September Seneca Silver: Death, Life, and Whacking Doorknobs

Firstly, I haven't caught up with all the other entries, so I'm sure part of this doesn't fit with the rest of it. Second, I'm sorry Fabi, your death was just a bit messy. Thirdly, I need Fabi or Star to do the next bit because I can't go get all the dead people as I don't know who's alive or not alive or whatever.

I HOPE THIS DOES NOT SUCK.

Ember was hovering over Liberty, trying to make sure she was alright. Liberty's eyes were slowly closing, fluttering shut, and Ember was trying to heal her as quickly as possible. Bliss the potato was probably rolling down a hill somewhere, and she had no idea what was going on with Star.

There was a switch somewhere that tripped the magic in the room, so when Fabi made her escape she had to not activate it. Problem was, she didn't know where it was.

Where would Eff have put the damn thing?!

Not on the wall. Eff just wasn't that traditional. Floor? No, Eff wasn't that careless. The ceiling was an absolute no. Fabi considered the toilet for one second and then wanted to slap herself. She decided to just wing it.

She made a note of every single floorboard and every single thing on the wall and every single anvil as she put her right foot in front, then her left foot, and then her right foot, and then she passed a One Direction poster, and an anvil, and she was almost there.

And then she touched the doorknob.

She felt the magic draining out of her, and she frantically touched the doorknob over and over until she was smacking it with wild abandon. She high-5ed the wall and jumped up and down and banged against the door. And then she slid down to the floor. She'd given up.

In the background, she could hear Ember whispering, and then the whispers turned to cries and then a scream, and in that moment Fabi knew Liberty was dead and it was all over.

In a flash, Ember was behind her, slamming her head against the wall, other hand grabbing the syringe. She grabbed the anvil and smashed it into Fabi's head, not caring about Fabi's cries or about anything besides the fact that her sister was dead and nothing would be the same ever again unless she killed Fabi.

She whacked her head against the wall, over and over again, sticking her fingers in her eyes, plunging a syringe deep inside her skin and injecting bright red liquid into her bloodstream. Fabi writhed in agony and hollered and yelled, but Ember didn't care. She'd never care again.

And then Fabi was finally silent, blood coming out of the wound on her head, and Ember got ready to travel.

She closed her eyes, and when she'd arrived, she found the Midnight Princess standing in front of her, Elizabeth by her side.

Elizabeth looked worried. She was shaking her head madly. She looked sick.

"I killed Fabienne. Give me my sister."

"No."

Ember stared. "What? Huh? What?"

"She's mine now."

"But... I... our mother..."

"I don't play fair, Silver. She died during the forty-eight hour period. She's rightfully mine. Also, don’t even think about taking Fabienne back or I will destroy you. She will be under lockdown. I hope to see you become one of my citizens soon."

And Ember opened her eyes and she was back in the room.

She stood there. She didn't move. She had killed Fabi and it was all for nothing. Her sister was gone. Gone.

And she couldn't take her back. Her father would remove the life from her and she wouldn't even be able to see her in the land of the dead. He'd store her soul. Like Ember stored the souls of the people she'd killed.

There was nothing left for her to do.

Wait. Maybe there was something.

She walked over to Liberty's dead body--no, Elizabeth's dead body now-- and kissed it on the nose. Elizabeth's skin was cold.

"I'll beat him for you," Ember whispered. "I hope you have more peace in death than you had in life." She concentrated, and closed her eyes, because there was life that hadn't left Elizabeth yet. Dark green light streamed out from her hands and into Elizabeth.

Elizabeth's body twitched, and then shuddered violently. Ember kept on pulling, feeling it resist, and then with a last tug the gist finally left her and went into Ember's inventory. Elizabeth's face made a final twitch into a smile, and then relaxed.

Ember went back to Fabi's body and lifted her up gently. "I'm taking you back. I'm sorry. But I know what to do now."

She spread her wings and flew over the area, cradling Fabi. She hoped that Star and Mara were alright. She hoped Elizabeth could escape from their father. She also hoped Bliss hadn't been turned into mashed potatoes.

Ah. At last. She was there. It seemed like she'd last visited a million years ago, when really it was only a day or two. Or maybe not even that.

She flew over to where Mevolent's room was and hovered near the window. Slightly shocked but more likely annoyed, he glared at her and mouthed What the hell do you want?

I have something for you. Or rather, someone for you.

She held up Fabi's corpse and Mevolent smiled.

Give me the body.

No.

What?

I expect a reward.

I will kill you if you don't give me her body.

Why bother? All I want is to be let in. I want to serve under you.

Why?

The life of a rogue is not for me.

It never has been. I tried to tell you that.

I'm listening to you now.

Did you just call me a cow?

NOW, not COW. Just open the damn window already!

Mevolent rolled his eyes, then opened the window. "I will see you at the front gate."

So she flew there. And sure enough, there he was, waiting for her.

"You're fast," she smiled.

"Come in. Transport the body to my trophy room. And please don't fly there, I wouldn't want you to knock everything over."

She walked, escorted by two guards. Walked into the trophy room. She had actually killed some of the people in the room herself, which was nice. And as she was walking, she was pouring green light into Fabi.

Fabi's skin grew grey, and when she opened her eyes, they were black orbs.

She thrashed wildly, almost knocking Ember in the process, and the guards could do nothing as she ripped them to shreds with her hands.

"Yo, Ember," grinned the Fabi-gist. "Thought you were sick of me! Now you've just transferred me over to your second-best friend. I'm flattered, sweetheart, I really am."

"Shut up, gist. We're here because I have a job to do, and there IS some Fabi in there, and you always liked me a little bit for putting up with your crap. May I just talk to the Fabi in there for a second?"

"No." The Fabi-gist stuck her tongue out.

"I'm the one who put you in there. I'm the one that can take you out."

The Fabi-gist groaned, and then the blackness left her eyes and Fabi was there. Ember knew she's only be there for a minute or two, because there wasn't much Fabi LEFT, but that was enough.

"Sorry," she smiled.

Fabi gave her one of those looks that you do when somebody's just eaten your lunch and then gives you a chip as an apology. Except, you know, more harsh than that, because she was now dead.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, well-"

Fabi lunged to try and choke her, and then Fabi-gist came back and smiled.

"Why are you slapping yourself, Fabi?" the Fabi-gist smiled as she whacked herself in the face. "Why are you slapping yourself?"

"Oh for God's sake, gist, stop it."

"Fine. But let me keep control of the body so nothing stupid happens." Fabi came back and started cartwheeling.

"Oh for God's sake..." Ember groaned.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Fabi yelled as she proceeded to do backflips. "HOW DO I STOP?"

Ember sighed. "It's the gist."

"What gist? I have a gist now?"

"Yeah, you have Elizabeth's gist."

"So technically I'm Liberty."

"Yeah. Kind of. I don't know."

"Oh my God."

"Sorry. About that. And about killing you. I had to do it for the Midnight Princess to save Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth? She's alive? And why is her gist in me?"

"The Midnight Princess kept her. And most of you."

Fabi frowned. "What?"

"Meaning you're both here and in Heaven."

Fabi stared.

Ember took out a small golden telephone from her pocket and rang a number. "Order?"

"Yes, miss Silver?"

"May I speak to Fabienne S?"

"Miss S is busy getting checked in as you speak. Here you go--" Fabi's voice came from the telephone. "Ember, you are in SO much trouble right now. When I get my hands on you I--"

Ember hung up and turned back to the Fabi gaping in front of her.

"You're going to be gone really soon, so just answer this-- I'm in the middle of Mevolent's base, and you have amazing powers and you’re invincible because you actually ARE a gist now. What are we going to do?”

"I don't know," Fabi said. "Maybe you go and find the souls Mevolent killed and bring them back to their bodies in this room while I--or Liberty, or whatever--snoop around and kill random people."

"Maybe you could try and kill Mevolent's Generals? Provided they're still alive, I mean."

"My pleasure," said the Fabi-gist, teeth bared and ready to fight.