Chapter 27
Their first sleepover was the event for the ages.
It took weeks of planning and one puppy eye look from Hanna to Superion for the event to take place. Hanna started her morning before dawn full of energy. Now herself and her parents waited in their playground. She paced the length of the swing set, trailing dust in her wake. She knew her friend will show, she knew it, but every time her friend was late, she feared she wouldn’t show at all.
It wasn’t an unreasonable thought. Persephone often disappear for days, on occasionally weeks.
Hanna’s body shivered uncontrolled, she jumped, starring at her body, before taking off again.
“Another shiver?” Ava asked concerned.
“it feels weird, like my bones are moving on their own” Hanna paused, shaking her head. “she’s going to be here right?”
“Sure she will sweetpea, you two have talked about this for weeks”
Beatrice placed her hands on her hips as she asked concerned “why do you think this?”
“I dunno” she shrugged. “when she’s gone, I get worried for her”
Beatrice hummed. “Her father”
“he’s a bad man”. Her back suddenly shivered. Hanna looked behind her and her smile broke wide at the sight of Persephone running towards her. “PERSEPHONE!” she yelled before taking off towards her. Leaving her worried mothers behind.
“We should intervene” Beatrice stated. “Persephone can live with us”
Ava turned to her lover, walked forward and wrapped her arms around her lover from behind. “you want to adopt another child, I get it, I do. I want to help her, but we need to be careful of how we do this. Not just for her safety and our family, but for legal bullshit. We can’t rush this”
Bea grunted “agreed”
They watched Baron stand afar, watching the girls union. He drifted his attention past them to the couple. He smiled at them, waved, then turned and walked away. They watched him leave before refocusing on the girls.
“We can turn the spare bed into a kids room, that won’t take long” Ava observed.
Bea smiled, turning to her lover. “now who’s rushing this” she leaned over and kissed her lover’s forehead. “Let them have the weekend, then we will sit Persephone down”
“MUMS!” Hanna’s voice shouted. “HURRY UP!”
Her parents turned to the child with a gentle laugh.
“Our daughter is calling” Bea laughed.
“MUMS!”
“All of Spain can hear her!” Ava chuckled.
“MUMS!”
“Alright SWEETPEA WE’RE COMING!” Ava called back. She took her lover's hand, dragging her after the children.
Hanna led Persephone on a tour around town. She held her hand and showed her all the cool places. Her parents treated the friends to ice scream. They ate as they walked, swapping their ice cream cones after a few bites.
It wasn’t long before they arrived for a brief stop at a brick building. Down a twisted alleyway they ventured to a black door. Hanna fished out a key and gave Persephone a reassuring smile. “Now this is Aunty Lilith and Aunty Mary’s place”
“Why do you have a key?” Bea asked concerned.
“Cause they gave it to me” Hanna replied. She placed the key inside the lock and after a sharp left twist, she open the door with ease. Throwing it open before standing aside and allowing Persephone through first. “after you”
“why thank you” she replied.
Hanna grinned, she removed the key then grabbed Persephone hand again. “Come on lets go” she stated before dragging her friend down the gothic hallway.
“Wait for us!” Ava shouted. She held the door open for Beatrice, watching her wife enter before closing the door behind them and racing after her daughter.
The girls turned down the gothic red and black hallway to a rainbow door. Hanna paused, with a cheeky grin, she throw open the door. Revealing the ruins of a room, slowly being constructed into a functioning bar. A half finished back wall leading to a small garage, where Mary was busy sanding down bar table. Lilith busied herself constructing the bar shelf.
“May I present to you my Aunties bar” Hanna announced proudly.
“Woah” Persephone gasped. “It’s amazing”
“it is” Hanna grinned. “When mums are working, my Aunties let me play here. It’s going to be soo cool one day”
“When the job is finally done” Lilith spoke. She turned to her niece and her friend with a cheerful smile. “It won’t be long now” she strode up to the children. Giving her niece a quick hug and kiss on the forehead. Then a quick hug to Persephone.
Mary pulled herself away from the sanding, wiping the sweat off her brow she threw the sandpaper aside and marched to the group. “There’s my favourite niece!” Mary proclaimed.
“I’m your only niece!” Hanna laughed.
Mary laughed, she stride up to Hanna and took the child into her arms. “How are you doing today?”
“Awesome”
“Good” she pulled back and offered a hug to Persephone. “Hey Flower girl, how you doing?”
“I’m happy, Mary” she replied, holding onto Mary for a few seconds before pulling away. “It’s my first sleepover today”
“Is it today? Well we completely forgot, didn’t we Baby girl”
Lilith turned to Mary smugly. “We did, but not to worry, there’s a bowl full of candy in the kitchen” she turned to the girls and asked “would you mind helping me get rid of them”
The children’s faces lit up while Hanna’s parents looked to Lilith with fear.
“We would!” the girls answered.
“Alright come on then!” she ordered, she turned and headed for the kitchen. The girls raced after her around the work area. Following her lead and soon disappearing around the corner through the kitchen doorway.
Ava gasped and shouted “WHAT ABOUT THE GREMLINS RULE!”
Lilith retorted with a wicked laugh.
Ava groaned “SWEETPEA WILL YOU SAVE ME SOME?”
“YOU’LL HAVE TO FIGHT ME FOR IT!” Hanna replied.
“YOU ASKED FOR IT!” Ava laughed before she sprinted after.
Beatrice and Mary laughed at her retreating form, then turned to each other.
Mary beckoned her friend to follow her. Through the bar and out into the workshop. Mary took a seat backwards on her bike while Bea took the bike beside her. Sitting one leg cross ways on the bike and the other on the ground. “So” Mary began. “Her First Sleepover” she exclaimed dramatically. “Any major plans for the night?”
Beatrice laughed. “Not really, movie and pizza, but now her aunties fed them candy a good trip to the beach to run around and burn out the energy is in order”
“Good plan”
“how’s the bar going?”
“Getting there” she answered. She suddenly lurched forward, swinging her legs around to face Beatrice upright. “Now importantly, how is her little ghost friend going?”
Beatrice sighed at the question. She leaned back on the bike. With a low shake of her head, she answered “she’s still there. This friend is slowly being replaced by Persephone presence, but she still turns up in the drawings” She reached one hand under her jacket and pulled out a wrapped piece of paper. Unraveling the paper and revealing the content. Her daughter’s drawing of herself and Persephone holding hands with a figure light blue blending into the sky, with gold eyes. The woman was standing several metres above the ground, with a huge smile and hands out wide.
Mary took the drawing, studied it for a moment, then handed back with a relieved sigh “at least it’s not Reya”
“you said that a dozen times before”
“and I will say it a dozen times more”
Beatrice folded the drawing back into her pocket. “still….”
“hey, you said it yourself she’s slowly going away, this ghost friend, Lou Lou, is just a figment of her imagination. All kids go through imaginary friend stage”
“I didn’t”
“at all?”
“No, didn’t have the time. My childhood was spent training and occasionally, with Ava”
Mary laughed. “Quite right, I forgot how you two are star crossed lovers” she teased.
“Shut up!” Beatrice reached over and kicked Mary’s shin.
“It’s going to be fine”
“yeah, I guess your right”
Before their conversation could continue any further. A patter of racing footsteps tore through the bar and into the mechanic workshop. Beatrice turned to the doorway. Only to be pounced on by her daughter and Persephone. “oaph” she groaned. She smiled, wrapping her arms around the two girls. “Well hello to you two, is all the candy gone already?”
“All of it!” Hanna stated proudly. “Every lost drop!”
“It was SO Good!” Persephone stated.
“That’s great girls”
Hanna shot away from her mother, turning to Persephone, grinning ear to ear. “Hey, do you wanna play tag?”
“Sure”
“Cool, tag!” Hanna squalled, before racing away from her friends.
“I’LL GET YOU!” Persephone called as she gaze chase.
The two girls racing around the workshop before disappearing into the bar. Pushing past Lilith and Ava as the women walked into the workshop.
“Got to hand it to you Lil, you sure know the good stuff” Ava stated.
“Of course, have fun dealing with the sugar high”
“Please, they’re kids, this stuff will burn out of their system in no time”
Early evening
It took the girls all afternoon to burn off majority of the energy. Once enough disappeared they would remain at least in the same room for a period of time. The couple decided to play a movie, taking refuge on the couch while the girls made a pillow fort on the floor. By the time the credits appeared. The couple were fast asleep curled in each other’s arms while the girls were wide awake.
“hey” Hanna spoke, wide eye and twitching with excitement. “Do you want to play a game?”
Persephone looked to her friend curious. “What kind of game?” she questioned.
“Spirit board”
“What!” Persephone dismissed. “That’s just a myth”
“It’s real”
“is not”
“Fine, I’ll prove it!” Hanna grabbed Persephone's hand and dragged her running out of the lounge room. Straight for her room. “You get the candles and I’ll get the board”
Hanna’s room was very much like her personality. Brightly coloured with posters of space, motorbikes and photos of her family and friends strung up everywhere. A small bookshelf in the left corner of her room, next to it, a chest draws. A wooden chest opposite. With her bed space themed bed inbetween, headrest pressed against the large window. Directly opposite, a bright blue closet door.
Hanna removed the board game from under her bed, setting it up in the middle of the floor while Persephone grabbed some candles from the bookshelf and a lighter, setting them on each corner of the board.
“Are you sure this is real?” Persephone questioned.
“Yeah, I contacted Lou Lou using this”
“Should we be doing this?” Persephone questioned concerned. She took a seat, crossing her legs and gripping her hands together nervously. “I mean, is it safe”
Hanna smiled softly. She reached out across the board and took Persephone hand into her own. “You’re safe with me, I am not letting anything happen to you”
“thanks”
“Okay lets begin”
The two girls took a finger each and placed it on the planchette.
“how do you know how to do this?” Persephone questioned.
“My Aunty Camila taught me” Hanna explained. “Okay I’ll take the lead” she cleared her throat and straighten her back. She turned to Persephone and grinned, then focused on the board. “We are here tonight to contact Lou Lou, Lou Lou are you there?”
The candles flickered and the planchette dragged to Yes. Then returned back to the middle.
“You did that” Persephone dismissed.
“Did not!”
“Well I didn’t!”
“That’s because it’s Lou Lou” Hanna looked around the room for a moment, then back to the board. “How are you doing tonight?”
The planchette moved, spelling out "Well thank you"
It paused for a moment and just when Hanna was about to ask Lou Lou a question. The plachette started moving violently across the board. The girls watched the item move. The candle light flickered madly, without any wind in the room.
Suddenly it stopped, both girls leaned over the board and turned to each other confused.
“Not safe? Why would Lou Lou say that?” Persephone questioned confused.
“I don’t know, she’s never said anything like that before” Hanna answered. “what do you mean Lou Lou?”
D.A.N.G.E.R
“Danger? What’s coming?”
The candles blew out and the light exploded, causing Persephone to scream. In the dark, Hanna looked down at the board. She could just make out the device moving. She frowned as the device moved.
“What’s happening?” Persephone whispered.
“I don’t know”
“Hanna I’m scared”
Hanna jumped over the board and fell to her feet, taking Persephone into her arms. “It’s okay, your safe”
The door started banging and the girls screamed. It burst open a second later to reveal Ava standing in the hallway.
“Sorry girls, didn’t mean to frighten you” she apologised. “Why are you two in the dark? Don’t tell me you two are tired already?”
“No” Hanna playfully dismissed. “We’re just playing a game”
Ava eyed the girls off suspiciously. She looked down at the board game, then turned to them with a kind smile. “Okay, dinner is going to be ready shortly, don’t play too long”
“we won’t” Persephone promised.
Ava was about to walk away, but turned back and pointed to the game board. “Remember what Aunty Camila said, always say goodbye”
“Will do Mama”
Ava chuckled then turned and left them two it.
The girls pulled away from each other’s grasp and laughed.
“Still believe ghosts aren’t real?” Hanna asked.
“No” Persephone laughed. She turned to the board game and asked “what did it say?”
Hanna pressed her finger to the board and paused. She turned to her friend with a tight frown. “Angel”
“Aren’t Angels the good guys?” Persephone questioned confused. “Or are they the bad guys?”
Hanna shrugged. “Don’t know, Mummy says evil takes many forms” she focused back on the board and spoke “Thank you for your time. Goodbye Lou Lou” she wished, dragging the planchette over goodbye. “Come on, lets get dinner I’m starving”
“You are always hungry” Persephone giggled. She allowed her friend to lift her onto her feet with one hand, then escort her out of the room.
When the girls left the room, a candle lit itself on fire, then began dragging itself across the board spelling. G. O. O. D. B. Y. E. H. A. N. N. A