Chapter Eight: Kiera

My eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling of my bedroom, and I wondered for the hundredth time how one could become accustomed to seeing their own ceiling. Really, it was all I had seen for the past few days. Life had blurred by, and Jane had abandoned me for her new job at the Cafe Shop in the centre of town. She had told me it was a necessary sacrifice, and that if she could have her way, she would be here all the time.

Not today, though. Today she had to work the afternoon shift, meaning I was subjected to endless boredom for the remainder of the day. Part of me was grateful for this - it meant I didn't have to hear Jane's constant moaning about the unfairness of how I possessed unfathomable power, and she didn't. Yet, I had grown more attached to my friend during the time she had remained a constant fixture at my side. Now that she was gone to earn her wages, I felt lonely and like a child again; afraid of the silence which clung to me like death.

The curtains hastily blew across the space between the bed and the window, and I craned my head to the left, drinking in the bright blue of the sky. It was an endless stretch of oasis blue ocean, and a lazy sigh left my rosy lips. Sleep would have, at one point, carried me away to a distant land, but not this time. Due to the amount of time I had spent in this room, recovering from the incident with my sister, sleep couldn't reach me. I was too accustomed to the deep purple of the room, alongside the eventual rise of the moon across my window.

My blue eyes scanned the endless stretch of blue for any sign of a cloud. I wanted to see something as inconstant as a cloud - something which would drift across the space above me, and entertain me. I was bored beyond belief, and though Jane had provided me with an endless supply of her cherished books, I had already consumed them within a day. Classical literature now flooded my head with brand new vocabulary I had never heard of, meaning I was sure I could sit down and compose a paragraph, at least, full of descriptive words which flowed like poetry.

A groan left my lips, and I glared at the glowing orb in the sky. Rays of light pierced through the thin glass posing as a window, and hit me directly in the eye. At one point that would have earned a wince from me, but now there was nothing but endurance. I was accustomed to the beams of light glowing angrily like fireflies in my vision, and all it did was swirl like dust motes. My eyes, along with everything else, were heightened due to my lack of...human DNA. It scared me to know that I wasn't precisely from this world, and that I wasn't exactly human, but I supposed that if Jane could live with such a discovery, surely I could, too.

A sharp gust of wind blew through the open window in my bedroom, and it caused the curtains to billow in front of me like hair. They swooped through the air, cutting and stabbing at invisible objects and almost brushing against my soft skin. The wind penetrated the thin layers of clothing I wore, causing goose bumps to form on my arms and legs. My hairs rose on the back of my neck, at the same time that a shiver rippled down my spine. The familiar sensation of danger flooded through my veins, providing me with a rush of adrenaline to the body, my eyes darting about the room for any signs of an unwelcome presence.

Laughter echoed around the room; light and amused. My eyes narrowed in annoyance, and I propped myself up so that my back rested against the headboard of my bed. The silk covers placed across my legs dropped to the floor, leaving me vulnerable to the sudden cold air wandering around the room. The goose bumps didn't disappear as I would have expected, and the shivers continued to travel down my spine, acting like electricity flowing through my skin.

"Look at you," teased Kiera, her voice low and amused as she stepped out of the shadow of my room. Her green eyes glowed inhumanly, and the smile on her blood-red lips looked sickly.

I tensed, prepared for another attempt on my life. "What are you doing here?" I demanded, my eyes flashing to my phone resting on the bedside table. My hand twitched as I considered reaching for it, though I knew it would be pointless. I might be able to grab it, but it would require a few seconds of wishful thinking to get it unlocked and ready for use. In that time, Kiera could easily intercept me and attack.

Kiera smirked as she paused at the foot of my bed. Surprisingly, she was dressed in normal attire - a plain black short-sleeved top covering her torso, followed by skinny jeans and knee-high boots. Her black hair cascaded down her torso like an endless sea of night, shimmering in the flashes of sunlight bursting through the room. In conclusion - she looked like a goddess about to rain down on a parade, the darkness in the depths of her eyes flaring wildly and untamed.

"Well?" I probed, frowning when her smile widened into a knowing grin. There was no flash of recognition on her face, or any sign of the true Kiera attempting to fight the monster in possession of her body. If Kiera truly was fighting the darkness holding her against her will, then she had to be weaker than I feared.

"Can't a twin come to check up on her other half?" asked Kiera, eyes dancing as she surveyed my room. A look of amusement formed on her countenance, her lips twitching as if she was holding back a laugh as she swept across the few books I had resting on the dusty shelves, as well as the two teddies I had. One was mine - worn out and old by now - and the other had belonged to my sister, its fur still in good, pristine condition. In all honesty, part of me had hoped she would be alive, so I had wanted to preserve her favoured toy's condition so as to please her when she returned.

Little had I known at the time that she would return as a...cruel monster. Had I known about that tiny detail, I would have burned the toy to remove all signs of weakness that showed I cared for her. It was too late to do so now.

I shook my head. "When it comes to you and family, love doesn't exist."

"Meaning?" Kiera was now wandering around my room and lightly trailing her finger across the wooden desk set out to the right side of my room. Her index finger left a small path where dust had collected over time, and the action seemed almost wrong coming from her.

"You have no emotion where family is concerned. Had you cared about our parents' death, you would have attended the funeral, perhaps even shed a few tears." My voice sounded harsh as I recalled the day of the funeral - the two black coffins containing the two most cherished people in my life. Watching their new homes descend into the ground was the hardest thing I had paid heed to. All the time, I had been aware of the dark presence floating over the scene like a bad omen, and I somehow wished that it had been Kiera's presence I felt. Instead, I was almost certain it had been the Fade attending the funeral.

Kiera's head turned to face mine, her eyes dark around the edges as she took on a tinge of black around her body. The unearthly glow appeared like a halo of darkness, enveloping her entire body and extinguishing any source of light her powers could find. The sensation of nails being lightly scraped across my body caused me to wince, and I glared at my venomous sister like she might truly bare fangs and leap for me. But, in the next second, her powers diminished into nothing, and her eyes returned to their normal shade of green - like she hadn't just threatened me.

"Trust me, when Mother and Father died, I grieved just as much as you did."

I smiled disbelievingly, the look almost a smirk. "I seriously doubt that. You never even left something behind for them to remember you by." My eyes were narrowed as I continued to stare at her frozen body. Kiera was half-turned towards me, but still facing the toy she had once possessed. Her eyes bore into my soul, I was sure.

A look of anger formed on her countenance, and her hands balled into fists at her sides. "Don't test me, sister. I marked you once - I can just as easily do so again." The malice in her voice wasn't as strong as it could have been, and I sensed a resignment in her composure - her shoulders slightly slumped and her eyes not as bright as they had been before. She looked withdrawn and weaker, as if she was guilty for what had happened to our parents.

"Mark me?" I asked, laughing at the sound of the word on my lips. "You didn't mark me - you battered and bruised me until I was barely alive. In fact, I'm almost positive you murdered me for a short space of time!"

Kiera smiled, the look wrong on her perfect face. It was a satisfied smirk as she recalled the night with perfect clarity, no doubt savouring the look of weakness on my face as she watched me crumple like ashes on the wind. "Yes, you were so easy to kill. I could have done so had I wished, but that would have ruined our little game now, wouldn't it?"

I frowned. "What game, Kiera? How is any of this a game?"

"One does not simply kill their target as soon as they encounter one another," murmured Kiera as she reached out and extracted her toy from its position on the shelf. Her emerald eyes roved over its perfect, furry body, and an adoring smile formed on her lips. "I remember this toy. He was my most cherished possession. For a while, at least."

I caught the remembrance in her tone - the way she darkened at the memory of that necklace she had so hungrily fought for. I should have taken it upon myself to burn the object, but found I had grown attached to it. Whether or not this was at the Fade's doing I was still unsure, but did it really matter? What harm could a necklace do to me when I possessed powers beyond my own understanding?

I cleared my throat and smiled sweetly towards the curious Kiera. "Yes, I remember that necklace so well. Do you?"

Kiera gave a slight nod, an emotion I had never encountered before suddenly flashing across her face. It was gone in a second, and I forgot it had ever been there. "Indeed, I do. It was a beautiful black necklace, shaped like a heart with small diamonds embedded down the middle, curving as if to shape half of the heart." She paused and cocked her head to one side, a slight frown creasing her forehead as she considered something. "Do you remember the outline of the beauty?"

"Yes," I whispered, glancing down at my hands folded neatly in my lap.

"I don't," murmured Kiera. Her tone sounded morose all of a sudden, and when I looked up at her, shock dawned on my face, stabbing me in the chest right where my heart was. A crack had formed in Kiera's facade, revealing a small amount of the previous Kiera. Sympathy flooded through me, and I wondered what it felt like to not recall something as simple as a necklace. Its importance was evident in how she held herself, a look of sadness removing her blank expression.

Silence fell over us for little over a minute, before I heard Kiera clear her throat and say, "Could you describe the outline to me?"

My head snapped up to hers for a second time, and a look of surprise formed on my face. I felt my mouth drop open, and worked to control those aching muscles. Kiera studied my reaction with the utmost scrutiny, a slight frown forming on her countenance as she bit her lip.

"I shouldn't be so weak right now," she said to herself, almost scolding. "I'm not sure where these emotions are coming from."

"Kiera?" I asked, searching the contours of her face for some sign of trickery. Was this another elaborate trap set to lure me in and attack me? "Is that really you?"

Upon my question, my sister glanced up at me and sighed, rolling her eyes as she did so. "Of course it is. I have always been Kiera. You suspect I am not due to the fact that the Fade now has possession of my body." She said it so calmly, like she honestly didn't mind knowing that small sliver of information. There was no horror or lie detected in her tone; it was even and almost sad.

"But...I thought..." I drifted off, not sure how to continue that sentence.

Kiera did. "You thought I would be fighting my way out, attempting to regain control of my body, didn't you?" She cocked a perfect eyebrow in mild amusement. "You always did consider me weak and incapable of controlling myself."

"But, in that dream you said-"

"I said what you wanted to hear," murmured Kiera, a sly smile forming on her rose-red lips as she chuckled, once again glancing down at the toy she had now set down on the shelf. "Really, did you seriously think I hadn't attended that gathering? I was forced into that...dream, shall we call it."

A pang of anger burned inside of me, a boiling furnace steadily rising inside of me as my anger ignited like the fiery pit of Hell. My chest rose and fell in gradual breaths, but I was seething with hatred for her. She had once again tricked me into believing she still existed as the sister I wanted. She was feeding me the lies I wanted to hear, yet stinging me every time she did so.

Satisfaction formed on her countenance as she propped one delicate hand on her hip, and stared at me full-on. Her emerald eyes flashed in amusement, and the glow of her eyes was almost blinding in beauty. "Mother and Father dragged me into that world of yours, posing as referees, almost. They gave us the facts, and let us continue the conversation from there. They thought I would somehow cave in and beg for mercy, repenting my sins and crying out for justice to be dealt. So I did - I pretended like I actually was that kind little girl again." Kiera's expression altered into something inhuman - something dark and cold, which thirsted for blood and vengeance. "Time to wake up, dear sister. The old Kiera is gone - killed by your hands - and a new one has taken her place. Me."

"Shut up!" I suddenly screamed, clapping my hands over my ears like a child and fighting against her words. Yet, still, she managed to slither into my mind like a serpent, her laugh echoing around me, unstoppable and unreachable. Her grin was evidence enough - she was telling the truth. I truly had lost the previous Kiera a long time ago, on the night of that incident. That was the last time I saw my kind-hearted sister.

"You never could handle the truth," laughed Kiera, her eyes dancing with victory as she walked around the bed and paused beside me, one of her hands reaching out to hold my own.

I slapped at her hand as she attempted to grab it, and said, "Get out! Get out now!"

"Oh, that's cute. You really think you have a choice in the matter." Her smile vanished and she bent down so that we were on eye-level. "But this is my game, and we play by my rules. And I don't like being cheated out of victory...so we're going to start again. This time, however, you will die."

Before I could utter a single sound, Kiera reached out and wrapped her hand firmly around mine, squeezing until I had to fight back a cry of agony. It was like an untameable fire had leaped up my arm and swallowed my flesh whole, burning it off bit by bit, chomping on skin and grinding it around its fiery teeth. The pain was immense, but I ground my teeth together and bit back the desire to wreath on the bed.

The air around us stilled, the curtains, which had been flapping moments before, now remained still in the position they had been in - mid-flap across the room. Dust motes which had been disturbed during the removal of objects by Kiera were suddenly frozen in the air, their tiny little bodies decorating the room like stars. They began to glow like stars, too. At first, it was just a minor glow - one I would have never picked up on had Kiera not gestured to them. Yet the moment my blue eyes focused on one, I saw them all, each one lit up like a dazzling jewel, whispering to me and sharing their stories.

Voices swirled around us as I was consumed by the light. It was gradually increasing in brightness, yet I didn't feel the need to shade my eyes from it. There was no damage inflicted upon me, and when I glanced towards Kiera, I noticed the grim smile on her face. She was creating this blinding light - one which brightened the entire room to the brink of blinding me.

 From life to death, we all must Fade, chanted that same song, over and over again. A woman was singing it, her voice pure and sweet. Yet more voices chimed in, each on growing louder and louder until it was a harmony of voices, each one containing a shred of emotion to their tones. Each person full of some sort of torment or agony - and it hurt me as well.

Each word sung was like a stab to my body, drawing blood from invisible wounds and causing my face to twist into a grimace. Kiera's hand tightened in my own, preventing me from placing my hands over my ears, cancelling out their morose song.

No one escapes the hands of the Fade.

The entire room began to glow with an other-worldly light, calling upon anything it could find and blinding me with its burning intensity. By my side, my sister remained impassive, as if she was immune the light which blazed before us, consuming my room and enveloping us in a halo of light. I wanted it to end, but it seemed that with every passing second the intensity of the heavenly light grew, growing more and more brighter by the second.

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

Kiera began to hum along to the tune, and it was then that I realised that she could hear it too. She smiled warmly as the song repeated itself around us, each word sung by a female voice with different voices echoing after her. They were almost whispering as they fluttered around me - echoing inside and outside of my head, it felt as if the words reverberated off of every hard surface they could find. Nowhere appeared safe from their voices, and I somehow wished I could end it, attacking the voices with anything possible.

The Fade will welcome them to our land.

The light expanded across the room, enveloping everything in its hold until there was nothing left to see but white. It consumed the world before me leaving me standing in nothing but a world of endless purity. Kiera was beside me, but in her true form. My eyes roved over her now altered body, and focused on the wings protruding from her back, looking almost ethereal in their likeness to fairies and angels. Of course - Kiera was nothing like angels or anything pure. She was tainted by the Fade; the one race I wanted to see out of my life.

Kiera's body was encased in the same black suit as before. Her head, hands and feet were excluded from the fabric, and she wore knee-high boots which had buckles on them. They reminded me of hunting boots, used for people about to go travelling. The notion amused me as it was so absurd. Why would Kiera wear them unless...

My face paled, and I gaped at my twin like she had protruded horns as well. It wouldn't have been a surprise considering how corrupt she was, but still... "Where are we heading, Kiera?" I demanded, afraid to hear her answer for fear it would bring me down like shattered glass.

A sly smile formed on her lips, and she glanced at me with an unknown emotion dawning on her countenance. "Why? Are you afraid it won't be up to your standards?" There was more of the malice in her voice this time, and she clenched her jaw tightly, fighting back the urge to rip me to shreds right then and there.

I decided to play along, and said, "Of course. Jane and I have always been treated like royalty, why should this be any different?"

Kiera chuckled, the sound wrong coming from something so...cruel. "Oh, how I've missed your sarcasm, sister. But, alas, it won't be here much longer." She gave me a side-long glance and said, "Then again, nor will you soon enough."

"Meaning?" I asked with gritted teeth, my hands balling at my sides and my stomach overturning in flips, every ounce of my being shaking with combined anger and fright. Part of me wanted to fling myself at her and attack the girl who was related to me, yet another half wished this had never happened and that we were still those two little girls from my past.

Where had the good days gone? Why had fate altered everyone and everything around me?

"Meaning that when it comes to games and winning, I always end up the last person standing."

I snorted. "You mean the last monster standing," I rectified, smiling in satisfaction when she let out an irritated hiss from her lips.

"Tease me as much as you want, Terra. Nothing can or will save you now. It's almost time." Her voice had transformed into something venomous. With each word she uttered, it felt as if I had been injected with poisonous venom. It raced through my veins like a wildfire, flaring hot and true all around my body, and poisoning me with every beat of my heart. Alas, while I attempted to concentrate on not shaking with fear, this venom was spreading across my body, and reaching for my heart, where it would embrace it like old friends and eventually suck the life from me.

I would be a shell of the girl I was, where the Fade would then pluck my soul from my body and leave it to wander. They would shatter my body into a thousand pieces, and cast my soul into a state of drifting. I was sure my parents had withheld information on what the experience would be like, and I could assume it would be painful. Having ones soul torn from their body was bound to hurt - I knew little of what it would actually be like, and could only hope it was quick and as painless as possible.

"Time for what?" I asked, glancing towards my sister with curiosity, aware of her wings beginning to flap to an unknown beat.

A cruel smile formed on her blood-red lips, and just as the world came into focus, revealing a forest shadowed by something far more sinister, Kiera said, "Time for you to die," and she leaped into the air, mustering all her strength and power - conjuring an unknown darkness forth to consume her body with an unearthly glow - and launched this shockwave of power towards me.

It was too late to move out of the way or say anything, because in the next second a wave of pain had shot through my body, electricity shooting up my arms and legs, burning me alive. I cried out, only to collapse to the ground and hear the sound of beating wings fill my ears, accompanied by the soft voice of an angel urging me to get up and fight.

Pain shot through me like I had never felt before, causing every intake of breath to bring a bout of fire into my lungs, further damaging me. My body was wreathing in agony, and all I could do was choke and gasp for precious air, aware of the laughing form of Kiera so close to me now. Her hands were reaching out for me, prepared to wrap around my throat like so many years before, and strangle me to death; depriving me of oxygen.

The angel continued to scream commands at me and, rather than ignore it like I had done so many times before, I acknowledged it and mustered all the energy I had left. A glowing sensation washed over my body, invisible but there, consuming me body and soul, and gracing me with an unknown power. Strength returned to me, followed swiftly by the burst of adrenaline to my body, forcing me to jump back to my feet and face my sister, opposing her for the first time.

And rather than flee like I would have done before, I prepared myself for what could be a fight to the death.