Caveira sat in Father Durand's living room waiting for him to call her up. She had been passing the time by having small staring contests with one of his cats that claimed the coffee table as theirs.
"Alright, we're ready up there," Father Durand said as he came down the stairs. He noticed Taina squinting down at his cat who lazily looked back up at her.
"Grrrr," she growled as she blunk rapidly.
"Having a little sport with Michele are you?" Father Durand asked with a short laugh.
"I don't understand, it's like he never blinks when you make eye contact," she said staring back into the cat's shimmery hazel eyes. He seemed to taunt her with the way he swished his glossy black tail and his natural frown. As if he were trying to tell her she was no match for him; and honestly, she wasn't with what she was going through. "You said you're ready?" Taina asked losing to Michele again. Father Durand nodded stepping aside and swaying his arms towards the stairs. Michele gave her a small mew as she stood to leave. "Yeah, you too," she said to him as she began on her way to the stairs.
"I'll be up stairs in a minute, I have to talk with Olivier when he gets here. Hermione will keep you company," Father Durand said as she made her way up. The small hallway was nearly pitch black aside from the small sliver of light peeking through the door to the aforementioned room. The door opened wider followed by a small mew. An all white cat just barely bigger than a kitten leaned against the door looking up at her with big, curious eyes.
"You must be Hermione," Taina said smiling down at her pushing the door open.
The room looked like an every day study aside from the single chair that sat in the middle of the room. Taina took it upon herself to sit and wait on account of the wait for Olivier. Hermione coyly made her way over, sniffing over Taina's legs before rubbing herself between them. Taina smiled to herself as she watched, and was even taken by surprise when Hermione decided to hop up into her lap.
"You're a sweet thing, aren't you?" Taina asked her as she scratched under her chin. The happy way she closed her eyes and purred touched Taina in a way that lifted her spirits. She didn't expect that she would ever have another moment like this after Bandit's death, dare she say that this little white kitten gave her hope.
"Oh, she likes you. Hermione is typically afraid of newcomers," Father Durand said with a big smile as he entered the room with Olivier towering behind him.
"If only she knew how dangerous I am..." Taina said losing her smile. Father Durand looked up at her as he draped his stole over his shoulders, recognizing the distant look of disdain.
"Even so, I'm sure she would see straight through to who you really are. Don't worry my dear, you'll be yourself once again after today." Taina smiled nodding her head slowly. She really, really hoped so... "Did this help you last night?" Father Durand asked taking the rosary around her neck in his hands.
"It did a bit. I still saw it, but it kept its distance. It still talked to me, but not as much as usual."
Father Durand nodded his head giving her a smile, "Good, good. I'm going to take it back, just for a moment. Is that alright with you?" Taina nodded leaning forward for him to take it from her neck. As soon as the rosary lifted above her head the air fell heavily on her shoulders. The skin on her arms pricking up as the familiar chills ran through her body. "It's here now, isn't it?" Father Durand asked her as he put the rosary back in its box. Taina gave him a single nod. The fear in her body glossing over her eyes.
Father Durand turned to Olivier holding out one of his hands. Olivier passed a rumpled and folded paper bag to him.
"La connaissance de l'inconnu est un signe certain de possession. Si mes soupçons sont corrects, elle le sera aussi." Father Durand said to him before looking back at Taina.
"My dear. Olivier placed something in here before we made our way up the stairs. Would you have any idea what's in here?"
Taina stared long and hard at the wall directly behind Father Durand. Hermione had begun to stare in the same spot as well, and was growling as hard as she could. "Taina?" Father Durand asked again.
Her eyes began to slowly slide right looking higher up the further they went. Hermione hissed in between growls as she followed the same exact path. Her fur stood high on end, and her claws had detracted as she tried her best to hide herself under Taina's left arm. "Taina!?" Father Durand called again. Hermione leapt out of her arms as soon as she looked forward. The scratching of her tiny claws on the wooden door filled the room as she hysterically mewed, begging to be let out.
Olivier cracked the door open and Hermione slipped out in a small white blur.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were speaking to me," Taina said.
Father Durand gave her an understanding nod, "I asked you if you knew what Olivier put inside this bag." Taina stared at it for a moment before shaking her head 'no'. Father Durand smiled to himself, "Come now, just take a little guess."
Taina stared at the bag again before looking Father Durand back in his eyes, "a necklace."
"Are you sure?" Father Durand asked. Taina gave him a single nod in return. He began to open the bag and pulled out a necklace. He turned to smile at Olivier who looked very shocked to see she guessed correctly. "How did you guess right on the first try?" he asked turning to look back at Taina.
She swallowed hard before replying, "It told me." Father Durand nodded giving the necklace back to Olivier. He set down the paper bag to exchange it with belt cuffs.
"This may seem scary, but we're going to have to restrain you for your protection and ours," Father Durand said handing two cuffs to Olivier. They took their place on either side of her and began to cuff her to the arms and legs of the chair.
"That should do," Father Durand stated as he turned to retrieve his Bible. He passed a small bottle to Olivier and whispered something to him in French. He opened his Bible, and began to read, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Olivier flicked the bottle at Taina as Father Durand read. It was only water, but her face contorted as if it were causing her the utmost discomfort.
"What are you doing!?" she shouted at Olivier over Father Durand's reading. Olivier didn't respond, but simply continued flicking water onto her. "Please, stop," she begged as she began to flinch with each hit of water on her skin. "Please. Stop!" she asked again. Her skin felt like it was on fire, and every time the water hit her skin it only got hotter. Olivier gave the bottle one more flick as the scripture came to a close, and it was the final straw. "STOP IT!" Taina screamed. Her voice was deep and gritty, and the force from her scream was enough to shake the room. Her lips curled back in a snarl that was too aggressive to be human.
"I think we've made it through. The sign, Olivier," Father Durand said. They both made the sign of the cross saying the prayer, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
"The holy trinity: two in the hands and one through the feeeeeeeeet," Taina said with a whisper that changed from a hiss into a low, throaty growl.
Father Durand and Olivier both stared at her completely speechless. It wasn't Father Durand's first time dealing with cases like hers, but he had never known of an entity this aggressive with such power besides the Devil himself.
"What's the matter Priest, forget your amennnnn?"
Olivier's jaw tensed. He could hear Taina, but at the same time- he couldn't. It was as if she were being talked over with the way her voice morphed in and out of the growls that came as she talked.
"Tell me your name," Father Durand commanded. Taina tilted her head as if curious to the words coming out of Father Durand's mouth. "I command you, tell me your name." A smile crept slowly across Taina's face. The folding of her flesh around her mouth seemed to squelch like leather being pulled taught. The air in the room began to grow even heavier as the presence that had entered into her body made its power known. The creaking of the wood in the rafters and floors filled the air as the atmosphere seemed to collapse in on them.
"Demon, I bind you in the name of Christ our Lord!" Father Durand was able to force out despite the thinning air.
Taina took in a deep breath before her head fell limp. The air in the room felt lighter now, and a false sense of peace washed over them.
"My dear boy," Father Durand said to Olivier as he made the sign of the cross again, "this is going to be a long and drawn out fight..."
Father Durand said: "Knowledge of the unknown is a sure sign of possession. If my suspicions are correct, then she will be too."