PEEPPSS, 

Love you all. Hope you've all had a wonderful week! 

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Song of the chapter is, 'Bones' by MS MR. 

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"Mina!"

My mother. My mother was a woman who loved someone else and denied him for years. She married my father even though she loved another. She had me. My father's daughter–something the sisters assured me was true.

"Mina!"

My mother left me when I was just around one to be with a man she loved. She left her child and someone that loved her for someone else. She left us.

She helped him give his curse to someone else who would eventually kill Jonah–take Jonah from me and turn him into a siren. She helped William and in return, he turned her into something that would allow her to forever be with him.

She was selfish.

"Mina!"

My hands gripped at the bark on a tree that I found myself at. I didn't know what to think–what could I think? My mother had ruined my life. She created a domino effect that led me to her; with a man who I was fighting to be with while the Feds more or less started to tie me to him in a way that would rip us apart.

I didn't realize my feet had carried me here until I looked up to see Jonah jogging towards me. His lips were moving but I couldn't hear anything. All I could hear was the sound of my heart and my own voice screaming out of agony in my brain.

"Mina," his voice said to me, breaking me from my own haze. "Mina– look at me–Mina–"

"How could she do this to us?"

"I don't know," he said quietly, his fingers tucking some of my hair behind my ear.

"Why– I don't understand?" I said with a shake of my head. I knew how I felt about Jonah, and I could only imagine that the position she must have been in was excruciating, but I couldn't imagine just giving up my innocent child. I couldn't imagine leaving them like that. "How? How is she connected?"

Jonah shrugged. "I don't know baby."

"I don't–my dad..."

My dad didn't know. He just got a note from her one morning saying she was gone. From then on it was just he and I. All she left was a note–nothing more than a note.

My dad didn't know until the sisters prodded him about it the night they met. Chloe said that he became suspicious but they have no fully told him. All he knew was that she was seeing someone before; he saw William, he knew William's face. He knew eventually that my mother regretted marrying him, regretted the life she had chosen with him. He didn't know the full story, according to Chloe, not really. She thought he suspected but he didn't really know. They were so careful with a truth like this, they didn't want to say until they were sure.

"Mina come back inside."

I shook my head as my heart started to clench. "I– I don't–" the only reason I stopped talking was because the sobs coming out of my mouth wouldn't let me. Jonah's shirt had a giant wet spot on it after I was done but he didn't care; if anything he offered to get me another shirt. He didn't care, he just held me so tight to him that I felt like I had some kind of safety blanket wrapped around me.

"Mina, we should go back inside. You should eat something."

I shook my head against his chest, my eyes were swollen from crying. "What if this is all her?"

He sighed and pressed his lips to my hair. "Then it's her baby. We can't change that. We just deal with it as it comes." He wiped some of the wetness off of my cheeks, his eyes sad–a heavier green like ivy. "I'm sorry Mina."

"It's not your fault."

He pressed his lips to my hair again then slowly started to stand us up. "Come on," he said, more a soft command that I was too tired to argue against.

The sisters hadn't moved since we went outside. Chloe poured more coffee in my cup while Lucette ate some toast. "We're sorry child," Chloe said.

"Is she involved?"

Alemira walked over with a clay pitcher in her hand. "We do not know. The creature and your mother do not have a history, nor do the creature and William."

"But the creature is working with a witch?" Jonah asked while I took my seat.

Diana scampered over to me and quickly curled into my lap; there was something about a cute animal in my lap that made everything feel so much better. "Yes," Alemira answered as she set the pitcher down. "We're not sure who, they are very skilled. They've been hiding from us, the future that they are in is foggy, which, makes most of the future I have been seeing as of lately foggy."

"And the past," Lucette added. "They've been working together for a long time."

"And the present," Chloe said. "It's like trying to find a ghost."

"There's no way it's not related," I said. "How could it be two independent things?"

Brooks shrugged. "Maybe it is?" He suggested. "I'm not saying you're wrong, but, there's always the chance that it totally is."

"What if I wanted to find her?" I asked.

Chloe shook her head slowly while Jonah pushed the plate of food in front of me. It was warm, steamy like someone had stuck it in the microwave for me while we were out. "We've tried."

"What?!"

"That's why I needed your hair," Alemira said. "I was trying to find her. I wanted to see if it was connected."

"And?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Not an acceptance or rejection, just nothing."

"Why?" Jonah asked while he stabbed at some eggs on my plate. "Open," he said with a little smile creeping up on his lips.

I rolled my eyes then took then fork from him and fed the creamy eggs to myself, much to his approval. "You do need to eat dear," Diana said. "You can't let yourself get run down."

"Mmmm," Chloe hummed in approval. "She's right."

"The witch is the only answer," Alemira said. "Finding them has been our main priority right now, besides killings that thing."

"So, we can't find her, what about William?"

"It's the same," Lucette said. "Someone doesn't want us to find them. It could either be them, they want to remain hidden from us. William knows what he did was wrong, and we are still furious about it. Mostly about being locked up–"

"Damn right," Chloe said while I picked up a biscuit and started to eat it; it had jam in the middle–blackberry that was like a sweet summer tang on my tongue.

"Or it's the witch," Alemira said. "Which is troublesome. We need to know why they don't want us finding them."

"Maybe they want to find them first?" Brooks suggested.

"Or they don't want them to come back and help?" Reina added.

"Reina has a point," Chloe said. "William knows we are angry with everything, but we still care for him and vice versa. If we were in trouble he would come."

"Alemira, you could always call–"

"It's not time for that yet," Alemira said. I arched a brow with new questions in my mind but decided to hold off for now.

"Ok, so right now, it looks like, while we still have a lot of shit on our plates, our first priority should be killing this thing then handling the Feds," Brooks said. "Then we can go fishing for Willie's mom–so to speak."

Jonah gave him a long look while I just bit more into a biscuit. "Yes," Alemira said. "One at a time. This," she told us while pointing to the pitcher. "Is the elixir. You need to soak whatever weapons you're going to use for at least twenty-four hours. So I suggest you do it today. Do not let them touch water–if they do the elixir will not work."

"It's not going to like, 'magically' stay on?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Water bound it and water will unbind it. If it goes underwater, then it's useless."

"So we just need to put a bullet in him before he gets under the water?" Jonah asked.

"Do not let him in the water–it's a losing game if he does," Chloe told him.

"The party will happen tomorrow night," Alemira said in a daze. "Your Crawdad will call you later today. Tell him yes, go home and soak your bullets. Brooks will stay with us–"

"I need to help them, they need my help–"

"She needs your help," Alemira said with a firm look in her eyes. "When she wakes, you need to be there. We won't let her harm you but this will be easier for her if you are there for her when the world welcomes her back."

"Brooks it will be ok, Jonah and my dad will both have guns. I can bring a knife?"

"Whatever it takes,coudn't" Chloe said with a nod.

"Ok," I said, my mind just trying to make it at this point. I just needed to get through killing this bitch. "Ok, let's go. What about my dad?"

"He's on his way here," Chloe said. "We have much to discuss."

"Brooks you go with Wilhelmina," Alemira said. "It's too dangerous for you Jonah, you know that."

Jonah nodded as I got up, picking Diana up with me, and walked towards the door. My mind was spinning so much that the only thing that stopped it was the fact that I was doing something–I couldn't crack. Not now.

I heard footsteps behind me followed by another pair that seemed slower. Brooks jogged past me and reached the boat first; he started to untie it right as Jonah's hand caught mine. "Mina."

I turned and let him pull me to his lips where I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay in his arms and just pretend that this world didn't exist. He tasted like black coffee and honey from the biscuits he ate–he tasted like heaven and I wanted so badly to die in that moment if it meant being with him forever.

"Hey, it's going to be over soon," he said. "It's all going to be over soon."

I nodded while he kissed my forehead. "I know."

"I love you," he told me quietly for only me to hear because his voice was so full of raw emotion that made me feel incredibly breakable.

"Jonah–"

"Tell me you love me Mina," he said, a little teasing smile on his lips.

"I love you," I said, my body slightly relaxing as I said the words.

"Tell me you're mine Mina." He pressed my fingers to his lips right as the motor of the boat started.

I looked down where our fingers were laced together; the black on our wrists was dancing almost–like it was starting to try and intertwine with the other veins. "I'm yours."

He smiled softly the kissed me again. "Behave," he said before he let me go.

I wanted to curl back in his arms the moment I stepped away. Reluctantly, I stepped into the boat where Brooks waved to Jonah before he backed us out and turned us out of the swamp.

The swamp air smelled so heavy with muck this morning; it was like it had baked in the sun too long–almost suffocating. Brooks scratched Reina's neck then looked over at me. "You ok?"

"You?"

He shook his head. "Her body–she's–what if it doesn't' work?"

"It will."

"How do you know?"

"It has to," I said. "It has to work. We're going to kill him. That's the end of it."

"I'm sorry about your mom."

I shrugged while Diana curled up in my arms. "It is what it is."

"She'll get what's coming to her," Reina told me. "They always do."

"I thought you stayed with Alemira?" I asked.

She did a snake-like shrug. "I do what I please."

"Well, we have some lovely pie and coffee at Willie's," Diana said with a smile. "We can have a little party."

"I do like parties," Reina admitted.

I rolled my eyes then laid back in the seat, half asleep the rest of the ride there. My dad was gone when I got him, my heart twisted for him. I can't imagine what he went through; I wondered how much he really know–he saw William here in our house with her. His wife. The mother of his child.

Brooks and I didn't waste any time when we got inside. I got out a few packs of bullets, shotgun pellets, and some knives. We put them in a Tupperware container then poured the clear liquid, that looked and smelled much like water, over them then sealed it with a lid. I stuck it in the back of our pantry–a dry dark place, per the sisters instruction and left it to soak–brew into weapons of destruction.

"Want something to drink?"

"Sure what are you having?"

"Coffee and probably something else?"

"Sounds good," I said with a nod.

"So," Brooks started to say while he walked to the refrigerator to fetch the coffee out of it. "What's the plan for tomorrow?"

"We need to see what my dad thinks," I told him as I settled on a stool. "You're going to be at the sisters. I can go with Crawdad and Sally. I'like carry a knife. Jonah and my dad can each have a location–we just wait."

"What if he doesn't show?"

"I have a good feeling he will," I said, the feeling in my gut too strong to suspect otherwise.

"Well, I mean so that's it?"

I nodded. "Ya, looks like it."

So we waited. Brooks and I drank coffee while we watched old scary movies that I eventually fell asleep to with both Reina and Diana curled up in me. It wasn't until later, until I felt something vibrate that I woke up.

It was my phone–it was Crawdad calling me. My eyes went a little wide as I looked at the time on my phone that read three-o-clock. "Hello?"

"Willeh!"

"Hey Crawdad," I said with a yawn while Brooks snored on the other couch across from me.

"Whatchu doin' girl?"

"Oh just been napping, you?"

"Not much, making some mo sangria," he said.

"Yum."

"Mhmm," he hummed. "Was gonna bring it tomorrow night, you comin'?"

"Ya, what time?"

"Bout nine-thirty?"

"Ok, that sounds like fun."

"Ya, bring Salleh and dat boy of yours."

I laughed as I looked at Brooks who had a little drool seeping out of his mouth. "He may have to work but I will ask."

"Sounds good, see you tomorrow."

"Ok, see ya," I said before I hung up. I rubbed my face with a little laugh. "Jesus Christ."

I was going to go back to sleep but if I did I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Instead, I put a blanket and the animals on Brooks, then decided to head out to see Nana Jones.

She was making turnovers in her kitchen–peach and blackberry which had me drooling when I first stepped in the house. She was singing, a song I think was sung at church–it made me smile. She hadn't sang in so long.

"Nana Jones?"

"Willie honey is that you?"

"Hey, Nana Jones." I walked over to her and gave her a gentle hug.

She patted my cheek then gestured to the mess in her kitchen. "I am trying out a new recipe honey. Want to stay?"

"Sure, do you need help?"

She shook her head. "No honey, you just sit down. You want something to drink?"

"I can get it. Do you want anything?"

"Well, I was going to make some coffee," she said.

"Ok," I said with a tired smile. "I can definitely do that."

She gave my shoulder a light pat and laughed a little while I walked over to her refrigerator where she kept her ground coffee. "So honey, what have you been up to today?"

"Just sleeping," I told her while I pulled the old canister of Folgers out. "Recovering."

She chuckled while she kneaded some dough. "It was a fun party. That boy is very sweet honey."

"Uh," I said with a little laugh. "Thanks Nana Jones."

"And your friends are so sweet," she told me while I grabbed the coffee pot and carried it over to the sink so I could pour the old coffee out. "Just so sweet."

"Oh ya?" I asked curiously.

She nodded. "Oh yes honey, some of them came by this morning."

I stilled. I stilled then let out a breath and turned to her while I kept my eye on the clear pot with water from her sink filling it. "They did? Why?"

She shrugged. "They always have questions, I'm so tired of their damn questions."

"Me too," I said as I shut the sink off. "What did they ask?"

"Oh how I was doing, if I had pie," she said with a chuckle. "Everyone always wants pie."

"Can you blame them?" I teased while I poured water into the coffee maker.

"No," she said with a smile that showed the lines of life on her face.

"What else Nana Jones?"

"Hmm," she hummed while she wiped her hands off. "Well, they did ask something funny."

"Ya?"

"Mhmm," she said with a nod. "They asked about the ring Jonah bought for you."

My heart stilled and my hands slightly trembled. "They what?"

"That ring honey," she said. "The one you lost."

"What about it?" I asked. "It was lost, I lost it that night. J–" I paused because I was about to tell her that Jonah hadn't even found it. Instead, I started to scoop some dark coffee grounds into the coffee maker. "It was lost Nana Jones."

"Oh I know honey," she said. "It was so pretty. Jonah was so proud and so excited when he bought that for you."

I bit my lip and tried not to get emotional over it; over the life we were supposed to have. The one that was ripped from us. "it was beautiful," I said. "Do you know what–what did they want to know?"

She walked to her refrigerator and pulled out a bowl with some plastic wrap on top of it. "Oh just what it looked like–I showed them some pictures. I remember–I have one," she said as she quickly set the bowl down. She walked over to a table and picked up a worn yellow envelope that she carefully handed to me.

I opened it while she went back to her bowl and pulled out an old picture of Jonah holding the little velvet black box open in this kitchen. He was smiling so big it looked like it was going to break his face. He had a receipt in the other hand–he must have just bought it that day. My thumb rubbed across it, part of me starting to long for us to be able to turn back time so we could change it.

"He was so happy that day," Nana Jones said. "He was so excited. Barely could keep it a secret."

I bit my lip to control my emotions building in me and nodded to her. "What did they–uh, what did they want?"

"Well," she said while I flipped through the pictures. The second was a picture of the ring up close–barely a carat on a thin silver band. I loved that damn ring and I had only worn it not more than fifteen minutes. "They wanted to know what it looked like, when he bought it, receipts, which I somehow still had in a box," she explained while she stirred the contents of the bowl with a spatula. "I told them that you lost it, that no one found it."

"I did, it must have slipped off in the water," I told her.

She nodded. "The asked about it and they asked me more about the shack. I told them that both Mo and I knew that you and Jonah would stay out there–"

"What?!"

"Oh honey we may be old but we're not blind," she said with a little laugh. "I told them that I didn't really care about what you were doing as long as you two were safe."

"Oh my God," I breathed out, slightly embarrassed now. "So, what else about the shack?"

"They asked how many times I had been out there and if I had been out there lately. They asked if I ever saw anything strange out there, or if there was a place where I thought Jonah would have left something. I told them I didn't know. Jonah never hid things, that wasn't my grandson."

"He didn't," I said. Jonah never snuck around in a way that was wrong–to go out and drink beer? Yes. But to do something more sinister? No, that wasn't Jonah.

"Did they ask anything else?"

She shook her head. "They looked at his room again, took some books and things of his. I'm so sick of them being in my damn house."

"Me too," I told her. "Nana Jones, please call dad or I next time they come by, ok?"

"Oh honey, it was alright–"

"I know but please? It will if anything make me feel better," I said.

"Ok honey, now come help me. These turnovers won't make themselves."

I smiled even though my insides were churning. What the hell did they want to know about that ring for? Did they find it? Was that what they found? Or did they think that I had it? My mind was spinning furiously, I was furious. They shouldn't be questioning Nana Jones like that, they know better. They should have called someone–my dad, me, or even Sally.

I had so many questions that it felt like the list was only getting longer instead of shorter. Right after I got in the car with a fresh sack of turnovers, I ended up calling Sally. The phone rang a few times before I heard her yawn on the other side.

"Hey, you."

"Hey," I rushed out. "You told me to call? What happened?"

"I dunno," she said. "But Stevie was asking all about you and Brooks," she added. "I told him that you were happy that it was fine. I mean, sometimes you gotta bang it out, ya know?"

"Right," I said with a breathy laugh. "I mean what else?"

"Oh besides Hank being pissed?" She snorted out. "He was just asking about you and Jonah–what you used to do, what your usual spots were–oh he did ask about the night Jonah proposed."

"Ya?"

"He just wanted to know if I knew what Jonah's plan was–more like plan after?"

"I asked him why it mattered and he told me it was important. I told him I was done with this and if he wanted me to answer questions that he could subpoena me."

"Damn Sally."

"It's just bullshit. He just wants to find something that's not there. It's just annoying. Anyhow, what are you up to?"

"Well," I said while I tried to soak in everything she had said. "I got a bag of fritters from Nana Jones–"

"Yum, oh my God save me some."

"Maybe," I teased. "I think Brooks is still asleep on the couch, we've been napping most of the day."

"Me too," she said with a yawn. "I'm getting too old for drinking."

"Right," I laughed out. "Anyhow, speaking of that, wanna go out with Crawdad tomorrow?"

"Sure, what time?"

"Nine-thirty?"

"Ok, I'll just come by your place and we can go?"

"Ok, sounds good Sally."

"Don't worry Willie, they'll be gone soon. It will be over soon enough."

"I know, thanks Sally."

"Anytime, see you tomorrow and save me some of those things!"

"Fine, fine, tomorrow then." 

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BUM BUM BUMMM 

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