• “Jack!” I called out, seemingly to myself, as I ran through the darkness. My mind raced, but every moment I felt her presence. She was near, and she was weak. I soon heard labored breathing and knew, somehow, that she was just out of reach.
    I sighed deeply as seen her beautiful, crimson, hair flowing soundlessly in the moonlight.
    She was slumped limply against a tree. I stopped. Her chest moved slowly, and, with each breath, it seemed to get slower and slower.
    “Damn it, Jack,” I said as I made my way toward her. I knelt in a bed of grass and watched her carefully. “This is my fault,” I decided with conviction.
    She drew a sharp breath.
    “I should’ve stayed with you. I shouldn’t have left’” I continued, feeling tears accumulate at the corners of my eyes.
    “No,” she managed to choke out with effort. “You had t-to save,” she took another deep breath. “T-tibby.”
    And, for the first time, I actually saw her. Beneath the bruises and the cuts, I saw her pale skin, her maroon eyes and knew; knew that somehow, even though it seemed impossible, she would live. She would not die. And, as if she knew as well, she smiled. I smiled back and her eyes closed.
    She took one last, deep, breath and was suddenly still. My breath caught short.
    “J-jack,” I stuttered, but there was no reply. “No,” I whispered. “No!” My legs gave out under me and all my strength died away.
    Warm tears streamed down my face. I cried over her for hours. My beloved.
    After a while my tears dried out and I sat, unmoving, and stared at her lifeless, porcelain white, hand.
    I don’t know how long I was there, but it seemed like an eternity when I saw her hand twitch. That single movement her finger made sent me flying backwards and gasping for air.
    Slowly, her eyes fluttered open once again. I drew a new breath quickly as her flaming eyes met mine. In that moment, I knew she was not the same.
    Even her appearance was different. Her features were angled and sharp.
    She watched me for a few more moments. Then she liked her lips. I gulped as I realized just what she was.