Home for the Odd Ones

The beast unleashed

Her first reaction was to light up, but she didn't know if Lilith could stand that. So instead she leaped, grabbing the girl and tossing her out of the way. Riffet landed on her, a demonic screech tearing through her eardrums.

"Hello Gwen. I believe its someones birthday today, no?" She smiled slightly, an inhuman purr filtering out from her throat.

"Burn in hell you flying bitch." Gwen rolled over and over, tossing Riffet's weight and throwing her into the wall. She left a crater, but as the dust cleared, she wasn't on the ground. She was in the air, dive bombing towards Gwen.

With a quick roll she was out of the way, and Riffet buried herself in the ground. In a moment of realization, Gwen was not only too scared to light up, but with the methane in the air, everything would light up too. And there was Lilith, trembling in the corner. She couldn't let her get hurt.

"Gwen, lookout!" She pointed behind her, and Gwen turned to see Riffet getting up. She crouched lower, eying the thing with bravery and intimidation.

"Come at me!" She shouted, watching as Riffet pulled herself up and out, flying at her. Gwen met her head on, tackling her to the ground. They tumbled, a giant mass of wings and fury. Something felt weird, and she realized they were flying. Right towards the wall.

She hit hard, feeling the breath leave her body. She slid to the ground, trying to suck in whatever air she could. But then she was pinned, a massive weight on her chest. Gwen was sure these were her final moments. So as Riffet leaned closer to her throat, she let the heat start rising from her soul.

"Any last words?"

"Yeah." Gwen took a deep breath. She was lucky enough to watch Lilith run out the back door, probably burying herself in snow. "Burn."

Just as she was about to release, something tore through the hall. They both looked up to see a reptilian form bounding down the steps, inky black scales and blazing orange eyes. It was about the size of a minivan, with another half its length in its tail. It pounced upon Riffet, teeth tearing through flesh with fearsome roars.

Gwen watched as it took off, its wings twice the size of Riffet's. It flung her like a torpedo into the bricks wall above Gwen's head, signaling for her to move. She ran over to the doors, finding Lilith poking her head in with blue lips and dark eyes.

"Lilith, take this." She pulled off her parka, giving it to the girl. She was wearing a camisole, the lace pristine and shiny. She didn't care though. "I have to help Ari."

She nodded, running back out. Gwen turned and watched as something flew infront of her. The mass of thick skin and wings fell to the ground, kicking and biting. Ari roared, and Gwen watched in horror as Riffet tore into his throat. He was able to kick her off, but deep red drops fell to the ground. He was able to pounce, and in a split second, his jaws here wrapped around her skull, his claws around her shoulders.

With a quick pull, it was over. He ripped her head from her shoulders, letting the body fall to the ground. Gwen was about to cheer and scream, but something else happened. Ari was backing up, looking woozy. He collapsed, a cloud of dust floating up around him. She ran over, kneeling by his side.

"Ari?" She placed her hand on his cheek, feeling his smooth scales beneath her touch. He let out a soft moan, his form changing. He slowly collapsed back into a human form, his shirt gone and his jeans shredded. His neck...god, it was pulsing out blood. His skin was losing its tone.

"Hey there sunshine." He coughed some, a trickle of blood spilling from his lips. "Thought I'd be the hero and rescue the princess. I guess the dragon never gets the girl though, does he?"

"Oh god, Ari." She felt the tears stream down her cheeks as she wiped the ones off of his. "This is bad."

"Just promise me one thing." He looked at her, his eyes dulling. "If I make it out of this, promise me I can be with you. Please."

"Yes Ari!" She leaned over, her grip tightening so slightly. "Please, don't leave!"

"Hey there Delilah...what's it like in New York city," He was desperately trying to stay awake. "I'm a thousand miles away, but girl tonight you look so pretty, yes you do..."

"Ari?" His head tilted, a large breath escaping his lips. His chest didn't move, he didn't blink. His lids just closed ever so slowly. "Ari?!"

"Gwen?"

She looked up through her tears to see Lilith walking towards her, the parka covering most of her body. She walked over, kneeling on the other side of his lifeless form. Her eyes were wide, her breath shaky. She shouldn't be seeing this.

"Lilith, go find Serah and stay with them."

"Gwen."

"I might not come back out, so you have to leave-"

"Gwen!"

The girl moved her little hand over Ari's heart, closing her eyes. Gwen didn't realize what she was doing until a small glow began to pulse around her hand, a warm one. Through the tears she could see the wounds on his neck stitching themselves together. While Lilith was looking tired, Ari's body began to get more life, his coloring brighter, his breathing...he was breathing. She leaned close, putting her hands on his cheeks with hope.

"Ari? Ari, are you there?!" She shook him gently, and as Lilith pulled away, his eyes fluttered open. Confusion, drowsiness, sorrow, pain. And hope. She smiled, letting out nervous laughter.

"I thought...what happened?" She helped him sit up, pulling him into a bloody embrace. She didn't care though, he was alive. That was all she needed.

"You died, and Lilith brought you back." She cried against his warm skin. "That little angel brought you back."

Lilith crawled in between them, snuggling in close. He wrapped his arms around them both, holding them close. "Thank you girls."

"Gwen?" Lilith sniffed at the air. "Something smells weird."

"Crap. Ari, get her outside. All the way to the garden." Gwen stood up, helping them. He held the girl against his chest, hurrying through the doors while she turned towards the scene. She closed her eyes, letting the silence fill the air. And the fire travelled from her core to her skin, bright flames licking at the air around her. The lanterns were aflame, and before she knew it, everything was a burning mess. Rafters began falling, the stairs collapsing. She took one look at the room around her, saying a final goodbye. Her best and worst times were spent at this home.

Gwen stepped over Ms. Riffet's dead form. She was still in her vampiric form, her leathery skin burning and popping. She just kept walking, right on out the doors and into the snow. With every step she took, the flames died down a little, until she reached the garden entrance. There stood Ari, holding an asleep Lilith against his chest. Gwen fell into him, wrapping her arms around his chest. When she looked up, a form caught her eye.

In a window on the west wing stood Cosette. Her eyes were there, a beautiful silver, sparkling with unshed tears. Around her throat was a velvet choker. Her golden curls cascaded around her shoulders, and she clutched a red rose to her chest. Her lips turned up in a smile, mouthing out two words.

Thank you.

Then all the kids were there, in all the windows through the house. They were all waving, smiling, crying. They'd been released. Something shifted beside her, and she looked to see Lilith pulling the bear from her backpack that Ari had made for her. Gwen took it, clutching it close to her chest. Its nose clinked against the mermaid scale. Ari smiled down at her, and when she looked back, he kissed her.

"Happy birthday."