The mirror in the bathroom had a web of cracks in each corner, all of them reached and met at the center. There were pieces of it chipped off while the glass that was still there was stained in black splotches. Yet, in spite of how broken it seemed, it was still able to reflect my sorry state.

My eyes had grown partially gray, sinking into the swollen bags underneath. Sweat slowly trickled down my pitifully pallor face. My mouth was in the process of turning an odd grayish blue color.

The sight of it sent a ripple of dread down my spine. Each time I saw it, Emira's words stung more and more.

"Blight and Bane must be soaked in Edric's blood," I murmured to myself while I stared woefully at my reflection. "When you see the blue stains on his mouth, then death is among him".

Most of us didn't take what Emira said that seriously. She knew just as much as we did when it came to what all of her visions meant. Yet the sight of my reflection still gave me the chills. If she was right, then that meant death was breathing down my neck that very moment.

The only thing I could do was talk to Mrs. Camila. I would just have to wait until I had the chance to.

So, there I stood, behind the desk like I always did. I prayed to the titan that no-one would approach it, but fortune apparently didn't favor the ill.

"Can I help you?" I rasped to the triclops in front of me.

"You didn't restock the shampoo and soap last night" Boscha complained.

"I did half *koff* *koff* of the third-floor last night, *koff* *koff* but I couldn't finish before the *koff* "ball" last night *koff*".

The mention of the recent event made Bosca's eyes light up in emotion. Part of it was relief. We had all warned Skyler not to go to that ball and to barricade her hotel room.

Though, despite her having survived this time, Boscha still had a hard time recovering from last week's dance. Out of everyone the killer could've chosen, it had to have been the teens closest friend. And what he did to the poor bear was full on primeval.

"Why didn't you do it afterwards?" Boscha scoffed. "Those tiny ass things you're handing out only have two showers worth in it".

"Just borrow some *koff* from *koff* someone else. Most people on the third floor *koff* *koff* won't shower up there". I fell into a small coughing fit. I was able to stifle it, but it took all the energy I had.

"Or you could just give me some shampoo".

"I—*koff* I-*koff* *koff* a– *koff* *koff* *koff* *koff*".

Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. My lungs shuttered as they tried their hardest to push something up. I could feel it climb up my sore throat, clogging it up like muck in a sewer.

I collapsed onto the desk, my body shaking violently. Sweat poured down my face despite the cold feeling that clung to me. My sight and hearing escaped me. The pain in my chest nearly knocked me to the ground.

By the time I was done coughing, blood splatter covered my work area. A group of people had gathered in front of me, Mrs. Camila among them. I could barely see any of them, but I recognized the human's voice scaredly calling to me.

"Joven! Are you alright? Can you breathe?". She grabbed my shoulder and slightly shook me. "Edric? Say something".

"I…". My shaky hoarse voice surprised me. That coughing fit hit me harder than I realized. "I'm okay".

"You're coughing up blood". As she spoke, Luz pushed through the crowd. One look at my face made her eyes shoot wide open. Her jaw dropped as if she was witnessing a murder. "And your lips are blue".

"They have been all morning," I responded while panting. It hurt so bad to breathe. The movement of my chest rising and falling made everything ache. "I was planning on talking to you a–*koff* *koff* about it during my break".

"You need immediate medical attention," Mrs. Camila urged. "Somebody call the hotel owner!".

"I thought you were the medical attention" Boscha piped in, her initial shock having washed away.

"There's only so much I can do without the proper technology. He needs oxygen".

Technology? My mind was really foggy, but I was confident that's not a word I'd ever heard. But oxygen was a thing that existed on the isles. If you had a good enough healer, they could not only summon the oxygen but also make an oxygen tube from their own magic.

Her daughter shot for the phone behind me. She didn't let the owner greet her before she started talking.

"We have a medical emergency in the lobby".

"I see that" he hmmed. "What does your mother have to say about it?".

"He needs oxygen, pronto".

The murderous witch paused for a moment to let what Luz said sink in. He didn't want to let me go to the healing coven, but he also didn't want to look bad in front of his guests.

"Bring him down to the basement. I will call for some healers to check on him right away".

The basement: the place the hotel owner hid anything he didn't want his hotel guests to see. His murder weapons and the skin puppets were both down there.

"You can't be serious!" Mrs. Camila spat like an angry serpent. "The basement is no place for someone with a respiratory problem".

"It's one of the most sterilized places in the hotel, actually. I make sure of that" the owner pressed. "That's where I store a bunch of supplies after all".

"He's right. It's constantly cleaned, more so than Emira's room in fact". Along with her verbal confirmation, Luz silently told her mother it was okay with her eyes.

"This unfortunately means the barrier will be temporarily disabled. This will not, however, affect the rest of the experience. Please continue on as usual".

Everything finally clicked. All the things my twin said about my blood leading the bears to the truth were coming true. The blood I just coughed up was going to make the barrier come down. How that would lead to all the bears' memories returning, I had no clue. But if it was ever going to happen at all, now was the time.

My fear from that morning doubled. Emira had been right about "the human filth" in my lungs and all the blood. Did that mean that she was right about my death?

I really wish I could ask her, but she wouldn't let me anywhere near her. Even after Mrs. Camila assured her that my sickness wasn't contagious, she still refused to see me. I had a few guesses as to why. Perhaps it hurt her too much to see me when she knew I was going to die soon. Or, more likely, my fussing over her finally broke her patience and she didn't want to hear it anymore.

"Okay, joven, let's get you downstairs". The older human grabbed my arm and let me lean against her. "Take it as slow as you need to".

"I'll take care of the front desk," Luz reassured as I began to slowly walk. "Just focus on getting better".

The hardest part of the trip to the basement was the stairwell. Each step made my breath get heavier, and each breath burned my lungs and throat. Just like Mrs. Camila said, we both moved very slowly. Each staircase took an agonizing ten to fifteen minutes to traverse down.

The hotel owner had set up a nest of pillows and blankets for me to lie on. It was a little while away from the doorway "to give me some peace and quiet". Honestly, that may not have been just an excuse, but the killer had other reasons to hide me in a corner.

As I hobbled along a small patch of light in the distance caught my attention. It was not like the orange-ish yellow glint of the occasional overhead light. These lights were a bright, fiery, magenta.

I stopped for a moment to gaze at them, sending Mrs. Camila's attention to the same spot.

"So that's where he keeps the bears after they've been killed" I hmmed before coughing a few times.

"That's odd" the human murmured to herself as if I said nothing. "According to Luz, the souls stay in the puppets after being brought down here. I wonder why they've come out".

I took a moment to think about it. The answer came to me right away, but my denial fought against it like its life was at stake.

"It's the barrier," I uttered. "Now that magic's not being disabled, it's easier for them to walk around".

Once again, Emira was right. I should've been happy about that; it was one step closer to everyone being freed. But the only thing I could feel was my dread.

Waiting for me at my makeshift bed were both of my parents. My mother masterfully hid her concern behind a controlled look of pity, while my father didn't even try. His ears were stuck flattened against his head.

Both rushed up to me once they saw me. Mom grabbed me by my other arm and took me from Mrs. Camila, as my dad worriedly looked me over.

"Edric!" he cried while he let his distress out. "Luz told us everything. Are you alright?".

"I'm…a…*koff* *koff* *koff*".

"Dear," I heard my mother sigh to my father as I recovered. "Run to the kitchen and get him some honey for his throat".

Said witch caringly touched my shoulder, then rushed towards the stairwell. My mother then turned to Luz's mother.

"What exactly do you have healing wise?".

"I've basically got things that boost the immune system and prevent pain" she answered.

"Fetch the latter".

Mrs. Camila hesitated. Those "pain meds" she had were for Emira. Titan knew the witch needed it more than I did. Not to mention the healers that were coming to see me would probably have something for my pain.

But the tired human didn't argue. The quicker my pain was treated the less time I spent in pain. And now wasn't the time to get into a spat with a pushy buisnesswitch.

"Mom?" I croaked when the two of us were alone.

"Yes sweetie?". Her voice was so sweet it was bitter.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?".

Her sharp blue stare fell to the ground. The strong sturdy confidence she always showed slightly faltered.

"Don't lie to me mom".

"We don't know for sure. You could possibly get better soon" she stated before I jumped back in.

"But it looks like I won't, huh?".

My mother didn't answer. For once, she actually hid in her silence. Ever since Amity had died, she knew that death would be very close to her other two children. And just like her youngest daughter, there was ghostly evidence that I wouldn't survive.

Surprising both her and myself, I started laughing. It was the only thing I could do to stop myself from sobbing. I had to cling on to any silver lining, or else I would shatter entirely.

"This is a hell of a way to*koff* go out. I always thought I'd die doing something stupid *koff* *koff* *koff* *koff*".

"Don't say things like that. You're not that close to death".

"But I will be". The words stuck to my scratchy throat. I couldn't even begin to describe how scared I felt. I'd been close to death a handful of times. You think it wouldn't scare me anymore. But never have I ever felt so afraid in my life.

It was for the greater good, I know. My unintentional sacrifice could save a lot of people's lives. But, dammit, I was still allowed to be scared, wasn't I?!

"Mom," I called once again. She touched the side of my arm as an unsuccessful attempt to comfort me. "Send Amiyah and Sk–*koff* *koff* Skyler down".

"What?".

"Now's our chance to show them the skin pup–*koff*pets. They'll have to believe they aren't human then" I explained in spite of how much each word burned. "Distract everyone upstairs *koff* Give me some time. I'll show…*koff* *koff* *koff*".

"You are in no shape to do that".

"It may kill me *koff* but *koff* *koff* but you know I'm not meant to survive anyways". When she didn't respond I began to beg. "Please, m–*koff* mom. We're both running out of time".

For another few moments, she still didn't say anything. When she finally did speak, she had to force the words out of her mouth.

"Alright. I'll see that you have all of the time you need".

She grabbed both of my hands, taking another moment to breathe. I could tell she was searching for something to say but she eventually just chose silence. She then let go and reluctantly turned around.

"Tell my story" I jokingly hollered, thankful that a coughing fit didn't spawn from it. "And make me sound as cool as possible".

"Don't worry, honey" she hesitantly called back before disappearing into the shadows. "I'm sure I won't have to embellish much".

I never thought I'd ever be sad about watching mom walk away. Hell, I never thought I'd see her look so scared about something, either. It was crazy what this one building could do to a witch.

I didn't have to wait long for both bears to find me. Only about five minutes passed before I noticed them heading towards me.

Skyler jumped when she first spotted me. Even in the darkness, I could see the worry light up in her hazel eyes. Amiyah, on the other hand, just gawked at me. Her thoughts tangled as she tried to wrap her head around my appearance.

"Do I *koff* *koff* look fam–*koff*".

"Familiar? Yeah you…um…you're Emira's brother, right? Edric?".

I knew that wasn't Amiyah's only question. Though we'd seen each other around the hotel before, it still must've been surprising to see a witch that looked exactly like the human brother she thought she had.

"That's…tha… *koff* *koff* *koff*".

Titandammit! I could barely speak! Explaining what was going on to the two girls was going to take forever if my cough didn't let up!

"Your mom said you wanted to see us?" Skyler moved on.

I slowly sat up, causing my breath to grow heavy. I raised my hand, silently asking one of them to help me to my feet. After another moment, Amiyah grabbed it and pulled me to my feet.

"I ha–*koff* have something to show you" I wheezed while I shook. I started walking towards the souls I saw.

Skyler opened her mouth to argue, reaching out to me in the meantime. Before she could say anything, I cut in.

"We don't have much time. We have to hurry".

"Hurry to what?" Amiyah asked. The tone in her voice demanded a good answer.

"It's time you two learned the truth".

"The truth," my sister repeated. "You're finally gonna tell us what the hell's going on?".

"I'm gonna sh–*koff* *koff* *koff*". I stopped for a moment to catch my breath. "You guys never believed us when we told you, but now w–*koff* *koff* have proof".

"Wait. Don't tell me "the truth" is that bull shit story about me being a dead witch".

"Nope. That's basically it. Your name is– *koff* *koff* *koff*".

"Skara" Skyler finished as realization sparked through her. "I used to be a witch named Skara, right?".

"Yeah,". My voice was nothing but a shredded squeak. "You were a bard student at Hexide".

"I played a sport, right? With Boscha and Cat?".

"Grudgby. You were good at it too".

"No" my little sister griped from the side. "You can't seriously believe we were witches once".

"It explains a lot. All those weird dreams we've been having, why everybody talks to us like they've known us for years, why we recognize the glyphs Luz taught us before we even knew they existed".

"Then how did we get like this? You're saying there were a bunch of human carcasses lying around that our souls miraculously found. Tha…". The red head trailed off once she noticed the two people walking towards us.

They were covered in purple shadows that oddly made the rest of them glow, and they both literally had stars in their eyes. One was goat-like with white fur and a singular horn, while the other was pig-like and gray.

"Juvencus. Razor. It's be…*koff* *koff* awhile".

"Those aren't our names". Razor turned towards Juvencus confusedly. "Right?".

"And this isn't what we look like," the goat demon added. "What's going on?".

I sighed, causing every inch of my body to ache. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Just because they were out if their puppets didn't mean that they gained all the memories the killer altered back.

"Amiyah. Skyler. These two demons here are Juvencus and Razor" I rasped. "Juvencus was a bard student, ju *koff* *koff* like you, Sk–*koff* Skyler. He was killed by an ice po-*koff*-tion. The hotel owner then took his s– soul and he became a bear named Julius".

"Is that what's happening, why I look like this?" Razor cried in shock.

"Those who bear fabric flesh" Amiyah murmured, her eyes as wide as a blood moon.

"You mean our skin was fake this entire time?". Skara's initial feeling of realization was taken over by disgust. I could see the bear shake while a chill crawled up her spine.

"If you look close enough at the suits, you can see them m–m *koff* mend themselves. At least th*koff* what Luz says".

"No. This can't be right" Amiyah shouted. "I…I have memories of the human realm. I've lived in San Diego all my life. My mom and dad–".

"Make defense systems? You live in a huge manor with your brother and sister, who are twins?".

"H…how do you know all that?".

"Because it's me, Mittens. I'm your brother".

We both held each other's gaze. I could tell she didn't want to believe me, and I didn't blame her. If someone told me that all of my memories had been changed, I'd freak out too. But she knew she couldn't deny it any longer. She saw what the other bears looked like under their human disguises, and she knew deep down who she was underneath hers.

"I'm Amity, aren't I?".

When I tried to answer her, I fell into a coughing fit. It made me hunch over. I held my arms close to my chest, hoping that the pressure would at least dull the pain a bit.

Through my tightly squinted eye lids, I saw a man in the distance. He was mostly covered by shadow, but from the way he was bolting towards us I knew exactly who he was.

"R–*koff* run!" I snapped. "Te–*koff* *koff* everyone what you found *koff* found out".

The two spirits turned around, racing back the way they came. If I were to guess, they were heading back to their puppets if not back to the souls of the other bears who'd been murdered that week.

But Skyler and Amiyah stayed where they were. They really didn't want to, but they didn't want to abandon me either.

"What's going on?!" the killer roared. "What are they doing down here?!".

"I'm showing my sister the truth!" I yowled, though that yowl sounded more like a pitiful caterwaul. Just that one sentence was enough to knock the rest of the wind out of me.

"What good would that do anyone? It's easier if they just forget about being witches! They are humans now, and they will be human for the rest of their lives".

"So, you admit it?" Amiyah spat. "We were witches you killed?!".

"That part of your life is over" he argued almost beggingly. "Now you're humans that can never die",

"Can never die"? You've killed nearly all of us" Skara objected, horrified.

"That's not you really dying".

"That's what it feels like! You're poisoning people, stabbing people, mutilating people! And apparently you force us to come back every week so you can do it to us again and again!". My sister's voice was sharp enough to kill. The appearance of the man hunting her frightened her, clearly. But her anger pushed her forwards.

"You're settling in right now. Trust me. Once you've been around death for long enough, murder won't phase you".

"They're no–*koff* gonna get the chance. We're going to get all of the bears… bears… *koff* *koff* *koff*".

My words brought the conversation back to me. The killer's blue eyes turned icy, his anger rearing back like a serpent about to strike.

"We?" he asked. "Are there others rebelling like you are?".

"My lips are sealed" I said, trying my best to act coy and not hack up a lung at the same time.

"You sorry excuse for a witch! First you kill my gargoyle, and now you're trying to ruin my entire operation! You… You…".

The fury the hotel owner felt boiled over. He could no longer speak. All he could do was act.

In the blink of an eye, the angry old witch pulled out his rusty pair of bloodstained sheers from under his cloak. I didn't have enough time to see it happen let alone react. I did nothing as he raked the weapon across my face.

My surprise sent me to my hands and knees. Blood traveled down my face to my chin, the smell of it making me feel fuzzy. One of my ears badly stung. It felt like something was hanging off it.

In irritation my ear flicked back and forth. Whatever was there quickly shook off, flopping down onto the concrete floor. It…It was my ear! Part of it was lying in front of me!

Yet I didn't panic like you'd expect me to. No, I was way too busy losing all of my energy. The pneumonia was one thing, but pneumonia plus losing a chunk of myself drained me of all the energy I had.

I just laid there and watched the rest of the scene play out. There wasn't much else I could do.

The killer took a few steps forward. He once again went to swing his garden shears, but an explosion of ice knocked him backwards before he could.

It was nowhere near a perfect spell. It was sloppy and lacked the control of a stronger witch. But it was pretty good considering it was my sister's first spell as a human.

"Stay away from my brother!" she howled.

The spell made him freeze but not because it hurt him too badly. Confusion dulled his senses. A human doing magic? He knew they could, but the bears weren't supposed to be able to remember anything about magic.

Once the excitement of the attack died down, Amiyah fully realized what had just happened.

"Holy shit" she murmured. "The glyphs actually work".

Despite my consciousness slipping away, I once again started laughing. The sight of my baby sister standing bravely in front of the killer filled me with a pure feeling of pride. Even after everything she went through, she was still just as feisty.

I could barely see anything anymore. If I had to guess, the other three people there were now all facing me. I noticed someone race over and crouch down beside me, but I couldn't tell who it was.

I ignored the world around me and just focused on the last remaining piece of joy I had. The hopeless feeling I had all that day faded. It may have been over for me, but my two sisters would soon be free of this hellhole.

Before I finally passed out entirely, I silently wished Amiyah and Emira luck. I didn't know how much they needed it, but I was positive they'd be alright in the end.