Chapter Text

Samara’s awake at 6:30 and she wants nothing more than to call in sick.

Come on, girl, Samara chides mentally. Get your ass up and get to work. Sitting up, she leans to press the button on her clock and combs a hand through her messy hair.

Mornings involved quiet time for Samara. Which means that it took her a second to get herself awake and find her uniform for the day. She looked exhausted and she probably looked like a zombie, stumbling down to the kitchen. “ Habari za asubuhi. ” She quietly mutters to her wandering Tabby, bending down to scrub underneath its chin. “ Hi, baby.” The cat mewled leaning into her touch, licking its chops before walking to their little bed, flopping down on it lazily.

Clad in only a sports bra and sweatpants, Samara digs around the cabinets before revealing a box of oatmeal and getting a pot out to make it.

Her cat brushed against her ankles as she hummed quietly, her hair pushed away with a stray headband, and the sunlight streamed through the curtains of her window by the living room.

Digging through the cabinets, again — she needed to do the dishes soon — revealing a bowl as she poured her breakfast into it. The only thing that made her pause was when her phone started to ring and Samara didn’t hesitate to pick it up. “ Otieno Makazi.  Hii ni Samara kuzungumza.” Her voice thickened with her words. Otieno Residence. This is Samara speaking.

“ Habari za asubuhi dada.” Good morning sister. Samara’s hazel eyes widened in surprise.

“ Nakia?  Imekuwa ni muda tangu Nimesikia kutoka kwako,’’ Samara gives a light smile, shoveling a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth. “ Habari yako?” It has been a while since I’ve heard from you. How are you?

“ Mimi niko mzima. Wewe ni juu pretty mapema.” I’m fine. You’re up pretty early.

Samara could feel herself roll her eyes, in fondness of course. “ Mimi ni mzima, Nakia. Watu wazima kuamka wakati wanapaswa . .” She leaned against her chair as her sister started to laugh. I am grown, Nakia. Adults wake up at times they shouldn’t.

“ Je, si kazi ngumu sana, sawa.” Don’t work too hard, alright.

“ Ndiyo, mama.” Yes, mom.

Samara paused when she heard mumbling in the background. Were Mama and Baba with her? It had been a while since she’d talked with them. “ Hey.” This time, Samara was speaking in English and heard her sister hum. “ Is someone there with you?”

“ N-no. Why would you think that?”

Hmm…?

“ I thought I heard something.”

Nakia gave a nervous, breathy laugh. “ Must’ve been the television. Dada kwaheri. ” Goodbye, sister.

Before Samara could say anything else, Nakia had hung up. Samara gave a murmur as she scooped the cold oatmeal into her mouth, looking down to see her cat mewling.

“ Looks like I’ve gotta get ready, Wangari.” She muttered, bending down to pick up her cat and pressing a kiss to its furry ginger head. Wangari nuzzled against her mistress before Samara got up from her seat and went back upstairs, yawning loudly.

μ μ μ μ

Animals had always been Samara’s calling. Perhaps it was because she wrapped gauze all over her stuffed rabbit, or maybe it was when she learned to deal with her cat’s first bloody nose...her memory of why she wanted to become a vet was still a blur.

“ I know, baby, I know…” She hummed cleaning up a golden labrador puppy’s left front paw, her heart breaking as it gave painful whines.

“ I just took my eyes off of him for a second,’’ The labrador’s owner hiccuped, dabbing their bloodshot eyes. “ Is he gonna be okay?!”

“ Ma’am he’ll be fine. I’ll have it wrapped soon, I will say that you’ll have to clean and wrap his foot every night. If there’s an infection then call me, okay?” The woman nodded sniffing. Samara leaned forward and carefully picked up the puppy who whined. Samara hummed.

The owner took her pet into her arms, cooing quietly over him as she walked out of the door. Samara gave a deep sigh as she leaned against the counter grabbing the metal clipboard that laid on it and looked through it. She would need to check on a Siamese named Lucky, who had to stay overnight because of seizures, then she’d have to check on a pregnant Shepherd who bit at everyone...great.

She sighed and scratched at her head. You love your job, even if those fluffy cuties bite and scratch.

Samara looked up hearing a knock at the door, to which the doctor called out, “ Come in.” Nurse Akeyo Mwangi was a bespectacled woman in her 40s with smile lines. She was the first friend that Samara made when she first arrived at the center.

“ I’m sorry Dr. Otieno, but someone’s requested to speak with you.” Nurse Mwangi says, making Samara’s eyebrow raise in a bit of confusion.

“ If it’s Dr. Kamau then tell him that I will check on Lucky when I can, not everyone can move as fast he can and-’’ But Nurse Mwangi cuts her off before she can continue.

“ No..no it’s not Dr. Kamau, it’s somebody else,’’ Nurse Mwangi’s voice sounds anxious. And that makes Samara worried. A little too worried.

“ Akeyo.” Her professionalism disappears as she looks at her friend in worry. “ Is something happening that I don’t know about?”

Nurse Mwangi sighs. “ It’s...uh...your sister.” And Samara’s heart drops.

“ What happened?” She rushes towards Nurse Mwangi, fear in her eyes. “ Did something happen? Is she okay? Oh god don’t tell me something-’’ Nurse Mwangi raising a hand is enough to quiet Samara down.

“ Samara. Your sister is fine, but she sounded...upset.” Samara’s shoulders sag with relief. But her gaze turned serious.

“ Did she tell you what was wrong?”

“ Not exactly. Nurse Maina is on the phone with her, trying to get her to calm down.”

Which is difficult. Samara had been around her little sister since the moment she’d been born. When she got emotional, she got hysterical, and then she’d become incoherent.

“ Let me speak to her.” And Nurse Mwangi didn’t hesitate in leading the doctor towards the counter, where a male nurse had a phone to his ear but his face showed exasperation.

“ Ma’am-I...would you just...I can’t…” He looked close to slamming the phone onto the receiver. That is until Samara showed up.

Gently, she took the phone from his hands and was rewarded with a relieved look on his side. Licking her chapped lips, Samara brought the phone to her ear and began to speak.

“ Hello?” In came the voice of her blubbery sister.

“ Dada!” Sister! The loud wail nearly makes Samara drop the phone. “ Ni Mama na baba….wao ni….wao ni…” It’s Mom and Dad...they’re….they’re…

Samara’s breath hitches and she tries to stay calm. “ Nakia, utulivu chini. Kupumua.” She instructs. Nakia, calm down. Breathe. And Samara can hear hiccupy breathing as Nakia tried to gain her composure.

“ Sasa….kuniambia ni nini.” Now….tell me what’s wrong.

Nakia sniffs and, finally, she speaks. “ Wao ni kunitumia mbali.” They’re sending me away.

“ Nini! Kwa?!” What! Why?!

“ Sijui!” I don’t know. Nakia wails, close to tears again, “ Wao Usiniambie ninakokwenda, tu kwamba mimi nina wanaoishi na baadhi ya… jeshi familia… Sitaki kwa!” They won’t tell me where I’m going, only that I’m living with some… host family… I don’t want to!

That didn’t seem surprising. Nakia had never been a fan for traveling, everything the teenager had was in Kenya, and now Samara doesn’t know what to say as her sister sobs over the phone.

Host Family? When had this happened?

“ Nakia, I need you to calm down for me.” Samara began, licking her lips. “ I’ll be over after my shift, just calm down and I will talk with Mama and Baba.”

Nakia hiccups and Samara rubbed at her forehead. “ O...okay, I’m sorry to bother you about this.”

“ Nakia, you’re my sister, I would put anything on hold for you.” Samara said softly, “ Look. How about you go get some rest, knowing you, you probably cried from the time that you called the hospital...didn’t you?” A pause.

“ Y-yeah…” Her sister sniffled.

“ Thought so. Hang up the phone and get some sleep, doctor’s orders.”

That got a watery laugh from Nakia. “ You’re a vet, though.”

Samara snorted. “ I’m also your dada mkubwa. ” big sister. If Samara’s hair wasn’t covered, she would’ve run a hand through it, as she said goodbye.

“ Is she gonna be alright?” Samara gave a little jump, turning around and seeing that Nurse Mwangi was looking at her with a worried expression.

“ She’ll be fine,” Samara reassured giving a forced smile. But the talk with my parents won’t be. She was upset. She knew her parents were...peculiar in their actions but a host family !? Did they even discuss that with Nakia?

After the phone call with Nakia, Samara had been on high alert her entire shift. She did her job quietly, she could see that the nurses and doctors would stare, turn away, and whisper behind their hands. And she didn’t blame them; she probably looked like she wanted to murder something.

The eldest Otieno had grabbed her things and made a direct beeline to the door, giving quick and rushed waves to her co-workers and continued speeding to her car. Everything was still processing through her head, but the more she thought about it, the more upset she became.

Host family….Host family!? They didn’t even bother to tell her either! Samara thought tapping the wheel.

So here she was, pulling up in front of the orange monstrosity that was her parents’ house, Samara took a second to suck in a deep breath and scrub at her tired face. On Mondays, the evenings were reserved for Mrs. Otieno and her tulips, but even her mother - nor her creaky chair - was not to be seen.

Her shoes crunched against the ground as she made her way to the stairs, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket and the moment she reached the door, was the moment that she banged on the door. “ Who is it?” Came the muffled voice of her father, Samara cleared her throat and spoke in a robust voice.

“ Dad it’s me.” A pause. Then he answered.

“ Samara...uh...you came at a bad time, sweetheart…” He responded. Samara huffed.

“ Well, I’m here and we need to talk.” There was silence and then the doorknob jiggled. Barasa Otieno looked exhausted and he didn’t seem too keen on seeing his oldest daughter. “ We need to talk,’’ Samara breathed her hands, again, stuffed into her pockets. “ Now.” Barasa looked conflicted before he sighed and gave some space to let her in.

“ So...host family?” Samara tilted her head. Barasa grimaced.

“ Now, Samara-” She didn’t hesitate to cut him off.

“ You’re sending a sixteen-year-old to god knows where to live with a Host Family!? Now I know this isn’t any of my business but are you both insane!” If Samara had been Nakia’s age, she would’ve been smacked. But she was older, she was pissed, and she was on the chase for her mother. If only her father would get out of her way.

“ Samara I know this sounds difficult and-’’ A brittle laugh escaped her.

“ Difficult! Oh, this doesn’t sound difficult to me, it sounds stupid,’’ Her attention came towards her father and she crossed her arms tightly, her eyes narrowed. “ Where is she going.” Barasa’s face twisted and he didn’t look like he wanted to tell her. Samara pushed harder.

“ Dad...where is Nakia going?”

A sigh. “ She’s going to Japan.” At that moment, perhaps Samara was overreacting. But now she was getting angry at her father. “ You mean to tell me, you’re sending her to a foreign country where she doesn’t know a lick of the language and neither of you even talked to her about it!?”

“ Samara, don’t you use that tone with me!”

“ How can I not? I find out that you and Mom are sending Nakia to... Japan!? How am I supposed to sound!” Samara demands before she sped past Barasa and directly to the living room. Nakia was curled up on the couch, sniffling and shaking her head, while Samara and Nakia’s mother was cooing and trying to coax her into her arms.

Adongo Otieno was a plump woman with smile lines, her braided hair was usually covered in colorful wraps, and she always seemed to have a positive attitude...until now. She looked exhausted, just like her husband, and her eyes looked bloodshot and puffy. Samara assumed that she’d been crying too.

“ Samara!” Adongo looked startled, her eyes wide. “ What’re you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“ My shift is over.” Samara grits out, her arms crossed. “ Mom...you have a lot of explaining to do…”

Adongo immediately forced a nervous grin on her face, keeping her body relaxed. “ Now, asali ( honey ) let me just..” But Samara had cut her off quickly.

“ You and Dad have done some extreme stuff in your time. Plenty that even I remember but this, this one takes the cake.” Samara laughed harshly as she approached the couch making a beeline towards Nakia. “ Nakia?” Nakia’s head shot up and her bottom lip was trembling, it broke Samara’s heart seeing her sister like this.

Nakia looked terrible. Just like her mother, her hair would’ve been seen in colorful scarves but her dark brown hair was loose and wet, which made Samara guess that she’d taken a shower. Nakia looked close to bursting into tears again. “ S-Samara?” Nakia whimpered. Samara’s eyes softened.

“ Come here, Nana,’’ Samara cooed, outstretching her arms. “ It’s alright.” Nakia didn’t hesitate plunging into her sister’s arms and sobbed.

“ Samara.” Samara looked at her mother with sharp eyes, making Adongo flinch. “ Now I...now I know your upset, but just listen…” Adongo began with clasped hands, her eyes glistening. “ I know this sounds strange but...we needed the money.” And Samara’s heart dropped.

“ Mom…” Samara began uneasily, “ Please tell me you didn’t sell Nakia.” This time, Adongo and Barasa looked horrified and if Nakia wasn’t too busy sobbing in Samara’s shirt, she would’ve passed out.

“ No! Of course not!” Barasa exclaimed. “ Why would you think that?!”

“ It was the first thing that came to mind!” Samara retorted.

Adongo cleared her throat, trying to keep her composure relaxed and steady; but even Samara could see that it was breaking. “ Our church is going through some...financial difficulties,’’ Adongo began smoothing her skirt down. “ So we...we met with someone...he said that...that he’d pay for the problems that were happening..on one condition.” Samara leaned forward, ready to hear the answer.

“ He’d do it if Nakia were to live with his sons.”

Samara’s emotions change quickly. She felt horrified, then appalled, and finally, it became anger. “ Sons.” She breathed and Nakia’s wet eyes looked up at her, seeing the color drain from her face and how her upper lip began to twitch - a sign of anger.

“ Samara…” Barasa began, while Adongo tried to wipe her watery eyes. But Samara’s fuse had blown.

“ Sons!” Samara exclaimed, to which Nakia flinched and buried her face into her sister’s shirt. “ You’re sending your daughter, who doesn’t know a word of Japanese, has never been into Japan, to a house with boys! ” She knew she was being overdramatic. She knew it. But all that anger had spilled out and it couldn’t be contained.

Adongo gave a dry sob, attempting to calm her daughter down. “ We-we didn’t want to do it!” She hiccuped, “ We didn’t have a choice.” Samara gave a bewildered look.

“ Didn’t have a choice!” Samara shouted. “ You did have a choice. You should’ve hosted an event to collect the money, you know everyone would’ve helped you out, you know that!” Adongo was crying. Nakia was hiccupping. Barasa’s grim face darkened every second.

“ I don’t wanna go!” Nakia wailed, her pleading eyes looked at Adongo. “ Please don’t make me go, Mama!”

Adongo was sobbing and rocking from where she sat, muttering over and over ‘ Please forgive me…’ that Samara couldn’t believe her ears. Her father stood there silent, her mother was sobbing, and her sister was about to start again, and she was torn on what to do.

All the crying was hurting her head.

Samara’s brows furrowed as she thought about it for a moment. She remembered taking Japanese — which sounded coincidental — during her college years and, even though a bit rusty, perhaps it would work…. “ Have me go instead.” Adongo looked up, tears still dribbling down her cheeks and Barasa looked shocked.

“ W...what..?” Barasa whispered, his eyes wide. Samara set her jaw further.

“ Let me go instead of Nakia, I’m older and I’ll be able to do it. It’ll be a minor change in plans.” Samara continued, not skipping a beat.

“ Y-you don’t have to do that!” Adongo burst, waving her hands. “ It’s already been settled, Nakia can go.” Samara frowned at that.

“ Mom, Nakia needs to stay here and finish school. I’ll just tell my job that I’ll be taking a leave of absence just in case.” Samara’s gaze was firm and both her parents were looking at each other, unsure of what to do.

“ Mom. Dad.” They eyed Samara nervously.

“ Let me do this.” Samara pressed harder and Nakia was still staring at Samara with wide, horrified eyes. It almost seemed like the exhaustion was lifted from their shoulders and Barasa gave a sigh of defeat.

“ Alright.” Nakia was the only person who wept once more.

That night, after Samara had gotten home and fed her cat, she’d resided into her room buried into the blankets while the lights were shut off. Was this really happening? Was she actually leaving Nairobi and to..to a different country that was foreign to her?

Could she do it? Was she prepared for it?

But then she remembered Nakia’s teary face and her hands tightened over the blankets. Yeah, this is worth it. Samara thought.

μ μ μ μ

It was a week after when Samara had to leave. And it was the worst feeling in the world.

She packed her things, every article of clothing and was choicy with the things she could/couldn’t bring with her along the trip. Scarves for her hair were brought along with her, just a piece of Kenya to remember, and she’d spent the entire day cuddling and cooing over Mwangi until her parents and sister arrived.

Nakia didn’t look any better than the last time Samara had seen her. But, her curly hair was covered with a navy blue turban and she was fiddling with the chipped polish on her nails. Adongo’s smiles were more grim, while Barasa’s face was sad.

“ Let’s get going,’’ Barasa muttered taking one of Samara’s suitcases. “ We don’t wanna be late.”

Samara nodded, her face was blank. Nakia had reached to grab Mwangi’s carrier and was looking at her sister with puffy eyes. Samara tried to give a reassuring smile, but even that didn’t help.

The drive to the airport felt...uncomfortable. Nakia was pressed against the window while Samara was on her cellphone, the music had been turned down but none of them bothered to turn it up. “ Are you gonna be gone forever?” Nakia whispers, her voice weak and it makes Samara’s breath hitch.

“ I don’t know Nana.” Samara whispered, “ Just until this whole is sorted out.” Nakia doesn’t say anything else but shoves her hands deeper into the pockets of an old sweatshirt — one of Samara’s sweatshirts from her college years — and her parents didn’t say anything.

“ You don’t have to do this,’’ Adongo finally says, her voice cracking. Samara shakes her head.

“ I know that. But I want to.” She responds. Adongo only sniffles.

Everything’s gonna be alright. Samara thinks, leaning against the seat deeper. You’re doing this for Nakia. You’re doing this for Nakia.

The airport was crowded and getting Samara’s ticket had taken longer than any of them had expected. Nakia had taken a seat next to Samara while bobbing her crossed leg up and down. “ I’m gonna miss you,’’ Nakia cuts the silence, looking up at her sister. Those vibrant eyes looked dull and lifeless.

“ I know.” Samara leans to press a kiss to her sister’s head, wrapping an arm around her. “ I promise that I’ll call and message you once I arrive.” But Nakia gives a whimper as she hugs her sister.

“ I want you to stay.”

“ I can’t.”

“ I know that!” Nakia furiously wipes the tears from her eyes.

Samara’s throat tightens and she sucks in a deep breath as she holds her sister tightly. “ I’d do anything in the world to fix this, but you know how our parents are.” Nakia gives a snort and sniffles again.

“ Attention, Flight 172 has just arrived, please get your things and begin leaving…” A woman’s voice echoed in the air and Samara sucked in a deep breath trying to slow her beating heart.

“ Well...I guess I’ll be going.” Samara flashes a bright ( bitter ) smile and gets up to grab her things, “ I’ll call all of you,’’ She goes to hug her mother, then her father, and she reaches her sister last. The hug that Nakia gives her nearly makes Samara break, but she keeps her composure and wraps her arms tightly around her.

“ I’ll miss you.” Samara breathed.

“ I….” Nakia’s voice was cracking. “ I’ll miss you too, Sasa.” The childlike nickname makes Samara bite her lip.

Samara soon turns and begins to walk. Her head’s held up high and she has to hold back the tears. She wasn’t about to cry, she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself in front of multiple strangers and…. “ Samara!” Samara’s eyes are wide as she turns and sees her sister. Her little sister who’s holding a bracelet in her hand.

“ I need to...to…” Nakia pants, sucking in gulps of air. “ To..give you this.” Samara’s heart breaks when she sees what the bracelet is.

It’s filled with little charms; each one a memory in both sisters’ hearts, but the one that was most similar was the feline charm, the Aquarius sign, and the Gemini sign. “ This is your…” Samara begins as Nakia pushes it to her chest.

“ My bracelet. I want you to take it with you,’’ Nakia flashes a brittle grin, her eyes warm, “ So you have something to remember me by.”

“ I can’t take this!” Samara argues, attempting to push it back. “ It’s yours. I bought it for you and…”

“ Now it’s yours.” Nakia cuts in, eyes glistening. “ Take it, Samara. Please.” Samara’s vision is blurry with tears and she wants nothing more than to hold her sister and never let go. But both of them know that isn’t possible. Samara doesn’t hesitate in taking the bracelet and slowly placed it onto her wrist, with all the strength she had, she leaned forward and kissed Nakia’s forehead gently.

“ I love you.” Samara murmurs, letting the tears fall.

“ I love you too.” Nakia shudders pulling back, “ Now go before you miss your plane.”

Samara backs away and starts to walk away but before she does the eldest Otieno calls out, “ Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone!”

“ How can I!” Nakia shouts with a watery grin. “ You’re taking all the stupid with you!”

And those words sink into Samara’s brain as she runs to reach her flight. “ Ticket please.” The attendant’s cherry lips were stretched in a saccharine smile and her glossy hair was styled in a chignon bun. Samara hands it to her, licking her lips and continues walking. Never looking back.

Samara can only look out the window of the plane, setting next to a snoring businessman. Her train of thought is the only thing that kept her awake and she’s too alert to do anything else. Finally, she’d given in and plugged her earbuds in and listened to music, looking over her emails. But even the sound of her favorite songs didn’t help her mood.

This is for Nakia…. Samara thought firmly, her hand pressed against her cheek. This is for Nakia….

The flight to Japan felt long. And Samara could feel the drowsiness settle in. Soon, the eldest Otieno shifted from where she sat and leaned closer against the window, as the music from her playlist lulled her to sleep. But even her sleep, her brows were furrowed in discontent.

“...s….iss….Miss….Miss!”

Samara jumped as she felt someone shake her and she blearily opened her eyes at the redhead flight attendant with cream lipstick. “ It’s time for you to leave, miss.” The redhead said, giving a smile and Samara nodded slightly, stretching and giving a grunt as her back popped.

Samara didn’t hesitate in gathering her things, yawning along the way, and made her way out of the plane a bit discombobulated.

Samara was surrounded by crowds of people, a mixture of Japanese and English filled the air and she brushed past others to make her way through the place. “ Sorry, sorry.” Samara muttered seeing the a man in a sharp gray suit glared at her when she bumped into him. Maybe someone’s here to get me? Samara thought looking around. As she continued walking, she could see that a man was standing in a corner with a robotic expression on his face.

He was wearing a cap on his head, his skin was gaunt and pale, and he was holding a sign which said NAKIA OTIENO. Samara shifted her grip on her bags and walked towards him. “ Excuse me?” He looked at her with that same eerie expression, it made her shiver, but Samara gave a friendly smile, “ Sorry for the being late, I had a little trouble getting through the crowd and…” He didn’t say anything. It made Samara feel awkward.

“ Your...bags…” His voice was painfully raspy. Out of reflex, Samara massaged her throat.

“ Of course, of course.” She kept her tone friendly. “ I hope you don’t mind, but I’m Nakia’s older sister, Samara. There was a slight change in plans.” He didn’t say anything, Samara coughed awkwardly.

Better to stop talking, Samara.

When the unknown male and Samara left the airport, they approached a sleek black car - it looked freshly bought, in Samara’s opinion - and he placed the bags into the trunk before walking towards the door of the car and opened it. “ Oh, thank you.” She said politely, stepping in carefully, not noticing how he gave a nod.

Samara dug into her pocket and got out her cellphone, and looked through her messages before tapping Nakia’s name.

SAMARA:

Hey, I just got to Japan ( safely ), and the driver is pretty weird.

Shoving her phone back into her pocket, she sighed and looked out the window. The clouds were started to turn a soft grey, than a more darker grey. The driver wasn’t saying anything else and Samara didn’t bother speaking back, what was the use.

The car passed forests and towns, slowly getting smaller and smaller the longer it drives. It feels like she’s heading into the middle of nowhere, and it makes Samara feel wary. She doesn’t like to think of Nakia being in this dark car, all scared and near tears, it makes her stomach churn.

Finally, the car comes to a stop. There’s a mansion outside, one that she’d seen slowly approaching for a while now. It’s huge, dark walls towering above her like a fortress. It’s larger than any house she’d ever seen, sprawling out to both sides, and she swallows heavily. It makes her wonder what type of people live in this house.

But Samara steps out of the taxi. She gathers her things from the trunk, dragging her suitcase up to the front steps as the car pulls away behind her.

No turning back. She thinks, and Samara can’t help but laugh.

There’s a faint smell of roses in the air. It would’ve been comforting if it wasn’t mixed with something dark and unfamiliar. A cool breeze wraps around her, and Samara shivers. It’s beautiful, yet so unreal.

A knock to the door yields no response, and the woman stands outside for a few long moments, waiting for someone to answer. This is the right place...right? Samara thought with unsurety, the last thing I need is walking into some stranger’s house and...oh wait, that’s what I’m doing now. She prayed that this wasn’t a joke and that she wasn’t stranded.

Finally, Samara pushed the door open and stepped inside. She was afraid, yes, but she was not about to cower. No way.

The inside of the mansion is dark, and the air itself felt thick around her. There’s rich furniture everywhere she looks, and the air smells dark and musty, like no one’s lived here in decades. Somehow, there’s no dust to be found, and that leads to a spike of worry through her.

Yeah, someone lived here.

It only takes a few moments of wandering around when she finds an empty sitting room. Samara had given in and moved her things next to an empty chair and plopped down in it. She’ll sit here until someone’s shows up.

What’s the point of looking through an empty mansion, ten times the size of her apartment, which showed hardly any signs of life. If someone was there, she’d see or hear them.

The chair underneath her felt softer than she’d ever felt. It feels rich in an unnatural way, but she doesn’t bother to move from where she sat. What kind of people live here? She wondered. They must be pretty well off.

When she opens her eyes, it’s to someone behind her.

She knew, without turning around, that someone was there. She felt suddenly, abruptly watched, and her stomach sinks hard. The person appeared so suddenly, with no sound, and she can’t imagine anyone being able to move like that. Instead of panicking though, she takes a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm, got up from her seat and turned around.

The man behind her is tall and slender. His dark hair fell in soft waves, and glasses concealed sharp eyes. He’s wearing a nice suit, and his posture is so straight it made a ruler look crooked.

He’s frowning, a stern expression etched across his face. He was attractive, she could admit that.

“ How odd. I had expected our guest would be younger.” he says, his voice low and smooth, but a hint of something sharp lurking in his voice.

She stood up straight and met his eye, refusing to show how nervous she felt. “ If your ‘guest’ is who I’m thinking of, I took her place. It was a last minute change,’’ she says, and her voice is thankfully even.

“ Ah,’’ the man says, cold eyes looking down at her. “ I see you’re not who we were planning for. Could you please tell me who you are.” Samara gives a polite nod.

“ I’m Samara Otieno. Your original guest’s older sister.” He introduces himself as Reiji Sakamaki, the second son of the household that she’s been sent to stay in, and she doesn’t miss the concealed disdain in his voice.

He tells her to gather her things, that he’ll have someone lead her to her room, and that the situation will be dealt with immediately. The grip on the handle of her suitcase tightens and she doesn’t like how brighter Reiji’s eyes are, sharper, it makes her wary.

Just as she’s about to follow him, though, a hand grabs her shoulder. She suppresses a startled jerk, and turns around.

It’s another young man, this time, with wavy, auburn hair, a wicked smile on his lips, and a fedora on his head. He’s leaning closer to her, uncomfortably so, and his cold hand is tight on her shoulder.

“ Hmm? So this is who’s been sent to us?” he asks, his tone mocking. “ An older woman with a pretty face…..but such a cold expression. How about you smile a little bit, Little Bitch? You’d look better if you did~”

Any uncertainty that Samara ever had disappeared. He’s making fun of her, she can tell, and the vague feeling of dread is the only thing that’s keeping her from saying something cruel. There’s a dark aura surrounding this boy, something she could feel in the air, and she didn’t wanna tread into dangerous waters.

Instead, she turns around, intending to follow Reiji to her room.

…..only to run into another one of them.

This time, it’s a small boy, with impossibly wide eyes and soft purple hair. He’s holding a teddy bear in his arms, dressing similarly to a child.

She steps back, startled, as he smiles at her like a cat eyeing a bird. “ Teddy…. We have someone new to play with,’’ he mumbles, squeezing the bear to his chest as dark emotions swirl in his eyes. “ We’ll break her properly, won’t we? Make the prettiest doll out of her….” Doll? Something’s not right with this one….

It was an obvious sign, she could see the predatory gaze and how unhinged he looks. It’s rather impressive that someone so small could look so intimidating, but she doesn’t know why.

“ Shut up! The new prey is mine!” A third voice chimes in, and she spins to see another one of them waiting for her.

He holds an identical face to the auburn haired one, but with wicked green eyes and blood red hair. He grabs her by the shoulder, pulls her towards him like it’s nothing, and Samara wants nothing more than to yank herself back from his grasp.

“ Yuck, she’s old.” He says, with a sour expression. “ Her blood probably taste terrible, too, but...you smell good.” he laughs. “ Maybe I’ll have a different opinion when I taste you…” His breath fans against her neck, making her tense up and it takes all the willpower in the world for her not to move. She almost feels like it’s a death sentence if she did.

“ Ayato, if you must persist with such behaviour, do it in private.” Reiji interrupts, and the redhead freezes in place.

She didn’t expect him to stop, but she doesn’t move in case he does anything else, But, instead, he pulls away with a glare, scoffing angirly. The others snicker, sounding amused. Samara forces down the vile feeling she’s starts to feel.

Her instincts to bolt were put to a stop. And calms her speeding heart, while licking her chapped lips, trying to keep herself calm. Whatever happens, it won’t help if she were to panic.

“ Impressive,’’ a new voice says, and Samara feels her head throb. How many boys were here? “ She’s staying pretty calm.”

Reiji stiffens immediately, and his expression looks as if he’d tasted something rotten. The other three are still circling around her, eyeing her with predatory intent.

There’s a blond man stretched out on the couch. Samara was positive that he wasn’t there before.

If she didn’t feel suspicious before, then she was now.

“ What?” The blond says, letting his eyes slip shut. “ It’s my home, too, Reiji. I can say what I want to.” His tone is bitter and slow.

“ Perhaps, but you should know when to keep your mouth shut,” Reiji replies, and Samara can already see the hatred between them, an unspoken rivalry. Reiji did mention he was the second son.

Other words were exchanged, the boys’ voices going low with concealed anger. The redhead gave a bitter little laugh from behind her, and the small one clutches his toy close to his chest. Samara’s starting to get a headache keeping track of them, in almost the exact moment she thinks that a sixth voice joins the argument.

“ What the hell is all this noise for?” An even younger boy snaps from across the room. He looked strong, even though she could see the youth in his features. His hair was dove white, while his clothes were torn.

“ We’re deciding what to do with our little guest here~,’’ the auburn-haired one says, and gives her a little shove. He’s stronger than he looks.

“ Yeah, and Reiji’s being boring about it,’’ the redhead adds, crossing his arms in a childish manner and staring at her with sharp eyes.

“ Perhaps Subaru wants a taste,’’ the small one murmurs, looking down at his teddy bear, a note of something mocking in his voice. “ Perhaps he thinks he’ll win her over by being her knight in shining armor. What do you think, Teddy?”

The boy’s fist slams into the wood of the staircase.

It takes a considerable amount of effort to not react outwardly. She’s already figured out that letting anything slip is a bad idea around these boys, but that, that wasn’t human. And everything seems to click.

The beautiful mansion in the middle of nowhere. Six young men who look like they wanted to swallow her whole. A boy strong enough to crush solid wood like it was paper. The mysterious circumstances when Nakia was about to be sent here, the utter lack of information was another thing as well.

Samara Otieno wasn’t among humans anymore.

This, was something she wasn’t expecting if she were truthful. Monsters stuffed into pretty skin, that is.

So she stood still, allowing the boys to bicker. Their vicious comments flew over her head now that she knew the truth, their too bright eyes no longer giving her the same chills. But it did make her worry about testing their tempers, the sixth boy’s strength said it all.

If they wanted to kill her, they would.

After a few minutes, the arguments died down. Their eyes fixated on her, one by one, and Ayato was the first to speak.

“.....she’s not afraid anymore,’’ Ayato, as she picks up his name, said. Green eyes looking at her as if she’d grown a second head. He shifted his position a bit, almost defensive.

“ What’s wrong with her, Teddy? Isn’t she worried? Doesn’t she realize we could kill her? ” the small one, said with a low voice.

Surprisingly, all Samara could see was an empty threat. A boy trying to frighten what he saw was below him. He probably would hurt her. That didn’t mean she was gonna give him the satisfaction of quivering before him. There was a great imbalance in the room. Now that she was calm, now that she was looking carefully, Samara could see the obvious discord between the brothers. Now that she was calm, she could see that they were eyeing her with curiosity mixed with uncertainty.

She imagined this wasn’t a reaction they were used to.

“ I think it’s time our guest is shown to her room,’’ Reiji broke the silence, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He went through a quick introduction of who was who, and Samara nodded along, murmuring their names in case she’d forget. The boys were still staring, some cold unreadable feeling thick in their eyes.

Samara was about to follow Reiji when Laito cut in, saying something in a sing-song voice filled with threat.

“ Little Bitch is awfully relaxed for being stuck in a house of vampires,’’

Samara could see in his eyes that he was expecting her to panic. Well, there’s my answer.

“ Oh, so that’s what you are. Thank you for telling me; I’ll know what to expect from now on.” Samara gives a grin, keeping her composure relaxed and not showing a hint of fear.

For an instant, she saw something furious flash in his eyes. Instead of scaring her, it shows that he can feel.

Already, she’d gotten the impression of what these brothers were like. They fight amongst each other, everyone of them puffing up with ego. Like any teenage boys, they’re immature and selfish, and no amount of supernatural abilities could take that away. They think they hold some special place in the world...but they don’t.

But when she thinks of Nakia being in this place, she doesn’t even think of being afraid.

It’s easy to follow Reiji, easier yet to catch that he’s glaring at her. He leads her through empty hallways with silence, and she keeps up with every step. The mansion isn’t so scary anymore.

Her new room is pink and pretty. Obviously fit for a younger girl, which makes her feel angry.

The idea of someone small and frightened being locked up here with these brothers makes her wish she’d get away with punching one of them in the face. They had no right to prey on those who can’t fight back. Instead, Samara pushes the feelings away, and places her things away and goes to sit on the bed.

It’s soft beneath her, and her fingers run through the silky blankets. It makes her laugh how they attempt to make this room comfortable for their prey. Samara can’t help but worry how long she’ll be here.

And that thought shouldn’t scare as her as much as it does.