Just before they stepped into the room, the heavy smell of blood hit Lumen and Dulcis in a great wave. It was a rotting smell of some sort that which mixed with dried blood, fresh blood, and hours’ old dead flesh. Despair spread through Lumen like a plague. Did the only thing keeping her attached to this world—?

She rushed in, as quickly as lightning, to have her thoughts confirmed. There they were, her mom and dad and even her four-year-old sister lying stiffly on the floor, dead. The skin on their bodies was almost completely slashed off, as if someone had chopped at them with a machete. Their blood was everywhere. Pieces of their flesh were splattered all over the couch which sat quietly beside them. The carpet had once been a pure white but not anymore. It was like snow stained crimson red with blood.

A small laugh was heard nearby. When Lumen looked up, there a girl was, just as old as her. She wore a thick, long, white dress. Around her neck was the black yin part of the Chinese symbol for good and evil. On her head was a black band to keep her fluffy silver hair back. The girl’s eyes bore into her—dark red daggers stabbing at her soul. It wasn’t the fact that she was sprayed with blood that astonished Lumen most—it was how the girl looked exactly like her.

“My name’s Atra,” she said happily, as if being at the scene of a triple-murder wasn’t strange whatsoever, “nice to meet you, little sister.” The last couple of words were filled with darkness and malevolence. Lumen knew that this girl was evil—and when Lumen thinks something, it’s usually right.

Lumen also knew she was speaking the truth, since she was wearing the other half of the dark-light Chinese symbol. ‘This must be my lost twin sister…’ she thought. Suddenly Lumen felt a surge of rage. This girl, Atra, must have been the reason that Gauisis died and how Dulcis was born. Dulcis was so much like her dead sibling that it wasn’t even funny.

Gazing backwards, she saw Dulcis staring into the area and at Atra. An expression of shear terror was splashed across his face. ‘I guess that also means that that thing…’—Lumen glared at Atra with fiery eyes—‘must be Dulcis’s older sister.’

Atra started to walk towards them, an innocent smile showing more malice than was intended. It didn’t take long for Lumen to know what she was going to do.

“RUN!!!” she screamed, spinning around on her heels she darted out of the room, grabbed Dulcis, and headed for the door. Just as they reached it, Atra appeared in front of them. Taking one slash with her hand, Atra sliced open Lumen’s right arm just below the shoulder. It burned like a thousand fires and bled profusely.

Lumen circled around her to the door. They were locked in a deathly gaze, and Lumen didn’t dare break it. Dulcis tightened his grip on Lumen.

Just as Atra launched another attack, Lumen ripped open the door and shoved Dulcis out of the house.

She gave a hard cough into her hand, feeling the warm thick touch of her blood. Lumen’s hand wandered down to her stomach. Wincing in pain she glanced down. There was the shine of blood all over her. Atra had given her a fatal wound. Her side and stomach had been ripped open with one hack.