It's Not That Far Away - Chapter Six (PART TWO) | Replace My Humor With My Pain
(This is a sequel to Mercy Me - We suggest you read that first.)
NaNo Book Cover
Rating: R (solid)
Pairings for Chapter: Nao/OFC
Overall Pairings: Tora/Saga, Nao/OFC, mention of OMC/OMC & others
Genre: Drama, Action, Adventure, Chapter, Fantasy, Supernatural, Romance, Angst, Dark, Horror
Summary: Months of living on the edge of danger is enough to drive anyone to behave irrationally. Though there comes a point in which sitting on the fence, watching both sides, is no longer feasible and a decision must be made. How can one know they are making the right choice? What causes one's perception of good and bad, right and wrong? How does one choose? More importantly, how does one know they picked the right side once they’ve chosen?
Insanity has nothing to do with morality - are you right or....wrong?
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Nao was getting used to waking up to the sound of voices, or something baking, or fresh coffee. The aromas were familiar to him and it brought him comfort to find himself with coffee in hand again. It was like a missing limb of his and the moment he tasted the smooth liquid, he was in heaven; he was fairly certain he had never had a cup of coffee as good as a Lionel made. A combination of all three sated him more than he expected.
In fact, Nao had found solace in his current place in the household. He saw a variety of Lionels on a daily basis and even a slew of non-Lionels who were friends of the family that came and went, such as Joey and her changeling friends. They would often speak to Layton and Keaton about serious topics such as war and impending doom he didn’t entirely understand. It was always as if he was reading the newspaper or watching the daily news, each event spoken as if in a distant time that was not occurring then, regardless of the fact that it was peril that existed all around them in that very moment.
Though it was almost always disbursed by Joey who could only take so much talk of ‘gloom and doom’ before she ‘would blow up and shower them with shit if they didn’t shut their faces’. It would usually earn an amused chuckle from Layton, a teasing arched eyebrow from Keaton, and the discussion of despair would be left for another hour. Each day, Nao was exposed to more English and more conversational slang than he had ever thought he’d hear. He was picking up on pieces of the language that didn’t require Ash’s memories to understand as much as he did some few weeks after having been abducted by doll liberators. Such memories were receding further into his mind as he grew healthier; it was almost as if they were a movie he’d seen rather than something he truly believed he lived himself.
Nao loved them; it was an emotional attachment he hadn’t been ready to embrace but he was glad to have it. He loved all the people he was exposed to each and every day for the simple fact that they were full of more life than he could have imagined. Evelyn, he’d learned, asked to come there often and would lure Nao out into the yard for a game of hide and seek or even to act as a mount for her noble quests to rescue whatever thing or person that was in need of rescuing that particular day. He was easily drawn into her games and it had been encouraged for him to participate in order to aid his healing process.
There was only one time that he had realized he’d slipped in too far into fantasy with her; it was, in fact, his realization that drew them out of the magical bubble Evelyn had innocent developed over them. The moment Nao allowed himself to realize that there was need to stop, the magic had disappeared as if it never existed. Evelyn was climbing a fence and had nearly tumbled into the neighbor’s yard because the mountain face they were climbing was no longer a mountain face but a flush wooden plank, exposed in the instant Nao realized it was ‘not real’.
It was easy to be swept up in changeling magic when Nao let himself; he certainly wasn’t opposed to the free and innocent feeling of such magic. He could see why adults, as they came into adulthood and started to concern themselves with image and what others thought, would negate the sort of magic Evelyn and Joey could easily see and harness daily. Their minds were the limit to their capabilities rather than their skills dictating what they did.
Evelyn, he’d learned, was more likely to suck in anyone for the fact that she had no inhibitions being as young and idealistic as she was. She was prone to convince anyone who would listen that fairies were real and that dragons did exist. When she got talking, it was easy to believe her too; a winged, glowing creature might momentarily pop into existence or in the distance, on the backdrop of the sky, a massive red dragon might be a spec in the pale blue horizon.
The little girl’s pictures would come to life on her canvas when she drew them, laying on her belly and letting her fingers move in whatever shapes her heart desired. Nao spent hours watching the paper and crayons as they portrayed live action like a television screen. Rather than seeing the images on the paper, he watched them dance before her as she brought the picture life. The second the paper left her hand, however, and was given to Nao, it was nothing more than the flat, two dimensional images it had been when she lifted the crayon. He had no way of making it live and breath as she did just by believing in it’s ability to do so.
Joey and Evelyn, he’d heard, had both been through traumatic events to spawn their changeling life; the act was called a chrysalis in magic terminology. Joey, he’d been told, was a master of shadows and though he knew she could turn into a raccoon (and Evelyn a butterfly), he could never witnessed it happen. Though he believed it, it was something his head couldn’t comprehend and therefore he didn’t really believe in it, no matter how much he tried. Once someone questioned how and why something was possible, everything magically constructed crumbled around a changeling. Their magic failed in the most simplistic of ways and no matter how Evelyn or Joey could try, they wouldn’t be able to turn into an animal if Nao was paying attention to them.
They were, what Layton called, pooka changelings - one of many different types of changeling - pooka changeling had animal familiar forms. The majority of changelings were not gifted with such an ability; pooka were a subclass all their own. He had further explained that changeling were entirely themselves in their animal forms and if those animals had the capacity to speak, the changeling (as the animal) could hold conversations with humans. There were tales of this happening in old stories, that - Nao was learning - weren't always just stories. It was unlike visiugo who, the further they moved away from their human forms, behaved and thought more like the animal they became. Visiugo could be aware, in theory, of broad concepts or desires of their human selves but, for the most part, they were the animal and nothing more.
Nao missed his friends; it was a realization that would come to him as he was left to his own devices, void of conversations about magic or life or anything in between. It was the only draw back of his life in recovery with the affectionate family. The pieces were slowly being placed back in their appropriate spots with the exception of Alice Nine. They were like brothers to him and Nao found himself homesick the more and more he spent time with the Lionels.
He had been granted the only drum that existed among the family; it was, perhaps, one of the few thing that kept him from being broken hearted as he was forced to stay away from his home. It was set of bongos which belonged to Layton’s girlfriend; tattered and well-used, they had character and life to them, much like the owners. He had taken to them, using them as a source of remembrance of who and what he was. It was easy to earn a crowd with the way the house filled up periodically throughout the days during the week. Other times he found a quiet corner in which to tap out a tune, relishing in the silence that only his music could pierce.
He had met so many people and learned so many names as well as listened to so many stories that they all started to blend together in his head just as he told his own story a number of times. Mixed with Ash’s memories came stories of births and marriages and friendships. Evelyn had painted one of her white dresses with finger paints; the word ‘Alice’ and the number ‘nine’ for Nao was painted across the ruching elastic of the breast, honorary to his vibrant stories that she loved. She even wrote the word 'Now' along the back of it; a thing he couldn't bring himself to correct her on so he let her believe his name was spelled that way. She promised him that, for each story he told her, she’d proudly express commemoration of it with some clever decoration. Evelyn had earned a snicker from her grandparents at the ‘Alice 9’ dress she sported outwardly and claimed as her absolute favorite.
Joey was any entire different cause; the sharp tongued, witty and oddly comforting changeling baffled Nao. He was drawn to magic and he accepted that fate easily enough because he had been exposed to it for so long already. He loved it. He loved watching Diane stir a pot of food with a sprinkle of powder and a few whispered words. He loved to watch the kids, as they snuck into the kitchen to retrieve ‘hidden’ sweets, as they ran into invisible walls set up by one of the adults who anticipated their actions. He loved when Keaton would sit on the floor, halfway man and halfway in his visiugo fox form, with furry ears and a bushy tail that the little ones played with.
He loved Evelyn, he loved Ash, and he loved Layton and Keaton for the magical phenomenon they all were. He had enjoyed Shiki and Daichi’s company for the same reason; Nao truly loved all that he’d been exposed to. He even loved the unhealthy addiction he’d had; not because he craved it again, though he still worried he might, but because he found himself drawn to mere existence of magic, good and bad. Looking back on it, as he found himself doing often, he knew it had brought him to where he was now and that made him smile and laugh rather than linger on what bad had come from it.
Yet he was drawn to Joey more than the others; not just for her magic and the beauty of it but because of something more. He figured it was because she had been the one that had brought him back to life; she was entirely responsible, as far as he was concerned, for giving him the good feelings he was experiencing. She had offered him a piece of herself through her magic, which would forever linger on his soul and he was grateful for that. Changeling magic was intoxicating but it was in the same way candy or desserts were appealing; it brought a certain comfort and happiness that nothing else could rival. She had given him that feeling, and he would never forget such a thing.
Both had shown him magic and both had saved him from the death he’d let himself slip into before he’d even known he did it. Ash, however, seemed like a lifetime before the new existence he’d taken on. It was as if he was two separate Nao’s; only months had passed but it felt like years, decades even, had transpired between the day he was first taken and the day he returned to Elisa himself. Joey was part of him now; Ash was part of him then. It didn’t make him appreciate, even love, Ash any less. It was simply a matter of him accepting what once was, his addictions and Ash’s death included, and looking at what simply existed now.
It was strange the way a passing smile from her would make him feel as if his stomach twisted in on itself. Butterflies would spring up in the confines of his abdomen and it took effort not to laugh at the odd sensation. When she spoke to him, he found himself entirely enthralled in what she said, no matter whether he could understand it all or not. Joey had said she was a fan of his existence and yet he was the one in awe and amazement of hers. It was a strange mutual, yet distant, admiration they had of one another. Therefore she, like Ash, plagued his fantastical dreams.
Nao slipped outside after having been given coffee by Layton’s girlfriend, who was always touchy and cheerful and made Nao’s coffee in a variety of ways. Each day was different, with a smile and the promise that he would like this latte or iced version more than the day before. The bongos were tucked under his arm and he took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cool but fresh morning air. It would certainly be a good day and he was glad for it; he had had nothing but good days since he was rescued and he was very much in the hope that things would be better again, if not better than they ever were.
It was then that he spotted a raccoon in the back yard that was inconspicuously chasing after a fluttering butterfly. He knew the wings of the creature well and watched it glide smoothly through the air. The raccoon would stand up on it’s hind legs as the butterfly flew in small circles just out of the raccoon’s reach. It, however, was naught for trying as the woodland critter even climbed a small tree in order to chase after the flying insect.
Nao tried not to laugh as he watched the two play and taunt each other. He suspected he knew the both of them and was contented to simply observe them in their fantastical game. He moved to relax in the grass, intent on sitting underneath the morning sun and enjoying the drum under his arm and the playful show before him.
“Nao,” A hand came down softly on his shoulder. He jumped in his spot, startled by the sudden touch, though when he twisted to look at person who’d come, a smile passed over his lips once he recognized her. It was the cheerful woman who made his coffee each day. She smiled back at him and then leaned forward to press a kiss against his filled out and round cheek. “We’re stepping out for a bit; we’ll be back okay? You’ll be alright, yeah?” She reached forward and scooped up his hand and squeezed it. She refused to let go until he nodded and she offered him a gentle ‘good’. It was further proof of his having to come to grips with the number of hugs and kisses he got from these people on a regular basis.
He was finally laughing again, and regularly. He was happy and cheerful as well as goofy and silly, all the things that made up what he once was.
“Keep an eye on Evelyn…and Joey while you’re at it.” He heard her call just before the door closed behind her. He was nodding though she couldn’t see him. It wasn’t the first time he’d been told to keep watch over the little girl. It would occur to him later that he had been left alone with Evelyn under his care, which meant he was responsible for her. Furthermore, it meant that they were starting to trust him with such a duty that must mean he was getting better; or at least they thought so.
At first, he was frightened when he realized Evelyn’s safety was in his hands. No part of him thought he was competent enough to watch over the little girl’s wellbeing. He knew, however, that she was a rather self sufficient child. She lived in her own little world and most of the time in her own head. She was so flighty and distracted that she didn’t need much interaction because she could entertain herself with her plethora of imaginary friends; however, from time to time, she would pull others in with her. It was said, or so he’d heard, that she was a carbon copy of her mother’s airy and flighty ways. He had learned a lot of Amy Lionel and Tawney Lionel, in the many days following his rescue. They didn’t talk about them in sad voices with tearful eyes; instead, they spoke lovingly of their lost kin.
He learned, though he already knew from Ash’s memory, that Tawney was similar to him, when he was healthy, in many ways. She was random and silly; she spoke before thinking and was full of laughs and smiles that drew Ash from his proverbial surly shell. She could earn a smile or two in much the same way that even Nao had been able to before Ash died. It wasn’t sad for Nao, however; instead, he was endeared and glad that he hadn’t been the only person to love Ash.
Only a small part of him was envious of Tawney for having so much of Ash’s time to herself; that part, however, didn’t trump the part of him that was glad Ash had loved at all, both Nao himself and Tawney.
Nao was still watching the two play, or he assumed play, when he heard voices. They weren’t hidden nor were they sly; rather, the words were brash and rough as if spoken by an irritated and angry person. He couldn’t make out how many people there were but they were coming from the neighbor’s yard. That wasn’t uncommon as the neighbors, he’d learned, had teenage children and there seemed to kids everywhere. Nao, however, had heard Layton say they were mostly well behaved kids for their age, though Joey would protest with an occasional ‘they’re dicks’ simply because it was her way. These, instead, were adult voices.
“Take them off! All of it. Your skinnies too. Boxers, briefs, I don’t give a shit-- it’s not like I haven’t seen what you’ve got dangling. I probably know how to handle it better than you can anyhow. DROP THEM!” It was a gruff female voice, muffled by the fence that separated the two yards. “Now put them on inside out. All of you. They won’t be able to see you if you do. All of it, you fucking retards - every God damn sock and shirt and panty hoses you fucks have on. DO IT!” She growled lowly.
The raccoon and butterfly paid no attention to the world outside of the one they were in; nothing else existed. Yet Nao’s head was firmly facing the fence that separated the yards. He felt his thin eyebrows come together and he frowned. The drum was left at his side as he slowly pulled himself to his feet. He looked briefly over to the two animals, intent on bring them inside simply because he wasn’t comfortable with the inflection in the voices. His heart was beating a little faster and he worried, though he wasn’t entirely sure what they were doing, that it wouldn’t be safe for any of them. He didn’t care if it was something that didn’t concern him or not; he just wanted all of them inside.
Before he could even move forward, the gate swung open and a tall, angular woman marched through with three burly men behind her. All four of them were decked in black gear; Nao could see their shoes still lingering in the yard behind while they wore gloves, socks, hooded sweat shirts (with the hoods pulled up atop their heads) and black pants - all turned inside out. The woman in the front was donning a bat which she carefully tapped in her hand menacingly. It was a strange-and terrifying-sight for Nao and he was momentarily baffled by how positively ridiculous they looked.
“Well lookie what we have here, boys…looks like Christmas is early” She smiled at Nao; her face, if not twisted into a disgusted smile complete with devious dimples, could have been rather pretty. “I never suspected you’d make it this easy-I’m insulted by the lack of challenge. What sort of present is this?” She pointed the bat at Nao, squinting an eye at him as if she was aiming.
She stopped, however, a moment later; it took only a second before she drew the bat up over her head. Before anyone could stop her, she swung it suddenly and smacked the raccoon, which was near enough for her to hit, square in the head. A retched cracking sound pierced the air and the small creature’s skull collapsed in on itself. It sent the animal flying across the lawn, spraying blood and brain matter through the breaks the bat’s force had caused.
Nao’s throat opened up in a shout that he wasn’t aware he let out. The woman merely laughed, almost bouncing with excitement in her spot. “Bye bye, Joey-baby. God, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that. Long fucking time, that’s for sure. She’s never made it that easy though-and oh have I’ve tried.” The woman was practically dancing on the balls of her feet, her finger tips touching the bat as if she was praising its work.
Nao hadn’t a care for himself or what could happen to him in that moment. He made no move to head back inside; instead, he was far too paralyzed in his spot. He was watching, over and over again, as the raccoon’s body was mangled from the sudden force. It lay at an odd angle on the grass. He could hear Layton’s girlfriend’s voice in his head-Keep an eye on Evelyn…and Joey while you’re at it-echoing against his ears. Now he was watching the woman who had helped him feel good again, who was bringing him the life that Ash had tried to, and he was horrified by how easily he had failed her.
He felt his heart break in a thousand pieces, scattering in portions so tiny that surely no one could put them back together again. His soul crush down on itself and he didn’t know what to think, to do or to say; all he knew was that the shock was more painful than any sort of emotional agony could ever be.
Nao was still crying out, whimpering heavily as he tried to take in full breaths, when the sliding glass door slid open and a groggy, black haired woman appeared, wiping her face sleepily with the back of her hand and tugging the other through her sleep ridden hair. “What the straight fuck slick…” the pooka changeling mumbled at him when he glanced over at her; his whimpers had died abruptly when his eyes fell on her. “I swear to God this better be good, I was in the middle of a really good dream and…” Joey's words trailed off though as she spotted the dead raccoon in the yard. She forced her eyes open and she felt the blood drain from her face. It was as if she saw nothing else.
“Nao…what the fuck did you do?!” She barked in a shriek that harbored on sheer anger with a hint of terror. He had never been as confused in his life; the sudden intruders, the raccoon he thought was Joey not truly being Joey, and now her sudden outburst at him. None of it made sense and Nao felt his head swim from the confusion sinking in.
“I…he -“ she leaned over and shoved the small drummer hard. It didn’t matter that he was bigger than her; Joey could think of no other reaction as she saw no other culprit who could have done such a thing. The fact that he had no weapon to inflict the damage done to the creature was beside the point. Joey only saw him and therefore automatically faulted him before thinking rationally; the others that had appeared, the woman who had caused the raccoon’s death, was entirely invisible to Joey.
The pooka was a creature of feeling and therefore was first driven by that and not logic. “That was my boy-friend-I liked that visitor. You were just jealous weren’t you? God damn it!” She managed grumbling; it was half in her mocking jest, enough to make Nao uncertain if she meant her words or not, and half horrified terror. Sick panic flooded her and disgust bubbled in her belly.
She stepped off the porch and onto the grass. Nao reached forward to catch her wrist before she could but he missed in his shock. She was headed straight out into the four goons who had hurt the creature in the first place. The four people she couldn’t see were there at all. “Joey, baby…” the woman in the front said, drawing the bat up again. “So good to see you-even if the previous theatrics were wasted on an animal. I consider it a practice swing. I’ve had a lot of practice.”
The small changeling swept wildly around and looked directly at the four of them before stepping back several paces. “Who said that?” Her head jerked past them and back at them again. It was clear that she couldn’t see them at all nor could she see the bat that was poised to strike Joey directly on the head.
“Joahee!!” Nao shouted. He darted forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her back just as the bat passed where Joey had been standing. The small woman stumbled and both she and Nao collapsed back on the grass. Joey had felt the wind and heard the whizzing sound the bat made as it sliced through the air at full force.
Nao hit the ground first and Joey’s butt landed on his stomach as she too collapsed back against him. “Fuck.” She grunted as she rolled off from him and threw her arm over him to help him up quickly. “Sorry ‘bout that slick.” She said swiftly, all sadness and anger she’d felt over the dead raccoon was forgotten in lieu of her sudden survival mode. “I can’t see them.” She explained quickly as she scrambled to her feet. “But it sounded like Jenna.”
“Ding ding! We have a fucking winner--that’s right, precious. When the hell did you get so smart?!” The woman in the front said as she marched closer to them, an odd mocking tone to her voice.
After they'd both gotten to their feet in a hurry Joey had twisted her arms back and placed her hands on Nao hips as she carefully stepped back, making sure to keep her body between the woman and Nao. Her sole intent was to keep him safe first, though she would never admit such a thing if asked. All her sleepy state had melted away and she was strictly working in an effort to keep them both safe. She was looking in the general direction of the voice and her body was leaned forward; she tipped her head up, dangerously looking over the area. “Tell me when they break apart, slick. The very second-they will” She said to Nao with no care of whether Jenna heard or not. Jenna herself seemed unfazed by whatever Joey was saying, almost as if she didn’t care what the changeling said.
“Nothing personal this time-though my desire will always be to watch you die. You’re in my way this time…I just want the chink.”No part of her gruff voice was inviting; in fact, everything that fell off from her tongue sounded sarcastic, if not entirely irritated
Joey’s eyebrows furrowed together and she snapped sharply as she spoke. “HEY! He’s not a chink. He’s Japanese and he’s mine-novel fucking concept, isn’t it? Jenna Grohl doesn’t get everything she wants.”
“Oooh testy.” Jenna taunted before she laughed bitterly. “Don’t flatter yourself precious. Hurting you in all of this is just an added bonus. It’s fun to watch you squirm. It always has been.” Nao saw the woman’s tongue run the length of her upper lip but knew Joey couldn’t see it and therefore he was well aware it was meant for him to bare witness to. “I don’t give two shits about him though-once his ethnic origin pays in hard cash, then I’ll learn to be fucking politically correct with my name calling. He’s just the one worth money to the vamps and therefore worth my time. But you…are in the way. If that means I get to kill you - then I get to kill you. You forget, baby…I do get what I want.”
Joey’s fingers on Nao’s hips tightened and she pressed herself back against him. “You can’t have him, Jenna.” She said pointedly, trying to keep the best direction on where Jenna was as she couldn’t see her still. “You’ll have to get through me.”
“With pleasure.” The woman hissed in sick merriment. A shiver ran up Nao’s spine at the slickness to her voice
“I can’t believe you’d sink so fucking low as to work for vampires. Is corrupting society and destroying the youth not enough these days? Murdering and drug deals aren’t good enough for you anymore, huh? You get more money in black market blood-trade and mercenary work? Blood dolls and meat puppets-you'd probably sell your soul to the dark changelings and evil visiugo - like those extremist-ravens and the morally-corrupt-snakes - if it meant you got a few more bills. You’re pathetic.” Joey snarled, holding tight to Nao still. He was trying to understand both of their words but they spoke so quickly, and about things he didn’t understand, that he was left even more confused and scared for it.
Jenna smirked crazily, running her fingers along the bat. She spoke as if she heard nothing of what Joey had said. “You first, baby.”
Nao could feel Joey shaking but no part of her outward demeanor showed it. She kept pulling him tighter against her as she inched backwards, still with no idea where Jenna and her people could be. Her eyes kept flicking to the ground as if searching for shadows. “Two can play at this game.” Joey whispered lowly. “Close your eyes, Nao.” She said.
She didn’t wait, however, for him to do it before the world seemed to fold in on itself. He felt his feet slip against the spot where the soles met his own shadow on the ground. It was as if it was a deep chasm in the earth rather than the flat surface void of light. His hands moved to clap tightly on top of hers that were perched on his hips. It suddenly felt like he was falling-fast. Though it all happened too quickly for him to realize what had actually transpired, the entire world he knew seemed to have turned in on itself entirely. It was as if he were spun upside down and suddenly landed in a place where the world didn’t work as he knew it should. He was strikingly dizzy from the sudden sensation.
It was his fear of what Jenna might do that made him believe enough for Joey’s magic to work at all. Fear fed belief as it was that emotion that made creatures like ‘closet monsters’, ‘the boogey man’, and ‘creatures under the bed’ become real. Such belief worked just as well in fueling a changeling’s ability as they harnessed the magic that fear produced.
When he was finally able to get his perspective, he could hear their voices; Jenna was shouting orders, though it was as if came through a filter. It was like he was in a bubble and the sounds were all hazy, distant and muffled. Additionally, the entire world took on various shades of gray, as if someone had stolen the vibrant colors of the world. The rays of sun were bright gray and the grass was ash gray while the sky was a faded gray; however, the four bodies of the people were now visible, to not just Nao but Joey too, as if they were upright shadows. Everything seemed to have a gray haze around it that made it blend in at the edges as if it wasn’t real and yet it was at the same time. All of the environment blended in on itself.
Nao opened his mouth to speak but Joey had turned on him and slapped a hand over his mouth. She, however, was the only thing bright and lively; she was in complete color. She looked normal as she was not faded or blurred around the edges. She leaned close to him and tipped her head next to his ear, hissing out a soft ‘shhhhh’. Her hand was still clapped over his mouth and her body was pressed tightly against his as she held perfectly still. “We’re invisible to them…as long as they don’t look at the ground. We’re appear as shadows now; but they can still hear us.”
Nao’s brain could hardly comprehend it; he wasn’t entirely sure he ever would either. It was so abstract and so strange but he had no time or care to question it. They were quite literally in the world of shadows and never had he thought something of that nature could exist in the first place. The fact that he didn’t care to know why they could be in such a world was what kept him firmly within the magic she’d made happen.
He could feel her breath against his neck and she was shaking in spite of herself as she held tightly to him. She was holding on as if for dear life but still protecting him all at once. Even in the danger, he still felt his stomach twist up and turn by her presence; especially as close as she was to him. Coupled with his paralyzing fear of her death and the jolt of relief he felt when she had suddenly appeared, having not been the raccoon, he was overwhelmed by the emotions he was feeling regarding Joey. He was terrified just then and yet he felt safe against her. His hands slipped around to the small of her back and he too pulled her nearer to him so they were wrapped up in each other, stationed firmly and quietly in their spot.
Nao had no concept of how she felt about him but he could feel the magic around them; it tingled against his skin. Though they were in a dangerous situation, the magic itself was still full of the same life and invigorating energy it always was. It was the intoxicating rush he’d gotten so easily attached to and adored, though not in the destructive way vampire’s magic soaked him. Combined with the feeling in his stomach and the way his head got light from the crush he was already developing for Joey, the magic was only that much stronger. He wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss the sour and often snarky little woman; surely that would capture the magic for a moment longer before Jenna would pierce it and destroy the feeling. In fact, he leaned over to do just that when a shriek rang out, loud enough to pierce their safe bubble and slice right through the magic of their shadowland-world.
The world turned again and spit Joey and Nao back out into the bright sunlight and strikingly colorful real world.
Joey had been entirely oblivious to the fact that Nao’s intention was to kiss her and that Evelyn was at the residence at all; she had assumed it was just her and Nao. No one seemed to notice the butterfly that had wafted away and returned to rescue them all after having transformed back into a little girl, completely with bouncing pig-tails and rosy red cheeks. Evie, however, was now pressed with her back against Jenna’s knees and the bat firmly under her chin, digging into her little neck.
She was fighting with all her might against the bat which, as Jenna tried to restrain her further, was making her face turn red and quickly to an off shade of purple. She sucked in a great breath as she tried to scream again. The men behind her had doubled over and were holding to the side of the heads in agony. This was because Evie’s shout acted as a magical projector that could easily be as intense as sonic waves that pierced the air. The sound was so intense that it was beginning to pierced the men’s ear drums; little trickles of blood flowed freely from their ear canals and even Jenna’s as Evie screamed. It was enough of a magical force to disrupt Joey’s magic and draw them back to reality.
Clearly Jenna and her goons were just human-thugs as it were-and not magical in any way. Yet they believed. Like Nao, they were exposed to magic and that allowed magic to be preformed around them whether they wanted it or not. They couldn’t simply stop believing because they didn’t want to; they were already trapped by belief so they couldn’t simply forget it. Therefore were susceptible to Evie’s cries just as Joey was able to pull Nao safely to invisibility and into a land of shadows.
The little girl was trying to pull in enough air to shout again but she couldn’t get in a solid breath to keep her upright, let alone one to scream. Even so, she continued to squirm under the pressure of the bat as Jenna held tightly to her.
“NO!” Nao scrambled forward on his hands and knees; they had landed hard on the ground again when they were ripped out of the shadows. Because Evelyn was being touched by those invisible to Joey, she couldn’t see Jenna as she tortured the little girl. Even Evie was unaware of exactly where they were as she too could not see them because they had hidden themselves against the changeling.
Changeling were, as a result of their nature, susceptible to old wives tales regarding their kind. It was because people believed in superstitions and therefore, they affected the changeling community. It was said that one could tell if they were visited by a changeling as mushrooms followed in their wake. Throwing salt over one’s shoulder would protect against ‘faerie’ magic; a horseshoe hung over the door would prevent the prankster ‘faeries’ from entering one’s home; and wearing one’s clothes inside out made them invisible to all changeling. All these tenants held true because people believed them; it was just like a black cat crossing a changeling’s path would cause bad luck and an open umbrella in the house would cause ill will to the person holding it. All of these, and many more, were true life dangers for changelings. A broken mirror had caused Joey herself seven years of bad luck in her younger years.
It was why Jenna and her team were protected against the sight of Evelyn and Joey. Every piece of clothing they wore was inside out and therefore made them invisible to any changeling eyes. It was yet again another way belief dictated the power of changeling magic.
“I’ll go with you, just….let her go unharmed.” Nao said hastily, his words laden thick with panic as he spoke. Joey’s head twisted around to look at him in horror.
“What?!” She barked. “Who?” Her eyes were wide as she couldn’t see that Jenna held tight to Evie. The moment Jenna had touched little girl, she too had disappeared from view. All Joey could see was the grass before them and Nao crawling towards a seemingly empty patch of soil. It was the same reason why the bat was gone from view too; everything and anything that passed through their hands was hidden by the magic that came from their reversed clothing.
She, however, didn’t get to say anymore before Jenna released Evie who dropped into a heap on the grass. Her crazed eyes had swiftly turned to where Joey was; there was a malicious smirk on her face. Jenna drew the bat up and suddenly smacked Joey with all her might against the back of her head. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the woman’s movements.
She sent the small woman sprawling out on the ground, entirely unconscious. Jenna’s teeth were gritted in true anger and disgust as she sucked in deep breaths. She even drew the bat up again but Nao lunged forward and threw his body across Joey’s unmoving one. “No!” He cried. “I’ll go with you…just don’t hurt her. Don’t hurt them. I’ll go…I’ll go…if you just don’t…hurt them.” Tears had pooled at the corners of his eyes as he dipped his head against the back of Joey’s where blood had started to gather from the hit she’d taken. He pressed his cheek against the crown of her head and held on tight to her.
It took Jenna’s goons a moment to pry him off but he they were eventually successful. Jenna had stood up fully, brushing her brown hair back as she stared down at Nao.“She’s hot, trust me - I know. And she’s good in the sack. I know that too. It’s nothing personal for you either - you’re just worth a lot of money to those who would pay for you. Elisa must want you bad.” Jenna told Nao when they finally got him to his feet, peeling him off from Joey.
She nodded her head to the two unconscious changelings as one of the men clapped restrains on Nao. “Bring them too - probably worth something. Don’t argue pretty boy, this bat works on you too; I am a fan of using it and I won’t think twice about knocking your pretty fucking face around like your girly friend here. There was no stipulation about how close to death you could be when I got you there. Pay out’s the same no matter what. Now move.” Jenna prodded him with the butt of the bat, forcing him forward as Evelyn and Joey’s unconscious forms were carried behind them.
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Authors' Note
Mandy & Jackie: Wow another few day between post thing...? What the straight hell is going on here?! We are sorry about the delay in updates; this time it's been all life stuff that's gotten in the way. Hopefully we'll get back in a more regular pattern of posting now. (*fingers crossed that life slows down*)
This chapter is sort of long; we've been sort of on the long chapter kick and there's more magic and more explanations to the way this sort of magic works. We do hope it makes sense as it's given out in little pieces throughout this chapter. As always, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you for reading. ^.^ We love you guys!!
Also...51,416. ^_^ Just so you know.