Eyes of White

Chapter 14: Criticisms

Persephone's legs were already aching when she started to run back the way she came, so she couldn't run very fast. She was stumbling more than when she came in and her steps were less rhythmic than before. But still she ran.

She had time to think about what was going on, though. Penelope was changing somehow. She had been since the day the twister took their house.

"Wait... was that only two days ago?" Persephone wondered aloud. "Oh my... It was, wasn't it?"

A lot had changed in those two days. Storms had crackled in the kitchen, a twister had taken their house, they'd met Zania, they'd dreamt weird dreams...

But most of all, Penelope had changed. The twins' bond, which they'd had since they were babies, was shattering faster than an iPhone 5 when it gets dropped from a window and lands face-first.

And it was all because of...

"...stupid twister, stupid eyes, stupid dream, stupid book, stupid ME! STUPID ME, STUPID HER, STUPID MUM, STUPID ZANIA, STUPID LIFE! I hate this so much! Why can't I just be normal?"

++Because you aren't with us.++

Persephone swung her head around, looking behind her, pivoting to face the south. "What?"

++That dream was a foresight. She will join us. What about you?++

The voice was soft and inviting, almost like it was a living thing. But Persephone knew otherwise. She turned to run. She could see the sign for Wardwatch Lane, and just after that sat Riverview house. She sprinted for the sign and the house, making sure to hold onto her phone. But her case that her dad bought for her on her twelfth birthday wasn't secure on the phone. The fake plastic diamonds shattered as the case fell to the ground, cracking, splintering. Persephone made a strange sobbing/whining/laughing noise. "That was a gift from my DAD!" she roared, and, as a white-eyed rat leapt towards her, she saw a waterspout over in Lake Scanda. It moved towards the bank of the lake, but unlike normal waterspouts, it didn't stop there. It kept going until it reached Persephone, at which point it picked up all of the white-eyed rats that were pouring out of the sewer and threw them over towards the lake, where many splashes were heard.

Persephone sighed and slowed her pace, enough so as to not inject her legs with yet another dose of lactic acid, but fast enough to avoid any stragglers that may have dodged the waterspout.

Her cheeks felt cold, and when she put her hand up, she noticed that her fingers came away wet. She also noticed that tears were streaming down her face. She quickly wiped the salty water off her cheeks as she crossed the threshold of the house. As she did so, something inside of her snapped, and she could hear water coming out of every single tap in the house. The rusty pipes underneath the house rumbled with the sudden pressure.

Zania, her silver-and-gold hair in wispy clumps all over her head, rushed out of the kitchen, her sleeves bunched up around her elbows. She walked along a crack in the floorboards until the rushing of the water stopped, as did the rumble of pipes. Then she seemed to notice Persephone. She pulled her in for a tight hug.

"Oh, dear, there you are," she breathed softly in Persephone's ear, her breath smelling of peanut butter. "I was getting worried."

Persephone smiled. "Thanks, Zania. Where's Penelope?"

"Oh, upstairs."

"Thanks!" Penelope whizzed up the stairs and opened the door to her room without knocking.

Penelope was curled in a ball on her bed.

Persephone cautiously took a step.

Penelope didn't move.

"Sis?" Persephone asked.

Penelope remained still.

"Nellie?"

Nothing.

"Penelope?"

Still nothing.

All at once, Persephone rushed to her sister's side and noticed her clenched muscles, fists and eyelids. Her teeth were also clamped together. "Sis! Wake up!"

Persephone was silent and motionless for a minute, as was Penelope. Then Persephone started shaking her sister, rocking her back and forth. "Sis! Penelope, get up! Penelope! PENELOPE ADAMARIA CALLAGHAN! GET UP! GET UP, GET UP, GET UP!"

Persephone's final shouts were wracked with tears as she fell into a sobbing heap beside her stiff sister. "Sis..." she cried to herself. "My sister..."

**Well then! What's up with Penelope?

Is it a joke?

Is she dead?

Is it an 'Evil Coma'? (probs not since I made that up just then - lol I'm soo tired!)

I'll post the next chapter soon.

School's out now so it'll be easier, but I'm not gonna have any Internet for a while, so maybe towards the end of the holidays I'll post like crazy.

Happy reading and voting!

ILY to all my readers!

-the anonymous cat-alien xoxo!!**