Chapter 16

            Melissa entered her room, closing the door behind her. All her surroundings started to be fuzzy, unknown, and distant around her. She just couldn't believe everything that had happened to her in the past days. "I'll be 21 soon. I don't know anything about it. Do I really have powers?" 

            She stood in front of their larger mirror next to her bed. As the questions and doubts flooded her mind, like a dam about to overflow and give in after a heavy rain pour. Wanting to know what everything really meant. Everybody but her seemed to know her better than she knew herself. And all this was starting to annoy her. 

            Taking her clothes off and remembering her dream. "It was surely a vivid dream", she said out loud while undoing her long ponytail, as black silk cascade down her back. After combing her hair, she then proceeded to walk towards the bathtub, opening the faucet she let the water run. As she went back to stand in front of the mirror while the bathtub was filling. 

            Her mind wandering, thinking about everything that had happened until now. She remembered the night at the train, the ripping sounds, Adel's stunning features, then waking up on her bed. For some reason that night wasn't hunting her in her dreams and that was a good thing or so she though. Although she didn't remember how she got to her house. She needed to ask that part to Adel or Anastasia about the matter. There were still some things that were not clear.

            She thought about Adel and Blaze. Her conversations with Anastasia, and Flavio even though she wasn't clear about anything it was a start. Adel had told her that she needed to find answers by herself, but how could she do that? She asked herself while turning around and getting into the bathtub. She needed to relax. She needed to find a way to know a little bit more about herself.

            As she entered the bathtub the warm water felt so good in her sore and sweaty body. She looked at her nails, there were still traces off Blaze's skin between them. She could vividly remember how fast his face healed after she scratched him. 

            She was still mad about this, why did he do that? Why he forced a kiss on her? What was he expecting her to do? go along with it? Well, her response she was sure was one that he never had expected, and he deserved it. "He behaved like a real animal". She said while grabbing the scrubbing sponge and cleaning her nails with it. 

            Her encounter with Adel was completely different, both men were like two sides of a coin. Blaze was rude, temperamental, and she could clearly see that he behaved based on emotions an instinct. Adel in the other hand, was cautious, tender but at the same time firm and decisive. She tried to find in her heart how she felt about them. But she could not find an answer. It was hard, it was a hard decision, and she didn't want to think about it right now.

            She thought that Blaze's instincts always got the best of him. And even though he forced an unwelcome welcome kiss on her. Deep inside her heart she liked it. She remembered the warmth of Blazes' body embracing her, like a wildfire that fell warmth and welcoming instead of scorching and painful. She could still feel her body trembling between his arms. She liked that feeling, she felt safe, protected even at the time. "But he kissed me without asking, and that's something I don't like" she said out loud touching her lips and feeling again the lingering sensation of his warmth breath on them.

"I need to clear my mind" snapping out of her sublime trance. To no avail, she starting to sink on her thoughts again, this time Adel flooded her mind. She wanted to talk to him again, wanted to see him, to feel his magnetism drawing her into him. Was it true that if she called him, he would appear in no time? Adel seem to be colder and more distant. But just the same a s Blaze she could feel her body burning in desire when he was near her. With him it seemed to be different, it was like her body wanted feel those two pools of blood that were his eyes as her body wanted to drown in them. She felt the same protectiveness that she felt with Blaze…. "Oh!!!" she exclaimed in defeat.  Her head was a mess "I can't be in love with both, can I?" 

            But how could she decide between them? It was almost impossible. They both have qualities that drew her to them. Instead of clearing her head she was even more confused. "I need to think about this later. I need to really concentrate". She finished deciding to give the matter a harder thought some other time. 

            Closing her eyes and trying to concentrate, starting to breathe in and out. Thinking about Adel words at the train. "Close your eyes Melissa and open them again. She then proceeded to open her eyes. To her surprise the room had a twilight aura on covering it, she remembered the night at the train, the people were also cover with this dark aura, was it her doing? 

            Maybe this was the reality Adel had told her before. She needed to test this theory. Closing her eyes again and thinking about her parents. Her Sweet 16 was beautiful, she remembered her light peach color dress that she wore that night and saw herself dancing with her father. Melissa smiled, then remembered the night when Flavio told her about her parents' death. How devastated she was. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. Her head was pounding, she could feel another migraine coming; but she took a deep breath trough her nose and exhaled through her mouth, relaxing even further. Keeping the same pace for a moment. And then, she started remembering about her dream. She started to relieve that dream at that moment, all the hands throughout her naked body, as her whole body began to sweat and tremble yearning a touch, a caress... 

            She started to touch herself, her body following the caressing hands that once roamed her body in her dream. Until she could feel her whole body, jerking and drowning into a sensual bliss. Her hands began to touch her summits with pleasure, and then they went south, snaking down like snakes, with mind of their own. Introducing her finger deep between her legs, it was like she wasn't the one moving her hands. It was them that were in total control of her, and she was willing to give into the sensation.

"Hello Melissa!", she heard a voice. "Who are you?" asked Melissa with a jolt all the sensation and the bliss of the moment gone, disappearing. Replacing her feelings with fear and horror, she looked around her, as black ashes flowed around herself, covering the room with an eerie aura that made her skin crawl. "I'm your mother".

"Show yourself," said Melissa.

"This is my true form" the voice said 

"How could it be? I thought you were a vampire" Melissa tried again, not knowing where to fix her eyes to speak with whoever was there with her.

"No, not really, I am a being... I just existed" The slithery voice said, as venom dripping from a snake mouth, poisonous and dangerous.

"How come I am a hybrid then? asked Melissa still in doubt of what she wants hearing.

"I existed a millennia ago. I always looking for perfection and humans were far from perfect. I searched far and wide. Not to brag about it, but I was the first demon that took human girl vessel; creating the very first vampire ever existed. That is how I came up with the perfect combination". 

            The somber voice was dangerous and friendly at the same time. It had a mix of sweetness and sourness, angelic and demonic as it continued.  "So, I kept existing in this world; until I fell in love. He was perfect! and we conceived you. But he betrayed me". The voice changed; this time Melissa could feel the hatred tone in it. 

"He dared to fix his eyes on another woman. I sought revenge" the voice said this like it was nothing. "How dare he leave me. I was with child, with you. I hated him so much for that, that was a huge mistake on his part. I knew that I had a weapon inside me, and I decided to use it". The voice at that very moment transformed into Melissa herself. Standing in front of her as she could see herself like she was looking at the mirror. 

"I created you" said the voice with devious tone. "You were my weapon. I knew he will betray me with more than one woman, and he did. I hunt them down, all his species. I killed them all; or so I though. But then it got to a point that they were too many. They kept reproducing and multiplying. Until I decided to get rid of them once and for all. I knew that it was your destiny to kill them all".

"And who decided that destiny? how do you think I feel right now? you cursed me. You conceived me, knowing that you will use me later. How could you?" Melissa asked with rage.

            The 'mirage' was walking in circles around Melissa, looking at her, studying her from head to toe. "Sweetie it's nothing personal; it was never about you". The mirage said like brushing the matter.

"You…you are such a calculating cold-hearted bitch". Melissa screamed; her eyes turned red like two volcanoes right before erupting. Turning completely into a vampire.

"My, my…" the mirage said, changing this time into flames "Yesssss… that's the rage I want to see. You're going to need that you know" 

"What am I doing here anyways". Melissa hissed. 

"Well… I don't know you tell me; we are inside your little head". The voice had and unbearable ironic tone into it. "You came here because you need help. I'm helping…. I'm your mom".

"Help? I didn't ask for your help. I don't need it now. How could you do this to me? How could you bring me into this world to suffer? To be the one who decides who lives and who dies. How could you…. you are not a mom; you are a monster". 

"You also are a monster dear" the voice noted, this time dropping Melissa into a chambered mirror. Melissa looked in horror she had turned into her wolf form. The voice was whispering into Melissa's ears "you see we are not that different dear".

            Melissa couldn't believe her eyes "she what a monster, she grew two sizes. Her eyes were dripping blood, as she started scratching herself. "This is not me. I'm not a monster, a monster that you created. You cursed me for the rest of my life, and I hate you for that. I will always hate you".

"Well," said the voice, "you are too late. I'm no longer here is just you. Your decisions, your conscience and those two monsters that live inside you". 

            Melissa saw herself, this time her body was split in two. One side was her werewolf form. Tall, hunched with protuberant ears and snout, her skin was ripped open giving space for her wolf muscles underneath it. The other side was pale like porcelain but with an eerie cracked and greyed finished. Her fangs were long protruding from her mouth. She looked like two demons in one. All her body looked like it had been burned.      Melissa in desperation started screaming and scratching herself, the more she destroyed her face the more diabolic her look was. She could not bear the sight of it. The voice was laughing maniacally, making Melissa more and more desperate. 

            Howling, hissing, and screaming but to no avail, just like in her nightmare, her screams didn't come forward, as she was trying in vain feeling like she was about to explode from the inside. Grabbing her neck as she though rage flowing through her veins. "I will kill the monsters; I will not let them live". She screamed snapping and clawing her way. Destroying the mirror room with her nails, all the glass shattered, and she went down just as the millions shards of glass falling into dark hole.