"You're sure of what you saw?" My father spoke calmly into the phone as I sat in Scott's living room. They had just started to eat when I left to use the phone. I absolutely had to tell my father what I saw. Things like that can't go unreported.
"I'm positive; it was the same thing I saw hanging over you last night. There's no mistaking it." I thought back to what I had seen and a shiver ran down my spine but I shook it off.
"Ah, I see. Was he alone or was there someone else?"
"He was alone... why?"
"Of course," he breathed a sigh of relief, "at least she wasn't with him," my eyebrows rose as he spoke, "Brianna took off. We tried to calm her down and she shifted. She went out the window and out into the woods behind the house." I could hear the dispair in his voice.
"I'm coming home." I snapped the phone shut before he could argue with me. I walked outside and announced that something had come up at home and I needed to be there. No one questioned me but instead asked if I would like to bring some food home with me. Scott's family was so refreshing, so... normal. What he had was something I longed for but knew I could never have. I smiled and declined then made my way to Scott's room to gather my things.
"I figured you'd want some company," Scott's voice came from behind me and startled me so bad that I dropped everything, "Oh! I'm sorry! Here, let me get that for you." He leaned down to grab my bag and return it to me, apologizing the entire time. I laughed and took my stuff from him and gave him a hug.
"You're so weird, Scott." I gave him a big smile and he stuck his tongue out at me. He walked me downstairs and to the car where his dad was waiting to take me home.
When I arrived the house seemed normal. For a second I really thought that if I were to walk in my family would be sitting around the T.V. watching old reruns of Whose Line is it Anyway and laughing to their hearts content. Only for a second, though. I shook my head and reality set in. I remembered what was going on and the memory of Brianna's laughter could no longer break through. Tears brimmed my eyes but I blinked them away before I walked through the door. My parents were waiting in the den for me and when I walked through the archway my mother jumped to her feet and went to embrace me. I could tell she was just as upset as my father was but she couldn't hide it like he could. I kissed her on the cheek and went to sit down next to my father who was speaking quietly into the phone. I'd never seen him like this before. His hair was a mess and I could see beads of sweat forming on his brow. Every so often he'd rub his eyes and nod his head then agree with who he was talking to.
I turned to my mother who was pacing by the fireplace. Every once in a while she'd pause and move her hands to her temples - most likely trying to connect with Brianna. All I could do was watch her. I knew that if I were to interrupt her, she'd have to start all over again. I sighed and leaned back against the arm of the couch. I felt so helpless... so useless. There wasn't anything I could do to help find Brianna. I thought back to what happened in the woods. Dark. Trees. Moon. Figure. Scream - that's how I found her. I didn't have any special power to connect with her like my mother. If I could shift I could pick up her scent... but, unfortunately, I couldn't quiet do that yet. So many ideas flooded my head that I hadn't realized the look on my mom's face. It wasn't till my father was on his feet and at her side did I realize she had gone completely pale. Father led her to the recliner and was holding her still when I noticed she was shaking. No words were spoken but my father was seeing what she was. His hands were on her face and they were both staring at one another intently.
Instantaneously my skin started to feel as if it were burning. The searing heat snaked it's way down my back and around my legs. My hands were the worst; it literally felt as if they were being pressed onto white hot coals. The pain was so unbearable and so gut wrenching that I was unable to scream. All I could do was allow my body to curl into itself while the heat seemed to consume me. My vision blurred and I could no longer see the room around me. What I did see, though, changed everything. I was standing in a field, surrounded by blackened ground and scorched trees.
Confused, I whipped around and came face to face with that creature I had seen all too many times now. He definitely wasn't human, that was for sure. His skin was pale beyond belief. His face was smooth and defined. His eyes were no longer that angry red colour I had witnessed earlier, but instead they were a soft brown. His medium length, black hair fell in slight waves around his face making his skin paler than usual. I looked down at his hands and realized that the claws I saw before were no longer there - in fact, his hands were just like mine. His seductive voice echoed in my head and forced me to look him in the eyes.
"Oh, Cassandra, my dear. It's been so long since we've been together. You do remember, don't you?" His voice made my skin crawl but at the same time I wished he wouldn't stop.
I cleared my throat. "Who are you?" I hated how small and scared I sounded when speaking to him. I willed for my voice to grow up and allow me to meet his seductive tone with my own.
A small rational voice in the back of my head screamed at me, asking why the hell I would want to sound seductive to a creature that caused my father so much harm...
His laugh rang through my ears and my eyes fluttered shut trying to visualize the sweet sound dancing through my thoughts. "You're my beloved, Cassandra. We're destined to be together."
His smile was just as amazing as his laugh. I couldn't help but lean into him even though I knew I shouldn't. I didn't like the control he had over my own body. I stared into those endless brown eyes and all rational thoughts were gone. He leaned down till there was no more than an inch between our lips. I could feel his breath as well as hear it. His scent intoxicated me so much that I thought I was going to faint in his arms.
Wait... in his arms?
I shook my head and looked down. He had his arms snaked around my waist and had closed the space that previously been there. His body was so cold and soft that I completely forgot about the screaming pain that was simmering on my skin. I forced myself to look back to those beautiful brown eyes of his only, they were no longer brown. I attempted to push myself out of his grasp but he had an iron grip and I was unable to get free. I started to panic. He no longer looked like the god he was just moments ago. Instead, he looked like a killing machine. Something cold and hard pressed against my lower back and I realized his hands no longer looked like mine. The claws that had been there this morning were back and they were being pushed into my skin. The pain shooting down my back only intensified the burning sensation that lingered on my skin. His laughter was no longer that beautiful sound I longed for.
I gasped and readied myself to scream when something caught my eye... I glanced to my right and felt sick to my stomach.
"Creighton! What do you think you're doing?" Brianna's words lashed out at me. She looked so different; her once wavy, chestnut locks were straight and as black as the scorched trees behind her. Her eyes were bigger than usual and tinged with red. Was she taller? No, she couldn't be.
"You know this was the plan all along. We were going to lead her here and it worked." His voice wasn't soothing as it had been before. The hardness of his tone matched hers but he sounded more dangerous, more... hostile. Her huge eyes narrowed and she gave him an unspoken warning. His grasp loosened and I took the opportunity to slip out of his arms, but instead of running to Brianna like I had wanted to, I fell to the ground, unable to move.
She didn't even glance in my direction. Her gaze was fixated on the man she had called Creighton. "You know this isn't real, Creighton. You know this isn't her."
That's when she looked at me. I wanted to run to her. I wanted to hold my little sister in my arms and then leave this horrid place. I was so busy focusing on how much I wanted to be out of here that I hadn't seen Creighton move behind me. The movement was quick. With one long, sharp claw he slashed my skin from my hip to my torso. The pain caused a screech to rip from my throat as I dug my nails into the burnt ground.
He sighed. "I know it's just her spirit but I couldn't help myself." I felt him move away from me. The pain from my side was causing my vision to blur. I was sure I was going to die from loss of blood. I forced myself to check out the damage. The cut was long and deep, but... there was no blood? I stared in disbelief while I watched the gash he had just made start to close itself up. I managed to touch my lower back and found no blood there, either.
Her voice snaked in my direction. "Cassandra, you really are terribly weak, aren't you?" She snickered and pushed her hair behind her shoulder.
"Brianna... why?" I stared directly into those huge eyes of hers and for a split second I thought I saw the old Brianna behind them... I thought I saw my little sister. She blinked and whoever she once was vanished. Slowly, she made her way to me and kneeled down to cup my face in her cold hands. The smirk on her face scared me more than the thought of death. This wasn't my Brianna. This was a monster.
"I'm not going to kill you, sister," her eyes were instantly cold and her smirk disappeared, "not yet, at least."
With those final words, the burning stopped. The burned trees and ground around me started to vanish. Creighton was no where to be seen. All that was left was Brianna and myself. She leaned forward till her lips were at my ear and she whispered slowly, making sure I caught every word.
"Prepare yourself, dear sister. When we next meet, we will fight. When we fight, I will kill you." She stood up and started to walk away.
"WAIT! How will I find you?" But it was too late. She was gone.
I opened my eyes and gasped for air as the pain from the wounds Creighton had inflicted started to dull. I sat up but the room started spinning so I eased myself back down. My father was at my side in an instant. He cupped my face, much like Brianna did, and stared into my eyes. I blinked in response and I pulled me into a bear hug and I had to bite my tongue to keep from gasping in pain. He moved from my side to make room for my mother who showered me in kisses and repeating over and over that she loved me.
"Oh, Cassandra, are you alright? You've been out for hours, dear. I-I thought I lost you..." Her voice cracked and I could tell she was holding back tears.
"You thought you lost me?" I looked at her quizzically. I was in the same place I had been when the burning first started. My eyes widened and I wondered if I had screamed when Creighton had sliced my skin open.
Creighton...
"Cassandra, you weren't breathing. We heard you gasping for air and then you passed out... are you sure you're alright?" The concern in her eyes was overwhelming and I, myself, had to fight back the tears.
"I'm fine, mother. I didn't know I wasn't breathing... I was having a bad dream." I lied. I didn't want to tell my parents that my younger sister was planning to kill me the next time we met. I didn't want to tell my parents that I was in the arms of the creature that nearly killed my father. They didn't need to know any of that. Strangely, I knew what I had to do.
After about half an hour of calming my parents down and assuring them that I wouldn't die, I left to go to my room. I crawled into my warm, familiar bed and hugged my pillow. The clock on my nightstand read 4 A.M. and I groaned as I thought about how worried Scott must be. I rolled over on my side and let sleep take me away from my worries and thoughts. Tomorrow I would sort out what I would do about Brianna and this man called Creighton. Tommorow I would tell Scott exactly what I am. I couldn't do this alone.