Theron Barrister stared down at the small figure sprawled on the ground in front of him. “This isn’t happening,” he whispered to himself. He felt numb. His world was turning upside down. Everything that he believed about the supernatural had been shattered. All of his carefully crafted beliefs about what kind of person this ‘woman’ might be were shattered. The man who had been calling himself Theron had been replaced by…this. This woman had taken his place. He could not even begin to comprehend how it was possible. But somehow she was now living inside Theron's mind. He felt trapped and terrified. She didn't belong here. He'd never wanted someone like her. Ever. He hadn't intended for this. His plan was a simple one: to kill off all the vampires and then use this woman as leverage against the other vampires, the ghouls. After defeating them and capturing their human vessels, he would take over control of the vampire race, as well as those humans who had become vampires. He was so excited about finally having his powers back after centuries of deprivation. When he first learned that they were coming, he had immediately begun plotting out ways to take back control of the ghoul and vampire races. However, when the woman showed up, he knew that the plan could not work. She had taken over. It had only made sense that he let her into his mind. At least this way, he wouldn't have any more surprises, no matter how painful. That is, until now. There are no more surprises!“You are not me, you do not have my power,” he muttered to her. His voice trembled as he tried to convince her of his superiority over her. To his astonishment, she continued to lay there unresponsive. He shook his head, unable to wrap his brain around what was going on. The thought of killing her kept running through his head, though. What should I do? What will happen if I just kill her? It's better than letting her live.
His thoughts began to spiral uncontrollably out of control as he struggled to maintain his calm composure. Just think of something else. Think about the weather or something. Focus! Focus! The more he focused his thoughts, the easier it became to keep them from spiraling further and further. As he slowly regained some semblance of sanity, Theron looked at the scene once more. It seemed so peaceful. So tranquil. Almost... Peaceful.
He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift away. In his imagination, he could almost imagine the gentle, spring breeze that brushed gently against his face and caused the grass underneath his feet to rustle and whisper its sweet whispers as the flowers danced in joyous anticipation of summer. He could imagine the scent of honeysuckle floating gently over the fresh green leaves of trees swaying gently in the wind. As he relished in the beautiful sights surrounding him, he suddenly heard the soft clucking of birds chirping. He opened his eyes. He wasn't in any dream anymore. No, that's just a dream...that’s what you tell yourself to make everything go away. But the sound of birds singing was real enough. They were right outside, chirping happily as if nothing terrible had happened. But it had. Something terrible had definitely happened. And he was still there. Still trapped. Alone. He was so alone. How did this happen? Why am I like this? He asked himself, but he already knew the answer. She did it. She must have done it. That means she has a hold on me, too. I'm stuck with her now...forever. Forever with a new name! Theron thought desperately to himself. I don't want to have a new name. I just want to die. I'm scared. He thought, feeling tears pricking the corners of his eyes. The terror in Theron's soul grew worse with each passing minute. I don' t want to be afraid anymore. I don't care anymore. Just kill me already. Let it end. Please, God, let it end. Please. I just want it to end. I don't want to be this way, alone, scared, confused, and angry. I want things to be normal again. Things to be normal again. Please. He begged silently as he sat quietly staring down at the lifeless body lying in front of him. He knew this was not normal. It was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. He had never experienced anything like this before, much less had it happen to him. He never wanted to experience this ever again. But here he was, forced to deal with it, powerless to stop it. He couldn't run, either, because if he ran, he'd likely get captured. And he'd probably never see his parents or anyone else ever again.
There was no getting out of this situation, at least not without being killed. Theron realized with dread that the most frightening part of it all was the fact that this girl had taken over his body. She was controlling him, manipulating him. Maybe she would change, but at this point, he didn't really care anymore.
