Choke Hold (Aislinge and Everlee)

[Everlee Harlow]

✧ Choke Hold ✧

Sleepless nights had begun to plague her, she would wake up gasping for air from the nightmare she couldn’t seem to escape. She was desperate to try anything, she couldn’t seem to see what was latching on to her this time. No rhyme or reason for this attachment. She called in to work that day with almost no sleep. The bags under her eyes were making it clear. She needed to seek advice out of her normal circle. Ace had once told her about a psychic in a town over. It was worth a shot. Maybe she could get some answers outside of herself.

Dragging herself out of bed, throwing on the closest outfit she could and making her way out to her mothers car. The last link she had to her, the link that she put all her money into to keep it going. As she climbed into the driver's seat of the car she let out a huff making her way towards the next town over. She drove in circles mainly not being able to focus as she drove. Around her third roundabout the block she manages to catch the sign to the psychic shop.

Climbing out of the car she felt the slap of magic against her face, there must have been a Mystic that actually ran the shop. As she drew closer towards the door there was another energy brewing, she didn’t take time to think on it though as she moved through the doorway. The ding of the shop door caused her to look up towards the metallic smelling bell. She gave a small smile to a black cat that was curled up in the window seal.

She made her way around the shop, but she didn’t see anyone. Picking up a few random crystals and reading over the titles of the books on one shelf she found herself lost in the mystic aura. It was comforting in a strange way, it felt like a wave of protection was placed over her. She felt free for a moment, that was rare for her. Tilting her head to one side letting her red hair fall to one side.

[Aislinge Ó Braonáin]

Choke Hold

w/ Everlee Harlow

The cool air kissed along her skin, causing Aislinge to pull her black cardigan a little tighter around her slim frame as it draped passed her hips. She lifted her head towards the bright sun which begged to be let out from behind the fluffy clouds above, strands of her dark hair brushing back against her temples which had escaped from her drawn up bun near the top of her head. She could feel autumn blanketing the earth and it couldn't come soon enough.  

Her gaze lowered to her heeled boots as she walked along the sidewalk, leaves from the trees running parallel against the street starting to tumble to the ground. It was finally a day she decided would be nice enough to venture for a walk out into the rest of the world in order to resupply. It wasn't always so easy being out in public. Especially given what she was.

She'd been gone from her sisters a while now. Eventually she had found enough courage to travel to see some of the other parts of the world and landed a place to live on her own. Though it wasn't exactly easy either. She didn't have a normal job and her art and magic crafting to sell online was what got her by. Just by, usually. Though, sometimes she did make a large sale when it came to her artwork, but inspiration wasn't always so easy to come by. 

So in she went to the nearest shop in town that had what she needed. Herbs, small crystals, candles and other bits were found in the psychic's place which went into the intention packages she sold. Thankfully there wasn't anyone else around since that usually had people keeping away from her. The instinct of fear and uncertainty seemed to be drawn in humans and other supernaturals' blood when it came to being around banshees. Not that she minded. It was better that way. Ash pushed aside the curtain of beading to rifle through some of the clearance items when the door to the store chimed. Her fingers glided over a velvet drawstring bag when a familiar aura drew her attention away. 

Aislinge's stormy grayish eyes peered through the colorful beads as she remained perfectly still in order to see who it was. Her head tilted slightly, but there was no mistaking. The young woman with the vibrant auburn hair was known to her. Moreso than she'd like to admit. The horror in her face had been imprinted on Ash's mind when she witnessed her mother die... and Ash had been the one to see that death before it happened.

The residual instant of death seemed to hit Aislinge again as she recalled the moment the scream let loose from her lungs when she'd experienced what the woman's mother felt then. There was nothing. No pain. It had been over in the blink of an eye. Still, that feeling lingered and was impossible to describe to anyone. A weight that lifted. One might assume the soul leaving to go on into that 'next'. Her mother had been one of the lucky ones.

Ash had very rarely gotten involved when it came to seeing someone's death. However, that one had been one of those instances. There was some type of energy that clung to the victim that day. Something Aislinge had never seen before in her long existence. She couldn't help but see it for herself. Not that she would interfere. She knew better than that, but to see if she could figure out what that dreadful black entity was that caused even someone like her, who was accustomed to death, to recoil.

It haunted her dreams still. She never did figure out what it was that followed that woman until her death. Aislinge wondered if her daughter, standing so near to her now, still felt its plauging presence hovering.   

[Everlee Harlow]

✧ Choke Hold ✧

Everlee was always shrouded in an atmosphere of death, horror, and dread. Ever since the curse of her biological mother's blood was activated, leading to the tragic demise of her adoptive mother, the weight of guilt had never left her shoulders. Whenever her thoughts wandered back to the haunting scene of the creature that had taken her mother's life, a tear would inevitably well in her eyes. It had been so long since she allowed herself to confront that harrowing memory.

A peculiar pressure seemed to fill the room, prompting Everlee to ponder whether it was the energy of the place that stirred memories of her mother. She diverted her gaze from the shelf adorned with books on Wicca and an assortment of colorful crystals, recognizing that her life was fated to remain unchanged. There was no point dwelling on the idea of an alternate reality. Despite the fog of haunting memories that enveloped her, she found herself drawn to the brightly colored bead curtains, with the neon sign above declaring Psychic. After blinking away the spots that obscured her vision due to the glaring neon lights, her gaze settled on the figure concealed behind the vibrant beads. Tilting her head in an attempt to discern the obscured features, she felt a faint sense of familiarity emanating in her mind.

In a small town like this, the constant risk of encountering familiar faces, spirits, and fears weighed heavily on Everlee. Despite feeling the icy grip of death, she remained steadfast, unwilling to turn away. With determined steps, she closed the distance to the curtain, her slender fingers sliding into the middle to pull it aside, and she spoke in a gentle voice, "Hello?"

After a brief moment of awkward silence, she cleared her throat and asked, "Are you the Psychic?" It was her first visit to the establishment, and she speculated that perhaps the person behind the beads recognized her energy from passing by.