The person before her wasnât her sister any more.
Grace had known the moment their eyes met, blue looking into blue. No longer was there familiarity and love in those eyesâeyes that had been watching her and looking out for her since their parents and grandmother died years ago.
Instead, a stranger stared back.
With teary eyes, Grace shook her head. She pressed a hand against her mouth. Despair filled her, clawing at her heart, her soul. Her mind replayed every second of yesterday and tonight; her sisterâs kidnapping right in front of her and the others; the frenzied hunt and appearance of Agent Cyprin; the knowledge that her sister had a potential to be a goddess; and finally finding the cult and her sister.
Grace curled into her self. She tried to choke back a sob. This wasnât supposed to happen! They were supposed to save her sister! Thatâs why they were all here, herself and Gwen and the people her sister loved. Even Agent Cyprin had joined them!
But they were too late. The second they entered the field, the cult had finished their chant, the circle of runes and artifact glowed, and her sister screamed in agony before fainting.
While the others fought the cult, Grace had ran to her sisterâs side under Gwenâs protection. Had fallen to her knees and tried to shake her awake. She begged and pleaded, and desperately hoped that her sisterâs soul was stronger, that she fought against a goddess and won.
The world already took her parents and grandmother; it couldnât take her sister as well.
But it had.
And Grace wasnât going to get her back.
A hand touched her cheek, jolting her back to the present. She jerked back a little, surprised, before staring wide-eyed at the kneeling form of her sister.
The goddess looked at her remorsefully. Up close, it was startling to see how different her sisterâs face looked now. It was, for a lack of better word, horrifying.
âIâm sorry,â the goddessâHekateâwhispered, voice soft and ethereal and wrong. So, so wrong. âFor whatever itâs worth, Iâm sorry.â
Grace opened her mouth to say something, anythingâ
Stop it. Give my sister back. Go back to sleep and give her back, please, sheâs all I have left give her back.
âonly for a sob to escape. Tears welled-up in her eyes, and she felt them roll down her cheeks.
The hand left her head. Through her blurred vision, she watched the goddess-possessed body of her sister walk away. Power surged around her. The auraâthatâs what Cyprin called itâmanifested in an explosion of black and silver and orange-red. She couldnât see what it; all she could see were the shifting colours as they lunged at the cultists with a wave of a hand.
When Gwen appeared at her side, silent and solemn and lightly scratched, and pulled her into a tight hug, Grace buried her face in her girlfriendâs jacket and broke down.
