Arrival - Chapter 11

Kaida and Kiara zoomed down the racetrack, practically neck and neck with one another.

After three hard fought laps, neither had gained much ground over the other. Now, they were on the final lap, seemingly unable to break the deadlock.

“You know what would be great? If you went off the course and crashed.”

Kiara giggled. “As much as I like that idea, let’s put a pin in it for now, shall we?”

She swerved her car to hit Kaida, but Kaida dodged it in time. “Hey!”

“There’s no prize for second place, and honour is for the weak!”

They got halfway around the track when Kiara took a turn too sharply.

Her car nearly came off the track, but she was able to get it back under control. Unfortunately, she had lost a lot of speed when her car went out of control, allowing Kaida to pull in front of her.

There wasn’t a gigantic gap between them, but it was more than enough for Kaida to win.

“I’ll see you at the finish line!” Kaida taunted, turning her wheel sharply to the right on the curve.

She checked behind her and Kiara was still close and gaining speed. Kaida stepped down even harder on the pedal, intent on gaining even a little bit more speed to increase the gap between them.

Kaida snapped her wheel to the left and her car swung around the corner, and grinned when she saw the finish line.

I can do this!

Then, Kiara made her move.

She slammed her car into Kaida’s on the turn, sending Kaida flying off the course and into a ditch.

“No!” Kaida cried as Kiara let out an evil laugh. “You bitch!”

“Victory is all that matters!”

Can I still catch up to her? Kaida asked as she respawned, but it was too late.

You lose, the machine said and Kaida’s heart sunk.

“No,” she whispered.

“Ohoho,” Kiara laughed, puffing out her chest. "Bow down, peasant, for you are nothing compared to the queen.”

“Damn it!”

***

Kiara and Kaida had been shopping in the leisure centre when Kaida made her foolish bet.

“What did you have in mind?”

“One race on that game and the loser buys lunch.”

Kiara let out a low purr. “Very well.”

Kaida had been crushed and forced to buy Kiara a large meal at a fast-food restaurant.

“Why’d I make that stupid bet?”

“You’re the one who challenged me to it, so don’t moan,” Kiara teased, poking Kaida’s cheek. She pouted and Kiara giggled softly.

“Hey, Kaida, can I ask you something? You’re in love with Eric, right?”

Kaida choked on her drink after being completely caught off guard.

“How did you know?” Kaida asked, sounding genuinely shocked.

“You’re surprised? Kaida, I hate to tell you this, but it’s so incredibly easy to tell just by looking at how you act with him.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Kaida’s cheeks reddened and she sunk a little into her seat. “Was it really that obvious?”

“If that’s what you think subtle is, I would love to know what you call obvious.”

“B-But, if it was that obvious, why hasn’t Eric ever asked me how I feel?”

“Because Eric’s as dense as a blackhole when it comes to things like this, although.’” Kiara hummed and leant back in her chair. “That might not be a fair assessment.”

“What do you mean?”

“I imagine that he’s convinced himself that you wouldn’t like him that way and that he might have read too much into it and ruin your friendship.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Do…do you think he sees me as a good friend or as a potential girlfriend?”

“Both.”

Kaida looked dejected and sighed. “That doesn’t help.”

“It’s true, though. I’m sure if you confessed to him though, he’d respond in kind.”

“Really?”

“Really. So, cheer up.” Kiara smiled. “If Eric doesn’t want you, then I’ll gladly have you as a girlfriend?”

“Huh?”

Kaida’s face became completely red and Kiara burst out laughing.

“Kaida, you make cuter faces than Eric when I tease him,” she mused, wiping a tear from her eye.

“I think I’m starting to understand how Eric feels.”

“So, how long have you been in love with him?”

“Um, I don’t know how long exactly, but it’s been years.”

Kiara slammed her hands on the table and leant over it. “Years? Seriously?” Kaida nodded. “When did you first fall for him? What made you fall in love with him? Did he save your life? Were you lovers in a past life? Did he stand up for you when you were being bullied for being different from others? Did he pay off your parents’ debts to the mob?”

“Huh? Wait a minute-”

“Have you saved yourself for him?”

“Kiara!”

Kiara giggled as Kaida angrily swiped at her, but she easily dodged. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“God, don’t ask things like that in public.”

“Sorry, but you’re just too much fun to mess with,” Kiara purred. “Hey, if you’ve loved him for so long, why haven’t you ever told him? I mean, you must have had a lot of chances to, right?”

Kaida’s expression turned distant and she looked away from Kiara. “A lot of things happened, I guess.”

I shouldn’t pursue that any further, Kiara noted in her mind.

“Then, what is it you like about Eric?”

“Huh? W-Well, if I had to answer, I’d say…everything.”

“Cop out.”

“What?!”

Kiara shook her head from side to side, disappointed with Kaida’s weak answer. “Saying everything doesn’t cut it for me. What I want to hear are specifics, like his looks, his personality, was it something he did, you know, stuff like that.”

“Why do you want to know all of this?”

“Huh?” It was Kiara’s turn to be taken back by a question. “Because it’s interesting?”

Kaida wasn’t convinced.

Is it possible that she also…? Kaida started to think and, the second she though that, she had to ask Kiara the question.

“Kiara, what do you think about Eric?”

Kiara raised an eyebrow. “I take it you don’t mean if I think we’re friends, right?” Kaida didn’t say anything and Kiara let out a small sigh, leaning back in her seat. “There’s no need to make that face. I don’t feel that way about Eric.”

“But…you always act like that around him.”

“Like what?”

“I mean, you always act so friendly and flirty towards him.”

“That’s just me being me,” Kiara said. “I only act like that towards people I’m close to and.” She smirked. “He’s very fun to tease.”

“I know this might come across as a bit bitchy and intrusive, but why do you think you’re close to Eric?”

Kiara smiled a little. “You were right. That was a bit bitchy.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I just feel that way because he accepted me for who I was when a lot of other people didn’t. That’s all.”

Kiara continued to sip from her drink and Kaida looked at her with a slightly sad expression on her face.

“I told you not to make that kind of face,” Kiara told her, taking Kaida’s hand in hers. “I know why you’d be a bit worried by my behaviour, but I promise you it isn’t what you’re worried about.”

“Thank you, and I’m sorry,” Kaida said, smiling a little.

“I told you, it’s fine. Anyway, now that we’re done here.” Kiara leapt up and offered Kaida her hand. “Shall we keep going?”

***

Eric strolled around the Ferris grounds humming softly.

He was looking for a good place outside to sit and read the book Kasmine had lent him: The Realms of Existence.

However, he soon discovered that it’d be difficult to find a quiet place to sit as there were people everywhere on the site.

Then, an idea hit him.

He went into the park surrounding the lake and walked past the various people sitting around benches, talking, eating or studying together, to the tree where he had first met Laila.

No one was sat within thirty metres of it.

“It’ll work.”

Eric sat down, rested his back against the tree and started to read.

Since coming to Ferris, Eric hadn’t had any chance to be by himself and read, something which he had found more difficult to cope with than he expected.

God, I missed this.

No imminent danger, no teasing from Connor or Kiara, and no lessons with Sapphire today. Finally, a full day where I can just read!

As he slowly began immersing himself within the novel, he felt someone watching him from nearby.

Eric turned and screamed, nearly jumping up into the air, when he found someone looking over his shoulder.

“What are you reading?” Laila asked, titling her head to get a better view on the pages.

“Jesus, don’t scare me like that. You should’ve said something.”

“I did. You didn’t respond.”

“Really?” Laila nodded. “How long have you been there?”

“I just got here.”

“I-I see. So, what are you doing here?” Laila brought up her hands and showed Eric the book which she had brought. “You came here to read as well.”

Laila nodded. “I like reading.”

“Just so I know, you didn’t follow me here, right?”

“No. I scouted this spot out during the first week.”

“I thought you said you were observing people.”

“Multitasking.”

“…Right.”

“If I’m bothering you, I can go.”

“No, it’s fine,” Eric quickly said. “You can stay and read your book, just, you know, try not to scare the living crap out of me.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Laila turned and leant back against the other side of the tree and opened her book.

Eric smiled slightly and turned back to reading his own book.

“Non-fiction or fiction?” Eric asked.

“Fiction. You?”

“Non-fiction.”

“Is that what you usually prefer?”

“I prefer epics.”

“Like Gilgamesh?”

“Yeah. Have you read it?”

“No. If you say it’s good though, then I’ll give it a read.”

“It’s a bit difficult to read,” Eric said. “And I don’t want to feel like I’m forcing you to read it.”

“No problem. I want to see what kinds of books you like, so I have more I can talk to you about.”

Eric’s cheeks turned slightly red and he smiled slightly. “What kind of books do you like?”

***

“So, what do you think about Ajax?” Connor asked as he and Evony walked along the streets of Imperial.

“That he’s a very honest person,” Evony replied.

“And?”

“And that he’s an idiot. And that he’s a pervert who tries to get into my skirt whenever I talk to him.”

“And you don’t like that?” Evony glared at him. “Understandable.”

“What about you? As the other idiot of our team, what do you think about your partner in crime?”

“Hey, don’t lump me in with him,” Connor said. “He’s a good friend, but he really needs to learn not to be so honest with his thoughts.”

“Couldn’t agree more. Still, do you think he’ll learn?”

“Well, given how many times he’s tried to ask you guys out and still doesn’t understand how his ‘compliments’ aren’t compliments, I wouldn’t hold out much hope.”

“Maybe we’ve just got to tell it to him straight. You know how some people don’t get things unless you tell it to them directly? Maybe he’s an extreme version of that.”

“Man, I can’t help but pity the guy, especially when Jasmine scowls at him so much. I’d hate to be in his position and I would try my best to mend the situation as soon as possible.”

“He might not even realise it’s an issue, given how much of an idiot he is.”

“You might be right.”

“I feel so bad for him,” Evony said sadly.

“Me too,” Connor agreed.

“Um, could you two please not talk about me as if I’m not here?” Ajax meekly asked.

“Hey, we’re doing this for your benefit, so don’t act so ungrateful,” Connor said and Evony nodded in agreement. “You should be grateful that we’re being so honest with you and telling you all of this.”

“Really?”

“Why would you doubt our intentions?” Evony asked, before gasping and pretending to cry. “Is it because you hate us? Is that the reason?”

She mockingly whimpered and Connor went to comfort her, tutting at Ajax. “How could you make a girl cry? How could you?”

Ajax grunted and spun on his heel. “I’m going home.”

“Okay. See you later,” Evony and Connor said, increasing their pace.

“Oi! That’s not what you’re supposed to say!”

Evony and Connor smirked at one another, and then at Ajax.

“You guys suck,” Ajax mumbled, marching up to them and purposefully ramming his shoulder into Connor’s back.

“And yet you came back,” Connor mused.

“Because I thought we were going to a theme park and that I wouldn’t be receiving this abuse.”

“You know who you agreed to come along with, right?” Evony asked and Connor smiled, waving at Ajax. “It should’ve been obvious what would’ve happened.”

“I thought you only annoyed Eric.”

“Usually, you’d be correct,” Connor admitted. “However, as you can see, he is not here, texting him is a pain when he’s off reading somewhere, and you’re the easiest to annoy out of those in a close proximity to me.”

“Is that the reason why I don’t have to put up with this?” Evony asked. “So, if it was just us two, then-”

“I would annoy the shit out of you.”

Evony stared blankly at him. “Why on Earth am I friends with you?”

Connor smiled arrogantly and made a cool pose. “It’s because of my stunning looks and charming personality.”

Evony didn’t say a thing, but he knew that she was judging him on the inside.

“That was a joke. Unlike the antics of one Ajax over there.”

“I don’t act like that, do I?” Ajax asked and they both nodded back in unison. “Seriously?” They nodded again. “No wonder girls don’t like me.”

“And why one of them hates you so much,” Connor reminded him.

“I don’t know if I’d say Jasmine hates him,” Evony argued. “Hate’s such a strong word, after all.”

“What word would you use then?”

“Despises? Detests? Thinks is lower than the shit she steps on?”

“Hey, those are far stronger words than hate!” Ajax protested.

“Yeah, hate was too weak of a word and we needed something stronger,” Evony reasoned.

“Connor, are we almost there?” Ajax asked, almost as if he was begging him to end this.

They stepped around the corner and Connor smiled. “We’re here.”

The entrance to the park was shaped in the form of a large castle gatehouse, complete with watch towers and security guards dressed as knights.

As Connor had already paid for the tickets earlier, all they had to do was collect them and bypass the hour long wait to buy tickets at the gates. After picking them up, they easily strolled into the theme park and Ajax and Evony involuntarily let out a gasp in awe of the park.

Thousands of people were spread out across the spectacular and futuristic looking theme park. Across the lake in the centre of the park, they could see a drop tower ride which was over a hundred metres tall, and a gigantic steel rollercoaster whose screaming riders they could hear from the entrance.

Even though Ajax couldn’t even see half of the park from where he was, he knew that he wanted to go everywhere and see everything.

“Wow. This was almost worth all the abuse.”

“Abuse? How rude,” Connor said, pouting a little.

“I’ll be back in a sec,” Evony said, darting over to the toilet.

“Hey, Connor, just so I know, how much of what you said was true?” Ajax asked.

“All of it to an extent, but especially about the fact that you’re a bit too honest for your own good. And.” He smiled. “That you’re my good friend.”

“Do you treat all of your friends like this?”

“Of course. After all, can’t you see how much Eric and I enjoy me annoying him? It’s a sign of our unbreakable friendship.”

“Is that what that is?”

Connor chuckled and put his hands behind his head. “Hey, Evony and I only did that stuff to mess with you, and to help you realise why some of the girls aren’t your biggest fans.”

“Right, I’ll try to work on that.”

Connor nodded in approval. “Good. Now, with that all out of the way, let’s go and have a lot of fun today!”

“As long as you and Evony don’t mess with me anymore, I’m all for it!”

“I can’t make any promises!”

“What are you two yelling about?” Evony asked, re-joining them. “Actually, never mind. I can’t imagine it being anything that isn’t idiotic, so forget that I asked. So, what’s the game plan for today?”

“Obviously, we’re going on everything twice,” Connor told them.

“Eh, can we really manage that?” Ajax demanded.

Connor let out a low laugh and pulled out three tickets from his back pocket. “Behold! Fast passes that are good for the entire day and can be used unlimited times!”

“When did you buy those?” Evony inquired. “Actually, how can you afford that?”

“My parents are very generous with my allowance.”

“I didn’t know you were a rich boy,” Ajax said. “How comes you never mentioned it before?”

Connor shrugged. “Never a reason to. Anyway, shall we get to it?”

“Of course,” Evony said.

“Bring it on!” Ajax shouted.

“Then, let’s do this!” Connor cried.

***

Jasmine inspected her shotgun, carefully examining every nook and cranny.

“Looks good,” she said with a satisfied smile.

While everyone else was out of the house, Jasmine was spending the day in the living room doing maintenance on her equipment which she did every single week.

For a gunslinger like her, it was critical that her gear was always in the best condition or else she could risk a jam or malfunction in a real fight.

She slotted the shotgun back into her armour and then began work on her gauntlets, checking that the spring mechanism deployed her knives and pistols correctly.

Elthia let out a small laugh in her sleep and turned over on the sofa, nearly throwing herself off it.

“Careful,” Jasmine whispered, catching her and pushing her back onto the sofa.

Jasmine got up, fetched Elthia a blanket and gently put it over her.

“Honestly, she acts like such a baby in her sleep,” Jasmine said, stroking the blonde’s hair gently.

Jasmine frowned a little. Someone her age shouldn’t be acting like a child…she should be more mature and independent…but…it’s too soon, right?

If Jasmine suddenly sprung it on Elthia, that could crush her and, given Elthia’s young mindset, it could completely ruin their friendship.

“Maybe I should ask someone about it.”

If I did, then they’d discover the truth about us. Jasmine closed her eyes tightly. …I don’t want that.

Letting Elthia act like this for a little while longer won’t hurt, she convinced herself.

***

Stephanie Kaelyn rang the doorbell to Alexis’s house and waited patiently outside, bouncing a little in place.

She took out a small handheld mirror and checked that she didn’t look weird. Stephanie had short strawberry blonde hair and red eyes and, unlike Alexis, Stephanie had no special abilities or combat skills; she was a normal university student and not a warrior in training.

Alexis Amory and Stephanie Kaelyn had been best friends for years and had even gone to the same secondary school together, but, when Alexis had chosen to attend Ferris, Stephanie couldn’t follow her.

She didn’t have it in her to become a Guardian.

When she had received the phone call the day before from Alexis, practically demanding that Stephanie came over to visit, she could hardly refuse.

She had been quite surprised that she was even allowed to visit Ferris, but Alexis had reassured her that it was fine as she’d received permission from the Headmistress.

Stephanie put the handheld mirror back in her pocket and glanced behind her at the student houses. Still, this place really is amazing, she thought. It really doesn’t feel like a place for training Guardians.

The door burst open and Alexis leapt at Stephanie.

“Steph!” She called, leaping on top of her and tightly wrapping her arms around her. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’d missed you right up to this moment,” Stephanie said, struggling to breathe.

“Ah, sorry.” Alexis loosened her grip but Stephanie hugged her back, stopping her from breaking it off.

“I’ve missed you, too.”

Alexis and Stephanie both smiled and slowly parted from one another.

“Please, come in!”

Stephanie strolled in and Alexis followed her swiftly inside, closing the door behind her. When she walked into the house, she couldn’t help but let out an amazed gasp.

The house was bigger on the inside than Stephanie’s own house in the city, and it was filled with the latest and most powerful utilities and machines in the country.

“Jesus, this place is insane. They really do spoil you guys, don’t they?”

“Stephanie, I’d like you to meet some of my teammates,” Alexis said, dragging her into the living room where three others were waiting. “This here is Kilian.”

Kilian was wearing a smart shirt and trousers with an unzipped jacket on his shoulders, and he was wearing dark glasses.

“Nice to meet you,” Stephanie said, offering her hand.

Then, she saw his white cane and felt guilty.

“There’s no need to look at me like that,” Kilian told her, taking her hand in his.

“Ah, sorry.”

“It’s fine. Everyone does it, even if they don’t mean to. You end up getting a little used to it, especially if it’s a daily occurrence.”

“Isn’t that difficult?”

Kilian shrugged. “When you’ve never had eyesight, it’s hard to miss it.”

“Don’t be overly conscious of it, he’s saying,” Alexis interjected. “Just treat him like you would any other friend.”

“Okay.”

How did he know what expression I was making? She wondered.

“The arrogant git over there is Sera.”

“Don’t call me that!” The boy in question shouted. “My name is Serafin. Sera-fin.”

“Like I said, Sera.”

Serafin was dressed in a freshly cleaned suit and matching boots, a mannequin mask was tied to the side of his head, and he was wearing gloves.

Everything he was wearing was a clean white colour.

Stephanie had to admit that he was quite handsome with his short blonde hair and green eyes, although the arrogant smile on his lips immediately put her off of ever considering him as a potential boyfriend.

“Why don’t you like people calling you Sera?” Stephanie asked.

“Because it sounds like you’re calling me Sarah and that’s not my name. Also, I know that the others do it just to annoy me, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t join them.”

“Understandable. Nice to meet you, Sera.”

“What did I just say?”

Kilian, Stephanie and Alexis shared a good laugh, while Sera looked on in disdain.

“And, finally, the girl over there is Hadarah,” Alexis said.

Curled up off to one corner of the sofa reading from a thick book, and covered from head to toes in clothes, leaving only her eyes visible, was Hadarah.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Stephanie.” However, Hadarah didn’t even look up at her. “Um, did I do something wrong?”

“Hadarah’s always like that,” Alexis told her. “If you hang around her long enough, then she’ll start to open up to you a bit, so don’t mind her.”

“Ah, okay.”

I know I shouldn’t ask but I wonder what she looks like under all those clothes.

“How have you been, Alexis?”

“I’ve been great. I’ve made some good friends, learnt a lot from my lectures and combat practice is actually quite a lot of fun,” Alexis excitedly replied.

Kilian laughed. “I don’t think combat training is meant to be fun though.”

“Hey, it’s not like it’s a real fight. We can enjoy it if we want, right, Sera?”

“Please stop calling me that,” Serafin groaned. “As long as we gain some valuable experience from it, I don’t think it matters if we have fun whilst we train.”

“I suppose, but we shouldn’t be in this business for the thrill,” Kilian reminded them.

“Anyway, that’s enough of that conversation!” Alexis cried. “I didn’t invite Steph all the way here for us to bore her with this kind of talk.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I do.” Alexis pouted a little. “I haven’t seen you in so long and I want to spend the day having fun with you.”

“Alex…”

“In that case, Stephanie, do you like videogames at all?” Kilian asked.

“Yeah, why?” She asked back.

“Well, what do you say to a group tournament in a fighting game?”

“That sounds like fun!” She cut herself off and looked at Kilian and winced. “But you wouldn’t be able to-”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Alexis interjected. “Kilian might be blind, but he’s great at videogames. And.” Alexis grunted and pointed her thumb at Serafin. “He’s far better than Sera.”

“Don’t call me that and it was beginners’ luck!” Sera shouted as he jumped onto his feet. “And I went easy on him given his condition.”

“I’ve been playing the game for the last two years, you challenged me, and I stomped you into the dirt.”

“That’s not how it went!”

“Oh, then prove it.” Kilian grinned. “Fight me again and prove to everyone here that you can beat me.”

Serafin knew that he was being set up and that, regardless of if he played the game or not, he would be mocked. He snorted, puffed out his chest and proudly stated, “I’ll easily beat you, Kilian.”

“Oh, he’s so going to lose,” Stephanie whispered to Alexis and both girls laughed quietly together.

***

Sat alone on the rooftops of Imperial, was a figure.

She was crouched on the side of a rooftop, looking through the eyes of her mask at the pedestrians walking beneath her.

She was a hunter searching for her prey.

It didn’t matter who, but it had to be someone who was heading to a location where they would be easy to kill.

Someone who takes a dark alley as a shortcut to get to work, a university student living alone that was heading back to their house or flat, or, ideally, a group of people going somewhere easy to kill them all.

The figure’s attention was drawn to a mother who was walking home with her daughter, holding her hand in one hand and a large shopping bag in the other. The bag was filled with food and the woman looked exhausted.

They were heading back to their home and were prime prey.

The hunter followed her prey discreetly from the rooftops all the way to their house in the suburbs.

Once they were inside, the figure jumped off her rooftop and onto theirs.

She drew a large kitchen knife from behind her back and swung down onto the balcony.

***

“How are you this good at this game?” Serafin shouted, furiously mashing buttons on his controller.

“Hehe, impressive, isn’t it?” Killian taunted, hitting his buttons in a perfect rhythm to unleash a deadly combo on Serafin’s character.

“You can’t even see the damn screen.”

“Not with my eyes, at least.”

“That’s not how your powers work and you know it!”

Serafin’s character was defeated, causing him to howl in anger and Kilian to laugh evilly at his friend’s defeat.

“You’re still too weak to take me, young one,” Killian said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“You lost to a blind person at a fighting game?” Alexis asked in disbelief. “That’s impressive in its own right.”

“Shut up, I still beat you!” Serafin cried.

“Yeah, because you can button mash faster than I can.”

Everyone on the sofas laughed together and Stephanie relaxed back into it, wiping away a tear.

“Oh my God, that was awful, Sera,” Stephanie teased.

“Don’t call me that! I might have lost to Kilian-”

“Who, in theory, you couldn’t have possibly lost to,” Alexis mused.

“But I could still take you.”

“Oh, is that so?” Stephanie asked, smiling. She held out her hand. “Kilian, the remote.”

Kilian effortlessly tossed the controller to Stephanie and she sat down closer to the screen.

“Why not make things more interesting?” Alexis offered before they started.

“What did you have in mind, Leader?” Kilian asked slyly.

“If Stephanie wins, Serafin has to do whatever she wants for the rest of the day.”

“And if I win?” Serafin asked.

“We won’t hold any of your countless crushing defeats against you.”

“Hey!”

Everyone except Serafin laughed again. Even Hadarah let out a quiet laugh.

“That sounds good to me,” Stephanie said.

Serafin let out a long sigh. “Fine. It’ll be easier.”

A minute later, Serafin’s character was dead and Stephanie’s still had half of its health.

“Just give it up.” Kilian pat Serafin on the back.

“Shut up,” Serafin muttered.

“Right, which of your weakling’s is next?” Stephanie asked.

“I’ll be your opponent,” Kilian offered.

“Fine, but don’t think I’ll go easy on you.”

“I would’ve been angry if you did.”

***

Tom walked into his house and locked the door behind him.

He hung up his coat and let out a long sigh, rubbing his brow. Even though it was early in the afternoon, his house was submerged in darkness.

“Honey?”

Nothing.

Slightly scared, Tom flicked the light switch in the hall, but the lights didn’t turn on.

They didn’t even flicker.

“Shannon?”

He took a few steps forward and his foot landed in a pool of liquid, causing Tom to jump in surprise.

“Shannon!”

He was about to run into the house, but he stopped himself when he imagined the worst-case scenario.

Slowly, and carefully, Tom walked back towards the door, one hand reaching for the handle and the other to his phone.

Tom anxiously dialled in 999 but didn’t ring it there and then.

If he was wrong and he wasted police time, he would be in trouble with both them and his wife. He cleared his throat loudly as his free hand wrapped around the handle.

Maybe his wife hadn’t heard him.

Perhaps she was in the shower or asleep, or out shopping.

Maybe it was as something as simple as that.

Then, he remembered the puddle that he had stepped in.

If it was a water leak, then Shannon would have been dealing with it and would have called a plumber.

If it was blood-

“Daddy,” a soft voice called, easing Tom’s nerves.

He smiled as his fear evaporated from his heart. “Hi, sweetie, I’m home. I didn’t know you were home yet. Where’s mummy?”

“Upstairs.”

Tom let out a sigh of relief and relaxed back against the door. “Sweetie, where are you?”

“Over here.”

The lights flicked on for a second and there she stood, staring at him from the staircase. Her ginger hair in a ponytail, and she was wearing her white dress with red spots on.

Tom did a double take. She didn’t own a dress with red spots on it.

His wife certainly didn’t and, even if she did, Sophie would never have been able to fit into it.

“Did mummy say if there was something wrong with the electricity?”

His daughter didn’t reply.

Then, she began to hum softly a nursery rhyme.

“Sweetie?” Tom stuttered, his finger twitching over the call button on his phone. “Sweetie, where’s mummy?”

Sophie’s hums grew louder.

Tom gritted his teeth and slammed his finger on the call button.

At least, he would have.

A kitchen knife flew at his hand, severing two of his fingers.

Tom howled in pain as the phone slipped through his bloody grasp.

In a panic, he tried to open the door but another knife impaled itself into his hand.

Tom screamed and stumbled backwards, slipping in the pool of blood and slammed his head against a wooden cabinet.

“Wh-What?”

The floorboards beside him creaked and his daughter giggled.

“Sweetie?”

“Bunny just wants to play.”

A figure jumped down from the top of his stairs and landed beside him. She was tall, had long black hair, and was wearing a blue hoodie and jeans, with a bloodied white bunny mask on her face.

Tom’s daughter appeared beside her.

“Bunny?” Tom muttered. The figure drew a knife from behind her back and placed it against Sophie’s throat. “Wait-”

“Bunny just wants to play,” Sophie whispered.

“What do you want from us?”

The woman titled her head and Sophie giggled.

“Bunny just wants to play,” Sophie repeated.

“Why won’t you say anything?!”

Sophie laughed loudly, and hauntingly.

The woman slit Sophie’s throat and let her blood pour out onto her hands.

Tom howled and lunged at her, but the figure kicked him in the chest, sending him flying into a nearby wall. He fell onto the floor and felt his strength leave him.

The figure pushed Sophie over to him and she fell face first onto the ground.

“Sophie…” Tom mumbled, shutting his eyes.

Sophie’s head snapped to glare at Tom, breaking her neck and she smiled, blood trickling through her lips. “Bunny just wants to play.”

A drop of blood fell onto Tom’s forehead.

Terrified, he opened his eyes and looked above him; there, hanging from a noose made of barbed wire, was a corpse, grinning at him.

“Shannon…”

“Bunny just wants to play,” they both called.

Shannon.

“Bunny just wants to play.”

Sophie.

“Bunny just wants to play.”

Why are you…?

“Bunny just wants to play.”

Why are you…?

The woman drew her knife once more and stabbed Tom through his eye.

“Bunny just wants to play.”

***

Stephanie pulled out her phone and let out a heavy sigh. “It’s this late already?”

“Oh, do you still have a curfew?”

“No, it’s just my dad’s home early enough for dinner and mum thought it would be nice if we all had a family meal together.”

“I didn’t know he was that busy.”

“After the attack in Russia, everyone at the Imperial branch has been working overtime to keep the company stable.”

Stephanie put down the game controller and stretched her arms high above her head. “So, on that note, let’s call it a day.”

“Aw,” Alexis said, pouting a little.

Stephanie giggled and grabbed Alexis’s cheek. “Don’t pull that face when you know I can’t resist it.” Alexis giggled happily. “I’ll come over to play next week, so look forward to it.”

The two of them walked to the door and Stephanie picked up her bag.

“I’ll walk you back to the station.”

“Alex, it’s like a ten-minute walk, I’ll be fine. If you’re really that worried, I’ll drop you a text when I get home, mum.”

“Sorry for being concerned.” Alexis pouted again and Stephanie brought her into a hug.

“I know you’re upset that we didn’t get to spend a lot of time together today, but I’ll come over to visit more,” Stephanie told her. “So, be a good girl and wait for me to come back, okay?”

“You really are my mum.” Stephanie pinched her cheeks and Alexis tapped on her arms. “Ow, I’m sorry.”

Stephanie released Alexis and the two girls smiled at one another. “I’ll give you a call later, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Bye, Alex.”

“Bye, Steph.”

***

As Stephanie walked home, she was busy on her phone, checking to see if she had missed any calls or texts from her parents or little sister.

After all, she was late and imagined that she would be coming home to angry parents and an upset sister.

“Nothing?” She mumbled, before locking her phone and pocketing it.

She walked up the stone steps into her two-story house, unlocked the door and walked in.

As soon as Stephanie entered her home, she could sense that something was wrong.

The blinds and curtains were all closed, the lights were off and it was dead silent. If her father was home, then her mother and sister would be very loud.

The fact that the house was as silent as the grave meant something had to be wrong.

Stephanie panicked and covered her mouth with her hands, nearly choking on the stench inside her house.

There was a distinct smell of blood in the air.

Terrified, Stephanie left her home in a rush and locked the door behind her. She began hyperventilating and walked backwards, but she slipped and fell down the steps, letting out a small scream.

“What’s going on?”

Even though she couldn’t see or hear a thing inside her home, Stephanie could feel that there was something wrong with her house.

She pulled out her phone, dialled 999 and waited anxiously for someone to answer it.

“Hello, emergency serv-”

“I need police officers right now at my house,” Stephanie whispered, backing further away from the house. “The address is 21 Cambridge Street. My parents and little sister are inside and I don’t know what’s happened to them?”

“Ma’am, I need you to explain what’s-”

“Please. Just send someone as soon as possible.”

Stephanie collapsed onto her knees and broke down in tears.

She was completely paralysed by her fear.

“Ma’am?” The operator said through the phone which Stephanie had dropped. “Ma’am, if you’re there, please answer. Ma’am!”

Stephanie looked at her house and saw someone staring at her through her own bedroom window.

The person was covered in blood and wearing a rabbit mask.

Stephanie held back a scream through gritted teeth and broke off into a sprint, not bothering to look behind her to see if she was being pursued, and not picking up her phone either.

***

“Ma’am?” The operator kept saying as people in the office began to panic. “Ma’am, talk to me!” She covered the mouthpiece. “Where are those officers?”

“Nearest one’s are two minutes away!” Someone told her. “The Guardians in the area are five minutes out!”

“Ma’am, if you can hear this, then please find somewhere to hide. Officers have been dispatched.”

The operator heard someone pick up the phone.

“Ma’am?” The operator nervously asked.

The person on the other end didn’t say anything.

“Who is this?”

After a few moments of silence, a soft voice simply said, “Bunny just wants to play.”

The operator felt the blood drain from their face, the telephone slipping out of their hands.

“No…”

***

Stephanie ran down the busiest streets that she could find, tears streaming down her face.

People called out to her as she ran by but she didn’t stop.

Her entire body told her to run and keep running until she collapsed.

Stephanie glanced over her shoulder and didn’t see the figure behind her.

She turned back around as a figure draped in blood and wearing a bunny mask landed in front of her. The pedestrians on the street began to panic and backed away from the figure.

“Is that…?”

“It’s Bunny!” Someone shouted and pandemonium broke out.

Everyone near them screamed and ran away from Bunny as fast as they could.

Stephanie whimpered, turned on her heel and ran down a side alley, hoping that she could lose Bunny.

Bunny didn’t pursue her as she darted into the alley and Stephanie thought, for a small moment, that she might be able to escape.

She heard bricks crack on the walls around her, spun her head around and found Bunny leaping off one of the walls towards her, kitchen knives aimed at Stephanie’s chest.

Before Stephanie could react, Bunny had landed on top of her, her blades piercing Stephanie’s chest, and blood spurted from her.

Stephanie coughed up blood as Bunny withdrew her blades and then proceeded to stab Stephanie again.

In seconds, Stephanie Kaelyn had died, but Bunny didn’t stop.

She stabbed her again and again, relentlessly, in her chest.

It was only after the twentieth stab that Bunny withdrew her blades and stood up.

She cocked her head, examining the girl’s body.

Her once beautiful eyes that had been full of life stared at her killer, lifeless and void of her warmth.

Stephanie’s body twitched and her eyes began to roll around in her head before they snapped to look at Bunny.

Even though they were the same eyes and were moving, they still looked as lifeless as they were when she was dead.

“Bunny just wants to play.”

***

Both the Guardians and Russian investigators announced moments ago that nothing was stolen from the Kremlin before it’s destruction, nor were any leads found on those responsible for the attack.

“Why attack it then?” Serafin wondered.

Serafin, Alexis and Hadarah were all relaxing in the living room together, with the former two working on their assignments for the week, and the later reading.

Then, Alexis’s phone rang and she answered it. “Hello, Aunt Lucy. What’s-?”

“Alexis, I want you to listen to me carefully…Earlier tonight…Steph…Stephanie, she…she was…murdered.”

Alexis went numb.

“What?”

We interrupt this news bulletin to bring you this breaking news! Earlier this evening, the infamous mass serial killer, Bunny, was spotted on the streets on Imperial where she assaulted and murdered a young girl who the police have identified as Stephanie Kaelyn.

It was then and only then that the reality of her aunt’s words hit her and Alexis felt all life leave her body.

“Stephanie…” She whispered, tears slowly trickling from her eyes.