The Song of Burning Souls (COMPLETE)

11 - Erase

She was angry with him when he returned that night, his handful of scraps, his sunglasses and oven mitts.

"You killed us," she flared. "With the terrible eraser! You killed us!" Her eyes were demon-black, her mouth almost blue with heat.

Andrew withdrew a bit, terrified. "I never did--"

"I gave you a gift and you erased it!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The terrible eraser that roams the earth, stamping out, smothering us. The great eraser that struck the pages of my gift to you! Sometimes it collects in the vent. It hisses when I touch it. It comes up to the edge of the building and threatens to take me. It's the color of what it touches, what light shines through it. You put your hand in it after I gave you the gift!"

What she was talking about finally dawned on Andrew. "Water!" he answered. "It helped the burn."

Lithe spoke the word over and over again. Each time she shook a little more. "You must never touch it again! You must never go near it!"

He could see the true terror in her eyes.

"But I have to! I have to drink it to live. I have to bathe in it."

She shook even more. "Fornax protects me from the water," she decided, holding up her tail—in fact, speaking of it for the first time. "He will never let the water take me, or the building. He will protect me."

Andrew realized he needed to calm her down. She was flaring so brightly, her features had turned almost cat-like. She was on all fours now, beast-like, ready to flee.

"Please, Andrew, never bring it here!"

He could not touch her hand to pinkie swear. "I promise, I won't do that to you."

And to prove his promise was serious, he let her eat more of his homework.

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