I snapped my fingers three times. A soft breeze came in and the police tape ripped before me. I slowly reached up and touched my hat. I looked over the building one last time. My eyes tracing over the broken glass of the shattered windows, the bright blue graffiti that plastered the old worn walls. I took a breath, and slowly stepped forward. I could feel my hearts getting faster and faster as I grew closer. I felt my hand shaking slightly. Just calm down. How are you gonna save Lucile if you can’t face an empty building? As I came up to the door, I noticed the door was open. I sniffed the air and I could grasp the faint scent of fear emanating from the inside. I growled slightly and opened the door. I felt myself relax as I focused on this intruder.

I glanced around the house and saw what had become of our memories. The couch in the living room was ripped and stained. The sun's light beamed in from the broken sliding door to the left, showing off the stains and filth that riddled the place, my old home. I stopped and looked around. Memories flooded my mind. I remember Lucile sitting in here on her laptop, watching some horror flick next to the fire. I remembered my mother cooking in the kitchen just a few feet away. The old aroma of her famous beef stew. It was like I could still smell it now… I looked over to the dining room table and saw the broken down wooden table. I scanned over the table and the walls. The old blood stains had soaked into the walls and the table. Looking almost black now. To think her blood would be as black as mine after so much time. How cruel fate can be. It was like a bad joke.

I felt this twinge in my chest as I stared at the blood. My heart started to race as images balred into my mind. Her lifeless body lying on the floor. The pool of blood that poured out of her stomach like a busted water balloon. She was just up and smiling at me a few hours before that. Just to never stand up again. That was the last image, the last time I saw her. And look at me now Mom. You fought so hard for me.

“I bet you're rolling in your grave huh?” I mumbled.

I moved the hat over my eyes and blocked my vision of the stain. I felt my arm shake as I was frozen there. My home, it was just a placeholder, a reminder to what we had. No, it didn’t even have that respect to it. It was just a dumpster for people. I growled as the stench of fear only grew more fowl.

“You bastards have no respect. You filthy humans..” I grumbled.

I quickly turned on my heels and hurried toward the smell. I raced down the hall, ignoring it all. The graffiti, the holes, the trash, the stench that inhabited every mess in every corner of the house! I was slowly growing more and more enraged. I’ll kill them! I’ll splatter their body all over the walls! I’ll make this place something people will fear! I felt my heart racing more and more as I turned the corner, my rage reached its peak. These bastards! They were in her room! I stopped in my tracks as my mind went blank.

There it was. The tattered and broken remains of her room. Graffiti stained the old and dirtied pink walls, her closet was raided and broken off its hinges. Her desk lay broken on the floor. Right next to the lowly parasite in the hoodie. He looked me in my eyes and jumped.

His blood wasn’t worth staining her walls. But it was worth scaring him for life. I glared at him and flared my eyes. He stared into my eyes, seemingly paralyzed.

“You filthy little roach. Scurrying around someone's home, someone's memories!” I roared.

“I-I’m sorry man I-” He stammered as he slowly backed away.

I stepped forward and smirked at him. As I went to search him for his memories, he turned and leaped out of the window. As he leaped out the window, my eyes caught the reflection of a broken mirror on the floor. Catching my own blaring eyes. I immediately was hit with a headache.

“Ahh! I’ll rip your organs from your body you damn roach!” I roared as I flailed around.

My vision blurred, it was like the static on a TV. Shifting between the destroyed room and what it used to be. What was happening? It felt like my head was splitting apart!

“Ahh!” I screamed as I grabbed at my head.

I dropped to the ground and rammed my head into the floor, over and over again. Voices whispered into my ear. I could feel the warm breath caressing my neck. I felt the wind rushing in around me. My hat fell off and I curled into a ball as it felt like someone was drilling into my skull! Then, it was suddenly silent, and still. No more noise, nothing at all. It was too quiet. I slowly opened my eyes. The floor, it, it was clean. With a pink fluffy carpet under me.

I ran my fingers through the pink hairs on the carpet..

“What..”

I hesitated, but I slowly looked up for my hat.

That’s when I saw her. She stood before me, like an angel. The room was lit from the fluorescent light above. It was just how it used to be, white, and pink. I stared, my words lost to the wind. She lifted her hat up and slowly moved it on top of her golden locks. Her pale creamy skin, her bold azure sky eyes. No, it, it couldn’t be. My eyes trailed over her arm slowly, and there it was. The scar on her right arm, the one I accidently gave her.

“I can’t believe you still have this thing..” She huffed as she adjusted the old black fedora on her head.

“L-lucile?” I stuttered out..

She smiled brightly at me and stepped forward toward me. I felt my heart racing, but I couldn’t speak, think. This was my illusion right? The old aroma of her cinnamon candle was practically dripping off of her. She kneeled down, inches from me. She gave me a warm and inviting smile.

“Allister, you got so big.” She chimed.

I couldn’t hold back. The tears, they just started to fall. It was her! It was Lucile!

“Lucile…” I sniffled out as I smiled back, “Sis!”

“Aww, you must’ve been so lonely.” She hummed.

She rested a hand on my head and just beamed with joy. I quickly melted into her touch and hugged her. I buried my face into her chest and cried and cried.

“I, I missed you so much!” I cried into her.

She slowly petted my head. Then I felt her grip tighten on my hair. She got tighter and tighter, till I felt her almost ripping my hair out.

“Ah! Lucile that hurts!” I groaned.

“Oh, is that right?” She pulled me back and held me away from her, still smiling brightly at me. “I didn’t know monsters could feel pain.”

I felt this cold rush wash over me, my arms began to shake and my hearts felt like one may pop out of my chest. I shook under her hold and I just stared at her. The angelic figure just smiled at me. Her big grin slowly felt more twisted. I felt my body begin to shake.

“L-lucile, I’m sorry I had to-”

“I knew you and your dad were just monsters. You're just a mistake god stained us with. And Mom died for it.” She lulled into my ear.

I felt everything inside me begin to fade. She let go of my head, and I dropped onto the floor. I stayed there and curled up into a ball. Trying to think of anything else, anything but her words. It was just an illusion, just an illusion! I felt like I could just melt into the floor, just vanish. I felt someone yank the back of my shirt and I crashed into the wall, leaving a dent in the wood walls behind me. However, I had no time to focus on the pain. My mind went blank as I stared at my father. He was shirtless and scarred. His hair wild and stringy, and his red eyes blaring into mine.

“Pathetic, you're still scared of yourself aren’t you.”

These were just illusions right? I can shut them out. I curled up into a ball against the wall and tried to ignore him.

“You’re fake! You're not real!” I snapped.

Then crack! I felt a fist ram into my head.

“Pathetic!” He yelled.

I felt a sharp kick ram into my stomach and gasped. I turtle shelled and tried to protect myself. As my dad just stomped on me, over and over again.

“You're a Lullaby! The last one! The only one who can take over! And you failed me! No wonder those kids beat you! You're pathetic! You deserved those beatings! I should’ve given Beast the title of the Pumpkin King! At least he’s proud to be an Astrayan!”

I felt the welts from his hits. It was real, every hit. I was starting to get dizzy and my vision got blurry. That’s when he stopped.

“I should've left you to die like your mom.” He grunted.

I heard him hack something up. Then he spit on my face.

“Please, stop.” I cried as I closed my eyes and held my head. “Please, please stop.”

That’s when I felt a soft hand resting against my cheek. I jumped and curled up even more when I felt the hand. I was afraid to move, to talk. No, no more! I rather die! I rather kill myslef! I shivered and held onto my sides. I knew who this was, I knew who it had to be. I didn’t want to see it. I refused. I wailed into myself and became a crying mess. I hid my face from her. My hat, I needed my hat. I waited until the hand left.

I was hesitant, but I slowly took a breath and tried to stop my crying. My headache began to fade. The warm carpet underneath me faded. The cold hard splintered wood laid under me. I slowly pushed myself up and looked around as I rubbed my eyes. Then I spotted it, my hat. I dove for it and cradled it in my arms. Holding it desperately close to my chest.

“Lucile..Lucile..” I cried into myself.

And I laid there on her floor, cradling her hat. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t talk. It felt like I was being strangled. My breath was short and faint. Like the air was being snatched from my throat. My body felt like it was lead. And every so often, my hands shook without my command. I looked around the room. Was it a trick? Was I okay? Or would she appear?

Fear, she had me by the throat. She was strangling me. When, just when would she decide to let me go?