Circles and Wings

Chapter 48

*Jasper*

She was finally asleep, it was nearing midnight, and we all sat outside her door, waiting to see if she would wander tonight. Hunt stayed with her in her room. She didn't speak to us tonight. She was sad. Too sad for a normal Scarlett. "Is she going to be alright?" I asked no one in particular.

"She was like this after Emily died." Wrath said. "She was a shell."

"Should I try to get her to speak?" Lust asked.

"Maybe she's just in shock. It can't be easy to be choked out by the spirit of your dead mother." Gabriel offered.

"Bullshit." Raphael sneered, "She should be fine. Emily is dead, it was all in her head."

"How very typical of you." Gabriel huffed. "I'm sure she's fine. She ate something at dinner tonight. We'll just see how she is in the morning—"

He was cut off by rustling in her room. "What's that?" Wrath asked. I shrugged as we all stood. We opened her door to watch a painting that covered a door to a passage close. Scarlett wasn't in her room anymore. "Where is she?" Wrath seethed.

I put a hand on his shoulder, "There's an easy way to find out." I offered, moving towards the passage. I pulled hard on the door and it opened with a light creak. "Let's follow her." I whispered.

We all moved into the passage silently, Following its twists and turns. There was a door and a hallway. The door was locked, so we followed the hallway. It led to a viewing window that looked over a painfully white room where I saw a bare Scarlett tied to a cross. Her hands were spiked through with platinum. Incense and Mirth were in the process of staking one through her lower abdomen.

That was scary, but what was most terrifying was the fact that she didn't react to the pain. She only hung there, staring blankly into Incense's face as he held her chin. Forcing her gaze to him. "You're being so good today." Incense cooed.

A shiver ran up my spine. She didn't even flinch when Mirth hammered a stake into her stomach.

I watched her gaze gain life as she looked at Incense, truly seeing him. She had tears rolling down her cheeks. "It's my fault she's dead." She whispered.

Mirth stopped in his tracks as he moved to get another stake. "It's your fault that who's dead?" He asked, moving towards her.

She looked to him, no hope left in her eyes. "My Mom." She said lowly. She turned her gaze back to Incense, "Will you kill me?"

Incense took a step back. "What?"

"Will you kill me, like I killed her?" Scarlett reaffirmed. My heart dropped.

I watched Lust bring his hand to cover his mouth. Raphael was still as a statue. Gabriel held no expression, looking at her like she'd disappear. I looked up to Wrath beside me. He always seemed so strong. I never thought he'd cry. But I watched one solemn tear run down his cheek. I took his hand in mine, looking back to Scarlett.

"You wish to die?" Mirth asked softly. "What happened to your fire?"

She shrugged as best she could, "Why should I live with what I did?" She asked. Her tears began to flow steadier. "I don't want to fight anymore." She said lowly.

Incense and Mirth shared a look before taking action. Incense rubbed behind Scarlett's ears three times in a downward motion, cutting off her hearing. Then he turned around, seemingly huddling with Mirth. I could hardly hear what they were saying.

"What do we do?" Mirth asked, "We were only meant to spur her on. Make her good." He looked at him with genuine worry that I've never seen from a romantic. "Have we gone too far?"

"I think we should be asking who dared raise Emily without her heart." Incense said, "You heard what happened today. She wouldn't be faking this."

"What should we do?" Mirth asked, "If we break our toy they'll be mad."

"We'll knock her out tonight, let her rest. We won't begin again until she is past this depression." Incense moved to a silver table where he picked up a syringe. Mirth stroked three times upward behind Scarlett's ears, giving her her hearing back. "We're going to help you sleep, dear girl." Incense said, sticking the syringe into her neck.

She fell limp a second later, not fighting the sleep that overtook her. I watched Mirth put her little silk pajamas back on, and Incense take her from the cross and hold her cradled in his arms.

"Should we tell them?" Mirth asked.

"She'll think we broke her." Incense huffed as he began moving towards the exit. "Wait and see if she improves over the next two days. I don't want to deal with the fit they'll have." They moved out of the room, the door shutting softly behind them. We were all perfectly still until we heard them leave the passage.

"Who is they?" Lust asked, his voice unsteady.

"I don't know." Gabriel answered, his voice low.

"She asked them to kill her." Wrath sighed, his voice cracking. He looked at me, "I've failed her."

"No, you haven't." I comforted. "She's just hurting."

"Why won't she talk to us?" Raph asked.

"Why would she talk to you?" Wrath seethed. "She hardly knows you."

"Watch what you say, demon." Raph took a step towards Wrath, "You're in my world."

"You both need to calm down. This isn't about either of you." Lust stepped in the middle of them. "She is hurting."

"How did you get her to feel better last time?" Gabriel asked.

Lust shrugged, "We were just there, and then she was better."

"So let's go be there for her." I suggested.

"He can not be there." Wrath pointed to Raph.

"Are you going to stop me?" Raph growled.

"I'm responsible for her," Wrath seethed, "And I say you're out."

"She is in Heaven, not on earth or in Hell, she's not your responsibility here. You're only here because she wants you here." Raph said lowly, "The moment she starts to not want you here is the moment you're banished." It was a threat.

"I'll kill you." Wrath growled.

"No you won't." Lust pushed Wrath back with a hand on his chest. "You're going to go to bed." He looked to Raph, "you too."

"She's been knocked out," I offered, "She won't wake until morning anyways. Let Gabriel and me take shifts watching over her."

"Why you two?" Wrath grumbled.

I turned to him, "Because I will not have her waking up to you two going at each other like a couple of territorial jackasses." I looked at them both, then to Lust. "If she wakes, we'll come get you. And you can decide if they've matured enough to see her."

"Good plan." Lust nodded, guiding Raph and Wrath by the backs of their necks. "Let's go."