The Seers, Chapter 4

So you know how Native Americans used to take body parts from their enemies in order to absorb their courage?  Well, the Fremmed are like that, except they can ACTUALLY do that.  They used to do things like eat wolves and then terrorize European farms.  Hence the fairy tales about werewolves.  They've calmed down in recent years.  Most of them have found less violent ways of getting their kicks.  Unfortunatley, a lot of them have started to absorb the powers of McDonalds.  Super unattractive.  I always did like the bad boys so i tend to go for the more traditional Fremmed.  The women in our family usually do.

Fremmed molt. Up until their molt they can be rather fluid as they absorb all the different things they eat.  It's kind of weird, but they need to solidify their state and pick a form or else they start to go a little bonkers after a while.  Brian was starting to show signs of this and he was getting too moody for my tastes.  I was just pondering where my favorite bromeliad had gone to and what that might do to Brian if he solidified his form as a plant when Adis walked in and all hell broke loose.

He didn't seem the type to take a human during molt, but I suppose I didn't really take the time to get to know him that well.  I took two large steps over to the cocoon and squeezed it.  I could feel him squirming.  I could also feel my bromeliad!  What the hell did he expect to do with that?  Dammit...well, at least he didn't have my sister.

I wheeled on Adis.  "No, " I shook my head.  "Do you know where she is?"

The Seers, Chapter 3

Our family is odd.  That’s putting it lightly.  To be honest, we would have been burned at the stake had we been alive a couple hundred years ago.  We don’t have magical powers or anything, but we are a little more connected to the world around us than the regular person.  I have a special affinity for plants, Adis has a hyper empathy, although the compassion side of that seems to be missing.  My mom had that too, but she managed to keep her compassion.  I think that’s what killed her in the end.  She cared a little too much for the wrong people.

But then there’s Margorie.  She seems to live in a different world.  I don’t quite understand her, but she seems more connected than the rest of us.  And I’m not sure she’s handling it.

Now back to my panic attack.  I started to rage at Adis.  “Did you know about this earlier?  When did you sense something was wrong?  WHERE IS SHE?”

“Calm DOWN, Merele!  You freaking out isn’t helping anyone, especially me.  You KNOW that!”

Ok, deep breath.  “I need a cigarette”, I said shakily and rushed to the living room to pick up my pack.

“You really need to stop sucking on those nasty things.”

“Stop judging me and start helping find Margorie!" I was on the verge of a complete meltdown and I know she could sense it.  She was just being cruel, I thought.  I stood in the living room trying to calm down with my plant based chemicals when my eyes lighted on the cocoon.  Brian.  “Brian!”  I voiced my thought

“What?  Who? Oh, that…thing” Adis said with distaste as she followed my eyes.  “What does he have to do with it?”

“I wonder…” I approached the cocoon.

The Seers, Chapter 2

I hadn’t heard him get up in the middle of the night, but there it was:  a big hard cocoon in the corner of my living room.  He could have chosen a better place to molt.  I was having my morning cigarette and contemplating Brian’s reluctance to make his final change when Adis walked through the door.  Adis is my cousin.  She’s tall, beautiful, successful, healthy, and extremely grumpy.  I always figured the grumpiness came from her ability to sense when others around her were lying;  It’s always kind of disheartening when you realize that everyone is lying.  I still didn’t like her.  Maybe it creeped me out that she could always tell when something was wrong in this house, but nothing about this family really should creep me out anymore.  We are an odd lot.

Adis stood in the door, looking disapprovingly between me and the cocoon.  I put out my cigarette and said, “What?” rather shortly.

“Another one?  Geez Merele.  I don’t know how you can stand those things.”

She always disapproved of my relationships with the Fremmed but my family has a long history with them.  It is even said that one of our ancestors mated with one and that’s how our family got it’s rather unique abilities.

I glared at her.  “Why are you here?”

“Where’s Margorie?”

Alarms bells started to ring softly.  “Why? Do you sense something wrong?

“Yes”,  she said shortly and started to make her way to Margorie’s room.

“I locked her in, I’m sure she fine”, I protested.  She grunted and motioned for me to unlock the door. I did and peered in. Nothing. Empty.  “What the fuck?  Where is she?  did you hear from her?  Oh my god.  Where could she have gone?”  I was freaking out.  My baby sister was missing.

The Seers: Chapter 1

My sister was walking down the sidewalk naked.  I ran down the street past manicured lawns and white picket fences, blessing the early darkness of autumn.  She was walking slowly as if just going for an evening stroll.  I touched her shoulder and said, "Gawd Margorie!  Come back inside!"

"No, I'm going out.  Why don't you come with me?", she looked at me with those big doe eyes of hers.

Jeezus, I thought, not again.  "I'm not dressed to go out.  Why don't you come back and help me get ready?"

"Ok, I think you'll really like the lights tonight", she said dreamily and started to walk back to the house.

I let out a big sigh of relief and followed her.  I quickly and firmly put her to bed and locked her door.  Then I looked down the hall to the back bathroom and narrowed my eyes.  I could hear the shower going.  I stalked to the bathroom door and pounded on it, yelling, "Brian!  Let me in!  I need to talk to you!"  I heard the water shut off and crossed my arms, expecting to face a recalcitrant young man, but instead I heard the door that leads from the bathroom to the backyard open and close.  Goddammit!  I stomped down the hall muttering about old houses with too many doors and swept my way into the backyard from the second back door.  He was around the corner of the house, bent over a table, shoulders shaking.  I walked up to him and saw tears dropping onto the table.  I fumed.  "You have to make a choice!", I managed to get out through clenched teeth.  My fists were balled up against my side and I wanted to hit something, but I managed to keep my hands tight against my thighs.  He didn't say anything or even look at me for a full minute and I was afraid I would do something I might regret.  I made a loud sound of disgust, threw up my hands, and stomped back into the house.  I flopped down on the couch and lit one of my homemade cigarettes.  It helped calm me down a little bit, but I was still tapping my toes nervously when he came into the living room.  He stood in front of me, looking guilty.  I took a drag on my cig and looked at him.  I raised one eyebrow questioningly; I knew my annoyance still showed.  "All right", he mumbled, "I'll do it."  I smiled in satisfaction and opened my arms to him.  He came to me and laid his head on my chest.  "That's right, baby", I purred, "Everything will be ok."

That was the night that Margorie disappeared.