The Unusual Befallings of Cypress Clara Paige

*>:2:<* The Witch With A Raven Tattoo

Dahlia sat on a quite park bench as the sun began to rise over the still sleeping city. Her raven like familiar perched on back of the bench patiently awaiting orders from its pale blond master. The the rest of the naive and unknowing world Dahlia appeared like a picturesque model that would be found in a magazine for some perfect purfume. Hair as pale as her unblemished skin and eyes the perfect shade of blue.
But to those who knew of the veil, it would be easy to see past her ruise and notice the gleme to her red irises and the green inhuman tint to her skin. She also had an intricate black tattoo of a dragon like raven fhat weved around her collarbone and down her right arm. The witch was well versed in hidding her true self from humans. The same went for her raven-like familiar. To the rest of the world it was just a bird, to the Veil it was a 4 winged, purple eyed creature with a red sheen to its feathers.
"Today is the day, Freight," she stroked the wing of her familiar, "We are going to find that unusual energy that has been growing by the day and bring it in to him. It can't hide from us anymore."
The bird clicked a reply before batting its wings and taking flight.

*/*/*

Cypress sighed in frustration as the touchscreen ordering attached to cash register glitched on her, yet again, and froze. The customers order only half complete.
"Sorry Mam, I swear this computer only does this for me." Cypress apologized.
Behind the counter, her coworker April poked her head out from the kitchen. "Hey Cyp, if you finish cleaning back here and take the trash out to the dumpster I will finishing ringing those people up." She said in her usual super joyous voice.
With one more frustrated jab at the screen Cypress conseeded. "Fine, I just know this machine is just going to magically start working better for you." With another long sigh she walked back to the kitchen and traded places with her coworker.
Cypress made sure to make quick work of her cleaning duties and quickly hauled the trash out back to the dumpster. The lid to the dumpster closed with a resounding thud and Cypress felt a small sense of accomplishment now that her mission was accomplished. But the feeling was quickly squished as a a ca-caw sounded behind her and a black raven narrowly missed her head as it zoomed by her and landed on the fence a few feet away.
Black beady eyes stared back at her and Cypress could start to feel a familiar pressure building behind he temples. She stared back at the bird for a moment and a part of her mind felt like the creature was moments away from bursting into something different.
And maybe the raven would have transformed into something else, but Cypress was pulled out of her trans as April called out from the back door.
"Hey, Cup, are you done out there yet, we could use your help up front to wo-man the espresso machine."
Cypress turned to April to holler she was on her way back in. When she turned her head back to the fence before walking back inside the bird was nowhere to be seen.
*/*/*
5pm hit and the cafe was starting to wind down for the Friday evening, muffins and capachino did not make the world go round as madly as they did at 9am.
Travis had just stopped by to flirt with Cypress and make date plans for the weekend. He was long gone and the cafe was empty until a tall young man with shaggy brown hair walked through the door.
Vance walked in, face stoically difficult to read as he lookef around and took stock of his surroundings. He was fairly certain now that this building was one of the areas regularly giving off unusual energy signals, and it was about time he figured out what was going on. But as he looked around, everything seemed unremarkable.
A brunette with a work uniform and bouncy ponytail poking out from a hat walked up to the front counter. From a distance Vance could read that her nametag read "Cypress". "Can I help you with anything sir? Tosted coconut capachinos are half off after 5pm today if you order something from the bakery."
Vance casually sized up Cypress, smething seemed strangly familiar about the short girl. As he stepped closer to the counter, a part of him could almost feel something familiar and Veil-like. But her scent was completely plain and simple like any normal niave. He was so focused on trying to figure out the girl in front if him that he almost forgot to order. "Sure, that sounds good." He responded, his eyes now locked on the brunette he was almost towering over. For a moment he could almost see a shimmer to her hazel orbs and she could almost see a dancing flame in his forest green eyes.
"Hey, Cyp, you can clock out and go home now if you want. Your shift is almost over." April walked up from the kitchen and interrupted the strange meeting happening before it could fully even happen in the first place.
"Sure thing April, let me just get this guy taken care of first." Cypress turned her stolen attention back to Vance.
"What type of bakery item would you like?"
Vance glanced up and stated the first thing to come into hid eyesight. "Strawberry lemonade explosion poppyseed muffin?" He started to say and ended with questioning because it was something he had never heard if before.
"It is so good! I came up with the recipe myself!" Cypress cirped as she reached back to the muffin and placed it in a bag before turning to ring him up. The computer froze again and that's when Vance saw it. Something in her energy aura was disrupting the energy in the electronic item before her. It was definately unusual for a niavs, but a far cry from something great enough to cause the commotion that was starting to take the city.
"Uggh." Cypress sighed annoyed. "Not again." She started to jab at the computer screen and Vance could see how her frustration further disrupted the energy signature of the computer before her.
April swooped in and took over. "Don't worry Cypress, I'll finish up. You can skudoodle on out of here."
Cypress did not object and stepped back. Her energy distorting aura now far enough away that the computer screen started working normally again.
"See you Monday morning at 7 April, thanks again." Cypress started to back towards the kitchen door. "And enjoy your muffin, they are fantastic!" She added as she disappeared.

*/*/*

Cypress was slowly walking down an almost empty street. Paying more attention to her cellphone then she probably should have been, because if she had been more aware of her surroundings she may have noticed the pale blond witch and raven that skirted her every turn and road crossing.
Dahlia followed Cypress with much curiosity. Was this girl really the reason for the unusual disturbances that were affecting the Veil and this world? It was undobtable that she possessed some strange abilities, stop lights seemed to change green as she approached them, crosswalks stayed open for her to pass, and despite being unaware of her surroundings she narrowly missed running into many objects and hinderences on her path. But it was hard to believe that this would be what her boss wanted her to collect and bring to him.
"I want you to find her, she is a young female that has no idea of the power she will one day possess, but she is certainly causing a ripple effect into the Veil."
"That's descriptive, how am I supposed to know this brat is the right one if you say the power she is emulating isn't strong enough for her to cross over into the Veil on her own yet?"
"I suspect you will have a nagging feeling when you find her."
Well, the nagging feeling was present. Only Dahlia herself also felt like she was being followed. Frieght had been patrolling a good distance around them and still hadnt seen anything, but that was another nagging feeling she could feel was present.
Dahlia decided to make her move, worst case scenario this girl woupd just need a couple hours of her memory errased. She signaled to her raven and with a flick of her wrist opened a portal on the side of a building. Within seconds the swooped upon its prey and started to claw and peck at Cypress, herding her into the magical portal that was just opened.
Cypress swated at the bird and in the commotion dropped her cell phone on the ground. Giant gashes on her forarms and across one cheek from tallons welting with blood. She hit the portal and felt as if she had been doused in a bucket of ice cold water, a shiver running down her spine as she tumbled to the ground, very surprised to see that she was still dry.
The shimmering portal closed beside her with a pop and she found herself no longer in the city she once was. The sky above her was tinted green and grey and black leaved trees surrounded the clearing she was now in. Cypress tried to take in what had just happened, but she was quickly grabbed by the collar of her shirt and thrust into the air by a creature with skin that reminded her of clay and dirt.
...