Twisted Blood

Sayeed was sitting at the swimming pool, staring ominously at the body of water. The chill was in the air even with the sun above him. The pool water dripping down his toned torso made the sun girls' spying worthwhile. A small group of them - hiding behind the trees that seperated the pool from the tennis courts - were whispering while trying not to continuously watch him. He could hear their sniggering and also their worry for him swimming in and outdoor swimming pool in the end of November. Both the sun girls and the blackblood were stunned from the splash.

Sayeed stood up to watch a black blotch swimming near the floor towards him. He stiffened when she just swam the length of the pool without breaching for air. It was more a spectacle when she started a second lap, still without air. Instead of swimming the whole way, she swam over to him. Out from the chemicalised water, came a soaking Ridley.

"Hypothermia is a thing," Sayeed stated then sat back down. Ridley shrugged with one shoulder while leaning onto the edge. "Quite a pair of lungs you have."

"Steroids," she replied. "Doctors were afraid Ryan and I would be born too early so..."

"Eighteen years later and those drugs are still kicking? Nice," he replied distantly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Can't a man wallow in self-pity while pushing his body to the extremes in frigid waters?" Ridley raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you ever have pets?"

She sighed then shifted out the pool to sit next to him. "Your canine unit?" He nodded ruefully while the sun girls were on their way. "There was this Mediterranean puffin that had a nest on Axel's windowsill, when we lived in Asteria City. That's about the closest we ever had."

"Dogs are amazing animals," he sighed. "85% of the animal appreciation holidays are dedicated to some or other form of canine. I grew up surrounded by canines. My father, my sister, they..." he cleared his throat after Ankh snarled at him. He coolly pet her lower jaw and she licked his cheek comfortingly. "No matter how much mental indurance I have, the one thing I can't stand is a hurt canine. Pathetic, right?"

"Better dead than hurt," Ridley stated. "Not that that's any consolation."

"It's really not," Sayeed laughed. "You're terrible at empathy!"

Ridley forced a light chuckle then straightened up. "How about, 'I'm sorry you had to go through that. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, I'll be right there'? We're not just a unit, we..." she sighed at the depletion of her sincerity. "We need... er...

"Thanks, Ridley," he replied ruefully. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I wish I had friends like you when I was eighteen."

"Frigid and angry?"

"Meh, I was thinking more of reserved and barbaric."

"Barbaric?"

"The Vikings were considered barbaric because they focused their rage in battle. They were taught to use it in such a way that even if they were in a bloodbath frenzy, they could still stop on command. That's barbaric; that's Ridley Axel," he stated then rested his arm around her.

"Pedophile," she commented.

"You're eighteen; it doesn't count." She hummed a chuckle then felt the extent of the cool afternoon take effect of her soaking body. "you and Sorensen weren't in class last night. Why?" She sighed then shook her head. "I can keep a secret."

"So can I." She let out another sigh then shook off his arm to leave. "I have to go," she was all she said. She stalked off to her towel and left with it tucked around her neckline, phone in hand. She speed dialled Dane as quickly as her fingers would let her. "Anything?"

"Nothing," Dane replied.

"I have a hunch," Ridley stated. "Meet me at the cemetery; Richard's grave. Can't risk it on an open line."

"Ridley," Dane called on the other side. "Maybe we should stop. Renee's been quiet since the attack, Ryan's phone is off and she left willingly. Don't you think that's plausible reason to consider Ryan a rogue?"

"I have to find her," Ridley roared into her phone. "If you had a chance at saving Jakob, wouldn't you take it?"

"That was low, even for you."

"This is my sister we're talking about! While she's still alive, rogue or not, I'm going to find her," Ridley roared angrily. "She's at the mercy of someone who can manipulate her, torture her with a snap of her fingers or even kill her with her mind. If you want to bitch out, then bitch out, bitch! But I'm going to find my sister! And I will kill anyone who tries to stop me."

"You're going to your death."

"Yeah well, then Satan better be polishing his throne for me because if I find Renee..." Ridley shook her head stiffly while tears pooled in her eyes "... the devil is going to shudder if he sees what I do to her!"

Dane sighed defeatedly while Ridley marched into her house. "Fine. Richard's grave in twenty."

Ridley hung up then stormed up the steps leading to her bedroom. There, after haphazardly drying off, she dressed into her best hunting wear. Her dark grey beanie that matched her asymmetrical turtleneck jacket over a plain black knitted dress with black knee length boots. Flat black boots. Those were practical.

Slung over her shoulders were her quiver and her katana. Her karambit was tied around her thigh, and two daggers were tucked into each boot. Ridley exhaled lightly then felt Ankh nearby, despite it being Sayeed's custody day. She shook her head, knowing Sayeed was following her but she needed all the help she could get.

Ridley then coolly descended down to her bicycle, parked in the manor's foyer. She ignored sensing Ankh behind the tree then cycled down to the cemetery with her and Sayeed not far behind. The November air grew crispier from the drop in temperature.

The grey clouds over head were matching the gloom that was to come. Thunder rolled in the distance and lightning flickered in the clouds. The autumn leaves layered the cemetery and some were crunchy, fresh from their fall, but others were damp, seasoned with the ground. Dane impatiently bounced in place before the resting place of Richard Axel when Ridley tolled her bell.

She dismounted and walked it up steadily to him. "I still think this is an awful idea," he voiced.

"You think rollercoasters are an awful idea."

"Childhood trauma lasts longer than people acknowledge."

"Whatever," Ridley stated then suddenly went serious. "Last night, while we were at the hockey club, you asked me if there wasn't somewhere else that Ryan would go. There is. Every weekend, after we moved to town, Axel took us to that milkshake bar. The one on King Jean-Paul Street. It closed down five months ago; nobody's been there since," she concluded. "Now that we all know, you can come out now!"

Ankh obeyed, peaking her head out from behind the levelled hedge that cornered off Hunter's Hectare. With her wasn't just Sayeed, Calista Badr was with them too. "How did you know," Calista asked.

"Wolfy the Undead," Ridley replied gesturing to Ankh. "Psionic link, remember?"

Calista's face stretched from her surprise then she turned to Ankh. "You can sense each other," she asked turning to Sayeed. "Did you know about this!" He furrowed his eyebrows at his mother quizzically but still he nodded. "That's race-crossing!"

"It was a life-or-death situation and Ankh..."

"While you two bicker about whatever the hell you're bickering about, I'm going to look for my sister," Ridley cut in and rudely brushed between them and went on her way.

Little did the huntress know that her audience wasn't limited to a physical presence. Renee - playing in the blindspots of Ridley's consciousness - too was watching. Her gold eyes faded back to blue and she let out a sly hum. In place of her hideout under the canal, she sat dead still whilst psionically spying in a vacant venue hall.

Ryan meanwhile was buried underneath one of Renee's lynxes. The lynx purred while Ryan was massaging his crown. The pine wooden floor and the acoustics of the empty room echoed the lynxes' movements. Renee stood up then tilted her head while scheming. Her eyes were on her youngest daughter while her ears were still listening to Ridley and her group.

"Finally," Renee purred then stood up. "Oh, Ryan," she sang sweetly, "your time has come!"

The lynx turned to Renee then ruefully freed the blackblood from underneath her. "What time?" Renee merely narrowed her eyes with her menacing smirk growing. "O-oh," Ryan stuttered. "That time," she realised downtrodden. "Ridley's time, you mean. I always hoped it would be after the Christmas ball. Like, next week maybe?"

"What's the face," Renee asked chipperly. "You wanted this: you and Ridley, one on one, sister versus sister, winner takes all, to the death. What's the face?"

"'To the death'," Ryan replied. "I-I wanted this for so long but I never actually thought that I could... that I would ever... I guess I never actually thought about..." Ryan let out a long breath. "I don't think I can."

Renee tsked a few times then rested her arms supportively around her daughter. "Cold feet. Perfectly normal," she replied. "You've done this before," the eldritch went on, showing Ryan her Hunter gradus. "See? It's just a matter of aim, pull, kill. Easy peasy."

"No," Ryan uttered weakly. "I don't want to do this. Ridley drives me up a wall with her mere presence but... I can't... she's not..." again she let out a long breath. "She's my sister. My twin. We're the same person in a different body."

Renee nodded understandingly. "Okay. I understand."

"Really?"

"Bonbon, if you don't want to kill someone, you don't have to," Renee stated. "I would never force you to do something you're not comfortable with; I'm your mother not your boyfriend." Ryan nodded her relief then hugged her mother. "I should kill you but I really don't think I can. I think I love you, Ryan."

"I think I love you too... mom." Renee sniffed into her shoulder then tightened her hold on her daughter. "Wait, are you crying?"

The eldritch nodded then straightened up, wiping away her tears. "You called me 'mom'," she stated sniffed again. "Not even Tomás calls me 'mom'. Had I known I could remotely feel this way for someone who was torn out of my uterus, I never would have left. Not you, not Tomás..." she shook her head then took Ryan's hands in hers. "It's just too bad."

"It's okay. We have the rest of our lives together," Ryan stated.

"Oh no, you misunderstand," Renee replied. "It's just too bad that... that... oh, how do I put this," she sighed to herself. "A puppeteer may love his marionette but at the end of the day, the marionette is just a puppet. When the puppeteer pulls the strings, the puppet does as ordered."

"What are you saying? You're someone's puppet?"

"You really are the dumb one," Renee stated suddenly drained of all her sentiments. "When I pull the strings, you don't talk back. You dance until I make you stop."

"But you said-"

"Tomás is the only child I will ever want," Renee clarified. "You know what they say; the firstborn is always the favourite. Why do you think Clarke trusts Ridley over you? Being the more skilled twin was just a bonus for her. He won't ever admit it but down - in that self-righteous heart of his - Rowan Clarke Axel will always love Ridley more than you. That's why he trusts her, why he has faith in her and why he won't ever trust you."

Ryan couldn't take it! In a lightning-like flash, she smote Renee! The goldblood stammered backwards then gasped her shock at her daughter. "Don't ever talk about my father like you know him! He loved you more than anything and you left him with two babies and destitute."

"Cry me a river," Renee retorted. "Did you really think you were going to walk out of this alive? You should have listened to Morien."

"I should have listened to Morien," Ryan echoed with a nod then drew her gun and aimed it at her mother's head.

"Go ahead," Renee ordered and Ryan obeyed. The gun was empty. "So predictable."

Renee grabbed the gun and threw Ryan into a wall. She sped towards the wall her daughter was in while the lynxes fled to the otherwise of the room. "Go ahead an kill me! I'm dead anyway."

"Meh, too easy," the eldritch replied. "Besides, I had this all planned out." She grabbed Ryan by the collar of her red blouse and pulled her to her feet. "Look me in the eye," she ordered with her eyes tinting gold. "Know deep in your heart that Ridley will always, always be better than you! Her blood is better, her skills are better, she is better in every possible way. Use that! Use it to fuel your rage. You're going to fight her and you're not going to stop because she's not going to stop. Oh, and as soon as you see her, you will tell her nothing but this."

She carelessly flung her daughter aside and Ryan's sobbing fell on deaf ears. "Why are you like this?"

Renee groaned the feel of her eldritch draining her further. Now she had a full head of grey hair and more wrinkles creased her face. "My prolonged youth has ended and I'm aging. When the ones as ancient as I attain this stage of life, our fear of death settles in. Now that there's a way to cheat death, I will cheat it and so with the rest of the goldbloods and we will reclaim the world because vampires and humans are not equal!"

The goldblood retrieved the gun and loaded it before handing it back to her daughter. "World domination is the most cliche antagonist motive there is," Ryan jeered while aiming her gun to her mother's back. "In case you haven't seen anything, like, literally any scifi movie, the supposed conqueror never wins. Plus, it's impractical."

"You can't kill me," Renee stated and Ryan - against her will - lowered her gun. Evidently she ignored her daughter's criticism but still tilted her head at her after turning around. "Now," she went on with a smile, "let's get Ridley here. She is, after all, the star of the show!"

"What're you going to do, call her? She won't be dumb enough to pick up."

Renee strolled over to Ryan who scampered backwards. The goldblood pulled her to her feet. "Need I remind you that she can feel what you feel? That link of yours can be used as a GPS. The only reason she didn't feel me throw you across the room, is because I didn't want her to. But she fill feel this," Renee assured Ryan. The goldblood grinned menacingly then punched Ryan so hard in her gut that the blackblood soared across the room. "Let's go," Renee ordered her lynxes. "I want a view of this 'sibling rivalry gone wrong'."

Halfway across town, scanning around the shut down milkshake bar, Ridley was downtrodden. There wasn't a trace if evidence showing anyone had been there since it shut down. She and Dane were investigating the kitchen with Ankh sniffing out the refrigerators. Calista and Sayeed were searching the front area; all to no avail.

"There's nothing here," Ridley concluded sadly. Dane rested a hand on her shoulder but Ridley gasped for hair, feeling the wind knocked out of her.

"Ridley? Badr," Dane called, not specifying which Badr he called. Both Sayeed and Calista came charging into the kitchen.

"What is it," Calista asked, seeing Ridley hunched forward.

"Ryan," she replied breathlessly strained.

The kitchen vanished, along with her search party. In its place was a grand hall. Pine wood floors, white tables and chairs lining a wall, a whole wall of window and Ryan. Also relieved of her wind in a corner, clutching her core.

"I know where she is," Ridley stated.

"It's a trap," Calista warned. Ridley ignored her while trying to overlook the pain of breathing. "If she, or even Renee let you in, it's to catch you. For whatever reason that may be."

"I don't care. I'm finding my sister."

Ridley modelled passed them and left the desolate establishment. Dane looked to Sayeed for support. "Find and contain?"

"Find and contain," Sayeed echoed with a nod.

They both made their way after Ridley, only to find her bicycle still leaning against the wall. "I don't suppose Ankh can sniff her out?"

"She's not a sniffer," Sayeed replied. "But," he slowly turned to the grey wolf sniffing the bike, "can you use your link to find her?"

"It doesn't work like that," Calista cut in. "The link between them is very specific. "Ankh can only find Ridley if there's a psionic footprint around her. Other than that, Ridley can shut her out."

"What does that mean," Dane asked. "Ridley's alone?"

"Unless we can find a sniffer canine or some psionic person thing is there, yes," Sayeed stated. "Move out," he ordered. "Let's find a sniffer because we can't guarantee there's a psionic with her."

With her new eldritch powers, Ridley could zip across Dunon Town in record time. The Mirage Rouge country club, where Ryan was held up, had a maze of halls that hosted anything from weddings to balls to over the top birthday bashes. The one where Ryan was, was particularly expensive since it was the most secluded.

The setting sun was sheathed by the ever threatening thunder clouds. When Ridley barged through the doors, the hall was still. No sign of Renee or her lynx army, other than the dander on the carpeted area. Ryan had removed herself from the corner and stood standoffish across the hall.

Ridley quickly skimmed over the room then met her sister's eye. "Ryan, come with me. We're going home," was all she said. Ryan replied by drawing her handgun. "Don't," she warned while reaching for her Japanese sword on her back. "I can fix this."

Ryan fired a single round warningly at her sister. Swiftly Ridley drew her katana and slashed it clean in half. "Renee never wanted me. She wanted you," the younger twin began while they started circling each other. "I don't understand why I'm surprised; everyone always wants Ridley. There's never any room for Ryan."

"That's not true and you know it," Ridley stated, still circling her sister. Both her hands' grip tightened nervously around her katana. "Esmeralda and Clarke prefer you over me. We all know as parents and rational adults, they'll never admit it. Your friends, the whole sun school - in fact - and most of the moon kids prefer you over me."

"Oupa didn't and ouma didn't. Daddy doesn't trust me and Esmeralda doesn't believe in me. You have them eating out of the palm of your hand," Ryan countered then stopped moving with Ridley following her lead. "I thought Renee saw something in me. Someone in me. Someone who wouldn't have to be caught in your shadow. It turns out, she didn't see me at all. She just saw you at the door and I was the doormat you stood on."

"That's what she wants you to believe. Ryan, you're my twin sister and I would-"

"You say that like it means something," Ryan cut in. "Isn't that what you say, whenever someone says that? 'You say that like it means something'." Ridley exhaled her regret. "Don't try going soft on me, I know you better that! You're the same frigid, combative, selfish," with each adjective, the formerly Bubbly Axel stepped closer to her counterpart, "narrow-minded, egomaniacal bitch you've always been!"

"I know and I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted was..."

"I don't care!" She fired a shot into her sister's leg. Ridley gasped and stammered backwards, dropping her katana. "You're the reason our gene pool needs a lifeguard." Ryan kicked her sister to the floor.

"Yeah well, this is my contraceptive against having children," Ridley countered through grunts. She pulled out her karambit to dig out the bullet.

"I have another one for you," Ryan persisted then aimed the gun at her sister's uterus.

"Just listen to me!"

"Why! Nobody listens to me! What happened to 'treat others the way you want to be treated'? Fuck that primary school shit! I'm treating people the way they treat me, now."

Ridley inhaled deeply. "Okay. I'll treat you differently," she replied, staring up the barrel.

"Too fucking little, too fucking late!"

Ridley sighed defeatedly. "I really hoped you wouldn't say that," she voiced. Ridley kicked the gun out her sister's hand with her good leg before leaning forward to stun Ryan with a blow to her abdomen. "I don't want to hurt you!"

Slowly Ridley wobbled to her feet, limping from the gunshot wound. Ryan snarled then charged for her sister. Ridley pulled out her bow to block her sister's attack. Ryan tightened her hold on the bow and it started to rot away. Ridley gasped her surprise.

Ryan exploited her caught off guard. She shoved the bow into her sister's face repeatedly until Ridley was bleeding a waterfall. Ridley stammered backwards while Ryan flung the useless bow aside. Angrily she formed fists. Again she rammed into Ridley.

Endlessly she punched Ridley. Ridley fell to the ground but Ryan was livid! She knelt over her sister and blow after blow, deformed the mirrored face beneath her. Satisfied that Ridley was neutralised, Ryan left her there to retrieve her gun.

Ridley groaned before rolling weakly to her side to spit out a mouthful of black and gold blood. She sighed defeatedly while tears streamed down her bruised and bloodied cheeks. A soft sob escaped her but Ryan didn't care while towering over her with the gun aimed into her twin's cranium.

A victorious grin spread across her face and Ridley closed her eyes, bracing herself for the attack. Her leg swept underneath Ryan, who fired a shot into the wall from her trip. Ridley pulled out a dagger but kicked the gun out her sister's hand a second time.

Mildly disorient, Ridley crawled over her sister and looked into her eyes. Wordlessly angry Ryan looked back into her identical black eyes. Ridley cupped Ryan's cheek with more tears streaming. Carefully, she peeled off the bandaid near her twin's eye only to reveal the Rogue beneath. Weakly Ridley buried her face into Ryan's chest.

Rhythmic sobs came from Ridley while Ryan stared defeatedly at the white ceiling. Crystal chandeliers lined the ceiling, allowing more light in the hall than there actually was. The setting sun cast the rainbow glimmers, from the crystals, across the otherwise bland and unornament ceiling.

Ridley slowly looked back into her sister's eyes, her denial evident. She combed through Ryan's messy pixie cut while her own long hair was littered everywhere. Scary Axel sniffles then shook her head with her finger barely grazing the Rogue gradus. The two were unfazed by Ridley's blood trickling into Ryan's face.

Still in denial, Ridley rolled onto her back, sobbing to herself. Ryan glanced over at coldly, clenching her jaw as a sign of her bubbling rage. Despite that, she still replied, "I've never seen you cry. I didn't think you could."

"You're the only one who can make me cry," Ridley stated ruefully. "I can't..." she was all choked up and it wasn't easy to swallow the lump in her throat. "The mere thought of losing you makes my blood curdle!" Ryan wasn't buying it and she reached for her gun while her sister lamented. "Whenever it looked or felt like we had nothing, I had you. I always had you. Boarding school in Pardón, that shity apartment in Lanasia, staying with Richard and Barbara in Asteria City, moving here. You were all I ever had. I couldn't lose you, if I wanted to. I know I'm a shity sister and I won't ever make an excuse for that, no matter how valid a reason it is. I. Am. Begging you! Stop, please."

Ryan sat up with a head shake while Ridley couldn't bring herself to look in her direction. Ryan aimed her gun back at Ridley. "I won't stop until you are dead!" After that was only the sound of a bullet loading into the chamber. "Rule two: don't take your eyes off your adversary," Ryan purred to her sister smugly.

Instinctively, Ridley blindly went for gun's barrel. Skillfully she grabbed the barrel and with inhuman strength, she crushed it in her bare hand. That made Ryan furious! She tackled her counterpart and tore the last dagger from Ridley's boot.

She pressed the length of the dagger into her throat while Ridley tried to keep the blade out of her neck. In that instant, fate was on Ryan's side. Gold and black blood streamed out of Ridley's neck. She closed her eyes with a sniffle as resolve became her. She let out a shaky breath then opened the link between her and Ankh.

Ridley opened her eyes to release the flood of tears. Ryan - against her better judgement and her will - wanted Ridley dead. Ridley finally saw that. "I love you," she admitted for the very first time out loud. "I love you so much."

One hand released the dagger for her karambit and impaled it into her twin's neck. Ryan gasped then dropped the dagger. Ridley whimpered then shifted to cradle her dying sister in her arms. Ryan sized up her sister who froze from what she just did.

"I'm here," Ridley began shakily through the numbing disbelief of her actions. "I'm right here, Rye. Stay with me. Please. Please stay with me," Ridley pleaded. "I-I'm..."

Angrily Ryan reached for the claw-shaped knife in her neck and Ridley shook her head. "Ridley," she called weakly. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," she barely got out through her blocked nose. Shakily Ridley cupped her sister's damning hand. "Just stay awake. H-help... i-is... coming. Don't leave me. Please don't leave me."

"I'm so so sorry."

"Stay with me," Ridley cried. She tried to force Ryan's hand away from her karambit and her sister was too weak to resist. "Please, Rye. You're all I have. Please don't do this."

"I love you too." They were silent while Ryan choked on her blood. "I love you too," she barely repeated a final time.

Ridley inhaled shakily then turned red in her cheeks as the heartbreak, mourning and rage reached its pinnacle. She let out an ear-splitting scream that rattled the windows before they blew out. She screamed through her sobs, clutching the lifeless body to her chest.

She could feel Ankh's strong legs gracefully hastening for the country club but ignored it. Along with the scents of Sayeed, Dane and Clarke following her. Ryan's soulless eyes still pined towards Ridley and it was unbearable. Ridley lower lips trembled before she let out another shriek. This time, the venue hall caught fire.

The frigid white fire engulfed the entire room immediately. Frost and ice spread across walls and icicles grew from the chandeliers. Each breath Ridley let out was met by a puff of thin wispy mist. Ryan's black blood that had pooled on her and the pinewood floor solidified. The smoke detectors went off and water poured from the ceiling however, snow hit the ground.

Ridley's screams - had it not been for the white flames - would have signalled to the hunters were the events had unfolded. Not far from them, Renee hid outside. Just outside of Ridley's psionic reach. Shamelessly she recorded the entire brawl on Ryan's phone. She fled the scene when she heard Ankh howling.

Clarke, without hesitation, ran head first into the blanco inferno. Underneath the blinding white fire that radiated cold in place of heat, Clarke saw Ridley's grey attire. Protective father instincts kicked in and he hustled towards her. Over the roaring flames, he could hear her sobbing.

He still pushed on until he saw the lifeless form in her arms. Ridley was engulfed by her own cold fire, determined to freeze to death. Clarke finally saw his dead daughter and fell to his knees in disbelief. He saw, in Ryan's neck, was the karambit.

He looked up at Ridley and she saw the disgust hidden under the shock. Dane has hot on the heels of his mentor. He too was frozen by the scene. Clarke swallowed his dread then gathered Ryan in his arms and he gestured Dane to Ridley. Dane flung her over his shoulder since the flames didn't allow him to pick her up bridal style.

Ankh was howling endless outside with Sayeed doing a brief perimeter of the building. Calista covered her mouth with her hands, pacing her angst. Her fair skin went pallid when Clarke came weeping out. He fell to his knees, hugging Ryan's body. Ankh's howling turned from signalling Clarke and Dane the way out to a mournful wail.

Calista, still covering her mouth but now with wide eyes, knelt down to examine Ryan. Dane came out with Ridley sobbing over his shoulder and he set her before him. She took in a shaky breath then turned away from her search party.

"I killed her," she admitted.

Sayeed brushed passed her to see the corpse. He sighed defeatedly then shook his head. "She's got a Rogue gradus," he pointed out. Clarke shook his head then buried his face into her frozen neck. "I'll call it in."

"Call Esmeralda," Clarke ordered and Ridley covered her mouth as more tears poured out of her. The only mother she ever knew was about to be broken by something heinous she did.

Like all hunters - even if she was a rogue - Ryan had to be buried by the next sun phase. Since the sun had set already, she had to be buried by sunrise. Just like all deceased hunters, Ryan's ranking would be chiselled into her headstone and she would go down in history with that ranking.

As a rogue, Ryan couldn't be buried in Hunter's Hectare. She would still get the plain wooden box and a priest to do a blessing but she would get no other privileges. The thunderous clouds restrained their tears for no tears could be shed for someone who went against the hunter's credo.

When dawn threatened to break, the service was started. The angle of rising light cast a shadow over the damning headstone. Clarke and Dane - with heavy hearts - began to shovel sand back into the grave when Esmeralda truly shattered. She caved into Calista's arms but the petite Egyptian woman couldn't take her whole weight.

Sayeed gathered Esmeralda in an off balanced hug and took most of the secretary's weight. Ankh sat obediently beside Sayeed, watching Ridley at the foot of the grave. She didn't move a muscle since they arrived at the site. She didn't look to be breathing either.

Once Ryan was truly buried and the priest concluded his affairs, the first light of day cascaded over the covered headstone. The tombstone carvers had a better part of the night to carve out the damning figures that would plague the Axel family for the rest of their lives.

Tears were Ridley's only movements and she had not stopped since she started. Her face was bloodied and red and soaking wet but she was dead still. She watched as Dane patted the dark sand down then nodded to Clarke. The grieving father took a moment to collect himself, wiping his uncontrollable tears with his sleeve. His shaky hand reached for the sheer veil over the headstone that read:

'Ryan Aimée Axel

Rogue

07. 11. 2003 - 30. 11. 2021'