"This room will do nicely. It isn't under the floors, it has a view....It will be pleasant. Not my first choice, but it will suit it's need and purpose!.." Clark looked to Benton..."I know you said to keep things within his understanding. But...I had a change of thinking.." Clark held out her hand, for the blindfold. "This we leave on for the rest of the day, the night. Remove tomorrow..." Clark secured the cloth into place.
"Couldn't we just use a blanket? That worked before. Less terrifying....No? Oh!..." Benton then started to thread Ethan's upper body into the the straightjacket. Ethan had no sight, felt hands all over him. Clark had already scold him once (He hadn't liked it, he became suddenly fearful)
"We are not doing this to punish, or to restrict....Maybe some restriction. With no sight, I don't want him harming himself. Or any unnecessary movement. Benton. He is to rest!..." Clark stood still a minute, looked down. Ethan was sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked miserable.
"Trinity, god bless her....Had her moment. She gave him free will. He chose. And very unwisely. We will fix the error, set things right. Trinity Shadow needs to train, strengthen her skills! Caring for Ethan will distract her, leave her no time to do what she must! Mark my words, Mr Benton. Trinity has much to "know"..." Clark bent a little, tighten the straps, adjusted a buckle....Stood back, shook her head.
This was not what she wanted for Ethan.
What had happened to her Ethan? He woke up a different person. She could tell. Benton had briefly mentioned it, but he felt wrong for saying anything. We all were soooo glad to have him awake, alive-ish.....Back with us!
EB had given him small sniffs, Bell quickly got her to stop that, it was no way to treat another. Bell held her hands, got her to shake his hand. But, even I had noted, Ethan had a burnt smell. At first it was put down to Scarlett trying one last vengeful grasp of power (She'd tried to electrocute him!) We gently washed and cleaned him up. He was so happy for a week.....Then, he became grumpy.
Not his usual childish grumpiness.....More hate-filled. He stopped sleeping, picked at meals. His language changed. EB wanted to help him (But, she became scared? Was that the word? No. Not distant. No) She was still talking to him (She was concerned for him) Her contact to him was "careful".
(EB saw darkness. Felt a lip-licking pull...Danger! One ill thought-out slip-up, and she would sink. Whatever had Ethan, would grasp her too. She so desperately wanted to drag Ethan away from the edge! EB had every intention of telling Stella and myself. But the moment she stepped away from Ethan, the thought disappeared from her mind)
"Benton. I will say it for both of us. Something has happened. Ethan has been trapped by something, and it came back with him..." Clark wrapped an arm around Ethan.
"Remember Macy? Yes, good. Remember her!.." Clark nodded her head at Ethan in her arms. "We will talk more. But, first I will have a moment with Ethan.." Benton nodded, moved out into the hallway.
Clark held Ethan in her arms, rested her chin on his head..."I don't want to hurt you, you know that don't you? But, your out of order. You will become sick. Not the sickness of others. No, another sickness. I will not allow the devil to come for you..." Clark then sat Ethan up, cupped his face...."You are the devil! My Ethan..." Clark gently poked his nose, touched his stubble hair.
"You are coming back to us Ethan. I won't allow myself to cut your throat. The worm within, will soon be without it's host. Ethan your our's. Always remember that!..." Clark then helped Ethan to lie down, put pillows around him. She half-closed the blinds....Went to the door, looked at him (Then left the room)
"That fucking bitch has left something inside of him! Ooooo! I could scream. Benton, I really could!..." Clark suddenly composed herself, hands neatly folded in front of her. Benton just stared at Clark a second....Clark for a split second had gone white, dark....Horridly frightful looking. He readied himself, Clark and him were about to discuss something of the afterlife.
"Tea! We need good strong cups of the brew. I will make us a pot. Come, Benton. We have a challenge ahead!.." Clark swiftly moved towards the kitchen. Benton followed.
~|~
"You may recall Macy. She was a good worker, never had any trouble with her. Took to the work here....Kept her head down. To be truthful, I remember the girl - But, she wasn't remember-worthy. Which is sad to admit to..." Clark took a sip of her tea. "She passed quickly, she caught a cold that turned out to be more. We kept her away from the other girls. I couldn't have everyone becoming sick. Briar offered some remedies, but....She didn't have a strong body for sickness. We had witches passing through....I didn't care for them. They had funny ways. They knew Briar, so I left it at that..."
"They bought this Macy girl back, didn't they?.." Benton had feeling to where this might lead.
"....Yes. And something else came too. I remember, I was so angry. How could Briar let it happen. But, it did. I was alive back then.....A very different person to who I am now. Briar offered no reason to her actions, or to what she'd allowed. She just simply told me Macy was useful now, her funny friends wouldn't be returning. Ever again..." Clark went silent. "My place was never to question. She had saved us. Briar was a wicked witch, but she favoured her owned. Macy had every right to be safe. But....I now believe Macy was offered to save the rest of us. Briar also told me she had her reasons, but never judge her. Briar had dark vile connections..." Clark paused a minute.
"She had a hard upbringing. We all did. She was a little like Trinity....Too powerful, fell in with evil. I understand strange upbringings. Benton....You know why (Benton gave her an innocent look, but then nodded. He did) my Ma was a fairy, had her wings removed. My Ma did the best she could....I was beaten many times..." Clark looked at the floor (Face went dark) her head suddenly snapped up, she stared at Benton.
Benton quickly put Clark back to their conversation..."Do you think, Briar's remedies did something to the girl?.." Benton took a sip of his own tea.
Clark relaxed..."Possibly. I don't believe Briar ever meant harm to any of us. Those were the hard days. Now....What was learned from Macy! The afterlife should never be taken lightly. Macy should have pass through the natural order. She did not. She was bought back, evil found an open door - It came through. Briar gave Macy to her friends, Briar wanted nothing to do with those witches....She made sure, Macy kept them real busy!..."
Benton's eyes went wide. There was a method to the actions. A reason.
"Do you think, she knew what had happened?.." Benton had a thoughtful look.
"She possibly did. But, back to the topic. Ethan is to do a job. But, what job? What is he after? He's like Macy, but there's more to this. Macy's situation was simple. Ethan's is more under-handed, he has more to give. I'm suspecting, a worm is in his system. I can't fix that. But, I can keep him safe. Look after him....He will fight this. He craves her. Only she, Trinity can release him. Do you think, we should beat Trinity a little? No?..." Clark took a long sip of her tea. Benton was shaking his head. A beating was not a good idea.
£~€~¥
I was so wild. I stood in the room under the floor boards (I had checked every room in the mansion!) WHERE WAS HE?! Where had they taken him?! I needed to get him back, explain! Just do something. I knew deep down yelling wasn't going to help, never yell at Clark. It made her even harder to speak with....She would look at me, lips would turn to a thin line.
She would quietly tell me to breath, speak in a calm tone. If I was incapable of that, she would vanish into thin air on me - I would hear her last words of "We will talk, when your voice is it's self again..."
Stella stood beside me, looked around...."This room is so bare. Not a thing to say a person lived here. Very minimal. Almost prison-cell like..." Bell nodded..."It was best this way.."
EB understood. Peace. Calm. Boring....But, it covered the basic's.
Stella touched my arm...."If you were who you were meant to be, you wouldn't have problem finding him. The spirits can "hid" many things from humans. But.....We dear Trinity, are different! Never better, just more skilled in the unseen!.." Stella tugged me to look at her. Bell nodded. EB lightly finger-tipped the plain bed (Her eyes were taking the room in)
"The books that were sent to you. Have you started to read them? Have you been to the library? What can you say about your skills? Strong? Growing?..." Stella was gearing herself up to take charge, set me on the righteous path. All I could think about was Ethan! Stella saw my crinkled face, my glaring look.
"Books! Oh magical one! Let's get you reading. Ethan is where he is. Clark and Benton have him safe.....You know, Clark would never bring harm to the guy..." Stella was poking me out of the dimmed room. Bell, had grabbed EB.
"She hits him, you know that don't you..." I peeped at Stella.
"She "corrects" him. I've seen a little of how she treats him. I've had to speak to my wild flower too. EB and Ethan present as human. They carry themselves well.....They pass. I know, without a doubt - EB tries very hard to maintain her "mature-young-adult status". But, Trinity....They walked behind the veil, and returned. Life hadn't finished with them, and death has a hold on them too. Ethan's soul didn't want to stop living..." Stella stopped at my bedroom door, looked at me.
"EB came back to be better. I feel it. She didn't need to tell me. I saw it in the mirror one morning....She was trying to comb her hair. There was her reflection. And two other faces....One innocent, one old. She doesn't know I saw it, but I felt it. We herb-girls feel shit!..." Stella gave me small smile. I nodded, Gran had been the same.
I glanced over at EB and Bell. Bell was holding her hands....EB had been so confident in who she wanted us to see, but her knowledge in being human, got jumbled. Stella was right, passed to a point....Then, functioning became a problem. Exie knew a thing or two, but she was limited in what life really had to offer. Briar was some crazy creature (Something from a horror book at times. She had no idea of life outside her mansion)
We all went into my room, set the books out on my bed. The "Changer" books, and the other four. You had to use the "Changer" books first.....They would direct your reading to the other four. I had learned something at school! (I wasn't completely plotting world domination, and death) I lightly touched the second book of the two "Changer" books....My thoughts fell to Ethan.
"Right, questions! We need to ask the right questions. Get to the information that is required. You, Trinity have a lot to read. I know, you and I had that option to go to the University of Spell. But....I wanted to go home, and get into other things. You. Well, you wanted to be normal. Guess, it's caught up to us now!.." Stella tried to laugh, but ended up shaking her head. "Uni would have covered all we should know now, and more! Oh shit-a-brick..."
I had to laugh there.
EB and Bell sat on the bed, looked over the books too. They looked familiar to EB, but she couldn't place them. She knew, she shouldn't touch them. They called to her, she turned her head...Found Bell looking at her.
"Their fancy books, aren't they. Not for good, not for evil. More as the reader sees fit. I won't let your fingers touch.
(The books would do many things to EB. She could do many many things within those pages!)