#and believing i can leave it hanging in limbo forever is harmful to me and also disregards their agency

[fairybumpkin]

ooo love is kinda complicated ain't it. wasn't expecting it

[littleindigochildx]

Savvy and Zee: pt 2

Savanna arched a brow as the woman spoke. Who was this Lilith Zelda was speaking of, and why was her name so terrifying? “You are in Limbo... That’s where I live.” The seven year old tried to explain. “This is my house. I live here with my mommy and my big brother, Timmy. Sometimes my daddy stays here too when he an’ mommy are gettin’ along.” Victoria and Declan had a complicated relationship. It seemed Declan had his hopes set on getting back together once he was released from prison, but Vic knew it was no longer a possibility. They’d keep it civil for the children, but it was time for them to close this chapter of their lives. Working things out was no longer an option. That ship had sailed and no amount of sweet talking (coming mostly from DC) was going to change things.

Now that some of Zelda’s questions were answered, Savanna had some of her own to ask. “Who’s Lilith?” She looked up at the curly haired woman with her bright blue eyes. “Ya said...What in Lilith’s terrifyin’ name...Who is she an’ why is her name so terrifyin’?” The seven year old furrowed her brow. “Does she live where you do?” Savanna’s eyes widened. Until now she had completely overlooked the fact that magic was real. It had to be, otherwise Zelda would be stuck on the pages of her new notepad. She wouldn’t be standing in the child’s bedroom.

“Zelda...Where did ya come from? Where is yer home?” Savvy asked. She took notice of the woman’s features and how they softened. Zelda Spellman was a hard woman to read. Savanna still couldn’t figure out whether or not she was evil. She wanted to believe her new friend was a good person (or witch), but there was something about her that made Savvy cautious of her. Perhaps she could be dangerous, but Savanna didn’t think she was there to cause any physical harm to herself or the rest of the Deschaine family. “How long do ya think ya get’a stay here?” The little brunette quipped.

Savanna wasn’t aware of it at the time, but Zelda had been sent there with a purpose. She was there to save Limbo from something unexpected...Something the seven year old didn’t see coming yet. Zelda was their savior, but neither one of them knew it yet.

“If yer gonna hang out in Limbo for a while...We’re gonna need ta get ya some regular clothes.” Savvy loved Zelda’s clothing, but it definitely wouldn’t help her blend in in such a small town. Victoria probably had something that would fit the witch, but their taste in clothing was definitely different. “Want me ta find ya somethin’...Or can ya use magic?” She still didn’t know how all of this worked. She only had Harry Potter to reference, and she wasn’t sure how accurate those movies were to Zelda’s world.

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With all the excitement of Zelda’s arrival, Savanna completely overlooked the fact that she had school in the morning. Her day started at 3am, so by the time Victoria came in to officially wake her, the seven year old was exhausted. “Get dressed, butterfly. We can’t be late today.” Vic told her youngest before heading to Timothy’s bedroom to wake him. Zelda’s presence was still unknown to Victoria. Savanna thought it was best to wait until after school to introduce her new friend to her mother.

“I forgot I have’ta go ta school….” Savanna groaned. “Yer gonna have’ta stay here an’ wait for me. Ya can’t come cause school isn’t for grown ups... Not unless yer’a teacher.” The seven year old explained. She was less than thrilled about having to leave, especially when she was so exhausted, but she knew Victoria wouldn’t let her stay home. Not when they just got back from winter break.

“Unless…” The little one smirked as she brushed her messy hair from her eyes. “...I got’an idea!” The wheels were turning in her overactive mind. “...Do ya trust me?” Savanna asked with a mischievous expression. She was definitely cooking up something. “Ya might need’a use some magic though.” The little brunette warned. In order for her plan to work, Zelda would need to make it to Palm Valley Elementary and she would need to play along with the plan Savanna was about to share with her.

“Mommy won’t let me take the day off, but if you came ta school ta pick me up…” Savvy’s grin widened. “We can tell um yer my-- my aunt.” This is where Zelda’s magic would come into play. Savanna knew the school would try to contact Victoria to make sure the woman picking her daughter up was actually family. Zelda would need to intercept the call and forge a note in Vic’s handwriting so Savvy could get out of class. “I’m gonna need yer help for this, and we need’a make sure I’m back before the busses come. If I don’t come home with Timmy, my mommy is gonna be very worried.”

Savanna proceeded to tell Zelda her plan in further detail. The goal was to skip most of the school day so she could show Zelda around Limbo… Maybe even get to take a peek into the witch’s world… If that was even possible. As long as she was back on time, Savvy didn’t see how anything could possibly go wrong. It wasn’t like she’d miss much in terms of work. This week was more about reviewing older material and catching up on work than it was learning. Who cared if the seven year old missed a day? Savanna certainly didn’t.

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An hour later, the little brunette finished getting ready and was off to the bus stop to head to school. Zelda knew what she was supposed to do. Savanna hoped she’d follow through with it. She was stuck in a world she was unfamiliar with and the only person who knew who she was, was a 2nd grader. What other options did Zelda really have? Clearly she was there for a reason and getting home meant fulfilling whatever request Savanna was about to ask of her. They went over it a dozen times before the little girl left. Zelda was to pick her up for a dentist appointment at 9am. The forged note would do the trick since the handwriting was an exact match to Victoria’s, and the number provided would go directly to Zelda if the school had any questions.

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Savvy watched the clock. Each minute passed more slowly than the last. The seven year old was nervous… Not because she didn’t think this was going to work, but because she was worried they might not make it back in time for her to catch the bus home with Timothy. That wasn’t the only thing she had to worry about though.

While she was getting ready for school, Timothy wandered into her room and took the notepad she forgot to hide again. He needed paper for a school assignment and Savvy always had more than one notebook laying around. He didn’t see the harm in borrowing one. What he didn’t realize was the power it held. It looked like an ordinary notebook. The only thing that made it special was the fact that it had Savanna’s name on it. Timmy shoved it into his book bag without her knowledge, making a mental note to return it when he got home. He only needed a couple pieces and he knew she wouldn’t miss them.

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The classroom telephone rang at 9 o’clock on the dot. It was the front office asking the teacher to send Savanna down with her belongings. Whether she’d be back or not was unclear, so they didn’t want her to leave her things behind. “Good luck at the dentist, Savvy.” Her teacher said as she handed the child a hall pass and sent her on her way. This was actually going to work. The little girl thought to herself as she made her way down the hall. She could already see Zelda sitting in the lobby, ready to sign her out. “Aunt Zee!” Savanna grinned, playing along with the story they made up. She needed to make it believable. “I’m ready when you are.” She told the curly haired woman.

So there were no similarities other than their eye color, but Zelda’s performance was good enough that no one questioned her relationship to the Deschaine’s.

Once Savanna had been properly signed out, she and Zelda were free to go. They had to be careful wandering around town since Limbo was small and the odds of running into someone Savvy knew were high. “Maybe we should start with you showin’ me where you live.” The little girl said. She wasn’t even sure if that was feasible. If it was… Would Zelda be taking orders from a child? “Do ya know how ta get back home?” Savanna’s expression softened hoping Zee wouldn’t be stuck in Limbo forever. That was not her intention when she created the witch in her imagination. She didn’t know something like this would happen.

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While Zelda and Savanna were contemplating what to do with their day, Timmy was still in class. The students were assigned the task of coming up with their own creative story. The eight year old pulled Savvy’s notebook out of his book bag and opened it to a blank page. “A creative story…” He spoke softly to himself. Timothy inherited the creative gene from Victoria, just like Savanna, but coming up with stories didn’t come to him as naturally as they did for his little sister. “Maybe if I draw’a picture…” Sometimes it was easier to come up with a story when he had a visual, so Timmy began to draw.

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“What is that?” Savanna asked as her blue eyes widened. The sky ahead of them was getting dark and rain in Limbo was rare. “Zelda…Look.” She pointed out. The clouds were an ominous grey, like a storm was coming, but it wasn’t exactly a storm they were headed for. It was a creature from Timothy’s imagination. Everything he put down on paper was starting to come to life. He had no idea of the danger he was putting the town in. “Is that--” Savvy began. For the first time in a long time she was actually scared. She had seen this beast before but she couldn’t remember where. In her dreams? In a movie? ...That’s when it finally hit her. “--The mind flayer!” The seven year old gasped. “He’s real?” Savvy questioned in disbelief. How was all of this possible? The mind flayer was a fictional monster from a show she and Timothy had seen on Netflix. How did it end up in Limbo?

“We got’a stop it, Zee.” The little brunette told her. “We need’a stop it before anyone gets hurt.” Savanna didn’t know if Zelda had the strength or the power to fight such a creature, but they had to try. It wasn’t in her nature to back down from a fight. She was a Deschaine. Fighting back was in her blood.

“We’re not gonna be able ‘ta do this alone. I think we’re gonna need some help…” Savvy spoke again after a few minutes. She had an idea. “We need’a go back ‘ta my house. We need’a get my notebook.” She didn’t know it was with her brother, but her reasoning was simple. If the notebook she drew in brought Zelda back to life, surely it had to work again. Maybe she could draw up a creature powerful enough to defeat the mind flayer (Timmy’s version of it) before it destroyed the whole town. “We’re gonna need some’a yer magic.” The seven year old’s eyes met Zelda’s briefly. “Do ya know anyone who can help us?” As brave as she tried to be, she was worried. This wasn’t the world she was familiar with and she wasn’t going to be able to save Limbo without Zelda’s help.