Soooooo...I really don't have an excuse. My sincere apologies. I guess it just took a while to decide what I wanted to happen in this chapter and which direction I wanted it to take. I hope there are enough of you out there who still care about this story! I know it's been a while, but I do still love all of you who have supported this story from the beginning.
Especially last chapter's reviewers, who are the most amazing people ever: Bane of Princes, Princess Tricia, Aktress, CheshirePhantom, Icecreampopstar, xXGlamorousGloraXx, Conejo-sama, Decepticon fan, Hermioneroxx77, Snowland316, haruko sohma, HeartsWereNeverMeantToRace, TianaNaveenMegaFan. Nuandi, Ravenclaw992, and SerenaPotterSailorMoon!
So many things occurred in that single second.
The first was that everything went black, and all along the walls animated tribal masks appeared like nocturnal neon signs. The largest took residence on the stage, and my eyes were drawn to its frightening face. It was the epitome of dark magic, and its unmoving eyes were trained on the Shadow Man, who bowed to the Mask in reverence. They started chanting in a language I didn't understand, but that I felt I'd encountered in one of my visits to Facilier's warehouses. The Doctor himself seemed to be floating in mid-air, his (now glowing) skeleton mask once again in place over his eyes. It was a scene straight out of a childhood nightmare, and Facilier was the boogeyman. All around him fog began to swirl and voodoo dolls appeared out of nowhere, banging drums and tormenting the trapped victims.
At the same time the door burst open with such force that the hinges broke and every one of the windows shatter, sending shard spraying all across the restaurant. Upon hearing the deafening noise I shut my eyes to shield them from glass rain, but with my arms restrained I could do nothing to save my cheeks and forehead from the stinging bits. Above the mayhem I could hear the short gasps of the others experiencing the same pain I felt.
When I opened my eyes, I was met with a bright glow, and my first thought was that the ceiling had been ripped clear off the building. It looked like we were under an open sky that was freckled a greater abundance of incredibly bright stars than I had ever seen in my life. I figured the destruction was all part of Facilier's plan to ruin everything Tiana had built. My shock must have made me disregard the fact that the stars were moving - swarming - and in some cases were inches in front of face.
One look at the Witch Doctor's sudden fury told me that the building most certainly wasn't destroyed, and those certainly weren't stars that had rushed through the gaping windows like floodwater. Another glance at the Queen's relieved expression only confirmed that.
And with a much needed revelation, it clicked in my mind that this glowing specks of light that illuminated Tiana's Palace were…fireflies? Yes! They were a huge gathering of fireflies, and it didn't look like they were there by accident. They were organized. Working like an army, some surrounded Facilier while other units attacked the shadows that held us captive. Before I could even react, I felt the suffocating force of the shadow disappear from around my torso. The creature emitted a terrible shriek as it died, and I learned that it was the fireflies' light that must have been lethal to the monsters. When light was present, they couldn't be.
Not seconds had gone by when another pair of arms came back to strangle me, but this time it wasn't a monster - it was Aunt Lotte. I clung to her in turn, assured that I would never want to let go ever again after being so close to never hugging any of my family again. From somewhere in the firefly blizzard I could make out the Shadow Man's frustrated growls and the King and Queen telling each other how much they loved one another. Aunt Lotte and I stopped embracing to survey our surroundings, but stayed firmly connected by hooking our arms.
The giant masks stayed on the walls, their faces set in eerie frowns with the eyebrows set low over their intimidating eyes. Even without pupils, I could tell they were glaring at Facilier, who was barking at thin air from inside a vortex of swirling insects. As we watched him lose his mind, Tiana and Naveen came to reunite with Aunt Lotte and I, both giving us silent exclamations of satisfaction for reasons I was unsure of. Aside from killing the shadows, I didn't understand what the bugs could do. They couldn't kill the Doctor, who was still very much alive. What was most confusing was the pride that the royal couple now beamed with, as if the miniature stars were their own private army. Its not as if bugs were like dogs - they weren't pets and they couldn't be taught tricks…or could they?
I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to find Daniel's tired face a head above me, and I immediately reached up to secure my hands around his neck in a desperate attempt to show him that I cared that he was okay. "I'm sorry for whatever it was that I did." I whispered with as much feeling as I could muster. Pulling away, I searched his eyes for signs of forgiveness. He nodded mutely to me with a small sigh, and we both turned back to watch Facilier warily. None of us tried to leave. I think we wanted to be sure he was gone for good before we let him out of my sight.
"Come on you cowards!" Facilier was screaming like a madman at the ceiling, avoiding the gazes of the tribe of masks. "You're weak! A few meaningless insects can do you in? Come back here and do as I say!" The Friends showed no sign of returning to aid him, and his wild eyes danced this way and that. His life was on the line, and his metaphorical high-wire was about to snap. The rest of us stayed huddled together, waiting to see what would play out within the safety of our numbers.
The masks started to pulse with light and a deep drum beat started to vibrate through the air. Facilier's eyes went wide and in a panic he ran through the firefly barrier. He sprinted for the door, scrambling and tripping clumsily the whole way in mad hope that he could escape his fate. As he neared the exit, Naveen's hand darted for his hilted sword, prepared for a pursuit, but Tiana placed a hand on his arm and looked expectantly at the door.
The door was still open from when the storm of bugs made their entrance, and I couldn't believe that no one was even trying to stop him from leaving. Even the masks were still. Lotte and Daniel seemed as confused as I was, and I think the only ones that weren't surprised when Facilier halted at the doorframe were the King and Queen. He remained still as stone for several moments. It didn't even seem like he was breathing.
I looked around, puzzled, and tightened my grip of Aunt Lotte's arm, just in case, murmering, "What -,"
"ROOOAAARRR!" A horrifying, animalistic cry shook the entire Palace, and I burrowed my face into Charlotte's shoulder like a frightened child. Daniel's reflex was side step in front of my aunt and me like some kind of shield, which only made me more sure that I needed to make a sincere apology to him later.
Tiana and Naveen heard the growl and laughed.
Peeking out from squinted eyes, I could see Facilier now sitting on the ground, scuttling away from the door in a spastic crab walk, not even attempting to avoid the broken glass that adorned the path he took. He was whimpering incoherently, the occasional "no" or "please" evident in his pleading. A moment later I could see what was causing his distress, and frankly I didn't blame him.
Standing in the entrance to the restaurant was the biggest gator I had ever seen, though I must admit I hadn't seen a wide variety. His teeth were large and sharp, and his eyes were intensely focused on his prey, which thankfully was the Shadow Man and not the spectators.
Now, I realize that my night had been far from normal. By that point I should have been used to seeing anything supernatural or out of order. And yet, I was still shocked to see an impossibly old woman with a snake wrapped around her arm perched serenely on top of the ferocious beast, which slithered forward on all fours until it had Facilier backed up against the stage. He was visibly shaking as the reptile moved closer to him, the scaly snout just inches from the unfortunate soul. But the gator did not devour him, and did nothing as the ancient woman gripped her gnarled staff and moved to get on the ground. Too late, I noticed that the woman was blind, and just when I though she might fall, her pet snake darted beneath her feet and formed a staircase for her to step down.
"That's enough Louis." The woman spoke in her creaky voice. The gator - Louis I suppose - stopped his low growling in disappointment and lifted himself onto to legs. Still unsure of whether he was dangerous or not, I gasped in fright as the towering animal started to walk toward us.
Tiana and Naveen looked back at me when they heard my breathy protest, but they just smiled and welcomed the alligator to our group. "Thank you, my friend. You have outdone yourself." Naveen patted Louis's shoulder and the reptile grinned, every one of his razor teeth visible.
"This is the one with the trumpet you were…uh…talking to earlier, right?" Daniel was careful with his words as he spoke, but at the time I didn't think they could mean the literal interpretation. I didn't believe anyone could talk to an alligator…they were swamp monsters.
"Yes it is. He's been our friend for a long time." Tiana replied as if she was discussing the weather. "Thank you so much again, Louis. I can't believe you managed to get all the fireflies out here!" Louis puffed out his chest, looking quite proud of himself for finding such wonderful backup.
Aunt Lotte and I said nothing during this exchange, and continued to hold on to each other like security blankets. I was busy eyeing the old woman, feeling quite curious about who she was and how she would be able to hold off the Shadow Man on her own, especially without her sight. But as I watched them, he never stopped looking afraid for his life.
"Who is that?" I finally inquired.
Tiana glanced at me knowingly and said mysteriously, "The Voodoo Queen of the Bayou: Mama Odie."
Meanwhile…
After reaching the ground, Mama Odie gave Juju a good pat and let the snake guide her to the cringing Witch Doctor. He expected her to do something crazy, like wave her staff in the air and send him off into oblivion. Heaven knows she was capable of it. She could have at least started screaming at him. That would have been at least expected. But no. The old woman just stood that and stared at him with her sightless eyes as if she could see him more clearly than anyone else. She probably could.
And that was so much worse.
They stared and stared and stared at each other. He could bring himself to look away from the Voodoo Queen, who stood over him as he pressed himself closer to the ground to lengthen the distance between them. The presence of the ever-powerful friends on the stage behind him sent pins and needles up his spine, but Facilier knew that even they remained silent and still. Even they respected and feared the woman's power, which likely matched, if not exceeded, their own.
Seeing Mama Odie standing there, radiating disappointment, dredged up feelings in him that had been suppressed by his own selfish desires. Guilt. There was suddenly so much guilt. All the woman had to do was look at him and he remembered all of the mistakes he made that hurt the ones he loved. How did he let it get this far?
After ages and ages of staring and regretting, Mama Odie spoke. "What happened to ya, Andre?"
Facilier clenched his teeth and wrenched his gaze away from her. It had been years since anyone dared to call him that.
"Life happened." He replied bitterly.
"You didn't give Lisette my potion." It was a statement, not a question. Somehow he always had hunch that she knew he had betrayed her instruction. "I warned you, L'il Andre and you didn't listen!" She inches away from his face now, one bony finger pointing accusingly at him. "I told you not to stray from what you needed."
Facilier closed his eyes and shook his head, wishing that his life was just one long nightmare. "How was I supposed to know?" He choked out in broken sobs. "They told me they would save her. I was only twelve! How was I supposed to know?" He hissed as the sting of a slap exploded on his cheek, and his eyes snapped open to find Mama Odie's face turning red in anger.
"They were monsters made out of shadows, ya Fool! What did you expect?" He blinked at the immortal witch, surprised at her words. He hated them, but they were true. She looked at him expectantly, but when he said nothing back she sighed and began to wave her staff above her head.
The world around them melted away into a new scene. The magic startled him, though he had done the very same thing countless times before. It was different on the receiving end, he realized. His eyes darted fearfully around his unfamiliar surroundings, and he hoped Mama Odie would say something reassuring. She didn't. He accepted that he probably didn't deserve reassuring.
The house Mama Odie had brought them to was small, and certainly not nice, but it felt homey. Facilier felt a tad stupid for feeling scared in such an amiable place. The room they were in was a tiny kitchen, that smelled of a well-cooked supper that was being prepared on the run down stove. As one of the pots began to boil over, a woman rushed in to take it off that fire and scoop healthy quantities of the soup into four bowls. Though he could only see her back, Facilier recognized something about the woman. Perhaps it was her mass of curly hair, which was messily arranged in a knot of the back of her head. He wasn't sure.
A screen door slammed from somewhere else in the house, making Facilier jump at the noise. A moment later a man strode into the kitchen, and the woman turned around from her task to greet him with an affectionate hug and a kiss. In that fleeting moment Facilier saw her face and knew who she was.
"Lisette!" He gasped, only to be poked in the shoulder and hushed by his withering companion.
"Boys come on to eat!" The woman, his beloved sister, called. Her voice was mature, but he could still find elements of her childhood self in the sound. Facilier could help but smile while he watched to young boys run in to take their seats at the run down table, eager to dig in to their supper. Lisette and her husband took their seats after setting a bowl of soup at each place and said a quick prayer. The boys were quick to attack their food, sloshing the liquid messily around in the bowls.
"Andre, use your napkin, please." Lisette chided to the oldest child, who sheepishly obeyed and replaced the sleeve of his shirt with a napkin. She smiled approvingly. She was happy with her life, and Facilier was equally happy for her. Her life was clearly wonderful, and the Witch Doctor thought he must have done something right.
Until Mama Odie said, "This is what Little Lisette's life would have been like - if you had given her my cure."
Facilier's heart stopped on those words. He knew that meant Mama Odie was about to show him something awful. It meant he had really messed up. It meant he had cost Lisette a happy life with a family of her own. But how?
The scene changed and they stood outside of a different building, this one large and ominous, with peeling paint and a weed-covered lawn. There was an abandoned wheelchair sitting on its side next to an algae covered fountain. The atmosphere made both voodoo practitioners shudder. This was not a place anyone should want to be. The sky was dark and rain threatened to fall, but Facilier didn't notice. All he saw was the great iron gate, with the word "ASYLUM" decoratively placed at the top.
Mama Odie had narration planned for this scene, as the decrepit place was deserted of humans to show them a story.
"My potion would have given Lisette strength in all aspects of life," she began solemnly, "but the deal you so foolishly made with the devil only promised to ease her physical ailment. They didn't tell you that the cure had to take strength from somewhere else did they?" She looked at him, but he didn't respond. He didn't want to hear what came next. Still, her creaky voice, laced with the dramatic flare that she was known for, continued with the sad tale. "You didn't stick around long enough to see the effects. The cure the Friends had given you saved her body, but slowly over the years she paid the price with her mind, which deteriorated. In her late teens her dementia became to strong for your father or anyone else to care for her properly. She went insane, always seeing things that weren't there and lashing out at pretty much anyone who so much as touched her. Schizophrenia made her paranoid and confused about what was real and what wasn't. So she was sent here.
"She passed on two years before they shut this place down for good. Turns out Asylums often abused and raped their patients, who were helpless to do anything about it." She stopped there, and allowed her words to sink in. Facilier had long since closed his eyes and sunk to the ground. Mama Odie stood there and watched him sob, knowing he was now and forever a truly broken soul. Calmly, and quietly, she brought them back to Tiana's Palace, where, in a hurricane of wind, Facilier succumbed to the gaping mouth of the Chief Voodoo Mask that was more than happy to swallowed him whole. He did not protest this time. He did not fight even the slightest bit. He just cried out for the sister he left behind and the life he could have known, until the Mask's mouth clamped shut to the beating of drums and the screeching of the celebratory Friends.
Well, I'd say there are only a couple more chapters left. There is a lot to resolve for Miss Evangeline. Review and tell me what you think:)