''Did you kill him, Lorelei?''
Silvia seemed to be leaning even closer to Lorelei. It almost seemed as if she was about to devour Lorelei. She could feel those emotions emitting out of her, yet her facial expression remained calm and composed.
''Answer me.''
Her tone wasn't the same as when she spoke just a few minutes earlier. She seemed like a whole other person. Lorelei wasn't able to recognize within her the Silvia who took care of her.
''No... I don't know who he is.''
Silvia turned around and took out of her pocket glasses wrapped in cloth that she presented to Lorelei. Lorelei's eyes widened. It was the same glasses that the merchant back in town wore.
''So, I can deduce from your expression that you were lying to me, weren't you? How and why did you kill him?''
Silvia got up from the bed, which startled Lorelei. She started walking around back and forth while Lorelei tried making herself small from the guilt on the bed.
''Did you kill him with your so-called power? They told me that when they found his body, there were no marks whatsoever of struggles or any internal wounds. At first, they told me it was heart failure, but that couldn't be because there were no swellings on the legs or belly. His body was just like the one back in the massacre. Completely clean and untouched. I may not look like it, but I know quite a lot about what you are, you know? At first, I wanted to believe that you were just a little helpless girl who ran away from the forest, but as the weeks went by, I started to realize something. You never took that glove off. Now, I still believe you, Lorelei. Despite all that, I still believe you. So, take that hand out of the glove and give me your hand.''
Silvia walked towards Lorelei and turned her head, staring her right in the eyes. Lorleie couldn't move. She didn't know if it was because of fear or guilt. Since Silvia had shown her that family picture, she knew who that man was, yet kept on acting as if she didn't know anything. She hid from them the truth they had the right to know. She hid from Maria the death of her father and Silvia, her husband.
''Please, Lorelei. Do it. Let me believe in you.''
''I... I killed him.''
Silvia took a few steps back and stood up, looking at the ceiling.
''I see...''
She walked out of Lorelei's room, leaving the door half-opened. Lorelei was too scared to even get up and close it. She stayed sitting on the bed and closed her eyes. The moment she did so, the memories of the merchant came back to her. His expression after dropping to the floor in front of his carriage, but that expression seemed distorted. It was slowly spiraling in a circle, making the world around them also spiral within it until Lorelei got completely absorbed by it. It was at that moment that she opened her eyes. She looked towards the door and saw Silvia standing above the bed. Her right hand was hidden behind her arm, and she smiled at Lorelei.
''Dear, oh, dear. Did you have a bad dream? I only left for a few minutes. It's fine... I'm here now. Everything will be alright.''
Silvia raised her right hand high in the air, exposing what she was holding. It was the big knife she used to cut the cabbage into thin pieces with. Silvia turned the knife, exposing the blade to Lorelei. She saw her reflection within it. Silvia then struck towards Lorelei with the blade in a quick motion. When Silvia did so, the world for Lorelei seemed to slow down at that exact moment. She couldn't recognize Silvia; she didn't even know if what was in front of her was still the same person she once knew. Before she could process any more thoughts, her body instinctively jumped on the ground. Due to the impact, Lorelei rolled on the ground. She looked up to see Silvia slowly walking towards her, the knife still in her hand. Lorelei got up and ran out of the room.
''Dear, oh, dear. Where are you running off so quickly to?''
When she looked back, Silvia had just come out of the room and was now running. Startled, Lorelei hadn't seen the stairs and stumbled down the staircase.
''It must be painful. Stay there, let me tend your wounds.''
Silvia slowly walked down the staircase. Every step she took made Lorelei's heart race even more. She could feel her blood rushing towards every part of her body, yet despite all that, she couldn't move an inch. Silvia got to her and tried stabbing her in the chest. Lorelei forced herself to move and grabbed the knife from the blade. The sharp ends cut her fingers, making blood drip from her hand. Silvia then placed her weight over the knife's handle and pushed even more towards Lorelei's chest. The knife was slowly lowering itself, and Lorelei's arm was also starting to give out. She felt the blade raze her skin before she kicked Silvia away. Lorelei swiftly got up and got hold of the knife from Silvia's hand. After a fierce struggle, she got on top of Silvia. Silvia was still smiling at Lorelei.
''Darling. Let me help you now. You've done enough for me.''
Silvia grabbed the blade with her two hands and lowered it to her throat. Seeing Silvia so helpless, Lorelei wanted to let go of the knife, but something took hold of her. A deep anger she couldn't seem to understand, an uncontrollable ecstasy. She raised the knife and stabbed Silvia in the chest. She raised it up again and stabbed her chest once more. She stabbed her over and over again. Silvia gently raised her trembling hand and caressed Lorelei's cheek.
''See... I'm helpful aren't I?''
Until the end, what she saw in front of her was probably not Lorelei. Lorelei stabbed her once more, and her hand dropped on the ground. Her hair tie came off as the blood on the ground spread around her. Her hair was dispersing around in the blood puddle like roots spreading themselves within the ground. For some reason, Lorelei kept stabbing her until she heard a voice from upstairs.
''Mom? Lorelei? What's all this noise?''
It was Maria who was still half asleep, rubbing her eyes while walking down the staircase. Lorelei took the knife off of Silvia's body and stared at Maria, who, when she stopped rubbing her eyes, looked at her.
''Lorelei? What are you doing? Why are you all red? What is this?''
Lorelei got off Silvia's body with the knife still in hand, and Maria ran to her, stopping right before Silvia's body. She dropped to the ground over her mother's body.
''Mom! Mom! Wake up!''
She moved her body left and right, hoping Silvia would wake up. She turned her gaze towards Lorelei, who was staring at the floor.
''Tell me this is a joke, won't you? Please. Lorelei, please! Tell me this is a joke. This must...''
She started crying, holding Silvia in her arms.
''Lorelei! Why? Why? We helped you, didn't we? So why...''
It was the first time Lorelei had seen Maria cry this much. Usually, she's always bright and happy, but this time it wasn't the same Maria. All Lorelei could do was observe Maria from where she was. Maria let go of Silvia's body and got up.
''We are friends, aren't we? What has mother ever done to you? Why is this world so cruel... Does being kind to one another have a punishment now!? TELL ME, LORELEI.''
Maria lifted her hand up in a fist in the air and hit Lorelei on the face. She tried defending herself, but it was useless. Maria kept hitting her over and over, giving her no time to breathe. Lorelei lost hold of the knife, and Maria grabbed it. Lorelei backed away, but Maria came back, rushing at her, pushing her to the ground. Maria got on top of her and took the knife with both of her hands before striking Lorelei, which she barely avoided by sacrificing her arm. The knife got stuck in Lorelei's hand, and she took advantage of that to push Maria off her by turning towards the wall. When she got up, she kicked Maria in the wall and grabbed the knife from her arm with her mouth. She jumped at Maria with the knife's blade facing her thigh and successfully stabbed her thigh. Due to the pain, Maria held her thigh and groaned. Lorelei took the knife with her arm, and that same ecstasy that took her over came back again. Her vision seemed distorted. What she saw in front of her presently wasn't Maria anymore. It was someone trying to kill her. So she did not hold back. She stabbed the figure until her sight came back. When it did, under her was a bloody mess she wasn't even able to recognize anymore. She got off what seemed to be Maria's body and walked towards the staircase. Her clothes were drenched in blood. Every step she took resonated in her mind a ticking sound. It got louder and louder until she couldn't take it anymore and banged her head against the wall to make it stop. She did so until she got to the bathroom, still holding the knife in her hand. She stared at herself in the mirror. She saw her reflection, but instantly knew that it wasn't her. It was the same reflection she had seen back at the lake. It was holding a knife covered in blood, just like her. Her hair had lost the metallic silver color it once had and was now dyed a plain red. The clothes Silvia had given her were now covered in the blood of both mother and daughter. While staring at it, it spoke to her.
''I told you, didn't I? You're a murderer. A sinner. A devil of a kind, but that's also what I am. I have always been watching you, Lorelei. I will always be watching you. We are one and the same. Didn't killing them bring you satisfaction? Did you not feel it? The thrill of piercing through their flesh. The excitement overflowing within your body. You felt it, didn't you? That alone is proof that you truly are a monster, but once again, that is what I am. Think of me as your ally. I will guide you through the hell that is awaiting us. Until both of our objectives are accomplished, and then. I shall grant you an end befitting of an angel. My time here in the physical world is limited. If you wish to speak to me further, then simply die.''
The figure disappeared, leaving Lorelei staring at herself in the mirror. Her eyes had darkened; it seemed as if they had changed colors. The once fiery, brown, sparkly eyes of hers had now turned into a monotone dark gray. She rinsed her hands and the knife and walked back downstairs. She went ahead and hid the bodies in the backroom, where the cabbages were being stored, and bowed. For some reason, she did not feel any hate towards herself, nor did she feel guilty about killing them; it felt amusing. The feeling of stabbing through their flesh and the sight of the light in their eyes slowly dying off was mesmerizing. For the first time since she had willingly killed someone, she only felt excitement and thrill.