Nicodemus's eyes open as the sterile light blinds him for a brief second, shading his own eyes with his hand.
"Ah! I thought you'd never wake up"
Startled, he recoils his body away from the voice. It was Clarice, sitting right beside him as he was lying on the floor, while her legs were crossed elegantly, hunched over- with her face rested on her palm while her elbow was leaning against her knee. Frantically he quickly stands up and scours the nightstand beside the capsule, finally he grabs a mirror.
One look at it, there wasn't a single deformity on his face, no wounds, no scars,s muzzle, it's like nothing happened.
"No… No, no, noooo, nononononoNONONONONO!"
Clarice tilted her head "What? I'm just returning the favor. After all, you were the one that forced Noctum into me!"
Nicodemus throws the mirror aside, then grabs Clarice by the shoulders
"No, you don't understand! This wasn't supposed to happen! If the headmistress finds out I'm juiced, we are both cooked!"
She smirked while saying "Pfft! What is she gonna do? Kill you? Get outta here, once you're juiced with Noctum- the only thing that'll kill is if you age out of injuries so much that you turn to dust."
Nicodemus shook her again by the shoulders "I know that! Her plan is that I'm not supposed to take this shit! Why Reece? Why would you do that?!"
"Get your hands off me!" said Clarice as she swatted his grips away "Because even if you do what she says, she'll suck every drop of your blood anyway!"
"W- what?" recoiled, Nicodemus starts to relax his shoulders
Clarice's eyes drooped "Oh… You weren't there when I fought Reyna"
Nicodemus tilts his head back "What happened?"
Clarice shook her head while stepping back "Look I- I don't know, when I was fighting her, I got desperate; I felt like I was about to lose. Because I felt like my body was starting to give up…
Then the fangs… I felt my insides grumble, it felt like these fangs" opens her mouth revealing the fangs "They just popped out on their own and… I- I bit her"
He covered his mouth in shock, then he licked the ceiling of his mouth as he could feel his fangs still closed up.
Clarice continued "Then earlier she invited me, I thought it was just a meeting and… oh god" She started tearing up.
His eyes sharpened and asked "What happened?"
Sniffling, she answered "She- *hic* she feasted on Don"
Nicodemus's skin crawled as the hairs on his skin stiffen, standing up in its pores "Holy shit…" covering his mouth with his hand
"'See Nick, here's the thing: she bit me earlier- trying to suck out my blood, but it didn't work. All she got was pus, running through me… and and now you"
He stammers "S- so you turned me into one…"
Clarice purses her lips, nodding a yes. "Worst part is: the fact that she's practically a walking corpse, she's just gonna keep feasting on students, then the faculty, the clergy, or even people outside the campus"
He looked at her straight, crossing his arms "So you're planning to turn everyone into vampires?"
She snaps her fingers "Bingo!"
"But you can't force people to take Noctum, you gotta convince them like it's an elixir of life type shit. They're just gonna think you're a crazy junkie!"
She cups her chin with her fingers "Hmm, you're right" for a couple seconds, both of them spaced out looking at a blank space. Then both of their faces lit up as they say in unison
"Student council!"
Suddenly her phone starts chiming, looking at it; it Claire- she was calling
Meanwhile, Claire was still looking for her sister.
She walks down the campus halls, looking for her sister. Even speed dialing her, waiting for her to answer as she peers through every room she passes
"C'mon Reece, pick up!"
However, as she was about to reach the courtyard, she saw a girl vaping under a tree, a girl with gradient hair if you will. Claire drops the call while her eyes sharpen.
Silently she tip-toes towards her, sneaking under the shadows cast in the courtyard. The closer the got, the sooner she found out it's June
June was just casually doomscrolling on her phone while smoking a vape pen.
Silently, Claire sneaks up right beside her. She just stood there- a few seconds later, June looked at her side while she was huffing, only to see Claire.
"Sup"
Startled, she choked on her own breath, dropped the vape pen along with her phone, smoke kept blowing out of her mouth! Coughing and wheezing, sounding like her lungs were gonna spill out of her mouth. Leaning down her knees, strings of saliva drooped down her lips.
"Sh- shit, Claire! I thought you were never coming back! I'll clean the red stain on your bed, I promise!"
Claire crosses her arms, with her eyebrows sternly shading her eyes
"Yeah, yeah… I don't really care about that right now, Reece has been… hiding stuff from me- You've been the closest bitch I know that's been with her for a while
So tell me… what did the headmistress do to her?"
Suddenly June's eyes were weary, avoiding Claire "H- hey girl, I don't think I'm in the position to tell you any-"
In a blink of an eye, Claire started pinching one of June's nipples. Immediately shutting her up mid sentence, gasping her own scream- she's left with her mouth opened, flabbergasted.
"Look, Imma need you to be honest. Or if you want the other one cranked too"
With her mouth still open, June nodded no and squealed "I'll talk!"
Then Claire lets go "So tell me everything you know about what happened in the trials.
"We can't talk about that here in the open, follow me!"
Both of them move to one of the janitor's closet
"Hey when you said you wanted a place less open, I never thought it'd be this cramped" said Claire while her back was getting squeezed against the wall.
"Hey! If you just keep your knees down, we'll have a little more space if you don't squirm too much" She scooches further inside a little bit "Why are we here again?"
"Oh my god! We're supposed to talk about Clarice!" Claire Yelled
June groans "Ugh! Okay! Okay! Calm down! Just to get things started- 'you aware she's practically a vampire at this point?"
Claire nodded yes.
June squirmed a bit "Good, then you're up to speed-" but Claire quickly cuts her off with
"Hold on, just to set things straight; do you think she's already drank another person's blood?"
June's eyes slanted "Oh… Claire- she did"
"Who was it?" Claire asked while she squeezed her body upwards.
"It was Reyna Fox"
"Oh shit, you mean the stocky girl with long curly hair?"
June nodded "Right in the neck- though, I think Clarice did it more out of desperation, since it was a fight… to the death, that is."
Claire clicks her tongue "This is worse than I imagined, Ms. Song- no, the entire school staff really like treating us like toys huh?"
Both of them got quiet for a hot minute, then Claire's face lit up. "Yo June, do you like it here?"
"Pfft, oh yeah! Just look at my face: you can tell I like it here!" It's a thousand yard stare.
Claire snickered "Yeah, yeah- say, I know a place where they take in people who're abandoned. Though I think the people there still work, but, I haven't heard anyone complain about working there. Plus their boss (Kremidal) is super chill too"
"Sounds… good" June's face lit up "Where is it though?"
Claire tilts her head while rubbing her nails on her chest "Well, you're gonna have to help me with Clarice first"
Then June's face drooped down with a frown "Ugh, fine! Just don't do that *she said with a pinching gesture* again. So, err… what's the plan?"
Claire pushed herself up again, squeezing up from the closet floor "I think, Clarice is already planning to overthrow the headmistress"
Eyes closed, June shrugged "Oh she will, but I don't think she can"
"How so?" Claire tilted her head.
June gets a hold of Claire's shoulders "Dude, have you seen her? She's young again, like she deadass looks like she's back in her 20s. Which might explain why some students are disappearing even after the trials"
Claire looks down, eyes squinted "Oh god, this is more fucked up than I ever imagined! Killing Ms. Song won't help, hurting Clarice would just make us more distant, but doing nothing would lead to students being treated like cattle."
June begins to yawn "I think *yawnn* we should get some shuteye. Aren't you getting tired, pix?"
Claire looks at the lockscreen of her phone "yep, we should plan this one out tomorrow, though can we at least think of a better meeting room next time?"
June laughs nervously "Hehe, yeah…" then she tries to scooch out, but now she can't move "Uhh… pix I think we're stuck"
Claire sighs
From the outside of the closet, one can hear them squirming, thumping the door from the outside, then a faint 'open the door' was heard. As soon as the door opened, both of them popped out of the closet- dropping to the floor.
Both of them got up, dusting themselves off. Claire lightly punches June's arm
"Hey, meet me at the courtyard again tomorrow. At lunch this time"
"Nah, I know a better spot, I'll dm you- 'kay?"
Claire nodded "Sure, see ya!"
They go on their ways
*Further into the night*
Claire finally arrives at their dorm. Opening the door, she spots Clarice sleeping on her side, peeking from behind as the light emitted from the doorway.
"Can't sleep?" Claire leaned on the doorway
"Aren't you gonna address the elephant in the room?" Clarice tucked back.
Claire walks towards Clarice's bedside "I mean yeah I panicked, but I remembered you can't really die the way erbody else does." Finally she perched at her bed Clarice's back against Claire.
"Look, whatever it is that you're going through, I'm here. I may not be a vampire but, I can tank more hits than you think. And who cares what the headmistress thinks, I mean even when the nuns and teachers told me I'm gonna starve to death with my mindset; but hey look at me, I'm still kicking aren't I?"
No response
Claire sighs, gently she lies on the bed right behind her sister. Wrapping her arm on Clarice's waist "I hope you know that I love you so… so much. It's hard to let go because, you're the only family that I have"
Clarice, sniffling as she stammered "B- but I said-"
"I know you didn't mean it, you're scared. Scared of what to do, what to happen, and of the future, but now's not the future. Moments like this is a gift, because we're in the present"
One can hear Clarice sniffle sharper, while she clutches Claire's embrace even tighter.
"Sleep tight, princess."
*On the next morning*
By this time, the twins already had their hearty breakfast and dressed in uniform, right as they were about to head outside, they glanced at each other and left their dorm, whilst they talked while heading to class.
Fist on her hip, Claire asks "What's the plan Reece?"
"I need to convince the student council first, so don't cause too much drama today. I don't want any hall monitors to snitch. How 'bout you?"
"I got a chat with June, y'know just to gauge you and the shit that's about to go down"
Clarice stops walking, staring at Claire raising a brow "Gauge me?"
Claire nodded "yeah, I still can't fully grasp what you're capable of."
Clarice tilts her head back "So does this mean you're gonna skip class?"
Claire leaned forward "Reece when have these assholes ever gave a shit about me? Pfft, ever since I flunked a quiz once, they never did! A freaking quiz Reece! Not even an exam. So when I disappear they wouldn't even care" Then they continued walking again.
While they were walking down stairs, Clarice asks "No but, what's your plan after all of this is over?"
Claire droops her eyes, pouting "Huh, I've never actually thought of that- wait, remember the church I told you about?"
"Uh huh?"
"I'd want us to stay there. I mean there's some shady shit going on, but I'm pretty sure those guys did something bad before they worked themselves to the bone. But hey, then again; I've never heard anyone say something bad about the guy, even the other victims in the hospital I stayed seem to really respect the boss"
Both of them finally arrived to the class' floor
Clarice bit her lips "I don't think I will Claire"
Claire stops on a dime while Clarice steps ahead, yet Claire still asks "Why not?"
Clarice looks back at her "I have people counting on me" then continues to walk ahead
Claire softly frowns, pouts her lips as she looks down; looks back at Clarice again and shouts "See ya at lunch"
Not a response from Clarice, she just continued to press on.
Claire on the other hand, still has her eyes locked onto Clarice despite turning away herself. Fully turning away she pulls out her phone, speed-dialing June as she answers "Yo J! Pixie here, gimme rendezvous?"
During Clarice's perspective
The desk's wood grain pressed against her forearms as she stared at the chalkboard. Words. Numbers. Shapes. They registered and dissolved before landing anywhere. Faculty droned on—read out, write down, listen up—and her hand moved automatically, pen scratching paper like it belonged to someone else.
She couldn't feel the pen.
Her fingers drifted to her jacket pocket instead. The vial of Noctum was there, slim and cold against her ribs. She pressed her palm flat against it through the fabric, feeling the subtle weight settle against her heartbeat. The glass was so thin. So fragile. One person. That's all it took to start the chain. One student council member, and the rest would follow.
The teacher called on her.
She blinked. Everyone was staring.
"Question twenty-three, Miss Phoenix."
She hadn't heard the question. Didn't remember opening the textbook. But her mouth answered anyway—something about mathematics, angles, precision. Correct. Of course it was correct.
The teacher nodded and moved on.
Clarice's hand slipped back into her pocket. Cold glass. Warm fingers. Grasping it tight as she stares blankly at the glossy class board. The bell hadn't rung yet. Minutes, turned to hours; stretched like taffy.
Until finally her phone erupted, shifting everyone's attention to her.
She checks and it's the headmistress.
She shot up from her seat as she politely exclaimed "Ma'am it's from the headmistress!"
"You may." The teacher nodded.
She rushes out of the classroom, pressing her phone against her ear. "Hello, Clarice speaking" she said as a drop of sweat slid down her temple. But then during the call, her eyes sharply slanted.
Fast forward to the Ms. Song's office
Clarice knocks on the door, this time sighing as soon she closes her eyes. Ms. Song opens the door, welcoming her with a hug- gently pulling Clarice by hand.
Like routine, she calls in another pair of students for them to feed off of. Sent in wheelchairs whilst their faces are covered by a cloth, right before Ms. Song steps near the student, Clarice asks "Why do you do this again?"
Ms. Song stops, answering "I'm dying dear, their blood keeps me alive. Even though I'm under Noctum's influence; my illness still lingers within me" She continues to feed on the student.
While she's doing this, Clarice pulls out her phone, quickly recording the scene, her hands trembling as she's sweating bullets. She could barely hold the phone still, as one can hear her hefty breaths.
Without facing Clarice, Ms. Song finishes draining the student to the bone, wiping her lips with her fingers. Clarice jolted, dropping her phone on the process, the thud caught Ms. Song's attention. "Come now, it's your turn to eat"
Bent down, Clarice quickly tucked her phone in her jacket. "I- I'm really not hungry Ms. Song"
In response she shrugged "Eh, more for me then~" the student squirms as soon as they feel her touch, the muffled whimpers make Clarice's skin crawl, despite her continuing to record the entire scene.
Fast forwarding further through the day
A few classes have passed by, Clarice and Nicodemus are finally having a meeting with the student council. She's showing the exact video footage of Ms. Song feeding on the two students.
The vice president says "Pres, you sure this isn't AI generated?"
The president answered "Nope, I'm sure of it. This basically explains why Ms. Song got young so fast" He walks back to the office desk as he leans his arms. "Shit. If this is what we're up against, we need to find a way to stop it, or escape from it"
"No, I think we need to fight it!" Said Clarice as she held up the vial Noctum.
The secretary asks "W- what- what's that?"
"I forgot to tell you guys" She gapes her mouth open exposing her fangs looking exactly the same as Ms. Song's, dread flooded across the room as the student council's eyes stretched wide as their eyebrows shot up, however Clarice implied "Don't worry, I'm still on your side; turns out she can't feed off of people like me, because the only thing flowing left in the veins is pus"
They all irked in disgust.
"Also, he's under Noctum too" Clarice jerks her thumb at Nicodemus. He responded with a smile that exposed his fangs.
Facing back at Clarice, the council president gently took the vial off of Clarice's fingers, taking a good look at it the substance looks exactly like pus. His face contorted as he bites his lips, sweat buds on his forehead in the process. Closing his eyes, looking back at the faces of the other members of the council… he says
"I'm sorry, we shouldn't rely on a permanent solution to a temporary problem, cuz we might regret these things down the line. Secondly, we'd rather die normal, than rot… like you.
Baffled, her eyes drooped outward whilst lips frowning.
So please, you can have it back." He hands back the vial.
Clarice stiffened her shoulders,squaring up to the president - pushing his hand down.
"I don't think you understand you really don't have any other choice here, when has this institution respected you- all of you?! Never right? So why submit to what they want?"
The Council secretary regurgitated her question "But why you?! What made you so special for us to trust you? What made you respected by Song so much that she turned you into one of her own? Or are you just her lap dog?"
Clarice stomps her feet towards the secretary "What do you know about me and Song?!"
The Secretary smirked "ooohohoho~ I'm a secretary for a reason princess, I know every part of your climb ever since the trial started. You're nothing but her nepo-baby. The entire council, clergy, faculty, and even the headmistress herself that you will die on the first trial! Why? Because you're not strong, you're not a good leader and you don't have real friends! Not Nicodemus, not June, and not even Don! You are nothing, but a sociopathic parasite who lives under the shadow of the real future headmistress!"
Clarice's face already flared up, asking "what? Reyna?"
The Secretary scoffed while her arms are crossed
"No, your sister… Claire
But nooooOOOOOoo! You were Ms. Song's favorite! You were top of the class, while your sister was chewed and spat back out by the entire clergy! DEADASS even expelled her for being injured!"
Luckily the president stopped both of them before they fought. "Both of you stop this! Sec, you are out of line! And Ms. Phoenix! Respectfully, get out of our office, take your boyfriend with you too!"
Nicodemus walked towards the door, avoiding the faces of the council, Clarice followed with tears welling up her eyes.
Right before they got out of the room, Nicodemus tried to touch her by the shoulder. But as the door closed, she simply swatted his hand away. Thus Clarice asks "What she said; is any of that true?"
"Princess-"
Clarice slapped Nicodemus so hard that it left a cut on his cheekbone.
"Dont you fucking 'princess' me asshole, answer my question! Was any of that true? That you're just her (Ms. Song) pawn so I can get 'friends'?"
Nicodemus just stared at her eyes, his mouth open but no words to speak. The more this went on the more Clarice's face contorted with rage. She whispered
"Get out"
Nicodemus still stares at her eyes
"GET OUT OF MY LIFE!"
Looking away he finally turns his back against her and walks away.
At last, a single tear broke from her eye, dripping down her cheek. She leans her shoulder against the wall, the cold concrete pressing into her spine. Her body folds inward—shoulders caving, knees threatening to buckle.
A sob tears from her chest, raw and broken. Then another. Her hand flies to her mouth but it's too late—a gag wrenches up her throat, bile tasting like copper and rot. She swallows it back down, choking. Her breath comes in jagged, uneven pulls through her nose, each inhale a wet whistle as snot runs freely.
Her forehead presses against the wall now, the rough texture scraping her skin. Her fingers claw at the stone, nails catching and bending back uselessly. She doesn't feel it.
Another heave. This time she can't hold it back. She doubles over, dry-heaving against the hallway floor, her whole frame convulsing. Tears stream down her face faster now—not gentle drops but a flood, mixing with snot and saliva.
Her voice cracks through a wail: "Get out of my life."
But he's already gone.
She slides down the wall, her legs giving out completely, until she's crouched on the cold floor. Her shoulders shake with each sob, her breathing erratic like an animal.
"Reece?"
A familiar voice cut through the hallway silence.
Clarice's head snapped up. Through blurred vision, she made out Claire's silhouette—then the full shape of her sister, standing frozen.
Claire's face shifted from confusion to horror in seconds. She crossed the distance in three strides and crouched down, eye level with Clarice.
"What happened? Who did this?"
Clarice sobbed. "They hurt me, Claire. They—hic—they hurt me badly."
"Where?" Claire's hands moved frantically over Clarice's shoulders, her arms, searching for wounds. "Show me."
There were no marks. No blood. Just snot and tears
Claire's jaw tightened. "June told me everything. About the trials. About… what you did." She pauses, looking away as she bites her lip. "I may not understand it. I may not forgive it. But I need you to stop lying to me. No more secrets! Okay?"
Clarice looked away, lips quivering.
Claire pulled out a key—brass, worn, with engravings on both sides. Headmistress on the front. Kim Buk Song on the back.
"Look."
Clarice's eyes widened. "H-her key. How—"
"June helped me." Claire pressed the key into Clarice's palm. "But we don't have much time. Can you walk?"
Since the Headmistress's office was right next to the student council's, they snuck to the door in seconds. Right before Claire could insert the key, Clarice couldn't help but ask
"Wait! What if she's still inside?"
"Nah, don't sweat it. June's already sleuthed her schedule" Claire continues to unlock the door, slowly they open it as it creaks.
"Huh, good thing June got the schedule right" Claire says as the twins find that Ms. Song isn't in her office.
Clarice rubs her arms as her eyes become weary of the room "Err, Claire. What are we doing here again?"
Right as she looked at Claire, whom was at the back of the Headmistress's desk unlocked a box, hissing as it opened, it released cold steam from its gaps.
With a stern voice, Clarice shouts "What are you doing Claire?!"
"I'm sorry Reece" Claire raises the box over her head while the lid was wide open "but I can't let you do this"
"NOOOOO!"
Right as Claire was about to smash the vials, in blazing speeds- Clarice rushes towards her sister's direction, flipping the entire desk out of her way, pinning Claire down with her elbow with her back against the wall. Then the vials of Noctum came crashing down to the floor, creating a gaping puddle of pus and glass shards.
Clarice's eyes dilate out of dread "NO!" gritting her teeth- this time she choke-slams Claire right onto the wall, Clarice roared
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"
Claire struggles against her sister's grip, gasping for air- wheezed
"What had to be done"
Tears started running down her eyes, this time her voice was quivering "NO!" She lets go of Claire as she gagged to suck back the air. Clarice continued "She is going to kill me Claire! She's going to kill you!-"
"I don't give a shit! At least I died trying- and you! You were planning to turn these people into vampires by force!" She stops for a second to catch her breath. "I knew why you were crying because your plan failed- you failed to convince the student council to help you in your escape plan." Looking down she catches her breath, then she snaps her eyes back to Clarice.
"I know that look in your eyes, you're scared! Desperate! I can already see it five steps ahead, that you are gonna turn them in their sleep!"
With tears welling up her eyes, Clarice looks away- however in seconds, she sparks a smirk.
"Oh I get it now" She slowly turns her body, gazing at Claire "You're just itching for a fight aren't you?"
"What? No!" Claire shook her head
Clarice slowly walks towards her
"Oh~hoho, you've been eager ever since I told you I got to fight in the trials"
"Reece I swear to god, you're trippin'!"
"RRAAAAAHH" Clarice roared, throwing a haymaker. Claire ducked, sidestepping away from her.
"Reece stop this!"
"NO! Fight me!" She repeatedly threw punches at Claire, a hook- she ducked, a straight- she weaved, a jab- she blocked, an uppercut- she sidestepped, even a gazelle punch- Claire just ducked through Clarice, she was walking around her in circles!
"Argh! Why won't you fight?"
Claire just stayed silent.
Clarice tries to snatch Claire's leg, seeing this from a mile away, she pulls her ankle back- slipping away from her sister's grip. She pushes Clarice by the shoulders, causing her to land on her butt. "Argh! Stop dodging and hit me already!"
Claire said calmly. "I'm not gonna hit you."
Clarice throws a mean haymaker while saying "Why not?!" Claire weaved at the back of her sisters fist
"Because of this!" she pulls her striking arm, then.
BOOM!
She responds with a nasty roundhouse kick, hitting Clarice right in the jaw- so hard that it straight up sounded like a gunshot. The kick was so hard that a molar fell out of her mouth. Dropping out cold, face flat on the ground.
Claire was huffing her chest while she whispers "I'm sorry Reece, I don't like what they turned you into"
Suddenly she hears Clarice chuckle. Looking down, she sees her slowly getting up, pushing against the ground while her arms are trembling. Sounding a high pitch chuckle, Clarice scoffed with dragged breaths "hehehaah! I knew you had it in you! I bet you liked that huh?"
Claire clenches her fist "None of us wants this Reece!"
Clarice stands up despite her struggling to maintain balance "Ooooooh~ but I want this! Come to think of it, everything was going so SO SO RIGHT! But ever since you came back, everything came crashing down- you just had to ruin every part of the future! OUR FUTURE!"
Claire shook her head, softly saying "This isn't you Reece- this is exactly what Ms. Song wants; you're smarter than this! You know and I know that this isn't the right thing to do; don't you know what she's trying to do to you? She's turning you into her obedient lapdog-"
Clarice suddenly blitzes towards Claire, grabbing her by the neck! She choke slams her sister, whilst Claire was covering her head on impact. The was slammed so hard that the floorboards underneath snapped, creating a crater around Claire's head. Then Clarice now uses both hands, squeezing onto Claire's neck.
Clarice roars "I am NOBODY'S LAP DOG!" squeezing tighter she SLAMS her sister's head onto the ground, causing a small tremor in the room. Claire gags under her sister's grip, her face beginning to turn purple while tears begin to roll down her face. Clarice's hands squeezes even tighter around Claire's throat when she felt it—the exact moment her sister stopped fighting back.
Claire's fingers, which had been clawing at Clarice's wrists, went limp. Her thrashing stopped. Her body went slack, dead weight in Clarice's grip.
Clarice's rage died with it.
She lets go.
Claire's head lolled backward, neck bleeding where Clarice's nails had dug in. A thin stream of blood ran down her collarbone, pooling at the back of her neck. Her face was bloated, purple-black, her lips a sickly shade of plum. Her eyes—her eyes—rolled back so far only the whites showed.
Not breathing.
Clarice's hands were shaking. She looked at her palms like they belonged to someone else. Red. Slick. Still warm.
"What did I do?" she whispered to herself
A flashback seized her—not a memory, but something worse. A premonition. Claire lying in snow, blood spreading beneath her head like spilled wine. Flowers—white flowers?—scattered across her body. Her sister's face was so pale it was almost translucent.
"N-no. No no no no—"
Clarice's voice cracked. She reached for Claire's shoulder, her hand hovering an inch away. Blood dripped from the back of Claire's head. Slow. Rhythmic. Each drop sounded like a heartbeat she could no longer hear.
"I didn't—I didn't mean—"
Clarice's composure shattered completely. She cradled Claire's head, cradled it like it might resemble if she was gentle enough. Like gentleness mattered now. Blood smeared across her palms, warm and real, and she couldn't stop it, couldn't undo it, couldn't—
"Please. Please, Claire! Say something. Anything. Just—"
She laid Claire down, flat on her back. The back of her head was a mess—the impact had split the scalp open, and blood pooled beneath her like dark water. How much blood? Too much? Not enough to matter?
Clarice's hands moved on instinct. CPR. She'd never done it, but her body knew. Heels of her hands on Claire's sternum. Push. Push. Push. Counting in her head but the numbers were screaming, were fractured.
"Come on, come on, come on—"
Her hands pressed into Claire's chest, each pump becoming more frantic. Tears drop on her hands as she keeps pumping on Claire's chest. Claire's face slowly loses its sickly tinge, Clarice notices this, thus stopping the pump- quickly pressing her ear against Claire's chest
A rhythmic heart beat.
Finally Claire inhales, puffing her chest- followed by deep dragged breaths, then some coughs.
Clarice frantically embraces her sister, cradling Claire in her arms.
"Ough! Claire I'm so sorry! I thought you were dead!"
Claire chuckled once she catched her breath "You think you're the first one that's ever choked me out? Trust me, I've been through worse!"
Sobbing, tears flowing like a river, dropping on her sister's face she stammers "I- I'm s- so sorry *gag* I'm so sorry Claire!" Now she fully hugs her sister; Claire caresses Clarice's back, while she is rubbing the back of her sister's head.
In this brief moment, despite the puddle of blood being cold to the touch, the twins felt warmth for a long time.
However, someone is trying to unlock the door. The twins darted their eyes towards it, peeled from anticipation. Both hearts pounding, knowing fully who is trying to enter. Suddenly the wiggling of the doorknob became more aggressive. Claire exclaimed
"Reece, square up!"
Both of them scramble to get up, Claire stretches her neck, feeling the wounds; Clarice is hunched down, limbs bent- looking like she's ready to throw hands.
Suddenly the jiggling stops.
Both of them calmed down.
Clarice scoffs "Heh, I guess we can think of a way out while she comes ba-"
CRAAASHHH!!!!
A figure crashes down from the ceiling, gaping the roof exposed to the sky. From the hunched posture, body sizzling- the figure stands up; covered in black feathers from head to toe, while the only thing exposed is her face.
"M- Ms. Song?" Clarice stammered.
"Witness me!" Said the figure, as its feathered cloak unravels, displaying her full body; wings protrude from the head, the back, the arms, and hips.
"The next step of Noctum!"