Fear

"Of course I am beautiful, I am not like someone who looks like a witch," she said while looking at Grace.

Lucy always ridiculed Grace about her looks. Grace had curly ginger hairs, green eyes, freckles on her face. They considered these features as a sign of being a witch in those days.

Many people taunted her about it, including her foster family. She was always left alienated, there would be no one who was her friend except for Jane. This often gave Lucy a chance to bully her.

"Lucy, let's not just talk about something that is not noteworthy. Finish your food fast so that you could reach Eliza's house on time."

When everyone finished their dinner, Grace sat down to eat. She was just not consuming her food but also all the insults, frustration.

She always feels as if someone was drowning her in a fool filled with suffocation. This house was Greed, envy, craftiness. She sometimes felt if she would live here any longer, she would die.

"Grace, come here," Andrew called her from his room.

Grace washed her plates and then went to her foster parent's room.

" You called for me?"

"Sit down and we need to have an important discussion," it was Andrew who spoke up.

"After few days our parental lease is going to end " Grace knew where this conversation heading towards and also what they are scheming to do.

"We are going to extend it."

The parental lease was of 10 years, they adopted her at 11. When Grace will be of 21 years old, they need to renew their lease. Their lease will only review when the officials check the living conditions of a child and make sure they are safe.

"You know what you need to do, right?"

"Yes."

Officials often came to their house to check about Grace. Every time they pretended Grace is well-taken care of.

"What are you still doing here, get out, complete your chores."

"Good night." Saying that she went out of the room.

She quickly completed all the chores and took a shower and then locked her room and windows. She then went to her bed, while trying to sleep her eyes went towards her dreamcatcher, She hangs that in her room to avoid her nightmares, the answers will be negative. It did not avoid her nightmares, but at least save her from dreaming the most horrible memory of life.

Praying to god was also one activity that helped her to sleep. It comforted her. In a minute, she fell deep into her sleep.

It was half-past midnight, when Grace felt a strong wind touching her face, not only wind but something else was also touching her face. It moved from her forehead to her eyes, nose. It halted on her lips and caressed them.

"Lil...i," her mind went blank, drops of sweat started forming on her forehead. It was the voice that she never dreaded the most in her life.

"Lili...th...li..li..." that sound held desperation in it. Suddenly she felt something soft and fleshy on her lips. It was fondling her lips as if they were fragile and could get hurt with slightly increased pressure. It felt like kissing.

'Huh... what is happening?'

She screamed in her mind. She wanted to open her eyes but wasn't able to do so. After it seemed like an eternity, the kissing finally stopped.

"Li...li..." after a lot of struggling, Grace gathered enough power to open her eyes. As soon as she opened her eyes, there was no one beside her. Her eyes went towards the windows they were opened.

"I closed the windows when I went to sleep, that means someone is inside my-" she suddenly screamed as soon as she turned her head.

Someone was standing in front of her bed. She tried to protect her by covering herself in the blanket. Yet she was able to look at that person.

He was a tall man. He had silver hairs and a pale complexion which radiated more shine due to moonlight.

His aura screamed darkness and mystery. But the feature that caught Grace's eyes the most was his icy blue eyes. They were glowing in that moonlight. His eyes were like that of the customer's eyes who visited the flower shop.

There was only one difference: this man's eyes were deeper compared to that customer's eyes. His eyes were glowing like a blue diamond in the moonlight. There was a small grin on his face. Those eyes were staring at her as if trying to hypnotize her. Indeed, she got hypnotized.

"Lilith."

'Again? What's the matter with this name? Why he is addressing me with this name?'

Grace was so confused that she did not notice him coming towards her. He bent towards her.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my room" Grace was trembling in fear as he was bent towards her more.

"Stay away... stay away from me." she put her hander in front of her face in an X shape to protect herself.

"Don't hide from me "it was the same voice from that night, but that man looked nothing like what she encountered that night.

She was continuously shivering, crying. "Please don't kill me".

She started hearing all those painful screams and shouts from that night.

"Please...don't...kill me," as those screams started increasing, she cried and begged more.

"I will not kill you, my love, I will never hurt you." She somewhat stopped crying after she heard him saying those words.

"You need to sleep, my love," he said and covered her eyes with his hand.

Grace jolted up from her sleep. She was again sweating, her breaths became ragged. Her neck got dried. She got off her bed and went downstairs to drink water. This nightmare was the most tiring one.

Every night she had the same nightmare, this one felt like it has sucked the entire life out of her. It felt like something more happened, but she couldn't seem to think back to it. She only recalled three things, the usual l screams, blue eyes and,

'Lilith'