The Return: Midnight Chapter 36

flatness broke a lot of traffic rules on the way to the Saitousstreet. Meredith leaned on the console between the two front seats so that she could think the digital clock ticking d throw to midnight, and so that she could watch the transformation of Mrs. F low-pitcheders. At pass her recently sane, sensible mind forced words out of her mouth. Mrs. Flowers youre changing.Yes, Meredith, dear. close to of it is due to the sm altogether(a) present that Sage left for me. Some of it is my cause wil to re plow to the days when I was in my prime. I believe that this wil be my last fight, so I dont mind using al my vitality in it. Fel s Church must be saved. hardly Mrs. Flowers the large number here Well, they holdnt always been exactly nice mo nononous stammered his way to a stop.The tidy sum here atomic number 18 worry people e rattlingwhere,Mrs. Flowers said calmly. dish out them as youd like to be treated, and things wil be fine. It was and when Id let myself s ire a bitter, l acely all overage woman, always resentful of the fact that I had had to expel my home into a boardingho utilization scantily to subscribe ends meet, that people began to treat me Well, at best as a loony over-the-hill hag.Oh, Mrs. Flowers and weve been such a squabble to youMeredith found the words coming without her volition.Youve been the legal transfer of me, child. Dear Stefan was the start, hardly as you can imagine, he didnt indispensableness to beg off al his little differences to me, and I was suspicious of him. only when he was always cordial and respectful and Elena was like sunlight, and mediocre like laughter. Eventual y, when I dropped my hidebound barriers, so did you young iodines. I wont hypothesise more about(predicate) those who atomic number 18 present so as not to embarrass you, and youve d unity me a world of good. planeness ran another(prenominal) stop bless and cleared his throat. Then, the steering wheel wavering slightly , he cleared his throat again.Meredith took over. I think what insipid and I both want to say isWell, its that youve be tote up truly special to us, and we dont want to see you get hurt. This involution Is a battle for al I hold dear. For al my memories. O.K. when I was a child and the boardingho wont was built it was just a home, then, and I was very happy. As a young woman, I was very happy. And now that I arrive at lived long comme il faut to be an old woman Well, besides you children, I Stillhave friends like Sophia Alpert and Orime Saitou. They are both mend women, and very good at it. We Stilltalk about different uses for my herbs. matted snapped his fingers. Thats another reason I was confused,he said. Because Dr. Alpert said that you and Mrs. Saitou were such good people. I thought she meant the old Mrs. Saitou Who is not a Mrs. Saitouat all,Mrs. Flowers said, almost sharply. I have no idea what her name palpable y is perhaps she is real y Inari, a deity gone bad . Ten years ago, I didnt know what made Orime Saitou suddenly so diffident and quiet. at a clipping I realize that it began just around the era hermothermoved in with her. I was quite a fond of young Isobel, but she suddenly became aloof in an unchildlike way.Now I understand. And I am determined to fight for her and for you and for a townsfolk that is worth saving. Human lives are very, very precious. And now here we are.Matt had just turned onto the Saitousblock. Meredith took a jiffy to openly stare at the finger in the front passenger seat. Mrs. Flowersshe exclaimed.This made Matt turn to stare in his turn and what he saw made him powder magazine a Volkswagen Jetta parked by the sidewalk.Mrs. Flowers?Please park now, Matt. You neednt cal me Mrs. Flowers if you dont want to. I have returned to the time when I was Theophilia when my friends cal ed me Theo.But how why ?Matt stuttered.I told you. I felt that it was time. Sage left me a benefaction that facilitatee d me change. An enemy beyond your powers to fight has arisen. I felt this back at the boardinghouse. This is the time that I have been waiting for. The last battle with the accredited enemy of Fel s Church.Merediths heart actual y seemed ready to fly ball out of her chest. She had to be calm calm and logical. She had seen magic many times. She knew the run across of it, the feel of it. But frequently she had been too busy comforting Bonnie, or too worried about aiding Bonnie to take in what she was facing.Now, it was just her and Matt and Matt had a stricken, stupefied look, as if he hadnt seen enough magic before. As if he might crack.Matt,she said loudly, and then withal louder, Matt He turned, then, to look at her, with his blue look crackers and dark.Theyl kill her, Meredithhe said. Shinichi and Misao you dont know what it feels likeCome on,Meredith said. We have to make sure that it doesnt kil her.The dazed look passed from Matts eye. We have to do this,he concord simp ly.Right,said Meredith, final y releasing him. Together they got out of the auto to stand by Mrs. Flowers no, by Theo.Theo had tomentum cerebri that hung almost to her waist so fair that it looked silver in the moonlight. Her face was electrifying. It was young young and proud, with undefiled features and a look of quiet determination. somehow during the drive, her clothes had changed too.Instead of a coat covered with bits of paper, she was wearing a sleeveless snow-covered night rationalize that ended in a slight train.In style, it reminded Meredith a little of the mermaiddress she herself had worn when going to a bal in the vague Dimension. But Merediths dress had only made her look sultry. Theo lookedmagnificent.As for the Post-it Note amulets some(prenominal)way the paper had dis egressed and the writing had grown enormously, changing into very large scrawls that wrap around the white gown. Theo was literal y swathed in haute couture arcane protection.And although she was vibrating reed slender, she was tal . Tal er than Meredith, tal er than Matt, tal er than Stefan, wherever he was in the Dark Dimensions. She was this tal not only because she had grown so much, but because the train of her dress was just brushing the fundament. She had entirely overcome gravity. The whip, Sages present to her, was coiled into a circle attached to her waist, shining as silver as her tomentum cerebri.Matt and Meredith simultaneously closed the SUVs entrances.Matt left the engine running for a quick getaway.They walked around the garage so that they could see the front of the house. Meredith, not caring what she looked like or whether she seemed cool or in control, wiped her work force, one and then the other, on her jeans. This was the outfits first and possibly only true battle. What counted was not appearance, but performance.Both she and Matt stopped dead when they saw the figure standing at the bottom of the steps in front of the porch. It was no one they could identify from the house. But then the crimson lips opened, the delicate hands flew up to cover them, and wind-chime laughter came from somewhere behind the hands.For a moment they could only stare, fascinated, at this woman who was dressed al in saturnine. She was ful y as tal as Theo, ful y as slender and graceful, and she was floating adequate y high off the ground. But what Meredith and Matt were staring at was the fact that her hair was like Misaos or Shinichis but reversed. Whereas they had black hair with a crimson fringe on the bottom, this woman had crimson hair yards and yards of it, with a black fringe al around it. Not only that, but she had delicate black fox ears emerging from the crimson hair, and a long sleek crimson tail, tipped with black.Obaasan?Matt gasped in disbelief.InariMeredith snapped.The lovely creature didnt even look at them. She was staring at Theo in contempt. Tiny witch of a tiny town,she said.Youve used nearly al your business leader just to stand up to my level. What good are you?I have very smal index fingers,Theo agreed. But if the town is worthless, why has it taken you so long to destroy it? Why have you watched others try or were they all your pawns, Inari? Katherine, Klaus, poor young Tyler were they your pawns, Kitsune Goddess?Inari laughed Stillthat chiming, female childish giggling, behind her fingers. I dont need pawns Shinichi and Misao are my bond-servants, as al kitsune are If I have left them some freedom, it has been so they can get experience. Wel go on to larger cities now, and scourge them.You have to take Fel s Church first,Theo said steadily. And I wont let you do that.You Stilldont understand, do you? You are a human, with almost no Power left Mine is the largest star bal in the worlds I am a GoddessTheo lowered her head, then lifted it to look Inari in the eyes.Do you want to know what I think the truth is, Inari?she said.I think that you have come to the end of a long, long, but not immortal life. I think you have dwindled so that at last you need to use a great deal of Power from your star bal wherever it is to appear this way. You are a very, very ancient woman and you have been backing children against their own parents, and parents against children across the world because you envy the childrens youth. You have even come to envy Shinichi and Misao, and let them be hurt, as revenge.Matt and Meredith looked at to each one other with wide eyes. Inari was breathing rapidly, but it seemed she couldnt think of anything to say.Youve even fictional to have entered a second childhoodto behave girlishly. But none of it satisfies you, because the plain, piteous truth is that you have come to the end of your long, long lifetime no matter how great your Power. We must al take that final journey, and it is your turn now.Liarshrieked Inari, looking for a moment more vivid more radiant than before. But then Meredith saw why. Her scarlet hair had actual y begun to smolder, framing her face in a dance red light. And at last she spoke venemously.Well, then, if you think this is my last battle, I must be sure to cause al the pain I can. Starting with you, witch.Meredith and Matt both gasped. They were afraid for Theo, especial y as Inaris hair was braiding itself into thick ropes like serpents that floated around her head as if she were Medusa.The gasps were a mistake they attracted Inaris attention.But she didnt move. She only said, Smel that sweet scent on the wind? A roast sacrifice I think the response wil be oishii delicious But perhaps you two would like to give tongue to to Orime or Isobel one last time. Im afraid they cant come out to see you.Merediths heart was pounding violently in her throat, as she realized that the Saitoushouse was on fire. It seemed as if at that place were several smal fires burning, but she was terrified at the significance that Inari had already done something to the mother and daughter.No, Mattshe cried, grabbing Matts arm. He would have supercharged straight at the laughing black-clad woman and tried to attack her feet and seconds were invaluable now.Come help me find themTheo came to their aid. Drawing up the white bul whip, she whirled it at a time around her head and cracked it precisely on Inaris raised hands, passing a bloody gash on one. As a enraged Inari turned back to her, Meredith and Matt ran.The back introduction,Matt said as they look atered around the side of the house. Up ahead they saw a woody enclose, but no gate. Meredith was just considering using the stave to pole-vault, when Matt panted, presentand made a cradle of his hands for her to step into. Il boost you overMeredith hesitated only an instant. Then, as he skidded to a stop she jumped to place one foot in his inter-locked fingers.Suddenly she was flying upward. She made the most of it, landing, catlike, on the fences flat top, and then jumping down. She could hear Matt scrambling up the fence as she was suddenly surrounded by black smoke. She jumped backward lead feet and yel ed, Matt, the smoke is dangerous Get low hold your breath. Stay extracurricular to help them when I bring them outMeredith had no idea whether Matt would listen to her or not, but she obeyed her own rules, crouching low, breath held, opening her eyes briefly to try to find the door.Then she almost jumped out of her pare at the sound of an axe crashing into wood, of wood splintering, and of the axe crashing again. She opened her eyes and saw that Matt hadnt listened to her, but she was glad because hed found the door. His face was black with soot. It was locked,he explained, hefting the axe.Any optimism Meredith might have felt splintered like the door as she looked inside and saw only flames and more flames.My God, she thought, anyone in on that point is roasting, is probably dead already.But where had that thought come from? Her knowledge or her fear? Meredith couldnt just stop now. She took a ste p into searing heat and shouted, Isobel Mrs. Saitou Where are you?There was a weak, choking scream. Thats the kitchenshe said.Matt, its Mrs. Saitou Please go get herMatt obeyed, but threw over his shoulder, Dont you go farther in.Meredith had to go farther in. She remembered very well where Isobels room was. Directly under her grandmothers.Isobel Isobel Can you hear me?Her vox was so low and husky from smoke that she knew she had to keep going.Isobel might be unconscious or too hoarse to answer.Meredith dropped to her knees, crawling on the ground where the air was slightly cooler and more clear.Okay. Isobels room. She didnt want to touch the door handle with her hand, so she wrapped her T-shirt around it.The handle wouldnt turn. Locked. She didnt bother to investigate how, she simply turned around and mule-kicked the door right beside the handle. woodwind instrument splintered. Another kick, and with a wooden scream the door swung free.Meredith was feeling pathetic now, but she needed to see the entire room. She took two strides in, and in that location academic session up on the bed in the smoky, hot, but otherwise scrupulously tidy little room was Isobel. As Meredith neared the bed she saw to her ire that the girl was tied to the brass headboard with duct tape. Two slashes of the stave took care of that. Then, amazingly, Isobel moved, raising a blackened face up to Merediths.That was when Merediths fury peaked. The girl had duct tape across her mouth, to prevent her from making any weep for help. Wincing herself to show that she knew this was going to be painful, Meredith grasped the duct tape and stripped it off. Isobel didnt cry out instead she took in lungful after lungful of smoky air.Meredith stumbled toward the closet, snatched two identical-looking white shirts, and swerved back to Isobel. There was a ful tumbler of water right beside her, on the nightstand.Meredith wondered if it had been put there deliberately to increase Isobels agony, b ut she didnt hesitate to use it. She gave Isobel a quick sip, took one herself, and then soaked each shirt. She held one over her own mouth and Isobel mimicked her, holding the wet shirt over her nose and mouth.Then Meredith grabbed her and guided her back to the door.After that it simply became a nightmare journey of crawling and kneeling and choking, pul ing Isobel with her al the time.Meredith thought it would neer end, as each inch forward became harder and harder. The stave was an unbearable cant over to heave along with her, but she refused to let go of it.Its precious, her mind said, but is it worth your life?No, Meredith thought. Not my life, but who knows what else wil be out there if I get Isobel into the cool darkness?Youl never get her there if you die because of an object.Its not an object Painful y Meredith used the stave to clear some smoldering debris from her path. It belonged to Grandpa in the time when he was sane. It fits my hand. Its not just a thingHave it y our own way, the voice said, and disappeared.Meredith was beginning to run into more debris now.Despite the cramping in her lungs, she was sure that she could make it out of the back door. She knew there should be a laundry room on her right. They should be able to feel a space there.And then suddenly in the dark something reared up and enamored her a blow on the head. It took her dimming mind a long time to come up with a name for the thing that had hurt her. Armchair.Somehow theyd crawled too far. This was the aliveness room.Meredith was flooded with horror. Theyd gone too far and they couldnt go out the front door into the midst of magical battle. They would have to backtrack, and this time make sure to find the laundry room, their gate to freedom.Meredith turned around, pul ing Isobel with her, hoping the young girl would understand what they had to do.She left the stave on the burning living room floor.Elena sobbed to get her breath, even though she was al owing Stefan to h elp her now. He ran, holding Bonnie by one hand and Elena by the other. Damon was somewhere in front scouting.It cant be far now, she kept thought. Bonnie and I both saw the brightness we both did. Just then, like a lantern put into a window, Elena saw it again.Its big, thats the problem. I keep thinking we should reach it because I have the wrong idea of what size it is in my mind.The closer we get, the bigger it gets.And thats good for us. Wel need a lot of Power. But we need to get there soon, or it could be al the Power in the universe and it wont matter. Wel be too tardy.Shinichi had indicated that they would be too late but Shinichi had been born a liar. Still, surely just beyond that low branch wasOh, dear God, she thought. Its a star ball.