Sorrow

Veronica and Michael stared at each other only for a moment, but it felt much longer.

Not long after this silent exchange Suze got a hold of herself and the hug ended. They then spent the next hour explaining what exactly happened. They didn't mention Floyd's intentions and acted like they had no idea why he attacked Veronica.

With this information both Suze and James remembered the events of that night, when Veronica was nearly kidnapped. It took no persuasion for them to believe the story.

Sofie was the only one who wasn't fully convinced, but she didn't voice any of her opinions.

While speaking Suze was constantly holding Veronica's hand, it was like she was afraid that if she let go, Veronica would disappear.

They chatted for as long as possible, but soon new customers arrived and they had to be taken care of. Suze reluctantly let go of Veronica's hand and gave a long loving kiss on the top of her head.

Sofie smiled at her and went out the kitchen door into the main area. James quickly followed, while speaking in a not so silent whisper.

"I haven't seen Suze this emotional for a long time... Wonder if we can have a bit of fun at night..." He spoke to Sofie, who made a disgusted noise and said... "That's gross, dad!"

In the kitchen Suze just chuckled a bit and began cooking. Veronica and Michael stared at each other mortified, then they burst out laughing. Eventually they got up as well, and began helping with the food.

While making the meal the three of them talked and joked. It was nothing special or supernatural, just regular banter between family members.

Suze quickly got used to Michael's presence and for some reason she already acted like a mother-in-law.

"...So Michael. Do you have family in Hammon?" She asked while pushing meat into a pot of cooking soup.

"No. My family is basically non-existent..." He answered, not looking up from the sink where he was washing the used dishes.

"Why is that?" Asked Suze. She didn't seem to care or notice Michael's disinterest in the topic. He took a deep breath and sighed, giving the last dish to Veronica, who dried it with a cloth.

"I'm not from Hammon actually. I was born and grew up in Vindra. My parents died before I could remember them... I got adopted into a good family when I was young. I lived happily with them, I even had a little sister. She was 8 years younger than me and I loved her with all my heart, even though we had no blood relation..."

He glanced at Veronica while talking. She was the only one here who could understand what it felt like to love a sibling even though you had nothing to do with them genetically.

"What happened?" She asked, but seeing the pain on Michael's face, she instantly regretted asking.

"When I was around eighteen I saw a murder related to the supernatural. My grades weren't great and I had no idea what to do with my life. My parents were poor, so I needed a job to help them... I got recruited by the Unbroken..." His pain boiled into anger, but soon a cold hand touched his.

He stared into Veronica's concerned eyes, and his hatred got snuffed out. The pain remained though, but with her silent support it eased quite a bit.

"I wasn't an ascended back then, but working for the Unbroken is never safe. The others were hunting for a corrupted, but unknowingly to anyone, it followed me home from the HQ... I was living alone by that point, but it was Friday and I always spent the Fridays with my parents and little sister..."

A small tear exited his right eye and made its way down his cheek. Veronica didn't say anything just gave his hand a small squeeze. He sniffed a bit, then wiped the tear away.

"I had a few charms that could help in a fight, but I had no experience... The others tracked it back to my parent's house, but it had already killed them by that point..." He then stayed silent and tried to compose himself a bit.

"What happened to your little sister." Asked Suze after staying silent for a long time. Her face was especially serene, it looked a bit forced and looking at her Michael saw the emphatic sadness in her eyes.

He turned away from them again and sighed, this time not only because of melancholy, but a bit of regret seeped in as well.

"She is alive and well as far as I know. After the whole ordeal she wanted nothing to do with me... She was only ten years old and watched her parents die, while her big brother, who she believed to be strong, could do nothing..." He turned towards the window and smiled with heart-wrenching sadness.

"After that I left Vindra and she got taken into another foster family... I still send them money... It's anonymous, otherwise I fear Amy would tear up each note, then burn them..." They stayed silent for a long time after that. The pot of soup's bubbling was the only background noise.

Eventually Suze walked to Michael and put a hand on his arm. With a kind smile she looked into his eyes.

"Michael, would you like to stay for dinner? You could get to know the whole family. I'm sure little Jamie would really like you!" Hearing that he tried to smile as well, but it looked brittle, still neither woman mentioned it and Veronica gave another small squeeze.

"I would love that. I'm really curious about Veronica's other siblings... I hope they will like me better than Sofie." He muttered the last part, but both Suze and Veronica clearly heard it.

They all chuckled a bit, which lightened the otherwise dark mood. Soon Suze went back to cooking, while Veronica gave a small tour to Michael. They eventually ended up in her tiny room, where they sat on her bed.

"You sure you want to do this?" He asked with curiosity and a bit of concern. Veronica looked into his eyes and nodded.

"I don't know if its possible, but I want to give it a try. We still have a few hours until dinner, and I need to divine a lot of things as soon as possible..." As she spoke her eyes went down to the box clutched in her arms.

Michael said nothing more. He had no idea what would happen, but he trusted fully in Veronica, so when she closed her eyes and held his hand, he did the same.

Just like Veronica, his breathing calmed, and he began to concentrate. He also focused on Veronica and let himself be guided. He took long breaths, the small room's air felt warm and a bit stuffy, but it all changed abruptly.

One moment he breathed in the warm air, and in the next the air turned milder and fresh. Like he just stepped into a forest on a spring morning. He took a deep breath, which surprisingly caused his mind to clear further.

"You can open your eyes." Said Veronica from his left. Her voice sounded a bit different, but he couldn't figure out why.

Michael's eyes opened. The first thing he noted was the streetlamp they stood under. He looked at it curiously and even touched it. The metal felt cold and real, which he expected, but still found weird.

His sight then moved and focused on the large building behind it. Veronica described the Theater for him in great detail, but it didn't do justice to the actual structure.

The colors, the imperfection, the liveliness, the confusing way it stood... It was mind-blowing. He stood there mesmerized, while Veronica just shook her head.

This was by far her best iteration of this place, but it was still not good enough. It was too far into the ground and leaning towards the front a bit. The windows weren't even remotely aligned and the doors didn't even seem to have hinges, they were just kind of placed to the side.

It was so close, yet so far. But she had a feeling that until she advanced this was the best she could do.

Her right hand still clutched Michael's own, and she began to drag him towards the doors.

Michael just stared at the building, and only after they were near did he try to look away. He couldn't. His neck was locked in place, only able to look at the Theater. He was about to panic, but then remembered what Veronica said about the Theater's property.

Every time she tried to look away the Theater followed her eyes, never leaving her sight. This also meant that he couldn't look at any place where the Theater wasn't, since those places didn't really exist.

It was really confusing, but it made a kind of convoluted sense. This was also a structure that's older than time, so he didn't question anything too thoroughly.

Without a word Veronica led him inside the main hallway. The door slammed shut behind them and he was finally able to move around.

He watched the corridor in amazement, but then suddenly everything changed and he was standing in the middle of a stage. He went on high alert, but Veronica just chuckled next to him.

Michael looked down at her with a bit of annoyance, but it soon turned into something else. In the place where Veronica should've stood, a formless creature appeared...