Fire races along the sides of my bed, engulfing the wood and brass frame of my childhood bedroom. The walls begin to melt, wallpaper curling and blackening at the flames licking up and along the wall. Burning, melting flesh hits my nose, and I double over, gagging. For a second, I believe it’s my skin, but when I stretch out my hands, turning them palms up, nothing but untouched, perfect skin displays before me. That’s when I look further into the room. A shadowy figure stands inside, shifting from side to side on my engulfed mattress. She giggles, light and airy, and steps down from the bed, walking through the flames without care. Her long, raven black hair swings in a braid behind her, leaving her large and sharp brown eyes open to the world. Stopping in front of me, Ebony leans in, hands clasped behind her back. Her lips graze my earlobe, deliberately enjoying the shiver that shudders down my back. “You will lose everything,” she whispers. “Starting with Jayson.” Slowly, my eyes opened, fear jolting my chest at the vast darkness that surrounded me.
