“Cherise Darling, My name is Dalziel and I am in love with you!” Dalziel announced, in front of Cherise and her little sister.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are and I don’t love you,” Cherise simply said.

Dalziel was so thrown off, that he had forgotten he was surrounded by mortals. He broke out of his human form and became a monstrous beast. He swiped at Cherise, who jumped out of the way and he hit her sister instead. Cherise shrieked and grabbed her dead sister in her arms and began to run. Dalziel bolted after her and killed anyone that was in his way. He managed to corner her between a wall and one of the small houses. Cherise cried as she closed her eyes and held her sister before she felt the wrath of Dalziel’s sharp claws slice her to pieces.

The screaming, the deaths, the blood, nothing was going away. Allison jerked awake yet again, screaming to escape the nightmares she had been enduring her entire life. She couldn’t understand why she was having these dreams, and she wished they would go away. Her parents rushed into her room and sat on the bed beside her.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Julie sighed, “Can’t your father help at all?” she asked her husband.

“He’s disowned me, so unfortunately not. It’s lucky he’s leaving us alone.”

“Why, why me?” Allison cried, “What did I do to deserve such horrible dreams?”

Allison was only eighteen, and she was haunted by nightmares, nightmares that seemed so real, so like she actually lived that life. Unfortunately, she had lived that life, she knew it, she could feel it.

“I don’t understand, why am I having nightmares of a life I lived before? I thought when someone was reborn, they didn’t remember the previous life,” she sniffed.

“I don’t know sweetheart,” Julie said, trying to comfort her daughter.

“I don’t know what I would do without you guys,” she sighed, pulling them into a hug.

“That is something we should talk to you about sweetie,” Julie sighed, “I got my results back today. I have cancer and it’s not good.”

“What?” Allison asked, as tears began streaming down her cheeks, “H…how long?”

“Couple of years maybe,” her father answered, “You also remember, that if she dies, so do I?”

“Yes,” Allison said, more tears streaming and at a much bigger pace.

If she lost her parents, she would have nothing. Her grandfather disowned them and she didn’t know any other family except for the ones she grew up with. Her dad told her that his own siblings didn’t even know he existed. At the time, it was more for his safety, but now, it was because he was seen as a traitor in his father’s eyes.

Allison had no idea her father was a supernatural, he had kept that hidden from her, but sooner or later she would need to know, because even though she was born human, there was a chance she could shift. She would also have no choice in the department of bonding.

“There is something else we should tell you, the reason why my father disowned me,” her father said.

“I thought you said it was because he didn’t approve of mom,” Allison grumbled.

“Which is partially true,” her mother said.

“It is also because your mother and I were not supposed to be together according to my laws.”

“Your laws?” Allison asked, confused.

“Yes. You see, I am not a human, I am a supernatural known as a shifter. My animal counterpart is a griffin. Our laws that we have, prevent us from having relationships with humans, but there are some of us that have no choice. I became bonded to your mother.”

“Bonded?” Allison asked.

“It means that I life for only her. The same will eventually happen to you. I don’t know if you are a shifter, as you were born human,” her father explained, “My father disowned me for being with a human, having a child with a human and telling that human about our world.”

“Still along the lines of didn’t approve,” Allison said, slightly laughing.

“Yes. May I ask what you saw this time?”

“It’s the same every time. Dalziel destroys the village and murders me. He goes from this good-looking human boy to this all black body with black and brown dragon like wings, red spikes along the neck and back, sharp teeth, red eyes,” she sighed, wiping her tears.

“Doesn’t that sound like the creature from Heritage Park last year?” Julie asked.

“It does, but he was killed.”

Allison wasn’t entirely surprised by what her father had told her about being a supernatural. The problem, was that if she lost her parents, she had no one. Her father said that his siblings didn’t know he existed, but did he know their names, so that maybe she could seek help with them.

“Do you know your sibling’s names?” Allison asked, tearing up again.

“Yes, why?”

“Because, maybe they see things like you do and might be able to help me when you two are gone,” she sighed.

“Well, my sister is of no use, she died when her children were born. Chance is MIA, and no one really knows where he is. My step brother was killed last year, and Raska is somewhere in Mission, so unfortunately, I don’t really know much other than that,” he said, quietly.

“Oh,” she said.

“Sorry sweetie,” he said, kissing her forehead.

“That’s okay, maybe I can find them one day,” she said, half smiling.

Two years later

Allison screamed and cried in the hospital room as her mother drifted into the afterlife, she looked over at her father, who was barely breathing. This couldn’t be happening to her. She needed her parents, they were the only ones that knew what she was going through, the only ones that cared.

“Is there someone we can call?” the doctor asked, sadly.

“No! No! I have no one!” she screamed, “All I ever known is in this room, one is dead and the other is slipping into the afterlife!”

“I’m sorry for your losses,” he sighed, looking from the mother to the father and then to the distraught daughter.

“Admit me!” she screamed.

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“Admit me to the psywar! I cannot be alone; I cannot live like this! I don’t want the nightmares, the memories! Make them stop!” she shrieked.

“Alright, alright. I’ll have a nurse escort you down there, but I need to know the situation,” he said.

“This isn’t my life! I had a different life, before Dalziel destroyed it!”

“My name is Dr. West, I’ll keep a close eye on you and your progress while you are here,” he said, allowing the nurse to take Allison to the ward.

“They’ll never stop, they’ll never go away! If I’m alone, I will end my own life!” she screamed.

To be continued…