The Sisters of the Woods Ch.13

Geniveve was still nervous as she took the stage. She barely seemed able to walk straight, her painting wobbling as it followed along behind her. It settled to the ground haphazardly, requiring her to quickly adjust it before she turned to face the crowd, hands folded as she waited for attention. It took far longer than it should have to come, a few people seeming to have forgotten there was a show going on as they chatted amongst themselves. Nic glared at one particularly annoying man until he finally quieted down, leaving the floor to Geniveve.

“T-thank you,” she said, a slight tremble in her voice as she gestured at the painting. “I did something new this time and, well, I hope you like it.”

After a too long pause, she reached over and grabbed the cloth. It was a bit of a struggle to get it off, Geniveve having to tug several times until it finally slid free and revealed the completed work.

It was as Nic remembered, the Croires arranged in a line, their poses and clothing the same as before. The only new detail was the addition of faces, each of them looking at the audience in their own little way. It still struck Nic as odd that Geniveve hadn’t included herself, but the work was nonetheless impressive all the same.

The audience seemed to agree, murmuring in approval at the sight of it, though they seemed far less enthused than they’d been with the others. If Geniveve noticed she made no sign, instead keying something into the controls of her rig. Gently she poked the corner of the canvas, a brief flash of blue leaping from her fingertip to spread across the surface almost too fast to see. It flickered briefly, afterimages leaping between the paint like little bolts of lightning, before fading away into the background.

Then the painting began to move.

It started with Adelaide, her leg rising into perfect pirouette, arms spreading like wings to keep her balance. Lunette was next, her outline rapidly shifting between several shapes before finally settling back on herself, staring out on the crowd with unreadable eyes. Painted Renee rose up to watch her imitation daughters each come to life one by one. Sylvie, Estelle, Selene, Celeste, and finally Lucile. All began moving about the painting, looking at their surroundings and even interacting with one another in limited ways.

The crowd was much more on board now, watching the display with rapt attention. The real-life sisters especially seemed intrigued, calling out to one another and to their painted counterparts. Estelle especially seemed keen on making her clone’s acquaintance, though Renee kept her in a firm grasp, much to the child’s annoyance.

She needn’t have worried as it turned out, as Geniveve had one last surprise up her sleeve. Poking the painting again, a green light rushed over the canvas, fading even more quickly than the blue. The painted sisters responded by leaning forward and peeling themselves off the canvas.

Painted Lucile was the first to separate, stepping out with the same casual grace as her inspiration. She briefly examined herself, flexing a wafer-thin hand to test that it worked. Once she had the hang of it, she turned to give the crowd a little wave, a cocksure smile on her face that fit perfectly.

“You really captured her Veve!” Sylvie called out, earning a chuckle from the crowd.

“Damn straight,” Lucile confirmed, sharing a nod with her doppelganger.

In turn, each sister stepped from the canvas with varying degrees of difficulty. Once the last of them, Celeste, had managed it, they all gathered in a straight line, perfectly imitating the poses they’d held on the canvas. The crowd erupted in applause, cheering as the clones took a collective bow. Nic glanced away from them to where Geniveve stood off to the side. She was smiling, small but one of the most genuine Nic had ever seen. She caught him looking, and applauding, both making her look away before she rallied and turned back. Nic grinned at her, feeling a little flutter in his chest when she returned it in full.

Then someone screamed.

Nic snapped back to the stage, half searching for the screamer, only to stop when he found what they were screaming about. The painted clones stood exactly as they had been, still animated but their movements turning wrong. Jerky and unnatural, limbs bending in ways they shouldn’t. Like marionettes with tangled strings, spinning and twisting back in on themselves.

It was painted Sylvie who drew the most horrified reaction. Her features were gone, replaced by a widening smear of colour that only evoked a face in the worst way possible. An elongated jaw, opening in a silent black maw, leaking a red fluid from the edges that looked distressingly like blood. It only worsened the longer they watched, spreading across her entire body as she disintegrated into a shapeless mass of imitation flesh.

The rest of the painted sisters quickly followed suit, their human forms transmuting into twisted visages of themselves. The worst was Lunette, the spark of her power allowing her to take on far more varied, and horrifying, shapes.

That at least didn’t last long but got no better as they all began to collapse into one another, swirling into a dark mass of congealed paint. Random features appeared on the surface, clothing, arms, the occasional face when it was feeling particularly cruel.

Nic was stunned, as was the rest of the audience, only shaken from their stupor when the mass made a lunge for the crowd. Panic shot through them, several people in the front row bowling into those behind in a scramble to get away. Several fell, Nic himself managing by complete accident to catch a woman he didn’t know and keep her from tumbling off her feet. She didn’t even seem to notice as she kept trying to get away.

Total pandemonium was avoided thanks only to the timely intervention of Renee and Master Orlin. Both sprung from their seats, hands already raised and casting. In seconds a spherical ward surrounded the mass, globby appendages striking solid air and keeping it firmly contained to the stage. In tandem, the two techne summoned a gout of flame within, creating an impromptu furnace that incinerated the abomination in seconds.

Silence settled upon the scene, different and infinitely worse than the kind Nic had been fending off all day. The crowd was slowly inching back, led by the sisters who clustered together at the very front.

“Is everyone alright?” Sylvie asked.

A general murmur answered her, some people proclaiming damage to their persons but nothing demanding immediate attention.

“The heck was that?” Celeste demanded in a sharp tone.

“Celeste, please,” Renee said.

“What?” she persisted. “That thing looked like it was ready to eat us!”

“I know, but not so loud please.”

Celeste complied, however unwillingly, and Renee turned to Geniveve. She hadn’t moved since the disaster began, her gaze fixed on the pile of ash that had been her work. Nic couldn’t quite parse the emotions on her face, at once horrified, mortified, and sad, though that last one was mostly from the tears forming in her eyes. None of it was good and Nic went to approach her, only for Renee to get there first.

“Veve? Sweetie? Are you alright?”

Geniveve didn’t answer, gaze not breaking from the ashes.

“It’s alright Veve, its-”

“Don’t call me that…”

Everyone blinked, surprised that Geniveve had spoken at all.

“Veve, what are you-?”

“I said stop calling me that!” Geniveve exploded, rounding on her mother with a look of pure rage. “I’m not a child!”

Renee recoiled, as if physically struck, mother and daughter staring at one another for an infinite moment. Geniveve broke first, the tears brimming in her eyes finally breaking and pouring down her cheeks. Before Renee could say anything, Geniveve turned and fled, vanishing into the trees. Nic felt himself moving to follow but stopped when he realized he had no idea what he’d even do if he managed to catch up to her.

“Um,” Sylvie said, the first time Nic had ever heard her uncertain about anything. “Thank you for coming everyone. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you back to the edge of the forest.”

The crowd did as asked, filing out in orderly fashion. Some took the time to say their goodbyes, though most simply fast walked for the exit, sensing this was a mess they didn’t want to be involved with. The forest animals lingered a bit longer, waiting at the treeline, slowly vanishing into the shadows until none remained.

Nic barely noticed any of it, instead looking around at the scene of social carnage.

How had this gone so wrong?

*

Previous‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎Home‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎Next