The wind picks up, her luscious locks dance, the onyx strands astray. Pale moonlight shines above, illuminating her soft facial features. A meadow surrounds us, its deep crimson flowers flutter in the breeze, the petals slowly opening. Her eyes widen, tears threatening to spill as a piercing sob escapes her chest. 

“Samara!” My sister’s manicured nail pokes the center of my forehead, her nasally voice follows. “You’re always zoning out, are you like slow or something?” I roll my eyes, glancing down at the unfathomable equation on the crumpled sheet in front of me. Inhaling, I focus on the rise and fall of my chest. I once read in a book to focus on breathing when frustration overcomes you.  Eliana sighs, pulling out the chair next to me. “You know all my insults are out of love. Right?” The corner of her mouth turns up in a slight smile. Her fingertips glide over the paper, gently turning it towards her. Eliana’s sapphire orbs light up, as she eagerly snatches the pencil out of my grasp. “Now what would you do without me, Mara?” She gives the problem a once over, effortlessly answering it. I mumble a small 

“Thank you.”, unzipping my backpack. My older sister slightly frowns, her brows furrowing together. 

“I know I can’t replace mom, but if you-” I cut her off, stuffing the homework into my bag. 

“I’ve never even met her. Let alone seen a picture.”

Suddenly, the front door slams, a picture frame topples off the wall, shattering. My aunt’s heavy footsteps echo through the empty hallway, the floor creaking under her weight. Eliana forcefully grabs my hand, dragging me to our shared bedroom. She gazes into my wide eyes, tucking a rogue piece of hair behind my ear. “Don’t  come out until I tell you.” I reach for her arm, my grasp slipping as she rushes away, quietly locking the door behind her. 

“Where’s that bratty little sister of yours?” I place my ear against the cold mahogany, the muffled voices growing louder. The kitchen faucet turns on, dishes clash in the sink.

“She hasn’t gotten back from school yet.” There’s an eerie pause in the conversation, Aunt Lydia sighs, her feet shuffling against the kitchen tile. 

“Hmmm… So why is her book bag under the kitchen table?” The color drains out of my face, a feeling of dread stirring within my stomach. I slide down the door, bringing my knees to my chest. 

“I don’t know… maybe she forgot it.” Eliana nervously blurts, her breathing shallow. 

I reach for the knob, the frigid metal slick against my sweaty palms. The rusting hinges groan as the door slowly opens. Aunt Lydia gives a bitter laugh, steadily nearing Eliana’s small frame. 

“Don’t lie to me girl.” She draws in a long breath, her expression hardening. My sister cowers beneath her gaze, studying the stains on her aged canvas sneakers. “Look at me.” Eliana lifts her head, making eye contact with my aunt for a moment. Eyes wide, she beckons me to go back into hiding. Lydia’s head jerks in my direction, her jaw clenched tightly. She storms over to me, roughly seizing hold of my shoulder. My body numb, as I'm hauled to the kitchen table and pushed into a chair. Lydia stares down upon me, her lips curled into an icy scowl.

“ You’re just like your mother! A useless waste of space!” She holds up her index finger shoving it between my creased brows. I close my eyes, my head heavy .“At least she had enough sense to leave you , two children!” 

A storm brews in the distance, the clouds swirling with anticipation. The haunting tune of nightingales in the surrounding forest comes to an abrupt halt. She falls to the ground, reaching to the heavens as if they’d answer her very prayers. Her eyes shut tightly, the woman rocks back and forth. I slowly inch closer, careful not to disturb the bloom of the field. My sneakers sink into the rich soil, a pulse coursing through my veins. It seems as if the meadow is alive, with every inhale of the woman, the sky darkens. A muffled scream transpires through her parted lips, her hands clutch the inky earth. The clouds part, downpour violently seeping into fresh earth. Tears steadily run down her cheeks, a small pool forming in her lap. I extend my palm, gently resting it against her porcelain skin. The woman shudders, her long lashes flutter open, unveiling deep blue eyes. Her beauty, mesmerizing, bright orbs sparkling like the stars above. Recognition clouds my features, 

“Mom?” I choke back a sob, my knees giving out beneath me.

 Tenderly, I wipe away a single tear, she exhales, relaxing. The thunder quiets, raindrops ceasing just as fast as they started. Her delicate lips curve into a shaky smile, a gift crafted by the gods by themselves. I clamber to my feet, slowly backing away from her. 

“You left!” I croak, unsteadily. She hastily rises, shuffling forward a few steps. My mother shakes her head, her lower lip trembling. “How could you leave without us?” Mom frowns, reaching to unclasp the crimson beaded necklace. My expression softens, searching for a trace of deceit upon her face. She places the piercing jewelry in my palm, gently closing it. 

Eliana opens the freezer, removing an ice pack. She rolls up the sleeve of my tee, revealing the angry bruises left by Lydia. I grimace, biting my lower lip. Muffling the noises of anguish emerging from deep within. A comfortable silence embraces us, as she treats the plum welts. My sister sighs,

“You spaced out again.” I hiss, jerking away in anticipation of the pain to come. 

“I know. Where’d Lydia go?” 

“ I don’t know. She said she needed a drink after dealing with this.” She motions to both of us, huffing to herself. With a groan, I warily rise to my feet, unrolling my damp sleeve.

“What are you doing? We need to get rid of this bruise before someone sees.” The cold tile sends shivers down my spine as I shuffle towards Lydia’s bedroom. Eliana is quick to follow, “Do you have a death wish or something?” I glance into her eyes, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

“ There’s something I need to find.” She paces back and forth, anxiously running a hand through her inky black hair. Her voice cracks, desperately.

“Please don’t go in there.” 

“ I have to… I need to see what really happened.” Eliana’s studies my expression, her unkempt eyebrows drawn together. 

“ What happened with what...?” She pauses, a look of realization appearing on her face. “With mom?” Nodding slowly, I open the door to Lydia’s bedroom. “There’s nothing to it Samara! She left to start over.” I creep into the unfamiliar room, hurriedly searching through the wardrobe. 

“That’s not true and you know it.” The wardrobe only holds Lydia's stench-ridden socks. Eliana sucks in a harsh breath,

“ For crying out loud, you didn’t even know the woman!  She left before you could even talk.” I pull up the bed skirt, pulling dirty laundry, candy bar wrappers, and other miscellaneous things out. 

“But you did! You told me stories about her.” A gasp escapes my lips as my hand glides over an aged leather-bound journal. I fish it out from under the wooden frame, hastily flipping through the pages. “ You said she was the most beautiful soul, that she truly loved us.” 

“It was all an act!” Eliana exclaims, her eyes glossed over. “Get that through your little head. If she really wanted us, she wouldn’t have taken us with her!” She storms out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Her voice echoes through the ancient house.“ If Lydia catches you, best believe I won’t be there to save you.” My index finger skims along the smudged ink, deciphering the illegible handwriting. A cry breaks the thick silence, I don’t realize that it's mine until it's too late. 

I will never forget the way Aurora begged for me to spare her life. The color drained out of rosy cheeks when I told her, she would never live to see her children again. I won’t be the shadow of my older sister anymore. 

A shadow nears the door, blocking the light pouring in from the hallway. The knob slowly opens, Lydia stands in the doorway, a menacing smirk on her face. Mom’s crimson necklace rests on her chest, sparkling in the artificial light. I scramble to my feet, backing away from Lydia’s overpowering build. Stumbling, my back slams against the icy bedroom wall. 

“Find what you were looking for?” She looms closer to me. 

“Please don’t hurt me. I won’t- no one has to know about mom.” I desperately plead. My aunt exhales, shaking a slender finger in my face. 

“ You know, I didn’t really think it through with Aurora.” She pauses, pressing a hand to my throat. Her dark eyes tainted with hatred, examine my every move. 

“ But I already have a plan for you… and then maybe… that sister of yours.” Her sweaty palm tightens around my vocal cords. Weakly, I claw , a strangled scream emerging from my throat. I can feel my life slipping away with every short breath. The edge of my vision darkens, a fuzzy haze clouding my thoughts. A screaming, blurry figure charges at Lydia, striking her over the head. She falls to the hardwood with a grunt, her deathly grip loosening on my throat. I crumble to my knees gasping for breath, Eliana embraces me, her soft voice trembling.

“ It’s okay now, we’re safe now.”