As I raced across the field towards the garden, I knew Mrs. Perez would be at the house for my lessons in a few minutes. The moment she didn't find me there—again—she'd run back to the school buildings and tell Mama.

  Mama would sigh and mutter something about getting me another babysitter, then she'd drag daddy along to come fetch me, and Mama would drag me out of here.

  I'd definitely go down fighting though.

  We'd head home and she'd shout at me about being the most difficult 10 year old she'd ever met, as daddy tries and fails to calm her down. By tomorrow, she would've found another way to keep me in the house and out of here.

  But I couldn't care less.

  As I got closer, I saw some gardeners standing at the garden's entrance and rolled my eyes. Like they could stop me. I quickly ducked in the tall grass, thinking fast.

  When I had a plan I grinned, slowly stretched my left arm out, and held out my hand towards a particular patch of grass. I took a deep breath, then snapped my fingers. The grass caught fire immediately, thank the Mother, it worked.

  Since it was summer, the fire rapidly spread, the smell of smoke filling the air. The gardeners noticed and their eyes widened in panic, one racing towards the fire while the other two dashed into the garden.

  Some seconds later they ran out, dragging a hose behind them. As they tried to get rid of the growing flames, I snuck past their turned backs into the garden.

  Once inside, I dusted my blue dress and walked further down the stone path. I frowned, knowing the fire would keep them busy for a bit, so I couldn't stay long.

  I kinda felt bad about the what I did, but I knew all they needed to do was get a witch who had earth magic over there and the field would be as good as new.

  What bothered me more was knowing I'd have to find a new way to get in. But as I admired the beauty around me, I knew it was worth it.

  The garden was my favorite place in the world. Coming here was like stepping into a different realm, one lit up with endless colors. It was magical and I wasn't going to let anyone take this away from me.

  Not even Mama.

  She always claimed she was just trying to protect me. Protect me from the pain she knew I felt every time I came here to be with all these beautiful plants, looking but never touching.

  Never touching.

  Because the moment I laid a finger on any of them... they'd die. Crumble to ash.

  But I knew it was deeper than that. I knew she was also trying to protect herself from something. I didn't, however, know why, and she'd probably never say. But I planned to find out.

  I smiled sadly as I stood in front of the Lady of Thorns, my favorite plant. I'd found out one time I snuck into the library that it was the result of an experiment of a sorcerer, who was obsessed with creating new plants.

  It was also the cause of his death, said to have ripped him to shreds.

  It was so pretty with its huge black and white flowers that were shaped like buttercups. Most people thought it was vicious because of its lengthy spiked vines that spread out like tentacles and tore apart everything in their path.

  Magical stones were placed around it, to keep it at bay. I didn't think being both beautiful and vicious was bad though.

  "Hi, friend," I whispered, with a smile.

  I absentmindedly raised my hand to touch it but just before I did, I realized my mistake and quickly pulled my hand back, scratching my arm against one of its thorns.

  "Ouch!" I exclaimed, glancing down at my arm.

  Thankfully, it wasn't worse than I thought. I quickly looked up to make sure the Lady of Thorns was unharmed. I'd killed some plants before—something I hated—and I didn't want to add this one to the list.

  Fortunately, it hadn't turned into a pile of ashes, just had my blood on it. I got worried when I saw that, knowing it could give me away. For once I really didn't want to get caught.

  For a moment, I thought I saw one of its flowers glow faintly, but when I blinked it was gone. Must've imagined it.

  As I turned to look for something to clean the blood, a gardener walked in. Our eyes locked and his face twisted into one of surprise, then annoyance.

  Oh. No.

  "Hey, it's you again!" he shouted, his icy blue eyes narrowing.

  My gaze widened and darted around, looking for an escape route and finding none. That meant my only way out was behind him. Great.

  With his huge build and incredibly pale skin, he was probably a vampire, which meant I had to catch him off guard, since he was definitely faster than me.

  Just as he charged at me, and I stretched out my hand to knock him off his feet with a gust of air, a huge vine shot out from behind me and wrapped around his left ankle.

  He yelped as it knocked him off his feet and wound higher up his leg, digging into his flesh, leaving dark red circles on his navy blue overalls.

  What in the realms?

  I turned around in shock, mouth agape. The vines of the Lady of Thorns writhed like snakes, the flowers glowing. What in the name of the gods?! How'd it get past the stones' protective barrier?

  Did I do something?

  A scream had me whirling around to face the gardener. I nearly screamed myself, recoiling when I saw more vines had wrapped around him from head to toe.

  My horror grew and I stumbled back as they plunged deep into his skin and harshly pulled out, taking chunks of flesh with them. Blood gushed out like waterfalls, flooding the ground.

  This couldn't be real.

  "Help! Make it stop! Help me, please!" he cried in agony, struggling fiercely, but the vines only went deeper.

  My breaths came out in pants as I wondered why no one was coming. Surely they would've heard his screams by now.

  His teary eyes met mine, and I saw the plea in them—until two vines gouged them out, leaving behind two bloody holes.

  I should've passed out then or thrown up at least. I should've run to get help or tried to save him myself.

  But I only watched.

  I watched as his shrieks took on a higher note, and I started seeing more bone than flesh. Since he wasn't human he didn't die as fast, which only prolonged his torture.

  A vine slowly wrapped itself around his throat, tightening the more he battled to pry it off. It wound tighter and tighter, making his face bulge like a balloon.

  Until his head suddenly popped clean off his shoulders and landed at my feet.

  Blood rained down on me as his headless body hit the ground with a sick thud. My insides twisted as I slowly looked down at it, his mouth agape in a silent scream.

  For a few minutes I waited for people to show up, surely they would. During that time different emotions ran through me, leaving me cold to the bone.

  Fear, revulsion, intrigue, satisfaction and, finally... pleasure.

  When no one appeared a smile crept up my lips, as I again studied the fascinating sight before me. For some reason it filled me with utter delight.

  Now I knew what Mama tried to protect herself from—not the destruction I caused, but how much I enjoyed it.

  ???

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "The gardener's screams still echoed in my ears when I woke up... it was... haunting. Well, that was where the dream ended. Crazy right?" I asked Brett who sat opposite me, looking absolutely petrified.

  He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Um—"

  "I know right!" I slammed my hands on the desk between us for emphasis before leaning back on my black swivel chair.

  "I'm so glad you agree with me, and trust me it's not even the worst I've had. There was one I had a week ago, now that was crazy. So, I have a doll named Peggy, love that doll, really precious to me."

  "Bel—" he began, but I cut him off.

  "It was actually a gift from my dad and she's sooo pretty, especially her brown hair! I'd spend hours combing it as a kid. My favorite hairstyle for her was pigtails, and I'd always put these pretty little pink ribbons at the end. Adorable right?"

  "I—"

  "I knew you'd find it adorable," I said, a smile spreading across my face.

  "I always wanted to dye her hair red, promised her I would. So in the nightmare, I woke up at night on my bed and found that I was tied with... pink ribbons! And worse than that, Peggy sat on my stomach, and she was..." I paused for the dramatic effect.

  "Alive! I know, I couldn't believe it either."

  "I—"

  "And as if that wasn't crazy enough, she held a pocket knife! It was actually a knife I stole from my mother when I was five," I giggled while Brett seemed to get paler by the minute.

  "I had a billion and one questions. How was Peggy alive? Why was she giving Tiffany Valentine vibes? Why did the pink ribbons seem to be destructible?" I took a moment to catch my breath.

  "Anyway, when I went into panic mode and start screaming for help, she said she just wanted to finally get her hair dyed red—then she plunged the knife right into my left cheek," I said casually.

  "Horrible, right? Painful too, cause I screamed louder than a newborn baby. And while I shouted in pure agony, realizing she was going to use my blood as hair dye, all she did was laugh!"

  Brett looked as white as a ghost at that point, no surprise there.

  "I heavily doubt blood can be used as hair dye, but Peggy probably didn't know that or just didn't care, since she continued tearing through my flesh like it was butter. And I'm sure you're wondering, did it end there?"

  Brett's mouth opened but I went on. "Well I'm the unluckiest person in the realms, so no. I had to live through every stab, every happy cackle of hers, and it felt so real! It felt so real..."

  I broke off, hating my mind when it ran through all the gruesome moments I desperately wanted to forget. It was just like my body to betray me.

  "It felt like it went on for eternity, and no matter how much I fought I couldn't break free. Eventually, when my throat was too sore to scream and the metallic smell of blood was too suffocating, I realized my struggles were useless and just... surrendered to the darkness. And I woke up."

  I was silent for a moment, then plastered a smile on my face.

  "When I did, I immediately looked all over myself for as much as a scratch—then I grabbed Peggy from her place at my bedside table and locked her in the drawer of my vanity. I don't want to get rid of her, so the drawer will just have to do. Hopefully, she won't find a way out of there and murder me in my sleep." I laughed to hide the shiver that ran through me.

  "If she doesn't, she's definitely gonna be in there for as long as I live, which will definitely be for some centuries, the Mother willing. I know this is a lot for you, even as a therapist."

  Brett gave me a weird look. "I'm not a therapist, Bel. I'm a guidance counselor, of this school."

  "Ohhhhh," I drew out and took a look around his office. It was kinda cute, with little plants here and there, and some pictures of his pet goldfish on his desk.

  Speaking of his desk, he really needed to tidy it up.

  "You really need to tidy up this place," I mumbled, staring at the stacks of papers, empty coffee cups, and other random stuff.

  "Excuse me?" he asked, offended.

  Wait, did I say that out loud?

  "What I meant to say is... Look I know you're a guidance counselor, but I felt that since you are a guidance counselor, you'd have some knowledge or experience that could help with my problem."

  His brown eyes narrowed. "Well I don't. I deal with students complaining over not being asked out to homecoming—not psychotic dolls or flesh-ripping plants."

  "Really?" I already knew that.

  "Yeahhh. Don't you have a therapist?" he asked with, eyes shining with concern.

  Well... "Oh a therapist? That's a really good question. I've had a lot of those over the years. They never helped though."

  His lips pressed into a thin line. "Okay understandable. But why not ask a family member for help? Like your mom?"

  "Oh mama? She'd just brush it off, say it's nothing serious. Probably just my overactive imagination," I said with a nonchalant shrug.

  Tell Mama? I'd rather take my chances.

  He gave me an incredulous look. "I don't think having nightmares on and off from childhood, and then almost every night for the past one year is the result of an overactive imagination."

  "Well, you know my mother would say so," I replied with a strained smile.

  He nodded in understanding, knowing better than to push me on this. "Okay, but what about Gemini? I'm sure you've told her about what's going on."

  "She's aware, actually recommended listening to the 'calming sounds of nature' on my phone before I sleep," I explained, doing air quotations.

  "You know, the soothing sound of ocean waves, the relaxing sound of rustling leaves."

  "Did it work?" His voice was held hope.

  "It did. For three days."

  Frustrated, he ran a hand through his tussled brown hair, then his eyes lit up.

  "Ok, I've got an idea. Like I said earlier, I can't help but I know a guy. He's an actual therapist," he explained, shooting me a dirty look and I smiled sheepishly.

  "I know all the ones you've seen prior were unsuccessful, but he's highly recommended. I advise you see him and tell him of your... peculiar problem. He's human, but we were close friends in college so I trust him."

  I nodded, even though I had my doubts. "Okay Brett, thanks a lot for listening. I think I just needed someone talk to since Gemi's been so busy lately."

  His eyes softened, mouth curving into a warm smile. "No problem, Bel. You're my friend and I'm so sorry about all you've been going through. I assure you, it'll get better."

  I was touched by his concern. "Thanks again Brett, it means a lot."

  We stared at each other in silence, before he spoke. "So um... I and some coworkers are going to town this weekend."

  "Really? Lemme guess, they're members of your pack." I replied, a smirk playing on my lips.

  He scoffed, glaring at me but I only wiggled my eyebrows in response.

  "Yes, my pack," he muttered begrudgingly.

  "Aww, you've finally admitted it. That only took centuries," I said with an eye roll.

  He sent me another withering look. "Well, its only expected. It's not everyday you finally decide to join a new pack after yours was wiped out."

  My grin faded, guilt taking its place. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so thoughtless."

  He chuckled, a small smile on his lips. "Relax Bel, it's been six months. And yeah it was hard dealing with the grief, then moving here and slowly opening up to everyone. But I've moved on and I'm happy here at Everdawn Academy."

  I sighed in relief. "That's great, so happy you've settled in."

  "Yeah, things have changed, but it's a good change... Well, except my new hate for humans, that hasn't changed," he spat the last part out with disgust.

  Not this again. "Brett we've talked about this. I understand you're angry but—"

  "You actually don't understand. They killed off my entire pack, I only survived cause I wasn't home. We weren't even that many, so it was easier for them," he snapped, eyes lit up with rage, but mostly hurt.

  "All cause they claimed we were too close to a human town, which is a load of nonsense because we lived miles away in the woods. Besides, our pack had been leaving on earth for generations, and not one day did we ever harm anyone."

  "But Brett, it was just a couple of hateful hunters that did so, not the entire human population. And they've been punished by both the human government and the council for breaking the treaty," I responded softly.

  I tried to talk as calmly as possible even more so when his eyes briefly glowed yellow. Seemed this was an even more touchy subject for his wolf.

  "Punished? The only thing they got were lives of servitude in the fae realm, cause everyone's trying to keep the non-existent peace. They should've been killed like how they slaughtered my family, my baby sister. And they call us the monsters."

  I let out a sigh. "Okay Brett, I get you're hurt more than I could ever understand. But you've gotta let this hate go."

  I reached for his hand on the desk and gave it a squeeze. "It's only gonna eat you up, and deep down you know that not all humans are bad. You literally just recommended one to me. You've gotta let go. Please?"

  He stared at his desk for a while, and I was about to let go when he looked up and slowly nodded.

  "Okay."

  "Great," I said with a smile and pulled back.

  We stared at each other for a beat before he blurted out, "Go with us."

  "What?" I asked, confused.

  "Go with us to town," he said, clasping his hands together and twiddling with his thumbs.

  What is it me, or did he suddenly look nervous? "Isn't it a werewolves-only thing?"

  He shook his head. "Nope, others are coming along, Gemi too."

  My brows rose to my hairline, my face filled with shock as I spoke. "Gemi's going?"

  "Yeah. Didn't she tell you?"

  "Maybe it slipped my mind," I answered through clenched teeth, smiling to hide my anger. She was so dead.

  "Oh okay. So would you come?" he asked, face bright with expectation.

  "I know you don't go out much but I promise it'll be fun. We plan to go to this amusement park that newly opened, then all the girls wanna go shopping, and afterwards we'll head to the movies. You'll even have the opportunity to get something for your birthday—"

  "Okay Brett, I get the point." I said, laughing at how flustered he was.

  His cheeks reddened. "Oh, sorry."

  "Yeah. I'll think about it, give you my answer tomorrow."

  His mouth curved into wide smile. "Well at least you didn't say no. I really hope you come."

  "Well we'll see, won't we?" I said, with a smile of my own as I stood up and smoothed out my clothes.

  "Anyway, I have to go now. Have things to do,"—Gemis to murder—"so see you later Brett, thanks for your time again."

  He nodded, smile still present. "Anytime, Bel. See you this weekend. Hopefully."

  I let out a laugh and headed out, shutting the door behind me. Maybe I'd go.

  Maybe.