Claire curled up into her chair with Emily’s diary propped on her knees as she sipped champagne back in her loft. She and Raven spent hours at the office tracking Emily’s last moment on Earth during her first week missing. They were able to get in contact with her school friends and her BFF Ashley Campell. They all said the same thing, Emily was a good girl, more mature than her peers but not snobbish about it. She did her work quietly and helped her classmates with tutoring. It was only in the last couple of months she seemed to have changed. She kept her grades up but she continued to be more and more reclusive.
Raven had gone home to dinner, giving Claire a chance to head home herself. She brought Emily’s journal with her in hopes of finding some clue in it. They both figured someone had to get close to Emily, close enough to understand and know what she was going through. To know her daily routines and habits but everyone they talked to said she hasn’t hung out with anyone lately, not even Ashley and there was no boyfriend or girlfriend to speak of. Claire was hoping to find some clue of a secret boyfriend or something within the diary. She fell asleep with the book hanging from her hand and her glass empty.
She was cold. So cold. Her arms shivered as she cradled herself. Her breath clouded her vision as it fogged the air. Her bare feet stung as she walked on the frozen ground. She was in a frozen barren wasteland, wearing nothing but a thin button down long sleeve shirt. The wind howled as it cut her legs making her cower. Her freezing hair sliced her cheeks as the wind whipped it across her face. She looked left and right, seeing nothing for miles but pitch black overhead and frozen black below. Her feet caused tiny micro fractures in the ice and her eyes followed the cracks to a hole in the ice. She blew cold breath onto her fingers trying to warm them and felt her lips crack open. Cradling herself tighter she slowly crept her way towards the hole, careful not to step on any already made cracks. The only sound she heard was the cracking of the ice. The wind made no noise as it whipped her hair away from her face and even her breathing was silent. She slowly crept her toes to the edge of the hole feeling the icy air cut into her lungs as she breaths hard. Down into the hole it was nothing but black liquid. Her nose twitched as she sniffed at the air above the hole. Her gasp was soundless as her shaking frostbitten hand went to her mouth. It was blood. The black liquid that was as still as glass inside the hole was blood. Tears froze in her eyes as the wind continued to howl soundlessly. Suddenly the world became still. The wind stopped, her hair felt weightless and even the air all around her stood still. Her eyes widen as fingers begun to emerge from the pool of black blood. A solid black hand came out of the hole, slick with blood. It made no sound as the hand silently plopped on the ice. It pushed itself down, pulling its arms out. Her scream was silent as she backed away, trying to run. Her feet slipped and she fell. The noise of the ice cracking was earth shattering as she landed on the ice. She was dazed as her eyes spun. Her whole body shook from the cold as she tried to prop herself up. She turned her head and tried to scream again as she saw a shoulder and head attached to the arm, puling itself out of the pool of blood. Blood curdling horror filled her veins as the blood soaked being pulled a torso out of the pool. She tried to crawl away but her skin had frozen to the ice, trapping her in place. Her eyes were covered in a thin layer of ice as they widen, seeing the being pull another arm out of the hole. Her jaws were frozen open in a permanent silent scream as the arm reached over for her ankle. The black blood dripped from its fingers above her ankle burning her skin with ice.
Claire gasped as she shot up straight in the chair, “What the hell was that?”
Crystal was sleeping on the bed when she heard Claire waking up. She flew into the room and landed on Claire’s lap, “What’s the matter with you?”
Claire panted as she closed her eyes placing her hand on her face, “I have no idea.”
“What happened?”
Before Claire could answer there was a knock at her door. Crystal flew to her shoulder and curled her tail around Claire’s neck as Claire answered the door, “Here. The old lady downstairs said to give this to you.”
A paper bag was shoved into Claire’s arms and her nose was filled with the scent of freshly baked donuts and muffins, “Oh thank god.”
Claire quickly stuffed her face with muffins as Raven came inside, concern on his face, “Are you ok?”
Claire stuffed the muffin down her throat and sat at her kitchen table before she answered, “I think so, yeah.”
“You got any coffee in this joint?”
Claire waved a hand and coffee beans floated their way into the coffee maker, quickly brewing a pot. Raven searched the cabinets and pulled out two mugs; pouring a cup for Claire and a cup for himself.
“Drink.” He ordered as he set the cup in front of her, sipping his own as he sat, “You look white as ghost. What happened?”
Claire held the cup to her lips as she drank, warming her cold fingers. She sighed as she felt the hot drink warm her chest, “A dream. Vision maybe? I’m not sure.”
Raven quietly sipped his cup as he watched her up and down, “They always that bad?”
“No.”
Crystal crawled around her neck cuddling close against her. Claire absently reached up and rubbed her neck, “What the hell is that thing?”
Crystal whipped her head around to hiss at Raven, showcasing her razor sharp glass teeth as Claire held her still, “She’s my friend, Crystal. You’ll do well not to insult her. Her temper’s terrible.”
“Crystal huh?” Raven sipped his coffee as Crystal continued to glare at him, “She certainly reminds you of crystals doesn’t she.”
“And what’s that suppose to mean?”
Raven didn’t even blink as Crystal directed the question at him, “You’re as beautiful as a gem, hot stuff.”
Claire bit her cheek as Crystal begun to purr in her chest. She stepped off Claire’s neck and walked across the table to Raven, rubbing against his chest. He seemed reluctant at first but had finally started petting her as her purring became chimes.
“So you can be smooth.”
His lips twitched as he tried to bit back a smile, “When the time calls for it.”
Claire raised an eyebrow, “And it never called for it when you met me?”
Raven wisely decided not to say anything else as Claire realized something now that the sugar from the muffin hummed in her veins, “What are you doing here?”
“We’re going over to the Brown’s for some more questions.”
“No, no. Here here. How’d you find where I live?”
“Again, detective.”
Claire rolled her eyes, “Don’t remind me.”
“Are you su-“
“I swear to god I will hit you.”
Raven chuckled at the finger Claire pointed at his face, “Fine. Wanna tell me what happened? Does it relate to the case?”
Claire sighed as she pulled out a chocolate covered donut and leaned back in the chair, “I don’t know yet. It could.”
They sipped their coffees in comfortable silence when Claire glanced at the clock. It read 7:36 a.m., I slept through the night?
“You ready to get going?”
“Mmm,” Claire drained the rest of her coffee as she stood, “go ahead, have another cup. Need a shower.”
She walked off and closed the bedroom door. Before long Raven began to hear the water running and walked around the loft studying her home. He took his cup with him and Crystal flew to his shoulder. He first took a look at her greenhouse garden along the north wall. He was impressed with the immense amount of plants growing within the cloudy glass. He sipped his coffee as the sun glinted through the wet windows. He walked over to the center table and idly flipped through the stack of books when he heard the water shutting off.
He raised his voice to be heard through the closed door, “So…you and Dillon are pretty close huh?”
Claire got dressed as she answered, “Yeah. He and I grew up at the orphanage together. He was there before me and kinda took me under his wing when I came. He’s been a brother to me ever since.”
“So you two have a pretty close relationship.” He picked up a slim book and flipped it over in his hands.
Claire was drying her hair with her towel, “Yeah, we’re pretty close.”
Raven paused as he asked his next question, “Romantically close?”
Claire paused with the towel in her hands as she turned to stare at the door, “What?!”
He turned as the door pulled open and she poked her head out, fully dressed with damp hair, “It’s a legitimate question.”
She slowly waved her hand pointing a finger at him as she held the towel, “It’s more of a question whether or not it’s your business.”
Raven walked to the kitchen and rinsed out his mug, “I’m your partner. It’s my business to know about my partner.”
Claire stepped into the kitchen doorway with the same look still on her face, “No, no. It’s your business to know about me, not about my personal matters.”
“What’s it matter, just answer the question.”
Claire stared at him unbelieving as she tried to sort her thoughts, “What the hell brought this on?”
Raven crossed his arms and leaned against the counter as Crystal stared between the two of them, “Just…it seems you two are pretty close and it got me wondering.”
Claire held out her hands, “Wondering what?”
Raven raked his fingers through his hair as his frustration began to build, “Just…how close are you?”
Claire propped her hands on her hips, “We’re siblings. We watch out for each other and are there for each other.”
Raven waved his hand, “Is that how he knew you were in trouble yesterday?”
Claire crossed her arms pointing a finger at him, “Is that what this’s about? You’re jealous that he helped me out?”
“God no. I just don’t understand how he knew you were in trouble. One minute he wasn’t there and the next he was.”
Claire put a hand to her mouth to hide her smile, “D’s always kept an eye on me, we keep in touch. He knows we’re dealing with a Necromancer and how dangerous it can be so he kept an extra close eye on me. He felt I was in trouble and came, that’s all.”
Raven raised an eyebrow, “That’s it?”
Claire chuckled as she went back to finish drying her hair, “Yes numnuts.”
Raven sighed as he scratched his scalp. Crystal watched Claire leave then turned to Raven as she shut the door, “You’re an idiot.”
“Shut up.”
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