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A portal swirled in front of me, Victoria and Boomer appearing at my side. Gripping my scythe with an anxious smile, a decaying museum taunted me. Stepping through the portal, it sealed shut behind us. Paintings of all styles played like movies, the serene scenes clashing with the dark ones. Empty footfalls echoed all around me, a sharpened paintbrush whistled by my head. The paintbrush quivered in the wall, our heads turning slowly behind us. A rotting painter tilted his head to the left, maggots squirming underneath his gray skin. A torn painter’s coat hung off of his yellowed bones, another paintbrush spun in his fingers. Half of his skull greeted me, horror rounded my eyes. These bastards tended to run, not attack. Blocking his next attack with my scythe, the ping had him cursing under his breath.
“I would hate to be a critic but your art is dreadful.” I teased with a sinister grin, my silky rockabilly dress dancing in a cold breeze. Clicking my tongue in disapproval, his temper visibly flared. Leaping into a painting of a haunted house, it was nice to feel how Blue felt. Kicking the front door open, twisted hallways taunted me. The painter knocked the door off of its hinges, Victoria yanking me into a random door. Staring around the room, weapons lined the walls. Noting a bed, I rolled underneath it. Boomer laid down in front of me, an idea coming to mind. The portal to Hell had to be somewhere in one of the paintings. Victoria covered my mouth, his holey boots groaning across the floors. Holding my breath, glass smashed onto the floor. Giving up after a few minutes, he marched down the hall. Rolling out cautiously, fear lingered in my eyes. Poking my head out the door, we had to get out of this painting. Hell wasn’t in this place, my destination not anywhere near this one. Sprinting towards the front door, Boomer's barking had me skidding to a stop. The painter blocked my path, my fingers catching the paintbrush in between my fingers. Flicking it in his direction, his body crashed into a nearby room. Jumping out the front door, every muscle protested the moment I hit the wooden floor. Leaping into the next painting, the short press of dots had me on a sinking boat. Horror rounded my eyes at the painter drowning the outside of the painting with paint thinner, a glowing match creating more shadows on his face. Flicking it onto it, the main character pointed to the shrinking hole in the back. The bald man begged for us to go, our feet bounding towards the back. A sigh of relief poured from my lips the moment we made it through, my jaw hitting the floor. Everyone from the Mona Lisa to the screaming man on the boat was walking around a Vincent Van Gogh style of a park, Victoria cupping her cheeks. Boomer bounced around my feet, the doors for all the paintings in the world were hidden within the tree trunks. Screams shattered the peaceful environment, the painter pointing another one of his paintbrushes in my direction. Opening up his mouth, the idiot had cut out his tongue. Shaking my head, I closed my eyes. Breathing in deeply, a heat throbbed underneath my boots. Following the red string in my head, a black dart appeared in my palm. Releasing it with a powerful flick, it landed on the tree guarding the way to Hell. Opening my eyes, the park was empty. A paintbrush quivered in my shoulders, Victoria apologizing sincerely. Glancing behind me, the door I needed was ten trees away from me. Plucking his paintbrush from my shoulder, raw fury burned in his eyes the moment it clattered to my feet. Spinning my scythe over my head, inky ribbons swirled around me. Blocking his brushes with ease, Boomer tugged on the hem of my dress.
“Oh, shit!” I yelled out loud, the color draining from my cheeks. Thousands of paint brushes floated in front of me, my boots crunching through the painted grass. Victoria took the brunt of the attack, her form glitching. Shaking my head, she wasn’t going to die on me. Snatching her hand, one nod had Boomer opening the door with his teeth. Throwing Victoria in first, Boomer pushed me in with him. The door slammed shut behind us, the painter banging his fist violently on the other side. Victoria’s form solidified, brightly painted flames surrounded us. Tapping my foot underneath me, the floor was weak. Hearing the bowels of Hell, a plan formulated in my mind. Turning towards Victoria, my hand rubbed the back of my neck.
“I need you to go home and tell Matty to pick me up at my father’s castle.” I choked out with a shaky grin. “You can’t go into Hell.” Hesitation lingered in her eyes, her arms scooping up Boomer. Fading away, she needed to heal completely. Getting down on my knees, I used my scythe to claw at the wood. The door blew open, my hands snatching his ankle had surprise rounding his eyes. The floor gave out, my grip taking him down with me. Splashing into a river of ruby, the floor repaired itself over our heads. Waves smashed us under, his paintbrush slamming into my leg. Cursing in between gasps of air, my fingers curled around his neck. Throwing him onto the jet black beach, his garbled coughs haunted my ears as I pulled myself onto the beach. Whipping the water off of my scythe, I raised it over my head. Swinging it into his neck, his body decayed to ash. Ringing out my dress, several howls had chills running up my spine. Cupping my bump, I had something to protect. Leaving the paintbrush in my leg, every limp had me whimpering in pain. Unfolding my wings, water weighed them down. Leaning on my scythe, my vision blurred. Climbing the stairs, a cracked sidewalk greeted my boots. Staring out at the stormy sky, thunder rumbled in the distance. Ruby rain splattered to life, the damn drops soaking me to the bone. Slicking my hair back, a transportation spell would help me out. Low growls had me spinning on my heels, a pack of demon wolves had me stumbling back. Landing on my ass, the wolves splashed closer to me. The ruby ocean would be a better place than this shit, my fingers curling around the paintbrush. Letting it go, it would be useless to rip it out. Bleeding out would defeat the purpose of all my work, the water soaking me draining my powers. Staring down at the beach, the cave system caught my eyes. Rolling off the sidewalk, sand stuck to me with every creaking bone. Struggling to my feet, a strong pair of arms scooped me up. Uncle Mike’s kind gaze relaxed my fraying nerves, his wings carrying me out of Hell and into Heaven. Carrying me into a golden office, he plopped me into a fluffy chair. A loud fuck escaped my lips at him tearing the paintbrush from my leg, his stern look shutting me down. Healing my leg with a silent spell, a long sigh poured from my lips at the agony fading away to a dull throb. Offering me his elbow, his ivory robe felt soft against my bare skin. Snapping his fingers, a matching robe replaced my dirty dress. Staring at my magically cleaned hair, his powers were on a whole new level. Stepping out of his office, wonder illuminated my features at the endless garden. Tracing my fingers along the sea of colorful blossoms, he spun me around to face him. Placing his hands on my shoulders, pride glistened in his eyes.
“This is my office. You are always welcome here. The rest of Heaven is off limits but I am sure you are fine with that.” He spoke eloquently, the warmth of his space enough to make anyone relax in seconds. Too stunned to speak, my hands lingered on my hips.
“You talk about everything else with everyone else.” He continued with a bright smile, his hands motioning towards a wooden bench. “Forgive me for being jealous.” Plopping down with a groan, his smile couldn’t get any bigger as he crashed down next to me. Leaning forward, I rested my head on my hands.
“What do you want-”I began, his palm rising giving me pause. Yanking me into a bear hug, his warmth was something else. Burying my face into his shoulder, my emotions soaked his shoulders. Everything from today hit me, the near loss of Victoria shaking me to my core. The ruby rain didn’t aid me in the least, my powers getting drained had me stuck in an endless loop of fear and confusion. Releasing me, he dropped a vial of golden liquid into my palm.
“If you tell me why you are shaking like a leaf, you can have the permanent antidote to that darn rain.” He offered sincerely, my eyes rolling at his little deal. Another wave of negative thoughts had me paralyzed in the growing pit of my stress and despair. Popping off the top, I downed the liquid. Heat coursed through my veins, my power returning with a vengeance. The garden doubled, Uncle Mike laying me down on the bench.
“I forgot that the sole side effect was a bit of tiredness.” He shrugged off nonchalantly, tucking a pillow under my head. “Don’t worry. You are perfectly safe here. I wouldn’t let anyone harm you or that little bun in your oven. Sorry about the dr-” Sweet slumber stole me away before he could finish, my last thought falling on what Matty would do.
Sucking in a deep breath as I jerked awake, the singing birds in his garden had a migraine throbbing to life. Coming in with a tray of tea, he sprinkled a strange flower into the steaming teapot. Narrowing my eyes in his direction, he never made one bad move towards me. Setting it on a worn wooden table, he arranged a couple of bowls neatly across from each other. Dishing out wonton soup, his natural smile met my pensive expression.
“I won’t hurt you. Matty gave me this soup and tea.” He announced with glittering eyes, the bench groaning as I rose to my feet. “It is nice to see you up. He said that you can come home anytime tonight.” My lips curled into a half-smirk, his brow dripping with sweat.
“Have you ever had wonton soup or food in general?” I teased playfully, his bated breath flooding from his lips. “I am happy you protected me from the rain.” Hearty laughter burst from his lips, his hand motioning for me to sit. Plopping down awkwardly, his shaking hands almost made him human. Pouring the tea for him, the seat squeaked the moment he crashed into his chair.
“I don’t eat human food that often.” He admonished sheepishly, dropping a couple of sugars into his golden teacup. “You generally have to know people who you want to eat human food with.” Did I detect a bit of sarcasm? Laughing to myself, his sense of humor was akin to mine. Bewilderment mixed with an adorable smirk, his finger tracing the rim of his teacup. Someone was begging for a bit of family time, another chuckle leaving my lips.
“Why don’t you come for family dinner with Lucifer once a week? We are all there. I will visit you up here once a month or so.” I suggested with my natural smile, his features illuminating much like a child on Christmas day. “I will bring up all sorts of games for us to play.” Pressing his palms together, his wings unfolded with pure bliss.
“Sounds great.” He replied quickly with an eager excitement, his loneliness hiding in his bright smile. “Let’s eat and you can fill in the blanks with me.” Answering his questions, the dinner was quite lovely. Spending time with him was calming, almost endearing. Something about him had your anxieties melting away, the mixture of emotions flashing on his face speaking volumes.
“You can stop feeling bad about what you couldn’t stop.” I pointed out bluntly, his smile fading enough for me to notice. “People like me don’t want sympathy. If I am honest, we much prefer respect and maybe an open ear. Life is better now. I meant my life, not Life.” Hiding his smile behind his hand, scarlet burned his cheeks.
“You are fucking hilarious as your father.” He joked blithely, his hand waving around. “You remind me of him before our father took it all away. They got into a bit of a tiff about how to run things and he wasn’t incorrect. I can assume that you are as stubborn as them if you made it this far. I don’t know what is going on between them but they refuse to talk to each other besides the meetings.” My attention perked up at the concept of a meeting, the dishes rattling the moment I slammed my palms on the table.
“You need to get me into one of those meetings.” I pleaded with puppy dogs eyes, excitement burning in my eyes. “I might be able to fix th-” Leaning back in his chair, his head shook in defiance.
“You can try but I doubt you will get anywhere.” He scoffed in disbelief, my brow twitching at his response. “Their blood feud runs deep. Lucifer wanted to give the humans free will and God did not. God is more lenient these days but his pride gets in the way.” Marching out of his garden, my eyes scanned the clouds for what would be a potential office for God. Uncle Mike’s protests fell on deaf ears, lightning crackling along my skin. Stomping past disdained angels, a line spoke of the big guy on top. Shoving my way through, silent tears stained my cheeks. Placing my hands on my hips in front an elderly man in ivory robes, his fingers running through his silky ivory waves. Icy blue eyes met mine, the others protesting behind me. Rising to his feet, a furious snarl contorted his features.
“Who let the mutt in?” He demanded hotly, hurt dimming my eyes.
"I don’t want to see this trash!” Violent sobs wracked my body, my fists clenching. No wonder they didn’t get along, my next words shocking me.
“Fuck you!” I shouted through a wall of tears, a poisoned silence tainting the peaceful atmosphere. “I did not survive abuse to be treated this way! My father is changing and you need to see that! Yeah, he did the whole revolution thing! Your ears were shut! Screw you!” Pushing through the pain, God pinned me to the wall.
“Lucifer can rot in Hell for what he did!” He bellowed back, the angels waiting with bated breath. “I control the Earth and you dare to defy me!” Kicking him off of me, I pressed my scythe into his throat. Wicked laughter rumbled in my throat, another jolt of lightning causing me to twitch.
“I do dare!” I retorted venomously, Uncle Mike hanging back. “It is not fair that I had to be the one to build his family back! I would kill you for him if you dare harm him.” Lowering my scythe, horror rounded my eyes at God raising a lightning bolt over his head. Pure rage burned in his eyes, Uncle Mike grabbing his arm with a hiss.
“Don’t you dare harm her.” He retaliated boldly, forcing God to toss his lightning bolt to the side. “I quit. I quit being your right hand man. If this is how you treat family, I can’t stand by you. I choose to fall from grace myself until you see your wicked ways. Let’s go, Lily!” Snatching me by my waist, his wings shot us out of Heaven. A smoky gray devoured his wings, his blade darkening to a dull gray. Guilt ate at me, his hand ruffling my hair as we landed in front of my house.
“I am so proud of you.” He proclaimed with his natural smile, his fingers playing with his feathers. “This color suits me better and my new dark powers should be quite fun.” Stammering next to him with a fresh wave of tears hitting my boots, his hands cupped my face. Wiping away my tears with his thumb, freedom flickered to life in his eyes.
“Your life is ruined!” I panicked audibly, the full force of what I had done hitting me hard. Did I start a revolution? Burying me into shoulder, my fingers gripped his robes. Sobbing wildly into his chest, his chin rested on my head.
“You didn’t start a war. I almost did.” He assured me meekly, a quiet laugh tumbling from his lips. “God would have you cooked at this point if that was how he felt.” A single white lily drifted aimlessly from the sky, a card flicking in the wind. Catching it in my palm, it was an invitation to the next meeting with our names on it. An apology was scribbled in the corner, Uncle Mike huffing in disbelief.
“He never apologizes.” He growled, his real smile returning. “He can’t let you in after that show.” Taking a step, I crossed my hands. Clearing my throat, the lights began to flicker on.
“If you help with the store and protect us, you can live with me.” I stuttered coyly, my boots digging in the dirt. “You fell because of me.” Shrugging his shoulders, Lucifer popped up next to him.
“I will host my rebellious brother. How about that!” Lucifer teased, stealing Uncle Mike away. Standing with my hands on my hips, the lily glowed in the early morning light. Matty came out with our girl in his left arm, his loving gaze reminding me of what I had. Please grant me the luck I would need in my fresh Hell!
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