Chapter 4

Violet sat up on the hospital bed, shaking.

Dad ... was gone.

The two nurses had left the room moments ago: one to try and find a doctor who'd be able to tell them what the hell was happening, and the other to run the floor all by herself. Miracle cures were wonderful, but they didn't change the needs of everyone else in the hospital. Anita stood, arms around her baby, head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Her mom hadn't meant to just blurt it out. Violet knew that. It didn't matter. If she HADN'T of been in some kind of coma, but had just seen Dad lying there ... she'd have known right away anyway. This was no different.

And no easier to take.

Her last memory. Walking out of the glasses store. Dad had made one of his jokes, the kind that take a moment for you to realize the play on words. She had looked up at him, laughing...

Noise.

Pain.

Blackness.

Then the Red Witch.

"Where is she?!?!" Violet's shaking stopped. Lifting her head, she met Mommy Rachel's confused, and concerned, eyes. "Where is the Red Witch?"

"Red..." Rachel's eyes widened, flicking quickly to Taylor and Mei before returning to their daughter. Her hand gently stroked Violet's bare brown arm. "Do you know her?"

Violet shook her head, paused ... then shook it again. Part of her, in a way, DID know this girl. Knew her deep in her soul, the same way she knew her parents, or siblings. Yet...

"I've never seen her before..." Her voice was still rough, and hearing it Anita quickly released her and grabbed a glass of ice water off a tray and gently brought it to her lips. Violet grimaced. She could hold her own glass, thank you very much!

... no, she couldn't. A simple flex of her fingers told her that. Gods, she was so weak ... opening her mouth, she let the water flow over her dry tongue and downward. Only a swallow or two, though. She'd read enough to know (or at least think she knew) not to rush things like eating and drinking. Closing her lips, she smiled in thanks at Mommy Anita and let herself be lowered back down onto her back. The pillow felt so good...

"I ... I want my Witch. My Red Witch." Rachel cast another look over at Taylor, who nodded and began to quietly gather her things. Violet went on, looking between their concerned faces. "I ... she was so beautiful ... wasn't she, mommy? So beautiful ... maybe Daddy sent her, or Mommy Lisa..."

At that name, Taylor froze, purse half way up her arm, eyes silently asked the others, "could it be?"

That day's snow wasn't good for tunnels.

Oh, Freddy and Menolly gave it a shot, with the help of a couple of the other youngsters. It was a little too light, though, and maybe a little too dry. Things started to collapse once you went in a few feet. However, snow FORTS were still more than possible, and the snow was just wet enough to hold the shape of a packed ball.

Thus, War came to the Hunt Homelands.

It was a bitter struggle, pitting brother against brother, sister against sister. Back and forth went the battle lines, with charges and counter charges, brilliant defensive stands and overwhelming assaults. Political and military alliances changed often. First, there was the "Jaxom has Cooties" crusade. This drew in many members of the fair sex, but they were too weak to prevail. A change in the wind brought forth the "Cindy Throws Like A Girl" alliance, turning on the weaker members responsible for defeat. However, there are more types of strength than physical. The attack had barely even started when religious fervor struck the armies. A prophecy telling of fresh baked cupcakes for all who followed the path of the righteous, begat the final battle, forever known as "Get Freddy!"

Freddy hunkered down in their last defensive position. Their backs to the front porch, there literally was nowhere else to run. The forces of good were down to three brave, outstanding warriors. Himself, naturally. To his right, frantically making more snowballs for the coming last stand, was Menolly The nine year old had stayed at his side all through the wars, proving herself worth a dozen Elly's. Sitting next to her was their most valiant warrior, Shizuku. The heavily bundled two year old was picking up snow and throwing it in the air, obviously testing the wind to help her aim. Her dedication to this task was unmatched.

Menolly risked a glance over the hastily constructed snow wall in front of her.

"Are they coming yet?"

A badly aimed snowball fell a few feet short of the wall.

"Not yet."

Freddy looked at his sister, grin infectious. She returned it, adjusting her wool hat. It had been a good morning. They had needed this.

"Ding dong!"

The two of them looked down at his zipped jacket pocket. A moment later the muffled sound of a doorbell came from it again. Shizuku paused in her snow throwing, realizing her older siblings needed some help identifying the sound.

"Phone!"

"Yes," sighed Freddy, reaching to free the communication device, "thank you Shizuku."

"I'm helping!"

Menolly giggled at her sister's comments. Kids were no fun until they could talk. Freddy looked at the phone. It was Mommy Mei. A wave of numb coldness went through him as he raised the phone up to his ear.

"Hi Mom. What is it?"

Menolly watched her brother's face. It could be anything. It didn't have to be bad news. Heck, it could be...

Freddy jumped to his feet.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?"

Menolly was on her feet with him, eyes wide and hopeful. Shizuku, seeing they were playing a standing game, joined them. There was another pause, as Freddy's face became more joyous. Turning to look over the snowy landscape, his many siblings slowly rising in fearful expectation, he clenched his fists and shot them into the air.

"SHE'S AWAKE!!!!"

Taylor stood by the nurse's station, looking down at the waiting area at the end of the hall.

She was there.

You couldn't miss the mass of deep red hair, falling down onto that black dress. The girl was just sitting on the couch, not moving, staring at her hands. Taylor bit her lip. What the hell was she supposed to say?

Well, whatever it was, she couldn't say it from here.

Straightening her shoulders, Taylor began slowly walking towards the girl. Violet's words kept floating through her head. "Maybe Daddy sent her, or Mommy Lisa..." Fred had intended the whole thing about Lisa throwing women at him from beyond the grave as a joke, a fun take on an increasingly complicated family history. He had no belief in the afterlife, religious or spiritual. Yet ... the more Taylor had lived with the man, the more she came to have some belief. Something was looking out for them, drawing them together. Anita felt the same way, as did some of the older children...

This, in fact, had almost cost them Mei. Things had been going well, the family enjoying having the young woman with them and the feeling becoming increasingly mutual, when then twelve year old Violet had made the mistake of mentioning ghostly "Mommy Lisa" and her influence. Mei had stormed up to Fred, demanding to know if he was only bringing her along because of some mystic crap, if, in fact, this was some horrible religious bigamy sect. Because, if so, she was so gone!

Fred's incredulous laughter had probably been the only answer that would work. With an apologetic grin, he regaled her with the now mythic tale of his late lover, and his "blaming" everything on her influence. Once they returned to the house, he set out proving his atheist and skeptic credentials with his collection of Skeptical Inquirer magazines, signed James Randi books, and other increasingly humorous proofs until Mei broke down laughing and believed him. He later told Taylor that he had wanted to kiss the Chinese girl, so close had the two of them been in spirit in that moment. But, he had waited ... and two weeks later she kissed him, then the other three women. She gave the four of them her virginity and her heart before the month was out.

Taylor had seen the look in Violet's eyes. It was the same one she'd seen in Mei, Anita, Rachel ... even in Fred, when he looked at her. This stranger had Violet's heart. If, by all that was holy, the Red Witch felt the same about Taylor's baby ... oh, god, what that would mean!

... What would it mean?

Later.

Taylor stood on the blue carpet, looking down at the girl. She ... was so young. Probably as tall as Taylor, if not taller, but still four or more years younger then her daughter! But, than, she had been almost a decade younger than Fred. What is age, if the souls are in love?

"May I sit?"

The girl ignored her. She just sat, leaning forward on the edge of the cushion, looking at her palms in front of her. Her expression was one of ... wonder, confusion ... and pain. Taylor looked around, nervously. Now what. There was space on the couch, so ... trembling a bit, she sat down.

The girl felt her presence, turning to stare at Taylor. She wasn't frightened, but that may have been because her mind seemed to be elsewhere. Taylor gave a tired smile, one hopefully that spoke of equals and friendship rather than adults and children. The redhead's expression turned puzzled, then her eyes widened.

"You're from the room," she whispered. Taylor nodded.

"My name's Taylor. I want ... well, we want to thank you. For what," and she gave a tired laugh, "we don't know, but something happened. Something wonderful."

The girl blushed a bit, turning to look back at her open palms. Taylor tried to keep the conversation going.

"What's your name, child?"

"Cindi..."

Taylor's eyes widened. Cindi shot her a suspicious glance. Not knowing the reason, Taylor quickly explained.

"We have a daughter Cindy, next youngest after Violet. Did ... do you know Violet?"

"No..." She closed her eyes. Taylor's heart went out to her. This girl ... seemed so deprived of love. She didn't know how she knew, but ... it was there in every movement. Maybe that's why she had been drawn to someone as loving as Violet...

"Violet ... she's OK, now. I mean ... she's OK! After all this ... she's OK!"

"I'm ... glad." Cindi looked back at her, and it was clear from those eyes, that she and Violet were linked. Taylor knew what she had to do.

"It's been..." Taylor turned her head and looked out the window. Snow was coming down again, the road only still visible because of the headlights. "There was an accident Saturday. Bad. We lost our..." She paused, almost forgetting she wasn't family. Yet. "Violet's dad died." Cindi looked up, stunned. "And ... we thought we had lost our oldest baby. She's been unconscious since then. Till ... till you came." She smiled down at the girl in wondrous awe, to which Cindi could only blush.