"A dream that felt too real, a haunting that left her forever changed. A dream that ruined her, yet every day she wakes up and pretends to be okay... Well, is she?"
Third person's POV
*Dream*
Faith's eyes fluttered closed, and she drifted into a dream. She stood in the pouring rain, her parents' warm arms wrapped around her. The air was thick with the scent of rain, and the sky was a deep, foreboding purple.
She stood in the foyer of her childhood home, the creaky floorboards and faded photographs conjuring memories she thought were long buried.
But as she gazed out the window, her heart skipped a beat. Her parents, vibrant and alive, stood in the backyard, their faces etched with warm smiles.
A dream, she knew, yet she couldn't help but surrender to its allure.
With an eagerness she couldn't contain, Faith sprinted toward the back door, the screen creaking as she burst through it.
Her parents opened their arms, and she flung herself into their embrace, the familiarity of their scent and touch enveloping her like a warm blanket. But as she wrapped her arms around them, she felt a jarring sense of disconnection.
Her hands, small and childlike, grasped at her parents' sleeves, and she realized with a start that she was once again a little girl.
The world around her began to warp and blur, colors bleeding into one another like watercolors on wet paper.
Her parents' faces, creased with worry, whispered words she couldn't quite decipher. The air vibrated with an otherworldly energy, as if the very fabric of reality was beginning to unravel.
And yet, despite the dream's fragile grip on reality, Faith felt an overwhelming sense of longing, a desperate yearning to hold onto this fleeting moment, to freeze time and remain forever in this fragile, fading world.
Just as she locked eyes with her parents, the world around her dissolved, and she was yanked backward by an unseen force.
Darkness enveloped her, a suffocating shroud that left her disoriented. She felt herself falling, weightless and helpless.
"Fuck," she muttered, the curse torn from her lips as she landed hard on the rough earth.
Groggily, she sat up, rubbing her sore head. The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning wood, and Faith's heart sank.
She knew this smell, knew the terror it evoked. Her mind racing, she stumbled to her feet, her father's hand grasping for hers.
"Faith, kiddo, you okay?" he asked, his voice low and urgent.
But Faith's gaze was fixed on the inferno raging in the distance, the flames licking at the windows of their family home.
Her mother was trapped inside, and Faith knew she'd never escape. The memory of that fateful day came flooding back, and Faith's breath caught in her throat.
"We need to get moving, sweetie," her father said, his voice a distant echo. "Your mom's waiting for us back at the house."
But Faith knew better. She knew her mother wasn't waiting for them, not anymore.
The fire had taken her, consumed her in its raging inferno. And now, it seemed, the past was repeating itself, drawing Faith back into the nightmare she thought she'd escaped.
Faith's feet carried her toward the smoldering ruins of her childhood home, the acrid scent of smoke and char filling her lungs. Her mother's death, a tragedy that had left an indelible mark on her soul, replayed before her eyes like a macabre dance.
"Why again?" Faith's mind whispered, the anguish and despair echoing through her thoughts. "Why must I relive this nightmare?"
The werewolves, their eyes aglow like embers, watched with an unblinking gaze, their presence a grim reminder of the destruction they'd wrought. Faith's heart ached, her thoughts consumed by the memories of that fateful day.
"Mom's screams, the pounding on the door , it's all so vivid," Faith's mind racing, the memories threatening to overwhelm her. "Why couldn't I save her? Why did I have to be so helpless?"
As she approached the house, the silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the soft crackle of flames. Faith's eyes welled up with tears, her vision blurring.
"This can't be real," Faith's mind protested, desperation creeping in. "This is just a dream, just a twisted nightmare. But it feels so real..."
She felt the rough texture of the burned wood beneath her fingertips, the heat still emanating from the ruins. A faint whisper echoed in her mind, a soft, despairing cry.
"Mom?" Faith's voice cracked, the word barely audible.
"No, no, no," Faith's mind wailed, the anguish and grief boiling over. "This can't be happening. Not again."
The werewolves laughter, a low, menacing rumble, cut through the air, a harsh reminder of their presence. Faith's gaze fell upon the burned out shell of their home, the memories of her mother's death threatening to consume her.
"It's not fair," Faith's mind screamed, the pain and despair overwhelming her. "It's just not fair."
Faith's voice shattered the air, a raw, anguished scream that tore from her very soul. "Why?" she demanded, her eyes blazing with a fury that seemed to sear the werewolves standing before her.
"She did nothing wrong" Faith screamed again, her words a desperate, futile protest against the cruelty that had shattered her life.
Tears streamed down her face, her heart racing with a grief that felt like it would consume her.
Even knowing it was just a dream, Faith couldn't shake the anguish that gripped her.
The memory of her mother's brutal death, the werewolves heartless laughter as they watched her burn, it all came flooding back.
The pain, the rage, the helpless despair , it was all still there, festering like an open wound.
"How could you?" Faith spat, her voice venomous with hatred.
"How could you take her from me? She was innocent, harmless. What did she ever do to you?" The questions poured out of her, a torrent of anguish and grief.
The werewolves' faces were impassive, their eyes glinting with a cold, calculating cruelty.
They didn't care, Faith realized.
They didn't care that they'd destroyed her family, her life.
They didn't care that they'd left her with a pain that would never heal.
"You're monsters," Faith whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "You're nothing but monsters. You take and take, never caring who you hurt. But you'll never understand, will you? You'll never know what it's like to lose someone you love."
Faith's words trailed off, her voice lost in a sea of tears. She wept for her mother, for the life they'd never have, for the pain that would never fade.
The werewolves watched her, their faces unyielding, as Faith's heart shattered into a million pieces.
Faith's feet pounded the earth, her heart racing with a desperate bid to reach her father.
The werewolves laughter echoed behind her, a haunting reminder of the horror she'd just witnessed ,her mother's lifeless body, consumed by the flames.
As she turned a corner, she saw her father, his body crumpled on the ground.
The werewolves stood over him, their eyes gleaming with a cruel light. Faith's world shattered, her legs trembling beneath her.
She ran towards them, her voice hoarse from screaming.
"No! Leave him alone" But the werewolves just laughed, their claws flashing in the dim light.
Faith saw her father's body jerk, saw the pain etched on his face as they stabbed him again and again.
Her world was crumbling around her, darkness closing in on all sides. She just watched her mom die, and now her father.
No, it can't be
She forced her little legs to run to him.
They kicked her father's body, sending him flying across the ground.
Faith skidded to a stop beside him, her hands shaking as she grasped his.
The werewolves turned to leave, their faces indifferent, uncaring. They couldn't care less that she'd just witnessed the brutal slaughter of her family. That this scene would haunt her forever, traumatizing her to her core. That the pain of losing everything would never, ever end.
"Dad, no, please don't leave me," she begged, her voice cracking with desperation.
Her father's eyes flickered open, a faint smile on his lips.
"Faith," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'm so proud of you. But you have to be careful, baby girl. They're coming for you. The prophecy , it's not just a myth. You have to stay strong, stay hidden."
Tears streamed down Faith's face as she clutched his hand, her heart racing with fear.
"Please, Dad, don't leave me," she pleaded, her voice hoarse from screaming. "I need you, I need you so much. Who will take care of me? Who will love me?"
Her father's gaze locked onto hers, a deep sadness reflected in his eyes.
"I'll always be with you, Faith," he whispered, his voice growing weaker.
"In here," he touched her chest.
"But you have to promise me... promise me you'll stay safe. Don't let them find you."
Faith's grip on his hand tightened, her heart shattering into a million pieces.
"I promise, Dad," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I promise."
But it was too late. Her father's eyes glazed over, his body going limp in her arms.
Faith's world went dark, her screams echoing through the desolate landscape as she held her father's lifeless body, her heart forever shattered.
"I love you, Dad," she whispered, her voice lost in the wind. "I'll never let you go." The werewolves' laughter faded into the distance, leaving Faith alone with her grief, her heart heavy with the weight of her father's final words.
*END OF DREAM*
Faith's eyes snapped open, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. Tears streamed down her face, her body racked with sobs.
She was met with the unfamiliar luxury of Felix's bedroom, the opulent furnishings a stark contrast to the anguish that ravaged her.
Felix sat beside her, his eyes narrowed in concern. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, his deep voice low and soothing. But Faith couldn't respond, her words lost in a sea of tears.
She felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her, pulling her close. Felix's chest was solid, a comforting presence that seemed to anchor her in the midst of her turmoil. For a moment, Faith let herself surrender to his embrace, her tears soaking into his shirt.
"Why me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Why did they have to leave me?" The words spilled out of her like blood from a wound, her pain and grief raw and unrelenting.
Felix's grip on her tightened, his fingers digging gently into her skin. "Don't cry," he whispered, his breath warm against her ear. But his words only seemed to make her worse, her sobs deepening into wrenching gasps.
Faith pulled back, her eyes red and puffy. "Maybe if I could change time... maybe they'd still be alive," she said, her voice cracking with desperation. "Maybe if Mom had come with us,maybe they wouldn't have killed them."
Felix's expression was somber, his eyes clouded with a mixture of concern and curiosity. He nodded, his jaw clenched in a tight line. "Maybe," he said, his voice low and rough. But Faith knew it was just a hollow comfort, a futile attempt to soothe her ravaged heart.
Felix's mask slipped, and for an instant, Faith glimpsed a flicker of empathy in his eyes. It was a hairline fracture in his armor, a fleeting moment of vulnerability that made him seem almost human.
The dim light in the room danced across his face, casting shadows that seemed to deepen the lines of his features.
His eyes, though, were the real giveaway , for a split second, they betrayed a glimmer of understanding, of connection.
But it was quickly extinguished, replaced by his usual stoic demeanor. Felix's gaze turned cold, his voice dripping with malice as he whispered, "You're so fragile, Faith. It's almost tempting."