Midnight Calling

❍ 𝟗 - 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠

All was silent in the void about her.

Where am I?

Then... dazzling flickers pierced the dark, bursting alight to reveal waves of stars overhead. Brilliant swells of astral tide swept across the expanse, illuminating celestial skies.

She was standing alone at the centre of the Circle of Nychthemeron, dressed in her cerulean guardian robes. Surrounding her were the other temporal guardians standing at their places; the eyes of all her sister and brother Hours closed in sleep.

No.

Not all.

The Twenty-fourth Hour was watching her from where he stood beside her sigil, his now twin eyes of night slotted with mirth.

"Welcome home, Twenty-third." Midnight smiled. He gestured with his staff to her place, upon which sat a little girl.

"Mommy!"

The deep tolling of a bell sounded as she felt herself pulled forward.

_____

She awoke with a gasp, her eyes snapping open to the ceiling above.

The blades of the bedroom ceiling fan cast slow, whirring shadows; their movement hypnotic, soothing, in the glow of the streetlamp through the window... or would have been, if not for the jarring rings of the antique phone on the nightstand.

Her clumsy fingers struggled to lift the heavy handset.

She grimaced before pressing the handset to her ear. What was that acrid stench? It stung her nose and eyes and she swallowed back hard. Her mouth was so dry. Her tongue felt like sandpaper.

"H-hello?"

"Maya!" She tensed at the woman's loud voice. "You're sleeping? So then you and Zoe are ok. Where the hell'd you disappear to this afternoon? If it weren't for everything in the city going to shit, I don't think I could've covered for you with the boss. I've been trying to reach you on your cell. The network's down. It's good I know your landline number. Girl, what's going on? What happened? Where'd you go?!"

Before she could form a coherent thought, a faint background voice on the line called out "Gracie?!"

"Coming, Grams!" The woman's shout sounded away from the receiver, then came back strong. "Sorry, Maya. I'm at my grandmother's," the woman rattled on, her barrage of questions seemingly forgotten. "Grams was having all sorts of problems with her alarm system and the power going on and off. I'm using her landline too –hold on– 'Yes, Grams! I'm coming!' Power's back on again. Gotta go. Grams keeps freaking at the news on TV when it comes on. Ok, as long as you and Zoe are alright. You'll have to let me know what the hell happened tomorrow. You should probably clock in early to make good with the boss. 'I'm coming, Grams, I'm com—'". The line clicked.

The woman had hung up.

You should probably clock in early.

Clock?

She dragged her bleary gaze towards the opposite side of the room. The handset crashed to the floor.

The iron clock centred on the wall was smoking. It was stopped right on the cusp of midnight, the last minute stabbed through by a kitchen knife.

The message scrawled on the wall beside it dripped in rivulets of red.

it's in your hands

She sucked in a sharp breath when her left palm suddenly burned and opened her hand to see an angry, gaping slash across it.