The Dark Side of Eleanor Warwick
RUNNING

A river of people part and flow around the Blackwell sisters as they stare at each other.

Indecision paralyzes Jessie. She can’t recall any memories of her sister. The name came from Warwick and the voice triggers something, but no specifics. She feels a knee-jerk reaction of fear. And that just makes her angry.

For her part, Madeline smiles with apparent sincerity. Jessie feels a strong urge to knock those perfect teeth down her throat for reasons she doesn’t quite understand but happily embraces.

“Well,” Madeline finally says, “this feels awkward.”

Again, her voice cuts into Jessie. It grates her like fingernails on a chalkboard. Her lips curl into a sneer, a slight growl escaping.

“You’re looking at me like I’m a stranger. Don’t you remember me?”

“No,” Jessie answers with bile in her throat, “but I know who you are. You better have a good goddamn reason why I shouldn’t splatter your head on the fucking sidewalk.”

The violent imagery causes Madeline to take a step back. “Wow. I suppose I shouldn’t have expected a more amicable reunion.”

She gasps as Jessie reaches out and clutches the front of her overcoat. She yanks Madeline forcibly down to her furious face. Hazel eyes shift to a glassy darkness that Madeline can nearly see herself in. A dark and menacing power dwells within the hellblood’s voice.

“The only thing you can expect from me is a painful death and an unmarked fucking grave!”

“Jessica!”

The voice behind her is harsh and superior. It’s not as familiar as her sister’s, but it strikes the same chord within her. She looks over her shoulder with a dark glare. Adrian scowls at her with stone-faced fury. By his side, Matthew stares without a clear expression.

The numbers are suddenly against her. She’s dreaded these people for years, consciously or otherwise. Yet, now that they’re face to face, Jessie replaces she’s not afraid.

“Let her go,” Adrian commands.

Jessie sneers at the order. Her sister encourages compliance. “Please do as he asks, Jessica.”

When Jessie looks back at Madeline, the wizard’s eyes are wide and intense. Her pupils seem to expand, the black centers nearly consuming the deep brown irises. “Release me, and we can discuss this like rational people. No sense in making a scene.”

Her grip loosens before she realizes it. Magic. She’s seen Warwick use it enough to know it when she sees it. Re-establishing her hold, Jessie snorts at the attempt to control her. She takes a brief moment to enjoy the surprise that takes Madeline’s face before growling at her. “Oh, I’ll let you go alright.”

A frightened squeak escapes Madeline as Jessie whips her around. Madeline’s feet leave the ground, losing one expensive shoe in the process, and she flies toward her brothers.

Adrian sidesteps the unconventional attack. Fortunately for Madeline, Matthew steps into her, sending them both tumbling. The eldest Blackwell glares as Jessie darts into the street. Cars honk and swerve, narrowly avoiding the reckless flight. Unbuttoning his blazer, Adrian runs after her, sliding over the hood of a taxi as he goes.

Once on the other side of the street, Jessie shoulder-checks a bystander out of the way and dashes into an alley. She runs into a small lot that serves as a loading area for the business nearby. A high fence brings her to a halt. She turns to face the alleyway as Adrian appears at its mouth.

“Was that really worth doing?” he asks, slowing his approach to a menacing stalk. “There’s nowhere to run.”

“You think I was running?” She slowly looks up at him. Dark, furious eyes glare. “I was just trying to separate you, asshole.”

With an animal roar, she charges. Adrian falls back on his heels, caught off-guard by her sudden aggression. He throws forward a hand, unleashing a wave of translucent blue energy. He feels a jarring rattle as his kid sister smashes through the attack like it’s nothing. Gritting his teeth, he launches another, with no more effectiveness.

Before he can curse the failure of his defenses, Jessie strikes him across the jaw. He gasps in spite of himself. The blow lands with enough force to crush the bones of most, but Adrian Blackwell is not most. He sets his feet and answers with a strike of his own. Jessie’s head whips back as he lands his fist on her nose.

Surprised by the minute impact of her attack and the sudden counter, Jessie stumbles backward. Another blow flies toward her head before she knows what’s happening. She narrowly ducks it and answers with another, but her brother blocks it with impressive grace. A backhand blow nearly spins her around, and the forearm to the back of the head that quickly follows sends her to her knees.

Adrian seizes a handful of hair and jerks the hellblood to her feet. Whipping her arm around his, Jessie forces his hand away from her hair and pins his limb to her side. Adrian howls in pain as she drives her head into his face. She moves to repeat the assault, but he grasps her by the throat.

Using his substantial size advantage, Adrian lifts her up and rushes toward the wall of the surrounding buildings. Masonry cracks as he violently slams the back of her head into it.

He holds firm on her throat. He pulls her away, only to drive her back into the wall again and again. A pile of brick shards and reddish dust collects at his feet before he finally releases her. Jessie crumbles, joining the debris.

Adrian walks away, brushing dirt from his clothes. “I bet you expected that first punch to be the end of it, right?” He casually approaches a nearby dumpster. “For most wizards, it would have been. But you see, I figured out a long time ago that, as powerful as we are, we could be killed as easily as anyone else. Some random thug on the street could drop us with a single bullet if he caught us off-guard.”

Taking a handkerchief out of his pocket, Adrian wipes down parts of the waste receptacle. “So I decided to focus my magic inward. I used it to shape myself into an unstoppable force. Stronger, faster, tougher than any human can be. My energies are woven into every tissue, every fiber, into the very marrow in my bones.

“The result,” Adrian clutches the dumpster, and with a grunt of effort lifts it above his head, “is pretty damned impressive.”

Jessie looks up, bleary-eyed, just in time to see her brother slam the massive metal box down onto her.

A sound not unlike a car crash welcomes Madeline and Matthew as they hurry through the alleyway. They replace Adrian standing near a semi-crushed dumpster, glaring at the mess with hard eyes. Madeline quickly identifies a limp arm sticking out from beneath the container. Black blood is splattered on the wall and oozes across the concrete.

“Adrian!” she shouts angrily as she paces toward him. “Dad wanted her alive!”

She comes to a sudden halt when Adrian snaps his gaze toward her like a coiling snake. He storms her way with a furious gait that prompts her to take a step back. He comes to a stop inches from her face.

“She deserved to die!” he spits. “I don’t give a shit what Dad wants!”

Madeline steels herself and stares into his fury. Her voice is hard, but calm. “You had better hope we can scrape her up and put her back together. Because if we can’t, we’ll all answer for it.”

Calming some, Adrian steps back and shakes his head. “This isn’t about Dad, and you know it. You have defended her since the day she murdered our mother. You’re more upset about that freak over there being dead than her.”

The Blackwell sister’s lip trembles and her eyes water with rage. “You arrogant, loathsome, piece of sh- !”

Before the argument can escalate, Matthew clasps a hand on both siblings’ shoulders. He shakes his head at them and taps his watch. Madeline takes a deep breath and nods. “He’s right. This isn’t the time for this. We’ll discuss it later.”

“I don’t have anything else to say,” says Adrian.

“Well, I do,” Madeline snorts back, “and you will listen to every single word.”

A heavy metal scraping interrupts them. All three Blackwells look to the dumpster to replace it moving slightly. Adrian steps toward it, his eyes narrow. “How in the- ?”

Suddenly, the dumpster flies toward them. Matthew grabs his sister by the arm and yanks her toward him, turning his body to shield her. Adrian raises a forearm to protect his face. The massive projectile clips him, twisting him around and toppling him.

Madeline looks past Matthew and gasps. The silent Blackwell looks over his shoulder and his eyes widen.

Jessie stands in a pool of her own blood. Black stains mar her clothes. The garments are tattered and torn, leaving a shoulder and a chunk of her left thigh exposed. Both areas are badly wounded. Blood mats her hair and it clings to her neck and face. Her dark orbs stare out from the strands of ebony and crimson that hang before them. After a few heavy, labored breaths, Jessie lets out a booming roar.

Madeline flinches at the frightening sound. Matthew steps forward, the roar triggering his memory of the day the hellblood killed his mother. He’s afraid of the beast that stands before him, but his love for his lost parent fuels his courage. Setting his feet, he runs two fingers down the length of his arm. As if he were striking a match, electricity crackles at his fingertips. When he reaches his palm, his spell ignites. Throwing his arms open, he launches a massive bolt of electrical fury.

Lightning leaps across the loading area, cascading a bluish light across the walls of the buildings. Bolts of electricity jump around Jessie’s body as she screams and convulses. She drops to a knee and drives her fist into the ground. Gritting her teeth, she bares the assault. Once the lightning fades, she lifts her gaze and locks it on her attacker.

Matthew’s arms drop to his sides as he stares in shock. He remembers the day he first used that spell. Four wizards were plotting against his father. He rendered all four to ash with a single casting. His sister looked nothing more than annoyed by it.

Jessie rises from the concrete unfazed. Matthew continues to stare even as she sprints toward him, animal rage on her face.

By the time he realizes he has to defend himself, it’s too late. He lifts his arms, but Jessie simply ducks beneath them and drives her shoulder into his stomach with enough force to pick him up off the ground.

His mutism is optional. Matthew can speak if he chooses. He just doesn’t. Nothing illustrates that more than the shout of shock and pain, followed by a sickened groan as Jessie drives him to the ground.

Matthew curls up in a ball, holding his midsection and moaning in agony. Jessie growls at him as she lifts her hand, bares her deadly nails, and prepares to finish the job.

Before she can drop the killing stroke, Madeline comes from behind and clasps both hands on either side of her head.

Jessie gasps, her eyes widening. Madeline chants words of power. Her fingertips tap against Jessie’s skull, temples, and cheekbones like she was typing on a keyboard.

Jessie’s eyes return to their natural hazel and roll back in her head. Madeline’s eyes do the same as she tilts her head back. Madeline frowns as she plies her spell against Jessie’s powerful resistance. She starts and nearly loses her focus when the hellblood’s hands snap up to grab her wrists, but she perseveres. Chanting louder and tapping faster, Madeline calls upon her deepest powers to dive into her little sister’s mind. It’s delicate magic, and difficult to do even with a willing participant.

She relaxes slightly when Jessie’s arms fall limply to her sides. The hellblood’s eyelids flutter and her head sways, but Madeline does not relent. It isn’t until her grasp is the only thing keeping Jessie upright, that she releases her. Jessie collapses without as much as a whimper.

Madeline kneels beside Matthew in time to see him spit out a mouthful of blood. She places both hands on his side and pours magic into his body, mending bones and sewing tissue. Matthew clutches one of her hands in his silent thanks. Bending down, she kisses him on the head before playfully tussling his hair.

She rises and looks down at Jessie as Adrian steps up beside her. “What did you do?”

“What Dad wanted. We won’t just take her to him alive; she’ll willingly come with us.”

“Why?”

Before she can answer his question, Jessie stirs. Adrian moves toward her, but Madeline stops him. He glances at her, but she just stares at Jessie. Calming, Adrian does the same.

The youngest Blackwell slowly lifts her head from the pavement. Pulling the sticky hair away from her face, she looks around in confusion. Rising to her knees, her hazel eyes dart about frantically.

“Jessica,” Madeline calls calmly.

She whips her head around to the trio. “Madeline. What’s going on?”

“Relax.” Madeline takes a few steps toward her. “Do you know where we are?”

Jessica glances around. “No,” she answers, her voice cracking.

“We’re in Carmadie,” Adrian replies, watching her closely.

“Carmadie? How did I get here?” Jessica hugs her knees and rocks back and forth. “I’m out of the House!” she cries. “I’m not supposed to be out of the House without permission!”

“Shhh. Dad will explain everything.” Madeline offers her hand. “Come along.” After a slight hesitation, Jessica takes her hand and comes to her feet. “Good girl. Now, why don’t you step out onto the street and look around? First time in a new city. We have to talk about something and we’ll be right there.”

With a nod, Jessica heads for the alley. As she walks past Adrian, he suddenly steps forward and slaps her across the face. Jessica drops to the ground with absolutely no resistance. She rubs her cheek and stares helplessly up at her brother. “What the hell are you doing? Fight back.”

Jessica only stares at him as if he is speaking a foreign language. “Wh-what?”

“Get up!” he shouts. “Go to the street and wait for us!”

Without a word, Jessica scrambles to her feet and runs. Madeline glares at him. “Was that really necessary?”

“What did you do?”

“I locked away the last few years of her memories. She remembers us, she’ll remember Dad, but she won’t remember being a hellblood. She won’t remember being able to fight back.”

Adrian only grunts in approval.

“We do have a problem, however. Did you sense it?”

Adrian scoffs. His sister knows quite well that sensing things was never his strong suit. “Just tell me.”

Matthew taps him on the arm and holds his hands up as though they are tied together. Adrian growls and turns away from his brother. “I don’t have time for charades.”

After a roll of her eyes, Madeline answers. “She’s bound.”

The inconvenience causes Adrian to scowl. “I see.”

“I’ll call Dad and see what he wants to do about it.”

“Don’t bother. I know exactly what to do. We replace who she’s bound to, and we kill them.”

Adrian storms through the alley with his siblings following close behind. “She’s not going to know who it is. She won’t remember,” Madeline points out.

The trio steps out onto the street and Adrian looks toward the building they found their quarry exiting. Toward House Morneau. “Well, then. We’ll just have to go ask them.”