Seattle - Chloe’s Bedroom

"I can't believe you still aren't dressed," Hope said with mock annoyance as she entered the room.

Her face dropped when she saw the blood on the sheets. “What the hell, sis! What have you done to yourself?”

Chloe stared down at her bloodied hands in confusion. “What’s going on?” she muttered. She’d been reading a manga, and then she’d blanked out for a few seconds, only to wake up to pain and blood. “What happened to me?”

Hope crossed the room and pulled the glass out of Chloe’s hands.“Don't worry, it’s going to be ok. I’ll get you a bandage.”

She ran down the stairs, leaving Chloe all alone with blood running down her arms and dripping on her thighs.

It hurts.

She bit her lip in a vain effort to distract her mind, but her hand throbbed in constant pain. She hated pain, she couldn't even stand the sight of blood.

It doesn't make sense. What happened?

She wiped the blood off of the wound and saw two words clearly cut into her hand, ‘Save Hope.’

What the hell.

It was her handwriting, but the words made no sense at all. Her sister didn't need her for anything. Hope was the hero, not her.

Her sister returned moments later with a bandage, a tube of antiseptic cream, a bottle of water and a handful of painkillers.

“Drink these,” she said, handing the water and medicine to Chloe.

“I think the glass shattered in my hand,” Chloe said.

She pulled her hand back out of Hope’s reach. She really didn't want her sister seeing the words. It would make her look like a crazy person. “I'm ok, hand me the bandage, I’ll wrap it myself.”

Hope anxiously shifted her weight from one foot to another as Chloe cleaned the wound, applied the cream and wrapped the bandage around her hand.

Come on, medicine, hurry up and bloody kick in already.

Hope leaned over to inspect the bandaged wound. “How bad is it?”

“Feeling better already,” Chloe said. “It actually isn't that deep. Looks much worse than it actually is.”

It was a lie, but she didn't want to scare her sister any further. She smiled and gestured at Hope’s outfit. “You look good, are you going to the party as a witch?”

They were twins, well actually triplets, but their brother acted like they weren't even related. Of the three, Hope had gotten the looks, Michael the oldest of the three by two hours had gotten the brains, that was until he fell off the rails and stopped caring about anyone but himself. And Chloe had gotten the geekiness- if that was a thing.

Hope forced a smile and said, “If you didn't want to come to the party, you could just say so. You didn't have to go all chainsaw massacre on yourself.”

Chloe laughed, “It was an accident. My grip is stronger than I thought. I think the glass just shattered in my hand.”

“All that time playing games on your phone. I'm sure your thumbs have their own six packs by now.”

Chloe forced a smile.

Hope pulled the bloodied sheet off the bed and rolled it into a ball. “So, I guess that means the Halloween party is off?”

“Are you kidding me,” said Chloe. “This combination of adrenaline and painkillers is just what I need to get into the party mood.”

Hope laughed, “You still need an outfit. You could go as a mummy. We just need more bandages.”

Chloe pulled a tongue at her sister. “Can't you see I'm already dressed as a gamer nerd.”

"That's your normal clothes."

"Yeah, well, I like to celebrate my love of video games by wearing them all day long, even when I don't have to."

“But they’re covered in blood.”

“Then I’ll go as a zombie nerd.”

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They arrived at the party early. Hope said they were being fashionably early, but Chloe was sure that wasn't a thing.

George, dressed like a monster, opened the door and smiled at Hope.

"It's the Porter girls,” he said eyeing Hope. “You're looking good, let me guess.” He leered at her fishnet stockings. “You are a sexy witch.”

He turned to Chloe and frowned. “I’m guessing you are meant to be a checkout girl at Walmart?"

Hope butted in and said, "She’s actually a sexy gamer girl."

“And what are you supposed to be?” Chloe asked.

George shrugged, “Isn't it obvious I’m Frankenstein.”

“You mean Frankenstein’s monster,” Chloe said, irritatedly. She really didn't like George.

George shrugged, "Same thing,” he said, and then he laughed. “Come in, the party hasn't started yet, but there are a few people already here. "

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Chloe tried her best to enjoy the party, but she would really have preferred to be at home with a cup of chai tea and her favorite manga. She’d only agreed to come to the party because her friend Maple was meant to be there. But it looked like her friend was a no show as usual.

So Chloe hung around the snack table all alone, picking at a bowl of pizza flavored corn nuts and glancing at the door every few minutes, hoping to see her one and only friend.

“I see Smelly Chloe is here,” said an all too familiar voice.

Chloe’s smile faltered as she watched Milly Sanders and her group of friends heading her way. They were all dressed as skimpily clad superheroes and had identical shit eater grins on their faces.

“I would tell you that those corn nuts are fattening,” said Milly, “But we both know it's too late for you to be worried about that.”

Chloe stared at her in stunned silence, like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming truck.

Milly had bullied Chloe for years, and in all that time Chloe had never figured out why Milly hated her so much.

“Too dumb to speak?” asked Milly.

“Um—” began Chloe.

“Shouldn’t you be stalking a hobbit?” said Hope, walking up to stand besider her sister.

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“Whatever, psycho,” said Milly. “I'm dressed as Bat Woman.”

Hope snorted, “Are you sure? You look like Gollum.” She eyed Milley’s hair, which had been pulled back into a bun. “It's probably just your receding hairline that threw me off.”

“Go to hell—” stammered Milly.

“Really, Milly, that's the best you could come up with,” said Hope. “I’ll give you a minute to come up with a proper comeback.”

Hope stared at the flabbergasted Milly for a few seconds, then said, “I thought so.”

Hope grabbed Chloe’s hand and pulled her over to the dance floor.

Chloe stumbled after her. “You shouldn't have done that,” she said in a low voice. “I'm the one that's going to have to pay for it on Monday.”

“You can't let them walk all over you,” said Hope. “Next time she gives you shit, you walk up to her and punch her in the throat. Trust me, she won't mess with you ever again.”

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The dance floor was one side of the lounge, with the chairs pushed against the wall. Someone had plugged their phone into the speaker set and was blasting pop music from the 80s. There was a strobe light and a string of flashing fairy lights to set the mood.

Chloe danced with a young guy named Mark or Mike, she couldn't tell over the loud music but when it was clear that she didn't want to make out with a complete stranger, the guy left to ‘get them some drinks’ and never returned.

So Chloe sat alone for a while, she’d had enough and just wanted to go home. She wasn't sure if it was because of the blood loss or if the painkillers were wearing off, but she was battling to keep her eyes open.

She found her sister on the dance floor and pulled her closer and over the loud music yelled, "I’m going home."

Hope glanced at her watch and seeing it was only 11pm, she frowned. “What’s wrong?” She glanced at Chloe’s bandaged hand and said, “Is it hurting again?”

“It's nothing. You know I don't like these things. Too many people in the same place at the same time. You carry on, I’ll walk home alone.”

Her sister put her arm around her neck and said, “This music is killing me in any case. Let’s get out of here.”

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It was a warm summer’s night, and the cooler breeze on Chloe’s skin was refreshing. Her father had been worried about them drinking and driving home, so the sisters had walked to the party. Ever since their mother had died, her dad had become a bit overprotective.

Chloe and Hope walked hand in hand singing, “Don't stop believing… hold on to that feeling.”

Hope had a good voice, and she sang the loudest, but it was one of Chloe’s favorite songs, so she sang along but so softly that it was barely audible.

After walking for a while, they reached the park a block away from their own home. They stopped near a bench and sat down.

Chloe knew that Hope wanted to talk about what had happened to her hand. Hope took her role as big sister really seriously, even though she was only an hour older than Chloe.

Chloe really didn't want to talk about it. She knew that her sister would freak out if she told her that she didn't even remember cutting herself. If her dad found out, she’d be sent back to therapy and have to talk about her feelings again with Mrs. Thompson and her three cats.

Just as Hope began to talk, she stopped and said, “Look at that!”

Chloe looked where she was pointing and saw a black rabbit bouncing in between the bushes.

"It's so cute," said Hope. “Do you think dad would let us get one?”

The pale moonlight shone between a patch of clouds and the light hit the rabbit and for a moment Chloe’s eyes and the rabbit's met. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

“It’s probably somebody's pet—” Chloe began to say, but a loud popping sound came from nearby.

Chloe blinked, and the rabbit was gone.

Hope stood up, “We should leave.”

The sound of footsteps moving quickly reached their ears, and Chloe turned to see a man emerging out of the shadows. He was dressed in a long black robe, which wasn't that strange. It was Halloween, after all. But what was strange was his eyes. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“We should go,” Hope repeated more urgently.

As they turned to leave, lighting arced across the park, illuminating the night sky and striking the spot where the rabbit had just been.

The sound made the sisters jump.

“What the dickens is going on?” Hope shouted.

The man seemed to blur. One moment he was standing under the lamp light and the next he was suddenly in front of them. He grabbed the girl's hands and said, "Stay behind me."

"What the hell is going on!" Chloe exclaimed, still holding onto Hope's hand.

"Leave us alone, you creep,” Hope shouted. “I have pepper spray.”

At first, Chloe thought that the man was ignoring them, but then she realized that he was muttering something under his breath.

Wisps of smoke began gathering around their feet, and the man's mutterings grew louder.

“He’s drunk,” said Hope, and she tried to pull her hand free from the man’s grip. But there was no getting away. The man’s hands were like iron.

Hope shouted and struggled to break free, but something else caught Chloe’s attention. A movement in the corner of her eye. At first, she thought it was her imagination. It was too strange to be real. The shadows were merging together.

“Blessed mother,” said the man. “It is him.” He squeezed their hands to get their attention, and Chloe winced as pain shot through her hand. “When I say run, you run like the very demons of Hell are after you.”

The man sounded freaked out. She was sure that he was not drunk. Maybe crazy, but he definitely believed that something bad was about to happen.

“Who are you?” she whispered.

“Cassadin,” said the man. “A brother of the Talamasca.”

The words meant nothing to her.

“What's happening?” asked Hope as the shadows in the park began to warp and blend. They slowly turned into inky black ropes that twisted around each other, forming the shape of a man with horns.

This was too much for the sisters to handle. They began shouting for help and trying to break free from Cassadin’s grip.

“Let us go, you piece of shit!” shouted Hope. “I'm going to call the cops.”

And then all of a sudden Cassadin released the girl’s hands, and they fell back. In one fluid motion, he reached into his cloak and drew out a gold amulet.

As Chloe backed away from the craziness that was happening in front of her, she heard Cassadin say something in a language she didn't understand.

A streak of black stretched across the ground and collided with the man’s amulet, and light exploded in Cassadin's palms. A two-handed axe appeared in his hands and pulsated golden light.

“Run!” he shouted.

The girls didn't need to be told twice. They turned and ran like hell. Chloe looked over her shoulder and saw Cassadin leaping towards the living shadows. His axe gleaming in the moonlight and his body arcing across the sky like a falling star.

“For Belladeon and the Light.” His war cry echoed through the empty space, and the shadows warped and rose up to meet him.

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The sisters didn't wait to see what happened next. They ran like they’d never run before. Their house was just around the corner. They just needed to get there and everything would be ok.

“We’re almost there,” Hope said through gritted teeth.

“Just run,” said Chloe.

An explosion behind them lifted their feet off the ground and hurled them across the street.

Chloe hit the ground hard. She groaned in pain and rolled onto her side to make sure her sister was ok.

“Hope,” she said through gritted teeth.

“I think I broke my arm,” said her sister.

Chloe forced herself to stand up, and she limped across to her his sister.

Chloe tried to help her up, but Hope’s arm was cut open badly, and tears streamed down Hope’s cheeks.

“Please Hope,” she said. “We need to go.”

Chloe heard a rattling sound, kinda like the fuse of dynamite being lit. She looked over her shoulder and saw Cassadin raising his glowing hands and deflecting a massive wave of crackling black energy.

The diverted magic rolled towards Hope, killing grass and plants and disintegrating the park bench.

The words ‘Save Hope.’ Floated across Chloe’s mind, and she turned in desperation to help her sister.

She grabbed Hope’s arms and lifted her up. The wave drew nearer. There was no way they were going to make it.

Cassadin appeared in front of her with his hands outstretched. A pale aura of light surrounded him.

With no other choice, Chloe shoved Hope out of the way as hard as she could. Her sister fell forward just as the spell hit Cassadin.

Cassadin roared as the spell tore flesh from his bones, killing every cell it touched. His body absorbed the initial impact of the spell and partly shielded Chloe, but her skin burnt, and her knees gave out. She writhed on the ground as wave after wave of agony washed over her.

Something landed next to her. It was Cassadin breathing heavily. One side of his body was seared to the bone, and one eyeball hung from the socket.

With the last of his strength, he stretched out a bloody hand and handed the amulet to Chloe. He breathed heavily, trying to form words. “Tell my brothers…”

The amulet felt warm in her hand, and immediately Chloe felt the pain subsiding inside of her.

Cassadin closed his one good eye and said in a low voice that she barely heard, “Malice has returned.”

Chloe rolled over and saw Hope getting to her feet. She was crying, but she seemed mostly unharmed.

The world grew darker and something soft touched her shoulder and two large eyes stared at her. The black rabbit nudged her shoulder again, and the amulet pulsated in her hand.

She looked down at it in confusion and as she did golden light poured out of the amulet and enveloped her body.

Hope's panicked eyes met hers.

I saved Hope, was Chloe’s final thought before the magic grabbed hold of her and pulled her into another world.

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