MURDER ARTS, sirius black

one. Green Clovers

𝒊. chapter one
october, 1977 ✶   Green Clovers

"𝑶h, Christ! I thought you were a serial killer!"

Odessa laughed. The moon followed her in a halo of celestial light as she crawled over the window ledge. She looked back at it, moonstruck. Moonbeams kept her bathed in white, kept her safe from the lunacy of the creatures of the dark and she was forever grateful. But full moon or not, she would have snuck out anyway.

"If I was a serial killer, I wouldn't have crawled through the window of an insomniac," she said, shaking water from her hair like a wet dog.

Matthias pulled a face as the droplets splattered on his shirt. "Did you sneak out again?"

"All for good reason," Odessa beamed. "Jude climbed into your bed again?"

Jude was circled into himself on the other side of the bed, his back facing Matthias who sat cross legged. Being only nine and twelve, they were small enough to fit together but Matthias had a simple queen-sized bed; there was space for all three of them. Jude was not afraid of the dark, he never saw the shadows dance or the moonlight fog into mystical shapes, but he knew Matthias woke up in cold sweat most nights. So he'd make up an excuse every night, a nightmare or creaking floorboards, just to stay in his room. His brother never needed much convincing ( get in already! ).

Matthias grabbed a pillow and hit it against Jude's back. "Wake up, Snow-White," he called out and Odessa hushed him.

Jude groaned, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. "I was half-asleep, you jerk."

The bed dipped as Odessa sat at the end and Matthias threw his hands up. "Des, you're soaking my sheets!"

"Oh, hush, they'll dry up," she waved him off, reaching into her pocket to retrieve a purple velvet bag embroidered with silver thread. "I went into the Forest of Abar again," she said, shaking the bag in between her fingers.

Jude sat up quickly. His droopy eyes widened as he hugged his pillow. "Did the monsters get you?"

"Yeah, they did. We're talking to Des' ghost right now," Matthias deadpanned, smiling tightly.

"You're awful, Matt," sighed Odessa. "Now can I talk?"

"The floor is yours, your majesty."

"Anyway, as I was saying, I met the fairies of Abar tonight." The grin on her face only grew wider at the zeal covering Jude's face. "And—oh, there were three of them! Huge wings, and glitter everywhere—look!"

"Can I meet them?" Jude pleaded, gazing at the flecks of gold on the sleeve of her jumper. "Please, please, please, Des, you promised!"

She stretched her pinky out. "I'll take you next time, soleil, pinky swears." She scooted further into the centre of the bed as she opened the little pouch and stretched her other palm out. "And of course, they wouldn't let me leave without a parting gift so each of them handed me one of these."

Three leaves fell into her palm, specks of gold glitter sprinkled on each as they shined underneath the moonlight.

"Are those four leaf clovers?" Matthias mused, reaching for one but Odessa swatted his hand away.

"No touchey," she warned. "There's one for each of us. One for you, Matt and one for Jude."

Jude gawked at the clover in his palm, gently petting it with the pad of his finger. He'd never lose it, he swore to himself.

Never let it go.

Never let it go.

Never let it go.