❝ The end of life begins when you
drain one from another ❞
Michaela Reid was raised in a household that would be considered anything but normal. From the time her fine motor skills developed, she was taught how to properly grip a dagger and a woode...
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The Hunter - age 11 2015
At that moment, I knew what true fear felt like. I think back to earlier in the night when my mother stared me down with the eyes I inherited from her and warned me to follow my usual bedtime routine.
I had huffed, blowing hair out of my face and storming off to my room. I felt stupid doing that stupid routine. Locking my windows, lining them with a garlic and salt mixture, setting my traps, checking them, checking them again, and securing my door. It had all felt so lame.
None of my friends had to do these silly rules, so why did I?
For the first time, I had gone to bed in spite of my parents, leaving my window unsecured and even a fraction open for the first time in my life. After all, I was on the second floor. It was perfectly safe to do so, Mum and Dad were just being paranoid.
About 10 minutes ago, I jolted out of my sleep to a muffled sound coming from downstairs.
Maybe Leila was sneaking a chocolate chip cookie as a midnight snack. I had thought.
I sighed and ripped the blankets from my body and felt an eerie and unfamiliar chill as it pinched at my skin. But, I thought about how freaked out my parents would get if they saw Leila outside of her bedroom, especially at this hour.
So, in the spirit of sisterhood, I had quietly snuck out of my room and made my way down the stairs. I made sure I avoided all the creaky spots of the staircase on the way down.
I had peaked around the corner and expected to see Leila with her tongue between her teeth, her little arms reaching for the cupboards above her head. Instead, I saw something that would haunt me forever.
I've never forgotten the face of the man when he dropped my mother's body to the ground right next to my father's, his head leaned back in ecstasy. Then, as if he heard my heart thumping, he turned around and faced me, his red eyes sparkled with enjoyment as a smile had taken over his ruby lips.
