A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait again. But here's a long one for you, hope that helps. Also I realize I may be moving away from the original myth of Papa Legba – and I don't mean to offend his origin story, I'm just shaping something from what little I gathered from the show. And it is fanfiction after all. Anyway, enough out of me. I hope you like it!
Hank had spent a lot of time in the past few days changing his mind about this strategy and then changing it back. He felt brave tonight and so he sat in the bushes near Laveau's house, waiting for a jackpot. Yesterday he had been too scared to show up. The supernatural torture – or so he called it in lack of better word – he had experienced when he came home from Cordelia's house, still haunted him. The imprint of the blinding agony with no wound lingered with him like a prickling sensation in his body. He had been so thoroughly taken aback that he had had no way of figuring out what was happening as it happened and only hours later did the word 'voodoo' reenter his mind. He hadn't quite understood it then either, but he had accepted it. And now he was scared shitless to feel it again. The filter was no match for pain like that.
But scared shitless or not, he had to fix this.
He thought to himself that this might be the only action in his entire life that his departed mother-in-law would approve of. Manning up and protecting his family. If spying on people from behind the bushes could be considered manly. Probably not.
It wasn't Laveau he was looking for. He wasn't kidding himself anymore, there was no way he could take her on. It demanded people of equal power, people like Misty. And Misty was incapacitated, so this was the link Hank sought to break. If he could figure out how to end Laveau's control over Misty, perhaps Misty would regain the strength it took to get the woman out of their lives. But breaking the link required information on how to do so and so Hank took a note out of the Voodoo Queens book and placed a spy. As he was alone with the task, he would have to be the little bird.
At the moment only two people occupied the house, not counting the ghost of Marie's son. The Queen herself and the guy Hank had seen when he burst in to become lunch to the kid. Chinwee, was his name. That was the extend of what Hank had learned about him. And Chinwee was the way in, he gathered. So he sat there, waiting for an opening to approach Chinwee, while keeping the upper hand. A difficult task without the home field advantage.
His train of thought broke as the door opened. Chinwee came out with a garbage bag, which he took around the back. Right towards Hank. This was his chance.
Hank wasn't sure whether it was dumb luck or the fact that Chinwee's focus must be elsewhere what with the horrors of his home – because it certainly wasn't Hank's clumsy kind of stealth – that did it, but he managed to catch the man off guard. He waited until he had walked past, his hands occupied with the garbage bag, then snuck out of the bushes and crept up behind him.
He placed a knife at Chinwee's throat and hissed at him to shut up the second he made a noise. Chinwee froze then, and the calmness of him made Hank uneasy.
"Hank, it's you, ain't it?"
It also worried him that Chinwee seemed to know him this well, without them ever having been introduced. Hank told him to shut up again.
Chinwee chuckled. "A little outta your debt, ain't you?"
"Shut up. I need you to give me some information about Marie Laveau." He hated how much his hand shook. It might just be a slight tremble, but it might as well be fucking Parkinson's because he knew Chinwee could feel it. He was wrong; Fiona wouldn't find this manly. She was rolling in her grave for sure. For a second he pictured it and saw how the dust must fall into the broken cavity of her chest and it snapped him back into focus. "You know her", he went on. "So that means you know how to rid her of that power she has."
To his surprise the other man didn't resist at all. He nodded – just slightly, because the knife was still quivering at his throat – and said: "I know. But you can't do it."
"Why the hell not?"
"'Cause you ain't in contact with the master of the underworld, I'm guessin'."
"Who?" Hank had to ask, feeling like a fucking imbecile as he did. Something about the certainty Chinwee spoke with made Hank realize just how far out of his comfort zone he was.
Chinwee didn't laugh anymore, but the exasperation was in his voice. "Papa Legba."
Hank stared at Chinwee's ear, trying to determine if he was being played or what. The tone didn't imply it. It occurred to him all of a sudden how odd it was that he, who had actually been dead, had never seen this Papa Legba guy. The underworld was where the dead supposedly went. And he didn't remember having a dead cocktail chat with this demon person.
When he said this to Chinwee – while omitting the part where he had been the dead one – the man only sighed and said: "He the gatekeeper. He trades in souls and he come lookin' for live ones. Ain't no value in those already dead."
Hank pondered this. Perhaps you had to see him on the brink of death for it to count and in that moment, Hank had been far too drunk to notice any masters of the underworld who might happen by. Or perhaps Chinwee was just fooling him.
"So you're telling me that's who she has her powers from?"
"Yeah."
"Tell me how it works", Hank tested, expecting Chinwee to laugh and tell Hank he was an idiot for actually believing the story, but his response was one of frustration:
"I don't know how none of it works! She settled it with him and he the only one who can undo it, if it can be done. That's all I know." He paused, a sigh escaped him and he turned his head a bit towards Hank. The knife didn't allow him to move all the way. Then he added: "But you gotta act soon, if you gonna do somethin'. She gettin' desperate." Hank regarded this with pause. It didn't feel like Chinwee was fooling him. And what surprised Hank more, it sounded like Chinwee wanted him to do this.
"I will", Hank answered. "And you better not tell her about this, or I'm coming back for you." He didn't think he sounded the least bit threatening even as he said it, but he did his best to push Chinwee away with force to prove his point. He turned to leave before the other could retaliate.
"Wait." Hank stopped, and turned back. Chinwee hadn't moved, and didn't look like he was planning a counter attack. "It ain't just that", he said. "Her boy the problem too."
"You don't think I know that?"
"Don't act like no war victim, 'cause he took one bite outta you. I live with them. And I love Damian. He was like a kid brother to me, but this ain't the way it's supposed to be. You gotta make the witch do her thing on him. The Goode girl. She can end him right."
Hank stood dumbfounded for a moment, not sure of what to say. He had been prepared for a fight, anticipated one in the event he didn't run like hell the second he had gotten the information he needed. But Chinwee did none of those things. He just stood there, and the pleading in his gaze made Hank think that perhaps this war they were in was not as clear-cut into friends and enemies as he had thought.
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"I want her to be her old self again. She won't find peace 'till her boy does." He didn't give Hank a chance to answer. Instead he turned and walked away with the garbage bag still in his hand.
O0O
Misty wasn't in the greenhouse when Cordelia came looking for her. She had started there, because it had become Misty's new room. Ever since she admitted everything, it had been her only room. It would be a horrible thought if she didn't know how much Misty loved being close to her plants. Still, Cordelia thought it was time she found out if Misty truly wanted to stay out there.
She found Misty in their bedroom, lying on their shared bed. They hadn't shared it in so long, but Cordelia still thought of it that way.
As soon as Misty saw her, she motioned to get up, a wary look taking form on her face.
"No, don't get up. Please."
Misty fell back again. "Thanks. I slept wrong last night, kinda needed the soft."
Cordelia stepped close to the bed, but waited to sit. Misty gave her a questioning look.
"Can we talk, or do you want to sleep?"
"We can talk." Misty stayed down, but reached up for Cordelia's hand. She had been so hesitant with touches ever since the truth came out – ever since Cordelia found her in the woods to be honest – but today she forgot herself and it filled Cordelia with warmth and heartbreak, all wrapped up in each other. She took the hand and sat down on the bed.
Cordelia took a breath. Her voice trembled at first, when she spoke: "I understand that as a mere mortal I have no role in this war." She squeezed Misty's hand and swallowed to regain control over her voice. "I know that you shut me out to protect me, that you still do. And I'm not a fool, I know I need that protection. But I wish it wasn't so. And I know I've probably made it worse by shutting you out in turn, out of fear or hurt or… I'm not even sure I know. But now that I know the whole story, I wish you would let me help you."
Misty was quiet for a long time, so long Cordelia thought maybe the spell on her wrapped tighter today or perhaps she was too weary of Cordelia's begging attempts and constant shifts in mood.
"Does my being here still hurt you?" Misty then asked. There were quiet tears in her eyes.
Cordelia thought about it. She wanted to say no, but she wanted to be honest as well. They used to be open books to each other. "I don't know. No, but… seeing you like this hurts me. Knowing you are so far from your usual self. And at the same time knowing I can't help, after all the times you have helped me. That hurts." She looked back to find Misty heavy with thought.
"How do you do it?" She asked. "How do you… take this without goin-" She stopped herself and looked up at Cordelia with an apologetic gaze.
"Without going crazy you mean? I don't think I can give a satisfying answer to that."
"Sorry, I didn't mean…"
Cordelia shook her head. "No it's alright. I am crazy. There's no reason to deny that now." She tried to smile and a bit of the wariness dissipated from Misty's gaze. Cordelia stroked her hand with a thumb and went on: "But what I should add is that I've reached a level of acceptance, I think. On most days that is. You learn to live with it, learn to think through them there. It may be different for you, because you're not actually insane, but maybe the same rule applies. And I know how strong you are. I know you can fight it. I'm sorry for implying otherwise."
Misty nodded slightly, then looked away for a moment. The tears still glinted in the corners of her eyes. Then she turned her gaze back to Cordelia and there was fright in her eyes. A fright that was so rare in her that it cut right through Cordelia and in that moment, all she wanted to do was to wrap Misty up in her embrace and make it her dying quest to protect her.
"What if I'll never get out of this, Delia? What if it makes me crazy so I can't beat it?"
"Then we'll be crazy together", she answered.
There was a veil that lifted in that moment, a cloud of dark, which had hovered in the space between them for so long. The air felt lighter. Cordelia moved closer, laid herself down beside Misty. She reached out and touched the frame of Misty's face, stroked it with careful fingers. No matter all the pent up hurt from the past, the guilt from the deceiving and this new agony, there was one feeling she couldn't shake: This was the face of her dreams. This creature was the love of her life. Cordelia hadn't thought her capable of the things she had learned now, but whatever she was, she had acted out of love and that never stopped being the truth.
Misty watched her with eyes that were finally calm and she lifted a hand to mimic Cordelia's movements. The touch made her world tiny for just a moment. Her eyes darted to Misty's lips and then back to her eyes, while the internal talks went on. Could she forgive Misty this easily? Was there really anything to forgive? Would Misty even let her or was she too frightened by the foreign forces in her head? Too hurt still?
The hand on her face lowered and Misty grabbed the collar of her shirt, pulled her in. It was an achingly slow kiss, asking in a way, trying each other out and finding their way back.
And there it was. Cordelia moved in better, hovered over Misty and kept a light pressure, heady now that she tasted the serenity coming back. There was a little teenager in her that surprised her in moments like this and she deepened the kiss in her search for what once was. And when she found it, it was like the room grew warmer, a comforting warmth that engulfed them both. She pushed the boundaries and Misty let her. She felt her body wake up from the sedated sleep she had forced it into, not unlike the first time Misty had ever kissed her.
When she broke this kiss, she found a sense of peace in Misty's face she hadn't seen in a long time. The fisted hands loosened from her collar, but stayed in their spot, feeling for the pulse in Cordelia's neck.
"It's been a while since we've kissed like that", Cordelia said.
Misty gave her a small smile, nodded. "Yeah."
Cordelia smiled back, stroked her cheek. Misty held her tighter.
"Don't go away."
"Okay." She leaned down again, placed little napping kisses on Misty's lips, but it wasn't long until Misty pulled her closer again. She was needy, and Cordelia wanted to give. She knew that for sure now, if she had ever truly doubted it. She saw clear again.
The door swung open, startling them both right out of their tiny world.
"Cordelia, Cage keeps asking for that book with the-" Just then Zoe realized what she had walked into, and she froze, eyes widening and mouth hanging open for a few seconds. "Oh my God. Oh my God I'm sorry I-I'll just find it myself. I'm sorry!" Then she backed out, her steps retreated from the doorway, then stopped and came back. She grabbed the handle, gave another flustered apology and closed the door.
Cordelia and Misty looked at each other while the sound of Zoe's hasty footsteps disappeared down the stairs. Then they laughed. The sound of Misty's laughter was the most cathartic thing Cordelia had heard since the day Marie Laveau's boy lost his life in the swamp. They laughed until the tears in Misty's eyes rolled out, and ran their way down her face, into the mess of her hair.
"When did we adopt her?" She asked, her voice full of laughing sniffles.
"I'm not sure. I think I felt responsible and I wanted to make sure she had a home. I hope that's okay?"
"'Course. You're beautiful inside out, you know that right? Don't let nobody tell you different."
Cordelia gave her a sad smile, only it didn't feel so sad anymore. The warmth of the room protected her again and even though the laughing had stopped, the lightness of the air remained.
"As are you. More so, my beautiful girl."
"Pretty for a swamp rat, huh?" Misty winked and it only took Cordelia's mind a second to travel back to that day in the swamp, which Misty was no doubt also thinking of. How simple it all felt that day.
"I remember that day so clearly", Cordelia said, as she stroked Misty's hair away from her sticky cheeks. "It was before I knew how much I loved you. But you always knew."
"Yeah. And all I wanted was to kiss you and I didn't even know what that was like yet."
"You were always so much wiser than me. But…"
Misty's forehead creased and she cocked her head a bit to the side. "But what?"
"But would you still? Say you knew everything you know now, would you still want to?"
A serious look came over Misty's face at first. Then a playful smirk replaced it and Misty got up, spun them until she ended on top.
I'm having a déjà vu, Cordelia thought as she drew Misty's unruly hair back behind her ears. She wasn't sure if she had said it aloud or not, because suddenly everything matched that memory and her heart beat so fast she couldn't hold it in.
Then Misty put her lips on hers and they were back. Back to the heated afternoons in the shack, back to when they first blossomed. It was still right there, all if it, ready to be grasped and pulled back in.
"I don't want you to go", Cordelia said. She didn't realize she was crying until Misty's thumb smeared the tear over her cheekbone. "I forgive you. I love you. I want you here with me. Please say you forgive me too."
"I do. 'Course I do, Delia."
"Good", she said and got lost in another kiss. Misty pulled them both up sitting, never losing contact, but with hands fumbling.
"Touch me", she breathed into Cordelia's ear. The feel of her breath and the knowledge of what Misty's allowance meant lit her body up. She felt full alert finally, and when she pushed Misty's grass-stained dress up her thighs the breathless, heady atmosphere took the last of her thoughts. She rid Misty of her dress and pushed her back down on the mattress. She needed her skin. Her skin was the sun and Cordelia could already feel the shadows creeping away, back to the crevices of her mind, which was their true home. They could live there so long as she had this. And she would never let her go again. She whispered this into Misty's neck as they undressed. She planted kisses everywhere she could, savored the taste, drank the sounds of Misty's moans, relishing in the knowledge that their connection wasn't broken after all. Their bodies still worked each other as if this cleft between them had lasted but an afternoon.
Spent, sweaty and happy they lay under the covers wrapped in each other. Nighttime was still far away, but Cordelia closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep just for a chance to wake up next to Misty again.
O0O
Zoe made a big deal out of tidying up the living room, when Cordelia came down later that day. She had emerged around the time Cage's nap was over and Zoe flushed red with embarrassment upon first sight of her. But Cordelia only smiled and it struck Zoe how peaceful she looked all of a sudden. Zoe smiled back and then smiled to herself at the thought of what she had seen. When she swallowed the awkwardness of having walked in on them like that, she was thrilled that they were back together.
Misty came down later, but instead of going to the kitchen she came to Zoe.
"I wanna try 'n talk to Kyle again", she said. "See if I can do somethin'. See if maybe he knows somethin' that can help. But I don't wanna go 'bout it like last time, so maybe you could talk to him first?"
It struck Zoe again how suddenly the entire atmosphere of the house had changed. The peace, the will to solve, both had come back over the cause of whatever had happened up there. She couldn't help but smile again, despite knowing that with the will came the fight and with the fight came the anger that she had tried to push down.
"Zoe?"
Zoe snapped out of it and nodded. "Yes of course, Misty. I-I'll try to talk to him. Maybe it's easier if I can get him to remember you from before. I'll see if I can do that."
Misty nodded and made a move to leave.
"Misty?"
She turned again. "Yeah?"
"Are you guys… are you okay again?"
Misty broke into a smile. She didn't say anything, but she winked at Zoe and then followed the sound of Cage to the kitchen.
Zoe left them to reconnect and went out back to the door leading to the attic. There was an additional lock on the outside door now, had been ever since she brought him back here. The extra security was Cordelia's condition for letting him stay on the grounds. Zoe thought to herself that a lock like this might break just as easily as a human skull, but she didn't say that to Cordelia. She only expressed her gratitude that Kyle could have a roof over his head, even if he didn't particularly need one. But if she was to convince him to rejoin the living and be human instead of this in-between then a roof was a must.
She could hear him get up as she ascended the stairs. She was the only one up here, but Misty had told her that Kyle was always on the floor on the few occasions she had been up here. As if he could tell Zoe's steps apart from the rest. He used to do that. He used to tell her he could pick her out of a line-up, blindfolded.
He smiled when she opened the door. He was standing in the middle of the room. As opposed to sitting on it. That was really all there was to do up here.
"We really need to get you some furniture, don't we?"
"Chair and table", Kyle said. "And bed?" He looked more asking this time. Zoe nodded.
"Yes, we would need those things. Kyle, I need to talk to you." She tugged at his hand to make him sit and he did so. She sat down with him and for the first few seconds she just looked at him. He looked more attentive than usual, she thought. Like he had something particular on his mind.
"What is it, Kyle?" She asked. The thought that he had something to say was overwhelming in a way, because of the way he was now; he never spoke unless she asked him a question or told him to read to her. But this time he was the one to lead a conversation, even if it was only by the urgency in his eyes.
"I wan-na meet dead bo-y." His speech was still slow, but she could see that he worked to articulate the words. At first she didn't understand.
"What do you mean dead boy?"
"Bo-y like me. Maker of me had a bo-y."
Then she understood.
"You mean you want to meet Damian? Marie Laveau's son?" He nodded eagerly in that theatrical way that he had adapted. "Why?"
"Man said we are same. I wan-na meet him."
Zoe shook her head, not to deny his request, but his comparison. "You're not. He's just a scared little boy who shouldn't have come back, but you could have a life."
"I'm scar-ed too."
Zoe put both hands on his cold face, on either side and she could feel his curly hair tickling her fingers.
"I know, baby. But you also have more memory. You still remember your old life, don't you?"
Kyle appeared to be thinking for a long time. And she knew he was thinking, because his eyes kept flickering. When he zoned out his eyes stood still. They flickered more these days.
"Yes. I rem-ember. Some."
"Do you remember Misty?" She took a shot. There was something now that he wanted and it would require Misty's help.
Kyle's face went dark. He started making his low snarls, when Zoe tightened her grip on his face to get his focus back.
"I know you don't like her now, because she can make you sleepy like that. But she used to be your friend. And you wanted to be her friend, remember?"
Kyle thought again. "Shack", he then said. "We went to forest. Misty's shack. I was hungry."
Zoe hadn't realized just how much of the day before his death was there. She wasn't sure he was supposed to remember so much, but she found herself tearing up at the prospect of his memory coming back. "That's right, you went after food and Misty told you to be careful with what berries to eat."
"So I tried to eat bear."
At first it sounded like he couldn't properly pronounce berry, but when she looked up at him there was a look in his eyes that she hadn't seen since before his death.
"Kyle, did you… did you just make a joke?"
He was slow, but he nodded. "Like. It?"
Then Zoe laughed. She laughed until the tears spilled over.
O0O
Suddenly Misty felt drawn to Cordelia's presence like a moth to a flame. It must be all the time apart or maybe this was just how she had always felt and their string of crises had made her realize it more consciously. Whatever the reason, she could not stray from physical contact. And for once Cordelia was not one to desist either. Their son sensed this as well, like he always did, and he did not ask either of them to get up after they had read the book he requested. Instead he sat on Cordelia's lap, leaning into her chest and playing with Misty's hair as she leaned against Cordelia's shoulder. The couch was just barely large enough to hold all of them, but neither thought to move.
It was after dinner. There were leftovers in the fridge for Zoe, who had announced that she would spend the evening with Kyle. It sounded like he was starting to remember more and more. Misty hoped it was so, because then perhaps he would remember not to be afraid of her, despite his body telling him that she was the enemy.
Cordelia shifted her weight and Misty moved to give her room. Cage had fallen into a light slumber; he only grunted lightly and kept his eyes closed. Once settled in, Misty put her head back against Cordelia's shoulder.
"I've missed this", she whispered into Cordelia's ear. "I don't know who's in debt to who now. And I don't want nothin' to do with it."
"I'm in debt to you", Cordelia said. Misty couldn't see her face, but she knew how it would look. Cordelia would have that serious expression in her eyes. But not the hard look from when she was hurt or angry. It was the softer one, the one of acceptance. Her mouth would curve a bit and Misty could almost make out the shape of the next words before she said them: "I am. For all the times you've endured me."
"I don't want no guilt, I said. We're done with that now."
She could hear the soft incredulous laugh that sometimes followed Cordelia's smiles.
"I love you." There was the same incredulity in these words. Misty smiled at them. She said them back just as Zoe came into the living room from the front porch. Misty kissed Cordelia's shoulder and then turned to see Zoe's face.
"He'll talk to you. He's okay with it now."
Misty moved to get up and caught the worried look on Cordelia's face.
"It's okay. I gotta do this."
Cordelia looked like she was about to argue, but thought better of it. Instead she nodded and took Cage off her thigh and into her arms.
Misty followed Zoe out and up to the attic. She could feel that peculiar aura come off Kyle even before she entered the room. She was more aware of it today; her senses felt sharper, the humming less present. She was almost her own today.
Kyle sat in the middle of the room as he always did. The look in his eyes was cautious, dark, but less hostile. And concentrated, Misty thought. As if he was consciously fighting the impulse to hate her.
She moved closer, carefully so. Zoe stepped around them and sat herself down beside Kyle, as a guardian. Which of them she needed to guard, Misty did not know yet.
Misty sat down in front on Kyle. She couldn't speak without being spoken to and she felt that as soon as she tried to speak. A silence erupted.
"You have to talk first, Kyle", Zoe said.
Kyle just grunted. Zoe wouldn't have it.
"You have words, Kyle."
Kyle gave Misty a scolding look, then said: "Hi."
Misty looked up at Zoe, then back at the undead man in front of her. The spell released itself and it was her turn now. She didn't know how to do it, but as it always was with the things she didn't know, she took them as they came.
"Do you remember me?" She asked him.
At first he did nothing. Then he carefully shook his head. That surprised them all.
"Do you know my name?"
Kyle nodded. "I. Know you. But can't rem-ember… How. Used to be. Can't see through." It took effort for him to find the words, Misty understood, but the improvement in his speech was hard to miss as well. Zoe had done solid work on him.
"See through what?"
"The…" He couldn't find any words so he waved slowly in front of her, in a type of shaping movement around her. Misty thought she understood. Cordelia used to say she had a sort of aura about her, vibe of strength she sometimes called it. Something unearthly and Misty guessed it must be her ability giving her that aura. She thought that was what Kyle saw. He had made her discover something new about herself; she was not only able to give life, but also to take death away. And often that was the same thing, but with Kyle it was not. And he feared this about her.
"It's because of what I can do, ain't it? My abilities scare you." They knew that already. But if she could make him understand that she was without that for now, then perhaps he would let her close.
Kyle nodded. And Misty explained how the Voodoo Queen had put a block on her. Kyle listened and it looked like he understood. His eyes were more alert than before. "Can't you feel it?" Misty asked at last. "Can't you feel that I can't touch you with it?"
"Some", he said in his slow voice. "Not all gone."
That made her smile. He said it like it was still a threat to him, but knowing he felt this in her meant that her ability was still there. She could get it back. And so she cut to the core of their conversation.
"I wanna get it back. Same with rest of me. I wanna have my head back. So do you, I think. I don't know how much I can help you Kyle, but I'll do what I can. And maybe you can help me."
"You. Make me. Sle-ep."
"I won't if you don't wanna. I won't touch you. I promised Zoe."
Kyle looked up at his girlfriend and it seemed the reassuring smile he received convinced him. The hostile look on his face faded a fraction. Then his face changed. He looked determined. So far the only expressions Misty had seen on his face was hate, hostility and that blankness that came with his confusion of being almost alive.
"I want. Something", he said. Misty looked up at Zoe to see if this was news to her as well, but she looked only at Kyle, urging him on. So she knew.
"What's that?"
"I wanna. Meet. Bo-y. Like me."
"He wants to meet Damian?" Misty wasn't sure who she had directed her question at, if any, but Zoe answered:
"Yes. He told me just before. I don't know how, Misty, but if he can help you get control back… it's important to him."
"I get it. But first-" she looked back to Kyle. "-first you gotta tell me what you know 'bout her. Anythin' that can help."
Kyle looked at the floor for a while. When he spoke again his voice was rough, as if he had been muted for hours. "I feel some things she feel. She's scared. All time. I feel her anger. At you." He looked up. Misty nodded. She sometimes felt Laveau's anger too, but through the commands she received and rarely in the pure emotional form she thought Kyle was talking about. Kyle continued: "She has power ov-er me. Can feel that up close. Not this far away. She has power over boy too?" He asked this as a question, but Misty wasn't sure he meant it as such. His speech was stunted, his memory clouded and his wits fogged, but none of it was completely gone. And he seemed clearer by the minute. As if he had talked himself warm. He continued to tell her of the things he felt through his maker, but he knew little of her skills to Misty's disappointment. Kyle started to become slow again, tired it seemed, and when she moved to hear him better he grunted and flinched away. His humanity seemed spent for the day. Zoe noticed this as well.
"I think we better stop now", she said, while eyeing Misty and Kyle in turn. Misty agreed. She was tired herself. But knowing that Marie was too, knowing she was scared, made her human in Misty's mind again. And she had never been afraid of any human being.