A sob broke the growing silence. It took a moment to realize it came from me.

The chamber spun until I nearly collapsed. My twin. My best friend. Gone. We’d never drink or laugh or plan our future. She’d never mock Nonna’s superstitions or jump out from the shadows again. We’d never fight or make up. She’d never push me to be bolder, or tell me to grab my dreams by the throat. I didn’t know who to be without her. How to go on.

“No.” I shook my head, refusing to accept it. There was magic and trickery at play. Vittoria couldn’t be dead. She was young and vibrant and so full of life. Vittoria danced the hardest at festivals, praised the moon and the goddess of night and stars the loudest, and always made everyone feel like her very best friend. I didn’t know who this still, silent person was.

Through my tears I pulled the shroud completely off. The dress she wore was white, like an offering. It was finely made silk accented by lace. I’d never seen it. We weren’t poor, but we certainly couldn’t purchase something like that. Not unless she’d been saving for the last few summers.

The delicate bodice, destroyed, her cornicello missing, her—

I screamed. Her heart had been ripped from her chest. The hole jagged and angry. It was a gaping black and crimson chasm in her body, so unnatural I knew if I lived a thousand years, I’d never erase the sight of it from my memory. I stared at the blood, finally understanding the source of the incessant dripping. It pooled under her body and splattered down the altar.

There was so much blood. It looked—I fell to my knees, heaving up everything in my stomach. I retched again and again until there was nothing left.

I closed my eyes and the image there was even more terrible.

I dragged in breath after breath, but it didn’t help the dizziness. Now that I’d seen the blood, all I could smell was the metallic scent of death. It was everywhere, permeating everything. I went hot and cold in flashes.

I slipped forward and splayed across the stone. I tried pushing myself up and fell again. I was covered in my twin’s blood. I curled onto my side and trembled. This was a nightmare. I’d wake soon. I’d wake soon, I had to. Nightmares didn’t last forever. I just had to make it through the night.

Then everything would be okay.

I’m not sure how long I stayed there, shaking and sobbing on the floor, but at least an hour or two had passed. Maybe more. I needed to get help.

Not that anyone could save Vittoria now.

With weak arms, I finally pushed myself back up and stared at my sister, unable to reconcile the truth before me.

Murdered.