In A Blink

"C.C.!" The harsh whisper was lost to the man asleep on the bed, curled protectively around Bluebell with one of his hands lost in her long, white hair. Andy rolled his eyes - C.C. was always a heavy sleepy, but at least he was a quiet heavy sleeper. The thought sent the singers eyes flicking towards Jake, who was just stumbling from the room he and Andy were sharing. "C! C!" Andy hissed again, freezing in place when it was Bluebell who shifted instead of the drummer. She seemed at peace, cradled in the muscular arms of the drummer - young and still slightly chipmunk-faced, she was adorable. Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, he reached over and jabbed C.C. on the side of his neck.

That did it! The drummer flinched awake and inhaled sharply, eyes wide in shock and pupils shrunk down. Bluebell stirred again slightly, giving a small hum and nuzzling closer to the man cuddling her to his chest, arms pulled to her chest happily. C.C. froze, letting Bluebell fall back asleep as he glared at Andy. The silver coin that Man Without Face had given him to help communicate with the others was across the room, on the vanity - it was harder without it, but doable. Andy, what are you doing? It's seven in the morning!

She needs a name and we're going to ask about it.

C.C.'s glare softened at that into a tight smile, giving a slight nod before cutting off the communication. He nodded towards the door, and Andy left to go wake Jinx and Ashley in the last room. Carefully, C.C. detangled himself from Bluebell and pulled the covers over her again, tucking them gently around her shoulders. A fleeting thought passed through his mind - was every Clan as protective of their Sixth as he personally was?

When he left the room dressed in the clothes for that day, the question was answered by four sets of eyes locking onto the door C.C. just shut behind him. The protective glint in their eyes was unmistakable. Each glinted faded as the Clan began their ritual once more.

The Mourner spread serenity with his silver dust before The Deviant focused their minds on the ritual. On cue, The Mystic summoned the silent fire and tore open the portal to Unknown to let The Prophet step into the violet flames once more, speaking with Man Without Face. The conversation was longer than usual, his voice hushed still - even with his mind magically bound to the ritual, The Prophet did not wish to awaken their newfound Sixth.

Of course, it wasn't the voice that woke Bluebell, but sunlight from the slit in the curtains. Quietly, she woke up and rubbed her face, knowing it was pointless trying to go back to sleep. Reaching out, she went to cuddle back against C.C. only to find that he was gone. Dazed and confused, still waking up, Bluebell practically had a heart attack when she saw herself in the mirror with white hair. The galactic markings on her skin were gone - she must have forgotten about her hair. She ignored it for the time being, instead just changing into a tattered pair of black skinny jeans and a plain red tank top. That's when she finally noticed the hushed voice coming from the living room area.

Bluebell found herself entranced by the sight of the purple flames as she opened the bedroom door. They cast no light, but the men's shadows were long as if it did. There was no sound or smoke. Bluebell went forwards carefully, her eyes shifting from man to man. They were different now - they had cocoons of sort folded around them, a soft darkness that had their own personalities and names. Bluebell had a sudden and shocking realization - the shadows were a part of the men, each representing the ancient Holdings and their Holding Names.

The girl was startled when the man she saw as both The Destroyer and C.C. suddenly raised his hands, causing the entire ritual setting to rip apart and whirl into a twister, vanishing into the floor as the humanoid shadows sank back into each man. That's when Ashley noticed Bluebell, watching in half-asleep awe from the doorway. He glanced at Andy and gave a mental nudge - the taller man turned to see the young woman, giving one of his half-smirk smiles. "We have your Holding Name," he said gently, and she seemed to perk up. Her strange golden eyes flickered from man to man, jumping to Jinx in tight-rope anxiety and his cellphone suddenly rang loudly. Fumbling for his pocket, Jinx gave her an encouraging smile before walking into another room to answer it.

"You're The Creator," Andy said softly, and it was as if power blasted into the girl. C.C. expected this - it was the same for all of them. He dashed over, scooping her off her feet before she could totally collapse and her Holding Name bonded into her mind. He set her on the couch in front of the TV to let her rest for a moment, running his hand through her hair protectively. Jinx came out of the room he was in, ending a phone call. "The bus will be here soon," he said, glancing down at Bluebell with concern before realizing that her Holding Name was bonding into her heart. He gave her a soft smile and motioned for C.C. to stay with her - he'd get their bags.

Several minutes later, the Brides and Bluebell were downstairs and boarding on a bus. Paparazzi were flooding around them, as usual - C.C. had an arm protectively around Bluebells shoulders while Ashley and Jake blocked her view from behind as she stepped upwards. Soon enough, the bus was rumbling away and the Clan made themselves comfortable around the tiny kitchen and living area as they got their road legs back. The men watched Bluebell happily as she explored her now much stronger abilities, effortlessly holding a small galaxy in her hand.

It really was a shame that the peace couldn't last.

Notes