She Guards Giants

Chapter 20

Javier handed Popi a poncho, woven with golden thread.

"But, thats not mine." She said.

"Once you wear it it will be. It's a new poncho, fabric just pulled from the blanket sky, never been worn. Once you put it on, it will forever bind to you."

It was beautiful. Although there was no light in the room, the golden shimmered as if creating its own light. Popi took it and placed it over her head. It felt new and clean. It smelled fresh and pure. Not like the one she had worn for eleven years. It made her feel, amazing.

"Good, now lets fly." Javier said.

"Fly? But I'm not a fabrication yet."

All around Popi other children appeared. They flickered in and out of existence as they lifted her upwards. More and more of them came, now underneath her. With dozens of them around her, she was lifted into the air and through the ceiling. Popi could see the cathedral and the garden of lit bulbs shrinking below her. Further and further she went up into the air and the fabrications carrying her, both boys and girls, giggled at her awe. She was flying! Then they zoomed through the black. She couldn't see much, and couldn't tell where they were going, but she could feel that they were moving fast as the air pulled her hair back and watered her eyes.

After a while they slowed down and set her on a hill. A familiar hill. The hill her home sat on. She could see the small house with jack-o-lantern and sugar skull lights shining through windows. "Why am I here?" The fabrications pushed her toward the house. "Wait. What do you expect me to do?" The sinister look in their eyes and their hungry smiles frightened Popi. She dug her heels into the dirt, but they pushed on until she sank almost to her bottom. "You want me to steal mothers? I can't, I won't!"

Javier was at the door. He held a finger up to his lips. "Shh, you won't want to wake them."

Popi remembered. Her mother said they would come after her. She rebelled and left the Lost and now they wanted their revenge. "But, I can't!"

Javier looked questioningly deep into her eyes. "I thought you were committed to the lost, why won't you take this one?"

Popi wondered if they knew she was the daughter or if her mother was just a primary target on their hitlist, and she coincidently was the hunter to do it. If it was the later, she didn't want to reveal anything that could make matters worse. So she lied.

"Whoever lives here is a complete stranger! They could be a really good person. The outsiders were different. Zazu and Dodge wronged me so I was okay with getting back at them. This is totally different!" She hoped they would believe her, since her excuse did hold some truth to it.

"The woman that lives here is our enemy. They are not a good person. They have wronged all of the Lost. Trust us when we say, she deserves her poncho to be stripped from her, if not much worse."

The much worse scared Popi. What would they do if Popi didn't steal her mother's poncho? What revenge would quench their thirst? If Popi declined, would their be punishment for her as well? She was in too deep. Maybe, just maybe, do this one thing and then things would work out. They told her she was special after all. She would finally be a fabrication. She could get her parents poncho's herself and then they could all run away and be a family again. Yes, this was the best option.

"Well then why didn't you say so." She stood up and spoke confidently. "If they hurt the Lost, then they hurt me. We are all family after all. It will be my please to take the criminal's poncho."

Javier stepped away from the door and motioned for her to go ahead. He smiled, "Good."

Popi walked into the kitchen. The familiarity of the place beckoned her to stay and relax and remember the memories she had there, but she fought it off. She had to focus and get the job done as quickly and quietly as possible. She crept into the bedroom where she saw her mother and father lying in her father's bed. It seemed as though all the jack-o-lanterns, candy skulls, and bats were watching her. Their eyes followed her intently but they did not move. She got to the bedside where her mother lay. "Oh mommy, I've missed you." She whispered. She couldn't help but look longingly at her mother. But then she remembered all the times her mother had left without ever saying anyting. All the times her mother was gone and Popi had to take care of daddy on her own. All the times Popi was tired and scared and mommy wasn't there to comfort her. She snatched the poncho and ran. Immediately Passeri and Gallus sprang up, the bats took flight, the pumpkins and skulls bounced up and down.

"Goji! Goji!"

Back outside, she slammed the door behind her and held out her mother's poncho. Javier smiled and the other fabrications cheered. She could see them all very clearly. She could see herself very clearly. Everything was in such great detail, somehow even more than she was used to. And the darkness didn't hide a feature, it was as if a black veil had been lifted. "Return the fabric to the blanket sky yourself. We will follow you, Princess Popi."