Chapter One

Zabrina

My stormy grey eyes fluttered as the book I held fell onto the ebony desk. It wasn't boring, but I had stayed up much longer than I had originally intended as I read the worn out paperback. The antique clock that hung on the wall revealed that it was in fact two in the morning.  I stood from the spinning chair, turned off my desk lamp, and headed across the creaking wood floor that spread throughout the whole house. In the corner, my dark blue full sized bed stood, and I plummeted into its warmth. I slowly drifted off to sleep. 

When I opened my eyes again, darkness engulfed my vision. I stood upon a cold abyss, my vision unable to differentiate between the floor and the walls around me. Assuming there was such a structure. I looked down and was surprised to find I could see my own body clearly. The only thing my eyes could see in this void. 

“H-hello?” My voice trembled, “Is anyone there?” Nothing, no sounds nor sign of movement. My eyes watered as I realized I was completely alone. I walked around, but there was no point of reference to see if I was making any progress. I touched no walls, I couldn't jump to touch a ceiling. The only solid thing in the darkness was the ground beneath my feet. Even still, every step I took filled me with anxiety as I expected to fall into the darkness below.

After it seemed like I had walked for hours, I heard a low growl erupt from behind me. Instead of feeling comfort at the sound of other life, my tired mind becomes startled awake by adrenaline. I could feel a hot breath on my ear and I shivered. Its raspy breathing froze me to the spot I stood. I looked back only to see blood-red eyes glare back at me in the darkness. Its body seemed to be only a shade lighter than our surroundings. Its teeth were a stark white and terrifyingly sharp. Its tall figure stood a couple of heads above me. Its fingers came to a fine point, almost like claws. 

It growled once more and I turned to run, finally able to feel my legs again. It chased after me and almost slashed at me when a flash of light blinded me and drove away the darkness. 

I glanced around at the rose pink walls of my room, they were illuminated by the morning sun. I stretched my aching body as I stood from the cold, wooden floor, still trembling from the nightmare. I reached for my Tphone on the bedside table, a glowing picture of Agatha, Mark, Lia, and I at the park. It read ten o’clock.. I sighed and made my way to get an outfit for the day. 

I decided on a pair of dark blue jeans and a pink and blue tye-dyed shirt. After getting dressed, I made my way to the bathroom down the hall. I grabbed the hairbrush on the cluttered sink and brushed quickly through my dark brown hair, the honey blonde tips contrasting the rest of its appearance. I pulled it back into a ponytail as I turned to leave the bathroom. I opened the white door to my room and grabbed the phone in the floral printed case off the charger. Beside it was my silver locket that I immediately put over my head and around my neck. 

The necklace my parents left me had initials engraved in cursive. ‘ZCK’ which stood  for Zabrina Claire King. I let it fall against my chest and As I walked through my door to the hall, I could smell bacon. As I made my way to the stairs, my brother Mark came out of his room behind me.

“Hey,” He muttered tiredly, still in sweats and a t-shirt. 

“You should probably fix your hair,” I teased. His light brown hair was knotted and pointing in all directions. I quickly dodged as he tried to slap my shoulder. My laugh echoed through the halls as I ran down the stairs. I was much faster than him, so he could not catch up. At the bottom of the stairs I took a deep breath to stop laughing and catch it from my sprint and traversed through the living room to the kitchen. Agatha used a waffle maker and a skillet to make our delicious breakfast. Lia sat on the counter next to her. 

“It smells good,” I hummed.

“Good, because it’s done,” Agatha said, putting the last waffle on the plate. Mark appeared beside me, his hair still a mess. After our plates were cleared, we cleaned up and moved to the living room to watch a movie. It was a Sunday, so Agatha wasn’t working and we were on fall break.

Around two o’clock and halfway through a movie Agatha got a phone call and she walked into the kitchen to take it. I glanced back at her and then focused more on the tv. Agatha came back into the living room and paused the movie. 

“A girl named Pandora will be coming to the house today. She is a special case, and is coming right away.” She said. 

“But Mo, you stopped fostering two years ago?” I said confused. She nodded. 

“Well, this girl needs the help. Zabrina, Mark she is around your age, will you prepare the room for her?” We nodded and got off the couch to put sheets on the bed and make sure the room was thoroughly dusted. Agatha looked after Lia. Before we went up the stairs, I looked back at my motherly figure and noticed that she was extremely tense. Why had they called her? She should be off the list to foster. 

I shook off the thought and continued to prepare the old room. After Mark and Lia had been adopted people only really went in and out of it. After we finished, all the dust that had occupied the room cluttered the wash clothes in our hands. This room had white walls, plain bedsheets, and a desk much like my own. The closet door was aged with use and creaked from how many times it had been opened. 

Mark and I headed back downstairs and waited for the mysterious girl to arrive. It was about two hours before we heard the sound of a car turning into the driveway. During that time, we made sure everything would be in order for Pandora to arrive. We made dinner just in case she hadn't eaten and made sure the room had everything she would need.

 When we heard a knock at the door, Agatha quickly answered it, and let the girl inside. The tall woman, who I assumed was her social worker, had light brown hair and piercing blue eyes. She tried to seem kind, but I could tell something was off. I looked towards the girl  who would be living with us, and tried to keep the scowl off my face. Her lip was busted, she had a cut on her face, and she cringed every time she moved. I had seen this many times before. 

“Hello Allura, it's nice to meet you,” Agatha started stiffly, holding her hand towards Allura to shake. Allura grabbed it and smiled. 

“You as well, thank you for taking in Pandora on such short notice. Pandora, this is Agatha, she will be your caretaker for the time being.” Her voice sounded sickly sweet. I watched the other girl, she was around the same age as me. Her eyes avoided my own, but I could tell that they seemed to be a dull grey. Her long blonde hair ended with dark brown highlights. Her thin frame was engulfed by a large black sweatshirt that almost reached to her knees. Her face was marred by cuts that seemed to only just be healing, and others that were still very fresh. 

“Pandora, this is Zabrina,” She pointed to me and I numbly waved, “Mark,” another gesture, “and Lia.” She waved happily as Pandora looked towards the floor. 

“Agatha, can I check the house and make sure Pandora has a place to sleep, as well as if all of your facilities are in working order?” Allura asked. Agatha nodded and led Allura to everything she wanted to check. Mark, Lia, Pandora, and I stayed downstairs while they did this, standing awkwardly. 

“Why does she look exactly like you?” Mark whispered, “I can’t handle two of you.” I rolled my eyes.

“Shut up,” I whispered back angrily. 

“My point exactly,” He muttered. She looked at us and back at the ground when she caught my gaze. Allura and Agatha returned from the bedroom upstairs, and Allura left soon after. 

“Do you want to eat or go to your room first, Pandora?” Agatha asked kindly. Pandora looked up at her nervously and shuffled her feet. 

“I, um, can I just go up to the room? I ate on the way here,” her voice shook and it was so quiet I could barely hear her. 

“Of course honey, I’ll take you up there,” Pandora nodded and disappeared from my sight. Agatha slowly came back down and all of us sat at the table to eat. We sat in silence, but my mind was troubled with thoughts of the new girl. She seemed familiar but I couldn't place why.

“Sooooo,” Mark started loudly, “I guess we found Zabrina’s long lost sister!” I slapped him across the back of his head and he shrieked loudly. 

“C’mon I was just joking, you don't have to hit me!” He whined. I briefly noticed Agatha tense before she forcefully smiled. 

“Mo! They’re fighting again!” Lia tattled. Agatha shook her head and breathed in deeply. 

“Mark, Zabrina you know better than that.” She replied calmly. But I could still tell something was off. 

“Mo, are you alright?” I asked in concern. She nodded and continued eating. I stared for a moment, but decided not to push it. I knew nothing would come out of doing that. We cleaned up dinner and I went upstairs to my room. As I looked towards the room that Pandora occupied, I couldn't help but think about what Mark said. Were we really that similar?