"Let's show them what we are made of Xander," she said smiling grinning as her brother helped her out on the rink.
Xander gave her a light push forward and she laughed lightly at her brother's playfulness. He use to push her when she was young to help her get started. Oh how she loved skating with her brother. He pushed her again and she skated forward, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Catch me if you can brother dearest," she said laughing.
He appeared in front of her with inhuman speed causing her to fall on her bottom. He eyes had an eerie glow to them as he looked down at her.
"Xander," she asked bewildered.
He stretched out his hand to help her up and she took it, but before she made it all the way onto her feet he let go. Lily only just caught her balance.
"Alexander," she said feeling slightly irritated, "stop it. That isn't funny."
Xander laughed lightly, "Sorry sister," he said reaching out and tapping her lightly. "Tag," he said before skating off.
Lily skated after her brother worried sinking into her core. Alexander was not acting like himself. He was always so kind and patient. This was totally new.
Her brother was on the other side on the rink now and she redoubled her effort to catch up to him but as soon as she was in reach her disappeared. Lily fell hard on the ice, the plunk of her falling echo loudly around her. She looked up seeing her brother in the distance, but no rink. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest.
"Xander," she called getting up and skating toward him.
Every time she reached him he vanish and reappear elsewhere on the ice. She simply could not reach her brother.
"Xander, please," she cried and he was there skating around her. She reached for him, only to be batted away. She stumble for a moment and expected her bottom to connect hard with the ice, but instead a small sploosh resounded through the darkness.
Her brother’s laughter echoed through the darkness and Lily looked down in horror. Mud! The ice had turned to MUD. It was thick between her fingers and clung to her palms. Lily tried to pull her hand from the mud, but they seemed to be stuck. Her brother laughter remained loud and harsh though she could no longer see him.
She struggled harder against the mud as it clung to the heel of her boot and wrapped around her calf. Wrapped around her calf!?! ’No,’ she thought, struggling against the thin sticky threads.
“The mud is alive,” she screamed, “Xander, please help me.”
She was sinking deeper into the mud, the threads wrapping around her waist, sloshing across her hips, pulling, tugging her under. Tears poured from her eye as she fought the muddy abyss, her brother appearing before her again.
“Why Xander?”
“Goodbye Liliana,” he said standing before her, his eyes glowing as he watched her sink.
She could feel her heart shatter, echoing against the deafening silence like a drum beat.
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Lily bolted upright in her bed her cover tangled about her. She fought them widely in the darkness for some time before she realized the difference in texture. She looked around her eyes slowly adjusting the the dim moonlit room. ’It was a dream …’ she thought for a second before shaking her head, ‘no it was a nightmare.’
She pushed away her comforter, crawling to the edge of her bed and look at her door. She was sweaty and her heart still raced wildly, but she had to check on her brother. She frowned, feeling like a baby in the moment, but none the less in a mad dash she head for the door out and down the hall.
She opened Xander’s door as quickly and quietly as possible slipping into his room and closing the door behind her. He lay sleeping peacefully, a smile on his face. Lily sighed feeling relieve, thought still unsure of whether she wanted to go back to sleep.
She grabbed the duvet from the end of her brother’s bed and padded over to the loveseat in the corner of his room. She lay down on the seat curling up and the duvet and wishing for morning.
Word count --- 766
