Chapter Text
‘Grays’: a person who has died and been brought back to life and manifested powers afterwards. Many are religious leaders due to claiming to see visions of angels and a solitary god leading to some being called ‘prophet grays’. The origin of the word was that the first people had been dead long enough for their brain or ‘gray matter’ to have been taken out in autopsy before they ‘rose again’.
Daisy rereads that one paragraph over and over again just staring at the screen in mute shock and horror, logging off the computer the small ten year old stumbled into the bathroom, his bloodied attire not drawing attention due to it being halloween in the city. He washes his hands and locks himself in the first open stall. He thinks of what happened like four hours prior.
He remembers dying. He remembers before that his bus had gotten into an accident on the way to school with the whole world going upside down and for a second he couldn't remember anything. After that and between dying he remembers being taken off the bus and loaded into a van with his adopted twin, who had been crying and had a big cut on her face going over her eye and across her forehead and cheek. She also had lots of small cuts everywhere, probably just like him if the stinging sensation everywhere was to go by but he almost couldn't feel it as he was just so scared and numb.
Fear wasn’t something that was new to Daisy but never like this, new people usually didn’t make him scared but these people did. They explained that they were going to hold all the kids until their parents paid a ransom which Daisy hadn't seen in anything but movies but no one ever got the money and everyone was free at the end so he thought that his parents were going to come for him and Himawari, his adopted twin sister even if they didn’t like him very much.
But that time never came. Kids were led out of the room either to the right or the left. He didn’t like it when the kids were led to the left even if there were less of them, because they were always followed by loud bangs that hurt his ears as soon as they were out of sight. There were twenty or so kids and about five of them had been lead left when they came over to where Daisy and Himawari had been sitting and laughed as they yanked up the ‘twins’ leading Hima over to the right and as Daisy turned to follow since all siblings had gone in the same direction before now, he got yanked back by the laughing bad man,
“Not you red, yer mama and papa didn’ much care for you as they specifically only paid for your sister’s ransom.” as he hauls Daisy to the left he tried to reach his sister as she tried to reach him but they both were too weak to get out of the guards grasps. As he is hauled around the corner he feels a cold thing touch the back of his head and hears the loudest bang he’s ever heard before everything cuts off entirely, the world is suddenly white and he understands that he is dead and all that entails.
He looks down at his body and everything is healed, his skin is flawless and clean unlike moments before and his hair is no longer red but bright pink and blue streaked as it falls into his eyes, his body felt like his own unlike it had on bad days during his short life. He sees a beautiful woman with fiery light red hair buzzed on the sides and a crow on her shoulder, with her is a man with large deer antlers and curly moss green hair and a winged snake. They are seated at a table with many extra chairs that stretch far into the distance, but they gesture for him to come to them, to sit with them. He wanders nearer, feeling no fear they almost seem familiar to him, in an odd sort of way, and he sat on a small plain chair in between them. A soft sigh escapes him as he sinks down into the softness of the chair. He had never felt something this soft. A chuckle escapes the two adults, and he looks up at a few more chuckles from unfamiliar sources, he sees more of the chairs are filled, many more. Like twenty people were there and he was starting to feel a little nervous as some of their eyes seemed hungry, like they hadn’t eaten in days. But just as he was starting to shrink back the first lady put a hand on his shoulder and he felt at ease, “young one we intend to bless you. I am The Morrigan, my friend over there is Cernunnos and the others will introduce themselves as they bless you, so be still.” she glowed and he felt something dark and deep wash over him, like the wings of a crow, the man grabbed his shoulder and he felt something wild run through him like a bear through a forest, and it continued, loki: a sense of fire and mischief, persephone: bright and tasty like a honeysuckle, hecate: something golden and gilded like a throne of magic, some unnamed people who said these were gifts meant to be handed out: fire and illusion, a taste of ashe and bone, the feeling of water lapping at his ankles, the taste of sand, the smell of gunpowder, the smell of horses and darkness, and finally the sound of bees swarming.and he blacks out
As he awakens he feels sticky and nasty and a metallic taste enters his mouth. He hauls himself up and looks around. He immediately vomits at the sight of his dead schoolmates that he was laying on. He quickly climbed off and saw a door slightly ajar in the blood soaked room.
He quickly rushed out and was greeted by an empty warehouse. No one was there and he was alone with the dead bodies so he left. A word enters his mind and if he focuses on it it sounds like The Morrigan was saying ‘gray person’ which he wasn’t sure what it meant so he went to the library which is how he got to now.
Sitting in a public library bathroom covered in blood and the taste of blood in his mouth. He was now calm. Calm as one could be in this situation, at least. He was dead now he’s not and he’s got powers now apparently??? He took a deep breath and left the bathroom, walking up to the librarian. He took one look at her and burst into tears. She quickly rushed around the desk and asked what was the matter as she tried to calm him down, and froze as he said he’d died and come back. She had quickly called the police and they had come to collect him as she bundled him in a blanket she said was from the lost and found. He had calmed down at least he had stopped crying to give her the story, and she spoke for him as the cops arrived with him not making eye contact, as he filled in gaps in the story when they asked.
His small hands gripped the blanket as they led him to the cop car and he waved goodbye at the nice librarian, but she was still talking to one of the officers when he did so she didn’t see it. They took him to a hospital where they said they would get his ouchies looked at but he said they were just little cuts and a bruise or two and the big wound was the gunshot to the head that had already been healed. He felt sick thinking about the death and the officers looked sick when he had said it so he just stayed quiet the rest of the ride.
When they asked his name he said Daisy Fields because he was sick of living the lie that was his given name he had never liked it and thought the name ashley could burn in hell but he loved his sister who had suggested the name Daisy after they had been making flower crowns in the garden behind the house, she said that they could both be flowers her a sunflower and him a daisy. And that it was perfect because their last name was Fields.
They look confused, “didn’t the Fields have two girls-” “i’m a boy!! I get called a girl all the time but I feel like a boy.” “oh ok so you want your name to be daisy not- um… ashley? I think that was the other girl's name. Most people only pay attention to Himawari because she was adopted…” Daisy brightened, nodding yes because they were right. “Mother and father don’t really like me for some reason and they've gotten meaner since I told them I'm a boy. But I looooove my sister!! I have to make sure she's safe!!!” he worries his lip as he’s reminded of his sister but he stays put as the officer holds out his hand. “We have to find out who did this to you first, little bud. Now lets start with the beginning did you see any of their faces?”
As they questioned him it became increasingly clear that he had not remembered anything important except for the small exchange about how they hadn’t paid for his ransom, just his sister’s. They talked about that for a while and how his parents treated him, how they treated his sister and finally asking if he would be happy in a different home.
Daisy thought about it, would he be happy in a new home? The answer came to him with the door on his hospital room flying open, he would only be happy in a home with his twin, no matter how they treated him. And he told the officers that as Himawari tried to climb on his bed.
“Daisy! Are you alright? I saw you walk past my room on the way in and I was so happy since they said you had been killed!! I didn’t really know what that meant but i knew it was bad, since they said you were never coming back- how did you get away, how are you mostly healed when they said my eye would never heal, and that it would take a looong time and leave a Huuuuge scar, which will be wicked don’t ya think, Dais?” she paused realizing that her brother hadn’t said anything, waiting for a response.
Daisy giggled, making grabby hands at his sister, he settled as she wobbly crawled over to him, planting herself surely by his side as he finally responded. “Weeell, the scar will look really cool, but it must hurt a lot so that sucks, and where’s mother and father? They're not supposed to leave you alone? I don’t know how I'm healed and I wish I could pass it on to you because you are hurt worse than me…” the little girl went to poke him on the nose but her aim was off and she accidentally poked his cheek near his nose, but only huffing as she withdrew her finger. “You matter to twinsy i love you and i was really really scared that you were never coming back.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next few days were hectic as it came out that despite being revived by some unknown force he only had some sort of minor healing as a power, and he never preached the words that ‘the God’ gave him, he was even brushed off when he said that it wasn’t a singular god that talked to him, saying that he probably encountered angels as well and mistook them for gods, but he remained firm in his belief and he did his research this time, researched the names he was given, looking up ways to worship them since he didn’t want to preach at anyone, he set up a small altar that wouldn’t be noticed by any of the maids, cluttered with pretty rocks he found or flowers that seemed to take longer and longer to wilt the more he worshiped, he tried cleansing moon water but the maids kept moving the glasses every time he tried, and he didn’t want to be noticed practicing what everyone called witchcraft.
He felt stronger the more he worshiped, eventually being able to heal a near fatal injury on a small rabbit on their large estate, though it left him near comatose in the grass, which grew to shield him weaving a tight waterproof knit over top of him when no one came looking for him as it began to rain. When he awoke a few hours later the grass let him go, he also saw a variety of moss roses had grown under him as he had slept making for a soft bed, softer even than the one inside the home. His clothes were covered in dirt, as he treks into the house just as his sister was getting out of her ballet lessons.
Daisy ran over to her but the ballet instructor had screeched and pushed him away as he had gotten close, making sure to not touch him more than necessary to make sure he couldn’t get to Himawari, which confused him. “You damned grays, you may have corrupted the church but you will never get me. You are vile creatures damned to walk the earth a second time to pay for your sins, disgraced by God and all that is Holy, BEGONE FOUL BEAST, BEGONE!!!!” When she started shouting, Daisy booked it.
He hightailed it out of the room so fast you would think he had some sort of super speed. He’s not sure his feet hit the ground, he knows that he thought he saw a golden light around his feet but it’s already faded by the time he gets into his room.
He tried running around to activate it again but he couldn’t, he tried to remember how the other grays pull forward their powers but he was coming up blank, then he had a thought, if these powers were a gift from the gods, maybe he has to pray to activate them! He sat down on the floor and started praying to his gods. The small boy opened his eyes a few moments later and he was shocked to find he was floating on a golden disk.
He quickly stood up and leaned forward a bit and the disk moved forward like a hoverboard, he took a step forward and as he did another smaller disk swirled into existence, right underneath his foot, he shrugged and took off sprinting around the room hopping from one disk to the next.
He slowed down as his door opened, making sure not to make any noise as he was up by the ceiling and they were already mad he has some powers instead of Hima, which was fair he wasn’t the best at anything and only made messes, Hima was super smart, super pretty and great at everything she put her mind to. His mind was put at ease when only himawari stepped into the room looking around confused because she couldn't see him. He hovered down in front of her and she yelped in surprise.
Giggling, Daisy jumped off the golden disk letting it fade entirely, and stood straight infront of Himawari, suddenly a little nervous. But that feeling dissipated when she jumped on him, whisper-yelling at him “you could be a hero with such a cool power!!!! Like Major Variegate. can i be your partner?! I want to be a hero too!” Daisy hadn’t thought of that and he started bouncing, quietly squealing as he thought about it, they could be heroes, like Major Variegate the super hero in their morning cartoons!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few weeks later they ‘suited up’ they got on their preselected costumes, which were shades of soft pink and white for himawari, who named herself pixie dust, and for Daisy, shades of a neutral brown and some greens, himawari had named him puck, after an old fairy story their mother had told them long ago.
They decided that they would sneak out at night when all the baddies are asleep, so they could have a peaceful first patrol. They slipped on their paper masks, cut out earlier that day so at to not arouse suspision, they snuck out of their window and to the edge of the estate before taking off on Daisy’s golden disk. Himawari whooped as they flew at breakneck speeds only held on due to the intent of Daisy not to fall off, but they had fun anyway.
Coming to the edge of the city they slowed down, daisy checking nearly every alley, with Himawari getting bored with that quickly “come oooonnn D- I mean Puck, lets gooo!! We need to find some action!!”
Daisy huffed but relented, adjusting his mask but soaring forward on the disk. They both hear a scream about ten minutes later, and they rush towards it. When they get there they see two kids about their age one is maybe a year older but their both grimy and look like the homeless people they sometimes see but they can’t be homeless because they’re kids like Daisy and Himawari.
Anyway they were being cornered in an alley by a man yelling nonsense and stumbling while waving a gun around with the older looking one standing protectively in front of the smaller one, Daisy immediately clocks the gun his heart rate ticking up and his muscles locking up as they get closer the light of the disk dimming till it blends in with the city lights, not seeming to add more light to the alley than there already was. Daisy was frozen as the kids saw them, with hope in their eyes they cower as Himawari jumps off the disk startling the man and he swung the gun around to point at Hima, which had Daisy snarling. He was moving right as the gun went off but he was to late since Himawari was infront of him the bullet ripped through fabric and skin, she didn’t have the chance to scream from the pain as she went down the bullet grazing his arm, a pain erupting there as he dropped beside her.
Daisy screamed looking down at his sister and she choked on her own blood he grabbed her sholder willing her to heal, but his powers failed him as he felt and saw the light leave her eyes, and felt a piece of power, the smell of gun powder, leave him. As he turned to the gunman two more shots rang out he saw the two kids go down, a growl ripped from his throat as the feeling of water at his ankles came and went, as well as the smell of horses and darkness. He spotted a vine climbing up the side of the building and remembering how the grass shielded him willed the vines to rip this man apart, rip him limb from limb as he had hurt him and his sister make him feel the pain of losing his entire world just like he had just lost his. And the vines listened they grew longer and thicker and wrapped arond the man and pulled .
Feeling empty at the spray of blood he sits down next to his sister’s body and cries. He was wallowing in sadness when he heard the groans he heard looking up his sister’s chest wound was stitching itself back together- and the two kids were getting up aswell. He jumped up as his sister came to and he tackled he back down where she yelped. They both looked up when they heard someone cleared their throat. The older looking kid who they see is a tall boy with longish black hair and the younger who has hair covering both their eyes (might be a girl but has shortish hair.) are standing there kinda looking awkward.
The boy shifted on his feet and cleared his throat again “hi, um i’m Zee, and this is my sister Pippa … um what are your names? And why are you wearing paper masks” the ‘twins’ look at eachother deciding to forgo any qualms about these kids they give their real names “i’m Daisy fields, this is my sister Himawari, and we were trying to be heroes…” Zee stares at them for a second before he huffs, “with no street experience? Or any sort of training? You're just asking to be killed. I’m guessing Red over here already had some sort of power before this because you had that glowy looking disk thing, and also no one would be stupid enough to think they could take on a grown up with a gun without powers.”
“Well to be fair we didn’t think he had Other powers, and we thought all the bad guys would be asleep due to it being past bed time…” the boy looked at them like they were stupid, “bad guys usually only come out at night dumb asses” both of the ‘twins’ blushed at that “well we didn’t know alright?” Zee nods noticing that all of their wounds are gone whispering wicked while smiling and looking down at his hands.
The children part ways as they leave the alley promises of training in street smarts being traded for martial arts, parkour, and ballet lessons whenever they can sneak away, and the promise that they will all become heroes together! But a heavy feeling rests in Daisy’s heart how much more death will be seen before the peace . As they arrive home they change shower and fall asleep leaving all plotting for tomorrow