CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Hyde put the glass to his lips and drank at one gulp. A cry followed; he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth; and as I looked there came, I thought, a change..."O God!" I screamed, and "O God!" again and again for there before my eyes - there stood Henry Jekyll!
Burlie's only desire was to kill him. When he hit the floor with a groan she remembered the facts. Ah, 'twas a stupid impulse. She'd gotten carried away by the moment. Oh, well. Then her mother's frantic scream cut through to her. "Mama, it's okay."
"No you killed him you killed him Burlie you killed him!" Maeve wrenched free of Ada and the doctor and ran to Fisk's side.
"No, he's fine." Burlie proved it. She planted her foot in Fisk's chest and cleared her pitchfork with one good kick.
"Oh, my god, I love you," Fisk said and gasped like a drowning man. His hand clutched his chest.
"Shut up," Burlie said. He wasn't dead, damn it, his shirt wasn't even torn, but at least he looked unwell. Maeve dropped to her knee and gently cradled his head. Burlie watched her with confusion and disgust. Some sort of spell, she decided. Fisk had fascinated her mother somehow. Ugh, which might be why the others weren't here. He only needed one hostage after all.
"Mama, where's Daddy and Lydia?"
Maeve blinked at the commanding tone. "Home. They're at home."
"Are they okay? And Thorson's okay?"
"Yes! Of course! Burlie, what are you doing?!"
"Mama," Burlie said and she spoke slowly and clearly as if Maeve had a head injury. "You're going home now, too. We're all going home. Fisk!"
He looked up at her with glassy eyes. "Whu...?"
She pointed the pitchfork at his face and indicated Venedict and the others with a flick of her head. "You can't hurt my new friends. You can't even touch them. They are beyond any magic you can do and now so is my family."
"Listen to me," he started, trying to shove her weapon away.
"Quiet," Maxima barked and the crowd pressed in.
"Your eyes are in danger, Fisk, believe me," Burlie said, swinging the fork back into position. "Well, not really," she admitted, "But it'd hurt." Fisk held up his hands in surrender.
"Burlie, you can't," Maeve said.
Burlie rolled right over her. "Maxima will cut the connection you created, Fisk. When we get back you'll turn yourself in to the Sodality. If you try to hurt me or my family these nice ladies and gentlemen will make you pay for it. They're not tied here."
A cheer of agreement went up.
Burlie smiled to hear it. Then she bent and looked at her enemy like a mad dog. "You can't touch them. You can't touch me. You're finished."
"It was my idea," Maeve yelped.
"We're leaving now, Mama," Burlie said. "You'll be okay soon."
Maeve leapt to her feet. "Your meds aren't working!"
That got Burlie's attention. "What?"
Maeve took a deep, shuddering breath. "You can count change again. You can think again. You aren't even constipated any more."
Thanks, Burlie thought as several in the crowd sniggered.
"But it's not enough," Maeve finished.
"Meds? Medicine? For what?" Piggsbee asked. "Those are the strangest symptoms I've ever heard of."
"I'm depressed," Burlie answered slowly, not taking her eyes off her mother. "I started treatment in March after... after I tried something."
"Wait, what?" Fisk exclaimed, looking up at Maeve. "You didn't tell me that."
"You're not enjoying life," Maeve said, edging away from him. "You're not happy."
"What are you talking about?" Burlie asked and she looked from Fisk to her mother and back again. "Of course I'm not happy. I can't be."
"You could be happy if you tried harder!"
"What?"
"Always arguing and being tired and setting fires and stabbing people," Maeve muttered, closing her eyes in despair. "It has to stop, Burlie."
"Hold it," Fisk said, and slowly got to his feet. Burlie allowed it. He addressed the crowd that was still pressing in. "Let's be very clear," he began. "Burlington," he said and Fisk the Grinning Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know Witch was gone. "This is what happened. Your family told me you needed taking out of yourself. And I wanted about ten feet of extra space for a garden. So we traded. And..."
"Oh, god," Burlie said.
"What's wrong with you, Burlie?" Maeve continued and Fisk slowly turned to stare at her. "You act like something's wrong," she insisted.
Anzo whistled between his teeth. A downward swooping quaver of disbelief.
Burlie stepped back. And she stepped back again. "Max," she whispered.
"I had a depression," said Ruddy Bliss, thoughtfully. "I had one every single winter, in fact. Made me want to hang myself and being slapped around never helped." He looked at Maeve as he would look at a sucker fish on the end of his line.
"True. Very true, that, Ruddy," Randy agreed. "Daddy never understood that."
"That's why he ain't here," Ruddy said.
"They popped Mad King George, too," Ada put in, punching her palm with her fist.
"Just made him madder," Randy said.
"Mrs. Batt," Burlie said again.
"Yes, Miss McLauren?" Maxima answered, her voice low and even.
"Will you check my mother, please, and see if Fisk is influencing her mind?" Burlie asked.
"I'm not, believe me," Fisk said.
Maeve sighed, her tone becoming exasperated. "He's not influencing anyone, Burlie. This is all in fun."
"Fun?" Burlie said. "Fun? I thought he was going to kill you. Kill Daddy. Kill Lydia!"
"Oop," said Anzo and began to slowly back away. Feet were shuffling and people were whispering behind their hands all through the crowd.
For the first time since Burlie met her, Maxima looked genuinely uncomfortable. "Ah, Mr. Iping is not influencing your mother," she said. She turned on Maeve, narrowing her eyes. "Tsk!"
Maeve blinked at the small woman. She'd never been tsk!ed at before.
"Dr. Beatrice said it takes time for recovery," Burlie said almost absently. "Especially for teens. The hormones sometimes interfere with the treatment," she said to Piggsbee as if he'd asked. "It's an ongoing process." She covered her eyes with her hand. "Dr. Beatrice said..."
"Oh, Dr. Beatrice said," Maeve huffed. "I'm sick of doctors. What do they know?"
Dr. Frankenstein made a noise that would've shocked a wolverine and turned away.
"You didn't tell me she was being treated," Fisk insisted but he was looking at Burlie.
Maeve was firm. "She isn't. Not successfully."
Burlie's hand came slowly down. Her face was still. "You're no doctor."
"What are you?" Maeve shouted. "I want my daughter back!"
"Oh," Miss Ada gasped. "Oh, boo! Booooo!"
"Booooo!" Anzo took it up.
"Sssss!" agreed the mob.
Maeve, the eye of a storm of hostility, had the nerve to look confused.
"Mrs. Batt," Burlie said again, her voice flat. "Throw them out. Throw them both out of here, please." She slowly turned around and walked back to the trap door. "I'm sorry, everyone," she said, still speaking in a tired, even voice. "False alarm. Nothing to see here. Go back to the carnival." She slowly disappeared down the twisting stairs.
"Wait, Burlie," Randy said. "Ruddy, come on."
"No," Piggsbee said. "Let her go. A crowd won't help."
Burlie could hear her mother, still.
"Come back here! This is no way to act!" Maeve shouted.
"Shut your mouth," Ada answered. "Right now."
And she could hear Fisk. "No need for the pin, Mrs. Batt," he said. "We'll see ourselves out."