Lucian Boom Invisible Head Case

By: Hitanner85

Chapter 17: The message from Ezra's mother

I was walking down a alley way. The streets were thick with mud. The smell of burning wood and decay filled the air. I wasn't sure where I was going, just following my feet. I heard breathing, familiar pants of my forbidden boy. I turned a corner, his rasping grew louder in my ears. It took over every other sound. My every thought was divoted to him and where he was. I started running, holes worn into my old shoes. I turned a thousand corners before I erupted into the night. A large stone statue stood there, in the middle of that dad city, broken and crumbling down. There was no rain. There was no wind. There was complete silence,all except for that breathing.

And somewhere down deep I knew that it was a dream. I knew I should wake up from it all, but something stopped me from that gentle, self-induced pinch. His voice, his soft mocking voice. "Little girl, how forgotten you look," his eyes rolled back in his head, he fell to his knees. "How very sweet of you, to care. Now come here, darling. I don't bite too hard." It wasn't him. It couldn't be. My Lucian wasn't so broken and crawling. I stepped forward, examining him further.

I shook clear of wake, staring at my dream with an intense fascination. Lucian was crouched over, naked, stained with the dark ink along his arms. It reached further now, curling around his neck, clawing at his jaw. His eyes were black, his teeth were sharp, a shiny gray. I felt my knees buckle as he came at me, not because he wasn't himself, but because he was chained like a rabid dog. There were chains around his ankles, bright and silver, an Eros chain. "Just go, Ezra." Lucian voice echoed through my thoughts, his old voice, the one that still wished me safety. My skin went up in an icy sweat.

I felt dizzy there, in between wake and sleep. "Get the hell away from me before I make you." There was another around his neck, the shiny metal burned into his skin. "Leave me. I don't want you here." The last part was hissed through blackened teeth. I stumbled back a few steps. The creature that had taken over. Lucian spat at me, thick yellow saliva missed me by an inch. I shook my head, moving even further away.

"Do you love me now?" he asked, grinning. I noticed his lips were splitting badly. They were a scary red, leaking black along both corners. He blinked the red from his eye, leaving only darkness.

"I don't love you. You're not him," I was much too calm.

"Oh am I not?" The creature asked, head tilting curiously to the right. He looked down at his body and threw me a bone chilling grin. "Who is he then?"

"I-I..." I couldn't find my words. The question confused my sleeping mind.

"I-I..." he mocked, eyes darkening to a cynical red. I could see myself in them, even from a distance. I looked small, cowardly, scared. He fed on that, the creature. "I am lurking under his skin, sweet girl. I am more him than he is."

I woke with a start, body covered in a thin layer of cold sweat. We were able to dream now? That should've bothered me more than it actually did. I was too worried about death to think about silly dreams.

Lucian was still asleep, his back turned toward me. He was breathing normal and then suddenly so was I. The sky was dark out, gray with pitches of blue and black. The curtains were pulled tight, but throbbed with pulsing thunder light. I sat up and took a good look around. What time was it? Was it morning, night, the end of the world? Lucian tossed in his sleep, his bare arm moving over the comforter, revealing the twisting pattern of obsidian there. I reached out a hand to touch him, but the lightening stopped me. It slammed into the earth, shaking my house, pushing me to retract my hand back closer to myself.

"Ez?" Lucian yawned exaggeratively. "What you awake for?" He pulled me under his arm, dozing off once again. I pushed away, stepping onto the icy cold of my grass floor. I tiptoed over to the window, drawing back the curtains, and taking my first good look at the rain. It was coming down in thick gray sheets, splattering against the glass panes, hiding away all the goodness usually there.

"Hey," I jumped at Lucian's hands on my arms. He smirked, reaching around me to tap the chilled glass. I managed a smile, a flash of evil passed through my head.

"You scared me," I mumbled, leaning into his chest. He rubbed up and down my arms, bringing along sweet warmth.

"I thought you'd be able to feel me coming," he mocked me laughing. I shrugged, letting my head fall back under his chin. We both watched the rain fall. It looked so simple, almost pretty.

"Something bad is going to happen," I stated the same thing we'd been saying a hundred times the last few days. "It's going to be so bad."

"Ezra, stop worrying."

"I'm not worried," I lied. "I'm just saying it's going to happen. We should be prepared."

Lucian sighed, scratching the back of his head and walking across the room to look for his clothes. He tugged at the covers, tossing them across the bed. He picked up a single sock lying underneath a pillow.

"There's not much we can do but wait, Ez." Lucian sat down on the bed and slipped the sock on his right foot. I watched casually from a distance, arms crossed over my chest. "When it happens... whatever it is..."

"I know you'll keep me safe, Lucian." I interrupted, walking over and placing my hands square on his shoulders. "I know that. I just want you to be safe too. I can't promise to keep you safe. I don't think you can really keep that promise to me either,"

"Ezra I will die before I let anything happen to you." The sincerity in his voice always got me. He always meant what he said about keeping me safe. I knew that he would most definitely risk his own life before letting someone take mine. I couldn't let that happen though. I wanted us both to be together. I didn't want to live without him. And so, instead of admitting this all to him, I got angry. I rolled my eyes, pushed away from him, and shook my head disbelieving.

"Quit making promises like that, Lucian. I can't take it anymore."

"What?" He made a move to follow me, brow contorted.

"I can't do this anymore, Lucian Boom. I can't fucking do it. It hurts so bad when you say all this but won't just freaking admit that you're mine and that I'm yours..."

"Ezra," he sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"You had visions of me forever ago, before you even met me. You can feel what I'm feeling. You'd risk your life for me and we haven't even known each other that long. You're mine, Lucian. You're my soulmate. Can't you just say it out loud?"

"I'm not talking about this shit right now," he grunted, walking over to retrieve his pants. He still had his underwear on from the night before, those thin blue shorts that kept us from going all the way. He ripped up his other sock and tugged it on hard.

"Doesn't matter," I pulled my hair up in a ponytail. "We don't have to talk about it. You either admit we are, or you can sleep on the couch from now on. I'm tired of it. I don't need to worry about you not believing in us, on top of the world ending."

"I already told you, I don't want to talk about it... and the worlds not ending"

"And I already told you what is gonna happen." I turned my back to him, glancing at him secretly through the mirror. I fiddled with my makeup, applying extra layers of things that would most likely be cried off later. "You can leave my room now. Thanks."

"I don't see why me saying something out loud is so important to you." His jaw was clenched painfully tight. I rolled my eyes, refusing to turn around when I answered him.

"I don't see why admitting to something you already know is so important to you."

Lucian growled, gripped his shirt in his fist, and slammed the door on his way out.

"Big stupid baby," I mumbled. I threw on some clothes over my underwear and kicked the dresser. Pain reverberated through my leg. I blamed him, that big stupid baby. "It's because it hurts when you don't say it," I whispered to the empty room. "It's because you can't just open your mouth and mutter those four little words."

It was a full hour later before I allowed myself to step outside the comforting aloneness that was my room. Finally, after twenty or so strikes of lightening outside the window, I pushed myself to move closer to him. I opened the door, hesitant. It has been unnervingly quiet outside the room. I peaked out first, taking my first look at the inky shadows lurking in the corners. They seemed to move with every thunder roll. Fern, Jackson, and Gray were all playing with an old deck of cards at my kitchen table. None seemed too involved in the game. Gray was mumbling under his breath, shaking like a leaf. Jackson's knee was popping up and down with nervous energy. Fern just looked confused, making faces at her cards, before leaning over and asking her soulmate if she had anything worth putting down.

I had put off looking for Lucian as long as I could. He was sitting on the sofa, spread out like he lived there forever. He was dozing, his eyes closed, the book he had been reading open on his chest. I tiptoed past the card players and sat at the edge of the sofa. I was in no mood to be proud. My last bout of energy was spent on fussing at him. I just wanted to be held then, just assured of my existence. I didn't want to wake him though. And just as if magic were coursing through us both, Lucian's eyes popped open. He shook his head, a smile hidden deep in those blue orbs.

"Watching me sleep, Midget?" I blushed, suddenly embarrassed to be caught. I ignored him, picking up his book and flipping it right side to see the title. It was something old and boring, something that belonged to my dad long ago. His eye lids were heavy and decorated with deep purple. I set the book down on a nearby table, reaching over him to do so.

"I can't sleep with all this noise," Lucian yawned in the middle of his words.

"I can't either," I shrugged, though I hadn't really tried. "I'm not gonna make you talk about this."

"Ezra-"

"I'm not-" I cut him off, leaning down and whispering directly in his ear. "But if we survive all this, we're talking about it and no matter what we decide on, just know you're mine."

Lucian's eyes flashed black and I ignored it accordingly. Leaning down, I kissed his forehead.

"You know it hurts my feelings that it puts you out so much," I leant back to catch his eye. "I'm not so bad."

"Yes you are," Lucian smiled wide, joking. I returned the gesture, jumping up and throwing myself down on top of him. He grunted with the weight, ignoring the fact that I was sitting, rather than lying, on top of his chest. He wrapped his arms around my waist and tugging me tight against him. I was just about to laugh. I could feel the sweet stillness of calm in my chest.

An hour passed and soon everyone became increasingly fidgety. Gray, already a nervous wreck, finished off the alcohol and went in search of something stronger to calm his nerves. Fern and Jackson were in the same room, but a good distance away, my tiny house stretching to accommodate our spacial needs. She was smiling at him, I noticed quietly. They looked happy, despite the circumstances.

"I want to hear more about you when you were younger," I looked back at my Lucian. It was relatively easy, lying right beside him on my plush sofa. He smirked down at me, his eyes still holding nights of worried sleep deep within them.

"It was filled with death and destruction. I never slept. I hid all the time," He moved my hair behind my shoulder. "And I had acne," he added on grinning.

I rolled my eyes laughing, bringing my hands up to his jaw. "I do not believe you had acne." I laughed at his cocky expression. "No really, Lucy. Tell me all about the things you used to do." He tugged me closer to him, his eyes sliding shut.

"Sebastian and me used to play keep away from the random Lowland citizen," he yawned loudly. "That's how I got this." He lifted his chin to show me a quarter sized scar on the side of his neck. "And that's from a fingernail."

"Aw," I leant up and kissed the tiny bit of raised flesh. "I'm sorry."

"If you're gonna kiss it all and make it better," Lucian whispered suggestively. "I have a few scars that aren't so easy to see."

"And I'll kiss them all, Lucian. Every single inch of you, if need be." I replied just as husky. "Just as soon as we have our little talk." He laughed at that, leaning down and pressing his mouth against mine. It was nice having a boyfriend, even a crazy, half evil, disagreeable one at that.

"Stop-" I grinned, pushing him far enough away to not tempt me. "Tell me more."

"Uh," he groaned. "had two pet bats that died by slamming themselves repeatedly into a wall."

"Go on,"

"Their names were Tray and Tor."

"Clever," I quipped.

"I had a good amount of time waisted with the voids."

"Oh, Lucian" I tutted. "Don't tell me that."

"They were there, Ezra," he shrugged, grinning. "Had to have someone to act out all my mystery girl fantasies with."

"You're gross," I laughed, dodging his frisky lips. "And don't kiss me. I don't know where those lips have been."

"Come on, Ezra. Just give me fifteen minutes..."

"No-" I playfully pushed him away. "No. I refuse." I felt the familiar tingle of laughter dancing in my chest.

Just before the giggle left my lips, did a clap of thunder sound and a rip so loud cut through the air. "That sounded a lot closer." Lucian nodded, sitting us both up. The whole house grew quiet, all scared yet eager, to hear what would happen next. Gray was suddenly in the room. "That sounded like it was right outside the door," Jackson whispered. And then the second strike rang through the air. It sounded like a car crash, like metal slamming into asphalt. Before I knew was happened. I was hoisted up in the air. Lucian was pulling me toward the back of the house, were Fern was screaming. The whole world went up in a fit of sawdust and rainwater. My life never flashed before my eyes.

The air smelled of smoke and burning wood. Gray was yelling for us to get back, to get away. Jackson was trying his best to comfort Fern, whispering things to her, trying to calm the sobs that wracked her body. It took me a good twenty-seconds to register what had actually happened.

In the front of my house, just two feet from where Lucian and I had been before, lightening had struck. It smoked and reaked of Lowlander funk. I was shaking in Lucian's arms, though he was still as stone. The entire wall was gone, reduced to a pile of burning rubble. I stepped closer. Through the missing wall, the rain poured on. Lightening flashed in the distant, throbbing green against the dark. The sun would be up in a few hours, not that the suns rays would make it through the curtains of rain.

"Lucian, what..." I stuttered. I looked back at my friends. I stumbled a few steps forward, to have Lucian tug me right back. Gray didn't look so very frightened anymore, but I blamed that on denial. He leant against the counter, eyes studying the floor beneath him. Fern busied herself with picking up the cards, her hands shaking at their edges. Jackson paced behind them all, running his hands through his white blonde hair.

"What happened?" I asked, eyes wide with hateful tears. "I mean, I know what happened..." I stopped him, pushing the palms of my hands hard against my eyes. When I pulled them away, blue spots fogged my vision. "My house, my kitchen... I knew it would...What are we going to do?" I asked my boyfriend.

"We can't stay here," Lucian stated matter of fact, arms crossed over his chest. "Pack some things and we'll go."

"What?" I felt my lungs cease to work.

"We need to get somewhere safe. This isn't safe." He encouraged, not bothered by my mood swings. "Get some stuff. We're going to the Bears."

"Okay," I nodded fervently, liking that idea. I'd feel safer with the Bears there, more normal. I'd feel safer with the smell of pie and Mr. Bears hearty chuckle. I'd feel like a kid again.

My room had been hit too. I noticed the burnt smell of wall and window right off. The noise had been so great because of the vastness of it's damage. Two of my walls were missing, allowing a soft coolness to float in from the rain. The tiny candle that sat beside my bed was down to a dull orange, faintly glowing in the darkness. I dropped to my knees, gripping a bag I kept there, and stuffing it with clothes and a few important things from my parents. I sealed the bag tight, slipped shoes on my cold feet, and met the others in the living room. Gray and Fern had put on their coats. Gray had never removed his in the first place. Lucian nodded at my entrance, gripped my hand, and we set off into the rain.

I had never felt it before, water falling from the sky. I thought it would scar me, burn like acid, leave evil red marks on my skin. It looked so much more menacing than it actually was. It was cool, almost refreshing. It hit the hood of my pink coat in gentle thuds, ran down my arms and face, woke me up. Lucian's hand was constant, as was the thunder pumping in the distance. Gray walked on the opposite side of me, hands in pockets, face down against the wind. It could get so much worse.

"The paths are down," he commented wearily. In odd spurts the glowing cobblestone unfolded, but diffused and died of life just steps away. I nodded, reaching out and tugging his arms around mine. The sky was a thick gray, despite the suns rising in the distance. The usual orange cheerfulness blurred out by massive ashen clouds. We walked faster. All around us, tiny houses were smoking, missing walls, roofs, gardens. Outside of these houses were the frightened faces of Eros citizens. We were all equally lost, all of us but the infamous Lucian Boom. This was more normal to him than sunshin. I shivered, ignoring the rolling motion of the sky overhead. It moved from gray to black to brown, in swirls of ugly tumbles.

"We're almost there," I assured us all. "Just a few more minutes.

The Bears home sat atop a great green hill. Rain poured down around it. A shiny yellow tarp was thrown over the roof, hiding a massive hole caused by a fallen tree. Smoke billowed from the chimney, lights flickered through the windows. We all looked relatively relieved to see it. Even Lucian's hand didn't grip mine so tight after the sight of Mrs. Bears smiling face.

"I was so worried about you," She hugged mine and Lucian's neck simultaneously, before moving on to the rest. "We were up all night." Mr. Bear gave my head a affectionate pat.

"We were fine up until a few minutes ago," I explained, sitting down at the table with a cold piece of pie. "Lightening struck my house. There are literal walls missing."

"Oh no, Ezra." Mrs. Bear looked teary eyed. Mr. Bear smiled at her. "At least no one was hurt" he tacked on.

Mrs. Bear turned around to hand someone else a chilled slice of rainbow pie, when the glass went shattering to the floor. I hadn't noticed prior to the drop, but her hands were shaking. She wiped her face clear of shock. "I'm just no good when it's raining." Mr. Bear smiled sadly at his wife, over the huddle of bodies that had all jumped to help clean up the mess.

"Its just... It'll be just fine." She was tearing up though. I reached forward and grabbed her hand, she nodded back. I sometimes forgot how close my mother and her were, how similar their spirits were.

"It will be just fine." I smiled.

"I'll make sandwiches," she whispered. "Not pie, but filling nonetheless."

Hours later we were all sitting around the Bears living room. It was a comfortable quiet, filled with random bouts of quiet laughter. Lucian was standing at the window, oddly silent. Fern and Gray were laughing at baby pictures of Sebastian and myself. Jackson was sitting in the kitchen, staring at his fingers.

Mrs. Bear had made herself comfortable by me, holding my hand. She told stories about her youth and the day she met Mr. Bear. She laughed out loud at something she remembered, and refused to tell us about. It was when she grew quiet that I knew she was remembering.

"There's something I want to tell you. Benjamin told me she was just talking gibberish at the time but I knew... I did know." She leant closer, not wanting the others to hear. "A few weeks before the last storm, your mama came to me crying and talking about you and a tornado bringing life to your heart. I didn't understand. I told her it was a silly vision, a mistake..."

"But what?" I asked, shaking my head confused.

"I didn't know either, baby. I just thought she was overreacting. There had been so much talk about what was coming. I didn't blame her for getting upset. It wasn't until after she was nearly crushed that I talked to her about it next."

"But she died right away,"

"Not quite. She held on until I got to her. You don't remember, baby. I know you couldn't have remembered. When we got to the house, you had been out for a while. Mr. Bear had took you back home. I went out to start figuring out how to bury your mama and daddy, but she was still alive. She was staring off into the sky and she kept shaking her head and talking about secrets and paths and twisting clouds that ripped things apart. I didn't know what she was going on about, but she told me to tell you... and I never thought I'd have to, that you hold on as tight as you can. Hold on tight. Don't let them make you let go."

"To what?" I wiped furiously at a tear leaking down my face. "Hold on to what?"

"She didn't say, sweet heart. She just wants you to hold on."

I nodded, looking off to where Lucian stood at the window. His shoulders were tight, his spine board straight. Did she mean hold on literally? Did she want me to hold on to myself... to Lucian? I nodded once more, hugging Mrs. Bear and then taking a few steps toward my soul mate. He seemed to notice my actions before I even drew near. He turned around and took in the sight of me. We could almost talk without words lately, almost.

"The rains stopping," he whispered.

"But not for good, right?" I asked and he shook his head.

"There's clouds in the distance but we can go try and figure some stuff out if you want." He leant back against the window, facing me. I nodded, disinterested. "Get some stuff to stick it out with at least."

"You're right," I managed a smile. "Make sure we can hold out as long as possible."

He nodded, no smile gracing his thin lips. He took my hand and gave it a gentle pull. He was good at these bad situations, I reminded myself. It was all he knew.

Gray was throwing a fit. He stood in the center of the Bears living room, eyes throwing flames at Lucian and I alike. "No," he stated firmly. "It's a fucking stupid idea to leave the house." I rolled my eyes at him, throwing my arms up, and stalking over to lean against the back of the sofa. Mr. Bear was pulling on his coat, Mrs. Bear followed suit. Jackson and Fern were obnoxiously quiet, never having any input in anything about the storm.

"Well stay here if you want," Lucian ground out. "It's not like we need your whiney ass trailing behind us."

"Fuck you," Gray bit. Lucian shrugged.

"Gray" Mrs Bear tutted, shaking her head distractedly. "What would your mother say?"

"What would she say?" Gray mumbled. "Nothing because she's off somewhere safe, with her husband, and her new kids. I can assure you, they're not roaming around outside during a storm. They have more sense than that."

"Oh please shut up." I begged, clasping my hands together in front of me. "You're giving me a headache."

"I don't get why we have to leave. What if it starts back up before we can get back?"

"If that happens, it happens." Jackson finally spoke, his fingers interlocked with Ferns.

"We'll be fine," Mr. Bear's booming voice stopped all the rest of our retorts. "Now lets get this done before we do get stuck out in it."

And it was the right thing to do. We'd all see that later. It was good that Gray, though pouting, pulled on his coat and followed us into the gray morning. It was good that the tattered path glowed faintly at our feet and that the city of Eros called out our name. It was good that Lucian pulled my hand into his and that Jackson whispered to Fern not to worry. It was really very good that we were far enough away from the house when it all happened.

It was too quiet. No one dared talk. It was getting colder as well as dark. The sun seemed to dangle on a string behind the clouds, swinging back and forth along the sky. The rain dropped in thick drops along our hoods. The only sound for miles were those fat drops of rain and our feet scuffling over the ground. "Something feels unreal, doesn't it?" I asked Lucian, who nodded curtly in response.

"There's something in the air," Mr. Bear announced to the rest of us.

"I don't like it. I've got chills." Mr. Bear whispered back.

Then it happened. What started off as a strange whistling brought about a gust of wind. Lucian seemed to hear it before us, his eyes rushing over the land. We all stopped and looked around, confused at the wind now pushing around us in strong swirls. The thunder eroded overhead. The sky pulsed. The sound of scraping metal slammed into our ears.

"Run!" The noise picked up so fast, I could barely make out his voice over the gusts. The sky turned black, the clouds rumbled overhead. I gasped at the sight. What sounded like a train rushing between your ears, pulling at your clothes and arms, tearing up trees and houses alike? A funnel cloud shot through the sky. We were all huddled together, grasping each others coats, pulling at one another's arms.

"Hold on tight, Ezra!" Lucian screamed, his fingers painfully white against my wrists. I understood why he said that then, suddenly weightless and out of control. My legs flew out from underneath me. I felt all their hands on my arms, pulling me back. I felt the scream get ripped from my throat, and the flash of red in Lucian's eyes. It disappeared before it mattered, replaced by a worried blue. He moved forward, yelling something that I couldn't make out over the wind. I could hear the world ripping apart around me, the rain start to pour. I locked eyes with him before allowing them to slam shut. I tucked my head to my chest and waited to be stripped away.

It never happened. A bolt of lightening ripped the cyclone in half and I went slamming into the earth and rock. Lucian scooped me up, checking over my body for damages. I blinked at him, curious as to how sweet he was to me. He wasn't really sweet to anyone else.

"Thanks," I smirked. He smiled then, his eyes glassy and full. I allowed him to set me down. On shaky legs I walked closer to him and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I told you we shouldn't have ..." Gray's words died on his lips. We all looked up at the hill where the Bears house sat in a fiery blaze. Fire was literally falling from the sky. Fern screamed in terror as her coat caught ablaze. Jackson and Lucian both jumped to tear it off of her. "Find something to get under!" One of them screamed, I wasn't sure who. We all went running for cover, ducking under a piece of tin that had flown off of some house. We barely fit, all of us shaking and watching the world go up in flames. We could hear the screams coming from all around us, the smell of burning flesh and earth.

The sky turned so black you couldn't tell where the smoke ended and clouds began. Lucian looked astounded, as did the rest of us. Even he, hadn't seen anything like it before.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Fern's tiny voice brought us all back to reality.

No one answered.

AUTHORS NOTE:

Sorry dear readers about the lack of updates in the past. As you can see, I'm trying to be quicker about them. School is almost out and, even though I will work almost every day, it's not nearly as evil as school... so I should be able to finish this up pretty soon and get on with Moon Child and then after that...

anyways.

I do really like this chapter. I read over it a dozen times and I know it moves fast but it's supposed to. It's supposed to be overwhelming and chaotic. It's also supposed to give you a false sense of security and also, like Lucian's random fits of being possessed, it's completely random and can't be trusted. Please understand this is how I MEANT for it to be.

Love to all the reviewers. I've gotten so much support and I'm so grateful to have such an amazing group of people following me.

Check out MOON CHILD if you haven't already. Thas muh baby right there.