Chapter 12 Fina And Ninas Bedroom Under The Castle

Fina and Nina were walking through the town with their mother, and wondering how far the fog was going to expand -- and how soon they needed to find another place to go. It was Nina who -- somehow -- managed to keep her cool while all these was going on. Even if Fina was not suffering from the dirty air that contaminated the settlement, she still had that phantom stench that made her wanted to vomit. They arrived at the market, which was no more than two display cases, similar to the brownie stand they encountered before. And they looked at what was on sale: there was various types of bones from various types of entities in the netherworld. To Fina, none of these looked appealing, however Nina could not be more different.

“Hey Fina, lets get some of these bones. They looked awesome.” Nina said. Fina could not help but roll her eyes at her sister just a little bit. “What, was that look for?” Then Nina realized she did not have the same level of fascination that that Fina did.

“Let’s go somewhere to find a drink.” Fina said. Then walked over to their present mother. “Hey, can we like -- go get a drink somewhere -- the air is starting to effect me a little bit.” The mother simply looked at her, thought she was deranged.

“But that’s impossible, I gave you a mask. But sure, just be sure not to wonder off to far. We need you here, so why can find a place where the air is clean, if the air in the sky continues to advance -- and give us misery.” Then the mother like woman, turned back around to tend to her shopping.

Fina and Nina walked into the pub, and then they were seated by a nurse. She wore a leather bikinu, and had the prettiest looking blond hair you would ever see. The hair covered her face, so there were no eyes to be seen, though Fina assumed that because they were a skeleton, and the hair was over her face, that there were no eyes to be seen. “What would you like to drink?” the skeleton woman said.

“Do you have any lemon-aid?” Fina said.

The skeleton woman looked at both girls strangely, wondering why in the hell two girls -- that were eleven and thirteen -- would be ordering a spiked beverage. “I will go see if we can find any. Take care you to.” The skeleton woman was not sure whether they could still find mix that was un-spiked. Her and her father simply assumed that, since there were mostly likely not going to be any kids coming to the pub (parents simply don’t take them), that they could simply throw out the mix for the regular lemon-aid. ...For a moment she thought, well I hate this job anyway ...it’s not like I have anything to lose. “Hey Racicio, have you seen any lemon-aid mix?” the skeleton woman said.

She was handed a mix, it was a spiked mix.

“Hey Aicara, your not giving any to those two girls are you?” the manager teased.

“Of course not, I’m not sure why they are here.”

She lied of course, she went ...made herself some lemon-aid -- or at least that what she told the manager dude, and then walked over to give the girls drinks. Then walked into the back. “Hey, its just about break time Airaca, don’t want to have to pay you over ...now go enjoy yourself.”

Airaca was not sure how the manager was going to feel about her serving the girls drinks. Then when she walked over, she saw Fina -- though she did not know this was her name -- spit out and made a comment about the drink.”

“Sorry girls, would you just like some water?”

“Sure, we’ll have some of that -- thanks.”

“No problem, welcome to the Netherworld.”

After they have received their water, and finished their drinks -- they heard two rebel soldiers talking in the bar. They spoke of the advancing vile air wind, tormenting the town. And Fina wondered, how would they be tossed into the fray? She put the thought of her mind, when their mother came into the pub. “Such good little girls, you did not wonder off.” But Fina knew, even if she wanted to -- there was no way they would survive it, with the vile wind advancing closer to thee. They left the pub, with the skeleton waitress waving good bye.

I may see you two again, if I leave this town she thought.

It was the next hour, that took Airaca life into the next turn. If there was any regrets for her, it was already to late. When the two girls had left, the manager had saw that they had drank from the cups that they were not suppose to. “Hey Airaca, why were those two girls that were just here -- drinking alcohol.” the manager said. It was a difficult to try to contain his lack of humor. Eventually the manager settled down and said. “Well, enjoy your last day you small set of chicken bones.” Airaca was not sure what hurt worse, the fact that two mortals that looked strange to her, put her into a situation where if she refused -- she was fired, or the fact that if she chose to serve them, she would be fired for serving mortals. She wasn’t sure if consuming the beverages of the dead would curse them, or if they would simply roll off their back.

Airaca finished washing the table, and the manager walked over and said. “Don’t take it personally, it happens to the rest of us sometimes.” But how could she not take it personally, after all its not like it was her first job. This had been her second job. Her first job ended suddenly in a bang, when he first boss had become paralyzed due to the vile winds. But not wanting to herself into more trouble with her grandmother than she already was in, she simply let his comment roll off her back. She then put up her uniform, and then exited the door never to return.

Airaca had a hard time breathing while she walked outside, and took the chance change to look as she had been -- to look at the building as an employee. From now now, life was not going to be the same for Airaca -- and she knew it. It could be that she would become homeless, her grandmother would take away her magi-mask -- she she would suffocate like her father during the night -- alone and un-tethered. But she tried to stay calm, not waste the oxygen she still had left -- it was not good to waste, when purchasing as new set air would not come easy. It took a minute walk to walk to her grandmothers cottage.

She walked inside, and greeted her grandmother as she was sitting in her lonely chair. Her grandmother stared out of the window, and simply had no expression other than discomfort. “Airaca, why are you home early?” the grandmother asked. She was hacking and coughing violently. “Have you come to see me become ill, you vile set of chicken bones.” Airaca was not really sure what to think of her grandmother. Whether her grandmother meant the words she was saying, or perhaps she was living on a thirty three hour day. Because of this, she simply tried to let the issue roll off her back as much as she could.

“I was let go Mimi.” Airaca said.

“You were let go --” But before her grandmother had began to finish her sentence, she had began to stiffen. Her grandmother let out once last scream, before there was nothing but silence. A silence that was not quite silence. She knelt before her grandmother, and wept her weep. She felt like such a sheep, because although she would not let her to customers screech, she had no choice by to sleep a work ethic sleep. And so she let her Mimi down. “Grandmother, I’m sorry.” But it was no use.

Her grandmother would not listen.

She felt guilty doing it, but she had no choice. She wanted to breath as much as anyone else. So she felt herself turning to a couple of people she never thought that she would. She felt a certain pit in her stomach, because she would turn to anyone else. Anyone else besides that two girls she met earlier. And in her mind, she thought: Good golly, why me. Why should I give in to those mortal girls. Why not let my vendetta be. Everyone else turns to their friends and divine family, there is nobody left for inglorious me. Good golly, why me. Why should I give nobody like me this chance to tolerate agony. In those mortal girls, I confide in truth chance to enjoy a chance to breath.

She then arrived at the wattle and daub cottage, and knocked on the door. And waited for the door to open. “Do you think we can talk?” Airaca said. She saw the slightly pleasant yet disgruntled face of the skeleton woman. “My grandmother has paralyzed, and I no longer have a home.”

The skeleton woman, looked over at Fina and Nina, and then looked down onto the ground. And then into the sky. “Sure, but you won’t tease the girls will you?” the skeleton woman said. And then was hesitant to let her inside.

Airaca sighed. “Of course not.”

She was let inside, came in, and sat at the table. Fina looked over at the lady that used to be the waitress. “I remember you.”

“Yea I served you over at the pub.”

“You could be a big sister!” Nina said. Smiled.

Meanwhile, in the prison of Grim.

Large rats crawl through the prison walls, scurrying through the large cracks in the damp dark prison, his smile taunts with a scratched up chin. And the rats bite and prick; the fog seeps through the vent. Grim’s father had thought it would come to this, though he was not sure how soon. If only he had not been so careless, he would have seen their advance. Though Grim still smiled. He was tied in a double secure binding rope, which was so thick that rat’s could not bite through it’s strings. The young girl tried to get him to speak, but it was no use “Where are the girls, I’ve seen them -- tell me now.” Though the thick skulled skeleton man mocked the girl.

“Even if I had seen them,” The skeleton mocked to Banaecia, as he knew that she was beginning to become slightly ill tempered with him, despite the ease and fine ego before. “why in the hell do you thick I would tell you where they are -- you traitor ego smoothing nincompoop.” The skeleton man’s laugh could be heard throughout the prison.

“If your not able to answer our questions, I suppose we will have to force your answers right out of you.” Banaecia said. Then she turned over to her guards, who were snickering with her about his non compliance. Don’t worry guys, I have just the thing she thought. She got a giant sledge hammer, and then took one of his toes. “Now tell me, where did you last put the girls. Where might they be?”

“I’m not telling you.”

His big toe snapped. Grim’s father was not sure if anyone was ever going to come, and soon came to make piece that he will be here for the rest of his life. Here lies the kingdom, burning in it’s ashes, here lies the kingdom wailing in it’s misery. Here lies the kingdom, boiling it’s it’s vile air to breath. “Come on, out with it. Where are the girls?” Banaecia asked. Grim continued to be non-compliant.

“I’m not telling you.” His second toe snapped.

This is not working Banaecia thought, and then for a brief moment she had an idea. Maybe I can use something else, and then I know absolutely for certain that the skeleton man will be able to bend to my will. She took out a crystal ball from her black hooded coat. And then in the crystal ball was an image. It was the skull of his paralyzed wife, her decapitated skull of her moving her non-lips. “I’m sorry Grim, I’m sorry.”

And it was this, that finally broke him.

Meanwhile, Fina and Nina had arrived at the castle kingdom. The whole group were covered in regular civilian clothes to protect their identity. Their new mother -- Airaca -- made sure that the two girls did not lose sight of her. For Fina, she made sure to hold her hand, until they could find some group that would take them in. Nina tries to wonder off when Airaca hands temporarily becomes loose to look at goods at a city market. Fina goes to follow her, and so far Airaca does not seem to notice that they are absent. Fina walks over to go get Nina, but this is harder than she thought it would be. Eventually go reach a used and rundown skeleton world fare, and then Fina loses track of Nina. “Nina, where are you?” Fina said. But there was no response from Nina, and she was nowhere in sight.

Eventually she found her, and she was sitting on a seat on a used Mary Go Round. The Mary Go Round looked like it had not been maintained for years, and Fina motioned for her to get off of the ride. “Come on Nina, come down here. You never know when they thing is going to fall apart.” Eventually they heard footsteps, and it was the sound of Airaca who has finally caught up with the two girls. “Come on girls, lets find a home. This place gives me the creeps.”

They reached an old apartment, and Airaca opened the door. Here an slightly older man, just a little bit older than Airaca, opened the door slightly and said. “What is the password?” Airaca said to the man. “Remember its me, do I really need to say it?” But the man was insistent on her saying the password. So she did. The door slowly opened, and they found themselves in a magi-tech arcade room. Fina and Nina went to go play some of the games, while Airaca had a short conversation with the man that asked her a password. “Sense when did you need a password?” Airaca said. Then she looked at him, who at other times seemed to be completely at ease, but now he seems far more serious.

“The air, it has become vile to breath.”

“Is that what this is about, what are you planning?”

“You will see.” Then he polished his magi-gun.

“And why are children in here?”

“The younger you train them, the better they fight when they become older.” Airaca wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by this, but it’s not like they had a choice. They needed any sort of shelter they could find. And it was not like any of the markets would have given them any amount of shelter. It was all holy nights, that the demons of the netherworld sang their chant. The chant of the ages, the chant of a funeral march.

The sing continued to buzz through Fina’s ears, as she tried to get any amount of sleep that she could, but she could not get that tune out of her head. And it transfered over to her dreams. She dreams about how her life would have been, if she had chosen to stay at home. She wondered if she would have still have gotten more gifts, or if their mother would have forgot about the whole issue. She wanted to be home, right now. And she fell into the misery of her flesh. “Are you still asleep,” Fina said to Nina. But she was still asleep. And no amount of screaming she would have done, would have woken up that rock.

Meanwhile, in the ghoul district -- a cowboy was forming negotiations with the resistance general. “Can you get me a drink?” the dream-space cowboy. As he looked into the night of stars. Even if he were to be paralyzed trying to save his homeland, other of his kind may benefit. “I need it extra hard, on the double.” The man was about 130, everyone else was around 17 to 160. He always felt like he was always in the middle, his age simply confirmed this feeling he has always had. But now he had the chance to prove that he was not just a middle. “What kind of security systems are we looking at?” the dream-space cow boy continued.

“It looks the be guarded by four magi-computers.” another voice said.

How many years has it been sense I have been in this line of work the skeleton cowboy wondered. He had two jacks he could use, one was behind his right ear, and the other behind his left. He used the left he wanted to connect to the regular magi-line, and the right if he wanted to connect to the podded magi-net line. “Do you realize how much your going to have to pay me, to be able to even try to carry out such an attack?”

An the other side of the room, there was Fina and Nina. Fina heard voices in the dark, only lit by the glow of the glow of the magi-light. And she could hear rats crawling in the dark. She did not want to be bit, and she did not want Nina to be bit either. So she got up, and woke up Nina. Fina felt like the breathable air in her tank was about to decrease, but she had to be able to be strong for Nina. And they exited the room, as left Airaca behind to sleep. And they find themselves in a room, that was glowing brighter, felt more modern. Closer to that of their own real world, the only difference. Was that there was no oil lamps, and the windows revealed a world only that of night. The air had become increasingly purple over the last few months, and they saw the giant castle outside of the window. “Who do you think lives there?”

And then they heard footsteps behind them.

And it was Airaca. “What’s wrong, can’t sleep?”

Nina hopped back to her room to go and get some more sleep. While Fina continued to stay behind look out of the window, to see the world that they have transfered to. It was a world of non friendship. Of lice and black death, and mutated wolf bones used for flaming broth. She felt like her vision was fading, and she walked back to her room.