• "Mom!? Where are youu?" Raine called out. The question sounded throughout the whole house, but no answer came back. Raine went from afraid to horrified in 10 seconds flat.

    "No, she has to be playing with us, right? I mean, she couldn't have...no way...let's look around. She has to be here somewhere!" Alphonse whispered, fear and sorrow etched on his face.

    They began to search the house. The house that always seemed so welcoming, so inviting before suddenly looked a lot more scary with no one to fill its halls. Every footstep echoed throughout the empty halls, making them jump at every gentle sound. The same place where they lived for all of their life suddenly became unbearable to stay in. It was just...wrong to be here without their mom. Tears began to form on the edges of their eyes. With each empty room, each empty space, the horrible reality began to set in on their minds... She was out there, outside with those...MONSTERS.

    "No...no, we have to go back out there!" Raine said as she began marching towards the door. She was about to press the bright red button when Alphonse grabbed her arm.

    Alphonse pulled Raine into a hug and squeezed her tight. He could feel her trembling.
    Raine started to sob uncontrollably.

    "Raine...we can't. Don't you think I want to find mom? Don't you think I want to rush out there and kill every single one of those...those bastards?! I do, but you're my sister, and I love you too much to put you through another loss. Who will take care of you?" Alphonse whispered in her ear.

    Raine suddenly broke away from the hug and gave him her best indignant look, tears streaming down her cheeks. That vunerable 14-year-old girl suddenly looked a whole lot more dangerous. SLAP! She slapped him so hard the house almost shook. And it definitely shook Alphonse. He was swept of off his feet and a look of surprise was plastered on his face. Raine stood there, trapped between horror and fury.

    Alphonse got up slowly and walked to the living room, devoid of any emotion. He sat down on the sofa and sighed heavily, head cradled in his hands. He stared blankly at the wall. Tears started to roll down his cheek as the truth sunk in. She's gone... Why? She never did anything wrong! She was...she was...my mom! I remember once she saved a baby who was in the middle of the street. Yeah, she had serious injuries and stayed in the ICU for weeks, but that smile...That smile never went away. The smile of a true hero. The smile of my mom... And now... and now... Alphonse whimpered a bit and then tears started to rage down his cheeks.

    After a few minutes, Raine walked in the room and sat down beside Al, her eyes red from crying. She rested her head on his shoulders and gave him a weak smile. She stopped trembling, but the undeniable feeling of sadness still emanated from her.

    "She'll be alright. She's tough, right? I bet she's in a shelter, somewhere. She'll come back, guaranteed. If she really is outside though, the vampires have a real problem on their hands." Raine said softly. They chuckled, although it sounded empty somehow...

    "Yeah, she'll come back someday. And then we'll all be a happy family again. I promise..." Alphonse whispered. But both twins knew different.

    2 hours, and 4 tubs of ice cream with chocolate syrup and Oreo crumbs later, Raine fell asleep on another couch. Alphonse looked around the room, trying to take his mind off of the situation. The whole room was painted pink with orange stripes. Ha, Alphonse thought, I remember when mom painted this. 'It will look so much better when it's done' she said. Dad just sighed and gave in. Arguing was always pointless with mom, although it isn't as much an arguement as it was mom telling whoever 'Well, that's that! Deal." Alphonse laughed quietly.

    He glanced over at Raine, who was by now definitely asleep. She looked so peaceful, as if she left all her troubles here. Alphonse just sighed, walked over to the corner
    and picked up a light blue blanket with roses drawn all over it. It used to be Raine's favourite "blankie" when she was a kid. He walked over to Raine and sat beside her.

    He threw the blankie over her and tucked her in, like their mom used to do. They always used to complain that they were "too old" to be tucked in, but now it seemed special. He sighed, once again, and sat on the other couch. The soft pitter patter of rain started to lull him to sleep, as much as he tried to stay awake.

    "Don't worry," Alphonse whispered, "I'll make them pay. I promise..."

    He finally laid back and fell asleep.