It all started before I was even born, back in my mom's hometown, it is called Shadowbrook.
She was just coming back from her doctor's appointment, bursting with joy to tell my grandma that she was pregnant.
But as the rain poured down and my mom sat in the car, she noticed a helpless woman caught up in the rain.
This woman wore a blue bandanna and a loose button-up shirt.
Out of kindness, my mom offered her a ride and the woman accepted, sitting beside her.
Everything seemed fine until they reached the woman's destination. Just before getting out of the car, she grabbed my mom's hand and looked into her eyes.
"You are carrying a girl who belongs to the darkness," she whispered urgently. "Kill her or give her to me, for I will protect her from her dark fate!"
My mom was terrified and quickly pulled her hand away. But the woman continued, saying, "The claws, the bite, the cries! When you see these three signs, you'll know where to find me!" She left her card on the car's front desk and disappeared.
At first, my mom brushed off the encounter. But as time went on, she noticed the woman stalking her, watching silently from a distance. That's when my mom made the decision to leave Shadowbrook for good.
Leaving that town was a fresh start for us. I grew up like any other kid, attending a private school where I was perfect both academically and socially.
My parents, Eleanor Fernandez and David Fernandez, may be separated, but they are both successful professionals who have always been protective of their only daughter.
They shielded me from the harsh realities of the world. However, it was my own choice to never have a boyfriend or experience any meaningful romantic relationships.
Yeah, it's true. I'm Everly Fernandez, and even though I'm turning 18 this winter, I've never been in a relationship. I guess I'm just waiting for someone special, someone who I can really connect with, whether I want to or not.
According to my friend, it's impossible for a girl as attractive as me to stay single.
I have long, black wavy hair that falls down to my waist, and a delicate face with unique hazel-colored eyes that I don't see around me very often.
I'm taller than Willow and just as slim as her. People say I'm smart and compassionate. I'm definitely not a crybaby. I'm confident and have good communication skills.
So as I was saying, everything was going pretty smoothly until my 16th birthday. That day changed everything.
It was a wonderful day, and after my birthday party, I was so tired that I decided to go to bed early.
I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, but this night was different. It was the worst night I could ever remember.
That night, I saw him for the first time. The thing that woke me was his warm breath against my neck, and it made me feel both uneasy and pleasurable at the same time.
I moaned and opened my eyes, and there he was. The most beautiful face with burning hot red eyes.
He seemed strangely intoxicated yet incredibly attractive. His seductive eyes and muscular body were more than I could handle.
I lifted my head to get closer to him, wanting to feel his breath on my skin. But he slowly backed away and whispered, "Oh, not yet, my love!"
My breath came in a gasp as I pushed myself up toward him, my palms slick with sweat.
Beneath me, the twisted, lifeless forms of countless bodies lay stacked, their empty eyes staring up in eternal horror.
Burning in the middle of high wild flames these bodies were fresh. A scream clawed at my throat, but fear choked it back.
Yet what mattered to me was his eyes they were hypnotizing me in a way I can't describe.
His beautiful reddened black eyes fixed on me, this pile we sat on was under a tree, a twisted wide-branched tree, with millions of tiny leaves.
He once again approached me and licked my neck, I squeezed the sheet under my hands without knowing, my breath rising with each passing second.
“My Everly, I am coming to find you!” He whispered in my ear, his breath driving me crazy.
But I realized that there’s another sense that is pulling me away from him, a sense of unease. I forced my eyes open.
But as I opened my eyes, I found myself alone in my own dimly lit room, the air heavy with an oppressive sense of dread.
The room is filled with strange, unsettling whispers that seem to echo from every corner, making my skin crawl with unease.
As I explored the room, I noticed shadows flickering across the walls, shifting and twisting into horrifying shapes but not of creatures, but rather of human engagement of all sense, a couple, kissing each other, a man, stabbing another one, a body, hanging from the fan.
The temperature dropped suddenly, sending a shiver down my spine as an icy chill gripped my bones.
Suddenly, a figure materializes before me, the same man, his seductive gaze once again locked with mine.
His voice was a low, haunting whisper that sent chills down my spine as he spoke to me.
His words are like honeyed poison, "Surrender to me, and the power and pleasure beyond your wildest dreams shall be yours!".
My heart raced with fear and curiosity at the same time, but I found myself drawn toward him despite the terror.
I had no idea this was a dream still, as the dream progresses, my body begins to respond unwillingly, my heart pounding in my chest and my breath coming in shallow gasps.
I felt a strange sensation coursing through my veins, a mixture of fear and exhilaration that left me trembling with curiosity.
Suddenly, the room began to spin wildly around me, the walls closing in as if to swallow me whole.
My screams echoed through the darkness in reality against my dream as I struggled to break free from the grip of this nightmare.
He approached me as his shadow on the wall shifted and twisted into countless creatures.
He was above me, his fingers sliding up my bare legs.