Author's Note: This one turned out rather short but it was needed. I wanted to wake up Raphael around Christmas time. This week is going to be insane, my darling Wastelings. I will be channeling my creative energy towards the Christmas special. Wish me luck. Next week, we will go back to Ju and see how she is doing after another archangel wakes up. For now, enjoy this week's match.
Match Twenty-Seven: San La Muerte:
Tessa played the big sister role so well. It took a little bit of effect to win over the children's trust. The trick was to not let the parents know.
She always stayed on the outside of the village. The nightcomer stayed hidden from the adults. It started with one little boy. Tessa gave him one little white stone.
"What is this for?" he asked.
"Rub it in your hands," she said. He gave her a strange look.
"Why?" he asked.
"You might see something interesting," Tessa said.
"What?" the child asked. The nightcomer smirked.
"Why don't you try it out and see?" she asked. The child still stared at her and rubbed the stone in his hands.
"Good," Tessa said. "Now drop it on the ground." The little boy dropped the stone on the ground. Both witch and child stared at it.
"Now what?" he asked. The nightcomer knelt down to him with a smile on her face.
"You run home now," she said. The little boy stared at her before nodding. He turned and ran off. Tessa stood up and waved. His parents probably won't believe him. If they did, they couldn't see her. She'd be gone by the time they came out to find her.
Tessa's scheme worked. The children would rub the stones in their hands and drop them on the ground at her feet. She never asked them for anything in return. Some of the children found Tessa a bit odd. But they still approached her every day. The adults never saw her. There were whispers about her but no one came to investigate. They came close a couple of times. But Tessa always kept herself well-hidden. All the while, she counted down the day to begin the ritual.
Then Christmas came.
Tessa walked up to the edge of the village. Everything was quiet. The sun hadn't even risen yet. She looked down at the stones on the ground. The nightcomer did a quick count. Her lips covered into a catlike smile.
"Perfect," she muttered. Tessa waved her hand over the stones. One by one they started to move into place. Each stone started to glow black. Sprays of mist started rising up. Tessa took a step back as she covered her nose and mouth. The mist sprays rose higher. The nightcomer waved her hand forward. The mist floated straight into the village. Tessa drew little circles into the ground with her toe. The little symbols started to move around. They started to disappear into the dirt. A screen of film popped up and went around the village.
That's when she saw him.
That first little boy that she met. He just stared at her with a curious and confused look on his face. Tessa had no emotion on her face as she gave him a small wave. The little boy froze in a gasp. He fell face down onto the ground. Tessa just turned and walked away. They would all be dead by sunrise.
BREAKING NEWS
Explorers come across a site of horrors. The bodies of children were found lying on the ground. The village was discovered when two German explorers heard the sound of wailing in the jungle. One of them managed to phone the police. The authorities have started the investigation. Witnesses say that the children spoke of a strange woman on the edge of their village loitering around. More details will be released as the investigation goes on.
Meanwhile underground, Raphael woke up for the first time in many centuries.
