Jaden’s legs dangled over the misty city far below. He felt at once like a giant and a child. Everything down there was so distant and insignificantly small. Meanwhile, everything behind him in the apartment was so terribly monstrous. He heard the door click shut, then another pair of legs dangled over the edge. “Hey.” It was Llena. Normally, Jaden would’ve opened his mouth and poured out his thoughts to his sister. But tonight he kept his thoughts to himself. “Listen,” she said after a few minutes. “I know how you feel, but that doesn’t change -“ “What do you know!” Jaden shouted. He was just as surprised by his outburst as Llena. He quickly hid his face. “I’m not a killer.” “Well you need to be,” Llena said, her voice stone cold. “Because this is just the beginning. The world down there is nothing like the white walls and clean baths and colorful buffets you get up here. It’s dangerous and it’s bloody, and when you find yourself on the wrong side of a blade, you’ll have to kill to survive.” Jaden could feel her gaze burning into the side of his head. “The only thing that’s going to keep you alive out there is this family. We take care of our own. We trust each other. Father needs to know that we can trust you.” She stood to her feet. “Now wipe the snot off your face and come on.” The room hadn’t changed since Jaden stormed out to the balcony. Father was sitting in a white leather chair beneath a massive ornately woven tapestry on the wall. On the other side of the room, Hal was on his knees, blood dripping from his mouth onto the white carpet. Two men stood on either side of him. As Jaden entered, Father stood and lifted his hands into the air. “The prodigal son returns,” Father said and smiled. The others in the room chuckled. Jaden felt like running back to the balcony and jumping over the railing, getting as far away from that room as possible. But father had placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Shall we try this again?” Father said softly. Jaden looked over at Hal, but Father grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. “Do not make me regret giving you a second chance.” Jaden felt the handle of the knife slip into his hand. Then, all he could see was Hal. Bloodied. Gasping for breath. The young boy lifted his head and looked at him. Jaden squeezed the knife. “He’s my friend,” he muttered through the tears. “You have no more need for play things,” said Llena. Then as one voice, the whole room chanted: “When I was a child, I walked like child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, I put my childish ways behind me…” They repeated the refrain over and over, growing louder every time. Jaden didn’t notice them lift Hal to his feet. In the blink of an eye, Jaden felt a wave of memories flood his mind. Jumbled words. Incoherent images. Good memories. Happy memories. Years of friendship squeezed into a marble of time, a marble that he grasped for but never quite held. The room fell silent. The chanting stopped. The only sound left was Hal choking on his own blood. Jaden stood frozen as the body slipped from the knife and onto the floor. Llena took his hand and wiped it clean with a handkerchief. Red. The handerkerchief, the carpet, the body - everything was red. Jaden felt the floor disappear as the room was bathed in color. “You’re alright, kid,” Father said. “I’ve got you now. You’re alright.” Jaden felt the strong arms around him. He prayed that Father was taking him far away from that room. Away from the Hal. Away from it all. “You can rest now.” It was Llena’s voice. “You’re with your real family now.”