"The red sky again?" I cry.
I have dressed in the white tunic and pants again? The blanched hole in the heavens looked much closer than I ever saw it before. I could make out a figure strolling through the redness reflected back into the environment.
"Wait, is that Alice?" I shout.
Running after her I quickly gauge she isn't the Alice I know, her hair is longer and a smidge darker. Her eyes matched the void, behind her was a man dressed in a large gray hanfu, his complexion was white like that of a doll, but his eyes were black except for a noticeable white ring in the middle of his retina.
What stood out the most was his oceanic blue hair tied back with braids, he was almost too pretty to be a male. He held a flute next to his smile.
There was one more person at her side…his fluffy brown hair I recalled quickly, his short stature. His eyes…his eyes were white as hers…
"Alex…" I state, "What happened to you."
"You will join us, Christian, you belong here after all," Alice explains.
"No, I don't! There is something wrong and I can't pinpoint it…" I replied.
"The void calls you Christian, you can feel it even now…it's a magnificent draw!" Alice says.
"Why is it getting close?" I yell.
"This veil will crash into human reality, we won't be the same anymore and you will heil high with us." The blue-haired man said.
"What happened to your eyes?" I ask.
"This is what happens when you meet the veil Christian…" Alex answers.
"There must be a way to stop it!" I comment.
"Why do you want to stop it?" Alice smiles, "Human chaos is beautiful."
"I will find a way to stop this!" I insist.
Alice strokes my hair lovingly, I hear a bamboo sheath fall to the plush grass. The glare from a long blade could be seen hanging off her hip. In an effort to flee I am seized, the last thing I see is the sword penetrating me through the chest.
Falling off the bed I look up at the ceiling, Dominique gazes down at me in curiosity.
"Hey Runt, are you okay?" He asks.
"Y-yeah…"
"You wanna talk about it?" Dominique answers.
"Not really…"
Dominique hops down from the bed helping me up, We both get dressed for the rest of the day. Looking at the small wall clock I note we slept past eight. I brush my teeth, straightening my collar, smoothing out the wrinkles in my long sleeve top.
This house was unusual, surely I was merely having a stress-related dream? Chara saw nothing right? The tree still sat in the living room.
Saniya comes out from the dining room, I watch her slip on her long knee-high boots without falling over. She was balancing one leg drawing the other up.
"Do you need help?" I inquire.
"No, I got to meet someone. You should use this to rest today." Saniya says.
"Thank you, I will," I say.
I find Colton dart out of the corner of my eye, day and night he makes mischief playing tricks on the other members of the house.
"You really need to accept him already," Saniya argues.
"I really don't want to yet."
"One day you will realize what is missing." She spouts.
Waving her off I went into the dining room to find Katherine in front of Chara's door, the banging was unbearable.
"Master Christian, it's Chara!" Katherine cries.
"What's wrong?"
"Chara hasn't come out at all!" Katherine states.
"Chara? Chara are you okay?" I shout.
"What happened here?" Dominique requested to know.
"Chara hasn't come out of her room Master Dominique!" Katherine clarifies.
He takes a pouch out from his pocket, unraveling it he takes out several long pins prodding the keyhole. It opens with little work from his slender fingers.
"Chara!" I howl.
Chara was lying face down on the floor, she was clutching tight to a pillow half adorned in her chambermaid dress, Katherine lifts the dainty maid from the ground laying her down on the bed pushing her hands the rest of the way through her sleeves and zipping her back up.
"Maybe she was overworked from yesterday?" Dominique responds.
Lifting her eyelid I find it as normal as any other, I let out a loud sigh. Katherine and Dominique both gawk at me.
"I-it's nothing! Haha!" I say.
"You've been acting funny since you woke Runt," Dominique adds.
"Poor Chara…" Katherine responds, "I will fetch some medicine for her."
"I will stay with Chara!" I note, "Please go about your day!"
Pushing them both out of the room I don't give them room to speak, shutting the door behind me I sit by Chara the only one I feel like I can really trust in my life.
"I believe you Chara." I whisper, "I am sorry…"
Seeing Colton slither under the cracks he nudges my foot, I stomp on his obscured tendril irritated by his repeated appearance. Shifting backward it would ram right back into me.
"Colton, you could just speak!" I bicker.
"Behind you idiot!" Colton stammers.
"Chara!" I cheer.
"Something is wrong you nitwit!" Colton said.
He assumed my form swiftly flinging me against the other side room, Chara rises up in bed with her eyes closed. Opening gradually I saw that very moment halo of white surrounding her pupils shining. Her eyes fluttered, raising her arm and she pointed at me.
"Christian has been identified, mistress…" Chara says.
"I told you!" Colton argues.
"How the hell am I supposed to know?" I answer.
"Oh my god, it's true there are two of you!" Dominique yells.
"That's not important right now!" We said in unison.
"Be prepared to Christian, for you will be pulled into the void with us…" Chara warns.
Colton looks at me as Dominique catches the crumpling Chara in his arms. He re-checks her eyes to find they are still white.
"I have to call Saniya, Christian, and other guy you need to stay here!" Dominique chides.
Dominique exits shortly after scurrying out the door, I watch Chara from a distance.
"I knew I shouldn't have helped you…" Colton states.
"I didn't ask for your help!" I replied, "But…"
"Chara has been infected now and on Christmas…" I finished.
"She doesn't deserve this!" Colton says.
We both burst out in laughter, we have similar tastes after all it seems. We fist bump falling to the floor attempting to elbow bump afterward.
"Are you really me?" I ask.
"We are night and day!" He answers.
Punching him in the shoulder he morphs back into a shadow scrambling away from me gliding back under the crevices.
"Hey!" Dominique shouts.
"I can't stop him, I am sorry Dominique."
"Whatever, he is your shadow apparently," Dominique responds.
"So what do we do?" I ask.
"You are going tomorrow, make sure to pack," Dominique tells me.
"What?" Why so soon?" I yell.
"Don't question, this is for Chara, that's all you need to know."