The next few days were pure hell. The days were entirely training, fixing my fighting stances and enhancing my techniques - all taught by my very own mother. Was this how Shirley felt during all those days, controlled like a doll forced to do anything?
And soon, it was already the day of the competition. My younger brother Ryan was shivering next to me in sheer fear while Shirley looked as if she was going to faint. This time, there would be around twenty Estrada children fighting for their lives. I too, was at the brim of dying from anxiousness and terror. Then, we were all teleported else-where.
All twenty-one of us were now in a simple, red room. I immediately turned to my left - it was my older half-sister Shirley who I cherished. I saw terror shine amongst even her usually bright eyes. I glanced over to my right side - it was my precious biological younger brother, frozen on the spot, cowering amidst the horror that surrounded all of us. All of us were here not to treat each-other with sugar words and jolly smiles that reached everyone, but solely to kill. All these people were of my blood, trained past their extent for this competition, myself included.
A girl on the opposite side with white hair, but the dull kind, stuttered and shouted as soon as we were teleported here. Her eyes were blue, but dull like her hair - it wasn't the usual crystal-blue eyes like the rest of the Estrada children, which was why I probably underestimated her.
"W-We can start now, right? So I can just.. Um.." Although she had just stuttered those words, a grin quickly took over her face and she smiled like a Cheshire cat. She took out a gun and grasped it tightly, before shooting at her nearest enemy. It hit directly at a young boy who looked around twelve, and he fell to the floor with a thud, face turning paler than ever as blood oozed out of his chest. I gasped in terror.
"One down!" She yelled in triumph, raising her arm up in the air. She was quite confident, wasn't she.
"Who should I go for next~ Ah!" I became shocked when I sensed her eyes targeting Ryan. For now, it was solely that girl that was taking action compared to the other children.
"Hm~ I never knew I had a younger half-brother as cute as this! What a shame you must die~" She kept her stance, and aimed at Ryan. Aware of who she was targeting, I instantly grabbed Ryan and brought him to the side as her bullet missed. Instead of a disappointed expression however, her eyes grew wider like a psycho and licked her lips.
"Too bad, this gun is no ordinary gun. It can release up to a hundred bullets, all able to go in separate directions!" I gripped tightly onto my spear, what on earth was she going on about? Then realisation hit me.
A bullet had pierced through Ryan's chest.
"Ryan!" Both Shirley and I yelled in despair. "Ryan, can you hear me? RYAN!!! ANSWER!!" But it was no use.
I shivered, the person that I trusted most was dropping down to the floor, now became a cold corpse. I placed my palm on my mouth as I gasped audibly, paralysed in agony, how could father accept such a disgusting tradition? I wanted to cry, and tears were already on the brim of falling out. Then I turned around as instinct reassured me, and witnessed the girl preparing to load her gun. It was the culprit behind my younger brother's death.
And when I saw that anxious smile that was plastered on her face, I lost all control.
***
The end of the competition was nearing, and my weapon was coated in deep red. Corpses were surrounded around me, cold, lifeless, non-breathing, dead people. There were only three survivors left - Shirley, another half-brother, and myself.
"How long do you think you can keep this up? Don't you feel guilty for all these deaths that you caused?" The boy smirked as he provoked me, using my weakness - which was the fact that I didn't like killing, to get me to stop and lose. But after the death of Ryan, there was no point in hesitating. I ran up to the guy and pierced him with the spear, but he avoided.
"Too bad." He mumbled, his black hair brushing off my spear, and steadied himself from his uncomfortable position that he landed in. .
"And you were too late." I took advantage of his situation and pierced his leg, then his heart to make sure he was fully dead.
"You... monster.." Those were his last words before his eyes closed and his body landed with a thud.
Now, it was only Shirley and me left. We were both silent, hoping that someone would say a word. It was me that spoke up first. I didn't want to kill Shirley. My heart didn't allow me to.
"Hey.."
She replied in hesitation. "Hi.."
"So what now. I don't want to kill you."
Shirley paused, with tears falling out of her eyes. Life was too cruel for a kind person like Shirley, she deserved better than to experience something traumatic like this. How could father allow us to kill each other?
"But I can't kill you either." Shirley began to sniff, standing still as her eyes became swollen and tears streamed down her cheek. "You're too strong anyways to beat, besides you and Ryan were the only people that cared for me. I don't want you to hurt you. So..."
"Shirley, no!" I reached out to her, but it was too late.
My eyes widened as she took out her dagger which she never took out during the entire duration of the competition, and pointed it to her heart.
"You should win, Mali. Good bye, and thank you for everything." Realization struck when I now completely understood where she was going with all of this. Tears were flowing out of her eyes like waves at the beach, and knelt down on both knees.
"SHIRLEY, NO!!!!" I wailed, but it was too late. The dagger had already entered her body, and she dropped to the floor.
"NO, NO, NO!!!" Blood spilled out of Shirley's body and my head became dizzy, overloaded with thoughts.
I sat in the corner of the blood-red room while wrapping my arms around my knees, howling in agony. Suddenly, a squeaky voice spoke through an invisible microphone.
"Congratulations, Malisia Estrada! You will now officially be pronounced as an 'Eclipse', please walk out of the door shown to be congratulated!"
But I couldn't get up to walk outside. My knees were wobbly, my body was tired and I had no motivation to do so. All the people I cherished were gone forever, and no matter how much I said to myself that this was all to run away safely, it didn't feel right.
"Sia?" I heard a familiar voice that gave me chills. It was mother.
"Sia, I know you're there.. Remember our deal?" Right. She promised that she would help me run away from this family if I won. It was solely for that reason I took the courage to go out, covered in blood.
***
As I walked outside, there were two rows of the wives and the previous people that won the competition, who were named Eclipses. They made a pathway for me to walk through. Father was at the end of that painful road, sitting on a luxurious chair adorned with jewels and gems. Mother was next to him, smiling innocently.
I walked through the path with my head bowed down and blood-covered spear in my grasp.
Father seemed intrigued, and smirked. "Malisia Estrada. Congratulations."
"Congratulations, my daughter!" Mother excitedly commented. I couldn't utter a single word, I was too terrified of what was to follow if I ever did. In silence, mother hung a medallion around my neck with the family crest engraved in the middle.
"This is to commemorate your efforts," She said, then whispered in my ear. "I'll help you later, so rest well."
***
A few years later...
I was in my upgraded room with luxury items couched on precious cupboards. The medallion I received years ago still hung around my neck. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Who else could it be other than mother. She had still not done completed her part of the deal, saying that my saviour was not here yet.
"Sia! It's done, and now you can finally leave the family!" Without even waiting for a response, she came in with a grin and an unknown person entered following her.
"After so many years... And who is that behind you?" I sternly asked, not in the mood for an argument.
She chuckled hysterically. "This is Headon. He'll take you to the tower, you see, I've known him for quite a long time. I was waiting for him to do some business and come back."
Tower...?
The rabbit-mask person apparently named Headon gripped onto his magical staff and smirked. "Miss Estrada, take my hand and you'll be in. Your family won't be able to find you in the tower, it's a greatly vast place, you see." In his voice, there was something cunning inside it, as if there was a secret that couldn't be shared to me.
"Alright... Good-bye mother." I didn't question what the point of making me win the competition was, only to send me away. What are your true intentions, mother?
I held onto the strange person's hand and a blinding light shone around us. I vaguely noticed a wave from my mother's hand, and her eyes speaking a language even I couldn't interpret.
'Finally I'm out of this household.'