Little Lies and Secrets

Ring Around The Rosey

         Emmy groaned as she shifted, something digging against the skin of her wrists. Consciousness slowly returned and when it finally did a shot of adrenaline surged through her veins. Emmy looked around in slowly building panic. Dean, Sam, and Pippin were all bound in what she assumed to be the same way she was, to chairs positioned in a semi-circle. Castiel was dangling from chains with iron cuffs, carved with Enochian sigils to keep him in place and powerless, encircling his wrists. All four were awake and aware so that was some relief. Emmy felt so confused on how they ended up here. She couldn't remember much from last night.

        The bar-restaurant's jukebox blared some AC/DC as people conversed and laughed, enjoying their meal. Pippin was hunched over at the bar counter, nursing a bottle of whiskey while Emmy slowly rubbed her back in a comfortable circular motion. The repetitive motions seemed to be calming the hunter down significantly as they waited for their killer to show. This bar-restaurant mix seemed to be the epicenter of the activity, a place where the woman disappeared. So Pippin, against her will, was acting as bait. They already figured out it was a witch they were hunting so they had come prepared. Emmy could tell how shook up Pippin still was from the entire morgue incident. They didn't press her any further after her outburst because it was clear that she wasn't ready to talk about what had happened and why she had reacted so strongly to the symbol. Emmy sighed quietly as she brushed her blonde bangs to the side out of her eyes. To be completely honest she was actually scared. Anything that scared her closest friend like that frightened her. How powerful was this witch that it put the fear of God in Pippin? Pip herself was still shaking minutely from earlier before she stood up suddenly.
       
        "Emberlyn I need some air." She said suddenly, trying hard to conceal the small shake to her voice. Emmy nodded as she stood up along side her. They entered the alleyway that the employees used to smoke and relax briefly during their break. Pippin leaned against the brick wall, taking deep breathes in a desperate attempt to calm her facing heart down. A young woman about Pippin's age came out the door as well. She had half dyed hair, one half platinum-blonde while the other side was a pastel, cotton candy pink that was pulled into an elegant five strand braid. She was dressed for the party scene with black, ripped skinny jeans, a pastel pink crop top under the black leather crop jacket. Her hands and feet were adorned with black fingerless gloves and black high heels. She smiled sweetly at Emmy and Pippin as the two firmly ignored her as best as possible, both of the woman on guard and cautious.
       
        "Any of you girls got a smoke?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice that put Pippin on edge immediately. Pippin tried to reign in her temper before answering.
       
        "We don't smoke." She answered coldly and the other woman looked hurt.
       
        "No need to be so cold." She responded and Pippin snarled at her as her patience ran dangerously thin.
       
        "We're strangers kid so leave me alone." The strawberry-blonde grind out from behind clenched teeth. The laugh was chilling and sent a foreboding shiver down both hunters' spines.
       
        "Oh but Pippin!" She grinned while Pippin's eyes widened in fear. "We aren't strangers at all!"
        

        "I'm sure you're all wondering why I haven't killed you yet." The same sickly sweet voice cut through the silence and Emmy jolted forward at the sudden appearance of the woman from the alleyway. Emmy's head swiveled to Pippin next to her and her eyes locked onto her, watching the hunter start to tremble as all the color in her face drained. The woman stepped out from the shadows and smiled at them all, lingering longest on Castiel and Dean. Emmy felt herself bristle slightly when she noticed it but forced herself to stay calm and collected. Her electric blue eyes pierced through each hunter and the Angel as she leveled a glare at them. They all glared right back before the woman tsked as she spun on her heel to look at Pippin with a knowing smirk.
        
        "Pippin it's been so long I nearly forgot my sister was still hunting you." She said in a falsely sweet voice and Pippin connected the dots before any of the others did. Not only did she flinch and grimace but she had also adopted a terrified expression.
        
        "Vela." She spat out in anger and disgust, trying to hide how scared she actually was, causing the witch to chuckle.

        "So nice of you to remember me." Vela said with the preppy voice filled with anger and venom. Pippin shook her head firmly as Emmy picked up what was going on and spoke for her close friend as she tried to dig her obsidian knife out of her back pocket. Clearly Vela didn't check Emmy's back pocket like the stupid bitch should have.
       
        "Rigel forced my hand. "Pippin stated in a dead tone of voice, trying to stall but also insulted by what the older witch was insinuating. Vela laughed coldly before she bent down and straightened out Sam's shirt as he tried to wiggle away from her manicured hands.
        
        "Get your hands off Sam!" Dean butted in, practically thrashing in his chair against the ropes holding him down. Vela, however, just ignored his angry outburst and continued on.
        
        "We were the best of friends Pippin. You, me, Rigel, Sirius, and Nora." She started and all the boys froze in shock as their eyes turned to stare at Pip, who firmly ignored them. Even Emmy tried to catch Pip's eyes but she wouldn't look at her either. She was starting to shake again, her stomach churning uncomfortably as her chest ached at the distant memories that arose at the painfully familiar names. 
        
        "You ran instead of killing us like a real hunter would have." Vela recounted as she approached Dean seductively before running a hand down his face tenderly. He turned his head away with a snarl.
        
        "Don't fudging touch me!" He growled, causing Vela to giggle excitedly before she continued on, walking around the pillar before stopping in front of Castiel.
        
        "I was going to persuade Rigel to leave you be you know. That Nora had actually asked you to kill her so she wouldn't accidentally hurt us or anyone else ." She stated simply before trailing her hand down Cas' chest while she continued, reminiscing about the past. "Then I found my baby sister with one of these," Vela pulled out Pip's Angelblade from her belt. "embedded in her chest, blood everywhere and the light gone from her eyes." She recounted as her hand curled into a shaking fist as she clutched onto Castiel's dress shirt. Pippin's eyes widened at the sight of her Angelblade so close to Castiel and she immediately started struggling, angling and tugging at rope binding her wrists the the chair. Vela pressed the tip of the blade into him as she slowly and agonizingly drew a bloody line down his chest with pinpoint precision. Cas grunted in pain as he struggled against his bonds uselessly. Vela pulled the blade away and grinned sadistically at the Angel as he panted slightly. 
        
        "I like this one." She muttered with a twisted smirk and all four hunters watched as Vela winked at Castiel, who glared her down with disgust.
        
        "You'll warm up to me eventually sweetie." She responded casually to his unspoken threat before she leaned forward to whisper something in his ear. Castiel tried to keep quiet but the agonized yell burst from his throat as Vela pulled away from his shaking and convulsing body.
        
        "Cas! Get away from him you crazy bitch!" Dean yelled furiously as blood started to dribble down Cas' lips. Vela laughed coldly before she turned around and bent down in front of Sam once more.
        
        "Hmm...you're cute but not like the little Angel back there." She said thoughtfully before snapping her fingers.
        
        "Oh I know!" She grinned sadistically but before she could move to hurt him Pippin screamed as she jolted forward, the chair scooting across the cold concrete floor a few inches.
        
        "You have me tied to a chair and helpless! Just kill me already" She sobbed, trying to save Sam any pain Vela would have inflicted upon him. Dean would never forgive her if Sammy got hurt when she could stop it. The desired effect was lost as Vela formed a claw like shape with her hand and suddenly struck out; nails piercing skin as they were dragged across Sam's throat. Sam cried out in a mixture of surprise and pain as pinpricks of blood bloomed along the red marks and he kicked out violently at Vela. She gracefully dodged it before just giggling at him before standing up and facing Pippin and Emmy, both woman panting with the effort to get out of the ropes binding them back and keeping them from killing the witch, and walked over to Pippin menacingly.
        
        "You took everything I loved from me." She started before bending down in front of the older hunter, her face a mixture of hurt and anger.
        
        "I'm simply going to repay the favor." She sighed heavily, not able to hide the sick satisfaction that appeared on her face and Pippin snarled at her desperately. The panic seizing her heart in its grasp and squeezing it until she felt like she couldn't breath. Vela grabbed her jaw, pulling her head roughly to one side and pressed the blade against her cheek, the cold metal causing Pippin's heart to skip a few beats.
       
        "But first I want you to have a permanent reminder of who took everything from you." She whispered to Pippin before she pressed down hard and began carving a delicate design into her left cheek. Pippin's head was turned so the others could see the rest of her face while Vela worked meticulously on making it as slow and painful for the strawberry-blonde as possible. Pippin gasped loudly at the sharp stinging stabbing through her as her own blade bite through her flesh. Emmy, Dean, and Sam could merely watch in horror as their friend struggled against the hand that pinned her head to one side, the bright light that shone from the wound briefly lit up the witches face as she laughed. 
        
        "Pip!" Emmy yelled, nearly in tears as Pippin started crying out from the pain that was being inflicted upon her. The Angelblade didn't just bite into her skin but into her grace as well. 
        
        "You're trying too hard to be Vela-nous." Emmy burst out, trying to turn the attention to herself instead. Vela just looked at her darkly, the shadows playing across the enochian witch's face.
        
        "You're next." She growled before her grip on Pippin's jaw tightened to the point where nails drew blood. She raised the dagger and cut into her arm, just enough to make her bleed but not enough to cause any permanent damage. Pippin bit back a pained yell before Vela placed her hand over the cut, gripping it so tightly it burned with a horrible vengeance. Vela began whispering an incantation and Pippin screamed suddenly as she arched her back in agony.
        
        "Pippin!" Emmy screamed in fear before she finally remember her blade and angled it just right to slice through the rest of the rope. She jumped up just as Vela let Pippin go, letting the hunter collapse back against the chair weakly, whimpering quietly. Emmy jumped forward, grabbing Vela's wrist and slicing into her with the knife. The witch screamed out before growling savagely and slashing at Em with her nails, raking them across her cheek before spitting another incantation at Emmy. The youngest hunter yelped, letting go of the witch and with a twirl and twist Vela vanished. Dean couldn't have cared less about Pip or Vela in that moment though. His focus was on Em as she quickly cut everyone's ropes off and pick-locked the hand cuffs on Cas open. Dean barely caught the damaged Angel before he could hit the ground, Castiel swaying unsteadily. 
        
        "Pippin. No no no! Pippin please talk to me!" Emmy panicked as the shock wore off and the messed up hunter managed to shift her head to look at her dearest friend but merely stayed silent; besides it took too much effort to talk. Pippin closed her eyes in exhaustion, the last thing she heard was Sam's fearful voice telling her to stay awake. The bliss of unfeeling darkness overpowering her senses before she passed out. 

       
        "Sam help me get her to her feet." Emmy instructed as she threw Pip's limp arm around her shoulder,her blunt nails digging into Pippin's wrist slightly as Sam took her other arm. Pippin's head lolled to her chest as they carried her dead weight between them. Together they hauled their unconscious friend to her feet and Emmy looked up, blowing her bangs out of her face, while Dean practically dragged Castiel out of the warehouse they had been in.
        
        "Let's get the hell out of here." Dean growled as he helped Castiel stumble to the Impala outside. Emmy sighed, not liking where this was leading before Sam and her followed close behind. Sam stopped supporting Pippin long enough to open the Stingray's door and Em deposited Pippin in the passenger seat, her head lolling to rest against the window as she groaned pitifully.
        
        “Thanks Sam. I’ll meet you guys back at the motel.” She said tiredly as she opened the other door and slipped inside the car, as Sam nodded.
        
        “Be careful Emmy.” He told her in genuine worry before he left to help Dean. Em started up the car as Pippin groaned again. She waited quietly, taking the long way to the motel so Pippin could come to before they dealt with what to do next. Her eyes darted over to her friend briefly before returning to the road, her stomach twisting into knots and butterflies swarming what little empty space there was left.
        
        “Why didn’t you tell us Pip?” Emmy huffed quietly to herself before her eyes darted down to her forearm, a strange spiraling mark dimly flashed at her from behind the folds of her flannel shirt sleeve. She felt like she was being watched but just brushed off the slight paranoia as the result of watching her friends harmed.