Aubrey knew immediately that she and Darius didn’t belong here. The moment that she set foot in this place her mind screamed that she needed to leave, but she could neither see, hear, nor smell anything once the tear behind them shut itself. She might have been stricken immobile from anxiety if not for the fact that she was still holding onto the chain around Tori’s throat; it was the only tangible thing that let her know she was still alive.

She couldn’t tell if her eyes were open or closed; darkness so black that it threatened to crush her body, pressed at her from all sides. The silence in this place was deafening and beads of sweat began to trickle down her back as she tried to discern anything of note. She felt the makings of a panic attack blossom in her chest.

She still had a firm grasp of the red chain around Tori’s neck and she shook the girl vigorously. She wanted to tell the little girl to open a way out for them but no words could pass through her lips.

She felt it.

Something took notice of her and her companion and Aubrey silently screamed at Tommy’s little sister.

Open a damn portal or something! Aubrey willed as she shook the little girl again. Fucking hurry up! I feel something coming!

She strained her eyes and saw a pinprick of light in the far distance. Showing not a moment’s hesitation, she dragged Tori as fast she could towards the light.

Whatever was chasing her was gaining ground. She knew it, she could feel it, and every pore on her body was pouring cold sweat as she all but sprinted ahead in the inky darkness.

The light grew larger and she stepped through it, tumbling onto the blessedly cool and dewy grass of Route 26. She inhaled a giant gulp of crisp morning air as tears streamed down her face.

“Never again will we go in there. Am I right Darius?” Aubrey looked over at her friend and widened her eyes in surprise. His left arm ended in a bloody stump. His hand had been cleanly severed by something sharp and he lay convulsing in shock due to the blood loss.

“Help!” She cried out. A handful of villagers came bustling out of the various cottages. They lifted the boy up and carried him to the tavern to be examined by Aubrey’s dad.

She was left alone in the grass still clutching the chain around Tori’s neck.

Aubrey wasn’t sure what had become of Tommy’s sister. The little girl blinked her glimmering pink eyes in the morning sun and looked around curiously at each cottage as if she had never seen a simple building before. Her once dark brown hair had lightened in color and was now a pink so light that it was almost white. Her nails had grown out to resemble talons and many of her teeth had been sharpened to points, none were more pronounced than her canines; Aubrey considered them to be fangs now.

“Come on,” Aubrey told the girl. “Let’s get you cleaned up and then I’ll take you to dad.”

She grabbed her companion’s hand and was met with no resistance as she gently guided her towards the cottage where she had been bunking for the last few months.

Aubrey drew the girl a bath, filling it to the brim with warm water and suds, and then helped her undress from her bloody clothes. The red chain was the only thing that Tori still wore as Aubrey led the girl over to the tub and then tried to wrestle her into the water.

“Don’t wanna!” Tori shouted and Aubrey slipped and fell into the tub at the girl’s unexpected outburst.

“Y-you can still talk?” Aubrey asked the little girl as she brought her head out of the bath water and stared at her in wonder. “Have you been able to talk this entire time?”

“Mhmm!” Tori puffed herself up with pride, completely unashamed at her lack of modesty. “I talk real good!”

A grin slowly crept its way onto Aubrey’s face and then she burst out laughing. These past twelve hours had been harrowing and the absurdity of everything that had happened, culminating with this girl or whatever she was, finally sent her over the edge.

She leaned back in the water and laughed from her belly, when was the last time she had laughed so hard? Back at school she supposed, with Jon and Tommy; it felt good.

Thoughts of her best friend brought her crashing back to reality though and she looked over at her captive who was skipping around the room, curiously examining all of the bits and bobs that Aubrey had lying around.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered to no one.

“Sorry?” Tori turned her head to regard her captor.

“Yes, I’m sorry,” Aubrey reiterated to the little girl. She would have to watch what she said around her, the girl apparently had phenomenal hearing.

“What is sorry?” Tori asked excitedly, her curiosity overwhelming.

“What is…” Aubrey trailed off. She frowned as she looked at her new companion who was staring at her with sparkling eyes. “Sorry means you’re sad because you did something bad.”

“Being sad isn’t good,” she said.

“That’s right,” Aubrey nodded. She began to pull off her own clothes, depositing them into a wet and sloppy pile on the floor outside of the tub. She was already wet and the warm water felt incredible on her skin after a horrible evening; why not enjoy herself? “Come here, I have something to show you.”

Tori crept her way over to the tub hesitantly and eyed the pile of rainbow bubbles that Aubrey was holding in her palm. She reached forward to touch them and her sharp nails quickly popped them. She grinned and began poking at all of the bubbles on the surface of the water, trying to pop as many as she could.

Aubrey lunged forward and seized Tori’s waist, dragging her into the water and erupting in a giggling fit as the little girl scrambled frantically to extricate herself.

Tori leapt from the water and scooted to the far end of the room, putting as much distance from herself and the water as possible. She hissed and spat like a feral cat and Aubrey watched the scene play out with wide eyes.

“By the Mother, what happened to you Tori?” Aubrey asked.

“W-What is Tori?” the girl chattered in between shivers. The freezing winter air was cold and Aubrey watched as the girl curled into a ball on the wooden floor to try and warm herself.

“What is Tori indeed…?” Aubrey pondered as she eyed her captive. That was certainly the question of the day, as whoever this was in front of her was clearly Tori no longer. Did her mind regress to that of a child? Was Tori no longer in her own body? Did her personality split? All questions that would need to be answered. “Do you have a name?”

“I-I don’t know,” the girl frowned. “It’s t-too c-cold t-to think.”

Aubrey got out of the tub, shivering herself as she walked over to the little girl on the floor. She bent down next to her and smiled gently. “I’m sorry, you remember that word? I’m sorry that I pulled you into the water. But I promise it’s not scary and it will feel good when you’re inside. I’ll be in with you too, okay?”

The girl nodded and Aubrey helped her to her feet, leading her back over to the tub carefully so they didn’t slip on all the spilled water. She got in first, to show the girl it wasn’t scary, and then helped her into the water.

“See? It’s not so bad, is it?” Aubrey asked. She closed her eyes and pressed her back against the cool porcelain of the tub. She reached up and turned the water back on, filling the tub closer to the top again with more warm water.

“What is a name?” The little girl asked. Aubrey cracked open her eyes to see the child staring. Her rose colored eyes sparkled in curiosity and Aubrey smiled.

They looked like pearls.

“A name is…” Aubrey trailed off puzzled by how to best explain the concept of a name. “A name is who you are.”

She pointed a finger at her chest, “My name is Aubrey. If you and I are in different rooms and you say ‘Aubrey!’ Then that means you’re looking for me, you’re saying my name. Do you get it?”

The girl nodded eagerly, “Aubrey!!!” She shouted at the top of her lungs. Aubrey laughed and started to rub soap into the girl’s hair.

“So, what is your name?” Aubrey asked as she moved to scrubbing the grime and dried blood from the child’s body. She opened the drain to let the dirty water out and turned the tap back on for a third time. “What should I say if I’m looking for you?”

“My name is Kea,” the child told her. “That’s what Dad and everyone else used to call me all those ages ago…”

“You have a father?” Aubrey asked, and she felt her heart start to beat a little more quickly.

All those ages ago, This was no longer Tori.

“I did, but not anymore,” Kea said as her eyes began to water. “He doesn’t love me anymore.”

Aubrey swallowed and looked down at the girl. “Why not? Did you do something bad?”

The girl nodded and wiped her eyes. “A long time ago Dad and brother got into a fight. And Dad said brother had to go away forever. I had to pick and I picked brother…”

Shivers ran down Aubrey’s back and gooseflesh erupted across her arms despite the searing heat of the bath water she was sitting in. Who am I talking to? Who am I sitting with right now?

“What are those?” Aubrey was stirred from her contemplations and looked down just in time to see Kea touch her bare chest. Kea looked herself over. “Why don’t I have them?”

“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” Aubrey giggled. She lifted the girl’s arms and began scrubbing again. “Now come on, let’s finish up and you can meet my dad.”

After the bath, Aubrey helped the girl dress then began to twirl Kea’s rose colored locks into a single braid. Aubrey grabbed her by the hand and headed out into the village over to her father’s tavern. She practically had to drag the girl by the arm to get her to follow along; only many promises that she would be shown around the village later made Kea hurry.

The two girls stepped inside and Aubrey hesitated only a moment so she could collect herself before heading over to the bar top to speak with her father. She stood at attention as he addressed her.

“Where have you been all morning?” Abraham’s voice was cold. The question had been innocent enough but Aubrey knew there was no concern nor worry for her hidden inside of it.

“I was preparing her,” Aubrey gestured to Kea who was quickly running around the room, picking up and examining everything she could get her hands on.

“Sebastian’s daughter?” Abraham deadpanned as he watched the child in his tavern. He frowned at his daughter and came out around the bar. “Were my instructions not clear? She was to be a sacrifice.”

“There were complications—“ was all Aubrey got out before her father backhanded her so hard she was flung into one of his wooden tables. Aubrey gasped in pain as she felt the bone in her forearm shatter.

She grimaced and tried to get to her feet again, it would only be worse if she couldn’t get back up. She got back to her feet and tried to stand back at attention but widened her eyes when she saw her father.

Kea had a single hand around his throat and her nails were digging so deep into his neck that blood began to trickle out. He was desperately swatting at Kea’s arm, but her grip was iron and she didn’t budge despite his heavy blows.

His frightened eyes locked onto hers and he was only able to barely utter a single word, “Help.”

Time seemed to come to a standstill for Aubrey. This was it, how long had she been waiting to get out from under his rule? For as long as she could remember she wanted nothing more than to be rid of him. He was a bastard of the highest order, he beat everyone mercilessly, including his family, and he ruled his syndicate through fear and violence.

“Kea, put him down,” Aubrey told the child.

Not yet, Aubrey told herself. I need to have him completely figured out before I make my move.

Kea opened her hand and Abraham collapsed to the floor gasping and clutching at his throat. Despite the tears leaking from his eyes he could barely contain his excitement. Spit and dribble flew from his mouth as he yelled. “You did well daughter, we can definitely make use of her! You’ll need to train her better though!”

Aubrey said nothing, eyeing Kea warily as the girl walked over to her. She winced in pain as Kea reached for her arm but the girl put on a gentle smile.

Indescribable warmth spread up her arm and she knew right away it had been mended. She clenched and unclenched her hand into a fist, making sure everything was in working order, but it had been healed to better than perfect. She looked down in awe at the little girl who was now hugging her tightly.

“Yes, we can definitely use her,” Aubrey overheard her dad whisper.