Skai

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

---

After the whole normal-for-Florida but horrifying-for-the-cashier standoff, Lyss hadn’t even gotten her coffee. In fact, she almost felt guilty for leaving without giving the poor clerk all of the cash she had in her pockets to help with his medical bills. At least she’d called 911 before getting back into the car.

For the next hour Lyss continued to stare out of the window, paying no attention to her sisters or anything for that matter. By the time the gas station scenario had left her mind, Lyss quickly fell into a road trip coma. She slept for so long that she woke up just in time to see the Miami skyline outside of the windshield. The fireworks lit up a familiar city, and Lyss was both filled with nostalgia and worry. She watched the city life pass by as they made their way to the hotel, searching for any faces she recognized. Fortunately, she saw none.

They checked into a hotel Lyss had never stayed in before. When she realized she’d need to room with someone, Lyss looked over at Claudette. “Hey, you wanna room together? We should talk about our plans tomorrow in the morning.”

Regardless of who she ended up staying with, Lyss made it into her room and immediately prepared for bed. She gave her roomie a quick goodnight before crawling into bed. She could still hear the fireworks outside. This city never slept. Yet somehow, being back in the city, she found herself lulled to sleep by the distant noise.

---

In the morning, Lyss awoke before sunrise. She quietly slipped out of bed and threw on some clothes before making her way down to the lobby. The breakfast bar wasn’t open yet, so Lyss took to grabbing a poptart from a vending machine and waiting on a chair while she snacked until the doors finally opened.

After a quiet breakfast, watching the sunrise through the nearby buildings through the closest window, Lyss slowly finished her second cup of coffee until it was an appropriate time in the morning to shower without waking her sister. Lyss came out feeling fresh, picked out an outfit that would withstand the heat without giving her a sunburn, and made her way to the balcony to sit and enjoy the Miami breeze while she watched the city slowly come to life.

It was past lunch by the time Lyss realized she’d been on the balcony for so long. She checked her phone in case any of the girls had messaged and saw the text from Claudette. Great. A whole extra night in Miami. She sighed softly and ran a hand through her hair. Most of the girls probably wanted to go clubbing tonight. She didn’t blame them. The clubs here were amazing, but she didn’t exactly feel comfortable leaving the hotel. Nonetheless going out tonight. What was she going to do if all of the girls wanted to go?

Maybe Claudette had something else in mind. Lyss still needed to talk to her about the Dollhouse.

So, Lyss stood up, stretched real big, and headed into the air conditioned room. The cool air was a blessing.

“Hey, Claud. Sleep well?” She smiled as she closed the balcony door behind her. “Do you think any of the girls would want to go to the beach?”

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

---

Eli couldn’t help but smile as Archie shoulder bumped her. The smile didn’t last long, though. She saw the look on Lynn’s face. Eli was glad that Lynn wasn’t throwing a fit about it, but she was also sorry that Lynn had to do this. She would have put her own hand on Lynn’s shoulder if Archie didn’t do it for her.

“Stay close.”

Eli pressed her lips together and nodded. She took one step closer to Lynn in case she needed any help. Even though she was almost as uncomfortable as just watching her put the collar on, she couldn’t look away.

She’d spent hours thinking about what it felt like to wear a nullifying collar. She never really thought it would do anything but give her an acute headache or numb feeling, but she was sure it would feel much, much different for the others. The visible pain on Lynn’s face was enough to prove her theory.

Eli tensed. Her worry for Lynn was written across her face. She looked away for a moment unable to bear the empathy she felt for her friend. When she looked back, she was shocked to see that Lynn looked… normal. Like a girl her age should look, minus the dark circles under her eyes and frail figure. Still, no matter how small and fragile Lynn looked now, Eli knew that she was extremely strong. To have gone through so much pain, so many traumas, and to still stand here today brave enough to wear the collar that suppressed her true nature and give Packet that terrifying, Eli was in awe.

Eli smiled. She reached out to her friend, to her adopted sister (by her own means), and stroked her messy hair back. “I’m right here, Lynn.” She heard Nic’s voice agree with Lynn’s sentiments and pulled her hand back. She turned to look at him. At least someone didn’t look grim this morning.

She gratefully accepted the breakfast sandwich. She was still full from her big dinner yesterday, but she couldn’t pass up the offer of something that smelled so good. While she’d intended for her dinner to have been her potential last meal, the second she bit into the biscuit she was happy that this was actually it. She ate every savory bite in a matter of a minute as she listened to Nic assigning everyone a nickname.

”Eli… Eli, you’re Angel.”

Eli had to grin back at Nic. She wasn’t sure why he’d made such a face, and she didn’t exactly think that any of them needed nicknames but Packet, but his gusto for the mission gave her more confidence that they would make this work. Maybe if she kept a positive state of mind throughout this, they would have a chance of returning from The Spire.

Well, maybe… Eli’s eyes widened as she saw what Nic was handing the human flamethrower. What does he think she’s going to need those for?? What if they go off the second she removes the collar? Eli glanced between Nic and Lynn, and then glanced at the others. Was this what everyone else expected, or did Nic think of this himself? She was beginning to wonder if Nic had known how to make a molotov before he came to The Promise.

Natalie helped Eli with the codename situation, but never even mentioned the dangers of molotovs. Eli was beginning to feel like the mom friend, but she’d been called that before. And dammit, did she ever have a reason to be called the Mom.

“Nic… I’m glad that you’ve thought of everything we may need, but I’d rather save something like that as a last resort. I don’t want this to become that sort of fight. They’d label us as terrorists. Just… Save it for dire situations, alright?” She gave Nic and Lynn the best “I trust you” smile so she didn’t look too worried. “Thank you for the biscuits, too, Nic.”

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

---

While Lyss had made the drive from Miami to Tampa only months before, she wasn’t eager to make a round trip on her speedster to Miami and back so soon. Especially because her speedster would stick out like a sore thumb in the city she’d fled. She didn’t mind carpooling with one of the girls who had a car, but she wasn’t excited to be stuck in a vehicle with some of her sisters for four to five hours. Hell, she wasn’t even comfortable with going to Miami in the first place. She’d have to be extra careful where she showed her face in the city, and she’d need to be prepared to dip out if she was spotted by anyone from her past.

These thoughts only made the already uncomfortable car ride even worse. Lyss sat in the passenger seat next to Madison, with her sunglasses on and her eyes on the Florida scenery the entire ride. If anyone was paying attention, they may have noticed that she was on edge. She’d never admit the truth. Not unless she knew she was in danger. Instead would blame it on something like claustrophobia, car sickness, or just the white lie that she didn’t want to carpool in the first place but didn’t feel like driving herself. Thankfully none of them seemed to be in a chatty mood. She’d picked the perfect car to ride in.

If anyone had actually said anything during the ride she probably wouldn’t have noticed anyways. She was too busy thinking about how this could play out, and what they would expect from the Dollhouse anyways. She didn’t expect the transaction to be as simple as trading money for a cure. There had to be a catch. There was always something shady in any black market deal. She already wanted to warn the group about her worries, but she was also prepared to help with the deal and watch the girls backs in case it went to shit. She had no idea if any of them had ever experienced the black market before, but she was assuming that they hadn’t. Surely they had their own concerns about this. Then again, how would she explain how she knew all of this? Could she tell them her history in Miami without losing their trust completely? She wasn’t sure.

As Madison spoke up to break the silence, Lyss was torn from her thoughts. She looked around at the group as if she’d just woken from a nap and shifted in her spot. Her ass was starting to hurt from sitting in the car for so long, but it beat riding a speedster for hours. Fortunately the answer to her prayers happened after she listened to Madison and Grace talk. Lyss was more than relieved that they were stopping for a break. She needed to walk around a bit and grab something to drink.

While everyone else got out and either headed inside, talked to the others, or kept sleeping like Mariah, Lyss stepped out and stretched her arms above her head. She looked around the station’s parking lot. It was just an average town, but she was on edge enough to ensure that there were no suspicious eyes nearby.

Once she was satisfied with the conditions, Lyss grabbed her wallet from the front seat. She made her way into the store, sunglasses still on, taking a glance at those inside before she headed straight to the coffee ymachine. As she grabbed a paper cup from the stack, she heard Mariah talking with the clerk. They were flirting. Lyss smirked softly as she filled the coffee to the brim. She popped a lid on it. It didn’t matter if it had cream and sugar in it or not. Lyss just wanted the bitter taste and the caffeine. On her way up to the front, she also grabbed a bag of powdered donuts.

“What are you gonna do if you win big?” She asked Mariah as she walked up to the counter.

The clerk, a little offput that someone had interrupted his attempt to get a number, set to ringing up Lyss’s coffee and snack. Lyss offered Mariah a smile, and she would have winked if she wasn’t wearing sunglasses. “Are you going to treat us to drinks in Miami if you do?”

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

---

For a moment, Lyss felt like she’d asked too many questions. Then she realized that she didn’t give a fuck. If this was where the universe was taking her, to Annabelle Heart, she wanted to know all she could before she got herself involved. Hell, even Emily was agreeing to join the fight. It was shocking to hear, but Lyss was glad to know that at least one of her sisters was going to be by her side.

The ghost hunter didn’t react like she’d asked too many questions anyways. In fact, it looked like she was pleased to hear them. Lyss could sense a mutual respect between them already, and she felt better. The celebrity was beginning to show a deeper side to herself than capturing footage of apparitions and following leads.

Still, Kimberly hesitated instead of giving up the information outright. Lyss was confused at first, but then she understood what Kim was getting at before they’d even touched palms. She found herself intertwining fingers with a stranger with ease. Her eyes slowly closed and she was comforted by the touch of one of her sisters too. She wasn’t the only one that needed to see this. To know these horrible truths. They’d experience the horror of it together.

They’d experience their first recollection, together.

---

When the recollection had finally ended, Lyss immediately broke contact with the rest of them. She took a step back, her breathing heavy as her heart continued to race. At first she looked away from the group. Her mind was reeling. It all made sense now. The tragic history of Annabelle Heart and Luther Saul’s sinister plan. The Mother? She hadn’t heard of her before. Still, she knew that something much, much darker was happening in the background while Annabelle took the spotlight. Annabelle would just be the beginning of a war. It shed new light on the hungry woman. If anything, it looked like she was on the right side of this fight.

Yet they still had to kill her to finish this.

Once Lyss had calmed her breathing again, Kimberly had just finished her speech. Filled with a new sense of direction, Lyss looked first at her sisters and then Kimberly. “I... I understand now. Annabelle Heart must be stopped. The cure will only do so much, but we must strike while it is battling the curse.” She ran her hands over her forehead to push any stray hairs back. A simple soothing act to clear her mind of the images from the recollection.

“I’m afraid that it’s too late to save her soul, but we can save the souls of anyone involved with Saul after she’s taken out. ... I don’t know what this Mother figure is, but I can tell you that she is a much greater threat to the world than Annabelle Heart.”

And we barely have a chance of defeating her ourselves, but we have to try.

“I will be by your side to bring down Saul, but we’ll have to leave for Miami as soon as possible. The stronger the curse becomes, the harder it will be to stop her.”

“And we must help our own before we try.”

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

---

“I don…”

There it was. The disappointing answer for the Coven and for Max’s future. Lyss looked away from the ghost hunter. Her hope was just starting to fade, but as Kimberly changed her answer Lyss looked up at her with anxious excitement. Kimberly had a lead. The Coven could seek it out. If it worked for these girls and their families, it could work for Maximillian too. Maybe Lyss could solve the Coven and the DENs problems with one stone.

Everything looked like it was going to work out, until Lyss heard Kimberly mention the words “Dollhouse” and “black market.” Lyss immediately felt her stomach clench. She’d heard about the Dollhouse once in passing. Something about how they helped a fellow apparition dealer cure a curse that had fallen upon them during a job. She was surprised that she hadn’t remembered the encounter until now. Even so, if she’d remembered the dealer’s story, would she have shared it with the group? The Dollhouse operated in Miami. The central hub for the black market in the U.S. If the Coven wanted to go, to give this group a chance, Lyss would put herself at risk for being found. Could she risk a trip into the city if it meant helping the Coven? If it meant saving Max’s life?

Lyss swallowed as she watched Kimberly continue. It was only fair that if Kim got them into the group’s den, the Coven would help her in turn. What she didn’t expect to hear was the name Annabelle Heart escape the celebrity’s lips. For the second time in this conversation Lyss was uncomfortable. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise but she didn’t rub her neck again. It seemed like every corner the Coven turned Annabelle Heart loomed over them like a thunderstorm. The universe was bringing them closer and closer to her with every step. All of the signs were there that this was the time to act, but was the Coven ready? Was Lyss herself ready?

For a second there, Lyss thought that Maya had completely ignored the fact that Kimberly mentioned Annabelle until she asked if a cure would even work on Annabelle. Then Quinn, as insensitive as ever, asked if the cure would kill Annabelle. Lyss pressed her lips together and gave Kimberly an apologetic glance before turning to Quinn and Maya.

“There is a chance that the cure will work on Annabelle. It depends how much the curse has consumed her soul whether she will survive or not. There is also a large chance that the curse has become too powerful, and the cure won’t work at all.”

She looked back at Kimberly.

“You’re not the only ones looking for Annabelle Heart. There is an extra-normal organization called the DENs that is also trying to stop her, but they have been unsuccessful so far.” One of their own has fallen too, like poor Izzy. Their names would only fall into a long list of lives that Annabelle has taken so far.

“I think we have a deal, if Claudette agrees to what I have to say.” She gave Claudette a glance. The other leader needed to give her opinion too. “We will bring back a cure and give it to you, but I also think that we should ask for help from the DENs as well. They have many powerful agents, and they could be there to help us whether the cure works or fails. We cannot do this on our own.” She looked back at Claudette. “I don’t want to put anyone’s lives at risk, but I think it is time that we do something about Annabelle. She’s already taken Izzy. What if she comes for us next?”

She looked at Kimberly now, a question popping into her head. It was more of an itch that Lyss wanted to scratch.

“Do you know anything about the origin of Annabelle’s condition? Are you sure that she is cursed, and not just affixed to some powerful apparition?” She also wanted to know about the one who made her this way. “Is Luther Saul responsible for her rage?”

“I just want to fill in the details that I’m missing about this. I’d like to know everything you have about Annabelle Heart and what caused this in the first place.”

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

---

“Bad. Really bad. As in he could pass any second now. We have plans to give his Collecti-"

Maximillian was lying in his hospital bed. A tube ran out of his mouth and connected to a respirator nearby. A neck brace kept his head still, although his body showed no signs of movement any time soon. There were IV lines running everywhere. Lyss could hear the slow, but thankfully steady beating of his heart from the monitor nearby.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep-

The lights shut off and the room was encased in darkness. Lyss could only see Maximillian’s dark form in front of her but… there was something else. Standing directly behind his bed.

Skeletal fingers, elongated and dark with a substance Lyss didn’t want to identify began to creep over the edge. They moved slowly towards his head until they covered his beaten face. Lyss tried her best, but she couldn’t move. She was trapped in place like a deer before a car. She could only watch in terror as the deformed skull of a deer slowly lowered itself from the darkness and peered directly at her. For a second they were both still, suspended in a staring contest until the skull turned its head towards Max and-

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-

Lyss gasped, her hand reaching outwards in an attempt to stop her, but she only found the empty space of the bed beside her. She sat upright and breathed heavily. Her heart was still racing. Her hands moved behind her head to rub her neck. It felt like she was being watched by those dark eyes.

Lyss turned to look behind her, but she could only see the headboard and the wall behind it. The room was empty. Only the dream and the fear remained. She let out a heavy sigh and turned forwards again. Her shoulders sagged.

She’d been to see Max the evening after Meifeng delivered the news. He looked awful. As much as she sympathized for Max, and as much as she couldn’t bear to see him this way, she could only think of the power that Annabelle possessed. Maximillian was the strongest awakened Lyss had seen in a while. If Annabelle Heart could cut him down so easily, how could Meifeng- or even herself now, think that they could stand a chance against her?

Meifeng had been there that day. She popped in right as Lyss was thinking of the DENs and their number one target. At first Lyss wanted to walk right out of the hospital. She’d expected Meifeng to greet her with harsh words. To kick Lyss out of the hospital because she didn’t necessarily belong beside Maximillian’s deathbed, but Meifeng was kinder than usual. Lyss could see in the Agent’s eyes that she was grieving too. Still, Lyss didn’t say anything at first. The two stood together in the quiet room until Meifeng began first.

"It was difficult coming to you for help... I know it wasn't a good idea to drop in on you all but every night she kills more and more people. I hate to say it but we may need to put aside our differences and work together."

Lyss didn’t know what to say. She stood there, staring at Max’s lifeless looking body, and wanted to say yes to the DENs agent. She’d willingly put herself in danger to stop Annabelle. Especially now. Yet… She wasn’t sure that the Coven would do the same. She didn’t want to put them in danger and it wasn’t her place to ask them to. For the first time, Lyss was completely honest with Meifeng. She told her she didn’t think that the Coven was ready for the fight. That Meifeng would have to wait, or she would have to find help elsewhere. It was up to the entire Coven to decide, and the Coven themselves were in a tough situation on their own.

She left the hospital room then. A pit of guilt and anger sitting in her stomach like a rock. There was nothing she could do for Max, or the DENs, without her sisters.

---

A text suddenly took Lyss’s mind away from the DENs and Max’s condition. She grabbed her phone from the night stand and saw Claudette’s message.

Claudette - Just Now
Please join the girls by the pool. It’s important.

Lyss sighed softly and she solidified why she hadn’t agreed to help Meifeng just yet. The Coven needed her, and she was more loyal to her sisters. Even if they weren’t the best in the world, they were all Lyss had. She needed to focus on them. To bring them together so that they could handle a threat like Annabelle in the future.

---

Lyss eventually made her way downstairs to the pool. She walked up to the group with her hands in the pocket of her black joggers. She’d just caught the beginning by the way Claudette was speaking. Quietly, Lyss took a seat and listened.

At the mention of Annabelle’s name Lyss felt her chest tighten. She could feel the eyes looking at her again, and she had to rub her neck once more to make the feeling go away. She was thankful that Claudette moved on from the subject. Instead of planning to join a dangerous cause, their leader suggested helping the members of the Coven that came to them for help.

“Does anyone have any ideas?”

Lyss had no clue. She only knew of a few sources from the Black Market, but they operated out of Miami. She didn’t even know if they were still reliable, or if they’d turn her in to her old partners the second they recognized her.

Maya prattled on as usual. Lyss could tell that the events of the training fight were still weighing on her. It seemed that it was still weighing on the others too.
Mentioning the DENs only gave Lyss a headache. They were the ones asking for help this time. If they couldn’t heal Max, how could anyone expect them to know of a healer? Lyss rubbed one temple, but she felt eyes on her. Real eyes. She looked up to see Emily staring, and instead of shrinking into her seat she raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t a shock that Emily looked at her with such distrust. What irked Lyss was the fact that Emily wasn’t even giving her a chance now.

Claudette thankfully explained the DENs situation. Although she didn’t exactly explain the gravity of it. Hunting down a cannibalistic extra-normal that killed hundreds over night was much more than a handful, but Lyss didn’t want to talk about that right now.

Herik, of course, was standing by Vashti like a bodyguard. His eyes were glued to Madison, and Lyss frowned. It wasn’t Madison’s fault that the Jaws went out of control, but after Babylon attacked Emily and Ellie, she knew that Herik was going to be aggressive towards anyone else with a rogue apparition tied to their body. At least Herik had a good suggestion.

“What about Kimberly Walton?”

Sure, the Ghost Hunter may have run into other extra-normals than their little Coven. It wasn’t a bad idea to ask her for help, or for any leads that they could follow. Hell, Madison even had her number for some reason. She must be helpful, if Madison trusted her so easily. And, almost like magic, Kimberly was there. She even brought friends.

Lyss hardly moved from her seat at their sudden appearance, but she straightened a little out of her slouched position. In front of the Coven, she didn’t mind relaxing anymore, but in front of strangers she couldn't show the weakness of it. She suddenly regretted keeping her hair in a messy bun, and wished that she’d at least worn a t-shirt that didn’t have toothpaste stains. For satan’s sake, at least she was wearing lipstick.

Lyss decided to sit back and let the others speak, which… wasn’t exactly the best idea. Her eyes flew back and forth between Madison, Kimberly, Vashti, and Isla and Kim’s friend by the pool, so much that she could feel her headache getting worse. Vashti’s words were pretty much the truth, but Lyss felt like she was being over dramatic about most of it. Sure, her curse was extremely dangerous and out of control, but she couldn’t just stand there and act like the Coven or Madison didn’t regret how things went down on the training grounds. She couldn’t just stand there and act like she was the only righteous soul among them. Lyss was beginning to feel the anger bubble within her when she noticed the rage in Madison’s face.

Oh, fuck.

Lyss sat up further in her seat and her hands rested on the arms. If a fight broke out, she would step in to stop it. She eyed Madison cautiously as she began to defend herself. Honestly, Lyss was agreeing with Madison at this point, but she had to agree that her sister was terrifying when she was angry. No wonder Vashti was so scared. Madison turned her eyes onto the rest of the Coven and continued to rant.

Lyss almost spoke up in her own defense. She almost tried to reason with Madison, and explain that she believed that the Jaws acted on its own…

… but she didn’t have the energy to do it at the moment. There were bigger things to fight about now besides Vashti’s whiney attitude about her curse and Madison’s pride. Lyss would deal with those later. The poor ghost hunter came to see the Coven because they asked for her help. They didn’t ask for a fucking therapist.

So, she let Madison storm off, and she let Herik go after Vashti. Hopefully loverboy would get her to stop whining. For now, someone needed to explain the situation, like Kim said, before they decided to ditch the Coven and get back to their own business. Which was…? Lyss didn’t know, and she would ask that later.

As the air settled after Madison’s dramatic exit, Lyss took a moment to breathe before standing. She looked first at Claudette. “I believe Madison. The Jaws acted on it’s own and she needs our help too. If you want her to stay, go after her. I can handle this.” She gave her best encouraging smile before she turned her attention onto Kimberly and her friend. Rowan, wasn’t it?

“Look, I’m… really sorry you had to experience that. We’ve been through a lot the past month and I think what happened between Vashti and Madison was the breaking point of it all.”

Lyss sighed softly and stuck her hands into her pockets before holding her chin up high. This was business, as usual. She didn’t expect anything else from Kimberly but a yes or a no. They just wanted to know if she knew anyone that could help. That’s it.

“We invited you here because we’ve run out of options. Many of our members are cursed, afflicted, or they have family members in need of a healer. We didn’t call you here specifically asking for your help, but if you know anyone that could, or any leads that could take us in that direction, we would be grateful.”

“So, can you think of anyone or any organization that works with curses and healing? I’m sure you’ve needed help before, too.”

And although Lyss was asking this information for her sisters, she couldn’t help but think of Max too.

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

---

“Drop the barrier.”

Lyss looked over at Claudette. She could still feel Vashti and the Leviathan crashing into her barrier. Every bump took more and more energy and she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it up. Still, she worried that the Leviathan’s fear would turn into rage towards the one who trapped it.

She released the trap anyways. Claudette’s darkness was there to protect Madison, but that still left her trapped with the Leviathan too. Lyss heard rapid footsteps approaching and braced herself for any attack by holding her forearms up in front of her. Instead of seeing the lizard’s jaws appear from the dark, Lyss was shocked to see that Vashti herself emerged. Her sister was terrified. To the point that she didn’t even know what reality was anymore. Lyss was shaken by her terror. She stepped back and dropped her arms. Is she still aware of what the Leviathan does? Does she feel it’s fear too?

The others began to console Vashti, but Lyss wasn’t sure what to do. Twice in one day had she stepped in to help, and both times she’d somehow felt like the bad guy in each situation. First for using necromancy during a misunderstanding, and now for turning Vashti into an emotional wreck.

The chaos wasn’t over, still. Lyss watched The Jaws maul Vashti and she instantly worried that it was going to be another Babylon situation. Lyss ran towards the two women. No plan in mind but to try and trap only The Jaws and Madison this time. The sudden blast of sound from her left came before she could attempt it and Lyss was grateful. The Jaws retracted. Vashti was being taken to safety. Now they’d just need to make sure that The Jaws wouldn’t attack again.

The look on Madison’s face proved her innocence to Lyss. She’d seen that look before. The Jaws had taken over, much like the Leviathan took over Vashti time and time again. Had the apparition acted in defense? Was it getting revenge? Either way Lyss knew that Madison hadn’t ordered it to do this, but there was still a threat that it would happen again. She wouldn’t let another sister die because of a rogue apparition. Not after Ellie, and almost Emily, died because of an apparition with it’s own goals. Lyss pressed her lips together and turned to go to Vashti, to help her, but she heard the sound of a vehicle approaching and groaned.

What now??

Lyss didn’t even bother checking to see who it was. She has a feeling she already knew who. Instead she moved to kneel on the other side of Vashti. She gave Herik a concerned glance before checking the wound. She sucked in some air through her teeth as she saw the damage and rested a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

She looked up again and Agent Paige was there to play doctor again. Lyss nodded thankfully before moving out of her way. She stood and looked towards Meifeng and her eyes glanced over the other agents present as she moved back towards them. One agent in particular was missing. Was Meifeng leaving him out of this on purpose, or was something wrong. Why would the DENs just show up to the Coven’s training? It’s not like they were doing anything wrong.

A favor?

Lyss raised an eyebrow and then crossed her arms. She glanced over at Claudette to make sure she’d heard Meifeng right. A favor?? When she looked back at Meifeng she shrugged. “I wouldn’t say any of us are happy to see you at the moment anyways. Although I’m grateful that Agent Paige is here to help my sister.”

“What did you think we could help you with, Agent Liao?”

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

---

Lyss didn’t even flinch as the deflated pufferfish began spitting his words in her direction. He was obviously pissed off and Lyss didn’t blame him for that. Still, she kept her hands on her hips and let her face show her own irritation about the situation. He hadn’t been invited, he walked up behind a woman in the middle of a forest, and he was mad at them for retaliating? He was out of his mind.

As he stormed off back in the direction he came, Lyss’s eyebrow rose and she looked first at Mariah. She needed to explain this. Then she looked at Claudette in time for the questioning to continue. Lyss crossed her arms as she listened to her co-leader. Her expression was blank now. She more or less had expected the group to react this way, but part of her wished that they would just see it her way. This was the power that they’d need to protect themselves from people like Blake or Annabelle. From the way the capture the flag fight was going it certainly looked that way.

“... that kind of power is a slippery slope…”

Lyss almost flinched. She looked away from Claudette now and was reminded of her father and grandfather. The two reasons she never learned necromancy in the first place. Of course she understood that there were dangers in necromancy. She was almost angered that Claudette reminded her, like she wasn’t aware of it. Then she had to remind herself that Claudette was unaware of her family history. Lyss hadn’t shared her life with this group yet. She didn’t even share it with her last group in the market. She looked back at Claudette just in time to see her move towards Vashti. Lyss wanted Claudette to fully trust her with this new abstraction… so she’d just have to tell her.

Right after she handled this fucked up capture the flag training.

Lyss could see the expression on Vashti’s face and immediately knew that she was about to explode. The Leviathan was coming, and Claudette was standing right next to it.

“Claudette, I-” She began to shout as she took a step towards the two women, but it was too late.

The Leviathan was unleashed. Lyss felt her heart skip a beat as the lizard woman lunged at their leader, but was grateful to see the other girls jump in to protect Claudette too. Well, everyone except for Maya and Emily. Lyss would laugh about their scuffle later. She had to do something, and fast. The Leviathan was an affixed apparition, no?

Lyss curled her left hand into a first and aimed her ring, her channeler, towards the Leviathan while the other hand faced it’s palm towards her. She took a deep breath through her nose and summoned more black lux energy through her body and into her hand. Claudette had eluded the apparition for now, thanks to Grace, but it would only take her seconds to get to the two of them and they’d be toast. She was just about to cast her abstraction when the lightning struck.

The pure energy that pulsed through the air afterwards was enough to disorient her. Lyss felt the hairs on the arms and back of her neck sticking straight up, and she was sure that a few flyaways on her head were too. She released the breath she’d been holding and shook out her arms while she blinked. How the hell did that girl do that?

Lyss only came back to her full senses in time to see Madison grab onto the Leviathan’s tail. “Oh, fuck.” Lyss muttered. She took a few steps closer to the two as she powered her channeler up again. It was time to trap the Leviathan until Vashti returned.

“Stop this, now!” Lyss shouted before the opaque black energy began to flow from her ring. She stood tall and steady, and watched the Leviathan as the energy encased her within it’s barrier. Unfortunately for Madison, she was within it too.

“Maya, Emily! We could really use you right now!” She shouted in their direction before facing the Leviathan again. “This is a familiar situation, isn’t it?” She asked, hoping to draw its attention towards her. “Last time you saved my life and I am grateful for that, but I will not let you harm my sisters. And as long ss you live within Vashti, you are one of us, Leviathan. I don’t wish to harm you either.”

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

---

Twelve Hours until S Day

Besides the gut wrenching, nauseous anxiety that plagued Eli in the morning every day since their meeting with Packet, Eli felt a determination growing within her that she hadn’t felt in a while. She hadn’t felt like doing anything since the gunmen broadcasted her people’s murder on live television. This plan was completely insane. She assumed that Keaton’s ability would tell her that they only had a 5 or 10% chance of making it back to the Ring. There was a whole world just miles away through empty space that they knew much to nothing of. The public was told that it was only for the R&D department, it housed the ones that manifested abilities too early, and the security department. It was true, in all honesty, but Eli’s gut was telling her that there was much more to it than that. Something evil walked through those walls. Either by Mr. Wrath’s doing or the governments that funded The Promise. They would have tested the taser gun before sending it into the residential areas, so how did they test it? What parahuman would willingly go through that torture? She had a feeling that there weren’t any volunteers.

Eli remembered the way Arianna’s body collapsed into nothing but a puddle on the forest floor. She was made of a million cells, and all of their connections were disrupted by one round. She’d had a dream that one of the tasers was turned on her. She imagined that her brain would turn to pudding for minutes, but it would feel like years. That her body would collapse and twitch like a normal taser would do, but her mind, the epicenter of her ability, would be driven insane by the feeling. She’d woken from her dream as a sweaty mess. Her palms shaking and her mind going at a million miles per second.

Would she experience the real thing on this mission? If something went wrong, if they made one miscalculation, would her friends experience it too? She couldn’t bear the thought, but she had to consider the possibility.

As she walked towards the mail center she was processing these scenarios in her head. What would she do after the effects wore off? Would she be able to create illusions immediately after? If she couldn’t, should she have a weapon or a defensive technique ready to use to protect herself and the others? She knew basic self-defense thanks to the classes, but she didn’t have Nat’s strength or Archie’s muscles. She could easily be overpowered by the security guards. She ran her thumb over the edges of the two envelopes in her hands. She had to be careful not to hold them too tightly, lest she’d crumple the letters within.

She almost walked right by the mail center. Her steps took her right past the doors until she realized and turned back. Inside it was quiet. A few workers at their stations and one student in the corner filling out their own letter home.

Home.

Would she ever make it there again?

She approached the drop box within one of the walls. She’d been in this spot plenty of times before to send birthday cards or letters home. It looked so similar to the ones back on Earth that for a moment she was back in Arizona. Her mother was standing next to her, and she remembered watching her slide the postcard into the slot. All she wanted that day was a sticker from the mailman at his desk or a lollipop. She’d leave the post office with a giant smile on her face. A reward for running errands with her mom. She smiled wistfully as she opened the drop box and placed the letters in the tray.

This was it. Everything she wanted to say to her parents before taking an adventure into the unknown. If she survived it would merely be a way of expressing how she felt. If she never sent another letter again, they would know that she meant to leave these last words with them.

She hadn’t written much in her letter to her mom. They’d grown so close over such a long distance since the Welcoming Day incident. She shared almost everything with her mom now. To her father, on the other hand, at first she wrote a letter that expressed the pain he’d caused her. How could he start a new life after what their family went through? Was he much happier with his normal family? She hadn’t called him in days. In fact, she hadn’t gotten any more than a text from him after the shootings. When she finished her letter, words filling the front and back of the page, she read it over again. It was everything she’d wanted to tell him since he sent her to The Promise earlier than she expected.

She burnt the letter instead. Somehow after writing it all down, she felt better not telling him. Instead she’d wished him the best and hoped that his family were doing well. She told him that she still loved him despite their rocky relationship. She told him that she was glad that she took his hand that day and didn’t leave with her mother. That even if he felt guilt, he made the right choice.

For a moment, her fingers couldn’t let go of the envelopes. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she didn’t let them fall. Instead she shut the box, took a deep breath, and let it go as she listened to the letters fall into the pile of mail inside. She was out of the doors a few seconds later and, surprisingly, her chest felt ten times lighter.

She still couldn’t bring herself to see the others. She needed this day to collect herself, even though she could use a dinner at El Vaquero with Lynn again or a movie night with Keaton. They’d have another day to do that, right?

So, as her mind continued to think of what she’d need to wear or bring along, she made her way to her favorite spots on The Promise. First she stopped at a bookstore. She ran her fingers over the edges of the books along the walls and even bought a novel that she’d been wanting to read, but never bought before. Then she made her way to her favorite restaurant. Her mind was blank as she devoured as much food as her stomach could take. She ate a whole plate of the best dessert on The Promise: chocolate drizzled beignets. The bill cost three times more than she usually spent, but she knew that this was worth the money. So what if she came back from the Spire with a penny to her name? She could work another shift and have enough in a week for more. She could just read her new book and stay at home until she had money to go out again. She even tipped 30% on the bill.

As she left the restaurant, her stomach full and warm from her dinner, she popped an earbud into one ear and listened to her recent playlist. Her feet took her throughout the streets, looping around the Promise on her usual route. She passed the snow blanketed forest where she’d spent many nights drinking with her friends. Where Radvi took a tumble chasing Arianna.

Where was she now?

Eli contemplated a potential encounter with her until she reached a bridge. Her feet slowed to a stop. She found herself looking at the spot where she’d mourned her friend many weeks ago. She remembered how quickly the shrines had been removed, and that the Promise hadn’t even told the world what happened during the Breakout. Her anger kept her warm while the snowflakes dropped onto her face and hair. She tilted her head back and let them land on her for a moment. She’d never seen snow until she came to The Promise. Did it feel the same way back on Earth? She imagined it was dirtier for some reason. Tainted by the pollution and turned brown by the mud of the Earth and the cars that pushed through it on the roads. She didn’t mind the snow at all here, but she couldn’t see herself liking it down there.

A moment later she stuffed her hands into her coat and pushed onwards. She walked for a while until she knew it was time to go home. As she walked up the steps to her room, she remembered the day of the breakout. When she returned home later that day, the front door to her building had been smashed through. The convict that chased her left blood stained footprints up the stairs and into a nearby apartment. She’d been smart not to go back to her room. She never knew what happened to her neighbor.

All of these tragedies. All of the blood and pain she’d witnessed or experienced in the past six months built up to this moment. Eli changed out of her snow soaked clothes and into the comfiest pjs she owned and laid in bed. In less than seven hours Eli would have answers, and perhaps even her revenge. She stared at the ceiling and thought of all of the footage of The Promise’s mistakes that awaited her on the Spire. She wasn’t quite sure what the others were looking for, but she was looking for justice. She was looking for the cruelty that her kind had been through on this ship.

“Cara, would you help me upload some files tomorrow?” She said into the darkness.

“Yes, Eli. I can do my best to make sure they go where they need to be.”

“Thank you.”

Eli thought over their plans until she fell into a deep sleep.

---

4:30 am

“Eli.” Cara’s voice was soft. “Your meeting is in thirty minutes.”

Eli shifted under the covers and yawned. “Thanks, Cara…” She murmured groggily. She sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes, then sat blinking the sleep away as her brain pieced together why she was awake this early in the first place. Once her mind had woken up, she was once again filled with the anger and determination that had brought her to this moment. She crawled out of bed and splashed some water on her face, then pulled her hair back into a bun. She didn’t want her hair to get into her face today.

She dressed in a pair of black joggers that would keep her warm in the snow and cool indoors. Then a simple black t-shirt, black running sneakers, and threw on an old coat that she could leave behind in the sewers. If she returned to it, she could blend in easily with the students in the streets.

For a moment she stared at herself in the mirror. She was a completely different person than she was so many months ago. The Promise was a different place too. What once was a false sense of safety was now replaced with raw reality. She could never really return to Earth. Not after her abilities and anger was shared with the world. The Promise was her only option if she wanted to leave a halfway decent life, but she still didn’t feel like she could stay either. Not while their secrets were locked away. Not while her people were put to tests and experimentation behind closed, steel doors. If she was put behind bars because of her actions today, she was okay with it.

This was for her people, her friends, fo herself, and for all of the future generations of parahumans that were to come.

This would be an important day.

---

Eli spotted her group of misfits up ahead of her and gave them all a grim nod as she approached. She looked around at their faces. All of them looked ready, but they also carried the heavy shoulders and weary eyes that Eli so carefully hid behind her determination. Archie and Amelia were still to arrive. Eli knew Archie would come, but she wouldn’t hold it against Amelia if she didn’t show. They all had things to live for. Eli never really knew what Amelia lived for, but she knew that it was still important.

“We’ll wait a little longer for the others, and then we can go down below.” She said with a small smile towards them.

With extreme caution and concern, Eli slowly murmured towards Lynn. “Lynn, we should go ahead and put the collar on. Just so we can get off of the streets faster.” She offered Lynn her best apologetic smile and glanced at Packet.

Recollections: The Coven [COMPLETED]

---

Lyss’s concern for her sister’s safety shadowed Claudette’s reaction to her new skill. As soon as she knew Claudette was okay, she turned her focus onto the writhing, human pufferfish. She didn’t know what the hell he was, honestly. As his spikes released blood like he was a squid, Lyss watched with a disgusted grimace. By the time Claudette hit him with the second tase Lyss felt bad for the guy.

At this point, he very obviously wasn’t a threat. So why was he here in the first place? Had someone invited him? Was he a potential new member that she wasn’t told about. Oh, fuck. Lyss was starting to understand what was really happening. She glanced behind her at the chaos of the group’s training and was grateful. At least they were too busy beating each other up to notice her mistake.

To make matters worse, Lyss turned her eyes onto Claudette just in time to see the concern on her face. If she wasn’t embarrassed enough to attack an innocent with necromancy, she was instantly filled with shame when she remembered how the general public reacted to the Black Lux’s true power.

“Lyss, what did you do?”

Lyss sighed, and turned to lift her hand and aim her palm at the undead. “Rest now.” She murmured. At the sound of her voice, the undead man released Tory and straightened. Well, straightened as best as he could. He turned to walk towards the hole that it came from, but with every step his body crumpled into itself. By the time he’d reached the hole his body collapsed, turning to ash upon impact with the ground.

Now that the elephant in the forest was gone, Lyss turned back to Claudette and the defeated man on the ground. “I, well… I picked up a new trick. I can explain later, but…” She turned back to Tory and put her hands on her hips. “Are you a friend of someone here? You really shouldn’t walk up behind a woman like that.”