Gravity Rises (S3)

Minisode One: Everly Grace

Content Warning: The following minisode contains semi-graphic descriptions of child abuse and other aspects of dysfunctional family life.

AUTUMN 2006

Over the town of Gravity Rises, snowflakes flurried in the air. They landed on telephone poles, on the tops of cabins, on the sweaters of residents as they hurried down the streets. They danced on the chilly breeze, drifting down on the grounds of the Northwest Manor.

Everly Grace Northwest walked through the Manor halls, nervously tapping on her leg with a finger. She was going to do it. She was going to tell him. It wasn't fair to him to ignore him like this, as if he'd done something wrong. She hadn't had the courage to explain before, but today she was going to get it over with.

Her task distressed her immensely. Multiple times, she instinctively reached up to her collar, expecting to feel her cool blue amulet there. Then she'd remember that it wasn't there anymore. It wasn't hers anymore.

Now, it belonged to her little brother, Gideon.

With Grace's recent eighteenth birthday, her bond with the amulet had dissolved. She had grown too old to use its power. And Gideon, only a week later, had turned eight — the youngest age to use the amulet. When Grace grew too old, Gideon grew just old enough. Gaston and Geneva had intentionally spaced their children out by ten years, so the amulet could always be in use.

Sometimes, Grace really resented her parents for that.

She reached her destination only to be presented with a closed door. With a deep breath, she knocked.

No answer.

She knocked again. "Gideon?"

Three knocks later, she gave up and opened the door. She respected her little brother's privacy — she was the only one who did — but she'd given him ample warning. "Charlie, are you in here?" She looked around the room. It appeared to be empty.

Uh-oh. She hadn't expected Gideon to be gone. He might be somewhere else in the mansion, but in Grace's experience, Gideon really only went two places: his bedroom and the forest.

She bit her lip. Well, three places, now that he had the amulet. His bedroom, the forest, and the Order of the Crescent Eye.

But he wouldn't be there. He hadn't finished bonding the amulet yet, and Blind Lincoln wouldn't dare try a memory session with an unbonded amulet. Way too risky.

Should she go out looking for Gideon? She checked other areas in the mansion where he might be, but came up with nothing. She asked a few of the servants, too, and they didn't know where he was. Seemed like she really should go looking. She really didn't want to tell Gideon the news, but it was better come from her than from their father.

With a sigh, she went to her room and bundled up in her coat. She didn't know the forest very well, but at this point she'd gone chasing after Gideon enough that it didn't terrify her anymore. She knew his favorite spots, and she knew the areas to avoid.

But this time, she wouldn't have her amulet to help her. She wouldn't be able to fly over the forest floor to quicken her pace. She wouldn't be able to defend herself from rogue gremloblins or annoying little gnomes who wanted her for their queen.

That was a tiny bit terrifying.

"You'd better be somewhere easy to find, Charlie," she murmured to herself. "And don't let me find you bothering the fairies again, either."

~~~~~

Gideon wasn't bothering the fairies. He was, instead, thoroughly lost inside a network of caves.