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“It seems ironic that my voice when I speak is like sweet cream or honey. But when I cry, when I wail, it sounds and feels like death. 

I remember hearing that wail for the first time. I was a warrior. I was a queen! They called me The Phantom Queen with how quiet and light on my feet I am. 

I was the queen, and men followed me to their deaths and their victories. 

Then I married. 

Then I fulfilled my duty to take a husband and become round with my heir. Then I failed. 

For all my success on the battlefield when it came to being a woman I failed. 

My child was stillborn, and I almost died, losing the ability to have a child. It had to be my fault. And so I dove into magic, trying to find a solution to have a child. 

Instead, I ended up with immortality. 

To keep the curse, I must kill those who failed their child. 

Fitting. 

It is my fault my child is dead, and I was punished. Others should be as well. 

Now I use my honey voice to calm them and then I strike fear into them when I wail and allow them to know Death is coming for them.”

Morgan looked out at her diners. She loved running the restaurant. It allowed her to see families. It allowed her to watch them. She still grieved for her only child. She still desired a child. She hadn’t thought of adoption before recently. 

Oh, she knew of it, but she didn’t think a monster would be able to adopt. But then she heard Frank had a daughter now. She was even given immortality. In an over dramatic ritual, Morgan knows easier and better ones, as long as she accepted the child would be as cursed as she was, to wail and kill those with her cries. 

It isn’t so bad. 

She didn’t have a set victim requirement; she didn’t have to have so many a year or a decade or are cursed to gain forgiveness. Because forgiveness can only truly come from within. And well, she would never forgive herself for failing her duty as a woman. Ancient thinking. But she was an ancient woman.

It is why she moaned and cried and turned those like her to a bleeding mess as their blood vessels in their body burst at hearing her cries.

“Earth to Morgan! Earth to Morgan!” Came a voice and a hand in front of her face.

“Oh, sorry I was just…”

“Just lost in thought there darling?” Came the drawl of Abe.

“Shush Abe!” Yelled Caliban. “She was doing her thing more than likely.”

“Oh, she can do that without spacing out on us. I mean we are planning a party here!” Abe stated as he reached over the counter and filled his glass with more sugary carbonated beverages.

“I don’t see how you can mix all those flavors.” Caliban stated. “And I am basically a kid.”

Abe took a long drink. “So good! Full of sugary goodness! I mean, my father never allowed me this. Hell, the man basically made me with all he deprived me of when I was growing up.”

Morgan rolled her eyes. “Why are you two planning a party again?”

“Well, I am so glad you asked!” Abe clapped his hands. “You see with Sophie joining us monsters, and Darin in town, and, of course, Sam basically getting hitched I thought we should have a big New Year’s Eve to do and celebrate everything! Bring in fresh food, let our hair down, and just have fun. I mean yeah, James Parties are fun, but we need them more than once a year!”

Morgan rolled her eyes and scanned the families again. She had heard some rumors, and she needed to validate them before she just went and killed the parents. That was the one thing about her that set her apart from other monsters. She didn’t just go off one rumor but validated and only hunted very specific people. She has gone decades without killing and she isn’t required to kill. She is only required to live. Well, it wasn’t really a requirement as ‘failing’ can be so differently interrupted so she never really had to kill them. It was just sometimes… just sometimes… it was satisfying to kill those who failed their children.

For over a week Morgan watched the same family. The mother was always hunched into herself. The father was always trying to act tough. She had heard that their eldest had died. Suddenly and without cause. So Morgan checked in on that. After just a couple of hours, she found the abuse. The pain the kid had gone through and finally was released. 

It wasn’t the parents. 

It was a teacher at the school. The parents hadn’t noticed. Too busy. Always too busy. Well, Morgan normally only killed the parents, but a teacher was like a parent to a child. She would kill the teacher instead and then choose to spare or kill the parents. After all, they had failed their eldest.

One Friday night Morgan walked into Jo’s with a strappy little dress and heels that made her legs go for miles. She saw her target. She smirked and walked right up to him. “Buy me a drink, slugger?” She smirked as she bit his ear.

The man, Wayne Stevens, just nodded and snapped his fingers to Jo. “Whatever the lady wants and a refill. NOW!” He yelled.

Jo raised an eyebrow to Morgan, and Morgan licked her lips. Jo laughed. “Well, if you hadn’t, I would have.” She stated as she poured the good tequila on the man’s credit card.

Morgan laughed and took the shot, took the bottle and went and straddled her victim. “Come one honey! Let’s go dance!” She pulled him by the tie. “I want to dance!” She started to sway her hips and lead him into the middle of the dance floor.

It was two in the morning, and Morgan was dragging Wayne into the woods. She smiled as she took off her shoes, dropping them as she went, and then skimmed out of her dress at the water’s edge. “Come one Wayne!” She called.

It wasn’t long before the man was by her side and undressing. “I can’t believe one of the most gorgeous women in town thought to notice me.”

“Oh, Wayne, don’t know you when you hurt kids all the queens notice? It was just I got to win.” Morgan stated.

Wayne looked at her. “What are you talking about?”

“What do you think I am talking about? A little kid now at rest because of your abuse. Abuse, their parents missed because they trusted you?” Morgan held his head between her hands. “And now my soul cries for that child Wayne. And you will bleed the tears I cry.” Morgan then opened her mouth and let out a mournful cry for the child.

Wayne tried to get away but soon the blood was dripping from his eyes, nose, mouth and ears as every vessel burst in his body. As Morgan held him to life to feel the pain. To feel the pain of failing a child. To feel the pain of not doing what his job was and to protect and care and teach the child. Soon his heart exploded out of his chest and she was covered in blood. 

She dropped the body. She sneered at it as she dived into the water and cleaned off before putting her dress back on to leave his body.

Morgan found herself walking to the home of the parents. They were sitting outside yelling. Each blaming the other for not noticing what was happening to their eldest. Morgan stopped and listened. 

The mother. 

The mother was having an affair with Wayne. Well, that wouldn’t do and as the father slammed into the house; Morgan went and grabbed the mother. 

She looked into her eyes. “You failed your child. Your failed your child for sexual gratification. For your sins you must die.” She let out a mournful cry and again held the woman as she died. Morgan dropped the body and went home to clean up. 

She left a message for Ewan about the two lovers who cut their own hearts out rather than to be apart. She then took out a million in savings and snuck in and put it in a ‘hidden’ safe in the house. 

It would keep the father and allow him to be home more with his remaining children. 

After all, if the father failed, then she would have to take him. 

She smiled at the young babe that still lived and with a kiss to the babe’s head she left with the wind. 

Giving one final mournful cry to grieve the passing of a child…