Cecil looked giddy, as his grin was wide and bright, explaining the details of the game, Fuuka was the only one confused.
Cecil nodded understanding at the wolf girl, he started over with simpler terms, Fuuka's eyes brightened immediately with curiosity, excitement coming in waves from her.
The four young adults split, all of them in front of said mirror, the walkie-talkies coming to life as they counted down from five before they did the chant.
"Bloody mary…"
"Bloody mary…"
"Bloody mary!"
A few intense minutes passed, holding their breath, waiting for anything to happen, yet only the breezy wind passing through was heard from the outside. The group got together, and Cecil had a disappointed look on his face, Fuuka was humming an unknown tune, her tail wagging behind her happily, and Prucilla was a bit unnerved, glancing around her in paranoia, as Lucy looked a bit miff and pouty, she didn't dare glance at the boy detective.
Fuuka broke the tension, her voice carrying over the silence. "Fun! Fuuka had Lotsa fun!" Began Fuuka, grinning at the other three, oblivious to the once-tense atmosphere.
Lucy gave a sheepish grin, her overall mood lightened up at Fuuka's words. Lucy nudged Prucilla, who also gave a nod to Fuuka who smiled much happier than she was. Soon the group departed, waving goodbye, as they headed home.
Cecil got ready for bed, shouting night to his older brother, who simply grunted, and went to his room. Cecil looked over to his mirror, his fingertips grazing the surface of it, memorized by the glass and his reflection, his lights flickered before pitching black surrounded him.
"Martin? Hey, why did…the lights…go out… trailed off Cecil his words stuck on his tongue, as a woman cloaked in black stared back at him. The woman tilts her head, her long nails reaching over to Cecil's cheek, caressing it before pulling away, her touch quick as the lights flickered back to life, the woman was gone as she came, and confusion was written over Cecil's face, heavy steps were heard, as Martin flung his little brother's door open, holding his trusty hammer over his head.
Martin eyed the entire room, his stance still as a statue, till a sigh left his lips, he slacked instantly, worry etched on his face, his lips pursed in question.
"I see you're safe. Let's go to bed. I'll check on you in the morning." Martin closed the door behind him, leaving Cecil standing by himself in his room. Cecil shut the lights off, settling in his bed, he left to sleep, taking him, only for a whisper in his ear, left him dozing off to sleep.
The wolf's cradle has fallen..and all that is left is her bleeding face to show her last moments…
Cecil woke up to a flurry of blankets being pulled from him, Martin's face was crestfallen as well as the others, Alice was looking at the ground, not able to look at anyone directly, puffy red eyes were the only indicator they cried more than once the night before.
Cecil swallowed the lump in his throat, his voice quivering, trying to hold back the tears that were close to spilling. "What's going on?"
Simone's voice broke the silence, her voice hollow, as tears welled in her eye.
"Fuuka is…she's no longer with us."
Cecil felt a cold shiver down his spine, he jumped out of bed, ignoring the loud calls of his name behind him. His heart pounded in his ears, as he finally got to the lake, Fuuka's body was covered in a sheet of white, red seeping through it, as it spread farther in. Cecil held his breath, inching closer to the covered body, his fingers trembled, pulling the cover away, and his throat caught, he felt like he was being choked, his sobs were the only thing heard, as his knees gave out from under him.
Fuuka's face was contorted in a look of horror, her eyes ripped from her skull, her tongue removed, and trails of crimson dripping from the corners of her mouth. Her neck had deep bruises ringed around her neck, her chest cavity opened as her heart looked pulverized, her lungs punctured, and outside of her, laying by her arms, had long cuts on her from scissors. Cecil stumbled back, his tears blinding him, as he puked suddenly, his stomach aching in pain.
Lucy came behind him, pulling him away from the scene, Prucilla's blurry vision matched his guilt eating him. Lucy took her two friends to the restaurant of Prucilla's sister, Elsje looked over, petting each one's head soothingly, glancing over to a nearby table, the three young adults sat.
Lucy gave a wobbly grin, forcing food into her mouth, as did the others, till Terry came by, standing before them.
"Cecil, we need to talk." Terry's voice gave nothing away, his stare unsettled Cecil, as he excused himself, waving bye before he hurriedly followed Terry, who speed-walked toward the agency, Cecil tried to keep up as he could.
The door closed with a slam, and Cecil was cornered by Terry, the old detective's nails dug into Cecil's shirt, flinching from the pain that bit at him.
"What did you do?"
I..i just wanted to play a game with my friends…"
"Why this specific one?"
"I didn't know it was real! I was curious and thought it would be a good laugh even if it was fake."
"You should've gone to someone. Anyone would've told you about bloody mary's curse."
"I.I'm sorry…."
"Just don't do this again. We don't need another incident."
Cecil walked out of the workplace, head full, and at the same time mixed with overwhelming thoughts. Letting out a shaky sigh, he left to go home, his head buzzing with the little information he knew. Tugging at his hair, his frown deepened, unsure of what to do.
Priscilla stopped him on the way, her lip wobbling in frustration, her hands gripping her skirt tightly, her knuckles going white from the grip, she looked into Cecil's eyes, swirling in them was sadness, her eye color duller than the usual bright blue he sees.
"Priscilla, are you..okay?" Cecil said cautiously, eyeing the girl's trembling shoulders.
"I..i..need to show you something. Could you please have a look?" Asks Priscilla, avoiding Cecil's eyes.
" Oh, of course! Please, follow me, Priscilla," reassures Cecil, taking her by the hand, they stroll along the back roads to the shared home of Martin and Cecil.
Cecil locked his bedroom door, looking back to Priscilla, who was untying her top, Cecil freaked, turning away, his face red as a cherry.
"This is not what I was expecting! Pl-please fix yourself. Th-this is highly inappropriate." Squeaks Cecil, unable to face his friend.
"Just look!" insists Priscilla, turning him around, as she turned around as well, showing him her bruised back. Cecil's audible gasp was heard, transfixed on the splattered bruises all over.
"Ah..haha…I'm sorry. I thought- spluttered Cecil, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. It dawned on Priscilla, her cheeks flushed bright red.
"Oh no, no! I'm sorry! Cecil, you're a great friend. But I'm not interested in you in that way. Ahh, I should've been more direct about this. Ranted Priscilla, ashamed that she sent the wrong impression to her friend.
"no no, it's my fault. I should've known better. Forgive me." insisted Cecil, his face ebbing in worry and concern. After a few moments passed, they both chuckled over the situation, the tense air, now more relaxed. Cecil nodded to her, turning back around he examined the bruises, his lip in a deep frown, the bruises looked painful, he tapped one as gently as he could, only to hear a gasp of pain from her. Muttering a quick sorry, he pulled away, mapping the bruises in his mind, as Priscilla redid her top, thanking him for looking at them.
"I'm not a doctor like , but I do believe you should get them checked."
"I will..I.. just don't want anyone to think elsje did this. She would never! But, I don't want to cause unnecessary trouble for her.."
"I'm sure, Mrs. Simone, would never think your older sister did this. Our mayor is smart, she's not going to put blameless accusations on her."
"Thank you again, Cecil."
"You're welcome, Priscilla."
Without another word, Priscilla left, waving over her shoulder, as Martin entered the home, curiosity danced in his eyes seeing Priscilla leave without a simple hello to him, like she usually did whenever she crossed paths with someone. Martin walked over to Cecil's room, rasping his knuckles against the wooden door,
"Hey, I'm home. Dinner will be done shortly," said Martin curtly, before he left for the kitchen. Cecil bit his lip, nervously, panicking at the thought of spilling what he saw. He tried to breathe calmly, yet the speed up of his heart was noticeable as well as the light flush on his cheeks in nervousness. Slapping his cheeks with both hands, trying to psych himself out of his messy thoughts, he strides out of his room, determined to not spill the beans. It all fell apart when he seated himself, Martin was eyeing him warily, he seemed lost in thought, unsure how to approach the topic at hand.
Dinner was awkward and tense, Martin seemed lost in thought, unsure if he wanted to bring up the topic or not, his eyebrows scrunched in frustration. Cecil was oblivious to his older brother's dilemma, picking at his meal, thousands of questions going rapidly in his head, only leading to one conclusion.
"Cecil- started Martin, only for his little brother to quickly shove himself out of his seat, shouting a quick goodbye as the front door slammed behind him.
Cecil rushes to the old bakery, greeted by Yuki, who waves at you, her smile jolly and welcoming to those who enter. The boy detective waves back nodding to the grandma, he transfixes on Priscilla, who was transporting the baked goods to cooling shelves on display. Tapping on the pink-haired girl's shoulder, a slight jump is seen, as she turns to see her friend Cecil filled with worry.
"Why are you here?" whispered Priscilla, ducking behind the cooling shelves, looking out the corner of her eye for the two elderly grandparents that ran the bakery.
"I needed to. I just had a feeling, it would be safer if we all slept in the same room." explained Cecil, shuffling his feet nervously.
"I..i don't think Lucy will be okay with that..she might think you're up to something if it's out of the blue," warned Priscilla, nervously giggling at her overprotective bestie.
"You have a point, Lucy would be against this. But still!" Exclaims Cecil, Priscilla's hand slapping over the other mouth, shushing him hurriedly, as Yuki gave her a grin, turning around as she hummed an upbeat tune.
They went back and forth, but no conclusion was definite, as they parted they wished each other good luck. Nightfall soon fell through the town of Rigbarth, everyone was rushing home, hoping to get a good rest, as the sky shined beautifully with stars sparkling across the night. Martin was home, waiting for his brother, he grabbed his trusty hammer and tiptoed to the younger room, the lights off, as he tried to turn on the light, it stayed dark, and only a shadow stood there, puzzled he got closer, a screechy scream pierced his ears, then nothing. Martin analyzed around the room, unsure of what he saw. Turning around, he faces a woman, the cloak blocking her face, her long black nails clung to his throat, air leaving him, grasping for breath, she snapped his neck, his nails left scratches over her hand, his eyes no longer bright but dull and lifeless. Scissors in one hand, she jabbed it through his eyes, plucking each one, opening the scissors, sliced his throat, and began to get up, looking back to hear footsteps coming, the mirror engulfed her, as the lights turned on.
Cecil engulfed Martin's body in a hug, tears streaming down his face as wrecked sobs stumbled out. A few minutes later, he settled himself down to call Simone, his face tear-struck, his frown was evident, not once glancing up at Simone as she passed him.
Simone chatted with Terry under her breath, sending obvious glances at Cecil, who hung his head low, misery written all over his face.
Terry clapped a hand on Cecil's shoulder, guiding him to the older gentleman's home, saluting Simone before they left in a hurry. Cecil absently went to the guest room, his face void of emotion, curled into bed, letting sleep take over, his tears falling as he sleeps dreamlessly.
"...cil…ce…ce..i…CECIL?!" Startled awake, Cecil woke up with a yelp, looking up to see an impatient Lucy and a sympathetic Priscilla, shooting a smile his way. Cecil yawned, getting out of bed, he stretched and headed to the table, a cup of tea in his hand, as Lucy and Priscilla sat by him, waiting for him to speak. Lucy toyed with her hair, her cheeks puffed out in frustration, her patience wearing thinner by the minute.
"How are you feeling?" Watching Cecil's movements closely. Cecil swallowed away the lump in his throat.
"I…I'm okay…I guess..?" Not able to meet Lucy's gaze, his ears flushed red, when he knew he was caught red-handed.
Priscilla squeezed his hand in comfort, nodding to him in encouragement as he continued slowly, the words spilling over like a boiling pot overflowing. Lucy stared him dead on, making sure to catch any lies he might spill during the interrogation, at his benefit.
"Seriously, that's all. I..i know I kept some things hidden, but I swear as an amateur detective, everything I said is true." pleaded Cecil, his eyes watering from finally letting it all out in the open. A couple of minutes passed, before Lucy's shoulder slumped in defeat, nodding to him as his face brightened.
"I knew you would understand!" claimed Cecil, happy to see his friends believe him. The three put their heads together, brainstorming ideas, but they came out short in the end.
"Let's take a break." suggested Priscilla, clapping her hands together.
"Agreed." Solemnly Lucy, her cheek resting on the wooden table. The group strides toward the bakery, the warm aroma of baked goods waters their mouths, as their stomach growls in unison. Grandma Yuki waved at the younglings that entered her shop, placing a tray of strawberry tarts in front of them, nodding approvingly at their eager hands indulging in the tarty treat.
"Thank you so much, Grandma Yuki." Thanked Priscilla, taking a bigger bite of the treat. Cecil and Lucy did the same, taking seconds from the pile.
"There's no need for that, dearie. I'm just glad that you're enjoying them. Please help yourselves. It brings joy to Randolph and I." Reassuring Yuki, before turning back to head to the backroom where their room rests. As the three munched on the tarts, they discussed ideas, each one becoming ridiculous as the last.
The sky was darkening, as the stars started to twinkle among it, leaving the bakery, parted, however, Lucy lingered, following Cecil, no words were spilled, just silence as they got to his home.
"Lucy-"
"Don't. I'm staying with you, for a bit. My mom knows where I'm at, so there's no issue there. Let's go in."
"..oh..um, okay?"
Lucy murmurs night to Cecil, closing the guest room door behind her, as he went to bed himself, curled up under the blankets, worry creeping up on him, as he tried to let sleep overcome him. In the guest room, Lucy was mumbling to herself trying to calm her nerves. She squinted hard at the mirror, till she ducked her head under the covers, trying to slow her breathing, but a sudden groan startled her. Lucy stilled, biting her lip to hide the whimper she wanted to release. She felt a hand trail along her body from the outside, Lucy jumped from the covers, to see the cloaked woman inches away. Lucy tried pushing the woman away, and she forced Lucy down, as she squirmed, she screamed as loud as she could, the cloaked woman plunging her finger into Lucy's eye, her screams growing in volume, Cecil swung the hammer at the woman above Lucy, making her stumble off Lucy, falling to the ground, crawling on the floor, reaching for Cecil kicking the woman in the face, the kick sent her sprawled to the floor, unmoving. Cecil turned away, grabbing Lucy who was bleeding in one eye, out of the house and straight to Simone, who took one look at her daughter and swept her into the infirmary, scurrying around, gathering medicines to ease her, as Cecil sat by her in a folded chair, holding her hand for support.
Simone settled Lucy into bed, sending Cecil away with a wave of her hand; he didn't argue and sped walking home, knowing Lucy was in good hands. At home, Cecil grabbed Martin's hammer, and with shaky hands and nerves shot, he smashed the mirror, dropping the hammer, his stomach was twisted into knots, he dragged his feet to the bed, curling up into a ball, he fell asleep without dreams, only the whispers of the cloaked woman accompanied him throughout the night.
Cecil woke up sick to his stomach, he retched into his garbage basket next to his bed, wiping the drool from his lip, he laid back down, a sigh slipping from his lips, trying not to think with the headache sinking in.
Cecil dragged himself outside, only to get jumped by Priscilla in slight wear. Tears welled in her eyes, close to tears, as she stumbled over her words. Cecil took her inside, glancing over her form, she had a thin line cut on her cheek, and her ankle looked bruised, as she seemed to be slightly limping. Other than that, she seemed okay, merely hurt but will recover. Like it was telepathy, Cecil knew who did this to Priscilla even without her telling. Cecil wrapped up her ankle in bandages, easing it to the floor when he finished, holding out his hand, she got up slowly, using her other foot to balance, Cecil placed his arm around her middle, resting at her hip, his other holding her hand tightly, helping her to walk to the doctors. Cecil let go of her hand, and knocking on Simone's door, she opened it wider for the two, going further into the home, helping her to the infirmary, where Lucy looked away, shame and guilt written on her face, not once looking Priscilla's way, as Lucy's mother went to grab stilts to help her get around.
Cecil slipped out of the doctor's, he walked past Seeds', and Elsje let him in, not bothering to ask why, she headed to the restaurant, taking her time to get there. Cecil stood in front of Priscilla's mirror, in one swift motion, he punched it, and the mirror gave in, spilling shards in front of him, some shards embedded in his knuckles, he held his wrist, shaking with nerves, his thoughts scrambled with running thoughts, unsure of his solution, he walked away. He needed his teacher.
I need to talk to . NOW.
Ignoring the pain in his knuckles, rushing toward Terry's abode, only for the man be not there, Cecil scattered around Rigbarth, looking for the sleuth, sweat dripping down his back, shortened of breath, Reindhart, approached the younger, clearing his throat, to announce his presence, so he wouldn't startle him.
"Do you need something?" Asks Reindhart, trailing off his sentence, as Cecil cut in swiftly, not that the knight minded.
"I'm looking for Mr. Terry. Huffed out Cecil, trying to catch his breath.
"Ah, I did see him. He's near the restaurant, he was having lunch with Ryker." Retells Reindhart, getting a quick thanks from Cecil, who started picking up speed toward the restaurant.
Terry was bombarded with Cecil's babble, being torn from his lunch break in a hurry, almost not paying for his meal at the consist of Cecil's pulling of his arm toward the door, soon he was at his place, sitting down as Cecil dumped him with information, no taking a breath till he spits out everything, since he did he slumped onto the other couch, his face buried in his hands.
Terry got up silently, processing everything, as he pulled the shards ebbed in Cecil's knuckles, before wrapping it up after disinfecting it without a word to him.
"Cecil, after everything you have told me. I think it's best if you stay with someone." Terry put his hand up, silencing him before he spoke again to finish his rebuttal of the subject. "This is serious and you need to be watched for now. Just, let me get in contact with someone and we'll finish this once and for all. Now, please do yourself a favor and have a relaxing soak and get to bed. You are exhausted and need all the sleep you can get. So, hop to it!" Shooing Cecil away, with a wave, he went to the bathhouse for a soak, his thoughts still jumbled, and he found it difficult to relax fully.
Terry didn't let him talk, shushing him at every turn, rousing him to bed, he kept the door slightly ajar, hush voices were hard to hear, as Cecil couldn't hear anything that was said, closing his eyes shut, he tried to sleep, only for his thoughts to keep him awake to a sleepless night ahead.
"You okay, kid?" Asked Terry, not expecting a response from the sleepy kid, looking like a walker slumped into a chair unceremoniously.
Lucy stormed in, with Priscilla behind her, trying to keep up with her angered friend, Priscilla's soothing words did not melt Lucy's fiery anger, turning to Cecil who perked up at the blonde, stomping towards him.
"What the hell were you thinking?! Screeches Lucy, glaring daggers at Cecil, confusion written over his face.
"Wha-?"
"Why did you break Priscilla's mirror?! It was her mother's, you, you ungrateful–! Raged Lucy, Priscilla covered Lucy's mouth, muffling the sling of creative insults she was firing at him.
Terry clapped his hands twice, catching the attention of the three. "Let's talk about this civilly." Giving Lucy a hard stare, as he continued. "Why don't you two join us for breakfast, while he discusses this? It won't be a good idea to chat on an empty stomach." Lucy grudgingly agreed, murmuring under her breath, as Priscilla sat by her, giving Terry a grateful smile, which was returned heartedly.
Cecil zoned out on the chatter at the table, Mindlessly shoving pieces of the omelet in his mouth, humming in contentment, not noticing the glare from Lucy, her fork pointed at him, as if she was ready to poke him with it, Priscilla caught his gaze, nodding at Luce, as Cecil gathered his thoughts, swallowed and treaded lightly, unsure of what he missed.
"C..could you please repeat what was said." Grumbles Cecil, avoiding the shame creeping up his neck.
"I said we need to come up with a plan. Priscilla was still hurt, even after her mirror broke in her room."
"Wait, you have more than one?" Replied Cecil, feeling a bit pale.
"Yeah, we always did. We have three. One in the bathroom, the other two, or one now in Elsje's room. Why?" questioned Priscilla, looking puzzled by his question.
Cecil swallowed the lump in his throat. "Because it's how she appears. We need– Priscilla!" Before Cecil finished his thought, Priscilla ran out of the home, the door slammed abruptly in one hard swing, as Lucy and Cecil looked at each other, their brains on the same wavelength, rushing out to stop Priscilla's rush home.
Priscilla stood in front of Elsje's door, blocking the view from the outside, Lucy and Cecil tried to snap out of her daze, her trembling form was the only sign she showed, with little to no resistance, Lucy pulled her friend away from the door, Cecil peeked inside reading himself to witness what had occurred. Cecil gasped, Elsje lay on the floor, hardly breathing, he rushed outside, his legs burning from the fast pace, gathering the attention of Simone who was chatting with Misa, pulling her toward Priscilla's home, Simone noticed the anxious look, and went ahead, her lungs burning from her run, she speeds to Elsje, checking her, only for a sigh of relief to escape.
"She'll be okay. Just needs some attentive care, and Elsje will be back to work." Reassuring Simone, picking up Elsje, in a cradled form, her head propped into Simone's shoulder.
Priscilla gripped her skirt tightly, allowing Lucy to pull her away from the room, saying a solemn goodbye to Cecil, he watched as the two followed Simone back home. Left alone, Cecil looked into the room, the mirror cracked and only had a few pieces of shattered glass on the ground around it.
Cecil turned away, his head swirling with thoughts, a headache easing in, as he tried to give his brain a break.
Cecil was awakened suddenly, by the pounding on the door, desperate pleas were heard, as Cecil walked toward it, the voice unfamiliar to him.
"Hello, who is this?"
The pounding stopped, Cecil tensed and he spoke again, louder.
"Hello, is anyone there? Who is it?"
The pounding thundered louder, causing Cecil to jump, his heart in his throat, unable to speak, As the pounding grew tenser.
"GO AWAY!" Shouted Cecil, his voice cracking in fear, swiftly turning around Bloody Mary stabbed him in the throat with bloody scissors, as he gasped for air, he watched her leave, never looking back as he bled, never to wake up again. Darroch was the most upset at the news, he busied himself with orders, never allowing himself breaks so his thoughts never trailed to them. Terry went on a trip, he told no one where he was going, and only left a note for his departure. Priscilla and Lucy stayed in the same house, sharing a bed, for nightmares plagued them daily at night, waiting for any sign she might come for them, the momentary peace, provoked their imagination vividly, looking over their shoulders as paranoia settled in. Lucy put on a brave face, comforting her friend, her insomnia worsened every day, with the little sleep she gets. Priscilla tried to strive for keeping herself preoccupied daily, but the nightmares were the cause of her selective mutism, her voice was rarely heard, and if so it was always a whisper, never a decimal higher. Priscilla took her life, injecting herself with a high dosage, Lucy mourned and locked herself up in her room. Weeks later, Lucy was forced to be sent away from Rigbarth, allowing her time away from there. Simone put flowers on the departed graves, writing to her daughter, as her absence bothered Julian, he spent more time with Hina's family, who welcomed his presence, understanding that it was crucial. The town continued on, however, with heavy hearts buried in the circumstances of the young adult's untimely departure, no one said a word, never allowing strangers to confirm or deny anything, only for the rumors to deplete and stay dead.