Rain Song

TEN

 Oscar woke up on the floor, a box of tissues at his side and Coro curled up on his chest. He shook around, but Coro just purred.

" Get off me, Coro... can't you see I'm in pain?" Oscar asked.

At that, Coro opened one eye, and dug his claws into Oscar's chest. Oscar jumped up, and Coro kicked off, landing on his feet.

" OW! Why you little... I guess that's what I get, huh?" Oscar stopped himself.

Coro looked back, confused and worried. Usually, Oscar would chase him around the room. Coro loved to be chased when it came to something like that. But this time, Oscar just sat in a corner of the room with his blanket wrapped around him. Oscar felt a nudge behind him.

" I said I'm in pain. What don't you understand-"

Oscar turned around and saw Coro had one of the couples calendars in his mouth. All the other pages were ripped out, except for the one with Meredith kissing Oscar. He smiled in tears at the picture, and hugged Coro. The cat purred in his arms next to the memorial photograph.

" You really are a clever cat... I wish she was back." Oscar said.

Suddenly, Arthur popped up out of the ground.

" Boss, You're gonna wanna see this... I know you're not in the best state, but this guy needs you right now." Arthur said, and sank through the flooring.

Oscar went down into the basement to find a girl with wings instead of arms and talons instead of legs. Her blue feathers were crusted with blood, and she could barely stand up. Oscar ran over to a medical kit, and brought it to the injured myth quickly.

" What the heck happened?" Oscar asked, looking at D who was playfully wagging his tail.

" This chick just came out of nowhere, so D instinctively attacked." Becca said.

" My name... My... name..." The girl mumbled.

" What is it? What's the matter?" Oscar asked.

" My name... Heather..." The girl said before closing her eyes.

" Is she... dead?" Felix asked.

" Wouldn't you already know? She has a heartbeat, but it's getting faint... there are only bite marks on her legs, too. Heather here was hurt before D attacked. Best guess is hunters." Oscar said, pulling out a pair of tweezers.

" What are you going to use those for?" Dracula asked.

" They used buckshot, so I'm making sure there are no pellets left before I bandage her wings." Oscar explained, and felt through the feathers.

He rubbed thoroughly through the wings, and 4 to 5 pellets popped out. Oscar grabbed them, and quickly wrapped her wings with splints. Then he attended to the bite mark, putting some anti-infectant cream on first, and then wrapping it with gauze. Oscar picked her up, and laid her on a mattress nearby.

" How did she know where to find ya?" Arthur asked.

" I think she heard it from a... little birdy?" Becca said, and then burst into laughter.

" That was absolutely uncalled for. This is a serious problem, and you're making PUNS? And that's another thing: Since when do YOU do PUNS?" Oscar asked.

" Since I found this book of 10,000 puns to use... you need to REALLY organize this basement." Becca answered.

" I'm going to be completely honest with you guys... I don't think I can do this." Oscar said, sitting in a chair.

" I understand... as nice a person as you are, you cannot hide us from the world. We are what we are, and that's that. Whether we be an unrested spirit, a hound from hell itself, a damned girl with a voice to kill, or a king of undead that feeds on blood." Dracula explained.

" I... I can't let you. I'll find a bigger place so I can help more of you. This basement though... it's not suitable for myths. We need more space, like a warehouse." Oscar said.

" I'll get a job, and Drac planned on getting one, too." Becca said, throwing on a jacket.

" Not right now! It's raining- wait a minute... IT'S RAINING!" Oscar threw on his raincoat and ran outside.

He shouted Meredith's name over and over. He saw a girl walking down a sidewalk, holding herself in her own arms and shivering in the cold. Oscar ran up to her, but she was shocked.

" Meredith? Is that you?" Oscar asked.

" Meredith? Sorry, sir. Wrong person." The girl walked on.

Oscar looked around, and saw a glowing bottle floating in a small stream. It was heading for the rain gutter, but Oscar ran and dove. He grabbed it just before it fell in. Lifting it up to his eyes, he noticed a small girl curled up in the bottle. She was sobbing, but glowing just like Meredith. He brought her inside, and placed her on the table.

" Meredith... please come out. I didn't mean what I said. I forgot the promise because-"

" Because WHAT, Oscar?" She shouted in the small glass container.

" Because... I wanted you to stay." Oscar answered.

Meredith lifted her head up, and turned around in tears.

" If you learned to sing, you would leave. You said yourself that you wanted a normal life, not one of a siren. I admire that, going against what's considered normal. It's one of the things that made me fall for you." Oscar explained.

" I... I'm sorry, Oscar. It's just that, I have to go by my word. When I do learn to sing, I need to go find a lover. Not someone to leave behind after met, but to stay with them and start a REAL family. It's what I've always wanted. I'll know who is the right one for me when I learn to sing. Trust me on that." Meredith said.

She punched the cork off, and stepped out. Meredith grew back to her normal size, and picked up the bottle. She put the bottle's string around her neck again, and walked upstairs to Oscar's room.

" I need to tend to Coro. Someone does if you're not." Meredith said.

" She'll go back to her normal cheerful self... sometime soon, hopefully." Oscar mumbled.

" Boss, we got bigger fish to fry. What're we gonna do about dis girl?" Arthur asked.

" It's a harpy... I've never seen one before, but I've heard tales over generations. They have affairs with sirens, so I hear." Dracula said, hand on his chin.

" What's a harpy doing all the way out here? I thought they searched for the punishable." Oscar pondered.

" She must've heard of ya, boss. You've been a big talk in the afterlife, too!" Felix said, floating above.

" Pardon?" Oscar asked.

" Yeah, I heard something like that from the underworld, too. You're becoming pretty famous as, 'the boy who fears none and helps all'... or at least, that's what the demons joke about." Becca explained.

" These reputations are gonna catch up to me... soon I'll have tons of mythical beasts at my doorstep, and I still barely have enough room for you guys." Oscar complained.

" I'll begin work tomorrow, and take all night shifts that I can. I suggest the same to you, Becca." Dracula said, latching his feet to the ceiling with a yawn.

" I don't like being told what to do, but if it'll help Oscar, I'm down." Becca reluctantly laid her head on D, and the bright red glare of the cracks in it's charred skin faded to a slick black.

" I should get some rest and see what I can do for future investments... Ugh, I feel like an adult already. Felix, Arthur, feel free to possess something comfy tonight. I'm gonna need you to do some investigating for me in the morning." Oscar said, shutting off the light.