Chapter Text
Prologue:
"Auntie!?” The elder Finch was jostled from her broken sleep. Her tiny eyes flicker around. The dim room, looking for who had called for her. It seemed later in the night, a few of the other unfortunate souls caul had managed to catch who stayed in human form were scattered about sleeping, all except miss Treecreeper who was fussing over something in the corner, and miss Glassbill who remained silent and stoic, just the way the wrights had brought her back. like a haunting reminder of their capabilities in destroying someone’s mind and soul.
For a moment, it sounded like her beloved niece had called for her like she used to when she was scared in the night as a young girl. She dearly wished that her niece was there, as selfish as that was. It pained her to no end to not know where her girl was, and with any luck, she did truly escape to somewhere the wrights couldn't get her.
Miss Cora Finch’s weary eyes scanned the room, but didn't see much of anything to note, except Alice moving around a bit. Miss Alice treecreeper had all but lost her voice from trying to yell for help a few nights ago combined with a nasty cold that caul did nothing for, and now she could barely talk at all. Cora Finch’s eyes fluttered shut again as she burrowed deeper into the coat Alice had given her to use as a place to rest.Now the little bit of warmth it provided was the only comforting thing inside the dark holding cell.
“Cora!” a hand suddenly brushed against her side. Miss Finch jolted, looking up and chipping to show she was listening. Apparently whoever was calling her was across the room, and it had been Miss Waxwing who brushed her side with her finger.
“Your niece! Eve!” Miss Waxwing pointed, running a frail hand over her face. “They caught her and just brought her in, and Alice seems to think she's injured,” she urged Miss Finch to look, lifting the bird up.
The tiny finch froze in the middle of the room, her heart sinking to unfathomable lows. Her Eve, her little baby was caught, and they even dared to lay a hand on her precious girl?
The tiny bird started to screech, waking most of the other women up from their light slumber.
“Get her a sheet! Or something for any of you!” Miss Waxwing demanded as the tiny bird flapped its wings. Someone from the darker side of the room tossed over a chemise with a warning to quiet down or the wrights would be back to check in, and they might just “silence” her.
Cora snagged the nightgown, and with Miss waxwings help, she had transformed and got it on in ten seconds flat, every second being counted by Miss Finch. It was a second she needed, a second passing by she couldn't get to her niece.
“Evie!?” Her voice came out strangled and inhuman, a cacophony for anyone else. Her human legs wobbled like a newborn fawn and stumbled over, collapsing next to Alice who had propped the younger Finch up on a dirty sack that was full of what seemed to be sawdust.
“Stay awake!” Alice snapped at the younger woman, her own voice hoarse and wheezy. Eve blinked, her head lulling to the side. Alice Treecreeper shook her, trying to keep her awake. A gush of blood was steeping from Eve’s broken nose, and her honey blonde hair had been matted into a mess that would take days to brush out. Her clothing was ripped and torn, revealing blackened bruises underneath.
It felt like a whirlpool had dragged miss cora Finch in, her head being dunked under water as her niece opened her bright, tearful blue eyes, the same daunting and mischievous ones her older brother had always looked so kindly on her with.
“Auntie?”