jogging, and broke out into a run when she spotted Ori on the ground, hunched over something as she sat under a small tree.

Simon was a few yards away, pacing and whining.

She reached Ori, calling out her name.

The girl looked up at her, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was hunched over a dead bird in her hands – she didn't know the name, but it was large and brown, with a long neck, black talons and beak.

"I couldn't stop him," she cried out, shaking her head as she glanced back down at the bird. It was bloody, its body limp, feathers distorted.

Zoey glanced over at Simon and winced when she saw red stains on his white face. He sat down when he saw her looking at him, and whined. Zoey didn't need to use Charle's powers to know what Simon was going through. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to.

She pointed towards the house and made a tching noise, nodding her head as well.

Simon whined a final time but obeyed her, softly jogging towards the house with his tail between his legs.

She frowned down at the bird, and knelt down next to the shaking Ori.

She reached out to take the bird from her, but Ori cried out "No!" and drew back, holding the bird to her chest.

"Ori, I'm so sorry."

Ori broke down crying again, gently brushing the bird's feathers again. Zoey subtly edged closer to her, and brought an arm around the young girl's shoulders. Ori only cried harder, bringing the bird to her chest before turning into Zoey's embrace.

She winced when she felt the limp body hit her stomach, but held Ori tightly.

Suddenly, it started raining without warning.

Zoey looked up at the empty sky frowning as large grey clouds formed from nothing, the rain falling harder.

"Ori, I know it's a terrible thing-"

The young girl cried harder and pulled back, shaking her head.

"He didn't even see it coming!" she shrieked over the sound of thunder.

Zoey felt a breeze tickle the ends of her hair and she frowned, looking up again.

"Ori, it's okay. You need to calm down, honey. This bird has lived a great, long life. But with life, things come unexpectedly…"

Ori shook her head.

"I could've stopped it! Just like I could've saved Lester!"

"Who was Lester, Ori?"

Ori let out a soft cry, and shook her head.

"He was grey with white stripes. He purred me and Janie to sleep," Ori said, her voice calming down, even though the weather surrounding them grew harsher. The water drops were heavier and the wind had picked up, howling a spooky sound. There was more thunder, but thankfully no lightning.

"Lester must have had such a great time with you and Janie. Animals, just like us, want only to be loved, Ori."

The young girl let out another sob.

"There were mean men. They bothered Janie and me. They teased us, teased Lester. They had big dogs. They were so mean…" Ori sobbed.

The wind blew even harder, and Zoey had to fight to stay sitting up. Ori was swaying in the wind, still holding the bird to her chest, the blood seeping through her purple dress.

"Lester loved you, just as you loved him, Ori."

"They were so mean! Their dogs were so scary…"

Zoey made the connection quickly enough.

"Ori, Ori, look at me," she had to yell over the wind.

The young girl looked up, tears streaming down her face. Zoey reached forward and brought her hands to the young girl's cheeks, wet from tears and rain.

"Ori, honey, with death – you can grieve, but you can't let it tear you apart. It's better to celebrate life than to grieve it."

Ori stood up, still holding the bird. Zoey stood up as well and reached for her, but Ori shrieked and walked away, shaking her head.

Zoey followed her, and in good time.

A crack split through the air, a white light flashing behind them, followed by the groan and snap of the tree they were just under fall to the ground with a big thud, the ground beneath them trembling subtley.

Ori shrieked, and the wind grew in speed, the rain now pelting on their skin.

"Zoey!" she heard her name – not called by Ori.

"Janie?" she yelled out. She had to squint her eyes - it was dark, the rain was all she could see...

"Get back inside, Janie!"

"Zoey!"

"Charles?"

"Zoey, you need to bring this storm down!"

Zoey reached her hands out to find Ori, grasping her shoulders.

"Let's go inside, Ori," she had to raise her voice over the noise, "we can find him a nice box, add a blanket. We can give him a small ceremony, bury him-"

"NO!" Ori screamed this time.

The howling of the wind grew harder, faster.

Zoey looked up at the sky, and cried out in surprise.

The clouds were blending together, forming a large dark circle above them-

It was a hurricane.

"Shit," Zoey said, and stood back, trying to rein in Ori's power to help bring the storm down… but she could only feel Ori's pain.

The wind howled even louder.

"Zoey!" Charles shouted.

"Go inside, it's dangerous!"

"Exactly! I need to-"

"NO!" Ori screamed again.

Zoey was knocked off her feet at the next gust of wind.

"Ori!" she cried out. Zoey reached for her power again, and this time she was able to bring down the rain, giving her more visibility.

She saw Janie and Charles not too far away.

"Ori!" Zoey cried out again, and crawled towards her.

"Lester, Lester…" Ori cried, her whole body shaking. The rain came back, harder than ever, almost like small bullets hitting their skin.

The wind howled the loudest yet this time. Zoey looked up at the sky to see the circle of clouds even larger, growing darker and darker.

"Zoey, I have to..." Charles started in her mind-

"NO!" Zoey screamed, but she could only glance over at Ori in time to see her body freeze, her eyes rolling up into her head as she fell down, unconscious.

The storm fell silent within a second.

The rain stopped. The wind stopped. The clouds quickly dissipated, showing the sun about to set, the sky a dark blue-purple; as though the threat of a large storm had't just happened.

Zoey let out a sob and quickly crawled over to the unconscious Ori who still held the deceased bird in her arms, gathering the young girl and the bird onto her lap, hugging her tight as she let her tears fall.

Death is never an easy thing to comprehend. Even as an adult.

"Zoey," she heard Charles say softly.

She looked up to see him and Janie a few feet away.

Zoey shook her head and shifted around, bringing her arms around to hold Ori to her chest as she stood up, stepping back to get used to the girl's weight.

Without another glance at Charles or Janie, Zoey started walking towards the house, cradling the young girl in her arms.