The Nightmare

I swallowed a lump in my throat "Give in to me, you are mine!" He whispered.

Every pore of me wanted me to scream 'Yes', to tell him that I would give myself to him willingly.

His lips were only an inch away from mine I closed my eyes and he held my thigh as I opened my mouth to kiss him, I got close to him and his claws sank in my leg making me bleed yet I didn't feel pain but rather pleasure.

While in reality, I was crying with fear on my bed.

I was shaking helplessly. My cries reached my mother's ears, and she rushed to my side, unlocking the door with a key.

We were so close, but before our lips touched I pulled back Slowly lifting my eyes I whispered. "I am not yours!"

As soon as I opened my eyes I saw my mother shaking me violently.

"Mom!" I hugged her and cried.

"It's alright, you are alright!" She rubbed my back.

She rubbed my lap to comfort me but instead, I let out a moan of discomfort.

"What happened?" She asked, her voice filled with concern.

She glanced down at my leg and her eyes widened as she saw the deep claw marks that were causing my skin to bleed.

It was clear that she was starting to realize that my dream may not have been just a dream after all. The sinking feeling in her gut was evident as she processed the situation.

Haunted by the memory of my nightmare, my mom made a decision. She decided that we needed to move to the town where it all began, determined to protect me from any dark forces that may be lurking in the shadows.

This incident with the claw marks was just the first sign, but I chose to ignore it, even though it was causing a great deal on my mental health.

Despite the mess inside me, I didn't let it show. The next morning, I left for school as if everything was normal.

Meanwhile, my mother spent the entire day searching for the visiting card given to her by that mysterious woman. It was clear that she was desperate to find answers.

Finally, she realized that she hadn't checked the dashboard of the car. As she looked inside, her eyes landed on the card.

Instead of calling me, she decided to confront me as soon as I returned from school. She threw a bombshell at me saying, "Please just listen to me this time, I have known this was gonna happen to you for a long time! Please just come with me! Just this once!".

Confused and frustrated, I argued back, "Mom! I don't understand why are we even having this conversation. This isn't the first time I had a nightmare!".

"What about the claw marks?" She asked.

In an attempt to reason with her, I suggested that maybe I had scratched myself in order to wake up from the nightmare.

But her next question sent a chill down my spine. "Tell me, Eve, when you woke up this morning, did you see any blood in your nails? Or... or maybe a piece of skin?"

I hesitated for a moment before admitting that I hadn't. "Maybe that was just a scratch, maybe that's why?" I tried to believe that I was right.

But then I lifted my skirt to reveal the claw marks on my leg, this was not new. But panic filled my mother's eyes as she looked closely and realized that those claw marks were not just marks, there were claws stuck in those wounds.

"We need to get this checked!" She suggested.

"No!" I shook my head in denial and then I gripped her shoulders and stared into her eyes.

"If this woman you mentioned knows anything about this, we should go find her instead of anyone else!

Yes, I still think it's a terrible idea, but I'll do it for you. I can only imagine what a doctor would say if we told them that something clawed me in my dream and left his claws deep in my flesh," I blurted out, realizing my mistake.

"He?" My mom's eyes widened in panic. "You're telling me this now?" she exclaimed.

"We're not waiting any longer. You're coming with me right now!" she declared.

"Fine, let me at least pack," I replied.

"I've already packed for you," my mom said, pointing to the suitcase by the sofa. I knew there was no escaping this conversation, so I surrendered.

We left immediately, and my mom drove us to the woman's house without stopping for a break. When she rang the doorbell, a beautiful woman with brown skin, dark brown hair tied in a bandanna,

and big brown eyes answered. She looked at me and started to close the door. "Why are you here now?" she asked. "Ms. Jade Murray, I apologize for not listening to you sooner, but I've traveled all this way just to see you. Please don't turn us away," my mom pleaded. Eventually, Jade let us into her home.

After examining the claw marks, she said, "She's been marked by the forbidden one. I'm sorry, but I can't help you." She sat back in her chair, looking troubled.

"I offered to assist you when I was capable, but now you arrive after 16 years just to confirm that I was correct? I apologize, but I am unable to provide any help at this point." Jade's eyebrows raised.

"I warned you that it was a terrible idea," I whispered under my breath.

"Pardon me? Young lady, you seem to bring misfortune wherever you go. A dark cloud looms over your head, causing the downfall of those around you. And yet, you sit here with an attitude?" She squinted at me.

"Please, she is simply disturbed because of a dream. She is a kind girl otherwise!" my mom pleaded.

"A dream? What dream?" she inquired. "Come here!" she commanded, and I approached her.

She took hold of my hands and instructed me to close my eyes. She closed her eyes as well.

Both of us experienced flashes of my nightmare from that night. I gasped and quickly withdrew my hands. "You surrendered too easily, without a fight!" she whispered.