Gone
Chapter 26 - Gone
Charlie was so caught up in how good and validating the apology felt; it really helped that Verosika actually sounded and looked sincere about it. There was more to this moment that had the former so hopeful. Not only would she and her older sister would be getting along better, but it'll mean the family being better. It'll mean Blitz eventually come back home.
Unfortunately, the moment is disrupted by Abuela Vaggie shouting, “What is going on!?”
Verosika and Charlie immediately got up, the latter excitedly going, “Abuela Vaggie! It’s okay! Everything’s… We’re going to save the miracle… the magic…!”
“What are you talking about!? Look at our home… look at your sister!”
The plant producing woman promptly tried tidying herself up, as futile as it was since her hair and dress was just soaked in so much of the differently colored pollen. The blue bow blonde still tried appealing to their grandmother.
“Just please… Vera wasn’t happy and-“
“Of course, she isn’t happy. You ruined the proposal meant for her.”
“No, no. She needed me to ruin the proposal and then we- aaaalll this,” Charlie had gestured to all the new kind of plants Verosika had made. “And the candle burned brighter and the cracks-“
“Charlie-“
“That’s why I’m in the vision! I’m saving the miracle!”
Verosika had stepped to the side, being quiet as she didn’t want any more of the matriarch's attention. It didn’t help that Abuela Vaggie was seeming more and more irritated as Charlie went on. Ozzie was nearby and had come over to see what’s going on, stopping by his older sister’s side.
The family matriarch exclaimed, “You have to stop, Charlie! The cracks started with you. Blitzo left because of you. Ozzie’s losing his powers. Verosika’s out of control. Because of you! I don’t know why you weren’t given a Gift but it is not an excuse for you to hurt this family!”
The blue bow blonde had felt her eyes glisten; she couldn’t believe just what her grandmother is saying to her. The cracks forming in Vivienne were growing again, and louder, but everyone present were too preoccupied to notice right away. The other members of the family were gathering around, catching word of this commotion as it occurred.
Charlie decided she wasn’t going to let Abuela Vaggie get away with saying the things she did, especially not anymore. “I will never be good enough for you. Will I? No matter how hard I try. No matter how hard any of us tries.”
Gesturing to her brother, “Ozzie will never be strong enough.”
Then to her sister, “Verosika won’t be perfect enough.”
Charlie managed to fight off the urge to cry as she looked at Vaggie head on, still on a roll with her. “Blitzo left our family because you only saw the worst in him.”
“Blitzo didn’t care about this family.”
“He loves this family! I love this family. We all love this family. You’re the one who doesn’t care!”
The cracks were getting bigger and bigger until, finally, they had reached the town. The citizens were freaking out again, going, ‘first the plants, now this!?’.
Of course, Charlie and everyone else still didn’t notice, for the most part, as the blue bow blonde kept going. “You’re the one breaking our home!”
Vaggie argued, “Don’t you ever-!”
“The miracle is dying because. Of. You! ”
Everyone was silent, shocked at Charlie’s exclamation, especially the Madrigal matriarch herself. Then the cracks made themselves noticed, in the form of being like an earthquake.
“No, no, no!” Pentious cried out, looking up at the candle.
“The candle!” Molly exclaimed next.
The cracks have dented the window and made the present family jerk in reaction to the trembles. Charlie quickly began running towards the candle, which was still on the windowsill but fell to its side.
The blue bow blonde shouted, “Vivienne! Get me up there!”
Vivienne promptly tore off part of the railing and set it down, allowing Charlie to use it like a ladder. Angel was on his way, too, shapeshifting into smaller people at certain points to avoid getting hit by the falling rubble.
As for Verosika, she made a flowery vine to swing up to the window. However, right when the plant producing woman was going to make it, her door lost its glow and her powers were negated.
“No!” Verosika screamed as she fell.
Vivienne thought fast and tore out some of her roof ceiling beams. The magical house used them to break Verosika’s fall and have her roll down to the floor.
Angel had to jump from the railing when he saw a huge pile forming in front of him, a pile becoming clear enough that, should he have kept running straight for it, he wouldn't have been able to escape getting caught in it in time. However, from the distance he jumped towards the section of roof next to the window with the candle, the family shapeshifter knew he was going to have to be someone bigger. The only one who had more height than Angel was Ozzie so the family shapeshifter would just have to time it right to turn back into himself the very second he laid hands on the roof.
Angel was just about to reach it but his door’s glow fizzled out, too. He was horrified seeing his own hand before he could grab the roof. At least Vivienne quickly tore out some more railing for the shapeshifter to grab real quick.
Angel ended up falling anyways but at least it had broken his fall enough for it to be non-fatal. Although he was stunned over his Gift failing, just like how Verosika was with her own being gone. Then the former shook off his surprise and sprung up, pulling the latter up with him. The family shapeshifter got to running the fuck out of the collapsing magical house, all the while pulling his eldest niece behind him. They were joined by all the animals who were in Collin’s room, who were rushing their way out, too.
“Careful, Collin!” Molly shouted, lifting up her younger son and holding him close to her chest. It was just in time because bigger rubble was falling to the ground now, like a freaking door.
The distressed mother began running as she cried out, “We have to get out of here!”
Pentious and Ozzie were already one step ahead of her, the former making sure Arackniss is ahead of him on the way out through the door and the latter picking up Vaggie and holding her close to shield her from the falling debris as they leave.
However, Husk and Mimzy knew that there was still one more member of the family to worry about and so couldn’t get themselves to leave just yet. Vivienne knew they wouldn’t go just like that and so made the floor greatly ripple like a wave, which would force the two concerned parents to move backwards.
The healing chef screamed out while fighting against the rippling floor, “Charlie! CHARLIE!”
“Charlie, we have to get out!” Husk shouted.
It was no use, though, since Vivienne kicked them out of the house, along with everyone else who were rather pushed out, too. The magical house promptly made the falling rubble of herself fall in front of the door so that no one else would get back in.
As for Blitzo, he was running through the insides of the walls, getting every last rat he had. Once he had gotten the last one and tucked them away in his poncho, he put on the bucket to channel his inner Lucifer and rammed himself against the wall. The future seer knew where the walls were weakest thanks to all his years of fixing them. Also, the building already crumbling down and so ensuring that it was even weaker. Plus, it was likely that Vivienne lessened even more the stability of her own structure to make it easier for him to get out. In any case, Blitzo was able to smash his way through the wall, tumbling down the hill the magical house was on.
Charlie was almost to the top but she kept looking from side to side. Why, exactly, she wasn’t sure, but she was relieved to see her formerly missing uncle outside of the house. Then the blue bow blonde continued on her way to the candle, while her family were shouting at her from outside.
Mimzy. “Charlie, leave it!”
However, Charlie still tried getting the candle. The house helped her as much as possible, what with lifting up the roof tiles for better reach. However, the candle was still just barely out of reach, especially since it was getting shorter and shorter.
Husk. “Charlie! Vivienne’s gonna fall!”
Blitzo’s tower began snapping in half, not that the blue bow blonde noticed. Not when her fingers were brushing right against the candle.
Verosika. “Come on, Charlie! Get out already!”
Finally, the determined girl gotten the candle in her hands. Just in time, too, because Blitzo’s tower was fully falling down her way. She finally noticed and felt her gut drop, scared that she was gonna get crushed.
Ozzie while he was rather futilely trying to move the rubble at the front door. “Charlie! Just hold on, I’m on my way!”
Vivienne promptly shuffled the roof tiles to swiftly get Charlie out of the way of the collapsing tower. When the latter was falling down from the roof, the former made some extent of sliding stairs to break her fall.
Vaggie while watching the magical house crumble more and more, fear clawing furiously and relentlessly at her soul. “Vivienne, please, make sure Charlie will be okay…”
The girl in question, once she had landed on the floor, looked up to see the huge amount of debris about to fall on her. Well, Vivienne rushed in getting furniture and available usable debris to use as a shield and built it around Charlie.
The blue bow blonde curled up inside, also trying to protect the remains of the candle. After a bunch of seconds of everything falling, though, she saw that the candle had finally, unbelievably, burnt itself out.
That made one thing clear: the building wasn’t the only thing that’s gone. The soul that resided within was gone, too.