We Are Monsters | The Curse of Lykaon

Chapter 1 - Into the Labyrinth

My sister was missing. Again.

I dialled her phone for the fifteenth time while shifting back into human clothes, or at least I peeled off my stilettos from my swollen toes to slip on some runners. If I was going to hunt her down I would want the advantage because this was the last straw. This was the last thread I had keeping me together, and now that it was cut, I was ready to abandon all tolerance. I didn't feel as if I had the time to change out of the little black dress besides I still had my own plans for the night. I was supposed to be at Lah Lahs drinking and making my own reckless choices. Instead, I had to be responsible in a fabulous dress and what a waste that was!

Out of my tiny darkened room, I was thrown into the glare of every light in the corridor. As I passed to get to my sister's bedroom I glided my hands across the wall and flicked them off to ease my eyes. The smell of burning sage and other incense created its own mist in the house and I tried to hold back the cough as I dared to sneak a peek at my aunt's figure in the living room. Satisfied that she was preoccupied with the television I wandered into Arianna's bedroom. The light was also on in here despite no one accompanying it and I switched it off to begin my search.

I didn't know how long Arianna had been out, but by Theia Alexandra's complaints, it sounded like my sister never got home last night, and hadn't been home in the last twenty-four hours.

How? How did my aunt not notice?

I was beyond the brink of worry because I was pissed. Yet again, was my time robbed from me to make sure my sister was alive. I know that sounds incredibly cold—selfish even! I sound like a terrible older sister. If it were anybody else I would actually be panicking, but see I've already talked about this with her. I had made my sister promise that she would at least tell me where she was going so if Theia asked I had an answer. Arianna wasn't the brightest flame and had a habit of going on pub crawls from the moment she turned eighteen. Living with Theia Alexandra did that to you and while that was all fair and swell...

The light in the bedroom suddenly clicked on momentarily blinding me. A light searing feeling rang from my temple to the nape of my neck as I adjusted to the brightness. A raspy voice said, 'You should be looking after your sister better.'

I forgot my point. Behind me, I could feel Theia's stern eyes drilling holes into my spine as I threw around Arianna's things to find some kind of clue. Her room smelled like it looked—like it was layered in grease thanks to the empty Maccas packets and old takeaway food. I sniffed a little harder when I reached her bed, the covers and pillows clear from clutter with pink and purple colours. There was a sweet scent of the perfume I'd bought her but there was also something herbal. Is that-no-wait...

I found her stash under the mattress and quickly tucked it back in with a prayer to Hekate that Theia Alexandra wasn't inspecting me too closely. I turned to my aunt as she made some comments about keeping the lights on. Her eyebrows were knitted into a unibrow as she stared at my tight dress disapprovingly. Her red-brown hair was matted and greying at the roots, and her loose-fitting nightgown was beginning to tuck itself into the folds of her skin. Her face was sagging slightly probably because she was due for her next botox appointment. I used to be afraid of her. I think a part of me still was. When I moved closer to the city for university she had no interest in supporting me, not that I wanted to be indebted to her anyway. Being twenty-two meant that I could say with full confidence that she was a wicked and awful woman, and I hated that my sister and I were left in her care.