Hi! Thanks so much for the support! I love seeing your responses :) Here's another one. A little meandering, not a lot of plot but I guess I like drawing things out a bit. Hope you guys don't find it too annoying. Please don't mind the editing. Enjoy!

Chapter Eight – Bad Rituals

"… And every creak, a trigger

I will think of you with others

I could not smother out that fire in my head…"

– Timber Timbre

The vodka spread over her tongue with a familiar cleansing burn.

She was on her third bottle this week. Normally, she'd just need the one but something since his last visit… something was not right.

Destiny scrunched up her nose as she attempted to place her finger on it. On what he had been so reluctant to tell her.

And now she could feel it again. A faint tingling in her fingertips told her that they were getting nearer to her home.

In fairness he had texted her about half an hour ago to let her know that he was heading over.

She shrugged to herself and took another swig from the bottle. "Still counts..." Destiny muttered to herself and smirked down at her fingers.

Lynda would have been a good resource for information on what was going on with the kid, but Destiny knew he'd let her know eventually… in his own time. When he was ready…

She shook her head. Sometimes the mystic physic power thing really sucked. It was a lot of waiting for something that she knew was coming…

Any second now…

Any…

"Destiny!"

"There you are…" The brown-haired seer hopped off of her kitchen counter with a swing of her long legs. Her feet had had barely reached the ground before she was enveloped by the arms of her younger cousin.

"Hey coz."

Destiny returned the embrace of her scruffy haired boy. The leather of his jacket felt cold against the bare skin of her arms, but she could feel the heat of his wolf's energy through it.

"Hey you," she smiled, pulling away from him. "Long time no see." Destiny teased.

"Getting sick of me already?" He grinned back.

"A little." She chuckled, ruffling his messy hair. "So, what was so important tha…"

Destiny felt her words die in her mouth. Her heart chilled. Swallowing thickly, she watched the change in Peter's eyes as they took in her falling expression. He turned to follow where Destiny's attention had been drawn to, by the front door of her apartment.

Clearing his throat Peter moved away from her and stepped towards the slightly hunted looking pale girl with dark rings around her eyes by the door. "Destiny, I'd like to introduce you to Lili… Vince's daughter." His gaze returned to his older relative. "And our cousin."

Lili sat awkwardly the low chair in her newest family member's apartment. Her knees close to her chest and her arms wrapped around her backpack on her lap.

Her tired hazel eyes tracked this addition to her family around the room. Destiny was definitely something Lili was not used to.

While her apartment reminded Lili something of her own mother's eclectic tastes, Destiny herself seemed like a self-assured force of nature. Lili couldn't deny that her own mother was… had been a force to be reckoned with but she was not as overt about it as Destiny appeared to be.

Destiny had seemed surprised at Lili's appearance in her home. She had startled herself out of her stupor and greeted Lili, offering her some tea and a seat. There was an uneasiness there though, that Lili could not help but notice every time Destiny glanced her way.

"So that's the deal on Theo, I guess." Peter gave a soft exhale and a smile that read as a bit tight as he finished describing Teddy to Destiny.

"Well, he sounds great." Destiny gave a nod to Lili, "You both do." She added to Lili, with sincerity in her expression. "I'm so sorry about your mother."

"Thanks." Lili didn't need to hear her voice to know that it sounded meek. Her gaze wandered between Peter and Destiny who looked to be having their own private conversation through body language and furtive glances. She was beginning to wonder why Peter had brought her here now.

Surely, eventually they would have had to meet Destiny but what had been the rush?

"You haven't touched your tea." Destiny spoke her blue eyes moving to Lili's untouched cup on the coffee table.

"Oh…" Lili snatched up the cup and took a quick sip, relieved to have an occupation for her hands. "I…" Her brow furrowed, as she looked down to examine the contents of the cup. "This is really good." She took another sip. Lili felt an increase in the same warmth that she had experienced when she had taken her first drink of the tea.

"Family recipe." Destiny said, causing Lili to raise her eyes in enough time to see Peter and Destiny share a glance again. "Suppose you'll be entitled to it now too." The older woman offered kindly with a soft chuckle.

"Thanks." Lili took another sip, the warmth spread a little further into her body.

"Now," Destiny stated slowly, "You must be wondering why old Petey here brought you to visit."

"Petey?" Peter scoffed in distaste.

Lili only nodded head, maybe she was a little more tired than she thought…

Ignoring Peter's insulted interruption, Destiny rolled her eyes and continued. "Well, I think I know why. And, what's more, I think it was probably for the best."

Lili drank from the cup again, unsure of what else to do, and chasing the little piece of comfort its warmth offered.

Destiny leaned forward reaching over her small coffee table. Lili meant to shift back in her seat but her drained reflexes were too slow. "It'll be easiest this way." Lili watched Destiny's ring adorned hand as it neared her forearm. "I'm sorry but…"

"Wha-" Lili gasped when Destiny's hand touched her skin.

Lili did her best to blink her eyes clear, but it was no use. Every blink was a flash of some new image that she didn't understand.

Naked people standing around in a dark forest.

Her mother's tarot cards a hare... a wolf… a crow… a…

Blood ripped from a throat.

A wolf eating flesh... eating a mask of Peter's face…

The buzzing of an electrical wire.

A woman in a dark dress, with long dark hair whipping around her face, screaming on a moor.

Whispers from beyond a veil.

White walls. White rooms. White hair.

A death.

A death.

A death.

"STOP!"

It wasn't her voice or Destiny's but Peter's that broke the string of images.

"Destiny, stop!" He urged from somewhere in the faraway distance.

Suddenly the light filling Destiny's apartment came flooding back into view.

Gasping for air as though she'd been drowning Lili, clutched at her chest.

"Lili!" Firm hands gripped her shoulders. Her shocked eyes focused on Peter's concerned face crouched in front of her knees. "Goddamnit Destiny! You couldn't have eased her the fuck in?" He derided his cousin over his shoulder.

Lili was still struggling to understand what had happened… what was happening...

She wanted Theo.

"It was the fastest way to be sure." Destiny responded her tone unapologetic.

"Still…" Peter's gaze had returned to Lili. "Lili, I'm sorry. I had no idea…"

"No idea…" Lili's voice scratched out passed her dry mouth. "No idea!" She breathed out harshly. "What did you give me?" Her eyes searched for the cup that must have fallen out of her hands in her panic. "What did you put in the tea? Wh- Why would you?"

"I'm sorry." Destiny piped up, now standing behind Peter. "Listen… I probably could have handled that a little differently. But you have to understand."

"Understand? Understand what?!" Lili spat, trying in vain to push Peter's hands off of her shoulders.

"You have to understand. When something comes into my home smelling of that much death, I need to find out why as soon as I fucking can."

"I don… Wait, what?" Lili, who had been struggling against Peter's grip, fell still as she processed what Destiny had just said.

"You heard me, baby girl." Destiny mouth was turned up in a sympathetic smile. "Death. You reek of it."

Lili's mouth hung open now. She cast her eyes between a standing Destiny and Peter still crouched before her looking for any clue as to what was going on here.

"Peter?" She asked in desperation for some sort of explanation.

He let out a small exhale through his nose and gave a sympathetic wince similar to the one Destiny's wore. "Well… I wouldn't use the word 'reek' exactly…"

Theo had been having an interesting day. Just after lunch he had discovered the that the section on herb classification had been incorrectly catalogued.

It had been three hours of sorting and archiving. In other words, three hours of titillation.

Mom had said that hard work was good work. 'Nothing back breaking though…' Theo reminded himself of that saying. It was ridiculous because the likelihood of him breaking his back was very low in his job, but Mom had said it was a phrase that meant that it was important to still have a fun time at work.

This definition had perplexed a young Theo too. His work was his precise definition of fun.

But he'd be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy his exercise. Thank goodness Mom had encouraged him so much to go running.

Theo smirked to himself. He was getting quite good at that. Liliana would be proud of him remembering to be grateful to Mom. Thinking those thoughts and focusing on something besides what he was doing.

'Very good, Teddy.' She would say. He ignored the voice in his head telling him that Lili would probably like him to look out of the window beside him.

He had insisted on a seat or office next to a window, because Lili always said that he should remember the outside world while he was at work every once in while.

Usually he set aside ten minutes every two and a half hours to look outside.

He had been so enthralled that he missed today, besides it was dark now anyway, so Teddy still found reason to be smiling when he heard the door slide open to his work room.

Shoes clicked on the white tile of the white room.

He knew that shoes would be white too without looking, because there was only one person who wore high heels that visited him. Actually, no one else really visited him. His supervisor, Mr. Stewart, did the thing where he talked under breath, and Lili had told Theo that when someone did that it usually meant they didn't like you too much. She and Mom would say to try to make friends but Theo honestly didn't mind sticking to his work.

"Hello, dear boy." Mrs. Godfrey's voice floated down to where Theo was sitting at his desk.

"Hello, Mrs. Godfrey," Theo knew that he was meant to look in a person's eyes when he talked to them, but she had come to see him almost everyday since he had started and after the fourth time visiting she had said that she didn't mind if he worked while she… while they talked.

Really Theo didn't mind it. She was different to other people who made him feel weird and on edge… other people, aside from Lili.

Mrs. Godfrey just asked questions, and she didn't judge his responses. She congratulated him on being able to contribute towards his student loans again. She'd listened to his requests and suggestions, even explaining them to Mr. Stewart because she could tell that Theo had trouble being understood sometimes. Mom said it was ok to take help if he needed it.

Mrs. Godfrey had been nothing but helpful to him and Lili.

The one thing that slightly bothered him about her was that sometimes she'd ask questions so fast while he was distracted that he'd answer before thinking. Mom had taught him to stop and think but it was difficult. It's how he had accidentally told Mrs. Godfrey about Lili screaming and crying in her sleep when she was little. Then her screaming and crying when she started middle school. Mom had said she was working on something to help Lili. So Mom said they never had to tell anyone about the screaming. Not ever. Not even to Lili.

He felt his fingers twitch as he thought of his little sister's recent behaviours. Maybe it would be easier if he could talk to Lili about it but he was so nervous about upsetting her. He didn't know what to do to help her.

It was hard. And Mrs. Godfrey was a little too quick.

It was really why he should maybe be paying proper attention to her.

'Teddy…' Lili's voice in his head drew his blue eyes away from the journals stacked in front of him towards the woman standing next to his desk.

"Can I help you with anything?" He raised his gaze to look at where the top of Mrs. Godfrey's ear would be if it wasn't covered by her long reddish brown hair.

Another trick Mom had taught him.

"Oh, well I just came down for one of our small chats…" Mrs. Godfrey replied, slowly moving around the bright, clinically lit room. She touched one of the postcards that Lili had told him he should put up to make the space 'his'. Theo had told her that the room was already his because Chad at human resources had said so. Lili had agreed that was true. Even so, Theo had carefully put a postcard, that he changed weekly, in a plastic sleeve to tack up on the wall by the door.

Mrs. Godfrey turned around to face him. He waited for her carry on with the chat that she wanted.

"But you should keep working, darling."

Theo nearly jolted with relief to return to the journals on his desk, but he stopped himself to be polite. It was important. "Are you sure?"

"Why, of course, dear." Mrs. Godfrey answered. Theo had already half turned to face his work and went right back to it when she finished her sentence.

"Your sister isn't here today?"

"She's never in here while I work." Theo tried to speak clearly and not mumble.

"I mean she isn't in the building. I thought she had been visiting you as of late. I was actually hoping to pop in to say hello to her today. Is she on her way?"

"She's with my cousin."

"Peter?"

"Yes."

"The one you don't like?"

Theo wasn't sure how she knew that. He couldn't remember if he had said it out loud.

"I like him."

"Really?"

"I like him. He lets me hangout with Casper. And he's Lili's cousin. He can…" Theo didn't know why but his throat felt funny. A heavy feeling on his head made him feel uncomfortable. "He's nice to Lili."

"He's your cousin too, is he not?"

She had put her words together in a strange way. Theo had to ask, "Pardon?"

"Peter is you cousin too. Is that right?"

"Yes." Of course, since he's Lili's cousin. He wanted to say 'duh' but it would be rude so he didn't.

"Do you know where they went?"

"No."

"You didn't ask?"

Something in his stomach was tight as he responded. "She didn't say." He swallowed, as he repeated Mom's words. "Everyone's allowed to have a life." Another phrase that had been confusing to him once.

"I daresay you're right there, Theodore."

Theo remained quiet, thumbing through the journals and tapping them into the updated system he had convinced Mr. Stewart to adopt.

"Has my son been inappropriate since that incident in the woods?"

"No." Theo had a fleeting thought about whether Lili would mind that he had mentioned that to Mrs. Godfrey. He hadn't meant to, but before he could consider Lili's feelings further Mrs. Godfrey had asked her next question.

"She tells you what happens in school?"

"No."

"Then how do you know?"

"She's my sister. She would tell me."

"You tell each other everything?"

Theo was about to reply, but his caught himself. "Yes."

It wasn't completely true. He was more worried about his little sister than he was letting on. This time Mom wasn't around to help.

Peter and Aunt Lynda were nice, but Theo didn't know what to share with them. Lili always said everything should stay in the family.

Mom. Lili. Theo. Family.

Peter and Lynda were family, but Lili said that they weren't really. But then Lili would spend so much time with them. She let Lynda help with cooking. She let them watch the movies they wanted to watch. She let herself fall asleep on Peter's shoulder. She let Peter hug her. She let Lynda kiss her cheek.

Theo felt his breathing was different. He opened and closed his eyes slowly, trying to control his breath like Mom told him.

'You're my brother.' Lili had said.

Since everything in the woods she had wanted him to help her, he could tell. She had been trying to be around him as much as possible. She had only calmed down because of him. She'd called for him.

He was still her brother.

Her family.

He could still protect her.

"Are you quite all right, dear?" Mrs. Godfrey questioned, she was standing close again.

As he took a deep inhale through his nose Theo thought of another thing that he might consider disagreeable about the woman in white, besides her rapid querying.

His nostrils flared at the slight tinge in the room as he breathed in harshly.

There it was again.

That faintly distracting smell that seemed to subtly cling to the air around her and her son.

"A what?" Roman's jaw clicked, as he questioned Letha yet again about her insane story.

He heard his cousin sigh over the phone. "An angel, Roman. I've told you before. Pretty much everyday since…"

"You were impregnated by some perverted angel?"

"It… it wasn't exactly like that…"

"I thought you didn't remember." His voice grew more interrogative.

"I don't but… I can just tell… you know?"

"No. I don't know." He growled in frustration, throwing an empty beer bottle across his ornately decorated room. The smash punctuated his irritation. Running his hand back through his blonde hair, he paced the tiled floor. "I'm trying to understand. I mean your dad's a psychologist for Christsake! Isn't this kind of story some sort of post-traumatic response thing?"

"Post-traumatic response thing?" He could practically see her rolling her eyes. "Getting a little high on Googling the psyho-babble, huh?"

His blue gaze darted to the open laptop on his desk. "No." Roman grumbled slamming the device closed. "But either way couldn't that be the case? And honestly, if your dad isn't looking into this then what the hell kind of shrink is he? I have serious reservations about Shelley continuing to see him if this is the ineffectual…"

He was cut off by the sound of Letha's chime like laughter.

"Sorry." She hiccupped, "You should hear yourself… 'serious reservations'… 'ineffectual'… you sound like your mother."

Roman gritted his teeth. "Now you're just trying to piss me off."

"Sorry." Letha seemed to catch her breath.

"No, no. I'm so happy to amuse you at a time like this. Feel free to laugh up your denial." He annoyingly found his tongue slurring even though he'd only had four… maybe five beers.

"My denial?" She still had the sound of a laugh in her voice, but he could detect the beginnings of some worry. "What about yours?"

"Mine?" Though she wasn't in the room, Roman looked away to distract himself. His room… his entire home actually, had always felt like something out of an old gothic novel, with it's creaking floorboards, loft attic bedrooms, random assortment of antiques, 1800 century rugs, and stained glass windows. It both clashed and fit with him. He loathed it but could not imagine growing up anywhere else.

"Yes, yours." Letha sighed again, in the background he could hear the sound of shifting material. She was probably getting into bed. His throat itched.

He needed another fucking drink.

That scent was edging it's way back into his nose. He resisted the urge to lift the tips of his right hand's fingers to his mouth... to trace the same path he had painted in the stairwell with her soft, sweet...

Roman gave his head a violent shake.

He wasn't the one in fucking denial. No way. Everyone else was crazy about it though. Peter Rumanek was trying to pretend that Roman hadn't seen him turn and that they didn't have a duty to fight the evils in this town. Letha had deluded herself into thinking what happened to her was something acceptable. And Uncle Norman and his mother...

His mother on her own was a whole stack of denial that Roman didn't even wanna go near.

So what if Peter and Letha stared at each other longer than he'd like? So what if he couldn't drink a certain fucking smell away? So what if Shelley was getting older and seemed less willing to believe what he told her? It didn't matter. It wasn't like he was hiding from something.

"What about me, dear cousin?" He teased back through clenched teeth, determined to push forward as he made his way down the moonlit stairs to the empty kitchen for another beer.

"You know…" Letha hesitated, "the woods… on the night of the dance."

"That crazy guy? We already talked about him. He's getting help from you dad at the White Tower…" Roman frowned, adding under his breath "… for what it's worth."

"Hey! My dad's an awesome doctor."

"Whatever you say." Roman shrugged opening the fridge.

"And you know that's not what I meant."

The tall Godfrey squinted against the bright light from the fridge filling the dark kitchen. "Then what do you mean, Letha?" He asked impatiently, moving aside the pile of steaks defrosting for Shelley's breakfast to reach the beers hidden at the back.

"Obviously I mean Lili."

Roman shrugged again, slamming the cap of the bottle on the edge of the marble countertop to pop it off, the cap made tinkling noise as it hit the floor. "How should that be obvious?"

"You avoid the topic every time I bring it up. You've asked me to repeat the story about my angel how many separate times, Roman? And then each time I try to get you to admit what actually happened on the night of the dance you…"

"Because it's not important." Roman did all he could not hiss out, as he made his way back upstairs.

"How is it not?"

"I have list of things that I consider most important to me, Letha." He explained, annoyed at having to discuss this with her. He stopped at Shelley's door which was slight ajar, he could see the glow from her night light was casting shadows around the room. She was likely asleep judging by the dull snoring that could be heard from behind the door, she tended to tucker herself out quickly throughout the day. "It's a very short one." Roman pushed the door open. She was asleep on her large bed at the far side of the room. A pang in his chest made him wish that she was awake for a moment. Stepping inside, he was careful to avoid the floorboards that he knew creaked as he approached his baby sister's bedside.

"Pretty exclusive list is it?" Letha lightly mocked on the other end of the line.

"Yes. And there's certainly no room for the likes of Lili Rumanek on it. She's not worth it. She's not like Shelley. She's not like you. She's not important. She's…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Letha yawned as she spoke now. "I get it. I get it." Her voice was drowsy as she carried on. "Can I ask you something then?"

"Go ahead, ask." Roman stated softly, gently pulling up the sheet that fallen off his sister when she had moved in her sleep. He brushed a knuckle over her soft cheek, creating the beautiful shimmer that came from the contact on Shelley's skin. The distant howl of a wolf through her open bedroom window made him drift towards the intricately patterned glass panes that looked out over the treetops of the town that was bathed in silver moonlight.

His sluggish arm lifted his beer bottle to his lips while his lazy gaze carried on roaming over the woods of Hemlock Grove. They looked peaceful but he knew better.

"If it's not important…"

"It's not." He asserted.

"If it's not." Letha repeated firmly, pausing briefly before speaking again. "Then why did you lie?"

There you go! A little bit of everyone! Thanks so much for checking this out :) Hope you liked it!

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