• Kaige
    I stumbled backwards, my face coated in sheer horror. Eyes like sharp-tipped icicles seemed to press into my skin and jab through my heart. My breath hitched in my throat and only escaped in sharp, trembling gasps.
    One of the boys seemed to notice because I heard, “Kay, are you okay?” from behind me. In my current state of shock, I couldn’t register whether it was Max or Lee who had uttered the words and as it was, I couldn’t even get my dry mouth to form any. All I could do was shake my head and stare at the blue face watching me through the window, refusing to let myself blink in fear that he’d appear right in front of me.
    Frozen air was released from his dead-looking lips, leaving patches of frost on my wet and still-open window. And yet, besides from the murderous gleam in his eyes and the iced over texture of his skin, this boy was almost eerily beautiful, nearly enchanting. Elegantly curved eyes, a strong-jaw, and high cheek bones were what struck me the most. He looked more gorgeous than Lee and Max combined, and that blend merely defied all human possibilities.
    But good looks didn’t cover the evil expression that was glued all over the frozen boy’s face, so in my attempt to back away, my left foot rammed into my right one, causing me to tumble to the floor.
    In the other room, both my younger brother or my best friend sighed, exasperated and I could only assume that Max was the one that muttered, “s**t.”
    Foot steps approached me and the boy outside the window smirked with a sick form of amusement. He simply drew one finger across his neck, and to my surprise, the action left a trail of crimson there.
    Another bolt of lightning cracked, illuminating the space outside my window, and then, the boy was gone. Just like that, he’d disappeared.
    My jaw dropped. There was no way that was possible, people just didn’t emerge and evaporate out of mid-air.
    Lee gently placed his hand on my shoulder and said in a soft, oddly calming voice, “Kaige, what happened? Max and I just looked over and you were backing away from that window like you were scared of something.”
    Max knelt down next to me and offered his hand. He looked solemn but said nothing.
    Slowly, I started to recover from my stunned state and anger overcame me. I shook my head and shoved his hand away with one harsh movement. Max looked like he had just rediscovered the mildest level of hurt, but I couldn’t exactly bring myself to care and didn’t think it was worth the effort. I was furious at my overactive imagination. How could I have been so moronic? Thinking there was some deceased boy outside my window, There was absolutely no way that could happen.
    Of course, over my years, I had had quite a history of hallucinations; dragons, rabbits with a horns growing out of their foreheads, three headed dogs, and so on. But this, this surpassed it all. I had never had such a fright in my fifteen years of existence and this was all over something that wasn’t truly there. I scowled, disgusted with myself.
    “Kaige?” Lee questioned with concern. His voice didn’t seem hysterical for me or amused, though. As usual it was irritatingly soothing and completely held together.
    “I’m fine.” I growled. Neither boy seemed surprised by my sudden burst of rage, having known me my entire life they were quite used to it. I then tried to push myself off of the white carpeted floor but failed. Finally, Max offered his hand again and, seeming to have no other option due to my natural lack of balance, I snatched it but didn’t look at or thank him. That was, until my thumb hit a scab-like mark slightly below his wrist. He didn’t seem to realize that I noticed it and yanked me upwards. My fury quickly faded into curiosity, though, and before he could release my hand, I twisted his arm around to see what it was.
    Surprised, Max automatically stiffened but I simply stroked the scab with my finger. “What is this?” I asked, both enchanted and confused. The symbol was obviously cut into his skin, but I couldn’t get myself to become heated due to its jarringly gorgeous and cryptic qualities.
    It was made of two circles, one large and about the size of a door knob and the other, located in the middle of it, was barely the size of my thumb. From the small middle circle came curved lines of different widths and lengths that branched out and departed into the outer circle. And then from there, came an explosion of those lines, they looked like destructive tongues of flames that could both mystify someone and kill them at the same time.
    “Did you…” I stuttered. “Did you do this? It’s,” I sighed, spellbound and breathless, “It’s so beautiful…” Of course, I nearly smacked myself for saying that. If Max had done that to his wrist, it obviously meant he cut it which was definitely a bad sign. But then again Max had never shown any artistic abilities unless horribly drawn stick figures counted. Therefore I was led to believe that someone very different had slashed this mysterious icon on his body.
    Max bit his lip and tugged his arm away. He was quiet when he murmured, “It’s nothing….”
    “No, it’s something.” Lee said, examining it with his ocean colored eyes. “And if you don’t mind, Max, I’d like to know why it’s there.” Lee seemed slightly infuriated which shouldn’t have been much of a shock to me, but the way he was glaring at Max startled me a bit. Lee could be just as volatile as me and if not, more, but there was something about Lee’s current mien and the scolding posture of his body that let me infer that he was attempting to take on the adult figure in the situation. Even though Max and I were two years older than him.
    I could see Max struggle to think of a reply when suddenly a roll of thunder sounded and caused me to jump. I heaved a deep outward breathe and pressed my palm to my heart. “Sorry, I just didn’t expect that…”
    Max, seeming relieved, determined, and livid all at the same time offered, “Do you want me to go outside to check that no one’s there?”
    “No.” Lee answered unmoved.
    But I sighed, “Yeah, that’d be nice.”
    Lee shot me a look of daggers but it didn’t perturb me. I knew there was no one out there, and now that I had gotten over my irrational anger exceedingly quick, I just needed reassurance that I simply had a screw loose and didn’t have some crazy, psychopathic killer after me.
    Max nodded feverishly and stomped out the door as if her were raging himself. He looked as if he were about to yell at someone.
    “Lee,” I couldn’t help but ask, “Why, exactly, were you so mad at Max for having that mark on his arm?”
    I, personally, thought that Lee’s wrath seemed pointless for just some beautiful scab on Max’s wrist, but Lee shook his head, his opinion obviously differed. “Let’s just say Max is messing with something-or rather, someone- that he shouldn’t be.” And leaving it at that, Lee stalked upstairs without another word.


    Lian
    I could feel Ana leaning over me as I pretend to remain asleep because her steps had waken me. She was still wearing the pink bunny skippers that tickled my hands. “Wake up Sleeping Beauty, get up and smell the sunshine!”
    I heard her pull up the blinds with a zip and the sun splashing on my face I groan groggily still not opening my eyes, “Hiss… burn… die.”
    “I said get up and smell the darn sunshine!” Ana yelled violently and grabbed my legs trying to tug me back as I held on to the leg of a couch as if my life depended on it.
    “I don’t want to smell the sunshine! It burns,” I wailed as she pulled harder as I realized there may be a chance I’d bruise where she was holding my ankles. “See; Hissssssssss……. Die.” I dramatically let my hands drop to the floor doing a horrible job playing dead. “And now I’m just a sad pile of ash and deadness.”
    “You’re not a vampire,” Ana said with a blasé tone, “now get up.”
    “I am a vampire! I burn in the sunlight and turn into a bat!”
    “Fine then, bite me.”
    I looked up and lethargically grabbed her hand and bit it, tasty something soapy figuring she had just washed her hands with the flower scented soap. “Om-nom-nom.”
    “That’s not weird,” she pulled her hand away and wiped it on her flannel plaid pants. “Now get up and get dressed, you and I are hanging out around town today. I’ll start breakfast; you go change out of your PJ’s.” I grabbed my bag off the floor and headed for the bathroom, “Just one more thing.” I turned around to see her fiddling with the blue strap of her bubble tank top, “Do you want milk or blood with your cereal?”
    I laughed and responded straight faced, “Blood.” Heading down the hall I had caught something looming in the window. A pair of ruby eyes and straight white hair glaring menacingly at me. But what scared me the most was neither of those things, but the flashy white teeth with blood surrounding the mouth in puddles. The visitor in the window slowly made her way to the door, opening it without a sound, just enough to slither in. I watched her every move, taking a ghostly step and forming a dangerous smile. “Oh my God,” I breathed wide eyed. Even through all that, I had no idea how she had gotten behind me so fast.
    The visitor grabbed me from behind and covered my mouth and hissed, “Sorry, but it’s just me.” Yet with just the small ray of luck I managed to scream, nothing to blood curdling, but just a scream.
    Ana’s footsteps echoed off the walls as my visitor dropped me.
    “Lian, what is it?” I wasn’t sure if I should be thankful for Ana’s coming or fearful for her.
    “Didn’t you see her?”
    “Who?” I looked up to see whoever it was gone, the door shut, and no traces of her being there at all. Like she just disappeared into thin air.
    “She’s gone! But she was right there and-”
    Ana looked me with candid eyes, “Lian, there was nobody here.” She got down on her knees because I was on the floor. “Last night you kept screaming ‘I love you’ and,” she paused looking for the right array of words, “I think you need help. Now you are seeing people that aren’t there. You have a mental problem.”
    “I’m not crazy, Ana! I’m not! Stop saying that I am! I swear this person was real! I am not crazy!” I yelled at the top of my lungs soon after realizing that my yelling was more so ravage screaming. What’s wrong with me? Am I really mentally unstable?
    As questions ran through my head I had no idea I was crying from the stress. Hot steamy tears dripped from my eyes one by one as I tried to figure out what was going on. But it was overwhelming. It was torture just praying that this wasn’t real, that I was the normal girl I was and the uprising of these things were all a figment of my imagination. These dreams were something else and I didn’t scream in my sleep. There was no one visiting me with blood plastered to their mouth.
    But I wasn’t fine. No girl dreams of these things or dares think a monster had snuck in and held her captive. I was starting to think I was crazy. Though everything seemed real, and my dreams had an aura of being harmless. Yet I would scream. Nothing; there was nothing I understood about this. But that something out of the ordinary was up.
    “Lian,” Ana placed a hand on my shoulder. “You need professional help.”