I glance back, and the scene behind me with little Clarissa and her mother is gone. There's nothing but darkness... Damn it, what now? I don't like this. Moreover, the air is starting to get colder. I feel it, like a chill going down to my bones. I try to ignore it. I know it's not real. I have to remember this is just a dream. A dream that looks like it’s about to turn into a damn nightmare...
"What is it?" she chuckles. "Is the little witch scared?"
"I'm not scared of you," I hiss, "and I am no longer a little witch. I can control my powers and–"
"Yourpowers?" she suddenly says, louder. "Those aren't your powers, are they? Didn't Clarissa Garnett give them to you? You don't have any powers."
I stay speechless. What the... What the hell is going on? She steps closer to me. I want to step back, but my feet feel like they are suddenly glued to the ground. What the actual hell, there is no ground, this is a dream! Yet, I feel them freeze. I can't move, it does literally nothing when I try. It's the cold, taking over my feet. It's not even... cold anymore. It's ice cold and making me feel more numb each second.
"You don't have powers, you're just a replacement... Nothing you have is yours, is it? That family. Those werewolves... None of them really like you, do they?"
"Shut up," I growl. "You don't know anything."
"Oh, I know," she chuckles. "You're nothing but a broken soul... A patchwork made of random broken pieces. You take what you get and you survive, thinking you're legit... Aren't you scared?"
The cold crawls up my legs as I try to fight it. I need to get out of this. I need to get out of here. She comes closer, but I don't want her any closer. I try to get mad, to look for my inner flame. Yet, my fire is surprisingly small now, as if this cold was affecting it too. Why? Why can't I get out of here? I'm getting really nervous now and this sense of danger is scaring me.
"You're not Sylviana," I hiss. "You're that curse."
She chuckles, and her appearance changes. Damn, I knew it. Now that I've uncovered her, she doesn't care about playing around and it will just get worse... I see her shift until she takes the traits of a similar woman with darker hair, blue eyes... I would swear this has to be Nephera. She tilts her head.
"Mara, Mara," she sings. "Even your name isn't really yours. You stole their body... their powers... little nameless thief... Mara, the thief with a fake name..."
"Stop it. You know nothing about me, you're just a curse. All those dark feelings those other witches had."
"And you? You think you can escape them?"
Right now, I'm not sure I can. The closer she comes, the colder I get. I don't feel well. I'm shivering like crazy, and I can't feel my legs anymore. The damn irony. I've known the pain of getting burnt, now I'm going through the opposite... I look around but Spark is gone. I'm suddenly hit by a new wave of cold, and I'm really not feeling well.
"Even Liam..." she suddenly whispers, changing back into Sylviana. "You stole what wasn't yours... Your mate? You think you deserve a mate that wasn't intended for you? Something else you stole from someone... like a scavenger..."
"Get the fuck off me," I growl. "Liam is mine. Not yours, not anyone else's. Mine."
Hearing her talk about my mate fuels my anger and my fire. I don't want her to talk about him. I struggle more. I need to get out of here now!
"You're a liar... You're nothing but–"
"I'm a fucking witch, you damn bitch of a curse. So now, you getOFF ME!"
I focus on my flame, getting ready to let it all out. It’s now or never. She has to go. I'm cold, I'm so cold that I can't feel my legs, my chest, and soon, my hands... I can't let my flame die out. I can't keep listening to her. I prepare my fire, growing like a storm inside of me, and I'm about to spit it out when she suddenly disappears.
An earthquake takes over, my body is shaking.
"Mara!"
I finally open my eyes.
"Moon Goddess," says Liam. "Mara, can you hear me? Are you okay?"
W-where…? How…?
I nod instinctively, but I'm not okay. It takes me a few seconds to realize where I am. Liam's bed. Liam's arms. He's holding me, looking panicked. I'm still confused, but Liam keeps shaking me and rubbing my arms to keep me awake, until he's sure I am. I'm shivering like crazy and still feeling cold as hell.
"W-wha-…?"
"Mara, are you okay?" he asks again.
"I... I'm cold," I finally blurt out.
