Lost Spirits

Bring on the Crazy!

Mellie picked up her as soon as she saw that it was Nicole, "Hey sweetheart. Are you doing alright? What do you need?"

"I need you to come to my house. I..." Nicole bit the inside of her lip. How could she explain what had happened? "...Just please come. As soon as you can. If you need directions, just call this number back. It's my mom's phone." She hung up before her voice could start shaking too bad.

Mellie nodded to Maura, "Let's head in then. I'm worried, it sounds like something went wrong." They had followed Nicole almost all the way to her house to keep her in range of Mellie's illusion spell, so it took only a moment before they knocked at the door.

They were there much earlier than Nicole had expected. Had they been following her? It didn't matter, she decided as she opened the door. "Hey." Nicole said, grabbing her elbow for the security feeling. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about Maura and Mellie now. Nothing had really changed, but also everything.

Mellie stepped forward and wrapped Nicole in a hug after seeing Nicole's face, "Shhh... I'm here sweetie."

Maura put a hand on Mellie's shoulder, one still holding her shawl. "Mellie, she probably thinks we're psychopaths right now. I don't think that's a good idea."

Mellie gave Maura a bit of an exasperated look, "If you want a hug too just ask me."

Nicole just barely managed not to start crying. Eventually, she got both Mellie and Maura inside and explained what was wrong. "I got home, and I can't reach my parents. The house is a disaster and I'm scared that something happened to them. Whether I like it or not, I was hoping that you guys might know what is happening. It probably would have been smarter to call the police, but I can't shake the feeling that Mom and Dad's disappearance has something to do with what you guys were talking about." Nicole really hoped she was just being paranoid 

Mellie rubbed Nicole's back, not moving from the hug just yet. "Alright. Alright. Let's go take a look around the house and see if we can't find something. If it is something to do with the fae we'll continue to help until we can find your parents. If it isn't fae we'll help you report it to the police and continue to help you until we can find your parents. Does that sound good to you both?"

Nicole nodded. "Their bedroom is the worst off, followed by my room. You follow that hallway to get to both rooms. Mine is on the right, theirs is on the left." she pointed. 

Mellie gently squeezed Nicole's arms as she pulled away from the hug, "Do you want to come with us, or have us look around on our own, or have someone stay here with you and someone go look?"

"No, I can go with you." Nicole said. "I just really want answers."

Mellie nodded and started off to look around the rooms. She investigated the claw marks especially carefully before shooting a worried look at Maura, hoping she'd have a different idea of what caused them than Mellie.

Maura examined the scratches. She spotted something nearby and picked it up. It was a feather. She looked up at Mellie. "A griffin," she said.

"Griffin, like half-eagle half-lion? Like Harry Potter creatures?" Nicole asked. She rubbed her arm. She wanted to denounce all the crazy stuff they were saying, but at the same time it felt... right.

Mellie looked down at the floor, "I'd hoped it wasn't what I thought- Griffin's are usually trouble." She took a breath before looking at Nicole, "Yes, uh, somewhat. Yes to the part lion and eagle but not quite."

"Okay, but why is a griffin attacking my house? What did it do to my parents? Are they...?" The thought was too horrible for Nicole to put into words. 

There was a moment of silence, awkward and filled with tension. Mellie finally spoke up quietly, "Honestly? I don't think so. Wild griffins would not leave the place this clean. It looks like the place was searched. I think... they were taken." She trailed off, mind running as she tried to count off the possibilities.

"...Taken...?" Nicole said weakly. She could see their lips moving but she heard no sound. She was so dizzy. Then the world went black.

When Maura saw Nicole start to faint, she rushed forward, caught her, and scooped the young fairy into her arms all in one swift motion. The last thing any of them needed was a concussed fairy. "What now?" She asked Mellie.

Mellie concernedly hurried over as well. "Oh dear!" She worried and fussed a moment as she checked Nicole's temperature. "She doesn't seem to have a fever serious enough to cause passing out. It's shock probably. We should take her back to the apartment. Here's a bit- uh it would be more shocking to wake up here then back at a clean home." She gently smoothed Nicole's hair in a worried fashion.