Jason could tell she was unnerved, but also there was relief in her eyes, rather than disgust. "That explains it."
He nodded, and led her to the small cavern he'd found as a child, and pulled out the big box of weapons he'd managed to collect. "Pick one."
As she shuffled through them, he was surprised to see she had picked what appeared to be some kind of fork, "I always wondered how to use these."
"What are they?"
"Sai, this is a really solid set. You can block all sorts of blows and get a few good stabs in with these, at least in a physical altercation."
"You know how to use them?"
"Kind of, I took a few lessons as a kid," he was surprised at how fluid her movements were as she maneuvered the small weapons, "everything else was too big." He nodded, then took a chance, lunging at her, only for her to block it, "Trying to scare me now?"
He shrugged, and tried again, this time knocking her back. Her eyes showed that she'd accepted his challenge, but before they could continue, they went back to check on Lily. It made him feel happy, watching Sandra sit with her sister, but became worried when he saw her face shift. "No, I don't have-" She rushed up to him, "We have to get to a hospital! NOW!"
A few hours later, he stood outside the hospital, hiding in the brush while Sandra sat with Lily. He'd given her his old teddy for Lily to cuddle with. Apparently, her sister had a high fever, and was in danger of losing her life. It made him upset, not only that he hadn't noticed, but that he didn't have the courage to go in there. Suddenly, he felt himself falling, "You've got issues brother."
Jason rubbed his head, only to see Norman Bates standing there, "You're one to talk."
"And you don't talk at all. You really like that kid, don't you?"
"Is that a bad thing?"
"You know they'll eventually die right?"
"Leave me alone…."
Sandra sat there, watching Lily, why hadn't she noticed? She could have stopped this, "It's all my fault… I should have stayed with you."
"I don't see how it could be your fault child." The dark voice chilled her to the bone, "Life is cruel."
She turned to see a shadow there, "Who- How did you get in here?"
There was no response, but instead, the shadow held out its hand. The dark sphere in its palm began to vaporize, revealing a mask, one that seemed to be of a Huli-Jing, or nine tailed fox. It was simple, but she realized that it seemed to want her to have it. Taking it, she watched as the shadow disappeared, and placed it in her bag. She was desperate for her sister to recover, and suddenly felt a strange sense of calm come over her. Carefully, she placed a hand on her sister's forehead, and began to speak in a language she never had heard before. The power flowing through her was strange, and she could have sworn that she felt the life force of others flowing through and into her. Suddenly, she heard her grandmother's voice, "You will be protected my love, your love will protect you, and you will protect those who you love…."
As the voice faded, Sandra suddenly felt light-headed, and fell back into the chair. Regaining composure, she looked up at Lily's vitals, and was overjoyed to see that they were back to normal. But as she looked at her sister, she realized something, she had healed her. When the realization hit her, she wasn't sure how to feel about it, or how it happened. She also sensed that there was new knowledge in her mind, knowledge that hadn't been there before, or the temptation of causing mischief….
A few weeks later, she sat outside under the moon, examining the mask. She almost felt connected to it, as if it was a part of her, and she had worn it several times now. It had only been a few times that she'd noticed slight changes, and Jason had too, and thankfully had comforted her through it. When she heard him coming close, she looked up, "Hey…"
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I guess I'm just unsure of what is happening to me."
"You look pretty with the mask on."
She blushed, "Thanks, it's crazy though, the Sai are almost second nature to me now, any of the weapons like that are. I just wonder how I learned it so fast, it's almost like this thing gave these new abilities to me."
"Want to take a walk in-" A sudden snap broke them from their conversation, and they looked up. Sandra's vision had not only improved, but her hearing had too after she'd begun wearing the mask. She saw that there were several sports cars and a massive group of teenagers had gathered there, scandalously dressed, loudspeakers, and lots of booze. "I need to-"
She put a finger to his lips, "I know, but this time…." a mischievous grin crossed her face, "Let's make a game out of it, and cause a bit of trouble first."
She could tell he was surprised, but also could sense he was smiling, "I think I can work with that, what do you suggest?"
"Well, I've been waiting to try out making a few illusions, not to mention screwing with a couple people's heads. Let's wait till midnight….
"I like your thinking…."
