Warning: Minor spoilers for Weirdmageddon.
Chapter Eleven: The Scream
Banshees
A common misconception is that a banshee is a ghost. In actuality, banshees are a class all their own. Not quite human, not quite spirit, not really a combination of the two either.
Drawing of a banshee in a long torn dress. Arrow pointing to the dress read: They seem to prefer torn, ratty clothing for some reason.
Banshees are best known for their distinct screams, which are unleashed the day before someone within a five-mile radius dies. Fortunately for me and my research, Violet managed to befriend one at her school. Her name is Cleo Mortem, and she told me a few interesting things about her species.
They are only born female. I can only assume that they mate with other species to create new banshees. Though, I'm certainly not going to ask five-year-old little Cleo to confirm THAT.
Banshees do not like being around the people they envision the deaths of. Cleo hasn't had any visions of her own yet (too young?), but she says that it makes her mother extremely uncomfortable. I suppose if I foresaw someone's death, I wouldn't want to be around that person either. Sounds pretty damn awkward.
Banshees can fly. They prefer walking, but they are capable of flight when necessary.
One thing that alarms me is that banshees don't always live very long. Cleo doesn't seem to know how it happens, but apparently visions can lead to a banshees own death. For her sake, I hope that never happens to her. She says she isn't worried about that happening and called a "Walter Worrywart" for bringing it up. Brave girl. I can see why my daughter is friends with her.
Weakness: Could the visions themselves be one?
Cleo Mortem had always been pale and cold. All banshees were pale and had low body temperatures. Now, however, was the first time she actually felt it.
The night had started out as a harmless sleepover at Violet's apartment. The two of them had been eating popcorn and watching some movie they weren't old enough for (courtesy of the star-shaped lady whom Cleo couldn't remember the name of), when the vision came. Her first vision.
Gods above, it was awful.
The image was hazy, and she hadn't been able to make out the face. Still, she could tell it was some kind of huge gopher-creature. Cleo shivered. She could still feel the pain, the dizziness, feel the gopher's heart physically stop…
"Cleo?" Dr. Pines's deep but gentle voice blissfully snapped her out of the memory. Violet's father offered a comforting smile and tucked a strand of platinum-blond hair behind her ear. "We can stop, if you want."
After the vision (and the inevitable scream that came with it), Dr. Pines had been trying to help her make sense of it. Now she was sitting on Violet's bed with Dr. Pines, who was writing down everything in that weird book he seemed to always be carrying. Cleo had known that he couldn't understand, not without actually seeing it for himself, but it felt good to tell someone. She nodded. "Yeah. I'm done." Honestly, they weren't really getting anywhere, and they both knew it.
Dr. Pines closed his book and sat it in the pocket of his trench coat. "Want me to take you home, hun?"
Part of Cleo wanted to say yes, but she just shook her head. Her mom had visions and was fine afterwards. Cleo could do the same. Even though every part of her was suddenly regretting eating all that popcorn. "Can we just go back to the sleepover?"
Dr. Pines looked skeptical, but he nodded and went to go find Violet, as well as tell the others grown-ups how she was doing. Soon enough, a familiar brunette mutant bolted up to her and practically leaped on to the bed beside her. Violet's purple eyes were wild and frightened, as she spoke almost too quickly for the banshee to comprehend. "Are you okay? What was that? Was that a vision? Did you see someone die? Oh my gosh, you saw someone die! Who was it? Was it someone you know? Was it someone you don't know? Was it someone you might have passed by on the street once and forgot about until you saw them in the vision-"
"Violet, Violet!" Cleo snapped. She loved her friend, but sometime Violet Pines could just go on and on and on.
Violet frowned. "Sorry. I'm just really worried and really scared for you and I'm kinda freaked out and I think it's making talk more. Is it making me talk more? I think it's making me talk more. Do you think it's making me ta-"
"It is."
"Sorry." Violet bit her lip. Probably to keep from starting a whole new rant. "What...What did you see?"
Pain, blood, so much blood, oh Gods. Cleo shivered, and Violet wrapped an arm around her. Cleo leaned into her friend's touch, taking comfort in the warmth. "There...There was a person...on a bed. I couldn't tell who it was, but… The person was hurt. Really, really hurt, and…" Cleo swallowed hard. "And, the person died."
Violet didn't say anything for a long time, which wasn't like her at all. When she finally spoke, her words were quiet and not at all what Cleo had been expecting (not that she was sure of what to expect. "I had a death vision once. At least, I think I did."
Cleo pulled back in shock. "What? When?"
Violet glanced nervously at the door, as though expecting someone to come in or something. Large purple eyes met Cleo's pale gray ones. "This is a secret, and you can't tell anyone. Okay?"
Cleo blinked in surprise. "O-Okay."
"A couple weeks ago…" Violet breathed deeply and rubbed her arms. "My dad was examining this weird little frog-thing that he'd captured and stored a special containment unit-"
Cleo managed a little smile and playfully shoved her friend. "Quit using big-people words."
But, Violet didn't even crack a smile at the joke. Whatever she saw...it must have really, really bad. "Sorry. Anyway, my dad ruffled my hair - you know, like dads do - and just after I left the room, I saw…" Cleo started at the tears gathering in the normally happy-go-lucky mutant's eyes. "There was...a big yellow triangle-thingy. And, Papa was there. He called the triangle Bill, and he said he knew its weakness." Violet swallowed. "So, Bill turned him into a statue." Cleo's heart paused, as Violet sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeved. "Papa looked kinda old, so I don't think it'll happen very soon, but it scared me. A-At least, you don't seem like you know the person in your vision, but I don't want my Papa to be a statue…"
Cleo sighed. "As my mom would say, we're both royally screwed."
"What do mean?"
"I mean, we have powers that we didn't ask for that make us see things we don't want to see."
Violet pursed her lips and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But, it's not the worst thing in the world. At least, it we see things ahead of time, we can be better prepared for them."
"...Yeah."
Violet lightly punched her in the arm. "Everything'll be fine. And, look at it this way: maybe you'll never even have meet this...person…"
Violet trailed off, and her eyes focused on nothing. Cleo said her name and snapped her fingers a few times, but nothing changed. Fighting panic, Cleo was about to go find Violet's parents when something occurred to her. Was this what the mutant looked like during one of her own visions?
When Violet came to and shook her head clear, Cleo could have sworn there more tears in her eyes, but she blinked them away so fast that Cleo assumed she'd imagined them. "Was that a vision?"
"Uh," Violet waved off the question. "Don't-Don't worry about it. It was, but… It's not important."
Cleo knew Violet was lying, but she also knew better than to push the matter. If Violet wanted to tell her, then she would.
Little did Cleo know that Violet would never tell her and would even forget about by the time it was too late.
She would never tell her of Cleo's own death that would come several years from now.
HVVRMT RH YVORVERMT.
You know, Violet should really stop keeping her visions to herself. Review!
