The Sinister Sister

Alison, 15, crouched down before the child, raising her hands as if to show that she meant no harm. 

"It's okay, Diana. It's okay. I won't hurt you." She smiled in a way she hoped was reassuring, but Diana whimpered, covering her face and cowering into the corner.

"Sh, sh, Diana. I promise. You're safe. Everything is alright. Everything is fine. Breathe. Like this." Alison inhaled slowly, closing her eyes, then exhaled, counting to five in her head. 

Diana sobbed, still clearly terrified.

"Diana, I could *never* hurt you. You're my sister." Alison tried to reach for Diana again, slowly drawing her into a gentle embrace. Diana stiffened, her breathing rapid and shallow. What had happened to little Diana to cause such fear? And why was she afraid of Alison, of all people?

"I don't want to die, Ali. Please don't kill me!" Diana wept bitterly, shaking with the force of her terror.

Alison hugged the girl fiercely, sighing. "Diana, you know I would never do anything to cause you pain, right?"

Diana fell silent. 

"It's time for you to rest, Diana. You've been fighting sleep for far too long. You drank your sleepy juice an hour ago. You need to lie down and rest before you end up getting hurt." Alison rubbed the girl's back soothingly, humming her a lullaby.

Diana slipped in and out of consciousness, catching only snatches of the song, but what she heard chilled her to the bone. 

"Rest now, dear children, for soon, we'll away. Into the calm and the quiet." 

Diana's body slowly relaxed, even as her mind screamed at her to stay awake and she felt herself slipping into a deep slumber.

"I tried to do this peacefully, Diana. Truly, I did. You were supposed to drift off without a fuss, never even realizing it was your own *beloved sister*" Alison spat, "who put you to sleep. No matter, though." 

Alison stood, lifting Diana's cold, limp, lifeless body from the ground, where dead autumn leaves still clung to her dress and brown hair. "You're asleep now, either way," she sneered at her sister's body, lying so still in her arms.

Alison smirked in satisfaction, coldly regarding little Diana. "Goodnight, little sister."