Creek Rising
For thine is the kingdom and the glory and the power. Forever and ever.
Amen.
The situation devolved.
Monday bled into Tuesday bled into Wednesday bled into Thursday, and every night Manon came home with a little more weight, a little more anger, clinging to her.
Elide knew the lines of her body, the cut of her shoulders and the curve of her jaw, and this was Manon tensed. Manon stressed. Manon furious.
Elide knew that she wasn't sleeping. At midnight, at two am, at four, she'd roll over and the sheets beside her would be cool. Once she went to find Manon and even as the other woman tucked Elide into her arms, she murmured, "Go back to sleep El."
"But this is nice." Elide rested her head against Manon's chest, reveling into the simple rush of her breath. "I don't sleep right without you."
Manon surrendered, but when Elide woke up at dawn, the bed was empty again.
+
Manon splintering. Manon papering over the edges. Manon fighting against the current, fighting and fighting and ...
+
Enough was fucking enough. Iskra could rot in hell, but she wouldn't take Manon with her. Elide had lost and she had lost and she lost, but not this too. Not Manon. Not her.
Come out swinging, go down fighting, and never let them see you coming. Isn't that what Kaltian had said, over and over, forcing Elide to practice shooting targets over and over until she never missed? Out there on the wild edge of the Florida Everglades, Vernon’s house behind them clawing its way out of the swamp, black shadow.
Hit first. Hit hard. Hit back. Never let them see you rise.
It took exactly one five-minute phone call with Asterin, 10 minutes digging around Manon's dresser, and two shots of vodka. But Elide Lochan was ready to gather the troops of war.
Lord save us, the creek is rising.
"Hey babe," she said brightly when Manon walked through their apartment door.
"Hi." Manon walked over to the kitchen counter where Elide sat and kissed her, but honestly, Elide’s high school prom date had kissed her more passionately than that and he spent the rest of the night trying to get into Michelle Schalger's pants.
Manon didn't linger.
It took her all of 45 seconds to collapse on the couch and she didn't even bother to kick her heels off. If Elide hadn't spent the last five days slowly, but steadily, freaking out, this would have done the trick. (She still did freak out a little).
"I wouldn't get too comfy."
"Why not?" Manon sighed, not looking up. "Oh fuck, do we need to be somewhere? Shit."
"On a technicality, yes."
"If there's any way I can get out of it, I'm doing it. Just … god I’m tired." Manon ran both hands through her hair, past the breaking point of frustrated exhaustion.
"Good thing you don't need to do much of anything."
"El."
Hopping off the kitchen counter, Elide walked over to the couch and stood behind Manon, wrapping her arms around the other woman's shoulders. Pressing a soft kiss, the softest kiss, to Manon's neck, Elide murmured, "Just trust me, okay? I've got you."
Manon laid her head back against Elide's stomach, finally releasing a long exhale. Some of the tension (some is a start), leaked from her body. "What scheme have you concocted?" she asked quietly.
"Shockingly enough, you might just like it."
"Does it involve me leaving this couch?"
"Yes."
"But – "
"It also involves you ending up on another couch."
For a second, it looked like Manon would take the bait, bite back, smile, play along. God, how Elide missed the spark in her amber eyes. For a second, Elide thought it would all work out. Then, "El. Babe, I'm sorry, but I can't tonight. I just need to sleep, okay?"
If I thought you would sleep … if I believed even for a fucking second that you’d rest … but we both feel the hurricane on these waters. Coming for shore.
I'm fighting for you. Elide pressed a kiss against Manon's silky hair and breathed in the scent of mint and spice and madness. I'm not giving you up.
Time to bring out the big guns. "Okay, fine. Can I borrow your keys?"
"What?" That got Manon to sit up a bit straighter.
"Your car keys." Elide explained patiently. "I'm still going, so I need to drive. Where are they?"
"Umm. Pocket." Manon reached down slowly, "El? Are you sure? The last time you drove in Miami you called it an exercise in involuntary suicide."
"I did, and I stand by that. Keys please."
Placing the keys into Elide's outstretched hand, Manon didn't actually let go. "You sure?"
"Yes, Manon, I'm not five, I can drive a car. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" She paused and let that gem of a phrase sink in. Five seconds should be just the right amount of time for Manon to imagine all the possible worsts.
"Fuck, I'll drive."
"You sure?”
“You die out there and Aelin will never give me peace. I want peace, El." Cracking her neck, Manon stood. “Ready to go?”
"I am. You're not."
"The hell?"
"I mean, I'm staying all night. So unless you want to sleep in that suit?"
"Is the – where are you going?" And Manon looked just … so confused. It was kinda cute. But also, Elide decided to take pity.
"Asterin's." She said brightly, like it should have been obvious all along. "She's not working tonight, Petrah's making pizza, and I want to play Mario Kart. So I guess, like technically, you could drop me off and then come back here to sleep by yourself. But that would be ..."
"Pathetic?" Manon said, finishing the sentence for her.
"Hey you said it. Or, you know, I could drive myself."
"Not on your life, Lochan."
"Yes!" Elide hugged Manon, spinning their bodies around with the force of it. "A change of clothes is on the bed, I've got overnight bags packed, and snacks are locked and loaded."
Bridging the two inches between their heights, Manon leaned down and kissed Elide, soft and sweet. For the first time in five days, something like a smile curled at the corner of her mouth. It didn't last long. It didn't need to. This is a start.
+
"M!" Asterin body-tackled her, part hug, part promise that Manon wouldn't be slinking out of there anytime soon. Manon hugged her back reluctantly, but with both arms.
Ignoring the two idiots, Petrah said "Hey, Elide" and passed her a glass of wine. "I'm making pizza, want to come drink with me?"
Considering that Asterin now had Manon in something that looked like a friendly headlock, Elide said, "Absolutely, god yes." She also snagged the puppy, cuddling it close. The little monster happily drooled on her shoulder and promptly fell asleep.
Settling on one of the bar stools in the kitchen, Elide happily drank (it had been a fuck of a week) and watched in bemusement as Petrah picked one, two, now three, long, golden hairs off her sweater. Looking up and rolling her eyes, Petrah said, "I swear, her hair gets everywhere. Never date a woman, Elide. They aren't worth the trouble."
Taking a healthy swallow of alcohol, Elide replied, "Tell me about it."
Asterin wandered into the kitchen, stealing an olive before Petrah could swat her hand away. "Are you gossiping about me?"
"I'm telling Elide how I'm engaged to this girl and her hair gets everywhere. It's maddening."
Stealing another olive, Asterin stuck out her tongue and grinned. "You and your pixie cut – you think you're so superior."
"I'm not the one shedding into the food."
"I'm not the one who needs a haircut every six weeks."
"I could grow it out." Petrah grinned.
"Don't you dare." Asterin ruffled her fingers through the buzzed edges of Petrah's dark hair before pulling her into a kiss.
Manon choose that moment to sit next to Elide. Stealing Elide's drink, she groaned, "God, please no, my eyes." Not bothering to break the kiss, Asterin just flipped Manon off. Now sipping Elide's drink (she was going to get that back at some point, probably empty), Manon said, "You know, I remember when you were four and ate dog food. Not just once. For a week. A solid week. You said you liked the crunch."
Pulling back from the kiss, Petrah smiled at Asterin, "That's my girl."
"Look this is adorable – goddamn it Manon I want my alcohol back, it's like dating a raccoon – but I'm also very hungry. So can we eat now, and then you can make Manon die of embarrassment later?"
Sighing, but not letting go of Petrah, Asterin replied, "I suppose. Manon gets her pizza last, because she's an ass."
"Hey Rin, I'm sure if you asked really nicely, Petrah would sprinkle some of the puppy's food onto the pizza. For old time's sake."
"Out!" Petrah shooed at the sisters. "Take your spat out of my kitchen. Kill each other on the hardwood floor, it'll be easier to clean than the tile."
Elide heard something that sounded suspiciously like two grown women trying to push each other into a wall, before ... blessed silence. Prepping a pizza, Petrah quietly said, "I'm glad you're here tonight."
"Me too."
“How has Manon been?”
In lieu of answering that, Elide gave Petrah a long look and then took a drink.
“Ah. Like that.”
“Yeah, right about.” Elide responded, finally letting exhaustion bleed into her voice.
“Let Asterin needle her for a bit. That always puts them in a better mood.”
“Masochists."
Petrah hummed and took a sip of wine, “You said it, not me.”
From the living room, Elide heard a thump, a muttered fuck, and from those two data points surmised that someone had just been pushed off the couch (it turns out that she was very right). Waiting a second in case further chaos broke loose, Elide eventually said, “Thank you for letting us crash tonight Petrah. Seriously. I know it was last minute.”
“Elide, unless I’m banging Asterin, you are always welcome. Now,” she raised her glass, “here's to raising hell."
Motherfucking cheers to that.
"Wait, why does Elide get the first pizza?" Manon said, curling up next to her at the foot of the couch. Elide swatted her hand away, no mercy, not with food on the line.
"Because Elide has manners. And she helped. And I like her." Petrah replied, calmly starting on her own. "Asterin Blackbeak, I see your hands, I know what you're doing, and I will exile you to the floor."
"Ohhhh, sexiled." Elide said, deeply proud of her contribution to the conversation.
Sliding an arm around Elide's shoulders (real smooth Blackbeak), Manon said, "Please, no more about Rin's sex life."
Asterin snorted, "You were with me when I bought my first pair of restraints. We go shopping for vibrators together."
And right at the same time, Elide and Petrah replied. Unfortunately for them, neither sentence canceled the other out.
Elide: "You never take me shopping for sex toys!"
Petrah: "Wait, Manon helped you buy those restraints?"
The room went real quiet. Which didn't last, because Manon doubled over laughing, head between her knees while Asterin busied herself with downing as much wine as possible without drowning. Eventually pulling herself together, Manon sat back up and pulled Elide close, kissing her neck, "Petrah, I'm going to let you and Rin handle that fun and fascinating conversation. Elide, babe, you want to go shopping for sex toys? Let's go shopping."
"Oh god." Elide replied, her face quickly reaching the 'flaming tomato' color family. "I regret everything."
"Not yet you don't."
"Sweet Jesus." Elide muttered into her hands.
Petrah, being a good soul and the world's finest wing woman, chose that moment to say, "Alright you two, pizzas are ready. Go get them and leave me and Elide in peace."
They lost themselves in Mario Kart, friendly competition (Elide and Petrah), full-on fucking war (Manon and Asterin).
Sitting between Manon’s legs, Elide rested her back against the other woman’s chest and smiled, a soft, bright thing tucked beneath her heart. Because there was Asterin, tipsy and grinning, occasionally throwing pieces of popcorn at her sister and aiming anywhere but her mouth. There was Petrah, playing with the edges of Asterin's hair, their bodies curled close together, the swirls of a shell. There was Manon, tension slowly unwinding off her shoulders, smile flitting at the corners of her being.
There was Elide, warm, at home.
“I hate the rainbow bridge,” Elide muttered, tongue sticking out of her mouth. “I’m so going to kick your ass Blackbeak.”
“Mhmm, sure you are Lochan.” Manon murmured against her ear, the warmth cascading shivers down Elide’s spine. “I didn’t know you wanted to go shopping for sex toys with me.”
“Not going to work Manon, I am focused.” Elide started determinedly at the screen. No losing. No thinking about … no. No.
“Sure, baby. Whatever you say.” Elide got 30 seconds of silence, and then, “What do you like?”
She nearly drove her kart right off the road. “Hmmm?”
“What do you like? Sex toys, I mean.” Manon’s lips brushed over Elide’s cheek as she spoke. “Because I think you’d make the fucking hottest sounds with a vibrator between your legs, my fingers inside you until you come over and over and over.”
“Fuck!” Elide really did drive off the road. Manon won. Asterin threw more popcorn at her head.
“M, you cheat! Stop distracting Elide with whatever filthy things are making her blush like that.”
“El, care to share with the class? Prove her wrong?” Manon said, eyes glinting.
Petrah stood up, “Okay, and now it’s time for the vodka.”
Poking Manon in the shoulder, Elide narrowed her eyes and hissed, “Menace.” Chuckling, Manon kissed her on the neck and slipped hands under Elide’s sweatshirt to tickle her mercilessly.
“Fuck!” Elide laughed, trying to break Manon’s hold and never wanting to leave. “I surrender! I surrender!”
“Ew, you two.” Asterin threw more popcorn, “Get a room, but also like no screwing in the guest room. Otherwise I’m going to have to burn sage to purify it, and last time I did that it set off the fire alarms.”
“Totally true.” Petrah came back with a bottle of Grey Goose and shot glasses. “I can’t even tell you how awkward it was when I had to explain that to the superintendent. Please don’t put me through it again. It took him ten minutes just to figure out we weren’t really good friends.”
“No promises.” Manon kissed Elide’s neck again.
“Behave yourself.” Elide swatted at her arm.
“Do I have to move my hands?”
“I don’t want chilly tits, so that’s going to be a no.”
“Well, thank god.”
“Keep em above the waist.”
“Scouts honor.”
Miraculously, Asterin found more popcorn, and to absolutely no one’s surprise it started hitting Manon on the head. Elide ate the strays. Hey, free food is free food.
After the third round of shots, it was Asterin who set off the bomb. Looking at Manon carefully, so very very carefully, she said, “This situation with Iskra is fucked.”
“Yes.” Manon replied just as carefully, her body going tense where she leaned against Elide’s shoulder.
“Matron isn’t going to stop.”
“No.” Exhale. The longest exhale. “She’s not.”
“Then it’s time we stop her.”
“Rin – ”
“No. Listen to me. It’s time.” There was a shattered pain in Asterin’s brown eyes. Riddled. Crackled. Ancient. “I was holding my stillborn baby in my arms and Matron was telling the tabloids that it was my fault she died.
Vesta refused to come work for the family business so Matron cut her mom right when she started fucking chemo.
Kaya nearly died in that car crash and Matron didn’t bother to say anything because you guys had a very important meeting.
Lin was dumb enough to admit she was getting bullied at school and Matron laughed at her. It got so bad you and I had to pull her out of school. Do you remember that, standing there in the principle’s office while Lin tried so hard not to cry?”
Manon’s face had gone pale. Knuckles white. “Of course I remember. I remember fucking everything. Kaya in that hospital bed and the day we buried Ves’ mom and how Lin couldn’t stop shaking and – ” Manon’s head bowed just an inch. Just surrender.
Just – I remember the day you lost everything.
Leaning forward, Asterin said so softly, “And then there’s you. She’ll never be happy until she’s beaten you into her image. She’ll never care if you break. But I do. And I am done watching her hit you. I am done watching her hurt us. Manon. It’s time.”
“We could lose everything.” The words came out so quietly.
“We’re going to anyway.” Looking at Petrah, Asterin took her hand. “She’ll never rest until she owns us.”
Manon looked to Elide. All the places they touched. Blood and bone and two beating hearts. The point where a ven diagram becomes a circle. When Manon met her gaze, Elide nodded. Lifted Manon’s knuckles and kissed them.
I am not afraid.
At long last, Manon’s amber eyes went clear. “Rin, text the cousins and tell them to show up at the Manor tomorrow morning. I don’t care who has what scheduled.”
“Good.” Asterin smiled back at her, sharp and vicious and wild.
Time to unpin the grenade. Time for the bloody fucking boom.
+
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Vesta skidded into the Manor’s living room at exactly 8:59 am, wearing last night’s dress and somebody else’s perfume. She dropped onto the nearest couch and grabbed Briar’s coffee, downing it in one go. “Fucking family meeting at fucking 9 am on a fucking Saturday morning. I had plans.”
“Did they involve a shower?” Manon deadpanned, raising one eyebrow.
“Not at my place.” Wink.
Fallon raised her hand, “I got a black eye. And stiches. Sewed them up myself.”
“What like it’s hard?” Faline rolled her eyes. “I have three broken ribs and I still caught the perp first.”
“Only because I let you. Out of pity.”
“I’ll show you fucking pity.”
Picking up the tray of cinnamon rolls she’d made, Elide slipped over to Vesta and handed her one. She also added, real helpful like, “You have so many hickeys.”
“Oh I wondered about that. You should see the other girl.”
“I think I’m good.”
“Hey, you ever get curious, I know some great leather parties.”
“Thanks Vesta.”
“Anytime babydoll.”
And that charming little conversation was drowned out by the sound of Ghislaine accidentally-on-purpose shoving an ice cube right down Imogen’s back. Coming back to sit beside Manon, Elide ate a cinnamon roll and happily watched World War 607 unfold.
Asterin finally settled it by threatening to post pictures of Ghislaine’s My Little Pony phase to Instagram (Petrah laughed so hard she had to excuse herself from the room for a minute).
Rolling her eyes, Manon finally said “Shut up,” and the room went quiet.
Looking to Asterin, Manon waited for her nod, waited for one last yes before breaching the wall of the hurricane. “We’re going to take over the company.”
Dead silence. For a beat, dead fucking silence.
Vesta broke it: “You woke me up at 9 am for this?”
Sorrel punched her in the shoulder. “Shut it.” Sorrel asked the intelligent question: “How the hell? Manon, we’ve talked about this before, and we always run into the same problem. Every. Single. Time. Even if we could get the votes to kick her off the board, and even if we could get the board to then fire her, she has enough shit on us to bury us alive. I know for a fact that some of the crap she has you do is on the real fucking thin line of legality. You want to spend the rest of your life in a nice padded cell?”
“No,” Manon replied evenly, “not really. But if we play this right, I won’t. None of us will.”
“We have something on her.” Asterin’s voice, Asterin’s turn.
Imogen snorted, “Is it the fact that she used to run cocaine? Because we all know that. The mayor of Miami knows that. Hell, I’m pretty sure he ran the drugs with her.”
Asterin smiled back, a sharp thing, “I wish, I really wish, that this was cocaine.” And Elide felt it again, the shadow that slipped over the sun, a chill stronger than the light pouring down around them. Asterin said softly, so softly, here on the edge of the world, “Manon. It’s time.”
Nodding, Manon pressed two fingers to her forehead for a moment, a gesture so utterly, exhaustedly human that it broke something in Elide’s heart.
It begins.
“This is risky. I won’t lie to you. The plan – it goes badly and we all go down. But if it goes right … then we’re free. For the first time in our lives. We’ll be free of her.” Looking around the room, Manon finally said, “I need to see hands.” One by one, all the cousins closed their eyes. Ritual. And one by one, twelve hands raised. It carried the weight of vow. “Open.” Manon lifted her own hand in the air. “Alright hyenas. It’s story time.”