“Well then, I’ve got something special for y'all tonight.” I said as I made a great show of pretending to be deafened by their noise. Turning to Ashley, I waved her on up as Joey ducked off stage and brought her microphone out. “I happen to have a lovely young friend of mine with me. Why don’t you hop on up here Ashley and we’ll get this thing going, huh?”

“How are you holding up?” Melissa asked me during my customary visit to her office a couple of days later.

“I’m actually feeling a little better,” I told her, “nothing happened in my dreams yesterday. I think I needed the break.”

“And it gives us more time to figure out who this Aka Manah is. Whoever he is, he can’t be good news,” she said.

“Trust me. He is Evil,” I insisted.

Melissa smiled. “I’ll just take your word for it.”

“So have you figured out anything?” I asked.

“I’m afraid not. We’re trying to contact the High Coven right now. Hopefully, their libraries have some information on your assailant and how we can remove your Mark,” she said.

At the mention of the Mark, I found myself looking at my palm. I had taken to wearing a thin glove on my right hand to hide the sight of the curved horn from myself and from everyone else. It was oddly riveting to look at, yet also gravely unsettling. As much as I wanted to think that these encounters were just a dream, the Mark was proof that they were all too real. I just hoped that the Coven would be able to figure things out before anything happened, because resisting his influence was the only thing I could do to help myself.

“I can’t help but wonder when he’s going to come back,” I said.

“I don’t know, but we need to use what time we have,” she said.

“I just hope we can remove it before I actually start to change,” I said.

“You need to consider the possibility that he could be manipulating you at this very moment,” Melissa lectured me. “Keep an eye on your thought patterns, and make sure to speak up if you know you’re acting differently than usual.”

I stiffened for a moment, but I nodded. “I will.”

“Good,” Melissa said with a smile. “We’re going to help you, no matter what happens. Okay?”

I smiled back. “Thank you.”

Melissa chuckled. “I guess we can consider this to be your payment for saving the Lake in September.”

My eyes went wide. “Do you think the Orb could have caused this?”

“Well, this all seemed to start after your contact with it. I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch.”

“Why couldn’t this have just ended when we locked that thing away?” I asked sullenly.

“I don’t know, Ashley,” was all Melissa could say.

I sighed. “Is there anything I can do?”

“I know it sounds risky, but you may want to try and get some information from Aka Manah the next time he visits you in your dreams,” Melissa said.

“He does seem really confident in his ability to sway me,” I told her, “maybe he won’t mind giving me his plan if he feels I can’t do anything to stop him.”

“I wouldn’t stake your life on that,” Melissa chided me.

“I know,” I said, looking down.

“Just try your best, okay? We’ll figure this out,” Melissa assured me.

I nodded. “I am worried about being able to easily contact you or the Coven once winter break starts this Friday, though.”

“Don’t worry about that. We have our phones,” Melissa said with a laugh.

“I suppose we do,” I said, smiling back. “Thanks for listening to my rambling.”

“No, thank you for keeping me updated,” she said.

I just nodded again and left the room, glad that I was getting help for my unique predicament.

The ride home was strangely silent. I wasn’t sure what to think about it, as Mom tended to do this only when she was waiting to include Dad in a conversation before starting it. I had a feeling that I knew what they wanted to talk about, too.

“Did Melissa tell you anything about your Mark today?” Mom finally asked me once we got home. She nailed it.

“They’re still trying to figure things out,” I told both her and Dad.

“Are you worried?” Mom asked, gently touching my shoulder.

“That’s an understatement,” I admitted.

“You’re not alone in this, Ashley,” Dad added.

“I know, and I trust the Coven. I know they’ll figure out a way to help me… but what if it’s too late by then?” I asked.

“Then you’ll have to make sure it isn’t too late,” he replied, as if it were simple.

“I don’t know if I can resist long enough. His presence is so overwhelming…” I said, shivering slightly. Mom brought me into a hug.

“I know you can do it, honey. You resisted the Orb when you held it, and you can resist this now,” she gently told me.

“I’ll try my best. I won’t make it easy for him,” I told her.

“And if you do feel yourself starting to fall, please talk to us,” Dad told me.

I nodded. “I will.”

With that settled, we tried to fall into the rhythm of our normal day. Acting as if I had no reason to fear something as simple as going to sleep. It didn’t work as well as I’d hoped, but I was able to go to bed with some confidence that I could resist whatever Aka Manah did next.

I stood there, tapping my foot as he appeared to me.

“Where were you yesterday?” I asked, playing to my confidence.

“There were matters which required my attention… and things are not going as planned. It would seem that you are becoming somewhat of a priority to me,” he replied.

“A priority for what?” I asked.

“Why, to help me, of course. And you do want to help me, do you not?” he asked, stepping closer.

“Absolutely not!” I snapped.

He just waved his hand. “No matter. You’ll come to see the error of your ways soon enough.”

“I will never join you,” I said, gritting my teeth.

“Oh, but you will!” he said, giving me a devilish smile. A perfect smile. He had absolutely no doubt that he would succeed.

“I’ll–“

“Your precious Coven will be of no help to you, my dearest. By the time they figure out what I am, it will be far too late for you,” he told me.

“I have faith in them,” I told him, standing tall.

“But do you have faith in yourself?” he asked.

“I do,” I told him. He just laughed at me.

“I know when you’re lying to me, Ashley. Your soul is filled with nothing but doubt!” he claimed.

“Of course it is. I doubt that you can actually sway my personality to your ends,” I told him with confidence that was growing increasingly nonexistent.

“Is that so?” he asked. Suddenly, he was in my face, and I cringed as it distorted for a moment. “But you’re right,” he continued, much to my surprise, “I cannot forcibly change a personality.”

I stepped back, waiting for him to continue.

“I am bringing out your inner darkness, Ashley Martin. Your deepest, darkest desires. The parts of yourself that you hide from everybody, including yourself. And you do have quite the delicious dark side,” he finished.

“You-You can’t do that!” I screamed, stepping back, “I won’t let you!”

“You have no choice in the matter, dear one. That beautiful mark on your palm signifies one thing and one thing only: you belong to me.”

“I don’t belong to anyone! I am my own person!” I yelled, close to hysterics.

“Ashley, Ashley, Ashley. Deep down, you know you want this. You wish to revel in your servitude. I can see now that you lust for my power. Lust for my body. All you must do is submit to me, and it is all yours,” he spoke, smiling. I cringed. He was wrong, right?

I… I didn’t know. Why didn’t I know!? I started to cry as I came to realize just how powerful his influence could be.

“That’s it… revel in your despair,” I heard his silky voice pierce the air.

I then realized that despair was his goal. He wanted me to lose hope and faith. I… I needed to stand tall and show him that his claims were wrong. That he was lying. There were people out there who loved me the way I was. Even if most of them couldn’t possibly know what I was fighting, they would be there to see me win. I wiped my tears away, looking Aka Manah straight in the eye.

“You won’t beat me,” I told him.

“I see now. Your friends give you strength, do they?” he asked.

“For their sakes, I can’t let you sway me,” I told him, my confidence rising again.

“Tell me about Max,” came his next words, nearly shattering my confidence again. How did he know about Max?

“How do you--“

“I know everything about you, Ashley. I know what you did today, and I know what you plan to do tomorrow. I see everything you see, and I know you carry affection for this boy,” he said.

“He is my boyfriend,” I told him. Of course, if he was right, he already knew that.

“Are you finding it difficult to stay tied down to a single man?” he asked.

“What? What do you mean?”

“You, my dear, are a creature of seduction. You are a natural born predator. With beauty and voice, you entrance men and entice them to seek pleasure for both themselves and for you,” he told me.

“That’s not what a Nereid is!” I exclaimed.

“Oh, but it is. Yet, you’re denying your own nature, seeking comfort with a man whom you don’t see as a life partner,” he claimed.

I stumbled backward. How could he say that about our relationship? We haven’t even gotten far enough to even consider the long term! “But why–“

“Are you still with him? Because he hasn’t given you what you want. You do know what you want, don’t you?”

“No! I want–“

“Him? Of course you do. Male companionship is at your very core. Your essence! Your kind wishes nothing more than to treat them like toys. You seek your pleasure, throw him away, and move to the next one.”

“That’s not a Nereid!” I screamed again!

“Perhaps not, but it is you, dear Ashley. Can’t you feel it? The lust rising within you? You want him, don’t you? Yet you resist!”

Suddenly, images began to fly through my head. Images of me deeply kissing Max. Images of me seducing him with charms and movements I didn’t know I had. Images of him taking me in his own bed, with me screaming in ecstasy. I clutched my head in agony.

“No!” I screamed, “This isn’t me! This isn’t what I want!”

“Embrace your sexuality, Ashley Martin. It is part of who you are.”

“No! No! No!” I screamed, fighting off the desires that the images seemed to be kindling within me. I fell to my knees, continuing to scream as everything went dark.

“You are mine, Ashley Martin. It is only a matter of time.”

I woke up with a start, somehow managing not to scream. I let out a soft sigh. It was over. It didn’t feel like I was thinking about things any differently than before I went to bed, so I felt that I had succeeded in keeping my own mind. At least… for tonight. I pulled my knees to my chest, fighting tears. He was so powerful… and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to resist forever.

I knew it was a little early, but I decided to start getting ready for school. I was able to take extra time in the shower to wash all of my sweat away. I sighed. I might have to start sleeping naked to avoid soiling all of my pajamas. By the time I had finished drying myself off, I had decided that there was no need for anyone to know that I had a nightmare last night. I hadn’t changed at all and I really didn’t want to talk about how he wanted me to change. I shook slightly when I thought about it again. Just because I was a Nereid didn’t mean I was some kind of sexual predator. Just what in the world was he thinking? Perhaps he was truly serious about his plan to make me his consort.

I managed to push the nightmare out of my head by the time I got to school. Mom asked about my sleep, and I assured her that I didn’t have another nightmare. She seemed happy with my answer. After a friendly goodbye, I headed inside the school with a mission. I made a beeline straight for Max. Before even saying a single word, I pulled his head down and mashed our lips together in the deepest kiss I had ever given him. I felt my body react very positively to the situation as our tongues danced together. It seemed like an eternity before we finally broke our lips.

“Whoa,” Max sighed, “is a guy supposed to curl his toes during a kiss?”

I smiled coyly at him. “He is when I kiss him.”

He laughed. “Well, either way, someone seems happy to see me!”

I smiled again. “I’ve been doing a little exploration with my life lately, and I just wanted you to know that I’m glad you’re in it.”

“I’m glad you’re in my life too,” he answered, bringing me into a hug.

I gave him another kiss for that. I probably would have continued, but the bell rang. I made my way to Math class and sat next to a grinning Leslie.

“I saw that kiss you gave Max earlier,” she started.

“I think he liked it,” I said, smiling back.

“I bet he did! It was getting steamy in that hallway, I swear!” she cried, fanning her face.

I laughed with her. “Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad.”

“Oh, it was. What’s the occasion?” she asked.

“I just felt like it,” I said with a shrug.

Leslie laughed. “You are one strange girl, Ashley. It takes him almost drowning for you to simply give him a kiss, and then you deep throat him for no reason.”

“What? I have to keep things lively somehow!” I said, grinning.

Leslie smiled, “Fair enough. Just don’t rush things, okay? I don’t think he’d react well to that.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so either.”

“Alright. Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s start paying attention before the teacher gets here for once,” Leslie said.

I laughed. “We’ll pick things up at lunch.”

And that’s exactly what we did, except for a short detour at the beginning of the period. Just like Monday, Cindy went out of her way to approach me with a smile and a wave.

“Hey Cindy,” I responded to her wave.

“Hey Ashley. You were easier to find today,” she replied.

“What do you need me for?” I asked.

“You remember Dani, right?” she asked. I nodded. “Well, she’s singing a set of songs down at the karaoke bar on Saturday and she wants to know if you’re interested in trying that duet a little early.”

“So she wants to skip the getting to know each other part and go straight to the fun part?” I asked, amused.

“Honestly, I have no idea what she’s planning,” she said with a small smile.

“I think I’ll take her up on her offer. Maybe we can have our little talk before or after the set. When does she want me to be there?” I asked.

“She said she’s looking to start at 8, so you should probably arrive early,” she said, rummaging around in her backpack. “Here’s a CD with the song she wants you to sing on it. Her phone numbers is in the case too, if you have any questions.”

I smiled. “Looks like she’s prepared. Thanks, Cindy.”

“No problem. Have fun,” she chimed, giving me another smile and trotting off toward the cafeteria again. Before I headed off myself, I took a look at the CD I was holding. It was marked as “Live to Rise” by Soundgarden, and there was a piece of paper inside the case with a phone number on it. I would probably end up calling Dani tonight, just to make sure I knew exactly what was going on. With that in mind, I went off to enjoy the rest of the day.

After dinner that evening, I made my way to my room and dialed Dani’s number. Her phone rang a few times before answering.

“Thank you for calling the County Morgue,” came a slow voice with a thick accent. It sounded like someone from India. “Obviously, I am the next in line speaking. How may I help you on this miserable, dreary and rainy Thursday evening?”

What? Just who was I talking to? “Um, I think I’ve got the wrong number. Sorry to bother you!”

When no answer came, I just hung up. Rechecking the number I put in, I realized that it was the exact same number as was written on the note. Was Dani just playing some kind of trick on me? I sighed. She did seem like the kind of person who would do that. Just to check, I dialed the number again. The answer came more quickly this time, with a small laugh.

“Ya got the right number the first time, kiddo!” came a more familiar voice, “I always do that to numbers I don’t know.”

“It sounds like you practice that accent quite a bit,” I observed, trying not to sigh.

“I am seriously *BEEP* anticipating your next visit to my *BEEP*! Thaaaaaank yoo-OOu!” she said, slipping into it again.

I laughed at her absurd sentence, which gave her time to continue. “So what’s up?”

“Well, as you can see, I managed to get your number from Cindy. Mind if I ask a couple of questions?” I asked.

“Not at all. Shoot!” she replied.

“First, Cindy wasn’t exactly sure when I was supposed to be there. When do you want me to come?”

“7 o’clock. Sharp. Little ol’ me forgot that you wanted to ‘get to know me better’ before the singing began, so I want to make time for that if you’re still thinking that way,” she said.

“That sounds good,” I replied.

“Awesome. So what else do ya need to know?”

“How should I dress?”

“Dress for the weather, but have a change of clothes that is lighter when you get there. It gets rather toasty under the performance lights,” she said.

“Yeah, I noticed that on Monday night as well,” I agreed, “I just thought that since a duet is involved here, you might have wanted us to coordinate our outfits.”

“Oh, no need for that. You’re A-Okay, kiddo” she said.

“Okay. One more. Can I bring a date?” I asked.

“Maybe. I’ll call you back tomorrow with an answer there,” she said. “There’s also a certain way I’d like to go about singing this one, but I’ll go over that with you the next time we talk.”

“Alright. Either way, I’ll make sure I know the song before Saturday,” I told her.

“Cool deal! I’ll see you then,” she said.

“Definitely. Thanks for answering my questions.”

“No problem, kiddo. Bye!”

“Bye,” I said, hanging up. I smiled. Doing that duet might be a fun start to winter break. It would be a fun time for Max, too, if he could come. If Dani didn’t want him there on Saturday, I would go out with him tomorrow. After stagnating for the last month or so, I felt that it was high time that we moved our relationship forward a bit. I hoped that he would feel the same way as I began getting ready for bed.

Saturday Night...

It might not seem like it at first glance, but performing on stage is a very tiring thing to do. If you’re doing it right, then not only will you have actually the act of singing or playing an instrument taking its toll on your energy levels but the heat of the stage lights and the heat of the warm blooded bodies, never mind the excess heat from said bodies moving around and jumping and what not. All of that conspires to rob you of your energy and by the time you’re done, you’re a sweaty, smelly mess. And I love it.

We had just started playing the Saturday Night All Request Hour, a weekly thing that Joey, the bar’s owner, does with some of his buddies to help drum up customers. What surprised me at this point was that Ashley came walking in on the arm of what I guessed was her boyfriend. I smiled and shook my head at the pair, as the first thought that went through my mind about him was the words: “Boy Scout.” After making a mental note to give her a good ribbing about that later, I got my head back into the song list. The list this time wasn’t too bad. At least no one tried to request any Metallica this time. That had been a little hard on Joey, as his throat isn’t conditioned for growling and screaming. We played through the requests and after a while the security team had to calm a few people down that were getting a little too, uh... Let’s call it “into the music.” Nothing was broken so aside from that, all went pretty smoothly.

After putting my electric guitar back on its stand (yes, I did go back and get that Fender that Frankie tried to sell me those years ago), I went and took a seat and waved to Joey to let him know where I was. Then I turned to Ashley and this mystery man I had yet to be introduced to.

“Well hey there tiger, how ya doing?” I said to Ashley. “I’d give you a hug, but I’m all sweaty and nasty smelling and I’m sure you don’t want that all over you.”

“Thanks, but I’m going to pass on that.” She said with a slight laugh.

This guy must really be something to bring her out of her shell like that. I thought as I turned to the man in question. “So, since she seems to be hesitant to do it, hi. My name’s Danielle.”

“I was getting to that.” She said with a huff. “Max, this is Dani. Dani, Max.”

“Nice to meet you.” He said as he offered his hand. “Ash says that you really know how to put on a performance. From what I’ve seen, I’d have to say she’s right.”

“Why, thank you. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to get me blushing more than I’m sure I already am.”

“Now that you mention it.” Ashley cut in. “You do look a little flushed. Are those lights really that hot?”

“Yeah they are. Runs the electric bill up like nobody’s business, but it saves on the heating bill in the winter.” I said with a wink.

This got a chuckle out of Max and a small giggle out of Ashley. We sat there for a few minutes until Joey came over. Once I introduced him to Ashley and Max, we made some more small talk about this, that and the other things. Soon enough, it was time to get back on stage for the night’s special attraction. I was going to be singing for the band tonight, and I had brought in Ashley to do my encore song with me. Before anyone goes making comments about me being arrogant or anything like that, I always get an encore call at the end of my performances here. I told her the plan and told her that I’d call her up with a wave when we were ready to do the song we had picked out.

“You did practice it the way I told you, right?”

“Yeah, but why did you have to make it so complicated?”

“I’m not going to deny it’s complicated, Tiger, but I think it sounds nicer and it presents the song in a much more dynamic way when you sing it like that. Makes it sound like we’re singing back and forth on stage, debating or something. All part of the showmanship thing I talked to you about last time we were here.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Well, back to the stage for me. They can’t get the ball rolling without the singer, and I need to warm my voice up before they do.” I said. “I get the sense that you wanna talk more to me about something. Mind if it waits until after the show?”

“Sure, that’s fine with me. I’ll be waiting for me cue to join you up there.” Ashley said with a smile as she leaned her head onto Max’s shoulder. I reached over and grabbed Joey by the arm and tugged him back up out of his seat.

“Come on, ya big lunk. We gotta show to do.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming. Yeesh, woman. Could you be any more abusive to me?”

“Wanna find out?” I asked with an innocent smile.

“No, and especially not when you’re smiling like that. Seriously, stop doing that.” He said, all humor leaving his face. “It’s creepy.”

“Are you kidding me? I look like sex on two legs without even trying. When I do try, I can make a million bucks jealous.” I told him with a mock-glare. “Just how in the Hell does someone like that look creepy?”

“It’s because you’re that good looking that you look creepy when you smile all innocently.” He said with a fake shiver. “Reminds me of those nurses from that Silent Hill movie. Hot bodies, but oh my god are they fucking creepy as all Hell, man.”

“You can say that again. But ya gotta remember, that whole movie was one big exercise in how to mentally butt rape a room full of people out of their grasp on sanity, one scene at a time. And don’t even get me started on Pyramid Head.”

“HA! Ain’t that God’s own truth, though?”

“Yup, but we’ve got other things to do than movie talk. Let’s get this thing started, shall we?”

“After you.” He said, gesturing like a stereotypical English gentleman at the stage. “Ladies first and all that.”

That earned him a playful swat to the top of his head as I skipped onto the stage once more. Leaving my guitar where it was, I stepped up to the microphone.

“Good evening ladies and gents. Thanks for sticking around, unlike those losers I saw leave just a few seconds ago.” I said as I blew a raspberry at the couple that had just walked out the door. “Because unlike them, you get a second performance. This one, we haven’t advertised.”

“Yours truly.” I said as I gestured to myself. “Is going to be singing a few songs for your listening pleasure.”

“Before anyone asks: no, this isn’t a request set. We’ve practiced these songs for the last couple of months and they’re getting added to the request list after tonight. Hope you all enjoy, and without further delay...” I let my words die off as I looked over at Joey, who had commandeered my guitar and gave him a nod. With that he started up the intro for the first of the songs I was to sing.

I put both of my hands on the microphone and tipped it away from me. As I did, I leaned forward and let my hair fall down in front of my face. I lightly bobbed my head with the beat of the drums as they and the bassist began their respective parts of the intro.

“On the ground I lay, motionless in pain. I can see my life flashing before my eyes.” I sang with just the right mix of agony and anger on my face and in my voice. “Did I fall asleep? Is this all a dream? Wake me up... I'm living a nightmare...”

“But I will not die” I sang and Joey echoed it back to me. “I will survive!”

“I will not die!” I sang with determination in my voice as Joey came in and backed me on every other line of the chorus. “I'll wait here for you! I feel alive... When you're beside me!”

“I will not die!” I sang again, and Joey came in and finished the chorus with me. “I'll wait here for you in my time of dying...”

“On this bed I lay, losing everything. I can see my life passing me by.” I sang with the anger and agony again. “Was it all too much or just not enough? Wake me up, I'm living a nightmare...”

About an hour later...

“Thank you very much every one. You’ve been a kind audience tonight.” I said as I started to make my way off stage. Just as I had predicted to Ashley earlier, a small group of individual started calling for one more song. Well, who was I to deny them? I turned around and stepped back in front of the microphone.

“Y’all want one last one from me and the boys tonight?” I asked as that same group roared back that they did indeed.

“Well then, I’ve got something special for y'all tonight.” I said as I made a great show of pretending to be deafened by their noise. Turning to Ashley, I waved her on up as Joey ducked off stage and brought her microphone out. “I happen to have a lovely young friend of mine with me. Why don’t you hop on up here Ashley and we’ll get this thing going, huh?”

She received a rather enthusiastic applause at her introduction and smiled warmly because of it. When she got up there with me, I leaned away from my microphone and said a word of encouragement.

“Don’t worry about what they think about you and don’t worry about messing anything up, girl. Just like I planned and we’ll knock their socks off with this.” I said with a wink. This was going to be something very special for me. I looked back over to the bar where Suzanne was stationed with her video camera. Yeah, we weren’t supposed to have pictures taken of us, but this was alright. No one else knew about it, which was exactly how it had to be if I was going to surprise Mama with the footage of this show. She hadn’t seen me perform since I was human, so I figured I’d give her a surprise.