Chapter 1

I awoke with my eyes full of stars. The stars were above me and my lungs were empty of all breath. I felt as if I'd fallen from those stars. I felt I was one of them somehow. I had the memory of falling, flashing through my mind. My head tingled slightly. Maybe I'd hit my head and that's why my thoughts were all jumbled up. My mind was empty as the void. Who was I and how had I gotten here? I touched my forehead and I let my fingers wander further up my head. I was searching for a bump maybe a wound, anything that would explain my extreme loss of memory. I didn't even remember who I was. The only thing that came to my head was a single word. Taralah.Was that a place or was it a name perhaps?

Maybe it was my name.

I kept searching my head for a mark of some kind, then my fingertips touched something cold and immovable. I nearly let out a scream but my throat was to dry for me to even utter a sound.

What was on my head?

I wanted to run. There was something in front of me, that looked like a black curtain. I tried to smack it out of the way. It was solid and felt taut like a trampoline but tough flexible and firm as muscle. There was no escaping it. I threw my fist at it. A pain shot through my shoulder.

The pain sent me on my knees where I slid into the mud.

The mud splattered onto me everywhere, on my legs, all over my arms and even into my face.

It was then I saw a puddle and in the puddle I saw my reflection.

Purple eyes, dark brown shoulder length hair and a pair of huge black horns. They twisted slightly at the top like ram horns. Those black curtains were a part of me; they were my wings.

Then I ran through the field of withered sunflowers and dying rows of corn. There was a house and a nearby farm. I couldn't be seen like this. So I turned to run towards the farm.

There was something pursuing me. I dared not look behind me.

I could smell the heavy metal scent of blood. I could hear the sound of many feet. How many were pursuing me exactly?

I stopped for a moment to peer over my shoulder.

Nothing was there.

I could hear someone's wheezing breath.

There was someone there waiting for me. The scent of blood was still in the air.

I must remember that smell from someplace from the life i had no memory of.

I could feel the tension in the air as well. Why had I run when I clearly had wings to carry me there?

I flew swiftly behind the back of the barn.

I had no memory of flying but my wings they remembered what to do.

I waited behind the barn listening for my pursuer.

The grass and brush moved softly and a few leaves whispered and some twigs snap beneath someone's feet.

"I know you're there, I can smell you.I

can smell your fear. You reek of sweet beautiful fear. Come out. I promise I won't hurt you. I just want to play. Play with me. No need to be shy. Just come out so i can see you".

The voice was playful slightly feminine and rather hoarse.

It was nonetheless a man's voice. It was a happy voice with a sinister edge.

I don't think I liked it.

I didn't want to awnser the voice either so I said nothing in response

"Oh come on, we can be friends? Would you like that? Friends forever and ever if you'd like. We could be buddies. You could be mine and I could be yours and i could teach you how to float. Floating is nice and peaceful, you'll see. Why when you come out we can have the time of our lives...together. You must have a name. Can you tell me your name? Oh you want me to guess? Oh I simply loooove guessing games.

It starts with a T. Am I right?

Let's see what's starts with T...t..t..t..Tara. Its Tara. Your friends call you Tara. Oh no friends Tara? How sad! I can be your friend Tara. I can always be your friend. Just take my hand I'll take you somewhere safe.

I'll love you and I'll keep you safe forever and ever. Just come out and the fun can begin".

There was something strangely soothing about that voice but at the same time it made my stomach turn sour.

"Oh Tara you want a balloon?"

A red balloon came slithering past me.

I could smell the blood again. I knew I had to move before my pursuer actually caught me.

I silently flew to the other side of the barn.

I could hear him screech in frustration.

It was the screech of a prehistoric animal.

"So you want to play hide and seek. Oh alright then Tara. I do hope you are good at hiding". The aggravation in his voice was clearly apparent.

I wish I was invisible.

I could see the face of a terrible white face. Delicate red streaks ran vertically across his face underneath each of his eyes.

He had millions of sharp teeth that curved inward. Eyes big and glowing yellow.

He had huge preying mantis like limbs which stood him upright.

The rest were like the limbs of a spider.

A demented clown? A demonic clown? I wasn't afraid of clowns was I?

No clowns don't scare me. That's what he wants. He wants me to be scared. He probably lives off of blood and fear.

I could smell it on his breath.

Fear and blood. It wasn't a unpleasant smell. I kind of liked it to be honest. What was more pleasing the sweet smell of fear or the rancid metal scent of blood? The fear, I loved that smell of fear. Fear is something that can effect the entire body. Your brain, your heart and your blood. It can even change your body temperature. Emotions have power. They have the power to strengthen and the power to break someone's spirit. It can even bring down your very soul to the depths of darkness. Was I a creature of the darkness? I looked like some sort of demon. Maybe I was a good demon.

Was there such a thing as a good demon? Demons usually set out to destroy humans. I didn't want to destroy anybody let alone humans.

I wanted to face the demented demon clown but a wave of nausea enveloped me so I stayed put.

I was on back on top of some old moldy straw. It was ovibous that no animals had been in this barn for a long time.

The Demonic clown shook his head rather unnaturally. He quickly inhaled a few times to sniff out the fear. His neck twitched and his head shook violently with great vigor.

"Great... you're good at hiding I see. You know how to hide your scent

,you know how to hide your trail. You know how to cover your tracks. You are ever so clever. Don't worry Tara I'll find you and when I find you, you'll float forever with me. You're not frightened now but you will be. I'll find your fear and when I find your fear, i shall find you. This is round 1 Tara, we still have one more round to go, maybe more. I'll be back. I'll be waiting for you. Watching for you and I hope you'll be ready for me because I assure you I'll be ready for you, Taralah".

I could hear him skitter away loudly and I could see him disappear into the withered cornfield and limp and shriveled sunflower patches.

What was that? Hadn't the the retired farmers living here heard all of that. I went to go investigate the silence ridden home that lay beside the faded red barn.

There was a screen door that moaned when I opened it. The door behind it was unlocked.

This door stiffly moved as I turned it and door itself screeched as I opened it, to venture inside.

There was newspapers everywhere. The place reeked of animal urine mostly likely belonging to a cat.

There was a few skeletons on the cheap plywood floors.

Some were of cats and others were raccoons, squirrels and foxes.

Bat guano littered the moldy rugs. No one had lived here a long time.

I examined the other rooms. They also were scattered with newspapers and more animal skeletons.

Humans had been here too. Possibly vagrants and drug addicts.

There were cigarette butts and rusty worn needles and smudged plastic bags full of holes.

It was not a ideal place to bunker down in.

The barn would be cleaner than this dilapidated disaster.

He would be coming back. I'd stay here for the night but tomorrow I'd have to find a new place to stay. Someplace abandoned so everybody would leave me alone.

If the humans found me they would most likely try to kill me or hunt me down like an animal.

I was glad no one was here. I would have had to scare them away.

I was hungry and I had a feeling that the night was going to be cold.

What do demons eat? Human hearts?

Hamburgers? What was it that I ate?

There was a flash of blood that came to my mind. Surely i wasn't a vampire.

There was blood dripping profusely from my fingers. I could see it in my head.

Maybe I fed on human flesh.

The thought appalled me.

Surely there was something else I could eat that didn't require me to hurt anybody. Fear, I could feed on fear. I was certainly frightening enough.

I needed to blend in somehow. I couldn't go amongst the humans with huge horns and huge wings.

Was there a way to disguise myself?

Demons usually had a way of blending in.

Did Demons shapeshift?

There was only one way to find out.

Surely there was a mirror in this house.

I went in search for a mirror. I found a mirror in the bathroom.

"Change Tara. Get rid of those horns. Get rid of those wings. Don't be a freak, be human. Be human Tara."

I said outloud. I closed my eyes and imagined they had disappeared.

I opened my eyes and I saw my horn retract back into my head and I saw my wings coming closer and closer to my body until they too were gone.

Now I looked somewhat normal. The eyes were still strange. They were a beautiful royal purple.

"Make those emerald green".

My eyes ignited with the new color of emerald green.

I still looked strange, my eyes still looked like the eyes of a predator.

I had to wear something different too.

What I was wearing was all shredded and torn.

I could see a ripped up magazine on the linoleum bathroom floor.

It was one of those fashion magazines.

"You. Come here".

A thread of green smoke shot out from my finger tips and that smoke somehow grabbed ahold of the magazine and placed it in my hand.

Magic. I knew magic. Could I use telepathy as well?

Smash the mirror.

The mirror cracked in a million place as if someone had smashed it with their fist.

Repair yourself.

The various cracks on the mirror disappeared.

There was not a single mark on the mirror. It was as if it was brand new.

Not even a scuff on it and the graffiti was gone as well.

If I could do this with my mind I could very well fix up any abandoned place without very little effort.

I couldn't stay here. He would only find me again just like he said.

He would be sure to come here again just to check if I was still here.

He probably intended on killing me.

He wasn't happy when he left. I could hear his agression and could see the rage in his eyes.

He was hungry. Hungry for my blood most likely.

I was hungry too. There was a animal like hunger within me.

Fear, fear. Chaos. Create chaos. Create negative energy. You must feed on negative energy. They won't miss those feelings. That anger, that fear, and frustration.

My instincts spoke to me.

Maybe I was a emotional vampire.

I flipped through the magazine till i found something desirable.

There was a girl with a green corset, green eye shadow, black eyeliner and a tight green mini skirt.

She wore black gothic platform shoes and fishnet stockings with green garters on the side.

Perfect.

Green tendrils spun around me creating the new outfit for me at a unnatural speed. Excellent. I could create my own clothes. This also would come in handy.

These platform shoes were quite comfortable. it took me a few minutes to get my balance before I could venture outside the house.

I couldn't risk staying here I decided. No, not even for a night. I'd have to keep moving. This place was a dump anyway. I had some dignity didn't I? Of course I did. Why else would I be wearing this gloriously stylish outfit. How would find this negative energy anyway?

Simple all I had to do was follow the scent of chaos. The scent of humans.