you can rent a space inside my mind (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter Four

Wednesday looked around, taking in the vast expanse of nothingness in every direction. She was suspended in a void, the numbing, crushing darkness closing in around her, wrapping her up like a skin-tight suit. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, her skin prickling with goosebumps as her entire being screamed that she was being watched. Wednesday's eyes darted back and forth, trying to find the source of the eyes she knew were on her. She was growing sick and tired of being spied on.

"I know you're there. Stop wasting my time and reveal yourself." Wednesday's voice was firm, despite the fear clawing at her chest. The last months hadn't rendered her cowardly, far from it, but they had instilled a level of caution and fear she hadn't had before. Some would call that a good thing; her finally gaining a sense of self-preservation, but those close to her knew better.

Wednesday wasn't built to handle such intense emotion; she was used to the apathy and low range she usually had, and to go from that to crushing terror had damaged something fundamental in her psyche, not even including the curse and its effect on her, which continued to linger. Even though Laurel was dead, the things she'd done were still plaguing Wednesday and Tyler. It was hard to imagine a future in which those memories weren't hovering around them, coloring every experience with dread and paranoia.

A figure stepped out of the darkness, garbed in a dark blue, plain dress. The cut was distinctly French, as were the person's facial features. Wednesday squinted as the person approached, asking why they looked so familiar. It was only when they stood right in front of her that she realized why she recognized the big doe eyes and the strong jawline. This stranger was related to Tyler.

"You are the boy's mate, yes?" Compared to the vaguely European accent Wednesday heard from Francoise, this person's accent was so thick it was almost unintelligible. The close quarters, coupled with the harsh and gravelly tone of the stranger's voice and their angular, yet vague features cemented that the blurry figure in front of her was a man. His voice was heavy, his vowels rounded yet loud, and his constants harsh.

"Who are you?" Wednesday replied, not bothering with pleasantries. Seeing one of Tyler's family members in a vision/dream did not bode well for the couple. It seemed, yet again, that they were in mortal peril. When were they ever going to get a break? Was the universe incapable of taking a few months off from torturing them? If God existed, he was laughing in Wednesday's face.

"I am Tyler's uncle."

"Are you alive?"

The man nodded once. "Yes."

"Why are you here?"

"Because you have no idea what you're up against." Wednesday couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"I've heard that before."

"I mean it."
"We wiped out an army of mutant cultists. I don't think some human hyde hunters are much of a match for us." Wednesday didn't want to be callous, but she was tired of dealing with ancestral bullshit. Why couldn't other descendants of the crazy outcast killers?

"You're wrong, and you know it. The Duponts are unlike anything you've ever faced. Your Laurel woman - she was a small fish compared to them. A bumbling fool out of her own depth playing around at being a psychopath. She was an idiot with no proper plan, training, army, or fighting experience. She is nothing compared to the Duponts. It's like comparing a child with a stick to a battalion of soldiers at their peak.

The Duponts are devil incarnates. They've trained their entire lives to kill hydes, which are some of the strongest outcasts out there. They will kill you, and they will do it quickly, efficiently, and alongside every one of your family members."