Chapter II: Venom

Blaine sat outside on their porch. She stared out at the wild landscape that adorned their backyard. Blaine sometimes wondered what her parents did for work to afford such a beautiful place. Her dark hair balanced on her shoulders; her mother had been adamant about Blaine growing it out.

Blaine pulled her legs to her chest and rested her head on her knees and listened to the wind rustle through the branches. Blaine was waiting for Lara to come back. Lara and Blaine had gotten into another fight and Lara had stormed off into their backyard. Neither girl had forfeited yet, so this fight had dragged on for about 2 hours. Blaine was thinking about running out and finding Lara, but she didn't think the argument was her fault.

But as time passed and there was no sign of Lara, Blaine started to get worried. She paced the porch and kept looking to see if she would see her androgynous sister come galloping up the hill crying and hiccupping about how angry she was that Blaine hadn't come and found her. As the sun began to sink under the trees, Blaine jumped off the porch and started down the hill at mach 5.

She checked all of their usual hiding places: the hole underneath the old oak tree, the crevice behind the garage, the wood pile, but to no avail. Blaine's breath started to catch, but that is when she saw it.

About 50 yards away something was peaking out of the bush. A little hand lying face up. But something wasn't right. The hand seemed lifeless. Blaine sprinted toward the bush fearing the worst for her sister. Lara had been known to faint a lot and fall off of things so Blaine always like to be there to catch her. Blaine quickly pulled apart the prickly bush to reveal her sister lying on the ground cold and limp. Blaine's eyes began to well up as she shook her sister as hard as she could. She didn't want to be left alone again with Dad. Anything but that.

That's when she heard something. A low hissing noise echoed from behind her. She slowly turned her head. She found herself staring into the eyes a snake. Its tongue darted in and out of its mouth quickly as it took inventory of Blaine.

"Did you do this?" Blaine said threateningly through her tears, "You better get out of here, because after I tell my mom what you have done you are toast."

Blaine suddenly felt movement. Lara was coming to. Blaine turned quickly with excitement to face her sister, but that is when the snake struck.

It dug its pink fleshy fangs deep into Blaine's wrist. Blaine could feel a foreign substance be injected into her body. At first it felt cold like ice on flesh, but soon it began to burn and swell. The snake would not let go. It sunk its fangs deeper and deeper and poured more and more venom into the young girl's body. Blood and venom began to overflow from the wound.

But suddenly Blaine felt no pain, the snake had relaxed. She turned back to face it and saw Lara had stabbed it through the abdomen with a stick. Lara and Blaine locked eyes. Both girls were so full of fear, Blaine's fear of the poison and Lara's fear of mortality, all they could do was embrace and cry.