My Soul to Reap (Archived)

Dead Snow

     We were waiting around the kitchen table, eating takeout when Kayin showed up. He peeked a head in from the living room before smiling and coming fully into the room. I whistled playfully at him and he rolled his eyes, even though he really did look good. He was wearing a suit, a feat which I really didn't expect from someone who's house was almost a garden. And it was a really nice suit at that. It had to have been tailored, and the fabric was a deep black. He was wearing a deep green waistcoat and a black tie, and the suit jacket was long enough it should have been called a trenchcoat. And, yeah, he cleaned up well. His only response was to sigh and steal one of my fries.

"Where's Brie?" he asked, sitting down beside me. I shrugged. I hadn't actually seen her since her screaming fits with the phone, and Rina had been keeping me occupied with getting me ready and feeding me dinner.

"Probably getting ready," Rina said, and Kayin nodded. He looked between the two of us for a second before frowning.

"Shouldn't you have eaten before you put on the dresses?" He asked, and Rina batted him away with a laugh.

"We didn't plan ahead," I supplied, and he smiled.

"Okay, fair enough." We ate in silence for a while, and I had to keep smacking his hand away from my plate. We didn't have to wait long for Brie because a few minutes after Kayin arrived, so did she. I threw up hands up in surrender as soon as she cleared the doorway.

"Okay, I give up, everyone here is hot when they're dressed up." I announced, and Brie laughed. Her hair was curled more softly than usual, and her makeup seemed somehow cleaner. The dress she wore was black, hitting just above the knee, but there was a red rose pattern that snaked its way up the skirt and onto the bodice, curling around so that it got progressively more crimson towards the neckline. She was wearing mostly black jewelry, with black pumps and of course her gold bracelets. She kind of broke the elegance by sitting on Rina and starting to pick at her food, though.

"Don't get any ideas," she warned, and it was only after I laughed that I realize she was talking to Rina and not me. I had to laugh again at the fact we were all dressed to the nines, about to go fight a war, but first we were sitting on each other and eating takeout. Eventually Brie got up and cleared away the plastic plates, dumping them into a nearby garbage can.

"We should go," Kayin said, looking down to check his watch. I felt myself go cold. I'd managed to forget, at least for a while, why exactly all this was happening. But that was gone now.

"Right," I said quietly, and I felt Brie come back over and squeeze my shoulder.

"You'll be fine," she insisted. "We'll make sure you're never alone." I nodded once, collecting myself.

"To the Manor?" I asked, hoping I remembered the name right. She nodded, and started to lead us through the house. Eventually, though, she hung back a little bit so she would be beside me. I was about to ask when she slipped something onto my wrists and powered ahead. I frowned, holding it up before quickly snapping my arm back to the side. It was the bracelet, and the stone was looking so cracked that it was barely holding together.

I was almost surprised to see Skylla leaning against the wall once we made it into the hallway. I wondered if Brie had ended up calling her, or if she'd just known to show up on her own. She was wearing a deep blue dress that hugged her figure and then began to flare out at her knees. The train continued at the back, and it was inlaid with gold and pearls. The resemblance to a mermaid tail didn't escape me, and I doubted it would escape anyone else. Brie walked past her, not even sparing her a glance. Rina was a little more patient.

"We're off," she announced, and Skylla nodded. She was staring after Brie, and I found myself wondering why exactly she was even here. It was glaringly obvious she wasn't exactly wanted, but she looked like she was determined not to care. Thankfully she just waited until we passed before trailing silently behind us. I quickened my pace a little, so that at least Kayin was between me and her. It was uneasy, to say the least, and I got out of the house as quickly as I could. No matter what I did, I found I couldn't trust her.