Lauren McNeigh

Lauren went up to the lever infront. Below was a pointer statue in the middle of three paintings. She wondered what that meant.

Hazel and Hester then appeared. “Only a few find the way. Some don’t recognize it when they do. Others don’t ever want to” the Familiar spoke before they left again.

Lauren took a guess, but decided there was a pattern here. She pulled on the lever and pointer statue below moved to one painting. She ran downstairs to where it was. It was pointing at a painting of Flim.

It was very exhausting work. It required a lot of memory and backtracking, but it was soon worth it. It turns out; she had to match the painting with the one in the room nearby. She had to throw her knife at each painting once they were pointed at. The pattern was: Flim, Anastasia, and Tirek. It was even more exhausting with the Changeling Guards and Automatons around.

Lauren finished shooting at the paintings and had arrived back to where the lever was. The duo then reappeared again.

“The Queen, the Queen, my lower incisors” Hester mumbled while looking around.

“Where is that wretched creature?” Hazel groaned before they vanished.

“The Queen…she’s too strong” Lauren panted after she suffered a hard blow from a tentacle that strayed out of the Queen’s throne room. She could’ve been scooped up and killed if a certain Familiar hadn’t come and bit the tentacle as hard as they could. It retracted and then left back to the throne room. Hazel then gave Lauren enough Meta Essence to heal fully again, along with sealing the door for a bit.

“I believe she is the strongest enemy you will ever encounter. She’s at her worse” Hazel spoke up.

“What do I do?” Lauren looked down.

They thought for a bit before Hester suddenly perked up and went over to Hazel. She whispered something in her ear. At first, it was a conversation between just the two of them. It looked really serious. Finally, the Pegasister agreed.

“There is still a way for us to ensure your victory” Hazel spoke up. She then picked up Hester as the duo gave a warm smile rather than their more common grin.

“The Hidebrit Gene in my Essence, combined with a Partner will aid you in this battle” the Familiar spoke.

Lauren thought about what that meant, but it was soon made clear when the duo stepped infront of the door that lead to the throne room. Hazel’s hand was beginning to let the spell holding the door closed fall. She remembered the Hidebrit Gene could only be passed on if the bearer dies. That meant one thing…

“No!” she shook her head. “You can’t do this! You’ll both…”

“If we don’t, others will” Hazel had no fear in her tone.

“No! There has to be another way! I’m not gonna let the two of you just…”

“You’ll be okay. We’ll be fine” Hazel assured.

“Sometimes peace is all we can give. And sometimes peace is just enough” Hester agreed.

“Please…don’t do this…” Lauren was crying now. She tried to run forward and get them away, but Hazel gently blew her back. “I’ve lost Twilight…and Snowdrop…I can’t lose you both too! It’s already bad enough they’re gone!”

“There is no time”

“Please…I can’t…I can’t lose you both too…” she let the tears rise, trying to close her eyes and get it out of her head.

“Lauren…” they called her, making her look up. “Just give her one for us all” they spoke together.

Lauren looked at the duo straight in the eye. They had to do it. They couldn’t just sit idly by when they could do something. They could do something, but it would cost them their lives. Being two parts of a whole, the Gene in Hester would only be strongest if the Partner was involved. She had no choice.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded while shutting her eyes to avoid watching them die.

They nodded before speaking to her as Hazel dropped the spell. She held her Familiar tightly to herself as the little one held onto her. They closed their eyes as the tentacles neared them. “You and Queen Faust cannot both survive. You’re two parts of the same…”

She never got to finish her words as the tentacle Hester bit suddenly came on them and beheaded both of them in a quick slash before going back in. Their heads fell on the floor, a look of death in both. Hester’s Essence, shaped like a star, contained a glow in the center. No doubt it was the Hidebrit Gene. Hazel’s own Essence was a small heart. Both then combined as one before they entered Lauren.

One more time. We’ll be fine. Sometimes peace is just enough.

She felt their voices ring together in her head as that phrase played. She had lost her first Creation, and her loved Niece, and now the duo that were by her side all this time. Hazel and Hester were the duo that stuck by her side and guided her throughout her journeys in Wonderland. They were a bit annoying at times due to the cryptic suggestions and comments, but they were still helping her in their own ways. They were unstable, but that didn’t help her from helping them in their first meeting. They were always by her side. Thick and thin, better or worse, good or bad. They helped her in any way they can, no matter what. Now they helped her by giving up their lives.

She took it all in as she collapsed to her knees and cried. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”