So it was just a dream after all

"Wake up kiddo! You are going to blow the house off!" a familiar voice shouted and someone shook her vigorously.

Athena groaned and opened her eyes. Her head felt heavy and her throat felt dry. Where was she this time?

Her eyes met with Trisha's eyes which were filled with annoyance and freaked out. As quick as a flash, she moved away from her and picked up a dagger from the table which was near the bed.

"Don't come any closer or I will stab you with this!" she threatened her in a high pitched tone as she waved the dagger.

"Put that thing down," Trisha said as she moved near her.

"Stay where you are!'

"Kiddo, put that thing down. Don't you know me?"

"You are not the real her. You are that monster!"

"What are you talking about?" Trisha asked in confusion. "What monster?"

Heavy footsteps were heard. Lady Alisha walked in followed by Sophia who was holding Little Snow in her arms.

"What's going on here?" Lady Alisha asked.

Trisha pointed at the frightened Athena. "She is the one acting all strange."

"Stay away from me. You are all not real!" she yelled hysterically.

"Calm down," Lady Alisha said in a gentle tone. "We are all real, okay? Now put that dagger down so that we can talk."

"No!" she screamed. "Just go away!"

Lady Alisha and Trisha exchanged glances. "What happened to her?" Lady Alisha mouthed to Trisha. Trisha mouthed back with a shrug. "I don't know. I think she is going crazy."

Lady Alisha sighed heavily. "Athena listen to me..."

"No, I won't listen!" Athena yelled. Lightning suddenly flashed outside and she shrieked. She quickly hid in her blanket.

"She is going nuts," Trisha said between gritted teeth. Lady Alisha shot her a glare.

"I am just saying..."

Lady Alisha sighed again before saying gently to Athena. "Can you come out of the blanket?"

Athena did not reply. She was busy saying to herself, "I am doomed. This is the end..."

"I wonder what really happened that is making her act like this," Trisha said thoughtfully as she scratched her chin. Lady Alisha grew worried. She did not know what to do next. Little Snow suddenly squeaked drawing everyone's attention and began to struggle to get out of Sophia's arms. It seemed like it wanted to be let down.

Sophia placed it down. Little Snow immediately moved towards the bed.

"What is it trying to do?" Lady Alisha asked in puzzlement.

"I think he wants to go to kiddo," Trisha guessed.

"But Athena might hurt it," Lady Alisha said. Trisha tiptoed quietly to the rabbit and picked it up. She placed it on the bed and went back to where Lady Alisha was standing.

"Maybe he might be able to calm her down. Let's leave them alone," Trisha whispered.

"We are now leaving kiddo!" she said loudly and dragged the worried Lady Alisha out. Sophia quietly followed them.

When Athena heard the door close, she quietly got out of the blanket to just see Little Snow. Athena shrieked, startled. Little Snow moved closer to her. She backed away and pointed the dagger at it. "You are not real! Don't come any closer!"

However Little Snow did not stop. Her hand that was holding the dagger trembled. "Stop right there!" Still the little rabbit did not stop until it was only a few inches away from her.

It looked at her with cute big black eyes. Athena felt her heart melt and dropped the dagger down. "Is that really you Little Snow?

It moved closer to her. Athena immediately scooped it into her arms. "It's really you Little Snow."

Outside the room, Lady Alisha paced back and forth in anxiety like a worried mother hen.

"Could it be that she killed the poor little rabbit?"

"Relax mother," Trisha answered lazily. "I am sure that nothing will happen to that rabbit."

The door was suddenly opened and a haggard looking Athena stepped out with Little Snow nestled in her arms.

"I am really sorry about my previous behavior."

"You don't have to apologize," Lady Alisha said quickly.

"You were acting like a weirdo," Trisha chimed in. Lady Alisha glared at her. "Can't you shut up?" She then turned to look at Athena.

"Athena dear... Can you tell us what actually happened to you?"

Athena looked down and did not respond. She did not want to talk about her strange dreams.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it right now. I am just glad that you are now alright," Lady Alisha said, looking relieved. "So we will see you at dinner. Don't be late."

The three left. Athena sighed. Why can't her life be peaceful?

"Let's get ready for dinner," she said to Little Snow and went back to her room.

At dinner...

It was quiet and rather gloomy at the dinner table. Athena looked at the food blankly. She did not have any appetite to eat all.

"You should try eating something," Lady Alisha coaxed her gently. "You can't sleep on an empty stomach."

She picked up her spoon and forced herself to eat. She felt like she was eating sand.

She suddenly heard a soft faint growl. She stiffened and her hands became sweaty. She looked around but could not find the source of the sound. Maybe she was hearing things again. She forced herself to calm down. "So how did I end up being here?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"Trevor was the one who found you unconscious in the forest," Lady Alisha said. "If he had not seen you, only heavens knows what would have happened to you."

Athena looked at the stoic young man. He was busy eating and seemed to not be listening to their conversation.

"Thank you for saving me Trevor," she said quietly. Her eyes were filled with gratitude.

Trevor looked up. "Why did you make Luis return?"

She looked down and remained silent.

"Trevor," Lady Alisha said in a stern tone. Trevor pressed his lips in a thin line and resumed back to eating.

After dinner, she dragged her exhausted body back to her room. She wore her nightclothes and threw herself on bed. Little Snow was already fast asleep. Athena smiled.

"You are one lazy rabbit," she whispered as she pinched its little cute nose. She got into the blanket and looked at the ceiling blankly. She did not feel sleepy at all. So it was just a dream after all. Her mind was filled with various questions. What was happening to her? Why did she keep seeing strange things?

She decided to read the book that the old priest had given her. "Little Red Riding Hood," she murmured as she took the book from the table. She opened the book and began to read quietly.

Her eyebrows knitted as she turned the page. The words that were written were completely different from the words she read last time. This was not Little Red Riding Hood's story. She looked at the cover of the book to make sure that she had taken the right book. Yes, it was the right one. She rubbed her eyes. Maybe she was just too tired. She closed the book and placed it on the table.

Time slowly passed as she tossed and turned. She couldn't sleep. She groaned in frustration. How she wished she was Little Snow... She sighed heavily and picked up the book she had put back on the table. Maybe she could try reading again.

She opened the book and began to read quietly. Her eyebrows furrowed. In brief the book was like this...

'Hundred thousands of years ago, a naive angel from heaven was curious about what the Earth really looked like. Day by day, she fantasized what it would be like to go down. She always heard her fellow angels talk about how beautiful the Earth was.

However Father had forbidden them from going there to her disappointment. Thus she could only daydream about it.

The more she thought about it, the more her desire to go there grew. She just wanted to see it just once...

The other angels knew about her wild thoughts and warned her to not try doing something silly if she did not want to upset their Father. Yes, they were given all the freedom they wanted and could do whatever they wanted except going to Earth...'

Athena turned the page curiously. Her interest had been piqued. She did not know where this book came from and why it had a cover that looked exactly like the cover of the book that the old priest had given her. All she wanted to do right now was to keep on reading. She wanted to know what happened next.

'She became restless by every passing year. "Would it hurt if I go there just once?" the little angel said to herself. "But Father will probably get angry when he finds out that I disobeyed him. He would punish me severely."

She rubbed her hands worriedly. She was usually a bubbly little angel but now she was so quiet that the other angels could not help but feel concerned about her. "What's wrong with you nowadays? What's the matter?"

She forced out a little smile that did not reach her eyes. "I am fine..."

The other angels did not buy it but did not probe further.

The naive little angel's eyes grew dimmer as time passed. One day, she made up her mind. She could not stay like this anymore. She was going to go to Earth! She knew that Father will not be pleased by this and might banish her from heaven but she did not care.

In the end, she did head to Earth quietly with no one knowing it not even Father. As she expected, the Earth was really beautiful. She immediately fell in love with it. When she had left heaven, she had planned to just look around and leave immediately but now she was unwilling to leave. Hours turned to days, days turned to years... She wanted to remain here forever!

She was as delicate as a flower and was also gentle. Her mesmerizing looks were so breathtaking and captivated many creatures, mortal or immortal, male or female...

When Father found out that she was missing and had gone to Earth, he was furious and sent two angels to bring her back. However she stubbornly refused to go back. This made Father angrier and forbid her from coming back to heaven. The stupid little angel did not care at all. All she wanted to do was to remain on Earth and nothing else.

Things were going smoothly and she hid her identity very well. She helped people from behind the scenes. She healed the sick, blessed the lands with good rains and good harvests... But secrets can never be kept hidden forever...

People soon came to know that she was an angel and many people wanted her power. The demon clan leader was one of those people. He wanted to control the whole world. He wanted every single to bow down at him and be at his mercy. His thirst for power was so terrifying.

So he forced her to work for him and did various evil things. She began to regret leaving heaven. Here on Earth she was being forced to work like a slave, doing evil things that angels were not supposed to do. She was forced to kill people even the innocent... Slowly, her powers were weakening.

But the demon clan leader was not satisfied. He wanted her power to be his own... It was only when the demon clan leader decided to kill her and drink her blood and eat her heart to make himself stronger. So he did kill her mercilessly and drank her blood and ate her heart.

The legends say that she would return one day but this time as a vengeful creature....'

"That's all?" she said as she turned the pages. The following pages were all blank pages. Her eyes were slightly red. It was really a sorrowful short story. That bastard deserved to die a painful death!

She placed the book back on the table feeling emotional. That little angel was really pitiful. 'Her name was never mentioned in the book,' she thought and yawned. She was now feeling sleepy. She pulled Little Snow in her arms before drifting off to sleep.