A Tragic Affair

Guess what? This story is almost over! Yep, yep it is. I know it's been taking me like forever to add but the thing is, I've been so busy going to MCR shows and getting into fights with protesters that I just didn't have time to write. That and I had absolutely no ideas as to what I wanted to do. Enjoy.

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It took almost three days to get everything ready, but the night before Halloween we were set. We sat in the car, Mikey trembling as i shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat. "This stupid fuckin' hoop skirt... Okay I'm getting out." I muttered as I slipped out of the car. Mikey followed as I straightened the dress. I'd thought the dress would be brown, but it was a black taffeta number. The hoop skirt really wasn't helping my mobility either. Mikey had to do my hair as well, it was in a rather complicated braided knot that I couldn't do on my own.

Mikey clutched the potion I"d made for him, looking at the bottle. "How long does this stuff last?" "Few hours." "Right... Shit Varla I don't think I can do this." I grabbed Mikey's hand and forced him to look at me. "Your brother is in there, my friends are in there. If you don't help me I'll kill you myself." Mikey's eyes widened a bit but he nodded. He uncorked the potion and downed it quick, making a face liked he'd just taken a shot of tequila. I didn't blame him, it was nasty stuff.

"Okay, let's do this." He replied. I smiled at him and lead him into the ghost town. It was once a boom town, one of the many to pop up and around the western states in the 1800s. But around the time of the Black Parade story, everyone just kind of left for no reason. So Cortis was abandoned, and now we were striding in. It was close to sunset and getting rather chill, and we hadn't seen anyone yet so I was getting nervous.

"It's too quiet." Said Mikey. "Don't be afraid." I replied, and lead the way to the city hall. Getting in was easy, and once we did I realized why we hadn't been stopped. We could hear the roaring of a large crowd through he wall of the outer hallway. "Shit, must be meeting night." Mikey muttered. "That'll make our task easier, c'mon this way." I took Mikey's hand and we crept through a side door. It was an open hallway, blocked from the other room by a heavy velvet curtain. If someone were to walk through, we'd most definitely be caught.

We crept quietly through the hall, taking care not to get close to the curtain. We froze at the door when we heard the Ringmaster's voice boom through the hall. He began to talk about Halloween so we snuck through the door. When it was quietly and firmly closed behind us, we started to run down the hall. It didn't take us long to find the Ringmaster's room.

We ran in and slammed the door, Mikey yelling, "Gerard? Gee where are you?" But the room was empty. Mikey searched, but I closed my eyes and whispered, "Gerard." In my mind's eye I saw him. He was at the meeting, he was frightened and he was in pain. I opened my eyes and said, "C'mon, we have to get Moth and Stokes." "But what about my brother?!" Mikey screamed at me. "He's at the meeting! Fuck... Let's just get my friends and then I'll get Gerard!" I yelled back, then went through the opposite door, heading for the dungeon.

Mikey was on my heels as I slammed through the door. Stokes and Moth were on the floor and for a minute I thought they were dead, but when I went to check their pulses, Stokes moaned. His usually spiked hair was laying flat on his head, and he and moth looked like they'd been through the ringer. Mikey looked at me and I said, "Pick up Stokes, I'll get Moth." Thankfully he didn't argue. It seemed like time was moving doubly fast. One minute we were in the dungeon, the next we were outside. Moth was walking by himself, having regained consciousness and was carrying his cousin.

I was in a cold fury as I said, "Mikey, get them to the car. I'll get Gerard." "Wait, you can't do it alone!" Moth shouted. I looked at my friends, my anger apparent on my face. "I can't risk the two of you. Mikey will return to help, but I want both of you safe or this was all for nothing." I pulled Moth into my arms and kissed his cheek, adding, "After what you endured for me, it's the least I can do. We need vengeance Moth." He was quiet, then nodded. Stokes was still knocked out and in Moth's arms, so I kissed his forehead. I looked up at Mikey but he wouldn't look back at me. "Get going." I said, then turned and headed back to the building. I knew what I had to do, and I really just didn't want them to see it.

I'd been practicing my powers, and while I hadn't perfected them I could use them. So when the doors to the city hall blew open in front of me, I smiled. I had ceased to walk, I was levitating about two or three inches off the ground as I tapped into the power and let it take over. The second set of doors that lead into the main audience chamber slammed open as well. The marchers were surprised, obviously, and many backed away as I moved into the room. A few attempted to rush me but with a flick of my wrist they were easily thrown back into the crowd.

There was a large stage with a raised podium in the back of the room, and I stopped there. I didn't see or sense the Ringmaster or Gerard. "Ringmaster, by the powers granted me by my ancestors, I command you to show yourself!" I screamed. The marchers were silent, the room was deathly still. But I heard footsteps, and from behind the podium came the Ringmaster. For a minute he smirked at me, but then his exact double stepped out as well, mirroring his expression.

"We know why you have come, witch." Said one, then the other said, "Now you must solve the riddle."
"Which of us is which."
"Who is the singer."
"And who is the charlatan."
They both laughed as the one to the right continued.
"A spell was placed on Gerard."
"Placed on him while you were busy rescuing your friends."
"So that he's exactly like the Ringmaster."
"In every single way."
"So if you choose the right man."
"Then you go home with him."
"And never be bothered by us again."
"But if you choose the wrong man."
"Then your lives are forfeit."
"And you will both die."
They finished their speech, then grinned crazily at me. They said in unison, "Make your choice, witch!"

I looked back and forth, slowly levitating onto the stage. I stood between them and reached out with my senses. Yes, on the surface they were exactly alike. But all I had to do was scratch the surface. I held my hands out towards them and let my power surge into them. They both cried out and flew backwards, hitting the wall. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as my mind sorted them out. From the one on the right I sensed rage that had lasted for centuries, the the one on the left, I felt anguish. So I probed further.

Flashes of memory assaulted my senses. Beatings, torture, rap, it's what they'd done to him when he first arrived. It was what made him submit. The only things that had kept him alive were his false love for the Ringmaster and his powerful love for his brother. I could hear his thoughts even now, like they were being whispered into my ear. "Have to survive, I need to see Mikey, I need to know he's safe!" I dropped them both and rushed over to whom I knew to be Gerard. He was conscious but just barely. I closed my eyes and passed a hand over his body. The spell wasn't a spell at all but a mirror charm, and it was easily broken. When my eyes opened again, they were staring into his.

Gerard looked up at me blearily and asked, "Are you an angel?" I laughed and shook my head. "No, precious." But the smile left my face when I felt gathering power. I stood and turned, blocking Gerard from view as the Ringmaster glared at me. "You are not Melissa Sylvaria. You are an impostor!" "I am her direct descendant!" I declared, taking a step forward, "And Gerard is not yours to torment any longer!" "He is my blood, he is mine!" The Ringmaster growled as he stepped closer as well. "Blood does not dictate ownership, and if it did he still wouldn't belong to you!"

I was repeating pretty much what I told Gerard days ago, but the Ringmaster didn't know this concept so I continued. "His blood is called by blood, this is so. But that blood can only be claimed or owned by one in his own generation. In his case, his brother Michael. And Michael in turn is owned by Gerard and there is nothing you can use to claim either of them!" The Ringmaster snarled at me and was about to say something when the doors opened again. Mikey stood in the entrance and everyone froze. "Mikey, get Gerard out!" I yelled, then slammed my mental power into the Ringmaster.

And it was on. Parade members attacked Mikey from all sides but with the potion he was like Superman. He easily tossed them off as I kept the Ringmaster busy and his attention on me. I could feel Gerard, weak, tired and aching, crawling off the stage to get to his brother. Everything was happening so fast it was hard to catch it all. Marchers trying to jump me but I surrounded myself and the Ringmaster with a circle of flames. Some tried to stop Gerard but Mikey pulled him free. The Ringmaster glared at me and hissed, "How did you know they owned each other?" "They're brothers, and the bond between siblings is stronger than anything." I replied, managing to knock him down.

The Ringmaster got back to his feet and gave a frustrated cry. He let loose a power I'd never seen before. He could shoot lightning bolts from his hands, and he was trying to hit Gerard! He'd managed to hit several of his own marchers in the process but he didn't seem to care. His rage was all for Gerard now. A sudden terror at the thought of Gerard's death gripped my heart. I could see the Way brothers at the door, they were almost away. The Ringmaster grinned in triumph, he knew he had them and so did I. I did the dumbest thing I could do. I threw myself in front of him just as he unleashed that final, dreaded bolt. It caught me in the lower abdomen and threw me off the stage and backwards. I sailed ten feet in the air before crashing to the floor.

Pain was ripping through my belly, it was complete agony and all I wanted to do was lay there and cry. I felt a gentle hand caress my hair and I looked up to see Melissa, cradling my head in her lap. "I'm dying." I said to her. "I know, but you need to finish this." The marchers had scattered out of the way and the Ringmaster was storming towards me, laughing maniacally. But all I saw was Melissa's face, so like my own. "Help me?" I murmured and she smiled, then dissolved.

Her essence hit my system like a drug, and a powerful one at that. I was levitating again, this time six feet in the air. Blood was pouring down the front of my dress and dripping onto the ground, but it seemed inconsequential. Melissa was inside of me, and we were going to finish this. The Ringmaster had stopped in his tracks, and he was gaping at us in horror. "You have tormented my child, you have caused her anguish by bringing pain to her friends and intended. And we will end this now." Melissa said through me. "What are you going to do?" He asked, his voice quavering with fear. "Kick your ass." I replied.

We gathered our power, the Parade members tried to get away but we blocked their escape by creating more fire. We set it in front of all the exits. The Ringmaster didn't try to flee but he did try to tackle us. When he got close we glared at him and he stopped mid step. We pulled him up to us and gazed into his eyes. Now he was well and truly afraid.

"What's done is done, the past is the past. We call upon the Grim Reaper to claim these lost souls and to take them to their destiny." We said. I heard a rumbling sound and then screams. I vaguely realized the flames we'd set out were taking on a live of their own. They were turning into gigantic hands and dragging the marchers to their fate. But we held on to the Ringmaster, who was glaring at us hatefully. "I'll get you for this witch! You and all of your descendants!" "No, it's over." Melissa said. My vision started to fade, and I registered I was getting really cold. "Fuck, I'm dying." I said to Melissa. "Not yet my child." She replied, and I blacked out.