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Silent war raged within him as he sought to protect her from the evil of which he was a part. She was stronger than him, and before long she would assume her rightful place.
    That he Fell to be with her would forever cause great friction in his family.
    When the one she called “brother” unwillingly succumbed, he waited as the very fibers of his being became that which he loathed.
    Dark forces gathered, for she was weak and as of yet unaware of her great power. He who sought to enslave rushed to seize her for the promise of great bounty and riches. He was not alone in this effort. For the one who would subdue her is the one who holds the power.

Goodbye, Mr. Fluffy Rabbit
    That evening, I’d fallen asleep, happy I was still alive, and Remi was still Remi. From somewhere outside, I heard footsteps, heavy breathing, and growling. First there was a fluttering heat in my stomach like the sudden presence of hundreds of fireflies, flitting and flashing about. Then there was the immediate knowledge that whatever was outside was coming for me. The fluttering gave way to panic as Remi blew through my door.
    “Get up, get up! We have to go. Grace, let’s go! Now!” Remi wasn’t yelling, but determination marked his tone, and he was dressed for the outdoors. I looked at my clock. It was 1:46 a.m.
    “What’s going on?” I tried to even out my breathing, which had quickened along with the pulse thudding in my ear. Thoughts of the emails raced to the forefront of my mind, and I failed to push them away. What I was supposed to do next escaped me. Yet I jumped out of bed and stood at attention like a soldier, more catatonic than stoic.
    He levitated a book I’d never seen into the messenger bag on the floor next to my bed, levitated the bag, then eased it onto my right shoulder in one smooth movement. “Take this. Let’s go,” Remi instructed me calmly. He’d already dressed me by doing the same with a jacket and boots from my closet. We were gonna die, and Remi was doing magic tricks with my clothes.
    Thankfully, Remi was bigger and stronger than me. He didn’t even flinch when they crashed into the side of the house, raising it off the foundation, shaking the core. Dust rained from the ceiling, and books and knickknacks from the shelves crashed to the floor. It felt like there was a giant locomotive underfoot. I grabbed Remi’s arm to steady myself.
    Several loud claps of thunder tore through the sky. I held the curtain open, afraid of what I’d see. Quick relief filled me at the sight of shimmering fireworks outside. As they neared the ground, they morphed into creatures I couldn’t discern. It looked like the head of a lion, the tail of a snake and … is that a goat ? Voices screamed at the front door.
    “ Memento mori. Respice post te !”
    Sounds of whispering, scraping, growling, licking, screeching, dragging, and heavy breathing combined to deliver an unmistakable message. I was going to die.
    They banged on the glass, then dragged what seemed like claws across it. Windows shattered under the assault. I flinched with each new sound.
    Remi hugged me to him, a second of warmth that was over as quickly as it began. It was as if he was saying goodbye. I let go of the curtain. I didn’t want those creatures to be the last thing I saw before I died.
    “Grace, trust me. You have to run with me now!” Remi grabbed me and pulled me out of my room, down the hallway, past the other bedrooms, down the stairs, and out the back door. I couldn’t understand why he’d left the Larsons to die, or why they hadn’t followed. Why hadn’t they woken? Surely they’d heard that crash, the broken windows, and felt the house shake. There’s no way they’d missed that flash of lights. It looked like the Fourth of July out there. Unless they were already dead .
    I turned around to see the house through tear-misted eyes and remembered I’d forgotten Mr. Fluffy Rabbit. But we’d covered much ground in the few seconds since we’d