Bloodlines

Chapter 30

"Maddie, wake up!" Maddie heard her little sister shout eagerly in her ear. "It's Christmas!"

Maddie groaned with exhaustion and looked up from her pillow to see the eight-year-old Elizabeth—Lizzie—looming over her bed like a creep. Lizzie has her brown hair up in pigtails and red ribbons that were skewed out of place. She was wearing red Santa pajamas along with green socks. Lizzie's brown eyes were large like a dog seeing a new toy. She scratched her chubby cheeks and rubbed her freckles with impatience.

Wait, did she say Christmas? Maddie asked herself. Yesterday, it was still September, so there was no way that it was already December unless Maddie was in some time machine. Why Lizzie thought it was Christmas, Maddie had no clue. All Maddie thought about was how Lizzie knew that she wasn't allowed in Maddie's room when Luke stayed the night. Lizzie was eight, not stupid.

Maddie glanced over her shoulder to see if Luke was awake, only to see that the bed was empty. Maddie raised an eyebrow. Luke left? Maddie looked around and saw she was in her room instead of Luke's. Maddie stared at Lizzie as Lizzie crossed her arms.

"Come on!" Lizzie grabbed Maddie's hand and yanked her towards the door. "We've got to come down before Santa leaves!"

"Lizzie, you shouldn't be in my room when Luke is over," Maddie advised her sister while being pulled out of her room and towards the stairs. Lizzie didn't seem to hear her. Maddie looked down at what she was wearing and saw it was the same matching pajamas as Lizzie. Maddie never owned Christmas pajamas. Weirded out, Maddie followed her sister down the stairs.

The sisters descended down the stairs and approached the living room. Maddie slowly walked into the dark room with only the brightly lit Christmas tree as the only source of light. The fire place was on, giving off a sense of comfort. Around the decorated tree, there was at least fifty presents under the tree, wrapped neatly but with no names. Sitting around the fire and tree was her father, Mason, Paul, and now Lizzie. Where was everyone else?

Everyone wore the same pajamas as Lizzie. Their father held out the presents to Paul and Lizzie and smiled at Maddie. Mason sat happily next to Paul and smiled graciously at their father. When Mason was friendly with their father, Maddie right away knew something wasn't right?

"Daddy, what's going on?" Maddie asked her father. She looked slowly around the room. "Where is everyone?"

"Let's all sing Silent Night," Tyler said with a fatherly tone that he never used. Tyler handed a box to Mason as the four of them all sang the song slowly and with a smile. In the background, Maddie heard a piano go off and the room get cold.

Maddie looked around at the piano in the house, and saw nobody there. Maddie got chills down her spine as she tried to look for a weapon of some sort, but found the room empty—not a weapon in site. Maddie heard the singing get louder in her ears as the tree glistened and sang with bells with her family.

By the tree, Maddie spotted a man with a red coat, and a red hat. He wore black boots. Maddie stared at him, shocked to see Santa Claus in her living room. Maddie glanced at Lizzie, who was singly loudly into the air. This girl was excited to see Santa, and yet she didn't even notice him in the room.

"Lizzie, look!" Maddie pointed to Santa, excited to see Lizzie's reaction.

Lizzie didn't hear her. In fact, nobody did. They all just sang loudly, and then went dim as Santa turned slowly around. The tree dimmed as her family slowly stopped singing. The fire went out and Maddie felt fear creep into her veins. Santa turned around, and Maddie was horrified to see only a man with red, vicious, beady eyes staring at her, along with PANDEMONIUM written on his suit. Maddie raised her eyebrows again as she glanced at her family for help.

The moment Maddie saw her family was when she belted out a murderous scream that made her want to collapse. Maddie screamed as she saw her whole family on the ground, bleeding from their throats due to a slit on their necks. Maddie's heart ached as she started to scream for help. Her pulse quickened as Maddie saw her siblings and father—the only family she had left—dead. Tyler Mason: Forty-nine years old. Mason Mason: Eighteen years old. Paul Mason: Eleven years old. Elizabeth: Eight.

Maddie's throat got dry as she looked over and saw Clemens grinning at her. Clemens wore a white dress that was covered in blood, and held a knife covered in blood. Maddie took off right away. She had to get help. Maddie ran towards the front door, and swung it open.

Outside, stood Annabeth Magellan dressed in a garment back from the Roman Empire. Annabeth stared coldly at Maddie and Maddie's heart plummeted. On Annabeth's dress, one word was printed in red: HOTEL.

"It's all your fault, little Maddie," Annabeth blamed coldly.

***

Maddie screamed herself away as she shot up with the sensation of something strangling her lungs. Her chest got extremely tight as her head felt like it was spinning in circles. The room got extremely hot as Maddie couldn't focus on thinking clearly. Her family was dead and it was all her fault. Her neck felt sweaty as the room felt like it was about to swallow her up whole.

Breath, she told herself. Maddie took in a deep breath, shut her eyes, and started taking deep breaths to calm herself down. It was just a panic attack. Maddie put her hand on her chest, and opened her eyes. She looked around the room and found herself in Luke's bedroom just like before she fell asleep. That was all just a nightmare. Her family was alive.

Maddie wiped the tears from her face and looked over to see an out cold Luke asleep in his side of the bed. Thank God, she did not wake him. The last thing she wanted to do was wake up her boyfriend after their excursion at Clemens's office, and their interrogation session with Daniel.

Maddie exhaled again and stared at the time. She didn't have to get up from another three hours, and the last thing she wanted to do was fall asleep again. Maddie laid against the bed, and surrendered to sleep.