SG: Innocent Bystander #9 -- Siblings 2/2

[Whitney Taylor]

Continued from Part 1


*****


"It's just, at least I thought I'd have a couple of weeks to relax, y'know? I've been seeing supervillains practically every day, I almost totally forgot mundane criminals were even a thing!"


"You got that one good, though! I dunno why mom's so worried. It was pretty great, the look on that guy's face when he thought you were pulling a gun on him. Kinda creeped me out when you started giggling though. You learn that from watching those supervillains?"


"No... that just sometimes happens when the adrenaline starts wearing off." Mina's hand rested on the door handle, hesitating. "Just... don't tell Mom. I don't need her to do the full helicopter impression."


"Cross my heart! I'd never snitch on the purveyor of gator bites!"


She gave him a threatening look, then pushed the door open.


"There you are! Did you kids have a good time?"


Mina found herself enveloped in her mother's arms the instant she stepped into the kitchen. The older woman stepped back, looking into her face.


"Great time! Mimi paid for everything!" Drew enthused, rescuing her.


"It's late," James looked up from the kitchen table, where he had been grading papers.


"It's Saturday night, pop! And it's only ten!"


"And have you been working on that paper, or playing video games today?" He spoke sternly, but with a grin for Mina. "Your sister has had a long day. And we have friends over for dinner tomorrow, so we want you to get some sleep."


"I am pretty tired..." Mina excused herself, not wanting conversation until her nerves had recovered.


She accepted another hug, though. "It's so good to have you back!" her mother whispered, and Mina's eyes burned with imprisoned tears.


When she got to her room, she made a beeline for her bed and dropped onto it, face first, with a groan. For a while she lay unmoving, taking in the sounds of the house. The television... Drew moving around in his room... gentle scuffing sounds as someone rummaged through a drawer...


Wait... that last one... that sounded like it was coming from her own desk...


Mina had to remind herself to keep breathing. Slowly, slowly, she turned her head, making almost no sound...


The desk was in its normal place against the wall, several of its drawers open. A wooden scarecrow of a figure knelt before it, long fingers rooting through one of them. Assorted objects removed to the top of the desk attested to the length of time the figure had been at it.


Mina squeezed her eyes shut, but when she opened them again, the wooden creature had stood up to face her, rectangular objects dangling from its fingers. There was something about that wood--the color, and the shape of the limbs that had been arranged in a creepily skeletal, but somehow also elegant formation. Her eyes flickered over to an old wooden rocking chair she had kept in a corner. Sure enough, it was missing...


"Oh, good! You're awake."


"Elemental..."


Elemental spoke at a discreet volume, but the bright and cheerful tone clashed so severely with the horror of her appearance here, in this house, that it made Mina dizzy. "You've got quite the embarrassment of riches here, haven't you? I mean," and here she shook the stolen objects, which Mina realized were cassette tapes that had been impaled on the skeletal fingers. "'The Name Is Ramrod, Girl'? 'Girl, It's

Ramrod Again'? Tell me you've never actually *listened* to these!"


Mina was coming to a realization. She was realizing that her dizzy sensation was not the result of fear alone, but fear duking it out in her skull with a substantial helping of incandescent fury.


"Those belonged to my sister, you--you--"


"Did they? I don't think much of her musical taste."


"She's dead, you creep! Put those down!" Mina hissed, sitting up.


Wooden shoulders shrugged. "As you wish." Mina watched with helpless rage as the  disemboweled cassettes fell into the waste basket, unspooled tape fluttering after them. "I'm sure you won't miss 'You Know the Government's On Your Side, Girl'. I did leave you the one bootleg concert tape, though. Now this..." she daintily picked up another object between finger and thumb, holding it out for Mina to see.


"This does mean something to you, doesn't it?"


It was an old action figure from the 90s, and its rarity might have made it a valuable collector's item had it been in pristine condition. Radian wore the heroic pose and black bodysuit of her time in Calforce, but her black and white eyes, painted in with a childish hand, dated to a time well after she had ceased to be a hero. Perhaps the paint could be removed, rendering the doll a near-mint financial blow to Mina's looming student debts, but she just couldn't bear to have it done.


"That was her favorite..." tears of grief and frustration stung her eyes, "please... just put it back..."


Elemental stared at her for a moment, carved face expressionless. Then, to Mina's surprise, she gently placed the toy back onto the desktop. Mina stared at her, confused.


"Why did you come here...?"


"I'm allowed to talk to people who work at the cafe. I usually don't, but you're interesting."


"So you just... rummage through my stuff?"


"You didn't say anything when you came in, so I figured you wouldn't mind."


She'd been right there when Mina walked in, and she hadn't noticed. Dull human sennnnses... she wished, with a desperate pang, that Maow was with her now.


"I do mind! Why do you keep following me?"


The figure considered for a moment, tilting its head. "I'm trying to figure out why you're not dead. You really ought to be by now--trying to have adventures with no powers or training or anything except that stupid cat toy. Yet you've done quite well for yourself, even when I wasn't there to look out for you."


The way the light fell on the wooden face made Mina realize that it was mimicking her--she recognized her own round cheeks and retrousse nose. Choosing to ignore this mockery, she asked, "That doesn't make sense. So you're trying to figure out why you haven't killed me?"


"No! Do you take me for some kind of imbecile? I know perfectly well why *I* haven't killed you. What I'm trying to figure out is why no one else has managed it!"


"Why you haven't...?" Mina asked, still trying to make sense of what she was hearing. "Don't tell me you have a crush on me too? If only I was this popular in highschool!"


The figure recoiled. "Mina! Don't be gross!"


"Homophobic *and* a murderer?"


"Homo--" Elemental began indignantly, then paused. "You really don't know who I am, do you?"


Mina's disgust flared back up into anger.  "Oh, I don't know who you are, do I? Try a different threat, I've heard that one too many times. If you've been stalking me, you should know I work in customer service!"


But the creature seemed stuck on that one. "You really, really--" Her head suddenly snapped to the side, and she froze. Then with surreal speed and silence, she strode to the corner where the rocking chair had been and began to twist and change. Mina stared, nauseated and fascinated, until she was distracted by a soft knock at the door.


"Mimi? Can I come in?"


Panic flared. "Um, not just yet!" Unfortunately she had neglected to lock her door and, little brothers being notorious for prying, it was already swinging open. She spared a glance at the corner, just in time to see an ordinary chair rocking slightly back and forth.


"Hey. I was too excited to sleep. That was some night, huh?"


"Be a dear and *don't* introduce us?" The voice was so unexpectedly close that Mina yelped, clapping a hand to her ear.


"Mimi? You okay?"


"Mosquito!" She lied brightly. "Those things get everywhere. Um. You really should get to bed."


"I thought I heard voices. Were you on the phone with your cat girlfriend? Have you got a picture?"


"Uh, no. I was actually talking to myself, since I'm slowly losing my mind!" Go away, she urged silently.


Drew gave her a sardonic look, and flopped down into the rocking chair. It immediately collapsed.


"Sorry," the disembodied voice followed her as she jumped up to check on him, "It's harder to put things back together than it is to take them apart, and I was in a hurry..."


"Get out!" Mina hissed under her breath. Then, out loud, "Are you hurt?"


He shook his head, dazed, as she pulled him to his feet, checking him for splinters. "What the hell(tm)? I musta sat in that chair a hundred times... Now my ass hurts!"


"I don't want to hear about your ass," Mina said curtly, "Go to bed before you break something else. I've had so much excitement I'm about to drop dead."


"If you're worried about the kid, let me set your mind at ease. I don't kill kids. Well... I've never done so before. If they really, really annoyed me..."


Drew peered at her. "You sure you're okay? You've been acting weird." Something occurred to him suddenly. "Are you finally manifesting some super powers? Our little Mina, becoming a woman at last?"


"...This one, though. I could get to like this one."


"Brat! Out!"


He snickered.


She closed the door behind him, leaning against it. "As for you," she whispered, "If you think I'm so 'interesting.' I hope you like watching people play video games, because that's ALL I'm going to be doing. That, and sleeping, and chewing with my mouth open."


"If you say so. I'll be going now, but I won't miss the dinner party tomorrow... Goodnight, Mina."


A breeze wafted past Mina to the window. She thought she saw one of the glass panels distort briefly... but then again, perhaps it was her imagination.


*****


"Afternoon, y'all!" declared the red haired woman as she stepped through the Westing's front door, large tinfoil covered dish in hand.


Sophie ushered her in, taking the container. "Debbie! Is that banana pudding? You didn't... Mina, you remember Debbie Hinkle, don't you?" The hostess looked down at the vat of custard treat in dismay, no doubt thinking of the triple-threat flan layered baked butter dulce de leches cream coated arterial murder tart (with chocolate coated berries!) already preparing to make its way into the bloodstreams of their guests.


Mina had been told this guest would be here, but she flushed awkwardly anyway. "Of course. I--I'm so sorry about your brother. I wish..." she trailed off, guiltily.


The woman rescued her with an embrace. "Thank you, hon." She held Mina tightly for a few moments, then pulled away to look at her. "I was gonna ask to hear the story from your own mouth, if you're up to it."


"I--" the memory of Ed Hinkle's death loomed large in her memory after her encounter with Elemental last night, but she didn't want to talk to his grieving sister where the creature might overhear.


Debbie looked concerned. "...But you look like you ain't slept for a week. Maybe get settled back in a bit first."


"...Yeah, ok." Mina sighed, relieved. "I really didn't sleep well. I had nightmares about it last night." It had certainly seemed like a nightmare, as she lay in her bed, thinking every tiny noise was Elemental returned for whatever incomprehensible purpose.


The woman touched Mina's arm gently. "You poor thing. Take your time. And when you're ready, you call me." Her voice turned grim. "Whatever did this has some payback coming."


"Thanks." Mina sighed as they stepped onto the back porch. To her relief, Debbie left her side to greet the other guests and Mina was left to console herself with barbecue.


"She's right, you know. You look terrible."


Although she had been waiting for the voice all day, it still startled her into dropping a chicken wing.


"How was I supposed to sleep when an invisible psychopath could come into my room at any moment?" She muttered, bending over to retrieve the lost fowl and conceal her moving lips from any spectators.


"Ah." said the voice, and then it was silent for some time.


Mina headed back into the house as if to wash grass clippings off the disgraced food, but as soon as she was out of sight she dropped it on the kitchen counter and kept walking straight through the house and out the front door.


Wind swirled around her, tugging at her clothes. "Mina? Where are you going?"


"I don't want you anywhere near my family!"


"I intend them no harm, I promise!"


"I know you're a murderer, why not a liar too?"


"Mina, stop!" From the road in front of her, the figure rose: a statue of a girl in asphalt. Mina halted. "I swear by Fox and Elvis and all five Lords of the Outer Dark, I will never intentionally harm your family!"


As the words were spoken, Mina felt... something... as if the air tightened around them briefly. But the sensation passed, leaving her unsure of herself. She eyed the statue. "I don't know... you could still be lying. And what is a Lord of the Outer Dark? I don't like the sound of it."


The figure shook her head, exasperated. "Don't you know anything? ...All right, you don't trust me. I don't know how to make you trust me. I've even gone out of my way to not kill anyone in your vicinity, so as not to offend your delicate sensibilities!"


"Considerate of you."


"The sarcasm is uncalled for. My forbearance has cost me some face, let me tell you. And it's so unnecessary, since people just go to some afterlife or other when you kill them, which even *you* would know if you had been paying attention."


Mina blinked, briefly distracted. "They just... go to..."


"An afterlife, yes. You know! Good people go to a nice afterlife, bad people go to Hell(tm), either way they're out of my hair! Fox, I thought *everyone* knew about this after Satan T. Lucifer Jones himself invaded Earth in the 90s!"


"Good people... and bad..." Mina shook her head, returning to the present, "so you just 'kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out'!"


"Let *something* sort 'em out, anyway." Elemental paused thoughtfully. "There may be some clerical errors, but those aren't very common, I hope."


This, thought Mina, was more eldritch cosmology than she really needed to hear for her own peace of mind. "Okay... well... look, I don't know what you want from me, but you're terrifying, you're sinister, and I don't know how to protect myself from you. I couldn't trust you even if I wanted to!"


They stood deadlocked, Mina breathing hard, Elemental moving not at all. The light seemed to visibly redden as the sun dropped. A car roared past, which broke the animated statue from her sullen silence.


"Very well. There doesn't seem to be much else to say. You needn't look for me; I won't come to you after today. But tell me, who was that woman who almost made you cry just now?"


"Woman?" It took a moment for her brain to shift. "Oh, you mean Debbie. The sister of the man you pushed off a building!"


"And you're still upset about that? Don't you know what that man did?"


"I know he was haunted by it. I know he was trying to make up for it..." Realization came to Mina in a flash. "And I do know who you are after all!"


"Oh?" There was something careful about the way the word sounded, but Mina forged on, excited by her revelation.


"You're the ghost of one of the women he and his gang killed back around the Revolution! What are you doing--going around hunting down all of them?" Worry hit her suddenly--were there more people in danger? Maybe not the nicest of people, but--


"Hinkle was the last of them..." the words came slowly, as if spaced between thoughts. "Mina--you've just given me an idea--a wonderful, wonderful idea!"


"Oh, no!"


Elemental laughed. "No, no, this is something you'll like! I'm going to offer you a boon! If, that is..."


Not wanting to be standing here all night waiting on a dramatic pause, Mina offered up the prompt. "If?"


"If," Elemental declared, "You can guess my true name! No, that's too easy--I don't want you to just rattle off a million names from the phone book. An extra challenge, yes--bring me something that belongs to me!"


"I have to guess your true name... and bring you something of yours? But that's not fair! What if it's impossible to get hold of?"


"I promise you, I promise you, it won't be!" Elemental was almost singing with delight. "If it is, you'll you're on the wrong track! Oh it's going to be so much fun!"


"And if I can do that, you'll give me... what?"


"A boon. A favor! Something small--a secret discovered, an enemy ki--er, rendered harmless. A million dollars in a Gucci suitcase. Something like that, as long as it's within my power."


"How about if I ask you to leave me alone?"


A shocked, offended silence. "If that's really what you want to waste your boon on," Elemental said stiffly, "then fine. But you only get to choose after you guess correctly. So you have some time to think on it."


"Oh believe me. I am!"


"Good. I'll visit you in a week's time. Be ready!"


The figure sank back into the asphalt, leaving no trace behind even when Mina poked the ground where it had disappeared.


*********


WELL.


WHO IS ELEMENTAL?


WILL MINA UNCOVER HER TRUE IDENTITY?


CAN SHE REALLY MAKE THIS SUPERNATURAL PEST DISAPPEAR FROM HER LIFE?


OR WILL SHE OPT FOR A CASH REWARD INSTEAD?


WILL SHE EVER DEVELOP SUPER POWERS?


OR WILL SHE BE CONTINUALLY MOCKED BY HER LITTLE BROTHER?


SOME OF THIS AND MORE ON THE NEXT EPISODE!




Author's note


And with that, I'm out of the backlog! Anyone who is still reading this pray to Elvis for me and my continued inspiration.


According to the timeline I've set up, Estella was probably a little too young to have participated in Ramrodmania just roll with it ok


"The Curse of Millhaven" by Nick Cave and "The Hangman's Body Count" by Volbeat btw


ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40854900/chapters/104380566

Innocent Bystander - Chapter 9 - agiaoftyrosh - Superguy [Archive of Our Own]<https://archiveofourown.org/works/40854900/chapters/104380566>
Chapter Text. Savannah, April 1994. Birds, they all know it, they showed it to me Forgotten by man, there stands an old hanging tree Forgotten by man, there stands an old hanging tree Some roots are still growin', they died long ago--"My Bones", The Pretty Reckless. Red energy pulsed from the altar, siphoning up into the top of the archway in waves which cascaded downward and around along ...
archiveofourown.org




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.eyrie.org/pipermail/superguy/attachments/20220914/e70d2c78/attachment-0001.htm>