The domestic warmth of the apartment was instantly replaced by a glacial terror as Elizabeth strode into the living room. Leo Flynn was too paralyzed with fear to even pick up the chopsticks he had dropped. He scrambled to his feet, his knees knocking together in a rhythmic tremor of pure, unadulterated cowardice.
Since they were children, Elizabeth had been the iron-fisted ruler of the siblings. She possessed a cruelty that far exceeded that of her brothers, and Leo, with his naturally timid and yielding disposition, had been her favorite target for physical and psychological torment. The sight of her standing there, draped in emerald silk and radiating predatory authority, made him feel like a helpless child once again.
"Sister... you're here?" Leo stammered, his voice thin and reedy.
