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Maisie
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A few houses down the street, Perrie stood, her wild hair blowing in the wind, her white gown swishing around her. She released scream after scream, hurling bolts of lightning toward anything and everything. A stream of sparks struck a long, thick tree branch above Maisie’s head, snapping it off. It crashed to the ground, missing her by an inch. Perrie’s face looked pale with fear written in her expression. Maisie tried to take a step forward, but Neven tugged her back.
“How do we know it’s actually her, Maisie?”
“It’s her. I know it.” She inhaled a deep breath, got in a runner’s stance, and prepared to lunge toward her cousin.
“We’re both going to get her. Just don’t try to army crawl after her.” He sighed, raking a scarred hand through his hair.
“That would be a better idea, but I wouldn’t be quick enough.” Before he could say another word, she sprung forward, thrashing her arms in the air. “Perrie! Perrie, it’s me! It’s Maisie and Neven!”
Neven shouted something at Maisie, the sounds of his feet pounding right behind her. Between Neven’s shouting and her running, Maisie saw the horror of recognition cross Perrie’s face just as she released a bolt of power. Pure white light slammed into Maisie’s stomach, sending her flying backward. Her body smacked against the pavement, her spine cracking into two.
“Maisie!” Neven yelled, falling to her side in an instant. His arm looped behind her neck, and one of his comforting hands clasped hers. “You’re going to be okay.”
As the world spun, she peered up at his perfect face and smiled. “Of course I am. I’m immortal, remember?”
“Oh my god! Fuck!” Perrie screeched, her voice filled with panic. “I’m so sorry, Maisie. I’m so, so sorry!”
Maisie could feel her spine fuse back together, each fiber connecting. Chest heaving, she sat up with Neven’s help. Perrie stood frozen in place just a few feet away, her brown hair wilder, matching the expression on her face. Her cousin’s shoulders relaxed, relief seeming to hit her once she found Maisie sitting, no longer harmed.
“See? I’m good as new.” Maisie grinned.
Perrie’s lower lip quivered as her eyes filled with tears. Her legs buckled and she collapsed to her knees, gripping the white strands of her hair as she sobbed. The sound of her agony pierced Maisie straight to her heart—it was worse than anything she’d ever experienced, even her own deaths with the Huntsman.
Neven pulled Maisie to her feet and they ran to her. Perrie rocked back and forth on her knees, her hands covering her face. They needed to get her inside before someone found them.
Neven made it to Perrie first and scooped her up in his arms, her tears spilling onto his shirt. “I’ve got you, Perrie,” he said in a soft, soothing voice. “I’ve always got you.”
Maisie touched Neven’s shoulder and ran her hand through her cousin’s curls. “No, Perrie, we’ve got you.”
Perrie turned into his chest, racked with sobs, as they walked back inside the house. Neven took her to the couch, lowering himself as carefully as possible, so as not to disturb her. Maisie closed the door and locked it back up before joining them on the floor. She stroked her cousin’s hair again to calm her.
She’d hoped Perrie would be her usual smiling self when they found her, but her cousin remained in this position for a long while, crying, not looking up at either of them. Maisie could only imagine how this must be for her, to know that August wasn’t ever real. The word devastated wasn’t strong enough to describe it.
Maisie didn’t know how much time had passed when her cousin finally lifted her head, her tears slowing as she looked at them. “I’m so glad you two are all right,” Perrie said with a ragged breath.
Neven moved Perrie from his lap and set her on the couch beside him. She took his hands in both of hers, squeezing them tightly. Maisie studied those joined hands, and her heart raced in her chest, singing louder. She couldn’t make it stop, so she kept her gaze trained on her cousin’s face.
“Hi, Perrie.” Neven’s voice was low, gentle.
“Oh, Nev,” Perrie stuttered, tears sliding down her cheeks, “this is all my fault, I’m so sorry.”
Neven wrapped the blanket he and Maisie had been sharing around Perrie’s shoulders. It wasn’t Neven and Maisie. It was Nev and Perrie. Maisie had to remember that. She stepped back and swallowed the tainted feeling stirring within her.
“I’m going to take a quick lap around the neighborhood to make sure it’s clear,” Neven started. “It will give you two some time to talk.”
Perrie reached for Maisie and drew her down beside her. All Maisie wanted was for her cousin to be okay, inside and out.
“We were coming for you, Perrie. We’ve been looking for you this whole time and you found us!” Maisie squeezed her cousin’s shoulder, breathless with relief.
“It must have been our blood oath.” Perrie smiled, then it slipped from her tired face. “I’ve done terrible things, Maisie.”
They both had.
“I did bad things, too, but we can’t hold onto that. You’ve got this. You have to be strong here. I know the world is a wild carnival ride at the moment, but it could all be worse. There is always worse.”
“How can it be any worse than it already is? There’s a demon that basically murdered people and turned them into things that can’t die, who by the way, are now wreaking havoc on Earth. Then to top it off, this fucker pretended to be someone I’m in love with. I killed a lot of people.”
“Were in love with,” Maisie pointed out.
“What?” She jerked, the color draining from her face.
“You just said I’m in love with. You meant were, right?” Maisie ran her thumbnail along the edges of her front teeth as she awaited Perrie’s answer.
“That’s what I meant,” she said in a rush.
Was it? Maisie wasn’t in Perrie’s position, so she didn’t quite understand. But she believed she would’ve been thinking of all the ways to kill the demon instead of crying over him.
She took Perrie’s hands in hers and gently squeezed them. “Do you remember what you said to me back in Snow White’s cottage? You told me Crazy Maisie wasn’t me, and we were pretty much two separate people. So you’re going to have to look at it like that in this situation, too. The Bride isn’t you—it’s your alter. She’s not who you really are, nor the actions you would’ve chosen.”
Perrie sighed heavily. “I didn’t really understand the situation then, and now that I see the memories are all mine, I was still the one out there doing everything.”
“You’re going to have to separate them. That’s what I’ve been doing, or you’re not going to be able to live with yourself.” Her cousin could do this. Maisie knew she could.
“You’re always so smart with things, you know that, Maisie? But everyone we know is dead. Dad, Uncle Jaron, and Aunt Krista.” Perrie let out another rack of sobs, and Maisie circled her arms around her cousin.
Perrie’s grief felt as though it was transported to Maisie when she thought about what had happened to her parents and uncle. “I know they’re gone, Perrie, but are they really? All we know is their souls got sent to the Glass Vault, but their glass statues are still here. Maybe there’s a way to bring the souls back to their statue?” She desperately wanted that to be true, but she didn’t know if they were really lost forever.
Perrie shook her head. “I don’t know, Maisie. You haven’t been with Vale this entire time. I don’t think there’s a way to defeat him.”
That might be true, but Perrie would know better than anyone if there could be a way. “Um, Neven told me you crossed paths with him in the Glass Vault.”
Perrie’s body hunched forward, but not a single tear escaped her this time. “As you probably know, August is Vale. I confessed to August that I loved him, gave him everything I had, and I’ve never felt that way about anyone. Then he dragged me naked by my hair and tossed me in the cage with Neven. And the outcome was this.” She trailed a hand across the scar at her throat.
A rush of anger rolled through Maisie, and she wanted to find a pickaxe like she had back in the Snow White display. She would slam it through Vale’s darkened heart when she crossed paths with him again. Her fingers fidgeted with her dress as she thought about something else, almost too afraid to ask, but she pushed herself to do so. “How bad did he hurt you outside the Glass Vault?”
Perrie lowered her head and avoided Maisie’s stare. “He—he didn’t.”
Maisie’s nose wrinkled and her eyebrows became one long caterpillar. “What?”
“He treated her much differently than he did with me. When he had me in that tower and in the cage with Neven...” She blew out a breath, then hurriedly changed the subject. “Anyway, all Vale’s trying to do is fill the museum with more souls so his powers grow stronger. I don’t know a way to stop him.”
“Yet. But we will.” Maisie would fight in every way she knew how to come up with something. Her thoughts turned to Neven outside, and all Vale put him and Perrie through just to break them apart. The feelings of wanting him as more than a friend had resurfaced back to the correct setting like a Rubik’s Cube. But no matter how much she wanted them to, they couldn’t stay, so like before, Maisie twisted them inside her head so the colors were mixed up once more.
This was the moment for Perrie to get her happy ending. Defeat Vale, Perrie and Neven together, and Maisie joyous for everyone.
Maisie nudged her cousin’s elbow. “You know, you can be happy again once we get the world back to normal. Neven’s right there. You two would still be together if it wasn’t for Vale. Now’s your chance to make things right.”
Perrie lifted her brows and fought a small smile. “So, it’s like one of those action movies where the world is practically destroyed, but people still kiss and make up at the end as if nothing ever happened?”
“Why yes, yes it is.” Maisie silently pleaded for Perrie not to sink back in her hole, but she would always be there to help dig her out if she did. Before the Glass Vault, sometimes it took people longer to heal over things, but in this new world, there wasn’t time for that.
“Look, Maisie, I’m not going back to Nev. I know you have some plan brewing to bring down Vale, and I’ll help you, but we’ll only ever be friends.”
“I don’t understand.” Why wouldn’t she want him back?
Perrie wrapped her arms around her stomach, tears beading her lashes. “This isn’t going to make sense. It doesn’t even make sense to me. Technically, August is Vale, but if I have to admit it now, I will. I’m still in love with August who doesn’t exist, yet the way I felt for him was deeper than it ever was with Nev. So it wouldn’t be fair to Nev. Our relationship was rooted with friendship more than anything else. With August, those roots flourished into a beautiful blooming tree, so I wouldn’t go back to anything that offered less. In fact, I wouldn’t go to anyone.”
Maisie cupped Perrie’s warm cheek and brought her cousin’s head to her shoulder.
“As horrible as this situation is,” Perrie whispered, “I know if you’re with me, things will be better.”
“Does that mean you’re ready to plot?”
“I’m ready to plot.” Perrie said, lifting her head from Maisie’s shoulder. And as Perrie smiled, determination radiated from every inch of her cousin.
The door creaked open and Neven walked in, unscathed by his brief journey. He grabbed the box of breakfast bars from the pantry and tossed one to each of them.
Opening up a bar, he said, “Don’t worry, we’re all alone. No trolls and no crazy girls shooting lightning at pedestrians.”
Maisie held her breath, waiting for Perrie to cry, but she didn’t. Her laugh filled the air, and it was the sound Maisie had been missing.
“Time to plot.” Maisie looked to Neven, giving him a wide grin, when Perrie stopped laughing.
“Ah, yes, more plotting,” he said sarcastically and settled in a seat at the kitchen table.
Perrie sank down across from him, and Maisie took the chair in between them. Maisie peeled off the top paper of her notes and stuck it to the back of the sticky pad. She then wrote down a question.
Maisie was about to open her mouth when Neven held up his hand. “Before we begin on a long journey of plotting as Maisie would call it, the most important question is, where is Vale now?”
She lifted the pad directly in front of Neven’s face. “As I will have you know, that’s the first question I have on my list.”
“It’s also the only question you have on your list.”
“Don’t worry, I have more coming your way.” Maisie peeled the sheet she’d stuck to the back, wadded it up, and tossed it at Neven’s head, hitting the bullseye.
He reached for it and tossed it back, but she dodged out of the way, laughing. Maisie glanced at Perrie, her lips parted while her gaze shot between Neven and Maisie.
Neven cleared his throat and focused back on Perrie. “How did you escape?”
“I just ran. I woke up, remembered who I was, and I ran away.” She frowned, burying her hands into the skirt of her dress. “He was still asleep.”
“Do you know where he is now?” Maisie asked, not wanting to dig too much into their sleeping arrangement.
“He could be anywhere if he knows I’m gone.”
“Then we should keep moving.” Maisie stood from the table and threw the notepad in her borrowed bag. “Hopefully, he doesn’t know which direction you ran in and we can stay ahead.”
“Never eat her cheese.” Neven rolled his eyes while they trekked through a wooded area.
Perrie arched a brow. “I could’ve told you that, Nev.”
Speaking of food, Maisie needed to find more breakfast bars. Immortals may not have to eat, but her taste buds were yearning for something.
Neven filled Perrie in on mostly everything. Perrie didn’t go into great detail when she spoke next, but she did give them bits and pieces of what happened while they’d been separated. The things she’d done were ruthless, but again, it could’ve been much worse.
“Remember Ben Johnston?” Maisie asked Perrie.
“Troll display. Yes.”
“We ran into him a few days ago. I tried to get him to join our team, but that didn’t pan out. However, he did have his memories back.”
“You know who else did? Officer Rodriguez. She—she...” Perrie covered her mouth with her hand and took a deep breath. Maisie placed her arm around Perrie’s waist and Neven wrapped his around her shoulders. “She did, too. But me and Vale ... we murdered her. She’s gone.”
“An immortal?”
Perrie straightened, wiping a few tears away before explaining to them how an immortal could die at Vale’s hands. If he could make them, then he could break them too. Sooner or later, Maisie believed everyone would have their memories back—if they were still alive anyway.
“After I finished with Officer Rodriguez, Vale sent her soul back to the Glass Vault,” Perrie said.
“How does that work?” Neven sounded confused—looked it too.
“We’re bound to the Glass Vault, same as Vale,” Perrie started. “That’s why he wants the souls. It makes him stronger. It’s like—”
“The Glass Vault is a battery?” Maisie interrupted.
Perrie nodded, and the skeleton of a plan took shape in Maisie’s mind. They could set the Glass Vault on fire. If they destroyed his source of power, then maybe it would make him weak—maybe it would kill him altogether. And maybe Vale wasn’t as invincible as he believed he was.
“I think I know what to do. Originally, I was going to have all the immortals gang up on Vale. Bind, gag, and bring him to the Glass Vault,” Maisie said, striking her fist against the open palm of her other hand. “They would only be going up against a demon from the Underworld. No big deal.”
“If everyone is like Ben, that wouldn’t have worked,” Neven pointed out.
“Precisely, but I think if that big museum is Vale’s main generator, burning it may actually work. I just—”
Before she had a chance to finish her plan, Maisie’s feet were ripped out from beneath her. She landed flat on her face, a sharp pain throbbing in her nose and cheek. Something took hold of her leg and yanked her backward. A powerful scream tore from Maisie’s throat, vibrating violently in her ears. Neven and Perrie latched onto her arms, their teeth clenched, unwilling to let go.
An excruciating pain radiated through her abdomen as both sides of her body were pulled. It felt as if her stomach was going to be ripped apart. All she could think of in that bizarre moment was what a way to go. She at least hoped Perrie and Neven would be left with the upper portion, so she wouldn’t have to watch herself be eaten or torn to shreds.
Neven gave one hard tug, saving Maisie from the unknown’s hand. She flew straight into him and landed on his chest with a forceful blow, knocking him to the ground. His fingers dug into her waist as she sat up, her knees cradling his hips. Taking a quick swallow, she didn’t have time to focus on the position she was in on top of him—she sprang to her feet.
“Maisie!” Perrie screamed. “Look out!”
A flash of Perrie’s white light struck the dirt a step away from Maisie’s feet, rumbling the ground. Then a scream pierced the air, a foreign voice, as Maisie searched for her attacker. And there she was, the mermaid sloth who’d slowly crept her way down the street the other night. How did she make it the same distance we have without falling apart?
Then Maisie’s gaze fell to a sparkling pond behind Perrie.
Oh, that’s how.
The mermaid recovered quickly enough and shot forward, not at a snail’s pace any longer. Unhinging her jaw, revealing a set of needle-sharp teeth, the immortal screeched and launched her body at Perrie. The lightning bolt didn’t release from Perrie’s fingers in time as the mermaid hit, burying her pointy teeth into Perrie’s shoulder. Perrie wailed, struggling to yank the mermaid’s head away by her blue hair.
Half the mermaid’s blue tail still dangled from her upper body like it had the other day. Maisie jolted for it, grasping her tail in both hands and pulling on it, hard. The immortal howled, tossing her head back, Perrie’s blood fresh on her dark lips.
The mermaid lunged for Maisie and sank her teeth into her neck. Maisie released a shrill scream. With all her strength, she pushed roughly at the immortal’s chest, but the mermaid was glued to her throat. As Maisie wriggled, she wasn’t quite sure if this creature was trying to be a vampire or a zombie.
Her flesh throbbed even more as the mermaid began sucking. Blood pulsed beneath Maisie’s skin, leaving her veins as it entered the immortal’s mouth. She needed to get this leech off of her, and as she shoved, the immortal was ripped away. The creature was in Neven’s grip on the ground while he tried to wrestle her down. But she continued to screech and whip her body and tail about.
“A little help would be lovely!” he called.
“Team effort!” Maisie yelled as she and Perrie rushed to his aid, each taking an arm while Neven put his weight on the mermaid’s tail. With half of the creature’s body dangling, she still showed no sign of weakness.
“Do it,” Maisie said, remembering what helped them the last time. “Just like with Pinocchio.” The mermaid seethed at them, speaking in a language Maisie didn’t understand. “Sorry, I can’t hear you, little mermaid.” It probably wasn’t worth hearing anyway—she doubted the immortal was begging for her life.
Neven pulled, his face turning red, until a loud bone-crunching sound drowned out the mermaid’s voice entirely. The blue tail thrashed in his grasp and he tossed it aside.
Next came the arms, then finally Neven removed the head. Green blood leaked from the missing appendages, surprising Maisie. She figured it would’ve been blue.
Perrie held a mermaid arm, staring at the still-wiggling fingers and asked, “Now what?”
“Bury time,” Maisie yelled.
“Déjà vu?” Neven cracked a smile at Maisie as he went to dig the first grave.
“Déjà vu,” she said back.
“You two have done this before?” Perrie asked.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you”—Maisie grinned, clapping the dirt from her hands—“Neven and I had a run in with creepy Pinocchio in the woods recently.”
“It got pretty fucking ugly,” he said.
“Neven kicked his little wooden behind, though.”
“I’m glad I wasn’t there for that one.” Perrie tilted Maisie’s head to inspect her neck wound, but it no longer ached.
“You didn’t want to try singing again?” Neven gave Maisie a teasing shove.
She pushed him back playfully. “I really do have the worst power. You can still rip immortals apart, and Perrie’s power knocked the mermaid down.” Maisie hadn’t tried singing to the mermaid, though. Maybe this time it would’ve worked if she had. She would have to try it again when they encountered another wicked soul. That was what she should’ve been calling them all along.
Neven looped his arm around Maisie’s waist and pulled her in close, surprising her. She breathed in his minty scent, and her heart fluttered.
“Like you said, Mais”—Neven leaned in close—“team effort.”
Laughing, Maisie glanced up and her gaze met Perrie’s, who must’ve been watching them this whole time. A sinking feeling dropped to the pit of her stomach and she left Neven’s warmth.
