"Tell me the story again, mother!"

"Again? I've already told you that story," the mother said while smiling at the tucked in child.

The boy looked at her with his teal doe eyes, "It's my 4th birthday tomorrow and you barely tell me stories anymore... please just one more about Amaranthire, pleaseee?"

The mother couldn't resist the boy's adorable pleas. "As you wish Adonis, once more," she smiled down at him. Adonis snuggled into the warm bed sheets, grinning in anticipation.

"Five hundred years ago, vampires mysteriously came into existence. They were poor outcasts that hid in the woods, and were hunted by humans. One hundred years later, a girl named Amaranth was born with special powers. She was a strong, brave, and intelligent warrior. After researching for years, she created Amaranthire, the realm of vampires. Our savior, Queen Amaranth, has ruled over Amaranthire ever since, giving vampires like me and you a home. The end!"

Adonis clapped his tiny hands in applause, and his mother took a small bow while giggling.

The boy's smile faded as he looked up at the ceiling in thought. "I don't understand something... how do soulmates work?"

The mother raised her eyebrows, taken aback by her son's query. "When you find someone that makes your mind and heart ache, makes you think irrationally, and fills your thoughts with only them, that means you've found your soulmate."

Adonis frowned, "That sounds like a terrible cold."

His mother laughed to herself, "Yeah, it is something like that. Love is like catching the flu, but only your soulmate holds the cure. You'll understand when you're older, now go to sleep sweetheart."

The child nodded and snuggled into the sheets before drifting to sleep. His mother kissed his forehead, her smile quickly fading as she heard a baby's cry. Having a peaceful sleep was something Adonis took for granted back then, but now he'd do anything to have dreams instead of traumatic nightmares. To be ignorant to all the evil in the world, that's all he wishes for.

***

"Don't do this..." a woman shakily muttered. She watched the man across from her, who was holding her daughter at gun point.

"Mommy, I don't want to die... help me..." the girl pleaded with tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried holding in her sobs.

"You took EVERYTHING from me," the man snapped at the woman. "Now... I'll take everything. from. you."

"WAIT NO—"

The sound of a gunshot rang, it was too late.

Adonis jolted awake, hyperventilating and gripping the sheets as cold sweat dripped from his body. The image of the girl's bloody, ruined face was fresh in his mind as the scene repeated over and over again in his head.

He ran to his bathroom, prepared to retch if needed. Adonis gripped the sink to support himself and looked into the mirror. His dark skin looked pale, his cheeks blushed a faint red, and the dripping sweat made strands of black hair stick to his face.

One, two, three, four, five... Adonis repeated to himself, trying to control his breathing. His vision turned darker and dizzying. Looking away from the mirror, he set his gaze to the floor. There he saw the dead girl with her head splattered to pieces next to him.

One, two, three, four, five... He shakily repeated, trying the hallucination disappear.

One.

two..

three...