Patty Liu - Silent Reflections

“Virginia! Stop it! You're killing him!” Patrick cried out in anguish as he watched his friends struggle. Wolf's head was completely submerged and had been held under for quite a while now. Patrick was surprised that Wolf seemed to be still thrashing about. He couldn't take it anymore. He had no idea that getting involved with Virginia, Wolf and Melody was going to bring so much trouble. And now Melody had run off because she had been a witch this whole time. But he couldn't help wishing that she would come back.

He squirmed around in the tazzies' grip. He was a big guy so if he struggled enough, he might free himself and get Virginia off of Wolf. Sure enough, he twisted his arms around and linked them through the dim-witted tazzies' arms that were holding him. He hurled his arms together and smacked the heads of the two oblivious tazzies together, knocking them unconscious. He looked down at the tazzies to check if they were still breathing; they were out cold.

He raised his head and looked at the remaining tazzie, Bon, who was still standing and eagerly paying attention to Virginia and Wolf. He didn't even notice that Patrick was free. Patrick quickly turned his attention to Virginia and Wolf. He was just about to take a step forward and grab Virginia off of Wolf when Wolf's body went limp. His arms sagged against Virginia's back and slid down to his sides on the ground. His legs stopped their kicking and he lay completely still. His head was still submerged in water.

With a horrified expression, Patrick slumped to his knees. Virginia's drowned her own husband! Virginia had stopped her movements and just sat straddled on top of Wolf's lifeless body. Her face was calm. There was no expression. Her eyes looked empty but yet there was a slight sparkle of realization. She slowly lifted Wolf's head out of the water and stared at it. Wolf's hair was wet and clung to his face like drenched seaweed. His mouth was slack and his tongue hung out slightly. He looked like he was just sleeping.

“Good work, Virginia. Now, please get rid of this other person you have with you,” Bon commanded again. The most wicked grin had made its way across his face and he was beaming from the pleasure he had been receiving from watching the life leave Wolf's body.

Virginia didn't move.

“Virginia?!” Bon called out again. She still didn't move. She just sat and stared at Wolf's face as if memorizing every possible detail. She ever so slowly raised a trembling hand and caressed his damp face. He was dead. Then in a rush of muddy water and flinging hair, she slammed Wolf's head back under the water again and stormed up. She went rushing towards Patrick and quickly knocked him to the ground.

“Good, Virginia, good,” Bon cried out in excitement.

“Cripes! Virginia! Wake up! Stop! It's Patrick.”

Virginia paid no attention and reached for Patrick's throat. But then someone clapped their hands sharply somewhere behind her and Virginia halted in midair. Her face crumpled. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she fell over on top of Patrick and began crying. An endless rush of tears streamed out of her eyes and poured itself all over the front of Patrick's shirt. Her head pounded and her ears roared with the painful emotion that was engulfing her.

“He's dead! I couldn't stop!” Virginia's heart-wrenching sobs broke Patrick's own composure. He realized the spell had broken somehow and he raised his arms and put them around her to sooth her.

“I've killed him! I've killed him! I knew I was doing it! But I couldn't stop! I couldn't, Patrick! I couldn't! He's dead!” Virginia wailed into his shirt. “Oh God, oh God, what am I going to do? What am I going to do?!”

“You couldn't help it, Virginia. It wasn't your fault. It's all right. Please stop crying,” Patrick tried his best to calm her down.

“It's not all right. Nothing's all right! How am I going to tell Little Peter that I killed his father?” she screamed out in torment. “First I killed my own mother. Now my husband. Is this what I'm destined to do? To just kill the people I love around me?! Oh God! What have I done, what have I done?!”

“Virginia. It's all right.”

Virginia lurched around and fell off of Patrick. Her eyes fell on the wet and dripping form of Wolf. He was alive! Or was she just seeing things? She tried to say something but her throat closed up and nothing came out. Wolf took a shaky step forward. Bon. The tazzie immediately raised his hand again to ring the brass bell he hand in his hand.

With a flash of movement, Wolf hurled himself at Bon. Low snarls and growls reverberated from the two struggling forms. Wolf grabbed the bell out of the infuriated tazzie's grip and crushed it in his own hand. The bell was useless now. Bon kicked at Wolf and managed to fling Wolf off of him. Wolf lost his balance and fell backwards; this giving Bon a chance to get up. He immediately made a dash for Virginia and without delay got a hold of her. He wrapped one arm around Virginia's slim neck. Wolf howled in distress.

“Back off, Wolf, or I'll snap her pretty little neck off,” Bon shrieked out in a frustrated tone. Wolf was supposed to be dead. What the hell had happened?

Wolf steadied himself and got to his feet. He stared Bon down but didn't dare move for he was afraid for Virginia's pretty little neck.

“Wolf,” she whimpered uncomfortably.

Patrick was watching the whole unbelievable scene unfold. He was still trying to grasp how Wolf was still alive but he quickly got ahold of himself and realized that he must help Wolf get Virginia out of the tazzie’s grasp. He was behind Bon. If Wolf could hold Bon’s attention long enough, he could come behind the tazzie and surprise him.

He reached over, ever so slightly. Wolf’s frustrated gaze stayed on Bon to keep his attention misdirected, but Bon sensed Patrick immediately. He jumped a step and pitched Virginia forward, out of his grasp. Patrick didn’t get a firm grip on the tazzie and Bon ran. He ran for dear life, away from the giant’s footprint lake. Away from the traveling humans. Away from the revenge he wanted so badly to complete. Virginia fell forward when Bon let her go so suddenly. She lost her balance and tripped over her own feet. She tried to make a grab for the nearest tree or bush or whatever she could get her hands on, but there was nothing. She fell forward onto her knees and gasped as she cut her knee on a jagged rock. Something felt odd.

She felt hands reaching out to her to help her up. She raised her head expecting to see Wolf or Patrick. Instead, she found herself face to face with her father.