"When do you think we'll leave?" Aria asked, taking a bite from her sea salt ice cream as she kicked her legs over the edge of Twilight Town's clock tower. The sun was rising and beside her, Raze squinted in the blinding light. "Dunno," Akiane admitted, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. "Whenever we leave, I s'pose," "You're not very helpful, Aki!" Aria pouted, nudging Akiane with her knee. She smirked. "Well, what do you want me to say? There really isn't an honest answer to that question." Raze nodded. "Hey, that's true, Aria." "So!" Aria huffed, popping the bare ice cream stick into her mouth. She mumbled around the wood, "You coulda 'least lied to make me feel beffer." Akiane chuckled. "Right. Memo to me: lie to Aria." "Hey, wait!" She cried, spitting her popsicle stick at her sister as she giggled. The three broke into laughter, shielding the sunrise as they waited for the familiar call to tell them it was time to come home. Their mother would shout all the way from down in the tram commons every afternoon to tell them when it was time for dinner. But as time passed, the call never came. The siblings, beginning to grow anxious, left without being told. They left the clock tower, walked by the train station, and passed the clearing were the children always played. As Aria-currently in the lead of the trio-walked into the tram commons, she turned to say something to Akiane and Raze, yet found they were gone. Just like that-poof! Disappeared. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Raze! Aki!" Aria stomped her foot. "Not funny! Mom and Dad're gonna be mad if we're late!" She trailed off as she realized she hadn't seen a single person through town, and now Raze and Akiane were gone, too. Aria felt her heart rate pick up and her breaths quicken in pace. She took off running towards her house in the crack in the wall of town. The Braelynns were the only people who had even dared to move into the mysterious mansion in the woods. And that was were Aria, Raze, Akiane, and their parents, lived. The mansion was huge but and there were so many strange rooms they could never get into. Aria froze at the edge of the woods, putting her fingertips on both sides of the opening and leaning forward on her toes. Her breath caught and she gasped in confusion as the heavy scent of roses filled her nose. She hesitantly began to walk deep into the trees, letting her hands brush against the towering trunks as she passed. As she came closer to the clearing in which her family lived, the aroma of roses grew headier, almost to the point of sweet suffocation. And little did Ariana Braelynn know, the closer the came, the deeper she fell.