Chapter Five: Blood

"When will you learn?" demanded Mother as she towered above us, her bold blue eyes narrowed in anger as she tapped her foot to an unknown rhythm. Her yellow dress swayed about her ankles, and she looked like a fiery goddess about to bring justice to the convicted.

My head was bowed in shame as both Kiera and I sat on the two chairs placed at the kitchen table. It was hard to remain calm and collected during such a scary ordeal, for Mother was quite scary when she wanted to be. Her cold blue eyes were like ice daggers stabbing us in the most sensitive spot in our skin, bringing waves of pain with it.

Kiera remained as happy as ever, her emerald eyes gleaming with amusement. The mischief she had been up to had resulted in my own punishment as well. It seemed that whenever Kiera was about to do something stupid, I always happened to be there as well. This time, though, I had been involved in the trick Kiera had performed on one of our neighbours. It wasn't anything horrible, in point of fact it had been something wonderful; a gift to her for such kindness shown to us.

"Why must you always look for trouble?" continued our mother, her nostrils flared as she glared down at the two of us. Her cheeks were stained crimson, and she looked ready to explode from her gradually increasing anger.

"We didn't do it to scare the woman," protested Kiera, her jaw set into the usual stiff look of defiance she put up when accused. Her eyes flared like Mother's, and I wondered who would win the battle this time.

Mother raised a delicate eyebrow in obvious opposition to that. "Oh? Then please do enlighten me, child."

"Terra and I had often heard our neighbour complaining about the lack of growth in her garden, so we decided to encourage the flowers to grow." Kiera was fighting back a smile, and I ducked my head once again as I felt my own traitorous grin return.

The plan was meant to be full-proof - neither of us could have anticipated the mistake coming our way. Nor had we anticipated how badly the plants would grow. Unfortunately, the flowers which had once seemed so petite and dainty were now gigantic monsters from the Amazon. They had taken too well to the extra kick we had given them, thereby swamping the woman's garden with unnecessary work.

Mother was also thinking along the same lines. "So you decided to turn her garden into a tropical nightmare?"

Kiera sniggered under her breath, and this time it was me who intervened. "Neither of us knew about the reaction the plants would have to the...stuff."

"And what stuff did you use?" demanded Mother, her eyes narrowed back to the accusing glare she usually reserved for Kiera, now set wholly on me. Her arms were folded across her chest; the standard pose she wore when about to punish us.

I struggled for some sort of answer, only coming up with, "Seeds?"

Kiera sent me a sharp look and rushed to rectify my mistake. "They were seeds we'd purchased at the local florist. The woman at the desk had told us that she had recently bought special seeds which could enable a plant to grow five times their usual growth rate." It was a lie, both Kiera and I knew that, but my sister said it with such assurance that I couldn't help but believe her either.

It was hard to believe that we could have influenced the plants to grow through the use of our powers. Mother would have slapped us for lying when, really, it would be the truth.

Mother raised her eyebrows; half amused and half in agreement with us. "So you weren't just doing it to get back at Mrs. Waldridge?"

Both Kiera and I shook our heads vigorously, recalling the time our neighbour had ratted us out to our mother, stating that we had done this, that and the other. Of course, each time the woman had done so, a nasty little surprise had miraculously turned up inside her bedroom, no evidence suggesting we had ever played a part in it. How could we when we had been subjected to our rooms for the entire evening?

"Honestly, Mother!" exclaimed Kiera, her eyes rolling to emphasise how horrified she was at the thought - such the good actress. "Terra and I? Attempting to gain revenge on our neighbour? I do believe you've wounded me!"

Mother sighed and her face broke out into a knowing smile. "Yes, well, off you go. What's the point of punishing you when you still manage to do more damage the next day?" She chuckled at a thought of hers, and made shooing motions at us. "Go on. Get out of my sight you little rascals!"

 

 

"Wake up!" commanded Kiera, her voice breaking through the drowsiness in my head, the fog rapidly clearing from my mind. I wanted to remain in my refuge, afraid to wake up and greet those glowing green eyes, and once again subject myself to her attacks. Not once had I lifted a finger to defend myself, knowing that my abilities far surpassed her, even if she had improved.

I felt something sharp dig into my side, right where my ribs were, and I yelped in pain and surprise. The jab felt like a burning hot iron, flaring bright and true for a split second before fading into nothing but numbness. I was surprised blood hadn't oozed from the wound, but was heartily grateful that this was the case. The wounds I had already procured were beginning to burn as the morning wore on.

My eyes peeled open, revealing the deep blue of the next day. It was still far too early for anyone to be awake, and for this I was glad. Had anyone been awake at such a time in the morning, they may have looked to the open expanse of land leading up the trees, and noticed two girls, very much alike, attacking one another.

Kiera leaned away from me, her long black hair now dry and cascading freely down her back, halting just by her chest. She wore a victorious grin, and I wanted nothing more than to wipe it from existence, though hesitating because of what could easily ensue.

"So you finally decide to awaken," she teased knowingly, one elegant finger tilting my head to the left and then the right, inspecting my face for bruising. Why she cared I couldn't understand, for one moment she had been furiously attempting to murder me, the next complaining when a strike would hit me on the face.

Rather than show I cared, I decided to tease her a little. Clapping one hand to my chest, still aware of the fact that I was lying on the damp ground, I said, "Why, Kiera! I didn't know you cared."

She growled in frustration and flicked her wrist to slap me, missing me by an inch as I avoided the blow, bouncing to my feet and nimbly retreating to the edge of the trees. They swayed manically as a sharp gust of wind blew across the two of us, sending strands of hair about our faces. I didn't bother to swipe at mine, nor did Kiera, both of us intent on the next move made.

Behind me, I could hear the sound of trees whispering amongst one another, the leaves lightly brushing that of another tree and passing along a message in a long forgotten, ancient language. My head was cocked to one side as I listened to the sound, whilst my eyes never strayed from Kiera's body. She was tense and prepared to attack, whereas I was preparing to retreat to the trees. Should push come to shove, my best bet was to lead her to the last location she had been. Perhaps it would somehow help her - though I doubted that very much.

In all likelihood, the reminder that she had died in the water, drowning and crying for help, would infuriate her even more.

"Why run, sister?" demanded Kiera, her teeth bared in a feral grin. She looked wild and thirsty for blood, as if all sense of right and wrong had been wiped clean from her mind. Rather than being a sweet eighteen-year-old, she was replaced by something...horrific.

I flashed her a smile, though inside I felt like screaming. "I'm afraid that if I were to use my own powers, you'd suffer greatly."

Kiera shrieked in anger at the jab and rushed towards me, her feet furiously slamming against the ground as she gained speed. She wasn't relying heavily on her abilities, and I thanked the Lord for the brief lapse. She attempted to swing at me with her arm as she came closer, but I avoided the blow and darted into the safety of the trees, taking twists and turns as I relied on the position of the objects around me to avoid Kiera's attacks.

The trees appeared livelier than ever as I darted amongst their large bodies, the leaves dropping to the ground as if it were autumn. Another sharp gust of wind blew through the area, sending the trees into a frenzy of activity, their heads swaying back and forth and their voices animatedly discussing things with one another.

My breathing came out in short gasps as I continued to race amongst the trees, my legs on fire as my muscles cried out in protest. In my ribcage, I could feel my heart pounding at an irregular pace, a slight throb of pain forming in my neck as I ploughed onwards. My hair blew out behind me, licking the air around me and attacking invisible objects. It was so hard to continue at such a fast pace, and I found myself anxiously glancing around the trees for any sign of Kiera. She was a huge threat to me, and if she got to me before I could lure her to the lake, I was sure to die.

The world appeared to slow down as I continued to speed up, and I felt a strange sensation wash over me - like a surge of strength had suddenly snapped into existence, flooding my body with a never-ending supply of energy. My body felt strangely like I was stuck in mud; everything slowing down around me, whereas I was speeding up. The sensation was uncomfortable, and in order to maintain a constant speed, I had to fight against the feeling of being weighed down - each movement taking a lifetime to perform.

An echo of laughter met my ears, and just as I turned my head to inspect where it came from, a flash of brilliant white light exploded before me, and I was propelled sideways and collided with a tree, banging my shoulder against the harsh wood and collapsing to the ground. The elastic which had been pulling me back suddenly released and time sped up to meet me. It snapped back into focus, and an overwhelming warmth expanded across my body; enfolding me in a bubble of heat.

This sensation was only brief before I shoved it aside and struggled to get back on my feet, staggering as I did so. My left shoulder was throbbing angrily, and it was becoming extremely hard to merely rotate it so as to probe where the true injury was. There were going to be bruises escalating on my left side, no doubt. Already I could feel the stabbing pain forming just where my shoulder-blade was, and also along my ribs to the left.

I groaned in discomfort as I attempted to limp away, only to see something flash momentarily across my peripheral vision. I froze to the spot and slowly turned to analyse the threat, narrowing my eyes as Kiera's smug grin came into view. One hand was delicately placed against a tree, her body leaning against it as she watched me with mild amusement - like I was a toy she intended to thoroughly play with.

Kiera chuckled, the sound cruel and entirely at my expense. "How are you enjoying my game?" she asked, smiling when I winced.

"I've never been one to enjoy playing. Still, I always win."

My sister's blood red lips curled upwards into a sinister smirk. "Oh, but I think you'll find this game rather hard to...adapt to, shall I say."

"How so?" I demanded, my eyes flickering fleetingly towards the open land ahead, knowing that if I could beat Kiera to the clearing and somehow make it to the other side of said clearing, I'd lead her straight to the lake. Her final resting place.

"The rules are constantly changing to benefit the lead player." Her green eyes flashed violet, and I felt a shift in the atmosphere as Kiera's new body began to glow a faint black. I could tell she was preparing to launch another wave of power towards me; I just wasn't sure what it would be this time. "Considering you refuse to play my game, the rules only apply to me."

I shrugged, gritting my teeth as my shoulder screamed in protest - reminding me that it was most likely broken, dislocated or severely bruised. I was hoping it was the latter. "I never was one for abiding by the rules."

Kiera smiled sweetly. "On the contrary, you were the one who always ran home crying to Mother."

I mirrored her smile just as sweetly, but mine contained a hint of venom to it. "Yeah, that's right. Mother always did love me best."

Kiera's face distorted into something horrifying, her eyes glowing with rage and her entire body shaking violently. The dark glow which had encompassed her was now fiercely bright, surrounding her in a corrupt halo. She let out a shriek of anger and barrelled towards me, her legs moving at an impossibly fast rate. Her body was lithe as she darted between the trees, at one point narrowly avoiding colliding with one, subtly twisting her body so it flipped to the side and enabling her to pass through.

Before my twin could get to me, I raced off again, limping slightly as my ankle somehow twisted during the fall. I ignored my body as it cried out, and focused on escaping Kiera's clutch. She wasn't the sister I had mourned for - that girl had disappeared alongside the body. This new girl was...something else.

A sharp gust of wind sliced across me, and at the same time as it did so, I felt another strong force bash against the tree beside me, narrowly avoiding hitting the whole thing, and causing part of it to explode, pieces of wood darting everywhere as they sailed around me, some cutting me on my arm and cheek - one side receiving the agony.

I stumbled as the wood collided with me, and I spiralled out of control, my back crashing against another tree and causing a wave of pain to shoot up my spine. I cried out as I collapsed to the ground, my knees buckling under me and my back turning numb. My spine felt disconnected from the rest of me, and when I attempted to convince my legs to work and get me up, they refused to do so.

The world passed on by in a blur of activity as Kiera continued to bring destruction upon the woods surrounding us. I couldn't focus on anything she was doing, or even turn my head to find out where she was. It was too hard to move my neck as the fiery pain flared like a burning coal, shivering up my spine and burning hot and ripe at the back of my neck. My throat worked to swallow the bile rising upwards, and I felt my stomach knot up as I leaned towards the ground.

My mouth hung agape as I struggled to inhale precious air, and my lungs began to burn furiously, demanding they receive oxygen. I managed to inhale small amounts of oxygen, the air scratching down my throat and creating a strange throaty rasp which left my lips. Thoughts and images darted across my mind as I slowly collapsed to the ground, my chest making contact with the damp, mossy earth, and my head turned to the side, inspecting the way ahead of me.

A strange ringing sound filled my ears, and the more I attempted to concentrate on what was going on around me, the harder it became to actually hear at all. The ringing sound possessed me, filling my head until it transformed into the only noise I was familiar with. My lips parted again as I inhaled more air, and I felt something warm and sticky trail down the side of my head and down my neck. The sensation raised goose bumps on my arms and legs and, at one point, I would have attempted to do something about that, acting upon it. This time, however, I refused to acknowledge the goose bumps, and focused on merely breathing.

Laughter fluttered somewhere behind me, barely discernible as the torrent of pain flooded my body. Words failed to describe how dearly I wished the suffering would end. Who could have believed that such agony was real? It felt as if I was introduced to Hell - the flames hungrily licking at my skin, sizzling me and charring my flesh so easily. Sharp daggers penetrated my skin and drew more blood, pins and needles escalating from my feet and then further up my body, finally reaching the point at my neck where my nerves were.

Suddenly, a burning desire rose up inside of me. At first it was just a thought, a memory really, of when I had relaxed in my parents' back garden and just stared up at the clouds moving along the deep blue sky. It had reminded me of the sea; so gentle and calm, never doing anything violent, but just existing. I wanted to gaze upon it one last time before the blade was brought down, and my life would end. I wanted to remember what the moon and the sun looked like, and what it felt like to know I had accomplished so much in my short life.

Though my back protested, I carefully flipped myself over, so that my back rested achingly against the soft bed of grass, and my eyes gazed adoringly upon the thousands of stars before me. The black blanket of night was rapidly fading into an oasis blue, the moon, with all its small little craters, beginning to descend in the sky, and the golden orb rapidly replacing it to rise in succession to the throne. The sun ruled the day, whereas the moon ruled the night - and where one faded from existence, the other would take its place.

A soft, cool breeze ruffled the long strands of my black hair, blowing them about my face, calmly caressing me one final time. My rosy lips curved upwards into an appreciative smile, and I felt my eyes wander across the sky, drinking in the beauty of the world, and wondering how I had failed to come across such a mesmerising sight.

"You're going to die," drifted Kiera's amused voice, her face no doubt cheerful as she gazed upon me, relishing in my final moment of life. I knew it would be her soul I encountered along the road to Heaven, and I briefly contemplated which realm she would choose to go to. Really, it wasn't her choice.

It's my time to die, I thought with a sigh, not capable of forming the words from my lips, too tired to bother.

"Perhaps," was all she said before her voice faded out of hearing.

What was that supposed to mean? After all I had been through - after all Kiera had forced me to endure - how could this not be my time to die? I had waited so long for this day to come; for the moment when I could be graced by the presence of my deceased family, and where I could join them amongst the stars.

How could this not be my final moment?

From life to death we all must fade.

The song was sung all around me, as if the trees were including me in their silent conversations. The voices were all clustered together, creating one harmonious song that was meant to bring fear to those who heard it. Yet there was a soft way it was sung this time; with love and compassion, as if the Fade cherished my life and were sad to see it pass.

A small smile formed on my face, one that lit up this darkened world of mine, and reminded me of all I had seen.

No one escapes the hands of the Fade.

My blue eyes wildly darted across the sky, drinking in the eager glow of the stars, the luminosity of the moon and all its secrets, and finally the golden orb which was ascending in the sky. Its round body was seething with anger, yet it was the one thing which provided us with light. We looked upon it as a holy source.

A sigh escaped my lips - so little time left. Already, I could feel the threads holding my soul in place beginning to snap free, my soul floating just slightly out of proportion. I could feel it in my body; the loosening of my muscles, and the laboured way I breathed: My breaths were numbered, as was my heart beat.

Soon it would be time to go.

Where a soul must die and leave this land...

I once more gazed upon the sky and its magnificence, and finally relented - closing my eyes and breathing out in preparation for the transition. My body felt as if it were tensed, expecting impact or some sort of jump, yet every muscle was eased and relaxed.

Images flashed underneath my eyelids, reminding me of my friends, family and neighbours who had come to know me throughout the years. All of them would soon fade away as I abandoned this world.

The pain was intense as the build up continued, and my teeth gritted together in silent endurance. I would hold and maintain this composed form, aware of the smug smile on Kiera's face. She would not receive satisfaction in my death, because it would be quiet and peaceful.

The Fade will welcome them to our land.

My chest gradually rose and fell.

In, out, in, out.

Tic, tock, tic, tock.

Suddenly - it stilled, coming to a rest as I felt that change occur inside my body: Where I was launched out of this world and into another, my eyes tightly closed so as to hold onto what I had. My body - or was it my soul? - began to vibrate, and I felt a bright light warm my surprisingly cold body, dragging me out of that vessel and carrying me across a shore, where an eternal light awaited me, leaving my body behind.

And finally, my body was at peace...