Page 23 of Dancing with Vipers and Shadows

“Sort of.” She thinks about it. “At first, I kind of wanted to attend so I could find a boyfriend who’d protect me from all the scary ‘monsters’ in our world.”

She’s looking forward, but I can only imagine what’s playing in the depths of her mind.

The flashbacks, the irony, the panic, and the fear of being alone with a sick predator that shares the same blood as you.

“Then I had a really bad experience with a guy. Sweet and kind. Gave off the impression that he’d be the perfect knight-in-shining-armor persona. I could envision a life with him, honestly. That’s how solid his personality was and the credentials of power he carried.”

I wonder what happened?

“I didn’t realize it was a setup,” she confesses. “Just another way to hurt me. An act of betrayal from the very man who was making my life utterly miserable.”

“All I need is five seconds to murder him,” I emphasize with narrowed eyes.

She laughs. “If we manage to graduate from this university alive, you can be first in line. Hopefully, my father hasn’t killed him already.”

“Wait. Your parents found out about it?” We’re closer to the gates, so I know we’re pressed for time.

“My father did.” Her smile spreads as she turns her attention to me. “That’s kind of why I’m here, and he isn’t.”

“His punishment was to lose out on coming to N.M.U.?” I’m not sure that’s a worthy enough punishment for raping your younger sister.

“That and being in jail. At least, that’s what my mother stated before dropping me off. I think she’s still in denial, but then again, she was right behind my father when he opened the door mid-act.” She shrugs as though it’s not a big deal, though I’m sure it is. “I actually think she wants to defend him, but when the victim is tied to the bed, blindfolded, and unable to even scream, you really can’t blame them. Unless you’re intentionally blind and encouraging the act.”

“So… if your mom goes missing too, you wouldn’t be hurt, right?”

Her smile grows.

“You’re a protective friend, aren’t you?” she assumes.

“I wouldn’t know,” I admit. “I didn’t have any friends. If you consider me one after this, I guess you’ll be my first real friend.”

“Why is that?” Her deep frown doesn’t suit her face at all.

“My parents are obsessed with our legacy. My purpose was to maintain it at all costs. My sister and I were born into such a hyper-fixated reality, which made having friends a burden. A distraction from our grand role in life. I was the youngest. Born less than a minute after my twin sister. You’d think parents would treat us equally regardless that we’re twins, but that wasn’t the case. I was the underdog, while the weight of our continued reign in the realms of power was on my older sister. That was until she disappeared when we got our gifts at eighteen.”

“She disappeared or ran away?” Blair asks for clarification.

“Honestly, no one knows,” I confess and shrug my shoulders helplessly. “As her twin, everyone assumes I should know what happened, you know? We think alike. We have some sort of connection that makes us know the other is still alive and well. Despite all the logistics around it, I can’t fathom why she left.”

“Doesn’t it feel like she abandoned you?” Blair mutters.

“It does.” No point in lying about it. “She left out of the blue, and the weight was left for me to bear alone. Attempting to meet your parent’s expectations are difficult, but when you have another who’s by your side through the highs and lows, it makes it doable. You have the validation that you’re not alone. When she left, there was no one else to lean on because my suffering was deemed an excuse to get out of what I was destined to do. With one sibling disappearing without a trace, I think my family was frightened I’d follow the lead.”

“Then your legacy would go down the drain,” Blair mutters in disappointment. “You’re angry at your sister, aren’t you?”

“Would it be weird to admit I’m not sure?” I offer in return.

“It’s not weird. Just that I wouldn’t blame you if you were upset with her.”

“Honestly, I can’t say I’m mad when I can mentally grasp why she decided to dip. That’s the logical side of me, though.” I slow my steps until we come to a stop.

Blair follows my lead, but instead of looking at the golden gates a few steps away from us, her eyes are on me.

“What about the side of you deep within?” she questions with sternness. “The hidden persona we all carry deep within our cores that influences the dark energies and essence we harvest into reality through magic and dark art. Does that side think what your sister did was okay?”

I don’t answer.

“Or does she harvest a level of anger that, if given one opportunity to strike, would burn the world around her to prove how your sister’s actions really hurt you?”

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