IMPORTANT
There will be some slight sexual abuse, it won't be detailed or graphic, but to those who're triggered by such a thing you may want to skip this particular chapter.
Jack
"Wow." I mused.
I'd never been inside anyone's memories other than my own, and damn was it a trippy experience. One minute I was sitting across from Ace, then the next my surroundings shifted and I was in front of a small, simple house. Judging from the style, it looked like it was built hundreds of years ago, I must have been sent back centuries...
I heard laughing from behind me, my first instinct was to hide, but then I realized how stupid that idea was. I smacked a hand to my forehead, you're in a memory, Ace can't see you in her memories, chill out... no pun intended.
The laughing was coming from two young women in old colonial dresses who were walking down the dirt road a few feet ahead, around where the house's property ended and the path to what I assumed must have been the town began. One of the girl's was obviously a couple years younger than the other, and about a head shorter with long, shockingly curly hair.
"I'm telling the truth! He said that!" the curly haired one said between giggles. The taller girl was bent over laughing, so I couldn't really get a good look at her.
"You've never spoken a word to the boy, Mary!," the tall one spoke," What did he expect? You to say yes and fall into his arms and just start birthing his children?"
"I suppose! The boys in this town, I swear."
I moved closer to the two, I don't know what this had to do with Ace but I wasn't about to miss anything important.
"You see," the tall girl said," this is why I want to wait until I marry. I want to do some traveling, see the world and such, not say yes to the first man who gets down on one knee."
"May god have mercy on that poor fellow's soul-"
I couldn't help but laugh as the shorter woman- Mary- nearly tripped as the taller woman gave her a small kick in the butt.
"No matter," the tall woman said," even if I end up an old maid at least I'll have made something of my life." Mary rolled her eyes.
"You still want to be a doctor, do you?"
"Yes! And I will be, I will prove that I'm as smart as any man, you just watch. I will go down in history, Acenath Williams, world renowned woman doctor, not nurse, not midwife or apothecary, DOCTOR."
ACE?
I had to do a double take, THAT was Ace?! I barely even recognized her. Mostly, I think because of her hair, instead of the short, jagged pixie cut she has now, here her hair was to her waist, and was absolutely wild. No wonder she cut it with the way it was naturally.
"Jeez, Ace, ever heard of a hairbrush?" I muttered. I watched as the two girls started making their way up to the steps of the house.
"Well alright, Doctor Williams, but first we should get to making supper before father gets home." Mary said.
I gasped, I'd completely forgotten. Ace had said she'd had a sister, but I thought she'd be much younger, this girl here was almost an adult. Ace gave her sister a huge smile.
"Race you, Mary!"
I watched as the two girls ran into the house, laughing the whole time.
Godamn this was a lot to take in. I'd always been curious with what happened to Ace, but now.. I almost didn't want to know the rest. Here she was so happy, laughing and joking with her sister, she'd had a family, a life, hopes and dreams, she'd wanted to be a famous female doctor, and something had cut it all short.
And even worse, I was going to see it all play out in front of me.
I swallowed hard as the scene in front of me shifted. Now I was inside someone's home, it was nighttime and I could see snow gently falling outside.
I turned around and nearly tripped over the dead guy lying in the bed in front of me.
"Fuck!" I screamed, trying to regain my balance. Your memory couldn't drop me a few feet away from the corpse, could it Ace?!
I eyed the body warily, then frowned as I realized whoever this was did not die of natural causes. His entire body was completely covered in small, white blisters, the exact same kind Pestilence had on his skin.
Wait. North's words suddenly rang in my head, 'In Acenath's time, he was smallpox'.
The door flung open and a man and a woman walked in, both of them wore rags that covered their mouths and noses to shield themselves from the sickness.
"Dammit," the man said," this is the second death today, and still there are three others sick just like he was."
"What are we going to do, father?" the woman asked, who I then realized was Ace. Ace's father stared at the body for a moment before sighing and covering it a white sheet.
"We need to tell Mayor Harris to arrange a town meeting at the church."
Another shift, and now I was sitting in a church pew with Ace and her family. A middle aged man stood at the podium a few feet in front of us, looking extremely nervous and sweaty, and now that I thought about it, so did nearly everyone else in the church. When someone so much as cleared their throat the people around them jumped as if they'd spontaneously combusted. Finally, the man at the podium spoke.
"Thank you everyone, for showing up for today's town meeting," he began," as you all know, smallpox has begun to sweep our small town, and deaths are already being reported. Dr. Williams has asked Pastor Johnson for this meeting to talk about our course of action against this terrible plague. Doctor, if you could?" the middle aged man stepped aside as Ace's father walked up to the podium. Ace's dad was the town doctor, huh? That explained her desire to become one too.
"Thank you, mayor," Ace's dad said, then took a deep breath," everyone, let me speak truthfully, this is the worst outbreak of smallpox our town has seen thus far since settlement into the colonies, and the few other settlers around here will not spare their winter supplies for fear of spread. We are on our own."
A murmur of panicked voices swept the crowd.
"But," he continued," we have talked to the chief of the Native Indians among here, and he has graciously agreed to give us extra fur pelts and food to help us through what will undoubtably be a harsh winter. Now remember, to stop the spread, you-"
"Ahem, if I may speak, Dr. Williams?"a voice interrupted.
An awkward silence filled the room, who the hell would interrupt important news like this? A young, well dressed man in maybe his mid thirties with short, slicked back hair and a haughty look that made me almost immediately dislike him, that's who. I watched as he stood, a smug smile on his face.
"Um, yes, Pastor Johnson?" Ace's father asked, though he looked like he wanted to strangle the guy.
"Citizens of Rift Creek," Johnson spoke to the crowd," I'm sure Dr. Williams means well, after all there is no doubt that the coming months will be hard on us all, but does that really warrant asking the local Indians for help, after what they've done to other settlements in the past? Do I need to remind you all that the people of Roanoke are still reported missing?"
To my horror, there was a murmur of agreement that swept the crowd this time, even a few claps.
"Then what do you suggest we do, pastor?" I whirled around to see Ace, on her feet with a blazing look in her eyes," because so far my father is the only one to come up with any suggestions, please, enlighten us." her voice dripped with sarcasm. For a moment, I saw the smug look on the pastor's face drop and be replaced with a disgusting rage before turning back into a smile.
"Acenath, you are twenty years of age, with no husband or fiance to speak of, correct? Now I'll forgive you for this outburst, I understand that you lost your mother at a young age, so she never was able to teach you how to act like a proper lady. Citizens of Rift Creek, we will pray, each and every day we will worship here, and give offerings to ensure our health and safety in the coming months. The lord will reward our piousness in time, I assure you all."
Cheers erupted from the crowd, and I realized this guy was literally preaching to the choir. These people didn't know any better, they were afraid of the unknown so they were going to take solace in something familiar, the church. Johnson knew, he was feeding off of it, he was nothing but a leech.
Dejected, Ace's father took his seat next to his daughters.
I turned around to take another look at the pastor, but the scene had changed again, though I realized I was still in the church. I don't know how much time had passed since the town gathering but I guess it must have been a few weeks, I could see outside that there was a good amount of snow on the ground.
The door slammed open so suddenly I jumped like 5 feet in the air, and in came Ace looking hot enough to bring on an Indian summer.
Wait, not hot like attractive, hot like angry. I mean- shit. Forget that. She was mad.
"PASTOR?" she yelled, her voice echoing throughout the high ceilings.
Pastor Johnson strolled out from an office in the back of the church, still with that air of superiority around him.
"Yes, Ms. Williams?" he asked.
"You know why I am here. Do you know how many?"
"How many what?"
"How many of the DEAD my father and I picked up around town today. FIVE. FIVE PEOPLE. That makes 33 lives taken since the start of the plague, and we are not even done with December."
Pastor Johnson's lips curled into an obscene smile.
"Acenath. You are overreacting, I know there have been deaths but-"
"33! And more falling ill by the day! My father and I are doing all we can, but we can not dispose of the bodies fast and well enough to stop the pox as well as other diseases from spreading. And now that he's gone to try and reach the closest colony for help, this could become even worse."
"And what makes you think that?"
"I've been reading my father's books, stories about the Black Plague in Europe mention how people got sick through the handling of the bodies because they left them to decay, at this rate there may soon be too many bodies to keep up with now that it is just my sister and I-"
"And in there lies the reason why women should not be allowed to read. The smallest things make you all hysterical,because you are ruled by your emotions you simply do not have the capability to decide what is true and what is just speculation. If we went around telling people that not only are they infectious in life, but death too, it would start a riot. People may start killing one another for something as small as a cough. And we do not want that do we?"
I swear, I was about to take a swing at this asshole myself. Ace scoffed.
"And you say I am the one overreacting?"
"Well, what do you suggest we do?" she bit her lip.
"We together do nothing, you are no help, you sit and take donations from the townspeople all day. But you have influence... I must ask you to make this announcement,say that we must gather people in groups and educate everyone on how to stop the spread of the illness. Wear cloth over their mouths and noses, notify me and my father immediately when someone is ill or dead so we can dispose of the bodies quickly, and most importantly we must ask the natives again for their help in procuring food and clo-"
"No."
"I- excuse me?"
"No, we will not ask those savages for help."
"And why not?!"
"Because, they are BELOW us, and to ask for their help brings us down to their level. It is shameful, ungodly... if we are lucky the pox will reach them in due time, it would give us the opportunity to expand the colonies without having to deal with them."
There was a long, uncomfortable silence, Ace and the pastor just stared at each other for what felt like forever, I honestly thought she was going to kill him until she spoke.
"You unbelievable bastard..." Ace whispered," mark my words, there will be twice as many deaths soon if we do not take action."
"Is that a threat?" Pastor Johnson's eyes flashed dangerously," to enhance a pox through witchcraft is a dangerous crime, you know... But I would be willing to forget what you said... if..."
I felt white hot rage build up in my chest as he moved closer to Ace and tried to pull off her coat, but thankfully she slapped his hands away before I probably destroyed this entire memory sequence.
"I'd sooner die." she said, then spat in his face and walked out the door into the night.
"Good job, Ace." I muttered with a smile. It made me happy to know she'd always been a spitfire.
The scene changed again, and now I was in what must have been Ace's house. Her sister was in the corner of the room while Ace was by their fireplace,her back was to me and it was hard to see exactly what she was up to, but both were wearing cloths over their mouths. The hell was she doing?
"Are you sure this will work?" Mary asked," This just seems... counterproductive."
"I know," Ace said, grunting," and no, I'm not sure, but at this rate we will be dead soon anyway, if it does not work we might as well get it over with."
"That is encouraging." Mary replied sarcastically," What was it that you read that gave you this idea, again?" I moved closer to Ace to see what she was up to, then winced as I realized.
She was grinding up... scabs... in a stone bowl. Ace what the?!
"In India," Ace began," I saw reports of people grinding up smallpox scabs and inhaling them through the nose, those people most of the time would not become infected. I do not know why, but it seemed to work."
"What about the other times?"
"... They died, from massive infections... I think the scabs are ground up well enough now."
Ace and Mary stood over the bowl and after exchanging a look, removed the cloths from their faces.
"Well... good luck." Mary muttered, and with that they both leaned over and took huge sniffs of the gross scab powder while I tried not to puke everywhere.
Both of them went into a big coughing fit and nearly hacked up a lung.
"Damn, that was terrible." Mary said.
'Ughhhh...," Ace groaned, her eyes tearing," yes, but hopefully effective. Let's go to bed, we must watch for smallpox symptoms in the next few days."
Suddenly, her memories moved by quicker, I saw flashes of Ace and Mary going through town, purposely going through quarantined areas, checking themselves for those awful little bumps, and none appearing. I watched as over the next few weeks they collected more and more scabs, and began going around to people's houses in the dead of night in secret, getting them to inhale the powder. Then... slowly, you could see a change. Fewer and fewer bodies being collected, quarantines being lifted, children playing with their friends in the snow, and most importantly, you could see the hope in people's eyes. It was coming to an end.
To say I was amazed was an understatement, saving a whole town! This was why she'd been brought back, why she'd been made a guardian, it all made sense! Why would she be so ashamed about what happened?
Her memories stopped again, and I was standing inside a large courthouse that was stuffed full to the brim with people. Everyone was moving around and chattering and whispering, but I couldn't find Ace or her sister anywhere in the pews. Weird.
A man dressed in an old judge's robe stood at the podium at the front of the room and banged the gavel.
"QUIET!," he screamed," The trial will now begin, bring in the accused!"
It was like the whole world stopped for me as I watched Ace being brought out, shackles on her hands and feet, and plopped in front on the judge.
"No," I muttered in spite of myself," no, NO!"
"Acenath Williams," the judge began," four nights ago you were found by Pastor Elliot Johnson, sneaking from the Indian village with a pouch of some strange powder. This, combined with the threat you made against the people of the town in his presence, is why you are being accused of witchcraft. How do you plead?"
Ace looked up beneath her thick crazy locks, her eyes were red and puffy from tears with dark circles underneath them, and her arms and legs had purple angry bruises from the shackles she wore, but she was still fighting.
"I have not done a damn thing wrong!," she shouted," and you all know it! Please, someone, anyone, speak up for me!" she looked desperately around at the people in the pews, and a disturbing silence shrouded the courtroom. Mothers and fathers gave stern looks to their children, some had to put hands over their mouths.
"...Please?" Ace's voice broke with her final plea, and still nothing. I'd never felt more disgusted with people in my life.
"Bring out her accomplice and the witness." the judge said.
Ace turned sheet white as Mary was brought out and thrown next to her on the ground, while she fussed over her and asked if she was alright, guess what asshole stood up at the witness stand.
"I caught Acenath sneaking back into town on the evening of March the 20," the pastor spoke," she was wearing a dark cloak and running through the snow, when I caught her, a pouch fell out of her pocket and onto the ground, spilling the powder mentioned before. However, two months previously we had a conversation about the smallpox cases around town, and she had threatened to worsen them by means of witchcraft. The powder, combined with her threat and the fewer and fewer cases of smallpox by the week, led me to turn her in for the safety of the town."
Still, no one said anything, I don't know if it's because they really had assumed Ace had done witchcraft, or because they were afraid of seeming like conspirators to the judge.
"And what about the young one?" the judge asked.
"When Mary Williams found out her sister had been taken in to custody, she turned herself in as an accomplice-"
"Because I made her!," Ace screamed, people in the stands turned their heads so quickly I thought they got whiplash," I... I admit it. I conspired with the devil, he gave me that powder, I was planning on poisoning all of you in return for healing powers so I could become a doctor. I also put my sister under a curse so she would do anything I asked her to do-"
"Stop! She didn't do anything!" Mary pleaded, tears in her eyes.
"You see? You see how much control I have over her?! She faces death and still I manage to make her plead for my innocence, only in death will my spell be broken." Mary grabbed onto Ace's leg, sobbing and unable to speak, but Ace stood tall. She knew, that was it, it was over.
"Then that is it," the judge said," Acenath Williams, you have been found guilty of witchcraft, I hearby sentence you to be hung from the neck until dead. Mary Williams will be freed after the execution, for she has been found to have been acting under a witch's curse. Court is adjourned." he banged his gavel and the two sisters were pulled apart.
"NO, PLEASE NO! MY SISTER-" Mary sobbed and struggled against her shackles and the man trying to pull her out of the room.
"It is okay, Mary. I promise!," Ace said, tears were flowing down her face, but she gave her sister a small smile," after I am dead go with father to the closest colony! Tell them what happened! Do not let this be for noth-"
The man pulling her out punched her in the face, and everything went black.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as her memories came back, steadily and a bit hazy at first, but then became clear. Ace was in a brick cell, lying on the ground in a torn, white dress, so matted with dirt and grime it looked grey. One side of her face was swollen and bruised, she looked thinner than usual and sickly, her eyes sunken deep into her skull. It turned my stomach to see her like this, I really didn't want to see any more of this, but the fact that she had trusted me was the only reason I kept going.
The door to her cell opened, and her eyes flicked to the door and narrowed in disgust. I didn't even have to look to know who'd walked in.
"Come to gloat?..." Ace asked, dully.
Pastor Johnson didn't smile or say anything for a minute or two.
"Why." he asked finally.
"Why what?"
"Why did you turn yourself in when you know you did no wrong."
With some difficulty Ace sat up and leaned against the wall.
"To save Mary," she said," and to make you angry. I know you wanted a long trial full of torture, thumbscrews, hot pokers... you wanted to make me wish I was dead, but I was not going to give you the satisfaction... either way, I was not going to be found innocent, and neither was Mary, unless I confessed."
I flinched as Johnson slapped Ace hard across the face.
"I am going to give you one last chance... if you agree to be my wife, I will go to the guards and tell them that you died while I was giving you your last prayers, they will give you to me, and after I pretend to dispose of your body we can move to another colony. Think long and hard about my offer, Ace. Because at sunrise you die."
She stared at him for a long time before cracking a lopsided smile.
"I know you tried to infect the natives," she said," with the blankets from the bodies, you wanted to give them to the natives to infect them with smallpox, but I managed to give them my powder before you got to them... so you have not gotten rid of the native tribe, you did not get to see me suffer, and you do not get to have me as a wife... it looks like I win."
I let out a shout as Johnson pulled out a knife and grabbed Ace by the hair, and started to frantically hack at it. It took me a minute to realize that he was trying to shame her, to do anything to her to have the upper hand. When he was done he'd left Ace with the messy, short chop she had now, and I felt like shit for laughing about her hair earlier.
Ace ran a hand through her hair, confused, and looked up at him.
"You sad, sad, stupid little boy-"
Before I turned away, I managed to see that monster throw himself on her and start ripping off her gown. I heard the fabric tear and I heard her scream.
I plugged my ears and waited.
It felt like an eternity before I opened my eyes, and before me was Ace standing on a stool by a tree, the rope around her neck tied to a branch, ready to be pulled.
"Acenath Williams," the judge said," you have been found guilty of witchcraft by a journey of your peers, for which you will be hung until dead, any last words before your sentence is carried out?"
It began to rain lightly.
"When you people meet god...," she said, loud enough for the crowd in front of her to hear," you had better beg for his forgiveness... Until then, you'll be sorry, I'll make you ALL SORR-"
The executioner kicked the stool away before she could finish.
A bright flash of lightning erupted from the sky, hitting the tree and causing it to burst into flame. The people who were far enough away not to be stunned by the blast screamed and ran. I just watched open mouthed as the flame spread quickly through the dry spring grass, the light drizzle of rain wasn't enough to put it out.
I stood there until the town, the tree and Ace were nothing but ash.
It was dark, the clouds were gone, and the moon shone down upon the ground, among the remnants of the hanging tree.
The ashes stirred, and Ace, the Ace as I know her now sat up, her long, black wings outstretched as she coughed and shook the soot out of her clothes and hair.
"Wh... what?..." she asked softly, then looked up at the moon. Her wings spread out further as she listened," my name is... wait. No, please come back! What am I supposed?-"
"YOU THERE!"
I whirled around at the familiar voice and gasped as Tooth swooped down and stopped in front of Ace.
"You!..." Tooth gasped excitedly," Are you a Sister of Flight?"
"... A what?," Ace asked, Tooth's face fell," I am sorry... I do not know what a Sister of Flight is." Tooth nodded and sighed.
"Oh... That's okay, I'm sorry, it was silly of me to think... never mind." Tooth started to fly off.
"Wait!," Ace screamed, Tooth stopped in her tracks," who... what are you?"
"I'm the Tooth Fairy, of course!... Do you know who you are?"
"The moon just told me my name is Acenath... nothing else."
"Alright.. come with me Acenath, I can show you just who you are."
I watched the both of them flew away silently into the night as her memories ended.
I gasped as I came to, back in the spare room in Santoff Claussen, everything almost the same as before except Ace was missing.
I frantically ran out of the room and almost all around the damn place before I found her in the kitchen at the table, sipping on a cup of tea with Sandy. The both of them turned to look at me, I felt like an idiot, sweaty and out of breath.
"Ace..." I panted," can- can I speak to you... alone please, Sandy?"
Sandy nodded- and I think gave Ace a wink?- before leaving the room.
"So.. now you know what happened," Ace spoke, looking down at her cup," now you see why I am... the way I am." I nodded and sat down at the table next to her.
"Did everyone in your colony die from the fire?" I asked.
"No, many did, but the rest of them either went back to the mainland on ships or moved to other colonies."
"What happened to your sister and dad?"
"They moved to another colony too. My sister married a really sweet guy and had like a million kids, one she named after me," I smiled," I have a bunch of great great great nieces and nephews running around, too many to count. My father... he lived for a few more years, long enough to see his grandkids, but when I'd go see him he was never really the same."
"And... what about?..."
"He died in the fire." I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that jackass never reproduced," Anything else?"
I chewed on my lip before looking into her eyes, there it was. That spark. That fire. She never lost it.
"Thank you, for showing me. I really... I understand now, and I don't judge you for it," I smiled,"...You are... the most extraordinary person I have ever met. Can I, uh, give you a hug?"
Ace stared at me for a moment, but then gave me a warm smile and nodded. I grabbed her and held her tight, burying my face in her hair, enjoying the feeling of her thin, strong arms around me.
I swore, I was going to protect her no matter what. Nothing was going to hurt her like that again.
"Well hellooooo..."
Ace and I broke apart to see Bunny watching from the doorway, a bandage around his stupid head.
"Morning." he said and winked.
"Get out before I rip the other ear off!" Ace shouted.
Not even stupid kangaroos.
Alrighty! Thanks everyone for understanding, and thank you for the kind words of support. I've had a rough few months, but it's getting better, and also I've got some new ideas since I've been gone.
If you didn't get Tooth and the Sisters of Flight thing just look up her background and how she became a guardian, it'll all make sense.
Thanks guys, love you