December 25th, 1999
Oxford, England
"Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" was all Charlotte Thomas could hear from her university dorm window.
But there was nothing merry about her Christmas.
"Cheer up, Lottie! It's the most wonderful time of the year!"
Her best friend, Leonid, was singing to her again in his highly irritating grandma voice. After all, a Master of Disguise wasn't a Master of Disguise if they couldn't do impressions.
"Haha. Shut it, Leo," Charlotte snapped, taking a bite of her sandwich. "Could you run down to that Japanese restaurant down the block and get us some teriyaki?"
"Don't you hate teriyaki? And hey, aren’t you supposed to spend your winter break at your husband’s place? Something's up. Are you okay?” Leonid looked at her intently. Whenever he did that, Charlotte couldn’t help but spill her secrets, no matter how disturbing or personal.
“Leo, I’m pregnant with twin girls.”
His eyes lit up. “You are? Gosh, Charlotte, I’m so happy for you and Daniel! But...why are you so sad?”
“I only found out recently, and when I told him, he...he…” Charlotte trailed off. Her face turned red and blotchy. “He tried to kill me. Don’t...don’t worry, he’s in prison right now, but every time I close my eyes, I see him brandishing his knife, pinning me to the wall, and I can feel the blade on my neck and it just...”
Before she could continue, Leonid pulled her into a hug. “It’s gonna be okay, Lottie. He’s gone, and he can’t hurt you anymore if he’s behind bars.”
“Can I ask something of you?” Charlotte held him tighter. “If anything happens to me, take care of my children, okay?”
“Nothing’s gonna happen to your daughters, Lottie,” Leonid said. “But I promise, if something does, I’ll protect them. Now, how does fish and chips on me sound?”
“Sounds good,” Charlotte said. The two walked out of the room, smiling.
Leonid’s, however, faded first.
He knew that something was coming.
Something inevitable.
***
“Seven train tickets for Uralskaya Station, please.”
The girl at the booth cocked her head. “Ma’am, are you extremely sure? There are six of you.”
Irina was starting to get irritated. “No, there are seven of us! See? Six girls and one bo—”
This won't be your only loss, girls.
“Kai,” Monika said, horrified. “Where’s Kai?”
YOU ARE READING
Blood Flower
Hayran KurguYuri is a shy, introverted high schooler, living an ordinary life. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her long-lost sister, Libitina, returns. Together with Yuri's best friends and her stepmother, Irina, they embark on a wild journe...
