Fairysitters
Part 8
"The seas parted, the earth shook, the heavens broke
forth...and the crap hit the fan."
The Book of Daina 9:27
Kathy
slammed the door to her room open and leapt onto the bed, calling her best
friend (and simultaneously falling into a deep sleep) before she had even hit
the springs.
daina! daina...darn it...daina, where are you?
(faint giggle)
daina?!
daina-darn-it-daina. that's onomatopoeia.
what happened? no, better yet, where are you?
(pause) the dining room.
okay just stay calm...
who's upset (*giggle*)? i'm alright, i'm just in pain.
(pause) a lot of pain...
alright, then, just hold on...
you're not coming over here, are you?
would you rather i sit here and listen to you die?!
bad idea, kat.
the "dying" part or the "coming over"
part?
both. aside from possible the possible multiple deaths
caused by the presence of two real beings inside one body...
well, there is that.
...there's also this deal that resembles the void opening up
over here an' it's got scary stuff in it. i think chris made it.
alright, then meet me somewhere.
a date! how tender...
dai-naaaa!
okay, okay, where?
pyrope. daniel's castle. can you make it?
yuh, i think. (pause) if not, i'll call a cab. or a coroner.
oh, man, i think you're gettin' morbid on me.
(sudden realization) hey, kathy...i've been shot. chris'
dream came true. i'm...i'm dying, aren't i?
(pause) no.
you swear i'm not?
yes, now, you better hurry.
'kay, I have to stop Fallon first.
"Fallon,
wait!" called Robin over the sounds of the crumbling castle. The
frightened young teleporter stopped in mid-flight to look back.
"We've
got to get Daina to Daniel's castle, fast!" shouted Robin. Fallon nodded
and went to stop Katy, but she didn't have to. The little girl stood almost
mesmerized staring at Christine, who faced Naomi and Corwin with a such a
terribly vicious look of vengeance that a shiver ran down Katy and Fallon's
spines. True to Daina's word, Corwin was already becoming fairly transparent,
along with his castle. Even Fallon was starting to feel rather ill. Even more
horrifying, however, was the jagged hole in the atmosphere itself between the
child and her enemies, which seemed to be forming at Christine's own direction.
There was a bloodcurdling roar that came from the hole, followed by a blast of
arctic wind that bit into Fallon's thin dress with no mercy.
No
time to waste watching, she thought. She ran toward Daina and concentrated
until the slumped figure, quarrel and all, had disappeared. She ran toward
Katy, who was screaming to something to Christine, who was all but oblivious.
Again, she concentrated until the little girl was gone. She turned to the all
but faded away Marcus and did the same, feeling more and more faint and out of
breath as she did.
"Can
you make it by yourself?" asked Robin, the concern showing on her face.
"I'd try and take you myself..." Fallon declined with a slight shake
of her head and Robin sighed. "I'll meet you there," she sighed, then
disappeared.
When
Fallon turned to look at Christine, she was on her knees and most of the noise,
aside from the falling castle walls, had ceased, leaving a bitterly sobbing
little girl in its place. Corwin and Naomi were nowhere to be seen and Fallon
wasn't sure she wanted to know why. Not wanting to move, she began to focus her
energy on Chris, who held up a hand in refusal.
"I
can go," sniffed Christine. "You need your strength to get there
yourself." With that, she, too, was gone.
Fallon
concentrated on the main hallway of Daniel's home. When she felt the floor
disappear beneath her, she let herself go, knowing she would reach the castle
as long as her mind didn't wander.
What
happened to Corwin and Naomi?, came an unfamiliar voice from her
destination.
Keep
it down, came Daniel's voice.
You
don't want to know, came a raspy voice remotely like Marcus'.
Well,
is everyone alright besides Daina, Marcus and Christine?, came the other
voice again.
I'm
fine!, insisted Christine.
Keep
it down!, insisted Daniel. I'm trying to concentrate.
How
is she?, asked Robin.
She'll
be a lot better if I can concentrate, came the tart reply.
I
can..., began Marcus.
Like
heck you can, retorted the voice. I can barely see...Marcus?
There
was a deep silence for a moment, then Christine whispered, H-He's gone,
Kathy.
Where's
Fallon?, demanded the voice that Fallon assumed was Kathy.
She's
coming...
Oh,
God!, Robin gasped. My children! Bullet isn't home...
Call
them, now!, Kathy commanded. Target, too! There was a pause, then
the voices of the twins echoed in Fallon's mind. It seemed to her she was
taking an awful long time to get to Pyrope...
What
about Target?, came Daniel's voice.
I...can't feel him at all!
Christine, you try!
Where is he?
I can't get him, either!
Maybe Daina...
Maybe not!
We've got to find him!
He could be anywhere!
Most of anywhere is disappearing even as we speak!
The
voices began to mix and fade gently as Fallon's mind wandered to the forest. It
was her fault he was trapped there and it was up to her to rescue him. As the
feeling of gravity returned to her body and the ground replaced itself, she
found herself back under the trees, or, at least, shadowy resemblances to them.
At her feet lay ashes from a recent campfire that had burned itself out and
next to them lay Target, his breathing shallow, his eyes, though drowsy, fixed
on the fading sky above him.
Me
wife...and me li'l ones," he said, not so much talking as letting the
words escape his chest. "Can't forget. Me wife and me babies." It was
obvious he did not notice Fallon at all, but it didn't matter.
By
the time he got to Pyrope and into the arms of his beloved Robin, Fallon had
literally become unnoticable, anyway.