Abominations (American Horror AU 3)

Chapter 3

KA-CRASH!

"Julie? It's thundering out!"

In the swamp of the backwoods near New Orleans, Chase ran to catch up to his sister, who had been looking for herbs to use in her workings. A refreshing, misty rainfall fell gracefully on the trees and on them—Chase was not bothered by water one bit, but he hated thunder; it scared him so. His stormy gray eyes were filled with fear as his mittened hands rubbed together. He hoped for the intimidating natural sound to stop.

"Stop! Julie! I'm serious! Wait up! I'm scared," he expressed with anxiety, running farther up to her as the laces of his shoes began to untie.

Julie, his fraternal twin, had crouched down near a tree, taking out a white-handled knife intending for the harvesting of herbs and taking the blade to the thin, green stem of a very leafy-looking plant. She effortlessly cut the stems of several leaves, putting them in a small Ziploc bag of many she had brought with her. She had harvested five different kinds of herbs that day, and when it started to storm, their trail in the backwoods became slower and slower. Chase curiously peered down at his sister, her deep indigo-colored hood covering her intense, layered hair.

"What's that?" he asked, his gray eyes curious as a kitten.

"Tarragon," Julie replied in her soft-spoken tone.

"I forget what that's for," Chase said with confusion. Julie looked back up into his eyes—hers were also gray, but slightly darker and more intense.

"Protection," she replied kindly, taking a leaf to her nose to sniff the fresh scent before putting it in the Ziploc bag.

"Can we go now?" Chase asked. "There's thunder and I'm getting scared."

"I thought I told you before," Julie said, standing up as the ankle-length skirt of her purple dress smoothed itself out. "A little thunder is good for the soul."

"Not for mine. But the rain isn't bothering me," he replied, adjusting his baseball cap that covered his dark blonde hair.

"A little rain is cleansing," Julie said, walking down the trail toward the marshy bayou.

Even though the ambiance of misty rain and rolling thunder took up the environment, Chase smiled at the water and giggled like a little boy during the holiday season, running toward the edge and looking down at the algae-filled, but healthily green water that was murky and somewhat dirty. Cattails stuck straight up out of the swampy pond, swaying in the wind with a few flies buzzing around the water as the mist created an eerie fog over the vicinity. Chase looked down and crouched, leaning his head down to lap up the water like a thirsty horse. Julie tapped his shoulder, crouching down next to him discouragingly.

"Don't drink that!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "You're going to get sick." He picked his head up and sighed, the taste of soil and earth running down his throat with the water he consumed.

"I'm thirsty," he said.

"Well, don't drink that," Julie said calmly; she suddenly had an idea, standing up with Chase as she glanced at him. "Watch this."

Julie removed her hood, revealing her shoulder-length, layered ice blonde hair and her marble-white skin seemed to glow in the darkness of the clouds and thunder overhead. She had striking, albeit unusual, beauty—her lips were heart-shaped with a full pucker created by the illusion of her lip gloss. Her eyes were an intense storm gray; very soulful, indeed, and always made up with neutral eyeshadow shades with a darker crease for definition. Her eyelashes were not particularly long, but they were raven black and full, and her eyebrows were shaped and filled with light brown pomade. Her face shape was a cross of round and heart, and her nose was straight and perfect. Her beauty was ghostly, to say the least. She reached out her hand, focusing on the water of the marshy bayou, and concentrated until it began to solidify, cracking and crystallizing densely as the entire area began to freeze. Julie had turned the marsh to ice with her mind alone, and Chase smiled softly at her, amazed at her power.