"Are you Kal?" Marie asks again.
The kid nods. "That's me! And you must be Roan's new partner!"
Marie nods. "I am."
"That's so good. Roan is lonely and could use a new friend."
Marie tries to hold in her laughter.
"Have you met Mr. Teddy?" He holds up his stuffed bear by its armpits.
"I have not."
"Well, this is Mr. Teddy. He's my best friend."
Marie eyes the teddy warily as its eyes almost seem to glow. "Nice to meet you Mr. Teddy."
She swears the teddy moves its head in something that looks like a nod.
Kal drops the teddy back to his side again. "Do you want to play a game?" he asks. "It's been so long since I've played a game!"
Marie almost feels bad for the kid. She would if he wasn't a little creepy. "I'm sorry sweetie. But I can't. I'm here to ask you questions."
He frowns and juts his lip out in a pout. "But questions are so boring!"
She grits her teeth in an attempt to not yell at him. Why is he being so difficult? "But it'll help you."
He crooks his head to the side. "Help me?"
Marie nods. "It'll help you be at peace. You can finally rest."
But playing is fun.
Marie jumps back as the voice echoes around them. She looks back down beside Kal where the teddy is supposed to be hanging in his hands. But it isn't. It's standing beside Kal on its two furry round feet. Its head is tilted up so its beady little eyes look into Maries soul.
She takes another step back but reaches her hand out to Kal at the same time. "Why don't we just sit and talk over here?" she asks. Away from the scary teddy bear.
"You can't leave Mr. Teddy out of the conversation!" Kal exclaims, stomping his foot at the same time.
"I didn't-"
"But you did!" He stomps his foot again. "I heard you!"
Marie gulps. This is going to be harder than she thought.
"Kal, please," she begs. "This isn't you! This is just the revenge speaking. Let me help you."
But playing is so much more fun.
"But you're hurting people!"
Kal doesn't watch her. His gaze lands on the teddy bear instead.
Hurting? But that's just the marvelous part of ruining everything.
"That isn't playing then!" Marie shouts. But her words are like a whisper.
"But they ruined everything for me," Kal whispers. He looks up at Marie. Tears well in his eyes and almost hide the fear in them.
Marie wants to both wrap Kal into a hug and run away from him at the same time. She takes a deep breath as she ignores every instinct in her body telling her to run away. She takes a step closer to Kal. Then another and another.
As she gets closer Mr. Teddy watches her. His eyes glowing brighter and brighter. She ignores it and focuses on Kal. The kid is the part that still has innocence in him. The part that just wants to rest and not be scared. And if she can talk to him, convince him to stop seeking revenge then maybe he'll help them and she'll be able to help him.
"Kal. That's all over now. I know it must feel like it isn't, but it is." She thinks about her dad and the people who told her she couldn't do it. That she wasn't good enough. It's not the same as what Kal went through but it's the closest experience she has. "Everything is okay now."
"It's not though," he whispers.
She stops and thinks about that. He's right. It's not okay. "You're right. What happened to you isn't okay. You deserve to be mad and angry. At the people who hurt you. The ones who took you. And you know who else is angry at them?"
"Who?" he asks. He looks up at her as she gets closer. The tears are now falling from his face.
"Your dad and brother."
Kal sniffles. "They're mad too?"
Marie nods. "They're so mad. But you know what they're focusing on instead of their rage?"
"What?"
"You."
Mr. Teddy's eyes glow a brighter blinding red. Marie has to squint her eyes against it.
"Why me?" Kal asks. "I'm dead."
Marie's eyes widen. She drops to her knees and places her hands on his shoulders. "They know that. But just because you're dead doesn't mean you're forgotten. They think about you everyday. And do you want to know what they're doing everyday just for you?"
"What?" he asks.
Mr. Teddy goes to move towards Marie but Kal holds out a hand to stop it.
Marie eyes the teddy. "They're trying to put you to rest. That's why I'm here. I'm trying to help them."
"You're helping them?" Kal's face brightens. Mr. Teddy's eyes dim.
Marie nods. "Can you help us? I'm sure it'll make your family happy."
Kal taps his chin as if he's thinking about it. Then he jumps up and down. "I'll help! I'll help!" he exclaims.
Marie grins and sighs as Mr. Teddy's eyes stop glowing and he falls to the ground like a regular stuffed animal.
"How can I help though?" Kal asks. He stops jumping and scratches his head. "I don't have anything to help with."
"That's okay," Marie says. "I just need your advice."
His eyes seem to sparkle at the idea. "My advice? No one's ever asked for my advice!"
Marie smiles softly. "I guess there's a first time for everything."
Kal nods. "What do you want my advice on?"
Marie takes a deep breath. She really hopes that Mr. Teddy won't come back to life when she asks the questions that can help them. Help him.
"How can we put you at rest? At peace?"
He tilts his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
She hums as she tries to think of how to explain this to him. "It's like when you go to bed," she says. "That's kind of what we're trying to do."
"You're trying to put me to bed?"
She nods.
He taps his chin. "Well, I guess I'd like a song."
Maries face brightens. "A song? What kind of song."
"Roan will know. Or dad."
"But they-"
"Bye Marie!" Kal picks up Mr. Teddy and hugs him close to his chest. "I can't wait for the song so I can sleep!"
"But-" She scrambles as Kal seems to be getting further away from him even though neither of them are moving. "But what if they-"
"Marie!"
She looks up and behind her as Roan calls her name. No! No! She just needs another minute.
"They'll know!" Kal sings. He dances with Mr. Teddy. "Thank you Marie! Thank you dad! Thank you Roan! Now I can sleep!" he sings.
"But-" Marie tries once more before everything around her erupts into a blinding white light.
Chapter WC: 1,093
Total WC: 14,773