The afternoon air is crisp and cold, dancing along a tiny girl's bare shoulders as she rolls down the windows. She shivers slightly as the air turns into a rushing wind, slapping at her cheeks.
Angered by its sudden force, she rolls up the window quickly, lunging at her beautiful mother for comfort.
"Now, now, sweet child, calm down," the goddess says, the words melting like butter through her lips.
Her hair was a deep ruby red, her eyes as green as a meadow on a bright summer day. Her daughter has the same features, sharing almost no likeness with her dad.
However, the girl is blessed with her father's enchanting, hearty laugh and quiet personality.
The girl is sniffling in the woman's embrace, reveling in the warmth the lady gives. Now she is not crying because of the ferocious wind, but because of the foreboding laced through the air, the foreboding only she can sense.
It brings with it great cold, its deathly claws sinking into the girl's tiny body.
The foreboding morphs in an instant to a bone-crushing fear, amplifying the chills that are resounding throughout her body, making her heart ache.
It is like spikes of ice are being driven through her chest, even the air freezing from cold and raw terror.
Everything around the little girl suddenly turns black, although she can still see the green of her mother's eyes, the back of her father's head as he maneuvers them down the winding road.
It seems to be in the girls mind, although her vision is still perfect. The girl starts screaming now, the whole world going dark before her eyes.
Her mother's arms do nothing to calm her, for she has lost all traces of sanity.
Or maybe not.
Suddenly, all these strange symptoms begin to come together as out of the darkness, a creature emerges.
With a body like a cloud, and truly horrendous fiery eyes, it is a thing like no other. A spirit. A ghoul.
She screams, "MONSTER!" but her mother does not see.
The expression of horror on the girl's face is not gracing her mother's fair complexion. She is just looking at her daughter in bafflement, not at the true cause of it all.
Why can't she detect the supernatural beast?
Then, the living fear stares at the girl, terrorizing her with a single look. The eyes burn like lasers through her skin, reaching deep into her soul.
Through those eyes, she sees hell.
Then it vanishes, and the world slightly brightens. But the cold is still there. The fear is vibrant, thriving in the tiny truck.
Where did it go? She can sense its presence, its disgusting scent hanging below her nostrils.
Suddenly, her father's body becomes as stiff as a board, and she knows.
It is then that the little girl realizes that nothing is ever going to be the same again.
My eyes fly open, not willing to experience the nightmare once more. The cold claws of fear are gripping at my chest, just like it had years and years ago, the memories striking fury in my chest.
It is endless, preserved in my scarred mind, raining upon me like millions of death blows. Poison, making me rot from the inside.
Why am I suffering like this? What have I done to deserve such a terrible demolition of my chances at a normal life?
I stare out the window, watching the orange and blinding yellow ripple across the sky as the majestic golden globe rises, wondering just where the stars go when faced with such magnificent light.
They just seem to fade into the background as the main attraction emerges, as if they don't matter. As if the sun is more important than the twinkling jewels in the horizon.
There is a rustle beside me on the hard bed, alerting my senses. I turn, my mind still foggy with confusion...
An extremely handsome man lays beside me, bent in slumber. His eyelashes are long and enviable, peace befalling his flawless features.
His face is unobstructed by silly facial expressions, in its purest form. I blink, confused on why exactly this man is here.
Do I know him? Why is he in my bed?
And why is his hand wrapped around my waist?
In a flash, different memories begin to fill my thoughts like a flood, everything from the night before rushing back to me. My embarrassing moment of vulnerability.
My uncharacteristic kindness. The dastardly werewolf that took advantage of my stupidity.
With all my might, I push his form off the mattress, smiling in satisfaction when he collides with the floor.
"What did I do?" Caleb moans, his sparkling emerald eyes squinting in pain.
His blue hair catches the sunlight, making it shimmer like a rainbow. I glance, awestruck, at the pure opulence before me, then quickly look away.
I can't be distracted by his deathly charm.
"What did you do to me? Why are you in my bed?!"
I roar, causing him to jump up and zoom to my side. He slaps a giant hand over my mouth, his movement so fast that it is blurry.
"What are you thinking?" he scolds in a scathing whisper.
"Do you want me to get discovered? Do you want to get in even more trouble? Idiot."
His eyes are fierce, demanding respect and authority.
I rip his hands away from my mouth, anger like fiery hot sparks pumping through my blood.
"Answer my question, wolfboy," I snarl.
He shrugs, obviously amused by my accusation.
"Remember last night? When you told me to get on the bed beside you?" his voice is teasing, like chiding a child.
"When you fell asleep crying into my arms?"
"Shut up," I almost choke.
"I don't remember."
"Yes, you do," he murmurs with a chuckle.
"I can see it in your face. You are a terrible liar, you know."
He is right. If I think back, I can still feel the tingle of warmth that had encompassed me, friendship in the air. I was an absolute wreck last night, and ashamed of it.
"But you didn't have to stay in my bed!"
I protest angrily, my words ripping through the air towards his ears. He laughs genially, confusing me greatly.
"You should think of me for one freaking minute," he demands, his voice persuasive and angered.
"I was the one that endured your stupidity. I was the one that had to lay beside my mate for seven to eight hours, trying to resist you. You know when mates usually bond?"
"Bond? What? When?" I ask.
"The minute they are mated," he points out, "Desire is incredibly strong between two mates until bonding occurs. Then, after that, they are somewhat subdued. My pull towards you is so great... it takes every ounce of my strength to hold back."
He looks pained as he speaks, not looking at my face.