Meeting

The rain became thinner as the sun slowly started to show, but her body still trembled. Modesty finally got courage enough to leave the broken building of her later home. Step by step, her mind replayed each event of last night, step by step, each image was vivid, each feeling was felt, as if she lived those events again and again. She stared blankly ahead, ignored by those who passed by. Here and there, her gaze caught damaged places, and she kept walking by until she arrived at Mary Lou's church, the place was even more destroyed than before.

The child made her way through the wreckage until she found her small dresser, changed shoes, and wore over her nightgown the first dress she found. She used a sheet as a bundle to put the clothes and fabrics from the dresser, as well as the two intact dolls she found.

Stopping for a moment as she looked around, the furniture of Credence's room caught her gaze.

Credence, her older adoptive brother who suffered at Mary Lou's hands, the older boy who even strangers picked at specifically, for no reason, called him a freak, pushed him even as he wasn't in their way, her brother that was kind to her since the first day they met, who would secretly tell her stories he made up when it was thundering, and she couldn't sleep...

Her brother, who released that strange... cloud? Which killed Mary Lou and destroyed the house in which they lived.

The same cloud that passed by Modesty herself as a soft blanket. But he was still able to push Mary Lou away and destroy walls...

Whatever, when the blonde girl realized she had already made herself a path until the furniture, she found his broken dresser, and another sheet was used to make a bundle for his clothes and a pair of shoes.

They didn't have many clothes, which allowed her to carry the two made-up bags around easily. She stepped by, she wouldn't go too far, of course, but she had to find someone she knew, her brother first, and Chastity, if she was alive. If none of them were found, her friends, maybe...

Her mind went blank for a second. Modesty passed by an empty street with a dark alley, she could hear a sob, and she knew whose it belonged to. She approached in slow steps, silently padding, until she was able to see her brother sitting in the hard concrete, an arm wrapped around its own legs, a paper beside him.

One step ahead.

Yesterday's images going through her mind.

A deep breath.

Witches existed. And Credence was one, probably... Well, after last night, he had to be...

Still, witches existed. Not the wicked devil thing Mary Lou spoke about. No, her brother wasn't bad, he was hurt by Mary Lou. She hated him no matter what he did or how much he obeyed, she would beat him with his own belt until he was bleeding and crying on the floor.

Another step.

Yet... Still... Mary Lou was dead, she was a bad person, yet still a person... Killing was bad... That is what Modesty was told, but... but... An accident!

Mary Lou was killed by accident. She was pushed away, she was about to beat Credence, she spoke bad things about his mother, and then Modesty admitted the wand was hers. Credence pushed the belt away from Mary Lou's hand with his invisible magic, but she insisted on taking it back, until she was pushed away herself with the cloud as it just passed by Modesty, but she was accidentally pushed too hard, and she fell. Accident, yes. It was an accident.

Accidents aren't anyone's fault, as Chastity, Mary Lou's own favorite child, used to say. In secret, of course. Such as in the day Modesty let a plate fall, the oldest girl said that after noticing the youngest's fear, she cleaned the shards and got rid of them while the Woman was out. She said that again when Credence spilled tomato sauce on the tablecloth during lunch, the Woman was out too, she had beat him the night before, and his hands trembled so much he was barely able to hold a spoon. Chastity said that, then took the tablecloth away and cleaned it. She gave the Woman an excuse, an excuse that was accepted and barely questioned. 

Chastity... The youngest hoped she was alive, well, if Modesty herself was able to leave that night, the middle child must have too, and she ran away. She had the same ideas about witches that Mary Lou had, she must have run and is somewhere else far away from here.

Another step.

Her brother noticed her presence, he looked up, his lips pale, his pale skin even more pale than usual, and his eyes a mix of fear, surprise, and... Pain? He shook his head, his other arm covering his abdomen, breathing heavily and trembling.

Was Credence sick? Hurt?

Has using magic made someone sick? Was he tired? Afraid? All of those?

"Do-o-dd-do no-not..." the oldest boy coughed, blood staining his lips.

There was a man with him yesterday, a man who called her brother squib. Did that man hurt him? The way he spoke to Credence, to her... That man was a bad person, she could feel it.

Modesty also heard them speaking before she was found by the bad man, her brother said something about being taught magic... It meant he had to learn how to use it, otherwise... An accident, like what happened last night... Accidents, not her brother's fault.

And, blood... He was hurt. Her eyebrows frowned. Modesty approached quickly.

"No-o-no." Another cough, another red stain, he raised a hand, then recoiled, trembling.

"Credence..." her voice low, she approached anyway, her brother was sick, and hurt, he wasn't bad, he needed help, someone had to help him.

She placed both bundles on the ground beside him, opening one of them and taking out a small tissue. He touched her shoulder, as if trying to push her away from him, but he was so weak that not even it he could do.

"It is okay." a tear rolling down her cheek. Was her brother dying? "It is okay." She cleaned the red stain from his mouth, "It is okay." What was she supposed to do? 

Modesty cried as she cleaned the dirt from her brother's face. He looked into her eyes, a tear falling from them.

"I got your clothes..." she showed him the closed bundle, "I will ask for help and ...-" she was already standing when he gently held her wrist.

"You can't," his voice almost inaudible, trembling, "You can't, they will kill me, and might do the same to you..."

"Because you are a witch?" she whispered, he didn't answer. Her vision went blurry from tears. She supposed he was referring to people like Mary Lou, with the same ideas as that woman, and many people must have seen his dark cloud, the damage she saw around her, and many people must know it was him... Many people must be after him...

"Ple-please... Go-go away." The little girl shook her head. He touched her shoulder, "Go away." She went even closer.

"No..." she sobbed, wrapping her arms around him in a tight grip until she remembered his thorax might be hurt, "Why would they do it? Yesterday was an accident." Her face wet, mostly from his clothes than her own tears, "You are not bad, accidents aren't anyone's fault."

"Modesty..."

"It is unfair." a sob, "It is so unfair." her grip around him tightening again, "It is not your fault to be born like this. Nobody is born bad." 

"Modesty..."

"Why go after someone for the way they are born? They accuse witches of being devilish and wicked when they can't see how bad themselves are..." She couldn't modulate her own voice, felt a hand in her upper back as she cried while keeping her arms around her brother.

Modesty wouldn't leave him, not as he is her brother, not when he needed help, not when he was hurt and bad people were chasing him. She couldn't, she wouldn't. She didn't let him go, not even as her eyelids got heavier and heavier. Her hand kept a tight grip on his free one, even as she passed out from exhaustion, and woke up when the sky was dark. 

She was carried by Credence, her head on his shoulder, like how big babies are carried by their mothers. Modesty looked around, recognizing where he had taken her. The older boy put her in the ground right after, she gave him a look, he seemed healthier than earlier, not as healthy, but definitely better.

"What-" for a second she pointed to the Christian church on the other side of the street, "Wh-", where some orphans and homeless who passed by were given food and shelter after prayers, Credence handed her bundle, "You are coming with me, right?" by his face, by the situation, she knew the answer, but still... Her free hand held his tightly, "Credence?"

Slowly, the older boy lowered himself to her height, automatically, she wrapped her arms around his neck, controlling herself to not cry again.

"Can't I go with you?"

The hug was gently unmade, her brother shook his head, "It is too dangerous." he whispered, unable to make himself look at her eyes, "I am sorry." Tears rolled down his eyes, Modesty already crying as well.

The little girl gave him a hug, before brushing off her face, "Will we meet each other again?"

A nod from him, "Yes...", she chose to believe it, not caring if it was uncertain or not, or even a lie. Modesty believed him. Took his hand, then slowly spoke.

"Please, be careful." 

Another nod, she kissed his cheek, Credence gently patted her head, their grip tightening before slowly letting go as they both went their opposite ways. Modesty stopped right in front of the church, observing her brother disappearing in the dark street.

"I love you, my brother," the words escaped from her lips before she stepped into the church, "We will see each someday." She brushed of a tesr that just rolled down her cheek, "I promise."