015

— what the eyes don't see —

THEY REACHED KILLDEER OHIO BY EARLY MORNING. Kory parked the car in front of the old cottage house. Vines had taken over the exterior, the white paint was fading and cracking, and the garden and wilted and died. The group jumped from the car, looking over the cottage house and surrounding land. "Cool," Gar commented.

"It's a bit drab," Hazel mumbled as they walked up the stairs, observing the dead vines. Hazel waved her hands along the banisters and the vines slowly grew back to life stretching across the garden and up the sides of the house.

Gar walked ahead and peeked through the window. Angela grabbed a key from the pot plant, spinning it between her fingers before walking to the door. She slid the key into the lock and looked over her shoulder at Rachel. "Come on," Angela encouraged softly, pushing the door open. Gar smiled and he and Hazel stepped inside the cozy house.

The furniture was covered in white sheets, protecting it all from the dust and cobwebs. Hazel walked around, dragging her nails over the top of the banister separating the lounge room from the kitchen. "It's cute," Hazel commented and Angela smiled.

Kory and Rachel walked in, Rachel dropping her bag by the doorway. "I wanna um try something," Rachel stammered, rubbing her hands together. "I think I might be able to get Kory's memories back."

Gar glanced at Hazel who looked just as unsure. "Is that safe?" Gar questioned, dropping his bag next to Rachel's.

"It's worth a shot," Kory shrugged.

They walked over to the couch and Rachel sat on the small coffee table, Kory sitting across from her, careful of the white sheet covering the couch. Gar shuffled closer to Hazel who was leaning against the banister, nervously sliding the charm on her necklace.

Kory looked up at Rachel. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?" Kory asked nervously.

"None," Rachel answered.

"Okay," Kory chuckled lightly and nodded. "Yeah, let's give it a try."

"You can't do this, can you?" Gar asked, leaning towards Hazel more as they watched Rachel rub her hands over her legs.

Hazel shook her head softly, "I can heal up to a day or two. No brain magic... I think," Hazel mumbled the last part to herself.

Rachel reached out but quickly pulled her hand back. "And if anything starts to hurt, let me know," Rachel advised and Kory mumbled a small 'okay'. Rachel reached out, her hands pressing against Kory's temples. Rachel closed her eyes and Angela looked back at Gar and Hazel who gave swift nods or smiles. "Do you feel anything?" Rachel asked.

"No," Kory spoke up. "Maybe a little tingling, but Rachel, I don't think this..." Rachel exhaled heavily and Kory's head rolled back with a wince and a sharp inhale.

She stayed like that for a few seconds and Gar took a cautious step forward. "Kory?"

Rachel seethed through her teeth and Kory's head rolled back into place, staring up at Rachel. Rachel opened her eyes and watched Kory, her head tilting to the side. Kory's eyes flashed green and grabbed Rachel by her throat. Rachel let out a shrill scream as Kory's skin burned bright with fire.

Gar ran to Kory and pulled her arms away and Rachel dropped to the floor, Angela running to her and pulling her away. "Kory, stop! You're hurting her!" Gar ordered. Kory spun and grabbed Gar, starting to choke him. Hazel flung her hand out, vines breaking through the wood panelling and wrapping around Kory's arms, forcing Gar free from her grip.

"Kory stop," Hazel ordered her eyes glowing to match Kory's. Kory ripped her arms free from the vines and turned to face Hazel. Kory threw a punch out, but Hazel ducked under her swing and wrapped a vine around her leg. "Kory that's enough!"

Dick burst through the door staring up at Kory. "Kory, what are you-" Kory ripped through the vines around her legs and kicked Hazel in her chest sending her flying into Dick. They slammed into the banister with a grunt and Hazel felt a pain burn through her arm. Kory turned back to Rachel, extending her arm, the cracks of a molten-like texture breaking through. Rachel whimpered, Angela holding onto her tighter.

A woman with dark black hair and a long coat ran through the door. She flung a bright rope towards Kory and wrapped it around her neck. "Stop," The woman ordered. Kory tried to tug at the golden rope, but the woman barely flinched at Kory's strength.

The woman rolled to build momentum before spinning and tugging Kory forward. She clenched her fist and punched Kory into the floor, cracking the wooden table and knocking Kory unconscious.

Hazel groaned as she tried to roll on her side, her left arm burning with pain. "You all right?" Dick asked, helping her sit up.

"No, my arm," Hazel mumbled. Her elbow was twisted awkwardly, and blood dripped down her skin and onto the floor. She bit her tongue. She could feel the bone shifting under her skin, but she didn't have the stomach to check it. Gar quickly pushed himself up and walked to her, one arm moving to steady her, the other reaching for her left arm. "Don't touch it," Hazel hissed, taking a breath through her nose.

"What happened?" Dick asked, leaving Gar to support Hazel.

"She tried to kill my daughter," Angela spat with venom.

"Rachel?"

"I was trying to help Kory get her memory back," Rachel explained. "I must have done something wrong."

"No. None of this is your fault," Angela argued in a comforting voice.

"Hazel..." Rachel called, watching Hazel's hand grip her forearm tightly.

Hazel looked up at Rachel and clenched her jaw. "It's okay. I'll deal with it later, it's already healing," Hazel nodded, lying through her teeth.

Gar's eyes shifted to the girl with dark hair. "The lasso," Gar spoke up, watching the girl wrap the rope around her hand. "You're her, aren't you?"

"I'm an old friend of Dick's," The girl answered, barely looking back at him.

"You're Wonder Girl," Gar said with a smile.

"I was."

Kory groaned softly and Gar instinctively pushed Hazel behind him. Kory sat up, the broken bits of wood sliding off her body. She took a deep breath and leaned back on her hands. "What's going on?" Kory asked, looking up at the others.

"You tried to kill Rachel," Dick spoke up as Rachel looked away. "You broke Hazel's arm."

Kory shook her head, looking at Hazel trying to hide behind Gar. "What? No, I would never do that," Kory denied her eyes scanning around.

"I want this woman out of my house," Angela ordered Dick.

"Okay, just hold on a sec-"

"Now, God damn it," Angela snapped, cutting Dick's sentence off.

Kory stood, looking at Rachel who was standing behind her mother. "Rachel, I am-" Rachel darted away, standing behind Hazel and Gar. "I am so sorry." Rachel's hands wandered to her neck, her fingertips barely grazing her burns. Dick looked away, adverting his gaze from Kory. "I have to go," Kory announced, stomping from the house.

"Kory, wait," Dick called chasing after her, Donna quickly following.

Rachel started to sob, her hands moving to cover her face and Angela rushed to her. "I'll take her upstairs," Angela spoke up, looking at Gar and Hazel. "I'll look after her."

Hazel nodded softly and Angela wrapped her arms around Rachel, leading her up the stairs beyond the kitchen. Once Rachel was out of earshot, Hazel bit her knuckles and moaned in pain. "Hazel," Gar called, catching her before she could fall.

"Outside," Hazel whispered.

Gar held onto Hazel tightly and led her from the house, out onto the grass. Gar moved to steady Hazel once she stopped. "Can you help me?" Hazel asked, shrugging the jacket from her shoulders. Gar carefully took Hazel's left hand and helped her pull the jacket down her arm.

"That's not good," Gar whispered. Hazel's stomach churned as she finally saw the broken bone. The bone in her forearm had snapped and shifted upwards, the bone piercing Hazel's skin.

"Fuck," Hazel said and a shaky voice. She carefully knelt to the ground.

"Haze we need to get you to a hospital," Gar said, his eyes moving from her arm to her face.

"I can fix it," Hazel mumbled.

"Are you sure?"

Hazel hummed, nodding softly. "Can you check on Rachel? Please?"

"Haze..."

"Do you really wanna see me push the bone back in my arm?" Hazel snapped and Gar grimaced, shaking his head. "Please Gar, I got this." Gar smiled softly before jogging inside.

Hazel's face contorted with pain as she carefully applied pressure to the jagged shard of bone protruding from her arm. A shudder wracked her body as her fingers met the stupidity of her actions. With a guttural cry, she tilted her head backward and drew in a sharp, hissing breath through clenched teeth, beads of sweat forming on her brow.

Summoning every ounce of grit, she forced the broken bone back into her arm with a sickening, bone-on-bone crunch that echoed through her ears. A torrent of profanities poured from her lips as she clenched her injured limb with a white-knuckled grip so fierce that her fingernails punctured her skin.

"Fucking bitch," Hazel cursed, her Spanish sounding harsher. "Ahhh, motherfucking..." Hazel gritted her teeth and forced her arm to heal, feeling the shifting in her bones. "Shit."

The pain settled to a numbing thud, and she hung her head, her hand slowly slipping from her arm. Hazel turned her arm over and softly clenched her fist; her fingers slightly numb but still moving.

"Hazel!" Hazel's head whipped to the side, a female voice echoing in her mind. "Hazel!" She looked around the garden, her eyes wide. Hazel stood on shaky legs. She looked over the garden once more before turning and walking back to the house.

She pushed the door open, still clenching and unclenching her hand. "Hazel!" Angela called. "God, are you okay?" Hazel looked up at her and nodded.

"Yeah, a bit of pain," Hazel said with a chuckle.

"Hold on," Angela ordered. She dug through the cupboards for a moment before turning, a small box of painkillers in her hand. "They're still in date." Hazel took the box with a smile. Angela handed Hazel a glass of water and smiled.

"Thanks," Hazel said with a smile.

Angela nodded, "Go sit at the table, I'm almost done with the soup."

Hazel sat at the large table, sighing softly. Hazel quickly swallowed two pills and Angela set a bowl in front of her. "Start eating," Angela ordered, setting two other bowls down. "I'm gonna grab Rachel and Gar." Hazel nodded and Angela quickly raced up the stairs.

Rachel and Gar came downstairs a few minutes later, Rachel sitting closest to Rachel. "Are you okay?" Rachel asked quickly.

"Yeah, elbow popped outta place," Hazel lied. "Nothing I couldn't fix."

Rachel nodded and turned back to her food, Gar looked up at Hazel from across the table and she shook her head softly. Gar sighed and picked up the spoon, starting to pick at his soup.

Rachel lazily spun her spoon in the soup, filling her spoon with liquid before dumping it back into the bowl. "You have to eat something," Gar spoke up.

"I'm not hungry," Rachel mumbled.

"Rachel..."

"I must have done something to Kory," Rachel said, dropping her spoon. "Scrambled her brain or... drove her mad. I shouldn't have done it. I only made things worse for her."

"Rachel, you were trying to help her, whatever happened it wasn't your fault," Hazel assured. "...Dick's gonna work everything out. It's Dick, everything's going to be fine."

Rachel took a slow breath before looking up at Hazel. "You can't stay here," Rachel said softly.

Hazel furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?" Gar asked.

"I know you both wanted to help me, but you just keep getting hurt," Rachel assessed, her eyes moving between where the bone in Hazel's arm had snapped and up to Gar's sunken eyes. "Bad things happen to people around me."

"Rachel, I said I'd stay with you," Hazel repeated and slid her hand onto Rachel's. "Rachel-"

"Don't touch me!" Rachel snapped, the black shadow version jumping out at Hazel. Hazel reeled back, looking at Rachel with wide eyes. Gar stared at them, unsure of what to do. Rachel looked up at Hazel's wide eyes and her hands shook. "I'm so sorry," Rachel sobbed, covering her face.

Hazel tried to comfort Rachel, but only a small mumble of 'it's okay' came out in a small whisper.

Angela opened the back door and stepped into the house, looking over the silent kids. "Okay. If the soup's awful, you can just tell me," Angela chuckled softly, walking to the kitchen and setting the flowers down. "There wasn't a lot to work with in the garden. Most of it's dead."

Hazel coughed to clear her throat and stood from the table, taking the bowl to the sink. "I'll go fix the garden," Hazel offered and turned to the back door. She spared a final glance at Rachel before walking out the door.

Gar stood, his chair scratching the wooden floor softly. He took his bowl to the bench and smiled. "I'll uh, give you guys a sec," Gar said. "Soup was great."

Gar walked out the back door, stopping on the porch. Hazel's hands gripped the banister, vines growing from her fingers and twirling across the banister and up the wood holding the roof up. "Hazel?" Gar called. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she shuddered. "Haze? Are you okay?"

"Do you see that?" Hazel asked, her eyes fixed on a point in the garden.

Gar followed her eyes, looking over the barren space. The trees stood tall, and a few birds hopped over the branches, but the rest was wilted, a gross brown colour staining everything. "See what?"

Hazel fixated her gaze on the garden. Under the old oak tree stood the doctor, his head grotesquely deformed, a nightmarish collage of crushed bones and ruptured flesh. From the fractured remnants of his skull and vacant eye sockets, a grotesque profusion of vibrant flowers and twisted vines erupted. Black, steaming blood streamed relentlessly down his face, staining his once-pristine coat. Small, mutated vines slithered and writhed through his veins, emerging in ghastly, surreal clusters from the tips of his fingernails.

"Hazel, let's go inside," Gar insisted, taking her hand from the banister.

Hazel looked down at her hands and tore her arm back. Fresh, sticky blood covering her palms. Hazel's heart thumped in her chest, her breath shallow. "Haze," Gar called again. Hazel glanced at his eyes before back at her hands. The red was gone from her skin, but she could still feel it like a ghost sensation.

Hazel covered her mouth with her hands, trying to steady her breath. "I think I'm gonna be sick," Hazel muttered.

"Okay, come on." Gar wrapped his arms around Hazel and led her upstairs to a bedroom he was wandering around earlier. The walls were covered in old wallpaper and antique pictures hung from the walls. Hazel sat on the bed, one hand holding her stomach, her other rubbing her eyes. "I'm gonna get you some water, I'll be right back," Gar whispered, crouching down. "That door leads to a bathroom."

Hazel nodded and Gar squeezed her shoulder before running down the stairs.

"Haze," Rachel called, knocking on the door gently. "Hi."

Hazel looked up and smiled. "Hey," Hazel called in a soft voice.

Rachel walked to Hazel's side and sat on the bed, their knees touching. "Are you okay?" Rachel asked softly.

"Yeah, I just have a bad feeling," Hazel mumbled, her fingers rubbing her temple. "Maybe it's the asylum still. I can't stop thinking about it... I'm probably just stressed."

Rachel nodded softly. "Well, I'm sorry I freaked out on you, I'm an idiot," Rachel huffed, her eyes not leaving Hazel.

"You are, just a little though," Hazel teased. "But I promised I wasn't leaving you Rache."

They laughed softly and Rachel rested her head on Hazel's shoulder. "I'm happy you're here, and I'm glad you didn't leave. That's what I should have said." Hazel smiled before she coughed harshly.

Hazel stood before Rachel could question her. Hazel through the bathroom door open and vomited into the toilet, her stomach churning and twisting as it emptied. "Hazel," Rachel called. She rushed to follow her and pulled her hair back, trying it up quickly. "You're okay, you're okay."

Gar opened the door to the bedroom and quickly walked to Rachel, handing her a glass of water.

Hazel sat back on her knees, the twisting in her stomach still present. "Here," Rachel said, holding the water out. Hazel took it, washing out her mouth.

"You need to rest," Gar spoke up. Hazel nodded and Rachel helped her stand. Hazel washed her hands and mouth as Rachel flushed the toilet. Hazel walked to the bed, Gar watching her closely. "Haze-"

"I'll be fine," Hazel insisted. "I've been sick before Gar."

Rachel set the glass of water on the nightstand and slipped out of the room. "If you need anything just yell," Gar ordered and Hazel nodded. He squeezed her shoulder and walked to the door, closing it quietly behind him. Hazel laid back on to pillows, her eyes shutting immediately.

— gods —