Chapter 3

Valerian and I walked down the brightly lit hall ways of the hospital. Nurses, doctors, family members moved about carrying flowers and sullen expressions. We made our way to the elevator with the help of a kind nurse.

                The elevator made us both feel uncomfortable. We were cramped in a contained space filled with mirrors and everyday people. There was no place to hide from their disapproving looks and side comments about how we looked. People associate me as being a common goth/punk teenager. My long black hair makes my ghostly white skin and green eyes pop. Val on the other hand stood out in her cyber punk boots paired with her marching band styled jackets. Her horn rimmed glasses contrasting against her lavender platinum blond hair was just icing on the cake. Now we didn’t closely associate with these subcultures though. But rather all types of kisser are very unique dressers. I tried to ignore their snide remarks that no attempt at whispering could hide. I had more things to worry about as our destination was closing in fast.                

“At least they aren’t in I.C.U.,” Said Val not actually looking at me.  She was looking at a little boy gaping at her.

                “…. I guess so.” I let out with a sigh. I felt guilty. Maybe if I hadn’t gone after Darren I could have kept someone out of the hospital. Wait there wasn’t a ‘maybe’ about it. I shouldn’t have gone after Darren. I should have stayed with my friends. My survivor guilt was starting to turn into something else. I looked down at my hightops playing all sorts of scenarios around in my head. I was so lost in thought I didn’t hear the elevators ding on the 4^th floor. The absence of Val’s presence quickly snapped me back to reality.

Val and I stepped into the long half deserted hall way. It was as if the entire hospital had decided to shun this floor. Val and I were cautious walking towards the room. After last night nothing was the same. It seemed like we were in a state of paranoia that we just could not shake. We reached room 407 without being attacked by a closer. We paused in front of the door. We looked at each other. We didn’t need to use words to know how we both felt.

                The door was thrown open suddenly to our surprise. We heard my mother lecturing Lunette, and the soft hum of the tv and other machines. Luna peered up at us through those huge powder blue eyes of hers.

                “I felt it was you.” She said smiling. Luna and Lunette’s abilities as kissers were advancing at such a rapid rate we were all scared. Worse they were still too young to be classified as a specific type. But their abilities and frail bodies pointed to one day becoming an Aeris Kisser.

                “Don’t just stand there!” snapped my mother.

                All three of us very quickly relocated into the cramped room. Stella, Ai and Mavi didn’t look like their self’s. Bare faces covered in bruises and cuts. Blood stained Stella’s rice blond hair and Mavi’s golden hair. Their arms were bandaged, not broken, thankfully. They were still breathing, still with us, and that counted for something. It had too. I was just ever so slightly relieved. Val let out a big sigh at the sight of our friends. I stood to one side, watching everyone. Luna sat next to her big sister Stella, stroking her blond hair. Lunette continued to argue with my mother about some insignificant preteen drama.

                “Where are their mothers?” Val asked looking around for signs of the missing mothers. Almost on cue, Willow came crashing into the room. Mavi’s mother down, 1 more to go.  

“Speak of the Devil….” I started.                              

“And he shall appear…” finished Val.

Willow scanned the room for her daughter. She let out a little sigh when she spotted Mavi. She started to look away but then did a double take. She was confused by something. “What happened?” She asked Luna.

Val and I stared at her. She seemed way to clam considering her kid was attacked by a closer and was in the hospital. My own mother seemed more worried and I wasn’t even the one in the bed.

“Dolores…. What’s going on here?” She asked my mother directly.

“What do you mean Willow?” And Willow explained that when she got the call she thought it was because Mavi had had an accident during or after her roller derby match. She didn’t know Ai and Stella where injured too.

My mom looked uncomfortably at Val and I. “Val, give me that chair.” She demanded.  Luna and Lunette then quickly relocated to a corner. It seemed as if they were trying to disappear into it.

“Willow take a seat dear,” She said propping the chair up and making sure there was enough room for willows skirt.  Willow didn’t look pleased. She took off her top hat and smoothed out the lace on her Victorian styled dress. My mom watched, hoping it would magically take longer. It didn’t though.

“You see Willow-“ She stopped and Looked away from Willows porcelain face.  “Last night the girls had a job and well… They ran into… cl-cl- closers” She said looking away.  It was almost as if she had a hard time even saying the word.

                 I couldn’t see Willow’s face but she visibly tensed up at the mention of one.  I looked at Val, She looked right back at me. I could see she was becoming uncomfortable with how the situation was unfolding. Willows appearance brought us little comfort. I think we finally understood how her daughter felt almost every day of her life.

                Willow stood up suddenly. The movement from her dress moved her chair out of the way.  She looked at us.  Her red lips formed a thin line. It was hard to tell if she was mad at us, scared, upset or all the above. My mother stood behind her, she had much the same expression. It seemed as if she were about to reassure us that this wasn’t our fault. But then something caught her eye.

                “I guess this means we have to show them, don’t we?” Asked a slow disoriented voice we didn’t recognize. We all turned to look at the voice’s owner.

                “Lenore…?” Willow Whispered. Val and I whipped our heads around to look at ‘Lenore’. We hadn’t seen her in almost 10 years it seemed. She looked old, yet young. No makeup to cover the deep bags under her eyes or the sharp bones in her face. Her thin frail body wore Stella’s clothes. My mom looked surprised to see her too. Only Stella, the twins and Grandmother Aurora were really allowed to see her these days.

                My mom recovered from the shock more quickly than the rest of us. “Yes it does Lenore.” She was regaining her confidence.

                “Show us what?” Val asked.

“You’ll see,” Willow said heading for the door.

“Lets go to the roof, Luna Lunette watch them please.”  Lenore said pointing at her daughter and her friends.

                We followed behind Lenore who in turn followed Willow and Dolores. No one paid us any attention as we made our way to the far end of floor four. We climbed the steps up to the roof of the hospital.  It was dark yet we could still see Lenore’s rice blond hair really well. We passed through the thresh hold of the door onto the roof. There Lenore held her arm out to stop us from going any further.

                “Stay there.” She said. We looked as she joined Willow and my mother. They looked at us. I think the situation could be compared to that moment when your parents try and have a sex talk with you.

                “Now girls, you are already aware you have…. abilities of some sort.”  Willow started. “Val, you retain information very well and can act as a mild conductor to electricity.

                “Layla you can manipulate shadows and have good night vision.” My mom continued.

                “But your abilities don’t stop there. You have the power to unlock and even stronger, more useful set of abilities. The true power granted to kissers.” Lenore finished.