Anonymous: I'M SO SORRRYYYY! I just want to clarify, that (first and foremost) I am not racist and have nothing against Ethipoians! I was referring to the commercials on TV that often display young children in Ethiopia that are malnourished (I even thought that the character making the comparison mentioned that!), but in no way was I trying to insult or stereotype them. If you really want, I could edit that part out! Let me know, and again, I'm sorrrrrryyyy!
Guest (ooo a jellybean right?): Yes, and I thought it was important to point out that despite the fact that she can come back (or at least won't officially be dead) it's still a life being lost, and no matter what, that life holds significance. I seemed to have confused you. The ring is at Ava's house, Ella just saw it earlier because of her Scroll Brand, which made her realize that Ava was in trouble, and decide to go to her home to make sure. That's where she saw Ava's "real" ring. Hope that makes some sort of sense.
XKaterinaNightingaleX: Thank you! Here you are!
flyingmole: Thanks! (Both for the review and the "good luck". I'm gonna need it!)
lovethisstoryxxx: thank you so much, it means a lot to me! I'm glad I was able to hook you in. I don't seem to be very lucky with that most of the time. I hope you keep reading!
Okay, so I know it's been a while guys, and I'm sorry, but to be fair the number of reviews for that chapter were kind of lower than what I was hoping for. (4! 4 guys? really? 4? Looolll). Anyway, those of you who did review thank you times a million! It really matters to me what you think of the progression of the story. Again, I apologize for not responding to Chp 25 reviews, but know that your review is so very valuable to me and my writing! Thank you again everyone and enjoy this beautifully long chapter. (:
27
Everything had been going so well recently. Actually, everything had been going better than just "well". More like, "fantastic". Even though our trail on Ava went cold weeks ago, our past few hunts exceeded all expectations.
I was remembering things from episodes, being able to draw conclusions, and save the day before it needed saving. In one instance, a girl was prepared to kill herself to forever be a spirit with her grandmother's sister who died an unfortunately young death. From what I'd remembered, Dave saved her life, but a few had suffered at the young spirits hand. This time, I remembered enough to keep those people from dying.
When traveling down a haunted road, where two spirits—one lost, and one enraged—roamed, I figured where to burn the body of the angered man who was hunting down the poor spirit woman (who didn't even realize she'd died) responsible for his death. I remembered in time, before he could steal her away and begin torturing her. She too came to terms once she saw her husband had remarried, and believed that she was no longer living.
Forced to visit a movie set in Hollywood that had a unreasonable number of cast and crew deaths, I remembered who was responsible for controlling a spirit to take their lives, in time to save some I'd recalled dying. Although, I'm fairly certain that Dave was slightly disappointed that I cut his undercover work on set a little short.
Sure, there were some bumps in the road. For one, it was difficult trying to solve these cases while I was still trying to get a hold of the powers attached to my brands. Bobby had told us that the reason I was seeing objects that kept disappearing (and occasionally only remembering vague things about them), was because my scroll brand was "allowing me brief access to important knowledge that would benefit my purpose for this universe". It didn't really matter because things were going well with the brothers for once in a long time.
The best part of it all was there was never another mention of the fight in the clinic, the awkward kiss, or my volunteering to be killed, and there were more than a few times that I found both brothers putting their full faith in me. It was wonderful. I finally felt like a third hunter instead of an awkward attachment that got in the way more times than she could count.
Now all of that hard work was falling apart. Everything I'd recently built—and so much more—was crumbling from its once powerful foundation and was now turning into the dust I was handed and forced to use when I'd first arrived. I was failing more than I ever had since I'd come back. It was like the death of John Savage all over again.
"Dammit Ella, help me out here!" Dave's voice was blending into the surrounding commotion consisting of sirens, helicopters, threatening voices on radios, frantic voices in other rooms, and flashing lights coming from outside that contrasted with the thick darkness that we were stranded in.
"I can't!" I told him. I squeezed my eyes shut rubbing my hands over them.
"Come on! You haven't failed us this long, don't start now!"
I looked frantically around hoping something I saw would spark some sort of memory. This image of Dave standing over a lifeless Ronald Resnick (a scared, confused, unheard, and angry man we'd met on this hunt) was familiar and instead of using this as information to help me find out what was going on, all I could think about was how this was something that I could've stopped.
"Come on!" Dave hollered again as he grew more impatient with my silence.
"Dave," I said. "I don't remember anything."
The look of disappointment I received left a pang in my stomach. I was far from good enough.
The day before we had arrived in Milwaukee to a jewelry store, after reading that the woman who robbed it, shot a security guard, hid the stolen items, and fried herself in the bathtub with her hairdryer. We had come knowing that a month earlier a teller at the Milwaukee National Trust had done something similar, beating the security guard (Ronald) unconscious, hiding the cash, and supposedly committing suicide.
Both were the type of people who, considered by their coworkers, would never do anything like what they'd done in a million years.
The objective at the jewelry store was to, if not retrieve any security tapes, at least see some footage from them. Unfortunately, the police had already gotten to the tapes, causing us to leave empty handed.
"Friggin' cops, doing our job for us," Dave had said as we pulled up in front of a small house. "Only they don't even know it, and they keep screwing us over."
"It's not their fault, Dave." Zach had consoled.
"Yea, whatever. Good thing Cru's around. She'll get the hang of what's going on around here, and we'll be on our way in no time." He'd turned around and grinned, making me do the same thing.
It was refreshing hearing him say things like that.
"Alright," Zach said. "Let's just get to this Resnick guy, and see what kind of information he has for us."
We'd climbed out of the car and walked towards the small house. The wooden steps looked as though they had just been put up after spending a few hours being sloppily put together in the garage.
"Ronald Resnick?" Zach had called knocking on the door.
Suddenly it opened and a bright light had flashed on our eyes.
"Son of a—" Dave had muttered as we all shielded our eyes.
"FBI," Zach clarified.
"Even her?" Ronald had gestured towards me with his now switched off flashlight.
"Absolutely," Dave said for me.
"I'm pretty sure they don't let you dye your hair like that in the FBI." Ronald had argued.
Zach and Dave looked at each other warily, and back at me.
Darned my glorious hair. It was times like these that I'd wished I still wore my glasses. I liked to think they made me look a little more sophisticated, but I'd assumed the blazer and the dress pants I put on would've done the trick.
"I'm more of a consultant." I'd explained. "A private one, in fact."
"You're very young." He'd observed.
"I'm very good." I'd assured him with a smile. "That's why most people like the FBI tend to look over the hair when hiring me."
"I want to see your badges," Ronald had demanded.
The two had flashed their badges and tucked them away in the pocket of their suit jacket.
"We just wanted to get some uh, clarifications on your statement Mr. Resnick." Dave said.
"You read my statement and you want to hear more?" He'd asked eagerly.
"We sure do," Dave had replied with a side smile.
"Come in, come in!" Ronald said welcoming us inside.
Zach and Dave had exchanged glances as we were lead into the house where the walls had been covered in articles and pictures of UFO conspiracies. Ronald had immediately begun telling us how he believed the robber that night was not actually the teller he knew, but some robotic "mandroid" able to take the form of humans after killing them and staging their deaths as suicide. He was certain that was also who was responsible for what happened in the jewelry store.
When Ron had reached for a videotape and played some footage he retrieved from the night he was on duty, showing us the flash in the attacker's eyes, immediately we had all thought the same thing: Shapeshifter.
Dave had been taking this in, occasionally nodding, displaying how impressed he was by Ron's legwork and determination to find this thing, regardless of the fact he lost his job, and was almost considered a nut case.
Zach on the other hand had told Ron he was in denial, his friend was in fact responsible, and there were no such thing as Mandroids. Even in Ronald's desperation, Zach had remained firm, reiterating how there was nothing inhuman responsible for what was going on. After we were asked to leave, Zach demanded to have the tapes, as they were "classified evidence of an ongoing investigation".
We had been pushed out of the house in no time.
Once we arrived back at the motel, Dave had shown how surprised he was at Zach's ability to crush the man's dreams, and expressed his liking for the guy, saying they had a lot more in common than he realized.
Zach's argument had been "better to stay in the dark and stay alive."
Dave had turned to me and asked my opinion. At that point I hadn't really formed one, so I shrugged, not realizing there would be a long list of questions I wouldn't know the answers to.
We'd figured out what robbery was next when we looked at the research Ronald did, and the pieces he'd put together.
The next night (with another 2 hours to go until closing time) we'd arrived at the bank the two of them dressed as technicians, and me invisible, unable to think up a good enough cover in time.
After sitting in the observation room scanning over security footage, we'd spotted the shapeshifter. Ready to make our move, I'd found Ronald wobbling his way over to the front doors, chaining them shut with a gun in his hand.
"You guys," I'd nudged them and as soon as they'd saw the terrible mistake Ronald was about to make they ran.
"This is not a robbery!" Ron had cried holding his gun up in the air. "Everyone down!"
With my feather I found myself only a few feet behind Zach and Dave who were trying to talk Ronald into putting down his gun.
"You!" Ron said pointing his gun at me. I threw my hands up in defense. "Get down! I knew you were messing around. Ain't no FBI agents."
"Look," Dave had muttered to Zach. "Let me talk to him, he doesn't like you. You're mean."
"Quiet!" Ron hollered.
"Look, buddy," Dave started. "You don't want anybody to get hurt, and neither do I. I know who's responsible, okay? Just relax."
"Why would I believe you? You're a liar."
"Take me as hostage." I'd said.
"Cru!" Dave had yelled.
"Get down, I'll shoot you!" Ronald had warned.
"Look at me!" I'd cried. "I'm just a short, thin, tiny little girl. Do I look like I can take you?" Which obviously was a little misleading. "You can use me as hostage, I swear I wont try anything."
"Neither of you are going anywhere without me." Dave had said standing.
Ronald had pointed his gun at Dave threatening to use it.
"Hey, calm down for a second," Dave had advised.
"I don't like this!" Ronald cried. "Her I can take. You and your friend are big."
"Listen man, we believe you, we're on your side." Dave started. "We need to act fast because something is in this bank and the longer he has to change the sooner he's going to start to hurt anyone and everyone. Take us both because we can help. You're the one with gun, dude. No one else is boss."
Ronald had hesitated a bit before agreeing.
"Everyone else goes in the vault!" He'd said.
Once everyone was locked in Dave had stripped his uniform revealing his t-shirt and jeans. We'd both started following Ron around the building.
"I can't believe Zach had us leave all of our weapons in the car." Dave muttered.
"He obviously didn't know this was going to happen." I'd pointed out.
"How come you didn't either?" Dave had asked.
"I guess it's going to start coming to me later." I'd said with a shrug. In all honesty I had been frightened because nothing was quite making any sense. I hadn't remembered anything thus far, what evidence was there that I would later?
As we'd been exploring, we'd come around an office room that had this awful stench.
"He's been here," I'd said although I wasn't sure if that was something I'd remembered or if it was something I could simply deduce.
"Oh great," Dave had groaned looking down at the pile of slimy skin. "He changed again."
"That's weird," Ronald had said. "Its human form is so life like."
"Right, let's get one thing straight." Dave started. "This ain't a mandroid it's a shapeshifter. Practically human, but it generates its own skin, and can match to anyone else's features. Tall, short, thin, male, female… you get the idea. And now it's changed its form so we don't know who it is anymore."
Ronald had simply laughed.
"What are you on crazy pills or something?" Dave had asked.
"No! I was right!" He'd laughed. "I'm not crazy! I was so scared I was losing it, but I'm not! I'm perfectly sane!"
"I wouldn't be jumping to conclusions too soon." Dave had muttered. He'd turned to me. "Still not remembering anything?" I had shaken my head. "Alright, what about your little scroll superpower thingy? Can't you find something with that?"
"I can hardly control it. It's the only involuntary power I have." I'd said leaning against the desk in despair.
Dave had grinned.
"Maybe that's what you think." He'd said picking up a set of letter openers. "Sweet." He'd whispered. "At least now we got a weapon to kill this thing."
"A letter opener?" Ronald had asked dubiously.
"Think werewolf lore," Dave had said. "Anything silver, and we got this mother fu—"
"Dave," I'd said looking at the computer screen that had access to camera footage. "I think we have a problem in the vault."
The security guard we first met had been panting for his life, and Zach was trying his hardest to keep him alive.
"Crap," Dave had turned to me. "Well you have to remember if this guy is for real or not."
"Me?"
"Yea, who else? Do you remember if he's for real or if he's some shapeshifter and this is his trick to get out of there?"
I just looked at him, my memory blank.
All of a sudden the lights went out, and what I once saw on the computer screen went blank. Dave and Ron had put on their flashlights. The sirens outside of the building were all of a sudden more obvious.
"Damn cops," Dave had grumbled.
"Oh no," Ronald had began growing wary of his plan. "I didn't expect the cops to show up."
"You weren't exactly smooth criminal about this." Dave had mused.
"What do we do about the guy inside the vault?" Ron asked.
"Do you remember if he's faking it or not?" Dave had turned to me.
"I-I—I don't know," I had stuttered. "I don't know what to do."
"Come on, Cru," Dave had urged. "The man could be dying!"
I paused and thought for a moment. If we at least had someone there then we could make a better judgment, but what if the shifter was still lurking? I had to think quickly.
"I'll go down with Ronald and open the vault and help him out." I explained. "You go look around the building see if you can find the shifter."
"Don't you remember something?" He'd asked in desperation.
"I think I am now." I'd lied running out of there with Ronald.
As we'd approached the vault the phones had begun ringing. I'd continued with the vault and advised Ron to handle the phones, and to give away as little information as possible to the police, and negotiator.
"Zach!" I'd cried as I'd opened the door. He had been on the floor, out of his uniform, trying to help the guard who was losing his breath, and we both had dragged his body out, with the help of another man.
"Stay in there." I'd snapped at the helper who seemed so taken aback by my hostility. "Sorry, we just don't want to get the guy angry," I'd explained. "Only these two."
"We'll leave the door open to give you guys some air, but don't cross the guard." Zach had told them.
"Demands?" Ron had been saying over the phone. "What demands? No I'm not a bank robber—"
"Ronald!" Zach had hollered. "Cut it short!"
Ron had just nodded trying desperately to end the conversation before they could coax him into saying another word.
"Cru!" Dave had yelled running towards me. "Wait!"
I'd stopped, while Zach had gently laid the guard on the ground almost as a barrier between the vault and the rest of the bank.
"I found something," Dave had said in a low voice as the three of us huddled together. "The guy who's helping you with the guard is the shifter." He slipped the letter opener to Zach who had discreetly shoved it in his pocket.
"So what now?" I had wondered.
"Now you start remembering crap to get us the hell out of here." Dave had answered. "I'm wanted by the police and they have this whole building surrounded. How am I supposed to get out of here without getting arrested? Do I even get out of here without getting arrested?"
"Obviously," I'd said although I wasn't quite sure. "There've been episodes after episodes. There are still seasons to go."
"You know every time you say that I start thinking everything is going to be fine, but not this time." Dave had said. "I mean, come on, this is the first time in a long time that you don't remember stuff. How can that be good?"
"I don't think I can deal with Ron, Dave." Zach had interrupted. "Just look at him!"
Dave had turned around and rolled his eyes.
"Ron!" He'd cried. "Out of the light!"
Bewildered, Ron had quickly pinned himself against the shaded wall finally off the phone.
"Zach, call a paramedic for the guard." Dave had instructed. "I'll stay here with Ella."
"Ella". He used "Ella" whenever he was starting to get impatient with me.
Zach had made it to the phone and asked for a paramedic for the guard who needed the help. Ron thinking this had been an "OK" for him to leave his area of hiding stepped out and accidentally stumbled into the light.
"What do you mean everything's going to be taken care of?" Zach had asked. "Who the hell is this? How do you know who me and my brother are?" He'd looked around and we both spotted the same thing at the same time: A red dot following Ron on his back. "Everybody get down!" He hollered and in that instant, the shifter had pushed Dave and me out of the way, as Zach slid over to Ron, making it to him after it was too late.
The shifter had tripped over Zach and as they had started fighting each other, Dave crawled his way to Ron, and then stood up after taking the gun. By the time he got himself cleaned off, Zach was on the floor panting, and the shifter had gotten away.
"Tell me he didn't go." Dave had begged.
Zach had just remained on the floor panting in answer.
"Tell me you remember something, anything." Dave had turned to me now.
I didn't reply because I didn't know what to say. I didn't remember anything and now Dave was growing impatient standing over the dead body of poor Ronald Resnick.
And so here we were, Dave's expression begging me to have an answer to this mess, with me not having one.
"Well I'd like to think we were managing without your super powers," Dave sighed. "We could do it again."
"We're gonna have to," Zach said sitting up crawling to the guard who was almost passed out. "There's an FBI agent named Hendrickson who knows everything about us, and he's sending in a SWAT team five minutes ago."
"Aw, shit," Dave groaned partly because of the information he'd just learned and partly because of the fact that everyone that had been sealed in the vault chose the time of the shooting to escape.
"Yea, doesn't help this guy could be anyone, hanging out anywhere." Zach muttered.
Then, like the most glorious feeling in the world, I remembered something. I looked at the brothers grinning like crazy, and they looked at me like I was crazy. I didn't have time to tell them so I just ran hoping they would follow.
"What the hell? Ella!" Dave's voice was beginning to fade away as I stormed up the stairwell, racing to get to the shifter before he could change.
I ran down the hall and turned the corner, finding the shifter with his jacket off in the room he first shed in, where we got the letter openers.
"Hey!" I yelled.
He looked up startled, and I ran pushing him against the wall. He managed to get a hold of me somehow and punch my nose, not exactly breaking it, but making it bleed. I retaliated by punching him in the face and as he tried to get in another one, I ducked and like some football player on the field, I got hold of him by his waist, and rammed him into the wall.
I staggered back a little, wiping some blood off of my face, when he pulled out the letter opener that was once with Zach. He had probably gotten it off him when Ron got shot.
"Cru!" I heard Dave calling. Distracted, I spun around and suddenly felt the blunt knife sink into my stomach.
I looked down to see it's carved handle protruding from me, and everything was almost inaudible as I sank down, with Dave slowly helping me down so that he could brutally attack the shifter by stabbing it repeatedly until he could confirm its death.
Blood was oozing out of the wound, and I was breathing rapidly, hoping not to go through the hassle of dying. Once Dave was done with his overkill he threw the knife aside and slid down next to me, cupping my face in his hand. I was so afraid of leaving, I refused to close my eyes.
"No, no, no…" Dave whispered, "Come on, Cru. You'll be okay," He kept saying. "You're going to be fine, you'll make it." I was certain he was trying to convince himself. "Oh, God…" He panicked once looking at the amount of blood that got on his hand.
My mind was on a thousand things, the pain was something that I almost forgot to think about. I had to tell them what I remembered, and that they would make it out of here, and I had to tell them I would be back before they knew it, so they didn't have to worry about me, and Oh God this was so much worse than I thought it would be.
"Okay," Dave took a deep breath and prepared himself. "I'm going to take the knife out, okay?"
"Okay," I said my voice quivering. "I—I'll—" I coughed as I gasped for some breath. "I'll be back."
"Shh…" Dave said. "You shouldn't talk. Not when I'm about to do this."
I nodded.
He hesitated before wrapping his fingers around the handle of the knife and began pulling. I tried keeping the tears in, but it just got worse.
He stopped and sighed.
"I know, I know," He told me. "It's gonna hurt, kid."
I guess he called me kid because in that moment I was like a child. I was so helpless, and afraid, and I was crying because I didn't want to leave again, and I was just in so much pain. I took a deep breath and sat my self up against Dave a little, letting out a small cry.
"Take it easy," Dave advised.
"I'll take this letter opener thingy out," I told him.
"Cru—"
"I've got it." I assured him.
He just looked at me doubtfully, but nodded knowing I wouldn't let him continue.
"I remember what happens." I said.
"Shh, you don't have to say anything." Dave told me. "I'm sorry I kept pressuring you to remember, I didn't think—"
"No, Dave, just listen." I pleaded. "Wait for the SWAT team, get a couple of the guys, and take their uniforms. You'll get out without a soul knowing, and with one less body on your record."
"All thanks to you," Dave said with a sad smile. "Let me just call Zach up here," He said pulling out his phone. He didn't seem to care that my blood was getting all over it. "Zachie, we've got an issue." He started. "Just leave everything else behind. I know, we've got to steal a pair of their uniforms to get out of here. Listen just leave and get up to the next floor. There's an office, a big office, just across from the stairwell, me and Cru are here." He paused and sighed. "Cru's hurt, Zachie. I don't know—I don't know if—if uhh gosh… just hurry up okay?"
"Dave," I said once he hung up. "I'm scared."
"It's okay to be scared." He assured me.
"No that's not what I mean," I shook my head. "Dave, what if I don't come back?"
"You'll come back," Dave said. "You're going to come back, and everything will be fine."
"How do you know?"
"Because you're going to promise me right now that you will." He said.
"But I—"
"Say that you promise, Ella." He demanded almost shaking me.
"Okay," I nodded. "I promise."
I gently stroked his face, and without hesitation, I kissed him. I didn't care about the weirdness or how I had my unhealthy crush not long before, but I was afraid it would be my last chance, despite the fact that I had just promised I would come back. Four years it took me last time. Who was to say it wouldn't have been the same thing again, or even worse, and I sure as hell was going to get in at least one un-awkward kiss from Dave (Freaking) Savage before being doomed to the mundane existence I'd come from.
When I pulled away he looked so happy, but even more desperate to keep me there.
Zach was just standing there waiting for the ending, for the curtain to fall, just so that it could all be over, and he wouldn't have to go through losing another person. At least that's what the expression on his face told me.
"I came as fast as I could," He said sounding like he thought he was a failure.
"I'll be back," I promised.
He just nodded, looking down at the floor, clenching his jaw, trying to avoid my gaze.
"Okay," I said letting them know that I was ready.
With one hand I grabbed on to Dave's, with the other I clutched the handle. I took a deep breath, and just began pulling at the knife with all my might. At the very first, I was fine, but soon after I was yelling out in pain wanting it to end, until finally it did. I collapsed back and let my breath slowly release, as I felt the life slip out of me.
There was the brief moment where everything around me was completely still yet blurred, and although I was very light-headed, just lying down on Dave felt heavy. All I could think about was the relief that it would be over soon.
All of a sudden, my eyes flew open, I gasped for air, and the brand across my ribcage started to feel strange. Dave retracted completely startled as I frantically began pulling my shirt up. Zach fell right next to me, as the three of us examined the scars and their reddish tint. I couldn't believe my eyes as the knife wound grew smaller and healed over itself.
"I'm okay," I gasped.
"You're okay," Zach repeated.
"You're friggin' okay!" Dave exclaimed. He looked up at Zach. "How'd that happen?"
"Why are you looking at me?"
"You're the doctor!"
"Yea, I'm sorry but 'knife wounds miraculously healing" isn't anywhere along the lines of what they teach you in med school."
"Well you're also the smart one," Dave added.
"It's obviously because of her brand, Dave."
"I get that, Zach. But how come Bobby didn't tell us anything about this!"
"That's because he couldn't find anything on the last two brands, remember?"
"No. Don't you think if I did I wouldn't be asking you?"
"Well I'm just say—"
"Hey, hey!" I snapped getting their attention. "Anyone want to remember the SWAT team that's coming after us? Or, sorry, the two of you?"
"Right, sorry." Dave said as we all got up.
"I'll keep a look out." Zach said exiting the room, he stopped and turned around before leaving. "Hey, Ella, I'm really glad you're not… dead. Even if it was only going to be temporary."
"Thanks," I said with a smile.
Pretty much the moment Zach left Dave turned to me did a little "twitch" thing, and then leaned in to kiss me. He stopped halfway, leaned in a little bit more, stopped again, pulled back just a little, and then sighed.
"Ah what the hell," He said giving me a quick kiss. "There," He said rather satisfied with himself.
I simply raised my eyebrow, and folded my arms.
"Well there's the number one contestant for Most Awkward Kiss of Ever." I said.
"Sorry," He said with an almost childish grin.
"Hey guys," Zach poked his head through the door, "I think I hear a pair of boots that might just belong to a couple of SWAT guys."
"Alright let's get out of here," Dave said. "You guys ready?"
I nodded.
"Yea," Zach said. "Let's just get this done and over with."
"Right," Dave said in reply. He took a deep breath. "After this, we are so screwed."