South Dakota, Late Friday Night

[svetocha_blooms]

Dru woke up from a sound, dead sleep, a dream she couldn't quite remember about a dark hole in the closet receding as soon as she opened her eyes. The window was full of the weird directionless nighttime shine of streetlamps reflecting off fresh snow, as her Gran's white owl fluffed its feathers and stared in at her

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[blondecanary]

-- an owl flew by too fast to see more than yellow eyes, white feathers
Ghosts in the glow of snow
Dark shadows with substance
something wrong, something really
(Dru)
Really
(Dru?)
Wrong--
Dru!

Dinah woke up gasping, then turned over to look at Dru to reassure herself-- and screamed as she vaulted out of bed.

Stuck to the other girl's face was something like a snake, with leathery dragon wings, covering her face. "Dru!"

[brat_inslayage]

Out in the hall Kennedy, who'd been sleeping fitfully as it was thanks to the knowledge that Christophe was in the house, sat up at the yell, kicking aside her blankets to scramble into the room. If she had been groggy she wasn't now, thanks to the blast of cold air in the room from the open window... and the nauseating scent of something moldy or rotting.

"What the hell?" she burst out. "Jesus, Dinah, grab it or something!"

[blondecanary]

Dinah was already grappling with it, trying to get a grip on it, but it was slick, and slippery, and resisting her attempts to yank on it. She closed her fingers on it, and then took a breath, sending a flash of rage and mental force at it: Let her GO! And pulled with all her strength.

[svetocha_blooms]

Dru thrashed out of unconsciousness, snapped free of wherever she'd been like a rubber band popped off expert fingers, and came out swinging.

Between Dru's punch, and Dinah's tug, the creature flew free from Dru's face and landed on the floor, wings still flapping.