"Aunt Cassy?" Her whisper quietly, uncertainly floated on the wind, threatening to be blown away before it reached their ears.

Aunt Cassy didn't give any sign of acknowledgement, just continued to lock eyes with Uncle Gethen.

Izzy opened her mouth to speak again, but her aunt suddenly yanked her painfully forward, leaving her stumbling across the rough stones towards her sinister looking uncle.

She caught herself a little less than half way, stopping as the shadowy figures stared at her, the white eyes on their sleeves glinting in the darkness. Gethen's smile sent chills down her back, making her want to run away and hide. Who was this man, what happened to her fun uncle, the one who took her on adventures and bought her ice cream and video games? He took a step forward, reaching for her, but she was too scared to run, to confused to move.

A giant wave of ice burst from the ground like a tidal wave, deadly ice spikes rising from the crest, missing Izzy by less than an inch. Gethen was sent crashing into a wall with a sickening crunch. The cloaked figure on the right flew across the road and into the shadows. A distinctive plunk was heard from his direction as he hit the nearby waterway. The only shadow left stood in a fighting position, facing the now vacant spots, a fist raised in the air.

She couldn't have seen that, right? That just, wasn't possible. Humans can't do that, have superpowers. So how, how-

As her brain swirled with thoughts, finally deciding that she must be dreaming since nothing else made any sense, she took a step back, staring at the frost path that was left at her feet. As the shock began to drain slightly, she finally heard the bloody murder scream that filled the air. As it ended it bounced off the brick walls and water, distorting almost beyond recognition. Yet she knew that voice, how could she forget it, it was her own. Even so, it still added to the shadows which seemed to creep along the walls, claws out, ready to tear her apart. She knew she was just imagining it, but that knowledge didn't help. Maybe she was finally losing it? Could she have imagined the ice as well, the cloaked figures, the coldness trapped in her aunt's eyes?

.

A dark shadow rose from against the wall, a distinctive hand appearing from the darkness, but just as quickly as it appeared, Uncle Gethen's form crumpled back onto the ground, cloaked in the shadows once again.

Before Izzy had time to react, she saw a flash of silver point at Aunt Cassy. Time slowed to a heartbreakingly slow speed, every moment, every second feeling like a lifetime, and yet her body was frozen with time, helpless as she watched.

Aunt Cassy's body tensed for a split second before her legs collapsed under her, falling lifeless onto the cold cobblestone road like a Raggedy-Ann doll, the only sign of life the twitching that filled her muscles. Then, her body fell silent, frozen against the icy ground, lifeless, clouded, turquoise eyes staring back at her.

Izzy didn't remember opening her mouth, but a scream filled the air anyway, the sound filling her brain, blocking her thoughts. She wasn't sure what she was doing, what she should do. All she knew was her feet were flying under her as she ran to her aunt. A hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back. She flailed, screaming, her eyes locked onto her aunt's unmoving form. She called for her over and over, her throat painfully raw, but she didn't care. How could she? Everything she had in life, every memory of love and family she ever had, her house, her clothes, the fact she didn't end up in an orphanage, that was all because of her. She was her everything, her heart, her mom, her life. She had given up her life to raise her, and she had been by her side through every hardship, every moment of fear and shadows, every happy celebration. Without her, what was she?

She kept screaming for her, ignoring her silence, her dead eyes. She had to answer, she just had to! Even as the hand dragged her away, even as two strong arms picked her up and began carrying her towards the shadows of a dark alleyway, she didn't stop calling for her, didn't stop struggling to reach her. She knew what she was without her, incomplete, alone, nothing. How could she survive as nothing? She couldn't. That's why she had to be alive. She couldn't die, it just wasn't possible.

Once they were hidden by the shadows, the cloaked figure dumped her onto the ground before taking a few steps towards the entrance, glancing past each side of the brick buildings hiding them.

Izzy sat on the filthy ground, her legs folded under her as she stared blankly at a rat scurrying away from under a dumpster. It felt like she had been hit by a bus, no, a plane.

The shadow grew closer, towering over her, but she didn't have the will to fight, to move. Her brain was a constant replay of events, always settling on the unmoving form of her aunt, her cold, clouded eyes staring into nothingness. As the figure cast a shadow over her, she glanced up, barely noticing them through her blurry eyes. For the first time she noticed the tears streaming down her face. As sobs began to shake her chest, forcing their way out of her lips, she tried to hold them back, but they broke out anyway.

Bending down, the cloaked figure pulled a white kerchief out of their pocket and gently motioned it forward. Izzy stared at it for a second until they brought it closer again, a familiar voice sounding along with it.

"Take it."

Her heart beating out of her chest with shock, she reached forward, gently taking it with a shaking hand. Some part of her brain registered how impossibly soft and silky it was, but every other piece of her was focused on them. How could she not know, how did she never notice? Were they always involved in… all of this? Then, what did that mean? Horrible, heart stopping thoughts of betrayal and lies filled her hear, overflowing and soaking her stomach in the cold, slimy feeling. She attempted to rub the tears out of her eyes so she could see clearly, maybe even think clearly, but for every tear she wiped away three move flooded out.

The silhouette's hand held her chin up slightly, gently wiping Izzy's eyes with a sleeve and smiling, though it was filled with sadness.

"This reminds me of this one time when we were younger, after you started getting the nightmares." Izzy looked up into their face, watching the sadness cover their misty eyes. "You were sitting in your bed sobbing, hidden in the blankets, too scared to speak. You looked almost as helpless then as you do now."

They stood up, pulling their hood back slowly to reveal a head full of brown, curly hair. She turned, offering Izzy a hand.

Her brain was a warzone of whether she should trust her after what had just happened, what she had just done, but old habits die hard, and her hand moved on its own, grabbing her's without a second thought.

"Maria." Izzy choked out quietly after she had been pulled to her feet, Maria letting go of her hand and checking the streets once more.

Maria didn't respond, just stood quietly in the dark, fumbling to unhook the clasp of her cloak. Slowly she looked up, her eyes unnaturally intense as they met Izzy's. She took a step forward, erasing the distance between them. Izzy could feel her rushed breath hitting her cheeks as she spoke.

"Izzy." Her whisper was sharp and rushed. "I need you to listen carefully. We don't have much time, and I won't be repeating anything, alright?"

When she didn't continue, Izzy numbly nodded her head.

"Good, first, your aunt isn't dead, only stunned. However-"

"But her eyes." Izzy quietly whispered, her voice cracking..

"Yes, that's a side affect of a close range Melder blast." Izzy opened her mouth to speak, but Maria quickly added, "You'll learn about them later. Now's not the time for questions." Maria glanced anxiously back at the street before turning back, finally unhooking the clasp of her cloak.

"You need to understand this and trust me, alright? You can't go back, you can never go back. The life you've been living is a lie. You weren't in a car accident, you didn't lose your parents, and the cloaked figures are real, very real. I can't explain it right now, but your aunt is bad, so is Gethen," Her voice choked slightly as she added, "so was I."

She gently pulled her cloak around Izzy's shoulders, the silky black fabric cool against her skin. "I can't make up for all the lies I've told you, I can't fix the trauma you've gone through, and I can't fix the scars he gave you, but at least I can do this." A clack sounded as she snapped the clasp shut. The cool metal fell against her collar bone, soaking in what little warmth she had.

The fabric made her feel a bit warmer, protecting her from the cold night air, but even more so because it was Maria's, her soul sister, her best friend. Izzy was beyond confused, beyond terrified and lost, like she had fallen down a rabbit hole only to end up in an alternative universe, but she trusted Maria, she trusted her with her life… just like she trusted her aunt, though she wasn't quite sure what to think now.

Izzy reached up, touching the now warm metal clasp where it sat at her collar bone, then a horrifying thought filled her head. She grasped it, using the warmth as courage to ask. There was no time for hesitation. "Those people, won't they kill you? What will happen to you since you saved me, why save me?"

Maria smiled, putting both hands on Izzy's shoulders and squeezing slightly. "Because you're my soul sister. Sisters by choice, not blood, remember?" She smiled faintly as she repeated their motto. Tears began to slowly run down her cheeks as she added, "You will always be my sister, even if you decide you want nothing to do with me after this. I'll understand. But I will always be here for you Sophie, no matter what."

"Sophie?"

Maria nodded, still smiling though a twinge of sadness crept in. "That's your real name, Sophie Elizabeth Foster. I wanted to be the first to tell you, or at least be able to say it once. I guess I got both of my wishes." She laughed slightly, though it was empty.

Izzy opened her mouth to respond, but screaming some ways back shot panic into Maria's eyes. Her fingers dug into Izzy's shoulders as she sharply pulled her in for a hug before separating them, creating an unbreakable wall of distance.

"Izzy, you can't come back, ever, and trust no one, and I mean no one! Not even me, if we ever meet again. Now go! Run! Run as fast and far as you can, alright!? If they catch you, they'll kill you! Now go, run!" She released her grip on Izzy's shoulders, pushing her away.

"But-but what about you?" As a thought filled her brain, a tiny flicker in the darkness, steadily growing, she added, "Come with me!"

Maria sharply shook her head. "I have things to attend to. I'll be fine." She snapped. "Now go! If they catch you they'll kill you!" She grabbed Izzy's shoulders, turning her around and pushing her again, hard, nearly sending her on her butt as she stumbled out of the alley and into the street. She turned back instantly, not wanting to leave her, but the fear swirling in Maria's eyes as well as in her voice gave her no other option. As loud, angry screams came closer, she gave one last glance at Maria.

There was so much she wanted to say, so many promises she wanted to make, that she would see her again, that they would always be sisters, that she would find her and someday everything would be ok, but she couldn't promise anything. If what she said was true, everything she knew was wrong, and everything was changing. So she said the only words she could think of, the words they repeated to each other on a regular basis, their phrase, their goodbye. "I love you like a sister."

Maria smiled back, a true, happy smile. For the moment it seemed as though she had forgotten her sadness, her body relaxing slightly. Izzy stared at her smile, trying to preserve it forever, to lock it within her brain so she would never forget it, so that, just in case, that would be the last thing she remembered of her, one last perfect memory. Without another hesitation, she turned and took off running before it could be tainted by the shadows surrounding them.