Kat Cutter could not bear to see her sister.
She had abandoned poor little Naomi to the demons, and had left without so much as a glance over her shoulder.
But she had no choice. The boy, the Speaker of the Shadows, Teller of Those in the Darkness, Watcher of the Night and Seer of Those Who Wander, he was going to put Naomi and her new friend Hela in danger.
Kat couldn't let that happen. She couldn't. She owed it to Naomi, for abandoning her in the hands of the beasts that poisoned your mind.
She tightened her grip on her dagger and walked into the psychiatric hospital.
The receptionist looked her up and down, and scowled. A sixteen-year-old girl with a hoodie, clearly holding something in her hoodie pocket.
Of course that was suspicious.
Kat forced a smile and walked up to the receptionist. "Hi," she said. "I'm Kat Cutter, here to see Naomi Cutter. I booked an appointment."
The receptionist shifted through the papers. "Why, yes, I remember you," she said. "On the third floor, eighth door on the left. Bed number ten, at the end of the hall."
Kat nodded and walked around the corner. As soon as she was out of sight of the nurse, she sprinted up the stairs as fast as she could.
When she finally reached the third floor, she came to a sudden halt. She closed her eyes and knitted her brows together.
Come on, she thought. I need to see through their reality.
When she opened her eyes, blood splattered the walls. Rust covered everything.
Naomi walked quickly but silently down the hall to the eighth door on the left. She drew in a deep, ragged breath, and quietly opened the door.
She closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them, she saw Naomi.
She was sitting with the girl on bed number four. This new girl's hair was obsidian black, with amber eyes.
The boy next to her. He was the one Kat was after.
Naomi turned around, and her face lit up. "Kat!" she cried, a grin splitting her face. She leapt off the bed and ran at Kat, throwing her arms around her sister's waist.
Kat smiled softly, and returned the hug. "Hey, Nomes," she said.
The other girl edged off the bed and strode over. "Hi," she said. "I'm Hela Bloodstone."
Kat gasped. A Bloodstone? Here? She thought the last Bloodstones were Benjamin Bloodstone and Helena -
But of course! Lilian Shirey, Helena's sister, was still alive!
Which meant the oldest Bloodstone child, Eliza, must have changed her name, otherwise she'd've been killed by now.
Kat disentangled herself from Naomi, and drew out her dagger. In one fluid movement, she stepped across the room and held the dagger to the boy's throat.
He had mousy brown hair, and very pale blue-grey, bloodshot eyes.
Naomi cried out in dismay. "Kat! What are you doing?"
"This dirty little rat is going to get you in big trouble, Naomi," warned Kat. "He needs to get away from you. I won't let them take you down with him."
"What are you talking about?"
Kat looked over her shoulder at her sister. She looked so confused and afraid.
Hela, however, had her brows knitted, lips pursed in grave understanding. "You remember what he said the day he came here? He said 'they don't like it when you lie'."
She turned her hard amber gaze onto the boy. "You lied, didn't you?"
"Not on purpose!" he protested.
Naomi had tears in her eyes. "Sots, they're going to kill you, aren't they?"
Kat frowned. "'Sots'? His name is Speaker of the Shadows, Teller of Those in the Darkness, Watcher of the Night and Seer of Those Who Wander."
"It's a nickname," whimpered Naomi. "Because we were friends."
"W-we still are!" protested Sots. "This changes nothing!"
Kat pressed the dagger into his throat again, drawing a thin line of blood. "How long have you been here?" she demanded.
"Two days," said Hela.
Naomi cursed and shoved Sots away. He collapsed onto the bed and pressed his hands against his throat, glaring at Kat.
She flipped him off and grabbed the arms of Naomi and Hela.
Both wrenched their arms out of her grip. "Kat!" cried Naomi. "We can't leave him! He'll be killed!"
"That's the point!" snarled Kat. "He'll be killed and so will you! We need to leave, now!"
"B-but -"
"No. It's his mistake, and he has to deal with it. He lied. It's not our problem."
She grabbed Naomi and Hela's wrists again and dragged them out of the room.
To her anger, Sots followed.
She whipped around, snarling. "GO AWAY," she ordered. "Go back to whichever pit of hell you came from!"
His eyes burned with rage. "I didn't want to be late!" he shouted. "The stupid people thought I was insane and locked me in here! I couldn't escape!'
"You fool!" hissed Kat. Rage pulsed through her veins. "You insolent idiot! Everyone knows that you do whatever it takes to not be late!"
The whole world seemed to ripple, and a shiver ran down Kat's spine.
"And they know where we are," she whispered, fear dawning on her face.