Chapter 1 - Bad End

1

She could hear the faint sound of footsteps in the distance. Her little sister started to sneeze, so she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

No! We mustn’t be found!

She pressed her free hand against her chest. She worried that each beat of her pounding heart was loud enough to give them away... and every anxious moment that passed safely only made her heart beat faster. Holding her breath, she concentrated all her focus into her hearing. The footsteps came and went repeatedly overhead. Someone was searching for her and her sister.

“Miss?”

Suddenly, the footsteps ceased, and a husky voice called out to her.

“Miss, where are you?”

Saya wasn’t a bad person; she was just annoying sometimes. She would scold the girls for any little thing, even running in the halls.

“Oh, no, no, no! That won’t do! Young ladies mustn’t do such improper things!”

What was so wrong about stretching her legs? No one had ever scolded her for that where they used to live.

“Take off those dreadful clothes and put on the skirt I bought the other day.”

“Look at your hair! Have a care for your appearance.”

“Mind your manners.”

“Don’t laugh with your mouth wide open like that.”

It was always something. And whenever she asked why, she got the same reply.

“That’s how a lady should be.”

The girl didn’t understand.

A year had passed since they’d moved to this strange land. At first the language here had been complete and utter gibberish to her, but she was finally starting to understand it. She longed to leave the mansion, but at least the grounds it sat on were dotted with flowers that bloomed year-round, inviting butterflies—her favorite creatures—to dance throughout the yard. Living here was nothing like the days of having to hide in that dark cellar.

Every day was filled with joy. Even the stern expressions on her parents’ faces had been replaced with smiles. The misery they’d been living in just a year ago seemed so far away now. Like it had all been an unpleasant dream. And that was exactly why she wanted to avoid doing anything to jeopardize this newfound happiness.

She knew that Saya cared for her and her family. Saya just believed that, if they could learn the ways of this new country and act like its people, then they wouldn’t come to be hated like last time. Saya was only being strict for their sake. But knowing that didn’t stop the girl from rebelling against the ridiculous etiquette being pushed on her. The fact that Saya also resembled the woman who’d chased them out of their homeland didn’t help, either.

“Miss, it’s time for your studies. Do come out now,” Saya called even louder than before.

It was like she knew the girl was there and was simply toying with her.

Please don’t let her find us...

The girl shut her eyes tightly and prayed. It wasn’t like she hated studying or anything. Learning new words, solving math problems, and trying new things was fun. But every now and again, in spite of how much she was enjoying herself... she had to wonder if this was really okay. Her best friend back home, a young boy her age, hadn’t managed to escape. He was still suffering. Was it truly okay for her to be the only one who was living happily?

“Honestly... Wherever could she have gotten off to?”

It seemed the girl’s desperate prayers had been heard. Saya’s voice and footsteps began to fade away, and eventually disappeared completely. An uneasy silence settled in the air.

“Um...” the girl’s sister mumbled as she tugged on her sleeve. “Where are we?”

It was a good question—the girl finally took a moment to look around. In their flight from Saya and her lectures, she’d led them down the stairs to the basement. There, they’d pushed open an ancient door and jumped through to hide. It was only now that the danger had passed that she had a chance to actually take stock of where they’d ended up.

Saya had warned them quite sternly never to go down into the basement. It was supposedly where the mansion’s owner kept his important things. However, she’d been lucky enough to find the normally steadfastly locked door open today. She’d seen the owner transporting some cardboard boxes into the basement that morning. He must have forgotten to lock up afterward.

Saya had only looked down from the top of the stairs, not daring to descend. It probably never crossed her mind that the girls might actually be down there. The girl’s heart leaped when she realized that they’d—even if inadvertently—managed to sneak their way into the forbidden basement. It was a mixture of guilt over having broken her promise and a curious sense of excited wonder. Her pulse was racing even faster now than it had been while they were hiding from Saya.

A few faint rays of light from the outside world filtered in through the skylight in the ceiling, but it wasn’t enough to illuminate the room. The girl felt along the walls, searching for a light switch.

“I’m scared...”

Her sister held the back of her shirt tightly. She was trembling. Unlike her adventurous older sister, she was quiet and timid. Just like their mother, both girls had one blue eye and golden curls that cascaded over their foreheads. Appearance-wise, they were twins, which was why the girl had never understood how their personalities could be so different.

“Hey... We’re not supposed to be here, are we? Saya will scold us again if she finds us here. Let’s go back to our room.”

“Wait. In a minute, okay?” the girl said, still feeling along the wall.

She might never get another chance to explore the basement again. There was no way she could let this golden opportunity slip away. She bravely continued searching for a light switch, and didn’t hesitate to flick it when she found it. Light flooded the room.

“...”

She gulped when she saw what was now revealed to her. Her sister, who’d been so scared just a second ago, let out a gasp of wonderment. The room wasn’t full of junk like she’d been expecting. The floor was immaculate, as if every inch had just been cleaned. Antique furniture and household goods neatly decorated the place. They were all old-looking, but everything seemed to be well cared for and purposeful. In fact, their age only made them seem more refined and valuable.

“Look...”

Glancing over to where her sister was pointing, her eyes went wide.

2

A calm settled over her when she saw it—a monument of a giant eyeball about one meter in diameter. Reptilian limbs sprouted from its sides, and the bat-like wings on its back stretched high toward the ceiling.

Her sister uttered something in their native tongue, something she hadn’t heard in ages. It was a phrase of reverence used when praying to God.

For this monument greatly resembled the god they worshipped... No, it didn’t resemble God. It was God.

“What is God doing here?” the girl’s sister asked in a hushed tone.

She’d heard from Saya that the owner traveled the world collecting curios. That was how he’d met her father. Perhaps, then, it wasn’t that strange to find a monument of their god here.

God’s singular eye fixed itself on her. It was as if it was trying to speak to her. She felt an electric tingling running up and down her spine as mixed feelings swirled in her heart. On one hand, she was overjoyed to see God again; on the other, she was still angry with God for refusing to save them, and she still felt guilty about abandoning their homeland to escape to this country. It was all overwhelming. Was the statue here a sign that God had been watching over them all this time, or a sign that God had come to punish them again? The girl looked away, fearing she would go mad if she stared any longer.

Next to God were wooden boxes of various sizes, the topmost of which was wrapped in heavy, discolored blue paper with odd writing on the side. She recognized it as her native language, but she’d never studied reading it for long enough to know what it said.

The girl cautiously approached the box. Her sister followed, crouched low. She was still scared, but also curious. Water splashed at their feet. The floor in this room was wet like groundwater had been leaking into it.

Ruing her soggy socks, the girl reached out and gently touched the delicately made box. The wood reminded her of the baobab trees that grew in their family’s garden long ago when the land was still peaceful. She leaned in closer, and the nostalgic scent of home filled her nose. A slight warmth blossomed in her chest. Even after all the terrible things that had happened there, she still remembered it fondly. Why that was, she couldn’t say.

Refocusing on the here and now, her thoughts were consumed with a single question: just what was inside? Unable to contain her curiosity, the girl picked up the box. It was small enough that she could hold it with only one hand. It wasn’t too heavy to lift, either. She shook it and heard a light rustling sound. She attempted to rip the lid off, but the paper sealing it was thicker than she’d expected. The girl hesitated for a second, then started peeling it off.

“Hey, are you sure about this? We’ll get yelled at if someone finds out,” her sister cautioned nervously from behind.

“All I have to do is rewrap it when we’re done so that it looks unopened. No one will know,” the girl replied as she placed a hand on the lid and lifted it up.

She’d hoped to find some baobab fruit, her favorite, but all she saw were the dried husks of insects about the size of her pinky. The girl hardly ever screamed, but she couldn’t suppress the small yelp that escaped her throat. She nearly dropped the box but caught it at the last second.

Collecting herself, she peered inside again. The husks looked like grasshoppers, except that they were blue from head to toe. There were over two dozen in the box. Who would use such a magnificent box to store something so gross? It was just bad taste, in her opinion.

“What’s inside?”

Her sister tiptoed over to try and get a peek for herself, but the girl raised the box well over her head to prevent that. She could see it now—as soon as her little sister saw the creepy bugs, she’d scream loud enough to wake the devil himself. There was no doubt Saya would find them then, and they’d be in a world of trouble when she did.

“Let me see!” she begged, reaching up.

“You can’t!”

Trying to keep the box away from her little sister, the girl slipped a little. The box tilted unevenly, and a single husk went tumbling to the wet floor.

“No fair!”

Frustration warped her sister’s face. Deep wrinkles formed in her brow, and her lips pursed in a severe frown. She was on the verge of tears. And once she started crying, the only one who could soothe her was their mother.

Not good. We’ve gotta get out of here.

The girl closed the box and placed it safely out of her sister’s reach.

“Let’s go,” she urged gently, patting her sister’s head.

Her sister was still pouting, but since the dam hadn’t burst, it wouldn’t take an act of God to calm her down.

“Aren’t you hungry? Let’s go get a snack. I’ll give you my share,” she offered.

“Really?” her sister asked, her expression brightening instantly.

“Yeah.”

The girl nodded, took her sister’s hand, and led her to the door. They needed to hurry. She would have to dry out their socks before Saya found out. But then, as they turned to leave...

She heard a low growl behind her. It sounded like someone was mumbling words in her native tongue. And it didn’t seem to be her imagination. Her sister heard it too and turned around, head quizzically cocked to the side.

“Finally... Free... Humans... Revenge... Free... Humans... Revenge...”

Over and over, the strange voice was repeating the same words.

“Who’s there?” the girl asked, steel in her voice. She thrust an arm out and pushed her sister behind her.

“Humans... Revenge... Revenge... Revenge...”

The strange voice was coming from below... No, something was wriggling on the wet floor. It was the blue insect she’d dropped earlier. She’d assumed it was just a husk, but it was apparently still alive. Its giant eyes swiveled in all directions. She started to scream in disgust when, with surprising strength, it leaped into her open mouth. It was so sudden that she couldn’t even spit it out. She felt a slight pain in her throat. She tried coughing, but the insect wouldn’t come up.

No! This is so gross!

The girl nearly fainted when she realized she’d just swallowed that nasty insect. But more pressingly, a searing heat began surging through her. Her fingers started to spasm. She was unable to control them. Her vision grew narrower by the second. Unable to stand any longer, she sank to her knees. The world began to spin wildly. A bestial growl rumbled in her lungs.

“Hey! What’s wrong?”

The last thing she heard was her sister’s concerned voice.

Help me...

She tried to cry out with all her might, but whether or not those words reached her sister... She would never know.

Something pitch black was growing inside her. It consumed her, and her whole world was plunged into darkness.