Eden knew her brother had been lying when he had said he was fine. Ariel might have forgotten, but he had complained about their family overprotecting them a few times in the past. Whatever was on his mind now was something he wanted to keep a secret from her, and she would have to wait for him to tell her on his own.

It had taken them an hour to get to the old houses, and it would take just as long to get back to their camp. Because Ariel was taller and took longer strides, Eden ended up falling behind her brother as they walked, but she could just imagine the stern look on his face. She wanted to tackle him, but that might just upset him further.

"How long do you think we've been gone?" Eden asked as she jogged to walk beside him.

"Probably just a couple of hours. The trip here and back takes a while, but we weren't actually in that house for long."

"Mama might still be asleep by the time we get back, and if that's true, then we might not get in trouble at all."

"That's true, but I have a feeling she's going to be wide awake when we get there."

The look on Ariel's face was stern, just like she had suspected, and she sighed as she turned her full attention forward.

Just a moment later, Ariel stopped walking, and he stared at her with his mouth agape with horror.

"Ariel, what's wrong?" Eden asked.

"Mother is awake," he said.

"What are you talking about?"

Ariel said nothing. He just ran ahead, and she followed after him, calling to him. They continued to run until they reached the clearing with their camp, and Ariel stopped. Eden almost struck his back. She peered around him to see if anyone was waiting for them, but there was no one there.

"Do you smell it?" Ariel asked.

Eden paused to sniff the air, but she only smelled dirt and mold.

"No," Eden whispered, "nothing out of--"

"Hide behind a tree."

Ariel crept toward their mother's tent. Eden stood frozen at the clearing, as her brother left her in the dark again. He looked at the other tents before he grabbed the slider of the zipper, and he opened the tent slowly to make as little noise as possible. Even from the edge of the clearing, Eden could see there was no one inside the tent.

Ariel crept to the next tent. He grabbed the slider of the zipper. Eden took a step toward him, but he jerked his attention to her, holding out his hands.

"Go hide," he mouth to her. "Please."

Eden crossed her arms over her chest in a gesture of defiance against her brother, but she knew her face betrayed her fear. Her brother knew something about what was going on, but he was keeping her in the dark.

Ariel shook his head at her, but he went to open the tent, pulling the slider slowly. He gasped and fell onto his rear, and he scuttled backward on his hands and rear. His eyes were wide, and he stared in open-mouthed horror at the tent. Eden could only see the back of the tent from her point of view, but as the metallic stench of blood filled her nose, she hesitated to rush forward and look at whatever Ariel was seeing.

“Oh, you found me!”

Someone giggled, like a little girl who had just pulled a successful prank. It was Mary, but she spoke in a sing-songy voice that Eden had never heard from her before.

“Where is my little Eden?” Mary said in that same strange voice. “I want her to see what I did for her. Do you think she’ll be happy with it?”

A pair of legs emerged from the tent. In the darkness, they appeared black in color, but Eden recalled that all of her mother’s clothes were light. Some were gray but never black.

Mary’s head next emerged from the tent. There was a wide grin on her face, and eyes were wide and unblinking and she looked around the forest. Dark speckles adorned her face in a random, chaotic pattern.

Mary turned her gaze to Eden, and her grin somehow grew even wider. A shiver went down her spine, and her legs wobbled. She reached out her hands to search for a tree and leaned against it for balance. Her eyes grew hot, and her throat tightened.

“Ah, there you are, my love,” Mary said. “I was beginning that worry that my naughty son might have taken you from me and left you behind.”

Mary stood. She wore the same pink sweatshirt she had worn to bed, but there were large dark stains in it, especially in the sleeves. There was a knife in her hand--one of the large hunting knives the uncles liked to use for a variety of things.

Eden wanted to turn her face from Mary, but she was afraid of what would happen as soon as she stopped looking at her.

"Mother, how could this happen to you?" Ariel asked, and his voice was rough with grief.

The grin on Mary's face morphed into one of scorn as she jerked her attention toward Ariel.

"How could this happen?" she said in a mocking tone. "How could you run away with your little sister in the middle of the night? Huh? Can you answer me that one?"

Ariel averted his gaze from his mother's. He grimaced, and he pressed a hand to his chest. Eden reached out her hand as she felt the urge to comfort him.

"Run, Eden," a deep voice whispered in her ear.

Eden covered her mouth to mask her gasp as she spun toward the voice. She looked in the bushes and around the trees, but she nothing. Even when she turned her gaze to the branches, she saw no one there.

"Just where did you take her, boy? Hm?" Mary continued to mock Ariel. "Did you take her for a good roll in the hay?"

Ariel answered her good scowl of his own, and the grin returned on Mary's face.

"Don't talk to it, Ariel!" Eden said. "It's a fiend now! It's not really our mother!"

Mary scowled at Eden.

"A fiend?" she repeated. "How could you say such a thing about your own--"

Ariel climbed to his feet, and he charged toward their mother. She opened her eyes wide in surprise as he sent his shoulder into her solar plexus, and she grunted as the impact forced air out of her lungs. There was a loud thud as Mary's back struck the ground.

"Eden, run!" Ariel shouted.

Mary let out a horrible scream, and she raised her knife over Ariel's head. He grabbed her wrist and pushed it back. His arm shook as he strained against her strength. Their mother had never been an imposing figure, but fiends unlocked abilities in people that made them stronger.

Eden looked around the camp for something that could help then fight against their mother, but there was nothing in immediate sight. If her memory served her well, then there would be nothing in neither her tent nor Dana's. The weapons were all in the uncles' tent, and she would have to avoid getting hurt while she was running into it.

"No, the answer is to leave, Eden," the strange voice whispered in her ear again.

Eden looked behind her again, and she fell against the nearest tree as her knees threatened to buckle. She looked all around her again, checking two--no, three--times before realizing there was nothing to see.

"Where are you?" she whispered. "Why are you talking to me?"

"Your brother can handle himself," the voice promised. "You should run and let him be, or the both of you will get hurt."

"But where--"

There was another thud, and Eden turned in time to find Ariel falling hard onto his side, clutching at his face. Mary climbed to her hands and knees, and she held her knife over her hand. Ariel caught her hand before the blade plunged into her neck. He pressed his knee close to his chest, and then he sent his foot into her belly, sending her flying onto her back.

"Go, Eden," the voice begged her. "Leave this to your brother. You'll just get in the way."

"No, I have to help him--"

"There's more danger coming. You have to run."

"What do you mean more danger?"

"More fiends like your mother are coming, and you won't stand a chance against them."

Eden's vision blurred as she watched her brother and her mother struggle against each other. She knew she was not as strong as her brother, and with a fiend inside her mother's body, she stood no chance against her, either. Ariel would certainly be killed if another was coming.

Eden watched as Mary climbed to her feet and sauntered toward Ariel, who laid on the ground clutching at his stomach. She raised her knife, and a grin spread across her face again.

“Mother!” Eden called to the fiend. “Please don’t let him get hurt!”

The possessed Mary paused, and she looked at Edem, keeping that grin on her face.

“But Eden, my darling,” Mary said, “I’m doing this for you.”

Ariel got to his hands and knees, and he pulled out her legs from under her. She snarled and growled, and she kicked Ariel in the face. He cried and threw up his arms to protect himself from another strike. Eden dashed toward the fight. Mary sat upright, lifting her blade over her head, but Eden grabbed her wrist and threw all of her weight against her mother’s arm. Her hip landed hard on Mary’s abdomen, and air rushed out of the possessed woman’s lungs with a grunt.

"Eden, I told you to run!" Ariel shouted as he rushed to grab Mary's hand that held the knife.

"I'm not going anywhere without you!"

"I can handle myself!"

Pressing his knee into her hand, Ariel pried open Mary's hand, and the knife fell to the ground. He snatched it, and he held it to the side so he could avoid cutting anyone. Mary grabbed Eden's hair, and she pulled her off herself. She curled her fingers into claws and swiped at Ariel's eyes, but he fell onto his back, freeing her other arm.

Mary jumped to her feet, like something Eden had only thought possible in one the uncles' silly stories.

"You!" she growled like a feral animal. "You are always interfering with my time with Eden, you pest!"

"Others are coming," the mysterious voice warned. "You should go before you're overwhelmed."

Eden climbed to her feet, and she looked up in time to find her brother charging toward Mary. She dodged him, but he stopped in his tracks and slashed the knife at her. Mary jumped back, but there was a spray of blood as the blade sliced through her forearm.

Mary screamed, but she ran at Ariel. The knife sank into her shoulder as she ran into him, knocking them both to the ground. She raised her fists and punched her own son in the face.

There was a second scream from someone distant, and then there was a third one much closer. Two people, a man and a woman in rags, burst through the treeline, and they charged toward them, screaming. Mary never flinched, continuing to strike Ariel, and Ariel struggled to protect his face with his arms.

"There they are, Eden," the mysterious voice said, sounding urgent. "The others I spoke of have come to help the fiend inside your mother, and they will kill the both of you if you don't run now."

"No, there must be some way--"

Eden felt pain in both of her arms, and she found two men grabbing her. They both had cruel grins on their face. She pulled against them, screaming, but they had held onto her painfully.

"Damn it," the mysterious voice said. "I've no choice, then. You will misunderstand, but Eden, I need you to let me possess my body."

Eden continued to struggle against the men holding her arms. She flailed her legs, but it was useless.

"No!" Eden screamed repeatedly. "No, no, no!"

"I'm not a fiend," the voice explained. "I am an angel. Some have called me Samael in the past, and I came to warn you of the incoming danger--the danger you are in now. I need you to verbally give me permission to enter your body.'

"No, I don't want to be like them! I don't--"

"You won't be like them. I am using no tricks to get your consent, and you force my soul outside your body any time. Please, if you want to live and save your brother, I need your permission."

Eden looked at Mary, who continued to pummel Ariel with her fists, but her brother had gone still. Four more people with wide grins on their faces stood around them, and one was clutching at her belly, laughing.

"Okay," Eden said.

"You have to say it explicitly."

"You have my permission!" Eden shouted as loudly as she could.

“Thank you.”

Eden's vision turned white, and her body felt as if it had burst into flames all at once, except there was no pain. It was a comforting heat, like a campfire on a cool day in the fall. Her body became heavy, but then, she felt herself fall forward. She opened her eyes and saw the ground rushing toward her face.