Flames devoured the entire village. A sea of death surrounded young Emma. All she could do was scream. She saw her family, lifeless and aflame. She screamed, but no one heard her. No one else was alive.

She was alone.

~~~~GROWL~~~~

Annie turned and looked at her sister. Annie was 5 years old; only two years difference, yet she looked infinitely younger. Perhaps it was her blonde curly hair and blue eyes, which gave her a doll like appearance that made her seem younger. She was a vast contrast from her sister, who had inherited their deceased mothers dark raven hair and dull gray eyes. Emma, though less angelic appearing, was still considered beautiful in the eyes of all those around her.

"Emma! Your tummy's growling!" she whisper-yelled. Emma simply muttered something and turned on her side.

"Emma..."

...

"Emma..."

...

"EmmaEmmaEmmaEmmaEm-"

"ALRIGHT, IM UP!"

"Yay!" Annie cheered. Emma grumbled as she sat up and stared blankly at nothing in particular. Annie smiled sweetly before saying something about breakfast and running off, but Emma didn't quite catch it. She was still having a staring contest with the wall.

Eventually she found the will to throw off the blanket, exposing herself to the chilled air of the drafty cottage she called home.

After dressing herself, she made her way into the kitchen where her sister and father were already going about their morning routine. Annie spotted her slouching in the doorway,

"Good morning sis!" She smiled her most adorable smile that could warm even the coldest of hearts. Emma was most certainly no exception.

"Morning, Annie." She managed a smile, though the sleep deprivation was still blatantly obvious.

"Another nightmare?" Annie's happy expression turned to one of concern. Emma nodded, but said nothing more. 'I shouldn't make her worry...' Emma decided not to scare her sister with the frightening images she saw in her sleep.

After their father kissed their foreheads, he left for work and the two girls waved good luck and continued to eat their breakfast. A few moments later and they were both finished,

"I'm off!" Emma exclaimed after packing some loaves of bread into her knapsack, "Remember, don't answer the door till I get back!"

"But sis, I wanna go too~" Annie whined. Emma frowned and bit her lip,

"Annie, you know it's too dangerous. The poor boy is unstable, and if he throws another tantrum, you could get hurt!" Emma's hand absent-mindedly ran over the scar left by the boys last freak-out session. Annie's eyes saddened as she remembered the frightening encounter.

"Yes, sister..." Emma noticed tears forming in the corners of her dear sisters eyes and frowned.

"Don't worry, Annie. I'll be back before you know it!" She gave her a reassuring smile and placed a gentle, loving hand atop her blonde curls.

"Promise?" Annie looked up at her with puffy red eyes. Emma placed a loving peck on the child's forehead,

"Promise."

~TIME SKIP~

"Oi'! Jim! Luka! I'm here!" Emma shouted at the previously abandoned shack. As soon as she did, the door flung open to reveal the familiar blonde who had given her the scratch on her stomach.

"Emma, you're here!" Jim cheered, immediately grabbing for her knapsack and tearing it open, "Luka, she's here!" Emma smiled as the younger boy trotted out after his brother.

"Hello Emma!" He smiled up at her lovingly. Jim grabbed one of the loaves from her knapsack and shoved it into his brothers arms.

"Here, Luka, eat!" Jim began tearing into his own loaf.

"Don't eat it all, Jim! That's supposed to last for a couple days!" Emma scolded, but he just waved her off.

Emma had been bringing the two food ever since she heard their parents died. They had never spoken much before, but she still found herself yearning to help them, so she tried to give them food at least once a week. Besides Jim's occasional murderous rant, she loved playing with them, and tried to do so often. She stopped bringing Annie once she discovered Jim's violent tendencies, which wasn't soon after she met them. They soon forgot Annie, but Annie would never forget them. Not after seeing Jim lash out at her sister so violently.

The three played for hours until it began to get dark.

"I have to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow, 'kay?" Emma saw Jim's face go sour.

"Can't you stay a little longer? We were just about to go play in the canal!" Emma bit her lip,

"I dunno..."

"Stay!" Came Lukas sweet voice that reminded her too much of her sister's for her to say no.

"Fine..." She gave in with a sigh, earning a cheer from both boys.

Not too long after they got to the canal, they saw a corpse floating down the muddy stream. Emma gasped as she looked upstream at the parade of floating lifeless bodies, and at the top of the stream she saw the village covered in a frighteningly familiar orange glow.

"No..." She muttered as she ran towards her home, leaving the two boys who were still in a daze.

Warmth enveloped her body as she set foot in the burning village, surrounded by the carcasses of everyone she'd ever known. Suddenly she wished she took the time to ask their names, but now it was too late.

They were gone.

She ran through the ashes, praying to God her house had somehow managed to remain untouched by all the madness, but as she turned the corner, there it was, burning against the evening sky.

"DAD! ANNIE!" She screamed, tears welling in her eyes. She ran to the burning ruble that used to be home and through a small opening, she could see them. The terrifying image that haunted her dreams was now staring her in the face.

And she was so afraid.

Annie's name ripped from her throat as she desperately reached through the flames.

It hurt so bad.

Her flesh was burning, yet all she could do was try and get to her beloved sister and father. She could feel herself dying, yet she still reached.

She looked into her sister's lifeless eyes, a once vibrant green now seemed dull, before someone tore her away from the flames.

"NOOOO!" She screeched as she tried to claw her way back, but was once again stopped. She looked up into glowing red eyes. She gasped, and then her world faded from red to black.

~TIME SKIP~

'That was five years ago..' She remembered. After that night, she woke up with inhuman abilities and burns along the entire right side of her face and body. She was never told why she was spared, nor why she was turned into a demon. She only knew that she was supposed to find someone to make a contract with. Someone who would willingly give their soul to achieve some wish or goal. That was her new life's purpose.

Her old life had burned away.