Prologue

August 26, 1997

The pound of boots was the only sound that echoed through the wooded area. Maria's strawberry blond hair was the only

light in the pitch black night. Tears blurred her path in a sea of green and brown, meshed together for a night only. Out of her

line of sight, a gnarled root rose to meet her widely moving feet. Her foot caught the root and she plummeted to the ground.

She cried silently as her pursuer slowed to a complete stop above her. With a smirk he said, "Goodbye, Love.".

August 26, 2004

Maria sat up with a skull-splitting scream, as she shot up in her duvet, the velvet blanket flew to the foot of her bed as she

scrambled out. She tumbled across the room into Nik's bed and buried her face in Nik's blanket-covered shoulder, who then in

turn awoke. Nik glanced at the shivering form on her chest and sighed before she patted Maria's head. This had been going

on for three weeks now, Maria would have a nightmare of the night she turned into a creature of the nightand Nik would

comfort her. Seeing as how it was the anniversary of Maria's change, it was not untold of for her to have a nightmare.

Maria looked up at Nik with tear-stained blood-shot eyes and whimpered helplessly. Nik smiled warmly before sitting up

and nudging Maria until they both stood beside Nik's now empty bed before making their way over to Maria's duvet. Niki sat

Maria down and helped her under the covers making sure they were up to her chin before handing her a "Dreamless Sleep

Potion". Nik smiled as she watched Maria's head hit the pillow in a deep sleep, before she stood and walked back to her

own bed to get a little more sleep.