She's Not Dead

Chapter 13: The Calm before the Storm

Johanna focused her gaze back on her sister as she continued scratching her scalp with her blunt nails, untangling whatever locks of hair were perturbed by the movement. She knew that her sister had fallen asleep by the gentle motion caressing of a hand on her back, it was evidenced by the low purring sound, but Johanna did not want to stop her ministrations so her hands had diverted towards Wendy's luscious black mane, and we wondered if he sister would want to cut it again.

Her sister's had always been petite, yet her attitude and outfits made her seem larger than life itself, looking at her sister now, curled within the confinements of rather large and loose garments that seemed to swallow her whole frame, she looked quite small. Her skin was still paler than what it usually was, but it was not the ghastly pallor that she had donned upon her return to the land of the living, and Johanna's hands itched to lift her sister's hoodie so she could truly see the damage that lay underneath.

Johanna exhaled heavily, She's breathing, she's here. She's alive.

Curling her entire body in a protective manner around the slumbering witch, the brunette closed her eyes and inhaled the scent from her sister's hair and closed her eyes, her exhausted mind taking a moment to turn blank and allow her to follow her sister into a much-deserved rest. Little did she know, her sister's sleep was bound to be troubled as her recent exploits would trigger certain memories that were best left forgotten.

As night befell upon East End, the Beauchamp household was eerily quiet after the day's turmoil. Wendy's curled body jolted once, vivid images of her family snapping before her, then her father's cruel gaze in her boyfriend's eyes, Elena, her girls. The images––visions–– she had of Ingrid making an appearance once more, yet this time they were accompanied by the presence of another, a malicious being which whispered in her mind terrible horror.

You'll be mine, Wendy. We are not done yet, I will get everything you have.

The adrenaline she felt at the utterance was enough to roughly shake her awake, her body coiled, her eyes wild and shining. Joanna, who had been resting peacefully by her sister was awoken by the movement and as she took her sister's profile in the dark, she asked: "Hey, are you okay?"

Wendy took a deep breath which was accompanied by a slight wince, her pupils returned to their normal size and she flashed her sister a small smile, "Yeah, just going to the bathroom."

Joanna looked at her sister, slightly uncertain. She scrutinized her sister's body language, the tight pose, the tense limbs, panicked eyes darting around the room, "Do you need any help?"

"No, you might want to change into your pajamas, though," The younger woman said, seeing as her sister was still in her work clothes.

Wendy took that moment to dash to the bathroom, her mind plagued by her visions, the voice in her dreams. Had that been a dream conjured by her fears or was there thing else? Had they not been through enough? There was the matter of Ingrid, Elena, then there was Frederick, who had killed him and why? She may not entirely trust Frederick, but she would not betray her family.

Yeah, right. I killed my father, so much for not betraying family, huh?

But another voice so similar to her own invaded her mind, He was not your father, that was someone consumed by greed and power.

The black-haired witch continued her stroll towards the bathroom, once there, she closed the door and turned the faucet of the sink, allowing cold water to flow into her hands. She splashed some water onto her face to sober up from her state. Her left hand reached for the towel to pat her face dry and her gaze landed on her reflection and what stared back scared her. Her skin was paler than it had ever been, her eyes looked wild and were no longer their stormy color but a greenish hue with some yellowish tint towards the pupils which resembled slits, like that of a cat's. Her long tresses shadowed her face making it look even more somber. Yet, when she blinked, her eyes were their natural color, her pupils small and rounded.

Did I just imagine that?

As the towel obscured her view of the mirror, she dried her skin with gentle pats. Upon looking at the mirror once more, her eyes remained the same, they were normal. Her long fingers went through her hair, untangling any spots of resistance as she went, I really have to cut my hair...

After exiting the restroom, she traveled to her own bedroom in search of her phone which had been left charging on her bedside table. Her light footsteps barely making any noise as she traversed through the hallway towards her own room, her hand reached out to slowly open the door so as to avoid waking her nieces up. When her eyes landed on her bed, a smile was etched onto her face when seeing her two nieces curled up together in her bed, as it always should have been.

Her body moved toward the bedside table on the right side of the bed and she unplugged her phone, the moment was irresistible and so she captured a photo of her girls that she would show Joanna later. A frown marred her face upon seeing what times it was, the clock on her phone read 3:33 AM. The moment of peak activity, that could be no coincidence, right? There had to be a connection between her tormented slumber and the time.

She had to talk to Joanna. Her trip was slightly more hurried and forceful as she ventured to her sister's room, but Joanna was in her sleepwear, asleep. Wendy resolved to talk to her sister in the morning when they awoke once more, she had to tell her about the visions, her dreams, Ingrid, Elena, Frederick. How she wished everything was back to normal again. As she laid her body next to that of her sister, she closed her eyes and relaxed. She vowed to talk to Joanna tomorrow. She would figure out how to save the pieces of her family trapped in another realm.