Taming the Familiar

Chapter 39- The Devil Returns

Alexa jogged up the front step of her grandmother's little cottage. Patrick opened the front door and headed inside, and she followed. She was a little disappointed when she didn't smell any fresh baking. Her grandmother didn't always bake but Alexa loved it when she did.

Patrick headed up down the hall to the room he used every time he came to visit. She rolled her eyes at how rude her brother was. She check the kitchen but there was no sign of her grandmother. She poked her head into Patrick's room.

"Where's Nanna?" she asked. He glanced up from his game, and obviously not pleased with her interruption.

"She went out." he replied. Alexa shrugged and headed to the room she always used to drop her things off. She hadn't been to visit in so long her room smelled stale and unused. Her bags plunked to the floor in front of the closet and she hurried to open the window hoping to air it out a little.

She looked out over her grandmother's perfectly manicured backyard. Her favorite tree, a huge maple with a fork down it's center still stood on the far side. Her grandmother's flowerbeds lined the stone path that lead across the yard to a small gazebo. Her old tire swing hung from one of the old maple's sturdy branches. She hadn't sat on that swing in years.

She lowered herself onto the window ledge and traced her eyes along the path behind that maple. Barely trodden it was more of just a gap in the tree. She and Patrick had a clubhouse back there but she was pretty sure it had caved into the ground.

Alexa glanced around her bedroom. Her grandmother hadn't changed a thing down to the fairy comforter. She felt almost like she had time warped back to her childhood. Nanna never changed anything. Not since their grandfather had passed away. She was pretty sure her Grandfather's dresser and entire wardrobe was still in her grandmother's room. It was a little sad but also nice to have those things to remember him by.

She sat down at the desk she had used for coloring more than anything. It was painted a bright gaudy pink upon her request when she was eight. She opened the drawers and had to smile. Her 'works in progress'  were still there along with her markers and colored pencils. This made her smile a little. After all the moves her mother had drug them along on it was nice to have her grandmother's house still exactly the same. She pulled out some of the papers to look through. She remembered a few but most she had completely forgotten about. After shuffling through all them she stuffed them back into the drawer with a lot less care than the last time she had. She had definitely improved her drawing skills in the past few years. She stepped out of her room, glancing down the hall and wondering how long their grandmother would be. She moved to Patrick's doorway and he glanced up at her with a strange look on his face.

"Did you bring your familiars." he asked. Alexa didn't like his tone of voice but figured maybe she should have included him sooner. She shrugged.

"They are still at home." she said, "I didn't know if Nanna would approve. So I figured I'd only call them if I needed them." Patrick nodded seriously and yawned. Alexa wondered how late Nanna had let him stay up playing video games. She concluded after another yawn that Nanna had gone to bed and left Patrick to his own devices which made her frown. Nanna was usually pretty strict unless she hadn't known Patrick had his PSP. She scowled at Patrick.

"Does Nanna know you brought your PSP?" she asked. Patrick shrugged and grinned.

"Nope." he said innocently. As if he didn't think Nanna would be upset. Alexa sighed and left the room. Her brother was a total brat. She stalked into the kitchen to see what Nanna had in her fridge. Maybe leftover pie. Oka so maybe she had an obsession with her grandmother's pie but it was the best pie in the world.y

Unfortunately the fridge as pretty barren her grandmother must have gone out to get groceries. There were a couple leftover dishes but she didn't recognize them so she left them alone. She sighed and debated on whether she should head back to her room. She opted not to and headed out the back door/ Maybe she'd have a couple swings on the tire swing if it wasn't completely rotten. She strolled out into the backyard. It was chilly but not cold enough to drive her back into the house for something more than the sweater she was wearing. She tested the swing a couple times before climbing on. She didn't really want to have one of those moments where you break the rope and it makes you feel overweight. She pushed back and forth a couple times but the swing seemed sturdy so she relaxed a little. She remembered when she playing here as a child. She relaxed and looked over her grandmother's lawn. She loved coming here because it was always so peaceful away from the hustle and bustle of her parent's lives. Then again in the mansion she didn't have to hear her parents hustle and bustle so much. 

A gust of wind plucked the last leaf from where it clung to one of the branches of her maple tree. She watched it blow down the path towards the old clubhouse. She wondered if it still stood. She disentangled herself from the tire swing less than gracefully. She stumbled into the path and strolled in through the naked trees. Nanna hadn't gotten as much snow as they had so it was only ankle deep as she trudged into the woods and tried to follow the path she remembered. She detoured a couple times from the trail but eventually spotted the wooden shack that had been their clubhouse through the trees. It still stood, if it looked a little saggy. She stumbled over a hidden branch beneath the snow and caught herself. When she straightened up again she blinked and stumbled back. Her grandmother stood in front of her.

"What are you doing way out here?" she asked. Alexa waved to the clubhouse.

"I wanted to see if it was still standing." she said. Her grandmother frowned and glanced back at the dilapidated building.

"Don't go inside." she said quietly. Alexa stared at her for a moment with her brow furrowed before taking a step back. Her grandmother's feet weren't touching the ground. Her eyes widened. Her grandmother looked down and frowned.

"Alistar isn't dead. You have to protect Patrick from him." she said. Suddenly the lack of baking, and empty fridge made sense. Even the staleness in her bedroom. Nanna was nothing if not religious in her cleaning regimen. She always kept the bedrooms fresh.

"How long?" she asked. Her grandmother's ghost shrugged.

"Over a month. Alistar has bother the mansion and my own house bound so I cannot approach. Luckily He couldn't bind me in though. Alexa sniffled, feeling tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't loose Nanna. She shivered as her grandman's hand rested on her cheek.

"Oh honey, don't cry over me. I was old anyway." she said. Alexa sniffled again and looked up to the familiar old craggy lines of her grandmother's face. She was wearing her favorite bathrobe. One that she and Patrick had picked out for her a few years ago for Christmas. 

"Wait, didn't Patrick visit you a couple weeks ago? He's been here for two days." she said. Nanna frowned and shook her head before Alexa turned to run back to the house where Patrick was. she stumbled through the trees and even though she had a path to follow this time she still seemed to find every hidden branch she could trip over.When she stumbled out of the trees Nanna's car was parked in the driveway again. She stumbled through the trees and could just barely see her grandmother standing in the trees. She lurched up to the back door and pulled it open.The hall to Patrick's room was blocked off by a dark form and she faltered back outside. He followed her until he stood in the door with a twisted grin sprawled across his face.

He looked exactly as he had in the visions from Pitch. The man had changed a bit in the past forty years. His green eyes still shone with an evil glint. He still stood strong, not like the ninety something year old he was. Even her grandmother had started to grow frail after she hit eighty. He didn't seem to have suffered from any of the problems that came with getting old. He stepped closer still grinning and Alexa hurried to put a few more feet between them. He had no power now. Kaleth was his biggest hitter. Without any familiar she should be able to take him. She shut her eyes and concentrated on Pitch and Kaleth. She didn't need their names anymore. She quietly whispered her command.

"Come." she said, glaring back at her uncle.