She runs along the moonlit lake cheerfully. Glancing back every now and then to her parents, she lets go of her sister's hand and sprints ahead towards a rose bush.
"Come on, Rosa!" she calls playfully, twirling around in the fragrant air.
"Go ahead, Liz. I'll wait here for you," the sister replies softly.
Rosa sits in the lush, dark green grass. Liz runs to the rose bush and sniffs the roses. They are so pretty. These would look wonderful in Rosa's hair, Liz thinks and then, carefully picks the blossoms. She fills her arms with the red bouquet and runs back to the seated Rosa.
"Look what I got for you," Liz says, dumping the armload of flowers into Rosa's lap.
"They're so beautiful," Rosa exclaims. "Just like you."
Rosa gently slips a black rose into Liz's hair and kisses her forehead.
"Can I braid them into your hair?" Liz asks.
"Sure."
Liz circles around to behind Rosa. She runs her talons through Rosa's dark silky hair and then reaches around to take a rose from her lap. Her talons close on the wet stem of a single red rose. Liz starts to braid the rose into Rosa's black hair, but stops when she realizes that her hands are covered in blood. Liz screams and scrambles away from the crimson stemmed rose.
"Mom! Dad!" she yells, but both have disappeared.
A faint mist blows in, off of the lake. Rosa's form falls forward and Liz crawls over to help.
"Rosa, wake up," she says while shaking her.
Rosa does not move. Crushed roses spilling around her, Liz uses all her strength to roll Rosa onto her back. She gasps in horror at the sight. Rosa's eyes are closed calmly, but her face and arms are covered with a multitude of tiny scratches, drenching her tan skin in blood.
"Rosa? Wake up. It's time to go home now. We need to get some Band-Aids and then you'll be ok. Come on, Rosa."
She continues to shake Rosa's motionless form as the mist closes in around them. Tears stream down her face as her choked pleas go unanswered. Suddenly a hand grasps Liz's shoulder and she twirls around in fear to face the shadowed stranger.
"Max! You have to save her! Please, she won't wake up, but you can help her."
"Don't worry, Liz. I'll stop her pain."
Max brushes past her and kneels beside Rosa. His right taloned hand smoothly slithers into a human hand. Brushing back her raven hair, he presses two fingers against her stained forehead. His hand glows silver. Suddenly, Rosa spasms and intakes a quick, deep breath of air. Then, her body completely relaxes, her head lulling to the side.
"Oops," Max croons, glancing over at Liz through his blond bangs. "I guess I used the wrong hand."
His eyes never leaving hers, he stealthily crawls back to Liz. He crouches in front of her and brushes her hair back from her face.
"Don't be scared, Liz," he soothes, softly stroking her hair. "Didn't your mother ever tell you about balance? But you're more of a science girl, aren't you? For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. It's all part of the game."
He places his left hand gently on her stomach.
"One hand to revive life."'
He reaches up and takes the black rose in-between the fingers of his right hand.
"The other hand to take it."
The rose's petals shrivel and wilt away from the flower. Max smiles sinisterly and the dried stem falls to the ground.
"Goodbye, Liz."
He places his right hand on her forehead. Her skin is on fire, electricity shooting up and down her nerves. The mists close in around her, clouding her vision to black. Her body begins to itch. As the irritation intensifies, all she sees is a burning red landscape.