"Liz? Where are you going?"
Perhaps if I was more aware at the time, I could have stopped my sister that night. I was only seven at the time, and was not aware that the Ki Virus existed.
In my half-asleep stupor, I didn't question it when she slowly brought her finger to her lips and smiled.
The window was wide open, allowing a cold breeze to caress my cheeks as I sat up in bed. My sister looked so beautiful, so happy as the full moon's light illuminated her figure. Her long dirty blonde hair looked golden as a few strands seemed to wave at me farewell in the wind. My sister's eyes seemed to glitter and glow, her previous empty turquoise eyes finally filling with life.
I was so entranced seeing her smile so freely, that I didn't notice the stuffed bag tightly clinging onto her back like a parasite.
In the corner of my mind, I had the feeling that things weren't right. I knew deep inside something was wrong, and that I should have reached out to her.
I wanted to speak, to tell her not to go.
But for the first time in my life, I saw her genuinely happy for once, snapping my mouth shut.
Later on, I found that it was probably better that my sister left that night. The morning after, officers came to our house to personally confine my sister and most likely kill her.
So even now, I don't regret stopping my sister's figure as she leapt out the window from the second floor of our house. Even if I couldn't see her, at least I knew she was safe.
...
"This looks like the spot."
Glancing up to the flashing sign, I gripped the piece of paper in my hand.
It was a bit shady, located near abandoned buildings in the back alleys of the city. Nonetheless, the blinking sign seemed to stand out, flaunting and showing itself to the world.
Swallowing the lump in my throat I didn't know I had, I cautiously read the sign just to double check for the twenty-sixth time.
On the blinking sign were glowing letters that spelled out, "Clover", with a lime green line swirling into a four leaf clover around the 'C'.
Glancing at the paper in my hand again, I compared the two.
'No doubt, they're the same,' I shakily exhaled.
The piece of paper my elder sister left behind. The only clue as to where she could have gone.
I swallowed again.
After my sister left, I didn't know what was happening. There was a big search for her, but I always thought it was strange.
Previously, my parents didn't seem to care whether my sister lived or died and suddenly they care?
Something inside of me told me not to tell them what I saw that night. I didn't know why the adults were making such a big fuss... until I came to know of their existence in third grade.
The Ki Sehnen, and the Ki Virus.
The day our teachers began to teach us about them, something inside of me just... cracked. I could feel the fragments of my innocence falling apart as I slowly saw the world for what it was. When I realized how the world worked.
When I realized my parents had intended to kill off my elder sister.
We lived as a happy family up until I was around three. Something changed in this world. Something changed in my sister, and that changed mom and dad.
Around that time, my sister was almost twelve, so my parents might have thought it was just her menstrual cycle finally coming. Her period. As the years passed slowly, they acted more cold towards her. They realized everything they thought was false, was actually true all along. And so, they didn't see their daughter as human anymore.
I didn't see it at the time because they treated me normally. They treated me better actually, spoiling me much more.
My elder sister acted normal as well. She was always kind to me, cared about me. Even when she and our parents got into so many fights and she spent nights outside often, she didn't change towards me.
I remember one day, she showed me something she could do. Something she hadn't shown to anyone else.
"It's our little secret, ok?"
At the time, I was maybe around five, so she would have been around fourteen. I remember my amazement that day, that memory.
In the dark of our bedroom with only shadows to hide us, she performed a magic show for me—a spell like the fairy godmother in Cinderella.
She held my tiny hands in hers as a gentle light began to bloom in my palms. A soft blue glow, feeling almost cold. The light formed the image of an unraveling flower.
I saw it as magic, a gift, a wish.
But my parents happened to walk in and see. They thought of it as a curse. Before I knew it, my sister was dragged off to somewhere I couldn't see.
I remember the dread that began to hammer in my chest, the first time I thought something was wrong. I mistook it as another small mistake my sister had done, like the usual. After all, that's what my parents always told me when I asked.
I didn't see her for a month. The next time I saw her, it was only for a moment.
I woke up in the middle of the night, and was scared. The moon's light was shining through the window, and I saw her just... standing in the doorway.
But she wasn't the sister I loved.
Her eyes were glowing a blood red, so different from her turquoise-grey eyes. Her dirty blonde hair was messy, some strands stuck to her cheeks. Her arms were scratched and bruised, her legs, too. They were dripping with blood.
She needed blood.
Her eyes were red. Glowing, glowing, red. Like blood—she needed my blood—red. Blood, blood, red—she's going to eat me—
I remember screaming. She just stood there, and kinda jumped a bit when I screamed. Her eyes went back to normal and then she just stared at me blankly, almost in shock.
"Chi?" I remember her whispering. Her eyes kept shifting between red and turquoise in confusion as she looked down at her body, and then at me.
I heard dad's voice roar. I heard my parents furiously running up the stairs, and she must have too.
I remember her eyes that night. The wide, fear-striken eyes the moment she realized that dad was going to kill her right now.
And then she crashed through the window and fell. She must have ran because I didn't see her for another week.
Then she came back completely normal.
It wasn't until after learning of their existence that I realized the truth of that night. The truth of all those nights she went missing and didn't sleep next to me. Those nights when my parents hid her away for days and weeks because she did something wrong, and the nights she disappeared and my parents were so terrified that she escaped.
And I realized completely what happened when I went downstairs for the first time and secretly looked into a locked room.
My sister was bloody and cut because my dad whipped her until she was bloody and raw.
And I imagine it wasn't the first time. Those fear filled eyes, he's done it before. Many times.
She was thirsty that night because she lost too much blood, and I was right there.
We were taught that Ki Sehnen's don't become rabid immediately. The first thing that comes is small, the feeling of your blood heating up randomly. Your body becomes so hot, it's mistaken as a fever.
The second thing that comes is the magic. The powers, abilities, whatever you call it. It's unnatural.
After you realize your abilities and become amazed and curious, you use them. And that's when the hunger starts. You become a ticking time bomb. The more you use it after the first time, the more hungrier you get.
Until you go berserk.
At some point, a Ki Sehnen gets an "awakening". It happens maybe days, months, or even years after you first get your powers. The first time is always the worst.
One day, you suddenly crave blood. Your throat becomes dry and you feel like you haven't eaten in days. You lose all thought and feeling other than hunger, all that you want is flesh and blood.
Blood Craved. That's what Ki Sehnen means.
That night was my sister's awakening.
After I found out about their existence, I got into a fight with my parents. I got into many fights. I was furious, I was upset and emotional. They wanted to kill my kind elder sister who, even though she was whipped until her blood formed puddles almost every night, still sung me lullabied to bed. The sister who still kissed my temples goodnight when our parents cursed her existence and praised mine. My precious elder sister who still made sure my body was safe and warm under blankets when she had to escape to the cold night outside.
Until one day, we got into a fight over my sister.
"Don't you think we miss her too?!" My mother had shouted. I shut up, confused. My mother was crying like she always does. Trying to guilt trip me, to make me understand that it's ok to kill them.
"Do you think we wanted to give her up? To kill her? She was our baby until that damned virus infected her," my mother claimed, wiping away her crocodile tears.
"Do you not remember that night where she almost killed you?! When you were five?!" My dad screamed. I flinched.
I did remember, but they got it all wrong. She was scared of herself. She didn't want to hurt me. Even in her blood craved state, she recognized me.
"... Yeah." I mumbled.
"We still loved her, we loved our little girl, our first born," my mother said, placing her hands on my shoulders. "And we miss her, but she's gone now. That virus has completely killed our baby, and the government has already killed that monster."
My blood ran cold for a second.
"But we still loved her," my mother persuaded, wrapping her arms around me. "So please, no more fighting?"
I stood there, frozen for a moment before my arms slowly rested on her back as well. I smiled, bitterly with my teeth clenched.
... bullshit.
I didn't argue with them after that. I avoided them completely, or tried to at least.
Obviously I didn't buy it. I was fifteen. Did they think I was just born? KS or not, she was still my sister and their daughter.
But they chose to ignore that, and moved their attention to me because they knew their eldest was going to be killed off anyway.
But she's not gone. She's still alive. I know she is. I can feel it somewhere in my heart, her heart still beats. That she's somewhere in this world, living freely.
And Clover is the only way for me to find her.
A little after I turned sixteen, I found my sister's diary. Most of the pages were torn out or scribbled, most likely done before she left.
But inside, she left an envelope.
Addressed to me.
I don't know how I didn't find the diary and letter before, but I opened it. The only thing inside was this piece of paper in my hands.
I pushed open the door, entering the bar for the first time. A small bell rang as I descended down three steps into the main room.
There was a decent amount of people inside, considering it was maybe an hour after sunset. Most likely hearing the bell, some people threw glances my way. I felt some eyes on me for a few seconds as soft jazz played into my ears.
Nervously looking around, I forced myself to remember what I was doing.
On the back of the piece of paper in the envelope, was a drink. Or rather, the name of a drink.
I sat on an empty bar stool, still feeling eyes peering at the back of my head. It's not like I didn't mind, but it's understandable. I was obviously underage.
I caught the bartender staring at me as well. The bartender looked maybe in her thirties, her curly caramel hair in a side ponytail resting on her left shoulder. She wore a black vest over a neat white shirt, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her eyes were a pretty hazel, thin wired glasses resting on her nose.
"May I help you?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"I-uh, yeah... I think so?" I answered, a bit uncertain. Realizing I should have thought of some sort of plan before entering, I asked for a menu.
As she slid over a laminated sheet of paper, I looked over the drinks for a few seconds. The longer I stared, the more confused I had gotten.
I turned the piece of paper my sister left just to make sure I remembered correctly. I looked the menu over again to make sure I didn't miss anything.
"... Is something the matter?" The woman asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Oh, uh, no," I quickly said, stumbling over my words. "But uh... do you, by any chance, change your menus?"
"Certainly," she replied. "Maybe once every season or two, but we do change them."
I sighed. Of course. It's been ten years, the drink must have been removed long ago.
"Are you looking for something in particular?" She asked, drying a glass with a towel.
"Y-Yeah, sorta," I confessed, sliding the menu back toward her.
I glanced at the paper again. "I'm looking for a drink called..."
God, I know I'm going to butcher the pronunciation.
"Lune de Sang?"
She stopped for a moment, her eyes shifting slightly with a strange glint. Her hands halted, holding the dried glass for a few seconds before placing it on the table.
An odd smile graced her lips as she looked back to me again.
A sudden wave of dread dawned upon me for a second, a chill slowly making its way up my back, tickling my neck. I felt shivers lick against my ears and the air suddenly felt cold.
"Now, how did you come to know of this... beverage?" She asked, slowly, almost like a whisper. Like she didn't want anyone nearby to know of this conversation.
I slowly began to regret coming here.
"I, uh... It's kinda a long story, so, uh—"
"Sweetie, I'm sure we have time. It's only just after sundown," she assured, leaning over the counter. The way she called me 'Sweetie' reminded me of mother, using pet names to try and buy me over.
The woman's words seem to flow so smoothly, like the hissing of a snake as it quietly wrapped its prey tightly in its grasp. Her face was slightly overshadowed from the lights, yet her eyes seemed to glow a more olive green color. It felt like she was peering into my soul.
I felt very nervous and almost scared.
It reminded me a bit of the night my sister "awakened", how her eyes wanted to eat me whole.
My sister.
I almost forgot why I was here.
"I, uh... m-my sister, clover..." I kept tripping over my words as I darted back and forth between the small piece of paper and the bartender. My fingers trembled slightly on the table, my heart pulsing nervously in my chest.
"I-I'm trying t-to..."
She laughed out loud. I didn't know how to react, whether to feel confused or relieved. Maybe it was both.
"Calm down, I'm kidding. I know exactly what you're talking about," she smiled, backing away slightly. She winked. "Though, I'm not quite sure a young girl like you should be trying one of these... it's a bit strong."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Is it alcoholic?"
I figured it probably would be, but assuming my sister drank it after she left, I took a gamble. My sister was only sixteen when she left, younger than I am now.
The woman shook her head. "It isn't, but for premature children like you it can be a bit... bitter tasting perhaps. Are you sure you'd like to try it?"
I nodded. "Yes, please."
The bartender nodded and talked to another bartender, a man. He was a bit taller than the woman, maybe around four or five inches. The man looked like he was pretty well built as well, a darker complexion and black hair.
They spoke for a few seconds before she turned back to me.
"It's such an old drink, so the ingredients should be way in the back. Do you mind helping me search?" She asked, gesturing toward a door a little ways behind her.
I shook my head vigorously and stood up.
"No, of course not! I'll help in any way I can." The female bartender smiled and had me follow behind her.
As she unlocked the door, I peered into it as the light flooded in. It looked like a normal storage room, wooden boxes and sturdy shelves. As I walked inside and closed the door behind me, she turned on the lights and spoke.
"Let's see... the base should be in a large wooden box labeled with a bright red 'B' on the lid," she instructed. "I'll take a look at the higher boxes. Don't want any falling on you."
I lowered my height slightly to glaze over the boxes. I sighed, faintly seeing my breath. It was a bit chilly in here, probably a cooling room of some sorts.
"Oh, and I'm trusting you not to take or touch anything you find! There are some expensive drinks stored in here," she calls out, her voice a bit echoey.
I nodded slightly, even though she probably wasn't looking over here. The boxes were big and dusty, like they haven't been touched in a while.
I was wearing a long sleeved shirt, but I could still feel my own goosebumps from the cold.
Trailing my fingertips across the tops of the boxes, I watched as they made trails in the film of dust.
And then, I came to a box where my finger stopped making trails. It was still dusty, but noticeably less than the rest. I squinted at it, brushing off the thin layer of grey dust until I spot a small letter 'B' in red.
"Oh, I think I found it!" I called, a smile on my lips. Carefully, I felt for the crevice under the lid to pull it off. With a grunt, I shifted the wooden top of the box onto the one next to it.
Inside, there was these glass bottles full of blackish liquid. I peered at them with squinted eyes, reaching my hand inside to grasp one of the bottles.
Cold. The bottles and liquid were cold. Which, wasn't surprising as we were inside a cooling room of sorts.
I swirled the liquid inside it's bottle. It was a little thick, slowly sliding against the sides with a thin red—
Red.
I froze, realization hitting me.
An old drink that is never used often. The cooling room to keep the liquids cooled and fresh. The box that's less dusty than the others as if used more often. The red 'B' on the box to label it.
With a jolt, I dropped the bottle, the glass crashing onto the cement floor as I stepped away with my hands covering my mouth.
The 'B' wasn't for 'Base'.
It was for blood.
The red liquid easily spilled from its broken container, the glass shards stained red.
"T-That's..." I stuttered, still walking backwards.
After feeling something, I quickly turned around to come face to face with the female bartender.
With glowing red eyes.
"I warned you not to touch anything you find."
My eyelids began to feel heavy.
"After all, there are some expensive drinks stored in here."
And then everything went dark.