The Colors And The Deal With Death - Chapter VI: The Trip Down Memory Lane

Walking further into the streets that for the longest time, I called home, I feel a cold air, knowing that all of those happy memories just remind me of that monster I once called my father. As I expected from that news segment this morning, the streets are all empty, and a cloud of smoke still lingers in the air, like an ever watchful eye. The once beautiful flower gardens are all dead, the fountains of blue lovely water have all dried up. Turning the little corner, I see that the chapel that my family spent quite a lot of time at... it’s fully gone, leaving only ashes by where it once stood. Just across from the ungodly sight, I see my old family home, atop the huge hill. As the hot air gets unbearable in all of these layers, I look around to make sure no one is around, before taking off the dress Blanche let me borrow. Sorry Blanche, I’ll give it back to you once I’m done here.

Approaching the front door of my house, climbing the familiar hill, my stomach starts to get a bit worse, crumbling just shy of the door. Using all my strength, I pick myself up and knock on the door, not entirely sure what to do when someone opens. I knock for a few minutes, until I notice that the door isn’t fully on the rusty hinges anymore. I give it a small push and the door opens, swinging with a ghastly creak.

Taking one last comforting breath, I slowly walk inside to see that the house hasn’t shown its age all that well. Not a wall is free from spiderwebs, not a corner remains without mould. The light switches work for a split second before the lightbulb smashes to the floor. The house seems to have been abandoned for a long time, though all of the old stuff are still here, like the usual furniture in the living room, the pots and pans in the kitchen, everything is here.

So many conflicting emotions flow through my head. I only barely remember my mother, but what I remember of her were all nice warm memories. I do miss her. I wish I could have got to know her more. Why did she have to go? It’s not fair... It’s not fair!

Losing control of my emotions, my anger gets the better of me, as I sweep the nearest shelf clean of the various bric-a-brac and a photo frame. After I calm down, I pick the photo frame back up. It is a picture of the family all together. My mother, my father, my two sisters... well, half sisters really, and a little baby me in mother’s arms. My first instinct is to take the picture out of the dusty frame and put it in my pocket. Behind where the photo once stood, as signalled by the dust marks, there is a small dusty box with a little ribbon on it. In my surprise, the ribbon has my name written in fancy calligraphy. I blow off the dust and open the box to see... nothing. Nothing but a small hole and a little note stuffed at the top. I pull off the note.

“My dearest Eliza, as I write this, I fear that the others are already looking for me. They all want my mother’s ring, The Mark of The Magician. She was one of Arc’s many disciples, something your father was always excited about. If you are reading this message, you have already turned 18, but I am unfortunately long gone. My gift to you is this ring, my prized possession. Use it well. I love you, my little angel. Love from Mummy Florence.

P.S. Give my best to Bernard, Amelie, Emmie, and Mandy as well.”

Seeing her message filled my eyes with tears. Both her and the ring are gone. There’s nothing left here. I wipe my eyes and take the note along with the photo. Wait a second.

I take a second look at the note. Looking back at it, Bernard is my father, and both Amelie and Emmie were my father’s twin daughters... so who the hell is Mandy? Taking a second look at the photo, I only see us all together, I don’t see any Mandy... though now that I know what to look for, I can see that the photo isn’t completely straight-edged, as if it was crudely and hastily cut with scissors at some point. More confused than upset at this point, I quickly pocket the photo again.

I guess there really is nothing here anymore, I should get heading-

“Returning to the scene of the crime, are you? Not a smart move.” A voice from behind me says, in a creepy deep pitch.

I slowly turn around, but with one metallic bang to the back of my head, everything starts to go dark.

I wake up outside, hearing nothing but an angry sounding crowd of people. As my blurry vision focuses on what’s in front of me, I can see that there are a lot of people here now, although they are really far down, all looking at me with hateful eyes. I try to get up from the chair, but I can’t. My hands and legs are strapped to a throne of sorts, sitting atop of a mountain of straw. The smell of petrol makes me think that I maybe shouldn’t have come here.

Directly in front of me, there is a makeshift balcony, as if they had made this ready for this occasion. The air still feels warm, and the dress is unfortunately gone, likely still at the house. Before they make me wait too long, an old man comes out, looking mournful and disappointed.

“Miss Eliza Carlyle. The guilt in your heart must have been too heavy for you to bear, so you returned to us once again. For your heinous crimes against the people of Arcia, the desecration and destruction of our beloved chapel, your soul will see no quarter in the eternal inferno you will live hereafter.” The man says to me, talking through a little megaphone, as he pulls out an old-looking torch.

“Please. I did nothing wrong. Someone is going around causing havoc and blaming me for it. Please let me go, I’ll find who you’re looking for.” I say to them, my innermost sense of pride stopping me from begging too hard.

“Such base tall tales will not help your case, miss Carlyle. I’m sorry that it had to be this way. Your father and I were friends, after all.” The man says to me, as he shakes his head in a dismissive manner.

“So I heard. You probably knew everything that was happening all this time, and let things unfold. If anyone is the monster around here, it would be you.” I say in a burst of frustration, though as soon as the words leave my tongue, I regret antagonising the man who will decide if I live or die... it felt good though.

“There is nothing more to discuss. Eliza Carlyle, I cast you and your unholy soul back to the devil himself. Only damnation awaits you in the afterlife, forevermore. In the name of the legend, I cast you into the flames.” The man says, as he lights a match, and throws it into the straw, quickly setting ablaze just below me.

The heat becomes too much to bear, as I watch the flames creep closer towards me. The crowd from the ground all start to cheer for my predicament. I shouldn’t have come here at all. I keep looking at the entrance, hoping that one of them will come looking for me, but it’s too late for them to really do anything now. Overcome with my emotions, I weakly start to weep, closing my eyes, and slowly prepare myself for the end, as the smoke starts to choke me, the fires already right next to me. ...Just get it over with.

Phew, that was pretty close. She took the bait just as I thought. After spending a little while in little Lizzie’s bed, hiding under the sheets, I can finally come out of hiding, the kerfuffle from downstairs turning to a grim silence. That’s it. I got away with everything. All I have to do now is get back home. Taking a lift back on Aera will be a little risky, since Lizzie isn’t around anymore, so my only option is to walk, or worse, hitch a ride.

I walk back down the creaky old stairs, and stumble upon a white dress, alongside a hat and sunglasses, likely left here by Lizzie herself, unless one of the fanatics here is going through a little experimental phase. Either way, I decide to wear them, the hat nicely covering my little crown. I walk past the huge crowd that gathers in the square, not even an eye looked in my direction, making this all too easy. I walk towards the entrance, and pass through the gate, finally onto sweet sweet free-

“Lizzie! Over here!”

I hear a high pitched female voice from behind me, along with the sound of windows squeaking at once. I turn around and see a group of people all looking at me from a nice-looking car.

“Where you off to?” The woman in white asks me, waving me over.

“Did you get everything sorted in there?” The woman in blue asks me, looking at me with worry in her eyes.

“Come on, Moore Fields is so close now.” The man in green shouts to me, excitedly.

Lizzie’s friends are here? Oh, this day just keeps getting better and better. Luckily, I was questioning whether or not to go to Moore Fields anyway. I suppose I should pay those damn Founders a visit and make a complaint or two of my own.

“Of course. Everything’s taken care of. Come on, let’s go.” I say to them, walking over to the car, as the others get out to let me into the back.

With that, the car starts and we all set off for Moore Fields. I can’t wait to see their little faces when they see the show. I can’t wait for tonight!

Keeping my eyes firmly shut, I can feel the flames take my legs, a horrible burning pain enveloping me, feeling my skin start to bubble and weaken. And then suddenly, the immense heat is replaced with a wet and cold feeling, as the fire starts to die. A couple of gunshots echo out through the atmosphere, followed by the crowd screaming and running away.

Finally feeling confident enough to open my eyes, I see that everyone is already gone, as a young Japanese woman, in a black face mask, covering her mouth and part of her eyes, and what looks like a black yukata with a little coat of arms brooch on her chest, and a strange metal gauntlet on her right arm, climbs up the straw pile towards me, throwing a bucket down to the ground below. Not all of the flames are gone, but I am no longer in any immediate danger. The woman comes behind me, playing with the ropes. In her right hand, there is a long string with a little hook at the end.

“Oh thank you so much. You saved me.” I say, too shocked and upset to express the right words.

“Don’t thank me yet, sugar. We’re not out of the woods yet. Better hold onto something.” The woman says to me, connecting the hook to my ropes.

“Not that I’m truly grateful, but wouldn’t be easier to untie me first?” I ask her, struggling to break free.

“Where’s the fun in that, my dear? I kind of like you the way you are.” The woman says to me, with the biggest grin on her face, as she pulls my face up with her finger.

As the crowd re-emerge with pitchforks and pistols, the woman kneels just in front of me, ripping the chair out of the straw. She pulls little slip-on wheels to each leg and tugs the string with three sharp pulls, as if she was signalling a code to someone.

“What’s going on here? I have to get out of here.” I say, starting to panic.

The woman climbs onto the back of the chair, as we both start to slide down the straw pile, passing by the crowd. Still tied to the chair, we seem to be going at 20 miles per hour, escaping from the back entrance at the back end of a little grey van, as I am forced to watch the road we just travelled.

The wind is as cold as ice from this speed, and I can feel little bugs pitter-patter and jump from my face. All I can do right now is sit here helplessly and hope that the chair doesn’t topple at these speeds. The crowd seem to be following us down the road, as the woman pulls out a gun and starts firing at the more persistent attackers, all while she is standing right behind my back, using me like some kind of shield as bullets barely miss me. I want to cover my face, but my hands are still tied, like a little helpless animal. Still connected to the back of the van, I truly worry for my life, my wounds, both literal and physical, still not even recovered from before.

“Just sit there and look pretty for me for a sec.” The woman says, recklessly climbing on the top of the chair, continuing to walk onto the string, balancing until she is on top of the van itself.

She pulls out a detachable sniper rifle, taking potshots at the people from afar, before the last of them run out of breath and give up, thankfully.

“Hey Bon, the coast is clear. Set her down gently, and we can talk to our guest some more.” The woman shouts to the van, as we pull into a small clearing by the road.

As the van comes to a complete stop, a small Latina woman with short brunette hair, wearing just a black shirt and jeans over a blue denim jacket, bearing the same gauntlet as the other woman, steps out of the van, slamming the door as she storms towards me. The other woman jumps down from the top of the van

The two women walk towards me and pull the chair I’m still attached to. They pull me to a secluded part of what looks like an arboretum, where many trees are starting to blossom, and flowers start to bloom. We stop in the middle of a bridge, with a little stream of water making its journey underneath us.

“Well, errrm. Thanks for saving me?” I say in my confusion, honestly not sure if these guys are on my side or not, though if it wasn’t for them, I’d be still on that barbecue.

“Don’t mention it, sweet cheeks, you’re about to help us out a lot too. You’re probably as bored of us as we frankly are of you, so let’s just get to brass tacks.” The Japanese woman says, pulling a small knife from her pocket, walking closer towards me.

“Wait, you’re going to kill me now?” I ask in shock, just going from danger to danger today, my nerves in tatters, whatever was left of it.

“You’re just trying to psyche me out, aren’t you? I think we both know that you can’t be killed, so little Bonnie and I came up with a little idea. You see, mistress Frankenstein wants you dead to the point of obsession, she sends us to do the dirty job, but we know your little secret. We still want the money though, so we’re just going to present her your head, tell her we did it, and we give it back to you.” The woman says to me, as if I should know what the hell she is talking about, though I can see a visible smile under her mask.

“Wait, I-“ I try to talk to her, before she presses her finger up to my lips and shushes me.

“Wait, you’re going to like this part. If all goes to plan, you can go free from torment, and we get a nice little paycheque for our troubles. Everybody wins. So let’s get down to business, hey Mandy?” The woman asks me, about to plunge her knife into my neck like it’s nothing.

“I’m not Mandy!” I shout to her, finally losing my patience as I scream it loud enough to echo throughout the arboretum. “Please. If you’re looking for her, so am I.”

She sheathes the knife and returns it to her pocket, giggling to herself awkwardly, putting her hand on my forehead.

“Not Mandy, eh? You sick or something? You don’t feel as cold as normal. You seem to be a tad more... whiny than I remember, and your little crown is missing. Alright, I’ll bite for now. If you’re not our good time gal, who are you?” The woman asks me, kneeling down to my level.

“...Fine, I’ll give you my name. It’s Lizzie, someone who looks like Mandy, apparently.” I say, still not that comfortable telling strangers my name, still bubbling in my blood to hear it said aloud.

The other woman, Bonnie, I believe it was, pulls out her knife and silently goes for my throat without warning, before the woman catches her hand and shakes her head.

“Easy tiger. I don’t necessarily believe her either, but what happens if she’s telling the truth and you take her head? She dies, and it’s on you forever. If she’s lying, then you can take it for sure.” The woman says, flicking the knife out of her hand, landing on the floor.

I can’t control my breathing, my lungs feel like they’re going to burst with the amount of gasps I have taken. Yet another page for the book of things that are probably going to kill me. Right up there between this stomach virus thing, and occasionally partaking in a long drag from a cigarette.

“So you believe me now?” I ask them, unsure of what to think anymore.

“Fine, we’ll take your word for it, for now. Consider yourself on probation until we find your little doppelgänger. Then, we’ll see if you’re telling the truth.” The woman says, gesturing for Bonnie to come towards me.

Bonnie bends to the floor and picks up the knife, walking to my back and finally cutting my arms and legs free. I get up, so happy to finally be standing up on solid ground again, the happiest I’ve felt in a long time.

“Oh, thank you, thank you.” I say, overcome with all sorts of emotions.

“No need to thank us, kiddo. So... Lizzie, was it? You wasn’t, by chance, going to that party tonight in Moore Fields, were you?” The woman asks me, looking away from me, and likely facing toward where the place is from here.

“Actually, yes. I was going there... for reasons. Why do you ask?” I ask, a little bit surprised that she would randomly know about the event... unless she is one of them.

“Our girl is meant to be the guest of honour. Apparently becoming the ruler over Death can make one famous in some circles. We were on our way there, when we found your sorry ass roasting on that open fire.” The woman says to me, as we walk through the path on the way out.

The ruler over Death? What is she talking about? Could such a being exist outside of concept and state of mind? I thought the idea of a soul reaper was as make-believe as the man who comes out every Christmas, or the fairy that takes your teeth for money, like an awful dentist. I suppose since I’m on the hunt for 17 of these powerful rings, I shouldn’t really be judging too harshly.

“Then let’s get there. With any luck, she might already by there.” I say, eager to put an end to all of this identity theft crap... although, something quite crucial does suddenly enter my mind, with the impact of an incoming freight train. “Oh crap. I need to go back for my friends.”

“Ahh, that’s one thing Mandy doesn’t have. Since we’re generous souls by nature, we can take you with us to Moore Fields, but that’s as far as we go. Got it?” The woman says, offering me her hand, as she nudges Bonnie to do the same.

We all put our hands together, binding a three-way deal, though I just hope that I can trust these guys.

“Very well, miss...” I say, trying to beckon a name from her, not wanting to refer to her as that woman for the remainder of our time together.

“You’re trying to fish out my name? Surely you know of the fabled Brooklyn Wang, humanitarian, club owner, and vigilante by night?” She asks me with the brightest of proud smiles, before pulling out her gun on me. “If you have immature jokes about my name, I can remedy that for you, dearie.”

She puts her gun back into the holster and walks off... And I’m left to wonder just why I got myself in this situation. I regret going back to Arcia now, with every fibre of my being. Although, I did find not only the name of my lost family member, but the location, and it’s close. I don’t know whether to be angry or excited to finally meet her again... unless she isn’t the Mandy on the note.

Brooklyn and Bonnie jump into their van, keeping the sliding door open for me.

“So, you ready to find your little evil twin?” Brooklyn asks me, obviously making light of the situation, beckoning me to come inside.

Silently, I jump into the van, as the door closes. Not long after, we set back out onto the road, finally inside the van rather than hanging just behind it. On the inside, Brooklyn takes her yukata and mask off to reveal her green vest and blue trousers underneath. She is a lot more slender than I imagined she’d be, like a group of popsicle sticks arranged to make a basic human shape. She lets down her hair and a river of black hair falls down to her back. Her make-up is a little bit similar to mine, except for the black streaks that are likely down my face, due to the weak sobbing earlier. As if she can read my thoughts, Brooklyn takes out a tissue from a box under the chair just between us, and hands it to me.

“Please take that off, it’s been driving me crazy for you.” Brooklyn says, letting out a small smile, as she gestures tears coming down the face.

I wipe my face, just taking the whole issue off. I look back on the tissue and see nothing but black. I must have overdone it a little bit, trying to recreate the way I had it done the other day.

“Oh yeah, that one is Bonnie. She doesn’t care much for conversation, in fact, I haven’t heard her voice in over 5 years. Just don’t tick her off, or you’ll be lucky if none of your bones snapped clean off.” Brooklyn says, pointing towards Bonnie, who seems to be in her own little world, driving whilst completely still, other than her hands on the steering wheel.

“Got it. Hey, what is that funny looking thing on your arm?” I ask her, touching its surface with my fingertip, feeling that it is made from a cold and tough substance, a strange sensation emanating from it, making my thin hairs stand up on end.

“Hey, get off that, it’s a look but don’t touch policy. This is a Verse Gauntlet, a popularity in my old country. Manufactured powers all taking shape in little discs, which you put into this little tray here. Only one can be used at a time though.” Brooklyn says, showing me more of the gauntlet, and pointing to a little slit on the wrist, that shines a little blue light from inside. “Wanna see what I went with? Watch this.”

She points her finger at one end of the van, as a little beam comes out, sticking to the door. Before a moment, a cold wind starts to blow from the outside. I look closer and see that the beam had cut a hole into the door, allowing us to see the road and passing trees just outside. She brings her finger back in to make the hole dissipate, restoring the door to normal.

This kind of power. It makes me wonder. If anyone can have these powers at the flick of a wrist, why are we looking for these rings when there is an even more convenient-

“I wouldn’t recommend getting one though, so don’t get any ideas.” Brooklyn says, slowly removing the gauntlet to show her arm, which looks completely dried and scarred, to the point where it’s a marvel she can still move her muscles.

She shows me the inside of the gauntlet, which has little needles down the side of it, still dripping with blood.

“Each power needs blood to make a reaction. The stronger the ability, the more blood is needed. This thing has killed more people than it has saved, but really, it has saved me on many occasions. Still, it’s rarer than unicorn droppings now they were taken off the market.” Brooklyn says, putting the gauntlet back on, visibly wincing as squelches are heard from the inside, as the needles move back into her arm.

Suddenly, the van stops, as Bonnie gestures for me to get out of the car.

“Oh, that’s right. Your friends. You go get them, and tell them the situation. You’re welcome.” Brooklyn says, still not really trusting me all that much, still wanting to keep me here until we arrive in Moore Fields.

I run out of the van, and find myself back at the entrance of Arcia, only to find that the car that was waiting for me, is now gone. The others aren’t here anymore. Brooklyn comes behind me and puts her arm around me, the smuggest smile on her face.

“I can’t believe it, they actually left you to die? Some friends they were, huh? Come on, we still have a job to do here, time is money after all.” Brooklyn says, pushing us back into the van.

I don’t believe it. They didn’t even check to see if I was dead or not? Did they just assume the worst and leave without me? Did something awful happen to them? I can’t say that for sure yet. My mind sits heavier than a whale nesting in my head, as I walk back into the van in a silent defeated manner. All I can really ask myself is... where the hell are they?

Oh my god, these people, these mortals. They haven’t stopped talking amongst themselves for a long time, and my patience is waning wafer thin. I can’t wait until I can silence them for-

“Hey Lizzie, you alright? You’ve been quiet for a while. Quieter than usual.” The blue girl says, looking back at me with her uncomfortable unblinking eyes.

“Oh yeah, you can return that dress now, whenever you can is fine.” The little woman in white says without even looking at me.

So I am wearing her clothes? No wonder it looks so tacky and try-hard. To stop them from looking at me any longer, I decide to say the first thing that comes to my head.

“Yes, I’m fine. Get away.” I say, dismissively, turning back to the window, my head resting on my arm.

“Huh, now that I think about it, you’re looking a little better now. Are you on the mend?” The young girl in yellow asks me, with a disturbingly optimistic smile.

“Oh, kind of. I still feel it there, but it’s not gone yet.” I say, really unsure of what they’re talking about. Is Eliza sick or something? Could be that bottle I gave to that Founder leader? So he gave it out after all... What a moron! I’ll just have to remedy that later.

Saved by the bell, the man in red stops the car suddenly. We all look out the windows and see the chapel in Moore Fields. This party should be fun.

“Alright, we’re here now. Let’s go kick some ass.” The man in green says, more than eager to leave his seat.

“The party doesn’t start until midnight tonight. Might as well make yourselves comfortable. We still have a little while to wait.” I say to them, as I look outside and see that infernal sun still hanging to the sky like a parasite.

“Damn it all.” The man in green says, going back to his seat, kicking the chair in front a little.

“Hey, kick the chair again, and I’ll kick you.” The man in red says, looking back at him.

I can already tell that waiting for the moon to finally rise is going to take an eternity. Too bad little Eliza won’t be here to see it when her little friends are met with a most unfortunate accident. Pity.