Chapter Seventeen: Consequences
1598 Words
“If everything around you is a lie, how do you know what is truth?” Emma had gotten a rare afternoon shift. It enabled her to spend some time with different patrons, which this afternoon included a group of school children who were there doing research for book reports. “Miss, what exactly does this mean? I mean, I think I get it, but if everything's a lie, there isn't any truth, right?” The student standing before her held the book open towards her and Emma blinked back the tears that threatened. She smiled sadly and leaned forward, looking at the passage the youth pointed to.
“Oh, but that's the question, isn't it? If you feel like everything and everyone around you is false or lying, how can you tell what is real? What if your perception is skewed? Even if it is by those events, or by just a few events? Maybe it requires changing your viewpoint, or your place in the world, your situation, to improve your life. Or at least, that's my interpretation of the text.” Emma winked. “But maybe even my interpretation is skewed by my own perspective, who knows.” She watched the child walk away looking thoughtful. “Maybe it requires moving on to improve your lot in life.” She mumbled to herself sadly. Bel raged silently in the shadows. He was getting nowhere with her. He thought it was about time to take some drastic action. Action he wasn't even enjoying considering. He ground his teeth together. He was going to have to ask for help.
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“Stag! Get out here!” Bel bellowed outside of Emma's Aunt's house.
“Oh that is never going to work.” Drawled a familiar voice behind him. Bel spun, gritting his teeth to glare at the Fox.
“And why not?” He demanded of the Chaos God, who lazily lay on a tree branch smelling a flower. The Fox twirled the flower between his fingers.
“Well, a person has to hear you yelling in order to answer, right?” The Chaos God remarked, letting the petals of the flower touch his nose again. Bel gritted his teeth.
“Is Cern incapable of hearing me right now?” He spat the words through his teeth at the Fox, trying hard to suppress the urge to strangle the God in front of him. The Fox looked surprised and sat up to look at Bel, tail and legs swinging from the branch. His tail twitched thoughtfully.
“Oh, did I not make myself clear? No, Cern can't hear you now.” The Fox answered coyly, looking at Bel over the petals of his flower.
“Is there something wrong with his hearing?” Bel snarled, getting frustrated. Again, the Fox looked surprised.
“Well noooo, I don't think so.” He c****d his head to the side.
“Is he asleep or unconscious or injured then?” Bel growled, his nails biting into his palms, letting him know he was losing control.
“Not that I'm aware of.” The Fox answered gleefully, swinging his legs.
“Get to the point, Fox! Why can't he hear me?” Bel snapped, his sharp teeth flashing.
“Well, he's simply not here.” The Fox answered, offering a hand, palm extended, seeming puzzled by Bel's reaction. Bel threw up his arms and shouted a string of curses, enraged, which the Fox mightily enjoyed. How satisfying this little bit of unexpected Chaotic mischief had been. It wasn't often others offered themselves on a silver platter for his enjoyment. He vanished before Bel could ask him any further questions, heaping more coal on the fire that was Bel's anger. He nearly wiggled with satisfaction knowing how little he'd had to do to create such delicious fun. The flower floated down in front of Bel as he turned to ask where Cern currently was, making Bel curse again. A disembodied voice laughed delightedly.
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“Once upon a time..” Phoebie read the book to the gathered children. Rafe was out circling the grounds. He did it nightly now, and this was her little distraction to keep the children, and herself, if she was being honest, occupied. She hated every minute of his little 'patrol'. The worry, the fear. What if he never returned?
“Mommy, you've already read that page.” One of her twins said, and her attention was yanked back to the book.
“Oh, sorry guys, lemme find my place... ok here we go... So the King and Queen desperately wanted a child...” Phoebie continued.
“Mommy, did you desperately want us?”
“Hmm?” Phoebie's mind had been drifting again. “You were really more of a very big surprise, but once your dad and I found out we had you, we were never letting go.” Phoebie looked over the top of the book to see the twins exchanging quick smiles, while her cousins just looked a little sad. “Marian, Sol, you and your brothers and sisters were all desperately wanted. I know that for a fact. Your momma asked me to stay here because she couldn't get back home, though she's trying really hard to find a way.” Phoebie shut the book and placed it on her lap.
“Marian-did you know your momma couldn't have children before meeting your Papa Bel?” Phoebie asked. She leaned forward slightly like she was telling secrets and the children's eyes grew wide. There were several shakes of heads and murmured 'no's. “Well it's true! Your momma was human once, and she really wanted a baby, but her body couldn't make one very well... Until she met your Papa Bel.” The kids scooted closer and bent towards her, so Phoebie decided she was going to tell them a new fairy-tale, one that was a little more true to life. Their own.
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The door banged open in the middle of Phoebie's story and everyone jumped. Rafe stumbled in supporting Nadia, an arm under her shoulder.
“What? Children, please go upstairs, ok? Can you guys help pick out a spare bedroom? We'll need some towels and wash cloths and make sure the bed has clean bedclothes? Can you do that?” Phoebie urged, and the kids made a subdued amount of noise as they hurried upstairs, casting worried glances over their shoulders the whole way.
“I can't stay.” Gasped Nadia. Rafe carefully lowered her into a chair.
“What happened to you?” Phoebie asked, but Nadia shook her head.
“I can't...” Her eyes went wide. “I'm sorry. But he made it clear. I can't stay here. I'm so sorry.”
“I'll get some water.” Rafe murmured and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Nadia grabbed Phoebie's wrist.
“You are in danger. Serious danger. You need to leave. Get out of here. As quickly as you can. Go, run, never stop running. If you do.. they'll catch up to you, and I don't know what they'll do..” Nadia gagged as if choking on her own tongue.
“We can't just leave Nadia, the children!” Phoebie objected. Nadia waved a hand.
“Won't matter. This will all cease..t-t-t-t...” Nadia stuttered and then began coughing. Phoebie shoved herself awkwardly up from the chair beside Nadia and went to her side to try to help. Nadia was gasping for breath and Pheobie began to panic. She couldn't do the Heimlich with her huge stomach in the way!
“Rafe! Rafe hurry! She's choking!” Phoebie yelled and Rafe came sprinting back into the room, splashing water as he came. He shoved the cup into her hands and grabbed Nadia from the chair. He pulled open her mouth and fished around in it for any obstruction, but found nothing. Nevertheless, he grabbed her below the ribs and hoisted her against his body, trying to dislodge anything in her throat, but Nadia was already growing very red, and Rafe could hear how very little air was getting through her airway.
“Nadia! Nadia! How can we help you Nadia? Do you have asthma or another illness?” Rafe called, abandoning the Heimlich and patting her cheeks, trying to rouse her. She shook her head, her color growing a deeper, scarier color as the oxygen was used up in her blood.
“Rafe, what do we do? What do we do?” Phoebie could feel herself acting ridiculous as she panicked, but she couldn't stop herself. Rafe peeled open Nadia's lips and tried CPR as a last ditch effort. He knew it was useless, especially when the air just seemed to hit her throat and bounce back at him.
“There's nothing there, damnit!” He slammed a fist next to Nadia's head on the ground as she finally gagged her last breath and her body relaxed.
“Rafe!” Phoebie wailed. Rafe reached for Nadia's pulse at her throat. It seemed to take forever, but it slowed and stopped. The whole process probably took less than thirty seconds, but to Rafe, the time stretched on forever. He cursed again and stood up to pull a sobbing Phoebie into his arms.
“We'll call the Healer tomorrow and see if he can tell us anything more about what happened, he murmured into her hair, turning her face away from Nadia's dead form. She nodded against his chest and he pressed a kiss against her hair.
- Writer
