Page 31 of Monsters of Desire and Nightmares of Passion

My younger self turns to face her. “What?”

“Did ya kiss?”

My younger self makes an embarrassed face and turns red.

“You kissed.”

Before I can say anything to Emily, our teacher stares at us and we both freeze. The beautiful woman is statuesque and commands attention. She’s at least six feet tall and drop dead gorgeous. She wears a red sweater and a pair of tight jeans topped with the cutest pair of high heeled boots. The teacher looks over at my young self and Emily.

“Ivy, Emily, I know you’ve already met your Shadows, but would you honor us with your attention?”

“Yes ma’am,” Emily says.

My young self replies, “Yes, mom.”

Was that my mother? This creature who could have been a Goddess is my mother?

I move closer to her, wanting to see her better. She can’t see me. I stretch my hand toward her, wanting to touch her, make sure she’s real.

“Mom?” I ask like a silly little girl, forgetting for a moment this I only a memory and that they can’t see me. I assume my brain decides to give me candy and offers me memories and wonderful flashbacks before death.

“Good. Now focus, girls. We’re getting to the hard part. It’s time to talk about The Church of Light.”

A slow murmur moves through the class and the energy level changes.

“Griz told me about them. They’re scary,” Emily whispers to my younger self. My present self hears everything crystal clear.

“Girls.” my mother calls us out again.

We both look down.

“The Church of Light has been the enemy of the Shadows since the beginning of time. They want to gain control over the world of dreams and influence humans to do their bidding. This is why you need to learn to use your abilities. You also need to start fight classes and learn to defend yourself.”

“My Shadows will always protect me,” says a girl with weird teeth and braces.

“They’ll protect us, but we need to be able to defend ourselves. The Church of Light will use all means possible to hit us. They’ll possess people. They’ll summon Demons to hurt you. They have witches who work for them. They play dirty, so we need to as well.”

“Why are so many people willing to join them?” Emily asks. I’m suddenly so very proud of my best friend.

“That’s a great question,” my mother answers. “People are easily seduced by the promise of youth, wealth, and power. It’s those three that The Church of Light uses to attract members. Think about their name. The Church of Light. It was chosen to sound good, as if they’re the righteous ones, the ones trying to push us back, the people who are allied with the Shadows. But there’s no life without the Shadows, and the leaders of The Church of Light know that. Balance is the most sacred force in the Universe.”

My mother stops and looks at the scared faces staring back at her.

“You don’t have to worry. Our homes are protected by strong wards and mighty spells, and your Shadows will always be there for you.”

The last thing she said hit so close to home. My Shadows never left me, not even during the moments I couldn’t remember them.

The memory starts to end and pushes me back to the corridor. I want to stay longer with Mom and Emily. Something inside me tells me I’ve lost both and there is no chance to ever see them alive. My fingers brush over my mother’s hand just before the memory ends and I’m thrown outside of the classroom.

“Draw, Khal, Mrez. I have no idea if you can hear me. Damn, I have no idea if I’m still alive, but I know now you’re real and that you’re my friends. I feel it in my heart. I wish I could say thank you, Khal, for protecting me from Dr. Martin. I’m so sorry I ran from you and took so many pills to make sure you didn’t access my dreams. Please, come back to me.”

Despair fills me and I drop to my knees, my hands pushing my hair back. What if I will myself to wake up? I was in a coma before but can’t remember anything from that time. All I know is that one day I woke up in a hospital bed. I couldn’t recall dreams like this one.

The sound of an opening door attracts my attention. I glance in that direction. Another room waits for me to explore it. I enter.

Everything changes, both the mood and time of day. It’s night and I’m in a large bedroom with a huge bed. Draw, Mrez, and Khal are there but they look different, like versions of Johnny Depp from his movies. One looks like Johnny in Edward Scissorhands, only minus the scissors. It’s Mrez, his mouth closed in silence. The other looks like Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and, last but not least, we have a cartoon-inspired Victor. And I’m not young anymore. It’s after my eighteenth birthday all three Johnny Depps are doing unspeakable things to me. I feel as if I’m intruding on a very personal moment and stumble over my feet as I quickly leave the room.

My face is hot with embarrassment and arousal. Part of me is so tempted to open the door and have a look. I’ve fantasized about all three of them. The blush creeps all the way down to my chest and neck. I push open the door a few inches and peek inside for a moment.

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