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THREE, before the great and terrible day of the sacrifice comes
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ONE SECOND JUNPEI was standing alone contemplating his life and by the next, he was being forced to follow Ama into the middle of what looked like to be the ritual grounds. The flames surrounding them allowed the boy to notice his mother's disturbing state. She resembled a deer in headlights and if he didn't know any better he'd say she was scared. Of what? He didn't have a clue. He thought that it could be the presence of a vampire but Ama had encountered and defeated too many for them to cause this kind of reaction. It was weird and unnerving.
His gut twisted watching Ama's face. It was a mixture of sadness... And guilt? He was afraid to ask if she was okay.
"Ma?" A heartbeat passed. Nothing. "Ma? Has something happened?"
Ama remembered the exact moment when her nerves took control of her body and caused her to become this unstable mess of a woman. It was the moment she met eyes with the Katerina Petrova. A species she thought was rare to find amidst vampires, werewolves, and witches. And because doppelgängers were so rare to come across due to the phenomenon of them only appearing every 500 years, it was a shock to see one wondering about before her very eyes. She couldn't believe it. Her entire world stilled and she knew trouble followed closely behind.
Trepidation sunk its claws deep into her tough skin and the pressure of keeping everything in order weighed down on her. The distant echo of a clock ticked against the inside of her skull causing the very little sanity she had left to slowly wither away.
"Where's your sister?" She asked, but her son could barely hear her.
"I'm sorry?"
"Your sister! Where is she?" She raised her voice this time.
Junpei flinched back. He was speechless, no words came to mind for a moment as he stared at her, eyebrows creasing at the harsh tone his mother was using toward him. There was something like fear, but not quite, flickering in behind her glossed eyes. Worry grew in the pit of his stomach just by looking at Ama. He knew the woman had planned this day out from start to finish- that she had taken precautions to make sure there were no complications, and that everything was perfect. Her attempts to avoid this very scenario from unfolding were beginning to reveal itself fruitless.
