Sunlight filtered through the floral curtains of Claire’s bedroom window. She whined and turned over, subconsciously protesting the morning. After some time, she woke up and opened her eyes.

  The bloody Skullface flashed in her vision.

  Claire recoiled and covered her face, a mess of blonde curls and pink silk surrounding her head and shoulders. She hesitated to open her eyes again. Slowly at first, before tentatively sitting up and looking around her room. Everything was as she expected it to be, which gave her some sense of calm.

  Hierarch always told her to get ready first thing in the morning. That way, no matter what was planned or came up that day, she would be ready. Claire clutched a fluffy stuffed bear to her chest as she thought. Daddy was always mad when he had to tell her over again to get washed and dressed. But maybe he would make an exception for today? Claire sighed. Probably not.

  She really wanted to see him again as soon as possible, but decided it would be better to clean up and put on a pretty dress first. That would make her feel better at least.

  Once Claire finished drying her hair and pulling on a sparkly purple dress, she ran barefoot to her bedroom door. She peeked to the left to check for her sister before running to the other end of the hall towards Hierarch’s room. Claire was pleased to find the door unlocked. She poked her head in and looked around.

  “Daddy?”

  No response. Claire stepped into the study and found no sign of her father. The room seemed much bigger in his absence, dim lights looming ominously over dark wood furnishings. She walked further into his office, passing by classical marble statues on her left and a wall of historical maps on her right. Towards the back of the room was a large wooden desk with tall shelves on the wall behind it. The shelves were filled with all sorts of books, along with a few antique curiosities. To the right, Daddy’s bedroom, where Claire had often slept for any number of reasons when she was younger. Not so much in recent years, much to Claires’s chagrin. He had said something about her getting “too old for that” which Claire strongly disagreed with. This door was locked, which was expected, but disappointing nonetheless.

  Daddy left without telling me?

  Claire huffed and put hands on her hips. Nina probably knew where he was and what he was doing this morning. She turned to leave before doing a double-take. There was a faint light coming from the other door to the right of the desk.

  She had no idea what was inside; Daddy had never let her inside or told her anything about it. Was this the vault he mentioned last night? At that thought, Claire padded excitedly over to the door, which was as tall as the wall with a large locking device in the center. This door definitely should not have been left open and Claire definitely would not be allowed inside…

  Claire went to open the door. Only afterward did she realize it was super heavy, like solid steel. She had to push with all her weight to get the vault door to budge. It was only halfway open when Claire buckled and fell against the large metal structure.

  “Ow,” Claire whimpered upon hitting the floor. She sat up and rubbed her elbows as she looked around.

  The room was full of guns.

  All shapes and sizes, mounted on the walls and displayed in various cases. Most of them were gold-plated or otherwise customized in some way. The lights overhead were stark white, painting an intense glare on all of the bare metal surfaces. Claire pushed up from the floor and marveled at all the weapons, her eyes curiously flitting from one to the next. When she caught sight of the shotgun from last night she ran over and grabbed it in both hands

  She didn’t realize how heavy it would be. For a brief moment she struggled to lift it, before she turned to the next display over and saw a pair of smaller guns she would actually be able to hold. She excitedly reached into the case and pulled out two black pistols which each had shiny gold accents. Even these were big for her hands, but that didn’t stop her from posing with them in excitement. She jumped around the vault pointing the guns and making pew pew sounds, imagining the most epic action scene. Though, she noticed after a moment that she couldn’t pull the triggers, as if they were stuck. Were they fake? Or maybe broken?

  “Claire!” Nina called.

  Startled, Claire dropped the guns and fell. The two pistols clattered onto the floor and Claire scurried over to grab them. She heard Nina’s heels clicking, coming closer. Claire snatched one of the pistols with one hand and hiked up her dress with the other. She slid the first gun into her panties.

  Nina entered the vault. “What are you doing?!”

  “Uhhh… I don’t know…” Claire said in a mousy tone.

  She was caught. One hand pressed between her legs, the other stretched out toward the second pistol on the floor. She looked up at her sister, trying to think of an excuse even though she was clearly guilty. Nina shook her head as she walked over before gracefully lowering to pick up the firearm.

  “You’re not supposed to be in here, Claire,” Nina said. “These are not toys.”

  “I know~” Claire said. “I was just looking ‘cause the door was unlocked…”

  “I highly doubt Hierarch left his vault open.” Nina gave Claire a skeptical look. She noticed Claire touching herself between the thighs. “Did you wet yourself?”

  “No, I didn’t wet myself!” Claire protested.

  She stood up and brushed her dress, embarrassed. Thankfully, Nina couldn’t tell that she still had one of the guns. The pistol was cold against her kitty, but at least it was hidden.

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  Nina placed the pistol down on a nearby display. Afterward, she turned and reached out to Claire.

  “Give me your hand.”

  Claire pouted before raising her hand up to her big sister.

  “We’re going downstairs,” Nina said. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

  Nina turned and walked through Hierarch’s vault with Claire in tow.

  Claire reluctantly followed after Nina. She looked around the vault another time as Nina pulled her along. There were so many guns and treasures all around Claire could barely keep track. On their way out, Claire noticed what looked like a set of six metal spheres in glass cases, each one a different color and texture. However, there were seven cases in total and the last one was empty.

  “Nina? I think something’s missing from-”

  “Enough,” Nina said. She dragged Claire out of the vault and pulled the door closed.

  Nina pressed a series of buttons on the vault's keypad. A loud click echoed as the locking mechanism engaged, sealing the heavy steel door with certainty. Once outside the vault, Nina crouched down to Claire’s level, her eyes narrowing with a mix of frustration and concern.

  “Listen to me, Claire,” Nina said firmly. “That room is not a playground. Hierarch keeps things in there for reasons you don’t need to understand yet.”

  “But I wasn’t gonna break anything,” Claire insisted, clutching the hem of her sparkly dress.

  “That’s not the point,” Nina replied, her voice softening just slightly. “If you play around with things like that, you could hurt yourself or someone else. Do you understand?”

  Claire hesitated, glancing back at the closed vault door. “I was just curious…”

  “I know,” Nina sighed, placing her hands on Claire’s shoulders. “But sometimes curiosity can get you into big trouble. Promise me you won’t go in there again.”

  Claire nodded reluctantly. “I promise.”

  “Good.” Nina stood and straightened her skirt. “I’ll have to explain this to Hierarch when he gets back.”

  At the mention of their father, Claire’s stomach twisted with guilt. She had no idea how he would react if he learned she’d been in the vault, and she didn’t want to find out. She followed Nina down the hall, the golden pistol tucked awkwardly under her dress still pressing against her leg.

  Claire kept quiet as they went downstairs. She had already pushed her luck by sneaking into the vault and managing to keep one of the pistols hidden. Hopefully no one found out and she wouldn’t get in any more trouble.

  Nina led Claire through the foyer where two of the estate’s groundskeepers were still cleaning up after the attack. One of them spread plaster into the bullet holes in the wall while the other mopped up blood from the floor. A new front door was already in place and temporary wooden boards had been installed over the broken windows.

  In the dining room, the aroma of freshly baked bread and sizzling bacon filled the air. Heirarch’s housekeepers had already set the long table with silverware, plates, and platters of food. The warm scent of cinnamon rolls and freshly brewed coffee filled the air. Eggs and sausage were presented alongside various fruits and cheeses. Claire’s mood lifted slightly at the familiar comfort of breakfast, though she couldn’t shake the strange feeling about the vault.

  Daddy was always so careful. If one of those spheres was missing, it wasn’t by accident.

  Nina led Claire to the table and released her hand. In response, Claire quickly grabbed a plate and began piling on food. Nina poured herself a cup of coffee, keeping a watchful eye on her little sister. Once Claire filled her plate, she plopped into her usual seat. She caught sight of Nina and quickly looked down, fidgeting nervously under the table.

  Nina gave her a sharp look before taking her own seat.

  Claire took a deep breath and tried to act normal as she smoothed her dress over her knees.

  “Where’s Daddy?” Claire asked, stabbing a piece of bacon with her fork.

  Nina took a sip of coffee, her expression unreadable. “He had an early meeting. He’ll be back later.”

  Claire frowned. “He didn’t say goodbye…”

  Nina didn’t respond immediately. She placed her coffee down carefully, as though weighing her words. “Hierarch’s very busy right now, Claire. He’s dealing with…complicated things.”

  “Like the vault?” Claire muttered before she could stop herself.

  Nina’s eyes snapped to Claire, sharp as a dagger. “I thought we were done talking about that.”

  Claire bit her lip, her cheeks flushing pink. “Sorry…”

  Nina leaned back in her chair and let out a small sigh. “Eat your breakfast, Claire.”

  The two sisters ate in silence for a while.

  As Claire chewed her food absentmindedly, her thoughts kept drifting back to the vault and its missing sphere. Something didn’t feel right. Her curiosity gnawed at her, but she knew she couldn’t bring it up again. Nina’s sharp tone left little room for further discussion, but Claire couldn’t stop wondering.

  Just then, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the house, followed by the sharp click of boots on the floor. Claire turned towards the entrance as Roxanne walked inside, clad in her Gravegirl costume. She wore a crop top, mini skirt and long jacket, all made of dark fabric in varying degrees of weathering and distress. Her hood was up, shadows framing her pale face and gloomy makeup. Without so much as a glance at the breakfast spread, Roxanne turned on her heel and made her way up the stairs.

  Claire’s eyes followed her older sister as she disappeared. A deep sigh was Nina’s only acknowledgement of Roxxane’s abrupt entrance, but Claire’s curiosity was piqued. She quickly finished her breakfast, leaving a glass of orange juice untouched. As soon as she could, she excused herself from the table and hurried after Roxxane.

  Claire padded through the foyer. She was careful not to disturb the workers, but her excitement was building the whole time. She had to talk to Roxxane. Maybe she knew something about the vault, or whatever Daddy was involved in.

  When Claire reached the second floor, she walked towards Roxanne’s door. She reached out to the knob and pushed the door open only a few inches. Inside, all the lights were off except for a single candle.

  “Close the door,” Roxanne groaned.

  “Can I come in?” Claire asked in a small voice.

  “Whatever.”

  Claire took a step into Roxanne’s room and closed the door behind her. When the light from the hallway was gone, only darkness remained. Claire could barely see anything other than smoke and shadows. After a moment Claire could finally make out the lay of the room which flickered in dim candlelight. Roxanne was sprawled face down in her bed, still wearing her costume.

  “What do you want?” Roxanne said.

  Claire nervously fingered the ruffles of her dress.

  “So… Nina told you about last night?”