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Simone’s Notes:

The femme fatale archetype exists, in one form or another, in the folklore and myth of nearly every culture in every century. The early examples are Ishtar, the Sumerian goddess, and Lilith, Delilah, and Salome from the Judaeo-Christian Bible. In ancient Greek literature, the femme fatale is incarnated by the Siren, the Sphinx, Scylla, Circe, Lamia, Helen of Troy, and Clytemnestra. Beside them is the historical figure Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, with her ability to seduce the powerful men of Rome. Roman propaganda attacked Cleopatra as a femme fatale; in result, she became the legendary archetype of the attractions and the dangers inherent to the powerful, exotic woman. In the Middle Ages, the idea of the dangers of female sexuality, typified by Eve, was commonly expressed in medieval romances as a wicked, seductive enchantress, the prime example being Morgan la Fay.

Edward kept his distance in the cemetery the next morning. He still felt guilty for Mrs. Connor’s husband. The darkness hadn’t evolved in him yet. It would the second he slept with the widow. Lucky for him, nobody really noticed that he had changed ever since that night with Manami. They knew something was different about him, but they couldn’t quite figure it out. But, it was only a matter of time…

Edward then spotted Mrs. Connor. She was all dressed in black and looking very depressed. The incubus just felt sorry for her. He decided not to show his face at the funeral. It felt inappropriate to do so. Ed just watched from a distance. He wanted to reach out and touch the widow, but that would seem inappropriate as well. So, the incubus imagined himself putting his hand on Mrs. Connor’s shoulder. And that was satisfying enough for him.

Meanwhile, Syd and Ella sat on the roof of the apartment. Syd was still angry about the incubus nearly killing them. The bird knew that too well. Ella would usually not talk to him when he was in a mood. But she had to speak to him. The information she was holding was too urgent to keep it to herself.

“Sydney,” she spoke up. Her bloke glared at her.

“What?!?” he snapped at her. Ella sat still for a moment. “Speak woman!” her boyfriend snapped. Ella began to smile softly.

“I’m glad we didn’t kill Alessia,” she said at last. Her dojoin glared at her coldly.

“Why?!?” he snapped. The bird smiled at him.

“Because,” she said. “She seems to know what is going on here.” Syd tried not to laugh out loud.

“Ha!” he called out. “Why?!?” Ella kept smiling at him.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she replied. “Maybe something like this!” She reached into her jacket and pulled out a photo of Alessia’s latest drawing. The bird deity held it up for Syd to see. Syd looked at it closely.

“And what is that?” he barked. Ella kept on smiling.

“It’s the devil woman drinking blood from an angel!” she said paraphrasing Alessia. Syd looked at her with a face of seriousness. He too had figured out what it meant.

“Manami got to him?” the bloke asked.

“Seems that way!” Ella answered. “Now aren’t you glad we didn’t kill her?” Syd thought about this for a moment. This could work in their advantage. He turned to her smiling.

“Ella,” he replied. “Go pay little Alessia a visit today.” His bird smiled as she understood.

“Right!” she replied. “And get copies of her drawings?” she asked.

“Exactly!” her bloke replied. His bird nodded.

“I’m on it!” she called out. Then she rose to her feet and hurried down the stairs back inside the apartment. Syd watched her leave. “You better be right about this Ella!” he thought. “I’m counting on you to finish this mission!”

Edward waited after the funeral to make his move. Mrs. Connor was heading out to her car when she felt someone holding her dainty wrist. The woman quickly turned to see the incubus looking at her. Edward had a sense look in his eyes. The widow felt deeply moved by him.

“Hello Lt. Col. Elric!” she greeted him in a sad and soft voice. The incubus gave her a small smile.

“Just call me Edward,” he told her.

“Oh, I see,” Mrs. Connor replied.

“I am so sorry for your loss!” the alchemist told her. The widow looked ready to cry again. Edward felt pity for her.

“Oh no, please don’t cry!” he pleaded her. But it was pointless to tell her to do so. The tears fell like rain on her powdery white flawless cheeks. Edward’s heart began to hurt softly. He felt guilty all over again. The incubus tried to force it out of his head so that he could focus on his mission. The incubus reached forward and lightly brushed away her tears.

“Aw come on,” he told her. “Please stop crying.” The widow looked up at him in sorrow. Edward was deeply taken by her beauty. He suddenly couldn’t resist his sudden urges. The alchemist lightly leaned forward and kissed the widow on the lips. Mrs. Connor was shocked by this sudden reaction. She didn’t know what to do at first. The woman just stood there and let this eighteen-year-old man kiss on her. Then, she relaxed and kissed him back.

That kiss opened something up inside of Edward. The darkness of Pandora’s Box was exposed to him right away. He just had to have more of this woman. The evil lust inside of him was plotting how to take her as his own forever. He would play on her emotions, confess, and then take her.

When they pull away, the widow stared deeply in Edward’s eyes. She couldn’t see the cloud of dark desire forming in his eyes. Edward looked at her innocently.

“What’s wrong, Mrs. Connor?” he asked her. The widow froze for a moment, then she shook her head.

“N-Nothing!” she stammered out. “Nothing at all!” The incubus lightly put his finger to her lips. The woman went quiet instantly.

“It’s okay,” Edward said softly. “Don’t be surprised at all that I do.” The widow nodded to him quickly. Edward smiled at her like a little devil.

“Now,” he told her. “I will see you tomorrow, okay?” His soon-to-be woman nodded in understanding. The incubus kept smiling at her.

“Good,” he said to her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then, he left her standing alone at the cemetery’s entry. The alchemist was grinning to himself wickedly. “This is just too easy!” he thought in dirty lust. Too easy indeed.

Meanwhile, Ella made it to Alessia’s room. She had to convince Addi to let her in. The master sergeant still didn’t trust her from three nights ago. But after a heavy apology, Bailey let Ella through. The door was closed. The sign acknowledging that this was the girl’s room was the only thing inviting to the outside viewer. The deity knocked on the door with care.

“Come in!” a small voice called inside. Ella slowly opened the door and stepped inside. She found Alessia on her bed coloring a new picture. The deity looked all around her. The walls were filled with drawing that the little girl had done over the months. At first, they looked innocent. But after a closer look, Ella noticed that these pictures were of all of the events leading up to today. The bird studied each one very closely.

“They are all true, right?” she heard someone ask. Ella quickly looked up and saw Alessia still coloring. Ella looked at her oddly.

“What do you mean?” the deity asked. “Your drawings?”

“Uh-huh!” Alessia replied not looking up. Ella didn’t know how to answer that one at first without alarming the child.

“Alessia,” she spoke up. “How and why do you keep drawing these? Do you even know you are drawing?” The girl still didn’t look up.

“Not really,” she replied. “They all just come into my head and I draw them. I don’t why; I just do.” Ella looked at her grimly. She could feel her stomach turn the longer she stayed in that room. Then, the deity noticed the latest picture that Alessia was drawing.

“Hey Alessia,” Ella spoke up. “What are you drawing now?” The girl still didn’t look up at the woman.

“The poisoned angel kissing the lady that Addi said her husband was in Heaven now.” she answered as she kept drawing. Ella quickly put it all together. Her eyes widened. “Edward is going for Mrs. Connor!” she thought in shock. “Oh shit!” But, the deity kept herself calm.

“Alessia,” she spoke again. “May I see your drawing?”

“Sure,” she replied still not looking up. “I’m almost done.” Then she colored in the finishing touches and held it up.

“See?” she asked aloud. Ella looked at the girl’s depiction of Edward kissing the widow at the entry of the graveyard. The deity was completely pale. Time was running thin. She, Yas, and Syd would have to work fast to fix this damage before it got any worse.

“Alessia,” Ella spoke up.

“Yes?” she replied. The deity toughened herself up.

“May I get a copy of all of your drawings here?” she asked. The little girl was confused.

“Why?” she asked.

“I’ll explain later!” Ella answered. Alessia just shrugged. The deity took that as a yes. Then she took out her camera and started taking pictures. The little girl looked around as she did so. The girls and Syd would have the timeline to how it all started, but they needed the future.