WARNING:
The following chapter contains descriptions of blood and injury, which may be upsetting to some readers.
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The cold rush of water bolted me awake.
I sprang out of bed, looking down at my now soaked PJs and up at the culprit.
"Really?! You could've just shaken me awake, you know!" I yelled at Naniso, a grin slowly creeping up at the edges of her lips.
"I did. Several times. But you refused to even open your eyes," she sighed, putting down the bucket she used to splash me. "Honestly, you sleep so heavily, I swear you could sleep through a nuclear explosion."
I rolled my eyes, making my way to the bathroom. "I wouldn't have overslept if Dad hadn't kept me up training until 2 a.m." I passed the clock near the door. It was 11 in the morning. "It's not even 12 yet. Why'd you wake me?"
Naniso followed me, standing by the doorframe in her usual all-black clothing. "Mom wanted you up. It's your turn to cook tonight, and we're low on groceries."
"No way, it's Leon's turn! Mine's on Saturday," I said, pulling out my toothbrush and squeezing toothpaste onto it.
"What day do you think it is?"
"Fur-duy?" (Friday?) My words got muffled as I brushed my teeth.
Naniso scoffed. "You oversleep and can't keep track of your days? You're hopeless." She left, leaving me alone to check the date on the smart mirror. It was indeed Saturday. And 'my turn for the grocery run.
I groaned. "Ahhhhhhhhhh!!"
I got myself showered and dressed before heading downstairs.
I tripped on something on my way down but caught myself with my shadow.
"Agh! Rei! Don't leave your stupid toy cars lying around!"
"They aren't stupid! They're my beautiful babies, and if you damage them, you'll pay!" I heard from the upstairs bedroom.
"You're finally up." I felt a warm hug from my side. "You can take Ami with you on your run. Don't be too long." My mom handed me a list full of all the things I needed to buy.
"Can't I skip this day? It'll get hot outside since it's summer, and Dad still wants me for training later," I whined, putting on my best puppy eyes.
"I had to do the same thing in the heat too. I'm sure you can handle it," Leon said, passing by us with his eyes glued to the tablet in his hands.
"He's right. Just put on some sunscreen and try to be quick. It'll be a busy day," Mom added.
I glared a hole into the back of Leon's head, who sensed it and turned to stick his tongue out at me. I'll get you for ruining my plan.
Ami came running out the front door. "Come on! Spark Girl is supposed to be on duty today! If we hurry, we might see her!" she said, pulling my arm.
"I still think Spark Girl is a dumb hero name."
"No, it's not! Now hurry up!" I managed to wave goodbye to Mom before Ami dragged me out the door.
---
Mom was right. The streets were busy with people. And it was HOT.
Ami had pulled me out of the house when I hadn't even eaten anything. And the heat wasn't helping!
"You look dehydrated," Ami said with a sly smirk.
"Your fault. You dragged me out when I hadn't even had breakfast! Aren't you hungry?"
"I woke up early and had my breakfast beautifully made by Mother." She twirled around in her bright yellow summer dress and rubbed her belly. "It was pancakes with delicious, yummy honey syrup. Maybe if you were up earlier, we could've shared. Hehe~"
"You evil brat!" I locked her in an armlock, roughing up her hair. "Next time, I'm not bringing you with me."
She kicked and tossed while giggling away. Ami always enjoyed making fun of me when she got something nice and I missed out.
As we continued walking, a sudden loud bang followed by a woman yelling caught everyone's attention on the sidewalk.
"Help! He stole my bag!" the woman yelled as a guy in a hoodie tried to run off with her purse.
A sudden bolt of lightning flew right past the hooded guy and hit a trash can behind him. He jumped up, clearly realizing he'd just dodged death.
"It's Spark Girl!" Ami yelled beside me, excited.
Sure enough, a woman in uniform with the Order's crest bright and visible on her cap appeared, getting everyone chanting her name.
"Stop right there, evildoer!" she exclaimed proudly, pointing at the thief.
Evildoer? Who says that?
The guy seemed to have a trick up his sleeve. He dropped a bottle of water onto the ground and bent it into a sword. "Stay back! Or-Or-!"
"Or what? You're gonna splash me with water? HA!" Spark Girl mocked.
The guy attempted to lunge at her, but she was faster. Lightning struck the water sword, electricity surged through him, and he collapsed.
"Don't worry, it was just enough not to kill him," Spark Girl said, tossing her wavy blond hair back. She grabbed the bag and returned it to the woman.
Everyone around clapped and cheered her name, some running for autographs. Ami was one of them.
Spark Girl signed her dress, and Ami came running back, squealing like a fangirl.
"She signed my dress! She SIGNED MY DRESS! AH! Look!" She aggressively waved her arms, pulling down the part of her dress where Spark Girl had signed.
"She carries a red marker around with her?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. The bold red signature read: 'SPARK GIRL, YOUR NUMBER 1 HERO' with a winking emoji at the end.
"Obviously! She's got a lot of fans. She has to be prepared." Ami continued gushing. "I'm never washing this dress again! SHE SIGNED MY DRESS AHH!!"
I had to deal with her yapping about the autograph for two hours as we went around the block buying groceries.
I'd just gotten the last thing on the list. While walking down the sidewalk, we passed a window display of a shop that sold headphones.
I stopped in my tracks. The headphones were themed after my favorite show: Reincarnated as the Villainess: The Last Ending, with rainbow LED lights, chibi versions of the characters, and a glitchy-like texture that made my jaw drop.
I'd been watching the show since I was 10, and I owned a fair amount of merch. (By that I mean everything they'd ever sold.)
My headphones broke last week during training with Dad, and I'd been meaning to get new ones. I needed these.
My smile faded when I glanced at the price tag: 300 units. I didn't have that much saved up, and there was no way my parents would spend that much on headphones.
I touched the window with one hand, wiping away a tear with the other. "I'll be back for you. Don't go anywhere."
I finished my emotional goodbye and turned back to Ami. "Right, we got everything, let's-" I didn't finish. Ami wasn't near me.
"Ami?" I called out, but she was nowhere in sight. Only crowds of people moved around me.
She must've gotten swept up by the crowd. Ami was small, but smart and old enough to find her way back to me. Or home.
I picked up the plastic bag of groceries I'd dropped during my emotional headphone moment and paid closer attention to the crowd.
Someone in a bright yellow dress caught my eye. They were far, at least a block away, but I could tell. It was Ami.
The rising panic that had started to build melted into relief. I walked faster toward her.
Before I could reach her, she turned sharply into an alleyway.
What on earth was she doing?
My fast walk turned into a run. I'd gotten faster thanks to training with Dad, so it didn't take long to reach the turn.
"Ami?" I called out, walking into the dark, dirty alleyway. Bright yellow caught my attention behind a dumpster, along with the soft meow of a cat.
"Ami, did you chase down a cat? We talked about this. You can't just run off like that, it's dangerous," I said, approaching the dumpster.
I expected a reply. One of her usual, "I know, but look how cute it is," answers.
But nothing.
"What are you doing on the floor..." My question faded as I noticed red liquid coming from her.
My stomach dropped. It was blood.
My heart caught in my throat as I stood over Ami's motionless body. Red stains covered her once-bright yellow dress, merging with the autograph she'd just gotten. One of her slippers was missing. Her eyes, just minutes ago full of life, were black. No light shone through them.
"Ami...?" Oceans of tears spilled down my cheeks. My stomach twisted violently, but I hadn't eaten all day, there was nothing to throw up. I dry heaved and collapsed to her side, dropping all the groceries we spent hours buying.
I tried lifting her head, but a spray of blood from her throat soaked my white shirt. My hands shook violently. It felt like I was being crushed beneath the weight of a building. Everything around me seemed to be consumed by shadows. All except for Ami.
I pulled her close, pressing my ear against her chest. There was a flicker of hope. Maybe...maybe she was just unconscious. Maybe her heart was still beating.
No heart beat.
A minute of silence stretched through the alley, heavy and suffocating as reality crushed down on me.
An inhuman scream tore from my lungs as I hugged my sister's lifeless body.
My sister was dead.
Ami was dead.