The Darkest Secret

Prologue: The Nightmare Returns

AN: This is the sequel to my 'Pretty Little Liar'…enjoy.

She ran for her life, fleeing the sound of the daemon's maniacal laughter, fleeing the stench of death and destruction that lay behind her. She knew it was hopeless, but she had to keep running. She had to reach home, warn her mother, her aunt. The daemon's minions followed her; she could feel the disturbance of the air as their arrows whooshed past her. She had been lucky so far, but surely her luck would run out soon. Thorns cut into her bare feet, but she ignored them. Survival was the top priority. If she failed, her family would perish, and the Doom of the Gods, Ragnarok, would begin…

The enemies closed in around her, the scent of death becoming overwhelming beyond measure. She would surely die. No…she couldn't think like that. The lives of many rested on her shoulders. She had to stay focused, she had to find a way to survive this. She was only eight, but she would survive this. She had to. It was imperative that the daemon not capture her. It was imperative that she make it home and alert her aunt of the danger. The powers of their bloodline would save them all. The minions closed tightly in a ring around her, cutting her off, preventing any escape attempts. Her hands shaking, she raised her gun, ready to fight…

Serena awoke, gasping, gun in hand, finger on the trigger. The blonde looked around. She wasn't eight and helpless. The Doom of the Gods was not upon her. The daemon in her dreams was locked away where it belonged. Even so, she should not be dreaming of those moments. The danger was past. She should not be dreaming of that. The girl lowered the gun and clicked the safety back on. No daemons were going to come bursting in through the door. But even so, those dreams should not be happening. The dreams were prophetic. The only way she could be having them was if…Serena felt her heart freeze in her chest.

In the next moment, the blonde girl was scrambling out of bed and pulling on some clothes. She glanced at her alarm clock. It was about two in the morning. Somehow, Luna was still asleep. 'Thank goodness for small favors,' the girl thought. 'The last thing I need is the Scouts hovering around me every second. They do that enough already.' The blonde hastily scribbled a note explaining what was going on to her mother as she pulled on a pair of black jeans and a red top. Those items were the only things at hand at this moment; she didn't have time to be choosy. She needed to inform her aunt about this immediately. Once she was dressed, she placed the note on her mom's bedside table, grabbed the keys to the car and drove at top speed, narrowly avoiding getting pulled over three times, and raced to her aunt's home on the other side of the state. As she negotiated an s-shaped curve at ninety miles per hour, she realized that her gun, a .45 caliber, was still in her hand.

She reached her aunt's house an hour and half later due to her utter violation of traffic laws, and found that her aunt was up and waiting for her. The blonde sat in her usual chair and shakily accepted the offer of iced tea. Once her hands had stopped trembling, she looked at her wise aunt, silently asking her what was happening.

"Your dreams began again, didn't they?"

Serena nodded, her face pale but composed.

"I feared as much; the dreams have haunted me as well this night. You know what this means, do you not?"

"I wanted to make sure."

"Malos has awakened once again and freed himself from his prison."

"What must we do?"

"For now, Malos is weak, and must use a host. He will try to take one of us. You must be vigilant, and protect your mother, brother, and yourself. I see that you still have your gun, but you must also remember to put up your protective wards and perform the ritual I taught you to block him from entering the house. If we can keep him from that, he will still find a host eventually, but he will not be able to do the damage he did last time."

"How is she?" Serena asked. The last time Malos had attacked, he had possessed her cousin Adel, and with her power, he had wrought terrible destruction, and utterly shattered her cousin's mind. As a result, Adel was forced to be as a small child for the rest of her days.

"She will never be as she was, but she is better. We must protect her especially."

"Should I also prepare for battle?"

"Yes."

Serena bowed her head in acknowledgement, and left. The sooner she got home and carried out her aunt's orders, the better. Her old nightmares had returned, and she must be ready. She would not let Malos destroy another member of her family. She needed to protect Sammy and her mother. Her father could fend for himself. He had no powers, and he was no longer her father after all that he'd done. He was far beneath Malos' notice. As the blonde drove home, again at top speed, she groaned as she realized she had another grueling day of testimonies ahead of her. Mentally, she made a note to tell Lita to make her coffee extra strong today. She was going to need it desperately.

When she got home, she carefully untangled the knots in her power, and set up wards against evil all around the house. Once she'd done that, she dug out her old stash of crucifixes, herbs, and holy water. She nailed the crosses near the windows and doors, careful to hide them from prying eyes that wouldn't understand. Then, she began to burn the herbs, and sprinkled holy water across and around all thresholds into her home. Chanting prayers in Latin, she set down the strongest protections she could, and tried not to wake anyone. Her mother joined her midway through, having awakened in the night from the dreams as well. As a result, the protections around their home were quite formidable. Malos would be hard pressed to find a way in.