Ellora

Ellora might not seem suspicious in the least, but looks can never reveal the truth. Will a single event expose her past, or has it been forgotten for good reason?

Out in the woods:

Sitting in a completely normal restaurant, Ellora felt an inexplicable sense of danger, although she was merely waiting for her friend. Had her past finally caught up with her? Her mind began to ponder about what could possibly go wrong when a quick tap on the shoulder jolted Ellora back to the real world.

Tossing her uneasiness aside, she turned towards Teagan, who was giving her a smug look.

“What did you do this time?”, joked Ellora, chuckling at her friend's appearance. However, a face full of glitter didn't seem like a problem to Teagan Rivers, who looked completely unfazed.

“I might have glitter bombed myself”, she muttered to herself, averting her gaze.

“I'm not surprised”, said Ellora, stifling a laugh, “But why would you do that? Those sparkly things are hard to get rid of”, she stated, taking a bite from her sandwich.

“I meant to send it to my brother, but things got messy when he opened it right in front of me”, said Teagan, pointing at her face.

“Speaking of to-do lists and brothers, what about that trip you were going on?”, she questioned, taking a seat on the opposite side.

“Don't you have to wash your face?”, asked Ellora, gesturing towards Teagan’s face and the others at the restaurant, who were beginning to give her strange looks.

“That can wait”, her friend stated firmly, “but this is going to be your first break in years”, she exaggerated, pausing when she saw the waitress, who seemed to be amused by Teagan’s appearance.

“Yeah, I better wash my face”, said Teagan, heading towards the washroom, brushing past the confused waitress.

Ellora gave the waitress an apologetic look. “She's not always like this”, she assured the waitress, smiling sheepishly, who gave her a blank look in return, walking away.

Teagan returned a few minutes later, her face now resembling a human's. “You didn't answer my question”, she said, looking inquisitive.

“My brother's busy this week”, said Ellora, trying to hide the twinge of disappointment in her tone. Teagan’s face fell, distress evident on her face.
If only she could be as expressive as Teagan, who was crazy aand carefree.

“It's okay”, Teagan said, sympathising with her friend.
“Maybe having sleepovers and watching cheesy movies are better than kayaking or geocaching”, she gave her a helpful smile. She knew how Ellora loved adventure sports, but she wanted to make her feel better.

“I have other options on my list as well, like trying new recipes and doing a bunch of silly stuff that I'd rather not talk about”, Ellora grinned.

“Now that's something that I better know”, teased Teagan. “But be sure to only do the silliest ones”, she fake warned, “because the year is coming to an end”, she grinned.

All of a sudden, Ellora’s instincts jabbed a finger at the danger sign, although she couldn't understand why. All she knew was that she had to head home.

“I think I’ve got to go”, said Ellora, shifting in her seat. It sounded rude, but she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling inside her head. “I'll...call you later”, she promised, leaving a confused Teagan alone at the table as she hurried out of the restaurant and out into the streets.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Ellora that Teagan knew was nowhere in sight. She was now replaced by Scottie’s sister, who anxiously approached her house.
Her suspicions were only confirmed when she noticed the front door ajar, casting a sliver of light onto the asphalt below.
Finding the house completely empty, she walked into the backyard, hoping to find her brother there, but in vain.
The sky blushed purple, the darkness setting in with every ticking second. Ellora checked the time on her watch. It was still six p.m. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Perhaps someone had broken in, but there were no signs of anyone in the house.
She slowly turned towards the woods, wondering if he had gone there, staring at the fence that separated it from their backyard.

If she knew anything, it was this: the old Ellora was back.

             * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A cold gust of wind sent a shiver down her spine as she vigilantly trudged forward into the darkness of the woods. An eerie silence filled the atmosphere. Dry leaves crunched beneath her feet. She hesitated to move forward as she took in the view before her.
A feeling of dread settled over her as soon as she spotted the trail of blood. Biting her lip, she lumbered across a heap of leaves, unleashing the horror that stood before her.

She froze in her spot, opening her mouth to scream, but all that was heard was a feeble sob.

Her face felt numb, cold, and drained of blood. She sucked in for air, attempting to choke a sob, but her knees gave way and buckled. Tears welled in her eyes, rage burning through her veins. She couldn't hold it in anymore. She let out a guttural scream, pounding her fist on the damp ground.

"How could you?", she screeched into the void, calling out to the beast which had turned her world upside down. She knew who it was. But he was long gone. The silence of the night swallowed her screams. The only other sound she heard was her heavy breathing.

She knelt beside the figure on the ground."You were my only family left", she whispered to her brother's lifeless body. She cradled his head on her lap as she wept tears of pain, loss, and grief. She could almost imagine that he was asleep, if not for the large trail of scarlet that trickled down his throat, and the fact that he was never going to awaken from this slumber.

All that remained of him now were her memories. Her life was broken, like shards of glass - never to be whole again, and painful to the touch. Her hands began to tremble, unable to control the flood of emotions she was going through. Her fingertips turned icy cold, mirroring the cold body that lay on the ground.

His eyes, once bright and joyful, now stared at the starry sky, devoid of any signs of life. Her soul seemed to slip by; just as his had, but she had to survive. For him. Her sorrow was replaced by an  uncontrollable rage - a desire to bring an end to her misery and to avenge her brother's death.

As she took his hand in hers, she noticed a crumpled piece of paper in his hands. It was frayed at the ends; on the verge of being torn. She carefully prised it from his fingers and opened it, a smile forming on her lips.

You're next, Ellora.

It just made her job easier. She didn't have to decide what to do over the winter break. After all, she couldn't have spent more time hiding from her past self. If there was one thing she had to do on her bucket list, it was to avenge her brother’s death.

It was time to switch roles. Time to be the predator.

Author's Note

Was the dialogue realistic? Please let me know.