Marie believes she is in more danger than she realizes, unsure if it is all in her head or nightmarish prediction. Meanwhile Sevika receives a letter from a 'mysterious' stranger.
Chapter 5:Robed Figures
When Vander and the others had arrived home his immediate response was to work the bar. Sometimes it helped him think things over while taking care of customers and keeping the place in shape. He would've asked Marie, but since that day he nearly made a fool of himself, or so he thought, he had been too embarrassed to face her.
Personally, he felt it wasn't very manly of him to not be direct, but he had a hundred different things taking up his time and he found himself overwhelmed by recent events. Guilt creeped into his chest when he remembered seeing Marie's expression before she went down the stairs, he felt even worse for his behavior at the shop, and realized she probably felt just as bad, he just hadn't expected all that, and he even said he wanted to wait to tell the kids, so a bit overwhelmed was an understatement.
He didn't blame Marie though, not too much, she did have a lot to deal with as well, trying to remember every little detail over a short period of time was difficult.
Maybe I should talk to her. Let her know...
Vander was contemplating this when someone had sat quietly at the island in front of him, "Where's your girlfriend?" Sevika teased chuckling as she looked around just to be sure Marie wasn't around to her that. Vander couldn't help but respire and he rolled his eyes at her, "I don't understand why everyone keeps saying that. I barely know her. I'm just trying to be a good samaritan is all." He laughed lightly.
"Maybe that's the problem. If you get to know her maybe people would shut up about it. If you don't, someone certainly will." She had a hidden smirk when she said that. Vander picked up on her mischief and put the towel over his shoulder before putting his hands on the table with a gaze that said, 'Are you kidding me?'
"What'll it be?" He asked flatly.
"Something that won't give me a hangover." Vander chuckled behind his lips and grabbed a bottle to pour its golden liquid into a shot glass handing it to her and watched as she drank it with ease, but there was clearly something else on her mind. Her eyes were looking past him, saying nothing until she finished the liquor with an exhale and licked the taste off her lips, "Marie said she'd talk to you about our circumstance. Did she make any mention of it?"
"Are you talking about the things we discussed a few weeks ago?" Sevika nodded almost disappointed, but Vander reiterated, "No, not yet. I mean, I'm sure she will. A lot has happened since the little tike had that incident...Poor kid."
"Is she alright?" She asked.
"Yeah, she's grand, I guess the air can be a bit overwhelming here. Especially for newcomers. Hm, I didn't think you'd care so much Sevika." He was genuinely surprised by her worry, even smirking when he saw her eyes widen at the mention of it. Usually she would be completely set on the cause and nothing else.
Now, it was Vander's turn to tease her, only to have Sevika scoff under her breath shuffling around in her stool, "Shut up, I'm asking because of the way Marie reacted. I felt...bad for her."
"Yeah. A bit of a scare, I reckon, but nothing compares to a mother's love." He started to think of it as well, but covered his concern with a cough, "She didn't mention the circumstances, but I believe she meant to."
"How do you know that? I thought you barely knew her?" She asked quizzically.
"Intuition." He shrugged smiling, "That and she's been through a lot these past few weeks. Don't treat her too harshly."
"I'm not going to wait around for her to talk to you about our problems, but, I won't push it either... unless I have to. Until then, I'm telling you what I said to her, I'll be waiting."
"Sure, I'll-," Before he could finish his sentence they suddenly heard a loud crash from behind him. It sounded as if it had come from the back door near the stairs, and when Vander heard Vi yell out he was there in a flash.
He ran from behind the bar and dashed straight for the door, opening it to find Vi turning Marie's seemingly lifeless body over in her hands, "I-I don't know what happened!" She told him in a panic, "She was fine a minute ago!" She was obviously shaken up and confused, but Vander made his way down the steps to help.
"It's alright Vi, let's keep a cool head, yeah?" She took a breath and made some room for him to check on Marie. Compared to him she was indeed a lot smaller, so as he picked up Vander lifted her with a gentle tenderness almost as if she was as fragile as a babe. He held the back of her head in his hand and turned her face towards his to see her eyes rolled back and her body breaking into a cold sweat, "Marie? Marie!" He shook her lightly, but that didn't seem to work, so he moved her to the living room, "Claggor, can you set up a pillow. That one there. Perfect, thank you." He laid her down elevating her head and tried to check her eyes.
They were rapidly moving, as if she was in a deep sleep, which was odd to say the least. She had just fallen down the stairs how could she have been dreaming?
There was no time to question it, but it was something to keep in mind, "Maybe...Maybe some water...I better get the kit too." He wasn't sure what he needed in this situation, he didn't know what was wrong with her, but it was a start.
Before he left though he noticed Lia's scared expression, her eyes starting to water and her nose sniffling at the sight of her mother. Vander patted her head softly and smiled warmly to ease her fear, "Mommy just had a fall, she'll be okay. Can you be a big girl for me, and stay strong for mommy?" She whined, a muffled cry behind her mouth before wiping her little cheeks and eyes, and nodded keeping her chin up, "Look at you, such a brave young lady."
He didn't want to show her how serious this could be, so in order to keep the little girl calm and happy he gingerly asked Powder to take her down stairs to their training ground, "Maybe you can show her how good of a shot you are! Give her a few tries of her own."
"Okay. Yeah, I can do that! Come on, Lia."
"I'll go with them." Vi suggested leaving the two boys there in silence with him, but Vander turned around to them and smiled, "You two run along, I'll keep you updated."
"You sure you won't need anything?" Mylo asked this time, actual concern apparent on his face, but again his father figure waved the two off, "Go, I think I'll manage." Claggor and Mylo looked at one another, but remained silent once Mylo made the first initiative to leave. Claggor followed almost apprehensively before doing the same.
Once Vander was alone with her, he started to get to work noticing all the bumps and scraps she had obtained from the fall. They weren't as serious as her previous ones but they were serious enough, especially the one that started to show on her forehead. It was a good size knot, but with a cold cloth it may keep the swelling down.
He figured that'd be the rest of it, but before he could leave she started to move around in discomfort. He hoped for the best, his face lightening up at the sight of her moving about. Unfortunately when he noticed her cheeks were wet his hope diminished becoming more worried about her state, "Marie." His tone was deep this time, almost above a whisper rumbling in the middle of his chest. He tried to turn her face towards him, hoping his touch would do something, anything to get her to respond.
When he was about to give her time to rest, Marie suddenly jolted up, panting hard, and slamming nearly right into Vander's chest when he jumped at the sudden movement.
Instinctively his arms wrapped around her, catching her as she thrashed around, terrified in the face as if she had seen a ghost, "Love, hey, hey, it's me!" He cupped her face and gently forced her to look at him, staring straight into his anxious eyes until she slowly began to calm down and fall back into reality, "It's me." He said again this time softer, his voice finally getting her to truly see him and gaze back between his beautiful grey eyes.
When she started to blush he knew she'd come to, and sighed in relief petting the side of her head, "You're alright, just breathe." She was still panting, breathless from whatever she had witnessed, and still soaked in her own sweat from what seemed to be a nightmare.
She soon fell into his chest once everything became coherent again. She was so fatigued that she felt as if she could barely move and began to shake against him.
He was a bit taken back by her touch but when he saw how distressed she was his arms immediately wrapped around her even tighter than before, one of his hands going right to the back of her head in comfort, "You're okay...You're okay." His encouraging affirmation put her slightly at ease, but it wasn't enough to make what she saw go away.
She nuzzled herself against him and screwed her eyes shut as she took in the physical contact in order to keep herself grounded. His warmth, the pattern of his breathing, the smell of his shirt.
It reminded her that the nightmare she just had was just that, a nightmare.
Or was it?
To her, it had been more than that. It felt incredibly realistic. Vander just let her stay the way she was until Marie lifted her head with tears running down her face, still seeming disoriented and frightened.
"You had me worried there for a bit. You fell down the stairs pretty hard, love. Do you remember what happened?" She looked down thinking hard before nodding at him with widened eyes, "Yeah? Do you want to talk about it?" She put her hands around her throat, talking so fast he barely caught a word of it, and so he hushed her softly while rubbing her shoulder, "Hold on, slow down.Take a breath." She was beginning to panic again and so she did as he said, taking a moment to collect herself so she could articulate what she saw.
She gulped back and felt the soreness between her ribcage and stomach still there, but the pain was not as excruciating as before. She tried to test out the level of pain by shuffling around against the couch only to immediately cringe as the reminisce of it made her nauseous.
'Something is happening to me! She whispered in a panic.
"What's happening? What do you mean?" He asked her softly seeing the discomfort in her face as he helped her rest back against the couch, her head being cradled by the plush pillow, "Can you explain it to me?" She needed to write it all down in order to get it out, because what she experienced was everything that could explain how she may have gotten to Zaun in the first place.
While she scribbled on the note paper, she was trying not to vomit in the process. When she finished jotting it down she handed him the parchment.
'I was coming up to see you, but I started to feel pain in between my stomach and my chest. Bad pain. I've had an unknown condition my whole life, but the pain has never been this excruciating. It was the worst I've ever felt. I don't remember anything else after getting up the stairs, but I do remember having a dream, or maybe it was a memory. I'm not sure. All I know is the next thing I was falling through a tunnel of dark clouds. Two hooded men were there chasing after me. One of them tried to take Lia away from me.'
"What was the other man doing?" A gentle smile spread across her face then, and she wrote down her response.
'Saving us.'
"Maybe you were having a fever dream, love." Marie shook her head persistently.
'It wasn't!' She tried to cry out but it just came could as a harsh whisper.
She really believed this could explained her lapse in memory. She had blacked out the moment she saw the storm, everything after that was a blank slate, but deep down to her core, Marie knew that what she witnessed was nothing but surreal, a whole missing fragment to a bigger picture.
She even told him about seeing something come out of her before she passed out, but she couldn't say what it could be, "Then...What was it?" Even as he asked she still wasn't sure if what it was.
Little by little she was beginning to doubt if she even saw anything in the first place, and yet, it felt too real not to. It didn't help that when she saw Vander's quizzical face, it only made her feel as though she was going crazy.
'Why don't you believe me!' She finally mouthed, worked up by this whole situation.
"I do, Marie, I do believe you, really. I just have to ask. I mean, I don't know what to make of it."
'I know what I saw!' She protested.
He could see how upset she was getting. She really believed it was real, as real as her, not to mention her persona was...way more chaotic than usual. She was generally calm, modest, shy, well put together, but now she was so swept up in what she dreamt she seemed oddly delirious.
Cautiously, Vander shuffled in his position and watched her closely, holding her arms gently to keep her there in the moment with him as he sat down beside her, "I believe you, truly. I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to upset you. Could you see their faces?" She hadn't. She shook her head but something came to mind, and she gasped at the thought of it.
'They were using magic!'
"Magic? You sure?" She nodded almost just as shocked as he was.
'What should I do?'
"I...I have no idea. We'll need to wait until we see Heimerdinger. But make sure to hold on to that thought. For now, you should rest and take it easy, you're stressing yourself out. Little baby steps, remember? You can't help Lia if you're not thinking clearly." She agreed, she needed to keep his advice in mind, and keep herself from diving too deep. She could barely think or even do anything, and when she noticed Vander beginning to pack up the supply box Marie felt a pit in her stomach and placed a gentle hand on his arm to get his attention.
Vander turned from what he was doing and looked back to see Marie had been biting her lip, her eyes glossed over by sleep and stress. He knew she wanted to say something, her eyes perturbed and brows knitted together as if she was thinking over her words, "What is it?"
This was her chance, she didn't want things to be awkward between them, and she had to know if it was true or not. To know the one thing that had been bugging her for awhile since that day he almost, almost kissed her, 'Are you mad at me?' She asked patting her chest to reference herself.
"What? No. No, why would I be?" He took a pause, trying to think of anything else but tell her the truth, even though the voice in his head was screaming at him to tell her, "Oh! Because of...because of what happened at Benzo's?" She shook her head, and turned over the paper to scribble on the back.
'You've been avoiding me.' Vander went quiet and froze looking as if he was a child being caught with his hand in the cookie jar. If it weren't for the fact that their conversation had been so serious, it might've been hilarious. Maybe even cute.
Okay, it was still kind of cute.
"Not-, not on purpose. I swear we're fine." He knew exactly what she was talking about, but almost couldn't bring himself to admit it, until he watched her shoulders slack saddened by his response, and so he attempted to sooth her by cupping her face gazing back into her eyes with such remorse and what seemed to be a sweet tenderness Marie had never known.
It sent warmth throughout her entire body, her heart pounding against her chest and making her turn to jelly in his hands, "I just...I almost made a mistake, is all. I didn't want to ruin our friendship because of it." He looked sheepish, not wanting to admit his shame, but she must've taken it the wrong way because the face Marie made was one of being almost insulted, but instead of acting on the irrational emotion she finally used her fingers to her lips to emphasize her next words.
'Because you wanted to kiss me.' Vander had almost missed what she said but when he realized it he was taken back, shaking his head in disbelief with a short chuckle, nervously clearing his throat, "Was it that obvious?" His voice broke going up an octave as he spoke.
She gave him a look that made him laugh softly, pink in the face from embarrassment by the whole thing. He didn't know what to say at first, but then he looked back, studying her closely, "It's not that I didn't want to jump at the chance. It's just-, you know, not the best timing...and also, I wanted to show you a little respect." The low tone in his voice when he said it made Marie's expression soften, almost perplexed until he continued, this time smiling in a way that made her melt inside and her cheeks flush with heat.
Every time she blushed, Vander couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked, her eyes so pretty and expressive that he felt as if his head had gone all fuzzy. He couldn't lie that there was a blatant attraction, only that made Vander's heart race faster than when he used to brawl or fight a hundred enforcers.
Unfortunately, he had to be realistic about the whole thing, about them.
"That and... You'll be leaving in a couple of weeks. I didn't want to complicate things. You also got Lia to think about, to get you both home, you know?" She was saddened at the mention, realizing she had told herself that very same thing a year ago, about putting Lia first and that dating wasn't on the table. As frustrated as she was by it, she understood completely, and he was right.
She then lowered her gaze and gave a reluctant nod, "You deserve better than me." He said, "An old retired man with a target on his back. An unacclaimed 'leader' for the Underground? Huh, doing a bang up job in that, aren't I?...No, you don't want me." He didn't sound too fond of himself almost kicking himself down a peg for reasons he kept to himself, but Marie knew exactly what they were.
She didn't want to bring those things up, so instead she cocked a brow at him andmade a face, ''I'm thirty-three, so I'm plenty old too.'
"Ha ha, well then you don't look a day over twenty-five." They both seemed to get a little titter out of that, but not enough to ease his doubts and worries.
'Plus, don't some people deserve a second chance?' She asked him as she caressed his arm.
"What are you trying to say? That you want to try this out and then...Call it quits? I didn't think you were into those sorts of...um, terms." Marie wanted to roll her eyes so badly, but instead she sighed and calmly explained.
'Nothing like that, but...something...' She felt weird asking this of him. It was almost something out of a story book.
Marie already had bad experiences with dates, some landing her a friend or two, but...This was different. She couldn't deny that Vander was once one of her favorites that she had a teeny crush on, but that's all it was, just a stupid little crush.
An infatuation with a character.
Yet, now that she had gotten to know him, she was starting to see Vander as a real living, breathing person. A selfless, warm hearted, strong willed man with a big heart for his children, and for Zaun's people, a great sense of humor with a quick wit, and a bit of a smart ass when times called for it. He wasn't just an animation, he was flesh and blood, he had emotions and could think for himself, and he made mistakes just like any real human being would.
The longer she stayed, the more she could see and admire his humanity, respect him as he was. Being there in the room with him only heightened those admirations, and told her all she needed to understand how she truly felt about him.
'A date.' She finally said fiddling her fingernails and biting her lip as the word rolled off her tongue.
"A d-ate? A date with me?" The way he pointed at himself flabbergasted by her invitation made him seem even more and caused Marie to give a breathy giggle giving him a gentle smile as she nodded happily, 'As friends.' She clarified.
"Right! Friends, of course. It, uh..." Vander trailed off staring at Marie as if she were a celestial being, her features gentle, sweet and hopeful. He laughed softly under his breath not believing what he had just heard. She wanted to go on a date with him? Truth be told, he hadn't been on a date in years, his mind was always on everything else that he never gave himself time to relax or enjoy another's company.
A shiver ran up Marie's spine when she heard a low hum in his chest, and saw a playful smirk stretch across his mouth, "Sounds good."
'Good.' Marie replied keeping composure, but ecstatic on the inside, 'When?' She asked, grinning.
"When you're better. Like I said, that wasn't no little trip you took, at this rate you'll lose something up there." Marie made a funny face at him and it made him give a hearty chuckle before taking his thumb to run it over her chin.
Marie's heart instantly fluttered at the contact causing her to instantly catch her breath.
He then finished putting the supplies back in its case and stood up, "I'm just going to put this away. I also got to check on the bar, kind of left it unattended, well...sort of. Anyway, I'll be back in a bit. Lia's down in the training ground with the others if you want to see her. She was really worried about you. It's the door farthest down the hall." Marie nodded trying not to smile even more like a goof as he spoke but it was hard not to, and Vander could tell.
Deep down he felt the same, and it showed through his body language. His smile, his eyes, even as he tripped over his own two feet, "S-Sorry. That was dumb of me, heh. Be back in a jiff."
When he closed the door behind him Marie sat back on the couch feeling a blast of exhilaration grinning from ear to ear as she leaned back against the pillow staring up at the ceiling gleefully. I'm going on a date with Vander... I'm going on a date with Vander! All she could do was internally scream giggling with a jump off the couch like she would blast off into outer space. She twirled around and did a silly dance before shaking her head and taking a deep breath.
She needed to calm down, she didn't want someone to walk in and see her acting like a love stricken fool, and so she took a moment to compose herself from all the excitement and remembered him mentioning Lia. She gasped and exited the living room to make her way towards the training grounds.
When she found them half of the room was covered in a black light with colors of blue, purple, and pink hues illuminating off the walls and the shooting ring.
On the other side was the boxing ring with a red mechanical contraption they used to box. Marie couldn't believe how big it looked compared to seeing it on the television, it just couldn't do it justice.
"Mama!" Her eyes immediately went to the tiny voice calling to her, and saw Lia running from the shooting ring, and kneeled down with open arms until they closed around her daughter, "All better now!" The little girl exclaimed having Marie nod trying to say yes as she spoke.
"Glad to see you're doing better, we were all pretty worried." Said Claggor smiling, more in relief than anything.
"What happened?" Vi asked still seemingly worried since she was the one who found her.
'I'll tell you later.' She mouthed softly not wanting to worry the children. It was already a lot for her to take in let alone a bunch of young ones, 'Having fun?' She asked trying to change the subject, to which the older kids all looked at Vi before answering, probably to see if she would say anything about the incident, but Vi shrugged at them and smiled back at Marie, "Yeah, we were just training. We're seeing who can get the highest score."
Marie and Vi both looked up to the board itself, seeing her name at the top above where all the scores were shown, "I'd see if you'd want to give it a try but...I don't know if you'd be really up to it."
Marie stared long and hard at the score board, contemplating it once Vi mentioned it. Whose to say she couldn't? She had some kind of skill under her belt, albeit not as good as Vi, or Mylo, or Claggor, but after that frightful dream Marie couldn't stop thinking about it.
Most dreams would have dissipated by now, never to be remembered, even if she did it was never so vivid. This one was embedded in her mind and left her hlbreaking out into cold swear with her heart pounding every time she thought about it.
She remembered walking with Lia, the storm appearing, and then a noisy vortex opening up behind her, causing her to yelp out in distress as someone grabbed her by the bicep and waist, violently pulling her in. They both began to fall, on and on like it was neverending. She heard Lia scream and cry as they tumbled, their hands holding on to one another for dear life.
Harlequin clouds swirled all around them, loud booms of clashing lightning rang in through the skies and pierced their ears, a bright light flashing above and below.
They fell at high speeds, over and under, left to right, and the hooded figure behind her clawed into her skin to keep their hold on her, all while saying something that made a cold spike shoot through her entire body, holding her breath petrified.
I've found you!
She struggled against them, kicking her feet into their knees, elbowing him in the sides, and even threw her head back to put distance between them as they descended further.
Down and down they went, fighting and yelling and screaming, until the stranger pressed a hard wooden staff against her neck, trying to choke her out or incapacitate her, either one was incredibly terrifying, Give me that spawn of yours!
Lia's cries for her were the only thing that kept Marie fighting, she wouldn't let them have her, whoever it was. She would fight till her very last breath.
All of a sudden another flash of light pushed through the side of the vortex, and there diving towards the came another mysterious figure closing in, one that seemed urgent to reach them. They too had a staff, and swung it around their head to release a burst of energy that caused the one holding on to Marie to release with pain yell, Ah! Curse you! I will not lose this chance!
Unfortunately they still had a hold on the front of her dress and nearly ripped it as they pulled her close. Marie began to hear her own screams over the chaos, fearing for her life as the horror began to set in until suddenly felt a hand as hot as ambers grasp around her throat, Shut your mouth!
She wasn't sure what they did, but whatever it was, she felt her voice fade further and further away until it was a wisp in the wind.
Unhand her you wretch!
She is mine!
Marie couldn't see the one holding her, but she could definitely see the shape of their mouth. They had such a demonic grin on their face...A horrific menacing smile that nearly stopped her heart dead in her chest. Whoever this was, they meant nothing good for her.
Lia cried for her then, getting her mother to quickly come to, and find the strength to kick the robed figure in the groin until they released her.
They winced, groaning angrily, but released them harshly as he began to create a black and green ball in their hand, You're going to regret that! Before he could take aim, the person behind them pulled them into their arms and used their own magic to push Marie and Lia out of the way, and into another plane of existence.
The last thing she heard was the evil doer yelling out 'No! ' while being pulled back by the person saving her and Lia.
She couldn't thank that stranger enough for that, but now the questions still remain...
Who were those people? Why were they even after her and Lia?
How was magic even possible in her world? It almost seemed unfathomable, and even more so terrifying because this person was trying to find them this very second. From what the man said, it seemed they had been trying to find her for quite some time now, but why? Just thinking about it made every bone in her body shake with utter fear and tension.
"Mom?" Lia called her mother worriedly, pulling at her vest to get her attention. It was only when Lia touched her face with a gentle little hand did Marie shake out of her daze and look down at her little with love and endearment, tears nearly daring to touch her eyes before she smiled at Lia and kissed her hands.
"Marie, are you okay?" Marie tried her hardest to put on a brave face and smiled through the involuntary shakes while putting Lia down so she could stand. She then pointed to the ring, making Vi turn to her with a concerned look, "I... don't know, are you sure you can handle it right now? Maybe you should wait? Maybe?"
'They're just stairs. I'm okay, really.' She was determined to give it a try. She felt slightly confident, already knowing how to defend herself for the most part thanks to her ex-husband's help, but with magic involved in all of this she was going to need to be quicker, faster, stronger. She wanted to make sure that that maniac wouldn't see her coming.
With shaky hands she took each step with conviction as she approached the ring, staring at the drawn in face of Mylo that was placed in the center of it. That made her smile a bit. She imagined Powder drawing the face to annoy Mylo with it, and Vi and Claggor laughing at it, not giving him a chance to erase it. What's done was done, and this was the outcome.
As she stared long and hard at the face of the drawn Mylo, Marie began to see that awful grin that figure had, his voice spewing venom that caused a small bit of fear and hesitation in the pit of her stomach before taking in a breath and turning to Vi, 'How do you start it?'
"You just start hitting it." Vi said smiling, "The thing will do the rest." She nodded affirmatively, and then turned back to it, ready to throw a fist at it, "Oh! Wait, hold on, you forgot something." Marie turned back to see Powder running up with a pair of padded gloves, ones that had been worn and torn but still usable.
Marie thanked her, and applied the gloves to her hands, fitting them till they were comfortably snug. She stepped up to the contraption again putting her fist up close to her face, and took her stance.
She took three long breaths, and then let the first fist hit the padding, her fingers curled, knuckles tight, only to have the arm in the upper right hand corner strike her straight in the face and knock her back.
Everyone cringed, hissed and oohed when she fell, except Lia who reacted with a giggle. Marie took a glance at her trying to smile it off the pain as she rolled onto her stomach and lifted herself off the ground.
"It's never easy the first couple of times. Try again!" For Vi being just a teen, it felt as though she was more of the adult, but then again she had been doing this a lot longer than Marie ever had. Yet, she was getting the idea of how this thing worked.
Over and over again she tried, trying to block and punch and dodge each every time, each one making her a bit better than the last, but not quite succeeding, every now again it would still knock her back, push her down, cause her to bite her cheek and tongue until blood rolled down the corner of her mouth.
But she would swallow back her bloody spit and continue on again and again until after thirty minutes she exasperated all her strength, having to sit down so she could breathe.
She was gasping for air, glaring at the face on the plate with an intensity that could burn a hole through it if she had the power to do so, because she wasn't seeing Mylo's face anymore. All she saw was that horrible shit eating grin.
Her whole body started to shake then, and for some reason, she froze. She told herself it was just the initial fear, as if being in a dark hallway and unable to see what was at the end of it. No light switch or candle to light her way. Who wouldn't be afraid?
She tried to rationalize this whole thing. Why her? Why Lia? What were they going to do to them?
She felt as though she was going mad, while also attempting to stop herself from having a panic attack right then and there, and so she pushed herself off the floor on two shaky legs so she could turn to the kids who were gawking at her in bewilderment.
"Mama? You got a lot of boo boos." Marie gazed down at her daughter and tried to smile the best she could. She didn't want to scare her, so she nodded wiping the sweat from her face and neck.
She then decided to take a break, and sat down in a chair just off to the side with her head hung low still trying to catch her breath. Vi sat right beside her, Powder sitting on the other side of her while Lia came to sit in her lap and pulled out a small gizmo from her front overall pocket.
Marie wasn't sure entirely what it was but she smiled all the same and leaned her head against her baby's before looking around at the others.
This wasn't anyone's fight. She felt as though she had brought more trouble upon everyone in this world and that weighed heavily. She began to miss her family, her friends, even Miheal. She was sure Lia missed her father dearly too, and a small part of her felt guilty about it, even though she had no control over it.
She felt as though she would never see them again, a drop in the pit of her stomach just as before, a gut wretching intuition that ate her up just like that stupid dream, and it hurt. It hurt to think she'd never see them, "Is this because of earlier?" Vi suddenly asked as she leaned against the small table wanting answers to Marie's strange behavior, but Marie just nodded, an uncertain expression on her face as she watched Lia fiddle with the gizmo in her hand, "What happened anyway?"
'I can't tell you.' She lipped sadly.
Vi's brows raised surprise, "Why?"
Marie shrugged shaking her head, unable to explain everything racing through her head, all she could say was, 'I'm sorry. I'm not sure what to say.'
"Well you fell down the stairs...Maybe you have a concussion from the first fall when you got here?" Marie shook her head, feeling a sudden panic attack coming on. That smile came back to her head, over and over again until all she could do was pick up Lia and point towards the door, 'I need some air.' Having everyone's eyes on her made her feel suffocated. She didn't even understand it herself, how was she supposed to explain it to the kids, or Vander?
A hint of her believed he didn't understand it fully, even though he really wanted to. How could he?
Would she believe it herself if someone had told her she saw it in a dream? She had to be honest with herself. She feared this phantom, and no matter how hard or continuously she punched the crap out of that contraption it felt as though her strength wouldn't be enough.
As she walked up the stairs she noticed Vander coming down them. They both made eye contact, and Vander immediately noticed the new additions to her face. He couldn't help but bring his hands to hips and sigh, hanging his head as he shook it in disapproval, "I take it you couldn't wait to try out the ring? Are you that determined to bang your head in?" Marie didn't know what to say, she just stared at him before setting her eyes to the floor.
"Here, give me Lia. Go shower, and relax." Marie declined and started to make her way up again, but Vander stepped in front of her with those pleading eyes of his, "Please." The kids were also watching, so with little resistance she handed Lia over, shaking all over.
Vander didn't say anything then, but he could see she was not herself, and just before she closed the door behind her, she heard Vi speak, "Is she alright?"
"She's just a little stressed. Being in a strange place will do that to you."
"That's not it. She was acting strange even before she fell. She's just...acting weird."
"She might be worried about getting home. Heck, I would be. I'd be freaking out." Powder suggested lightly.
"True...you're right. But the way she punched the crap out of this thing was like she wanted to kill it. I can't help but feel like something's wrong."
"She's definitely worried about something." Mylo put in his two cents, also suspicious as well.
"Well, don't fret about it too much. Her and I will talk it over. Just don't ask her too many questions. I'm sure she's just as confused as everyone else."
"Alright."
Marie then closed the door as quietly as she could, emotions on high, but staying below the surface.
She had to admit she wasn't doing a good job of hiding her paranoia. Maybe the shower would wash away some of those worries, that's all she could hope for, and so she took all the time she needed to cleanse herself in more ways than one.
She felt as though she was going mad, still debating if what she dreamt was real or just her imagination, and so when she went wash herself she made sure to take her time, even after she had finished she took the moment to just stand there and let the water trickle down the top of her head, watching as the water would swirl into the drain below.
She then dressed herself in a one piece button up crop waist coat putting on a loose white shirt underneath, and a pair of black pants to match the waist coat. She wasn't sure what to do after that, so she grabbed a book she hadn't read and sat on the couch trying to do as Vander suggested, but relaxing or reading was nearly impossible.
About thirty minutes into the book, she heard a knock at the living room door and it slowly began to open. Vander poked his head in with a soft smile and walked in without a word. Marie sat up returning the smile, and watched as Vander came up to sit beside her, "So, did the shower help?" She nodded closing the book sitting it on the table before running her fingers through her long damp hair trying to apologize to him about her odd behavior.
"You don't have to apologize love, I know it's hard. That's why, I got an idea." Marie tilted her head to the side curious to what he meant by that and when he noticed this he smirked and leaned in closer, "We both have been under a lot of stress I reckon. So, I'm taking us out to clear our heads."
She was shocked, unable to say anything except, 'What about the bar? The kids?'
"Closed it early. Huck's clearing up the tables now, and once the doors are officially closed, we're going out. I was going to wait until you felt better, but it seems you need this more than I do, and Vi insisted on watching Lia." She felt a tinge of guilt, knowing he had a list of things weighing on his shoulders even before she got here, not to mention the kids weren't babysitters, Lia was her responsibility, but Vander wouldn't hear of it.
'What about the enforcers?'
"They don't know what they're looking for. I think we can get away with one day, don't you?"
She didn't want to be the only one who needed a break though, and she made that known to him scooting closer until she was nearly arm to shoulder with him, 'You need a break too, mister.'
"I know, I know, but I'm used to this. I've been responsible for the Lanes since...Well, a long time." She couldn't help but take his hand in a soft and gentle grip. Being an empath she could only imagine that he had gotten so used to the way things were here that it was just normal for him.
When she held his hand, Vander welcomed her touch and laced their fingers together in one perfect motion.
He gazed down and studied them before putting his other hand over hers warming it in his grasp as he gazed up into the woman's eyes with such affection that Marie couldn't help but blush and smile back shyly, "So, what do you say? You want to get out of here?"
Sevika was given a note just outside the Last Drop. A note telling her to meet someone just outside the old abandoned fish cannery that lay on the outskirts of the river between Zaun and Piltover.
She wasn't sure who it was that was asking for her or entirely what they wanted, but curiosity peaked her interest and so went. She didn't go alone though, she took a group of the men she ran with for security and reassurance just in case anything went awry at this supposed meeting.
When she arrived the place seemed like a wasteland, covered in rust, moss, and seemed to hold the ripe old smell of fish, metal, and mold from years of abandonment, but there were a few things that caught Sevika 's attention. She scanned the room from top to bottom, her friends behind her with weapons drawn out of caution. She suddenly stopped when she noticed a bunch of purple-like veins spewing from...Somewhere in the building. Little did she realize it was coming from the entrance to the far right, where someone leered in its shadows.
"Let's make this quick. I'm here, now what?" She asked shrugging her shoulders towards the stranger.
"That depends, Sevika, on you, and whether or not you're tired of eating the scraps of Piltover." She hadn't expected him to know her by name, and even her friends seemed to catch onto this. When one of them raised his weapon Sevika raised her hand for him to yield, "I'm listening." She said.
He was quiet, the sound of his footsteps echoed through the hollowed walls as he approached. The closer he got the more she could see his face, more over his vibrant orange iris that glowed in the darkness.
When he revealed himself in the moon's light he began to walk around them, not even bothering to make eye contact, taking every step as if it was calculated and precise with his shoulders pulled back with a slowly sway while his hands sat comfortably behind him.
"What if I told you, I may have a way of getting Zaun to become a nation all on its own?"
"Heh, I'd ask if you got an army behind that door to do that?" She smirked as she watched his every move never taking her eyes off him.
"Not quite, but... With time, yes." He paused for a moment gazing at the band of Zaunites in front of him turning fully towards them as he fiddled with the device in his hand, "Not too long ago, there was a phenomenon that had occurred. A shining star fell from the sky, and landed in Zaun, as if a sign from the heavens themselves..." The story he told left Sevika saving face, but he knew exactly who he was talking about.
He then tossed the device he held in her direction, and waited for her to take a look.
She glared at the man, but flicked her eyes down at the screen that began to glow...And the first thing she saw was Marie's face with her little girl, smiling back at her. Her eyes widened and she scrunched her nose up in confusion, "What is this?"
"Open it." Was all he said, and she did.
It took her a minute to figure out what she was looking at, but when she saw the word photos she pressed on it, hoping to get some answers, and it certainly did not disappoint.
She saw millions of photos of Marie and her daughter, photos of people that seemed to be friends of hers and even one of her with a man that appeared to be the father of her child.
"Marie seems to be a lovely young woman, a darling child to boot."
"What does that have to do with Zaun?" Sevika was irritated now, sensing that this man wanted Marie for whatever reason, but if this was the case she wanted to know exactly what for. Sure, she had just met her only a handful of times, but she wasn't going to just hand her over like that.
Marie did help her friends after all, amongst a few others.
"Let me put it into words you'll understand. Marie doesn't come from this world...Wherever she's from holds technology we could use to fight back against Piltover."
"No."
"No?" His brows were raised in intrigue.
"I'm not just going to hand her over to you. She's helped in her own way. She's helped my men without even thinking twice. So why should I just turn around and kidnap her?"
"I'm not asking you to kidnap her. Have you forgotten how bad it is, still? Vander might be holding them back with this peace of his, but not for long. Enforcers still roam our streets, the council sees us as a blight on their society and in time they will attempt to move in and take control again like before, until we're back at square one. They don't want us here, they want us gone. I will not let that happen."
His face never wavered, his gaze showed his commitment, and the thing he silently promised as he spoke with conviction, "I'm not demanding you to just give her to me, I'm asking you to convince her of what's at stake. You know exactly what I'm talking about. So, it's up to you now.You're not just doing it for little ole me. You're doing it for the future of Zaun. It's sisters and brothers." His last statement stuck with her.
If Sevika had fought for anything, it was for Zaun, and only Zaun. Piltover might be cordial now, but they were already forcing their way in and for so long it had been affecting a lot of its community if not all of it. It didn't feel like a home, but a prison, and that was the last thing they wanted.
She gazed down at that pretty face, a face of hope and chance at change that could turn Piltover on its head. Sevika continued to stare back into the eyes of a real potential savior, one that could be better than Vander even, and then back up at the stranger in front of her, "And your name is?"
The man smirked and lifted his head to meet her gaze, catching the phone in his hand when she finally tossed it back in his direction, "My name...is Silco."
Apologies for the wait! I have a new account on AO3 under the name Naked_Doll. If you wish to check it out feel free to take a peek, but I only started one story so far. It's a Silco fanfiction but it might change depending on how the story goes. I'm hoping to bring this story over there as well but until I can it will continue on this profile. I'll keep you updated! I hope you enjoyed this chapter all the same, and until next time, stay safe out there!!