~O~

Passing Strange

Donna watched the villager drooling excessively on her table.

She sighed with dismay, dabbing at his chin with a little cloth. Her eye softened somewhat when he began to cry and she smiled at him.

He was much older, suffering seizures in his final years. This one was constant and seemed to last a few minutes more than usual. He'd volunteered to be her test subject as she worked on her plant project. He was old, ready to go. He was grateful for her kindness. If such a thing existed.

It was easier speaking to the sick and dying without Angie to take over. They were no threat. They didn't care if she was frightening or not. They saw through her. Sometimes, that was more than enough for Donna to endure.

"You want to see them, then?" she queried. "One last time?"

A happy, exhausted nod in response.

(It's hurting him. Rotting. Help him.)

(Give him peace.)

(Let him see.)

"Very well..." Donna said, quietly. "Close your eyes."

He did as she said, spitting a little and mumbling a 'thank you'. Donna reached up with one hand and felt the connection to him. She knew the smell of pollen and what she made from her own body would induce an illusion. It was his choice what that illusion would be.

But sometimes Donna could manipulate it as she saw fit. It was fun for the worst ones. The ones who had a tendency to underestimate her. Then they could be played with as she saw fit. They were her little dolls, after all.

The old man choked out a stunned noise. Then, a wide-eyed smile lit his lips and his pupils collapsed from the powers of the woman.

"Mama?" he whispered. "Papa."

Donna smiled with awe, watching as he experienced the illuson. He would die shortly afterwards, but he was happy right now and it proved that her changes to the pollen worked.

(She did it!)

(Look. Something's different. He's smiling.)

(Is he happy? Did she make him happy?)

"He didn't last long," Angie complained, "The old, sick ones never do."

Donna nodded in agreement. "But he gave himself to me to play with," Donna pointed out, "How often do we get ones like that?"

Angie sighed, head rattling forward in a nod. "Maybe."

"I have a few plants I need outside," Donna reminded her. "Help me pick them, please."

Donna ventured to her garden once more to retrieve more of the flowers. She would keep them in her home, in pots around the house. Perhaps their lovely yellow colors would lend some light inside.

She knelt down, retrieving a pair of scissors. Readying them to the base of the plants.

She froze.

(It's not safe here.)

(Someone's close. Do you feel it?)

Donna glanced up, scanning the dead forest around her. She heard the snapping of a branch and rose. Angie had stirred beneath her arm.

Another thief, perhaps? Sent to take what didn't belong to them.

(Why can't they leave her alone?)

(Let's play with them, then.)

Donna covered her face with her veil and Angie was there, in her arms. She immediately flickered out of sight - a simple gesture to teleport herself away.

She made it to her door, but whirled when a frightened, blood-soaked man was rushing to her step. He dropped to his knees, pleading up at her.

"Please, don't let her find me!" he begged, "She's going to kill me! Please!"

Donna recoiled at the sight, stunned when she saw a rope suddenly wrap around his throat and yank him into the dirt. She looked up, spotting the shape of Bela Dimitrescu standing there, swathed in flies. She was grinning with delight, yanking him back a little more.

"Where are you going, little thief?" she hissed, with glee. She looked up at Donna briefly, waving with one hand. "Hi."

"What's this guy's story?" Angie asked.

"Hmm, one of the servants stole mother's necklace," Bela said, with a little shrug, "You know what mother does to thieves. So I thought I'd hunt him down and bring him right back to her. Tried to find mercy amongst another Lord. How sad."

Donna nodded. Indeed.

(Dangerous. She doesn't know why, does she?)

(She's a threat. She's one of them.)

(Don't trust her. Trust us.)

"Anyway, I have to go." Bela told her, with a single wave. "I have a pig that needs bleeding so...bye!"

Donna watched her disappear into a swarm of flies, laughing as she dragged the helpless man with her by his throat.

"Well, that was different, wasn't it?" Angie hissed, "A Dimitrescu on our land."

Donna found it different indeed.

O

Alcina was being groomed by her servants when Bela walked into the bathroom. She waited by the door in silence until Alcina had stopped addressing her maid.

"...and I want the decor to look splendid and welcoming!" she told her, "Nothing in mauve. It's a tasteless color fit for peasants and products of incest."

"Yes, my lady..."

Alcina glanced up toward a nearby mirror when she saw Bela waiting for her. She smiled and beckoned with one finger.

"Bela. Good." she said. "I'm glad to see you. I need you to tell your sisters to get ready. I want them properly groomed and fair."

Bela pouted somewhat. She knew what that meant.

"Darling, don't sulk." Alcina chided, "It's for one night. You need play the part of innocent for the time being. It's simply another hunting technique. You can have all the time to soak yourself in blood afterwards."

Bela lit up now.

"Did you have the invitations sent out?" Alcina glanced down when one of the maids began to file her nails.

"Yes, mother."

"I told you that wasn't necessary. What do we have delivery boys for?"

"We don't get to leave the castle often," Bela said, "It was nice."

Alcina nodded in agreement. Then, she raised her chin somewhat and a thin smile played at the corners of her lips.

"Is that lack of gratitude?"

"No! No, of course not, mother!"

Alcina chuckled, rising. The servants quickly stood away and lowered their heads as they had been taught to do.

"I know, my daughter," Alcina continued, looking down at Bela, "You girls always need a chance to stretch your wings. Don't worry. You'll have plenty of time to do that with Spring here."

Bela grinned up at her.

"Now, do as I say and have your sisters ready," Alcina gave her a light push with one hand at her back, "I expect clean faces, nails and teeth. As well as those dresses I chose for the three of you for occasions such as these."

"Of course, mother."

O

Cassandra pouted, annoyed by the smells around them.

They were dressed properly for the event as humans filed into the great hall of their home. Servants passed out food to them on platters and the daughters observed them working. Alcina was talking with Miranda - who had dressed to something more humble to associate with the crowd. It was unusual, but she'd hidden her form before.

The dresses were made up of red and white velvet; not the gloomy black shades of their hoods and cloaks. The flies were kept hidden and silent and they were all three uncomfortable with it. This felt like a lie and they were unhappy.

"...ugh, I'm so thirsty," Cassandra griped, "And these humans are wearing too much cheap perfume."

"Yeah. It's making my nose itch." Daniela complained.

Bela huffed, glaring at them. "Stop complaining! Mother wants us to behave for now. You can deal with it for a few hours."

"That one's wearing pig blood. I'm sure of it."

"Are you sure it's not piss?"

"Maybe he pissed himself."

"Ugh, I hate when they do that. The meat goes bad, then."

"No, rinse it off and it's fine."

"...Really?"

Bela scanned the crowds of humans, bored by their discussion. She walked through them, passing several who marveled at her beauty. Well, she didn't mind that much; it was nice to be looked at that way sometimes.

Then, she paused, noticed Daniela disappearing into the dining hall with a man holding her hand. It made her stare with dismay.

Daniela always had a way of imagining herself with someone. Even if that someone ended up being food later.

An hour passed before Bela sensed something off. She sighed, rolled her eyes and followed her sister into the dining hall. She didn't see her for a moment and followed her instincts that led her to one of the bathrooms where she found Daniela calmly drinking a goblet of fresh blood. The man she had been with was lying in a bathtub, his throat slashed open.

Bela stood there and Daniela looked up at her, mouth shining with blood. She shrugged her shoulder once at the look.

"What? Did I get some on my dress?" she asked, glancing down.

"Daniela!" Bela snapped. "What did mother tell us?"

Daniela sighed, making a face. "Yes, but he wanted to be a pig." she argued. "So I cut him like one."

Bela glanced down at the man and rolled her eyes. "Move over."

Daniela grinned, raising her glass. "Yes! Join me, sister!"

Bela retrieved a goblet on a nearby table and scooped the blood from the pool into it. She took a drink once, sat down beside her sister and let out a sigh.

"Well, at least we had a fresh pig tonight," she said.

Daniela raised her glass. "Cheers to that!"

While the two women indulged in their appetites, it didn't take long for Cassandra to walk into the bathroom and catch what was happening. She blinked in disbelief before grinning.

"Hey! Scoot over!" she said. "Mother's talking to the livestock and I worked up an appetite."

"Ugh, fine."

Bela was annoyed that her sisters had caused such a mess, but it was difficult to really stay angry when the blood was warm at the back of her throat, soothing her nerves. She was tense tonight from the expectations and distracted.

"Is this man thirty?" she questioned.

"Yes, perfectly aged." Daniela said, with a grin.

"Hm. I would have guessed thirty-three." Cassandra made a thoughtful note.

The three women looked up when Alcina entered. She looked at the sight of them, covered in blood and sighed, annoyed.

"One night." she snapped. "I can't have ONE NIGHT, can I?"

Daniela pouted now. "But, mother, he came onto me," she pointed out, "He wanted to play."

Alcina sighed through her nose. Then, she smiled thinly. "Ah, I can't stay mad at you girls."

A few giggles from the three and Alcina glanced briefly over her shoulder. Her features clouded in thought before she gestured to the dead man soaking in the tub.

"Clean this up."

"Yes, mother." they said.

O

"...and the fish guy stinks up the chapel."

Bela was touching the little scar on the bald side of her head with a thoughtful murmur. Her sisters were talking incessantly about the other Lords and she was barely listening to them.

Daniela departed from the shade with a bright smile, back in her black veil and dress. "Ah! I feel normal again!"

Cassandra laughed and gestured to the glasses the other woman wore. "Why are those on your face?"

Daniela raised her eyebrows. "What? Oh!" She smiled broadly. "I took them from that pig. Don't they make me look smarter?"

"No. We can still see your face."

Bela rolled her eyes when they began to hit one another. They did that for a few moments before they resumed their discussion that eventually went to Donna Beneviento.

"Do you wonder what's behind that veil?" Daniela laughed. "I bet she's pretty."

"How do you know?" Cassandra asked.

Daniela was lying on the bed nearby, kicking out her leg absently. "You just know. The pretty ones are shy."

"That's ridiculous! We're prettier than anyone else and we're not shy."

Now even Bela was curious.

Her mother found Donna easiest to talk to; that wasn't hard to really see. After all, Donna wasn't one of the soundest mind, but she was also kinder to most of her victims. A lot of them liked to tease her for it, but Bela thought it was cute that she wanted things to play with. Most of them did.

Her curiosity brought her back to the estate on the cliffside. But she found Donna in the garden along the way, plucking apples from one of the trees. She watched her for the longest time, wondering just what Donna did that made others vanish, never to be seen from again.

She watched the woman pause, lift her head as if she sensed something. Then, Angie looked straight at her, hissing out.

"You're here again!" the doll snarled. "Don't you have little pigs to gut?"

Bela grinned, crowing with laughter. "I did that already. Plenty to share if you're interested in new playmates."

She noticed the odd way that Donna flinched at her laugh and it confused her somewhat. Did she not like her, or something? Bela wasn't sure if she enjoyed the thought of someone disliking her, particularly a Lord. And why didn't she talk to her? The doll was doing all of that.

Angie was talking again. "It was good when you caught that thief!" she hissed, with a giggle. "We got one last week. Scared him to death! You should have seen him!"

Bela raised an eyebrow at Donna, smirking. "Oh! How did you do it?"

Donna knelt down, retrieved one of the flowers from her garden and held one up to the woman. Bela took it, turned it in her hands for study. She didn't see much special about it aside from the unique colors.

"Flowers. You poison them?" she asked.

Donna shook her head.

She was eager to show someone. She was proud of it.

(Don't trust her.)

(Don't trust her, idiot.)

But she was proud. She was a Lord. She had to behave like one.

Angie grunted out, gesturing to the flowers in Bela's hands. "It's a little trick of ours." she told her, with a gleeful snicker, "If they want to see the dead, then they get to. Sometimes they see nightmares. Real ones. We've seen a lot of them die screaming."

Bela grinned and it made Donna flinch again at the sight. She was thankful for her veil.

"Well, maybe less tell, more show, huh?" Bela said. "We have a few new playmates of our own. I don't usually like to share, but..."

Donna felt herself smiling at the thought.

"Alright."

O

New playmates.

Such a lovely gift to be blessed with.

Donna was pleased as she watched them wander through her home, disoriented and frightened. One of them witnessed a bird flying to peck his eyes out.

It was nice that one of Alcina's daughters thought so kindly of her.

(Why would she think so kindly of you?)

(She laughs at you.)

Donna had taken a seat on the couch, sipping tea delicately, watching a vision of herself. Sitting across from her.

(Not really there.)

(She knows how it goes.)

"She made you smile, didn't she?" the Other Donna said, features clouded with amusement.

Donna sighed, lowering her eyes. "And what of it?"

"You like her laugh. How cute."

Donna frowned up at the Other Self. "Don't be stupid."

"I am you. So you're calling yourself stupid." Other Donna leaned forward with a smirk. "Are you stupid?"

"No, I'm not." Donna showed her teeth.

"Really? Seems like you're pretty stupid."

"Don't call her stupid."

Donna looked over at one of the versions of herself appearing again - a teenage version of her before the bad visions had begun. Sometimes they did manifest this way. It was all her fault.

(Mother Miranda's fault.)

(She's dead, your real mother.)

The Teenage Donna sat down beside her, putting her arms around her shoulders to comfort her. She looked at the Other Donna with dismay.

"Go away." she said, annoyed. "You're upsetting her."

Other Donna rolled her eyes. "Please. She's a silly little thing. She's lonely. Which is amazing to me because she's so crowded up here."

She gave Donna's forehead a nasty little poke, laughing cruelly at the wince on Donna's face.

"Hey! Shut up!" came Angie's voice, loud and angry.

Donna looked at the doll when she hovered there to rest in her lap. The little friend she'd created to offer her comfort was there to scare the voices away.

"They're stupid. They don't know what they're talking about." Angie hissed, looking up at Donna. "You have me, remember? Stop listening to those idiots in your head and listen to me."

Donna smiled weakly, nodding down at the doll. The gift from her father. The one that had made her mother smile so.

Yes.

Listen to her.