My heart is pounding, my head is pounding and now my door is pounding and my mother sounds frantic.

"Connie? Connie!"

I stumble to let her in instinctually and collapse into her arms. "Mom! I'm scared!"

"I'm so sorry, Connie. I'm so, so sorry." She holds me as tight as she can, shushing me gently while I tremble.

"This isn't what I thought it would be! This isn't like the stories." I can feel the rebellion raging within me. "Th-there was a message for me."

She goes quiet and her heart rate picks up. I lean back to look at her but she avoids my gaze, eyes locked on the full moon about to be centered in my skylight. "We have to go."

She starts tugging on my arm and I wrench mine away. "Mom... did you know about the message?"

My mom doesn't answer, she grabs my wrist with a firmer grip and pulls. "Connie!"

"Mom! Did you know?!"

She grips either side of my face and for the first time in my life, I see my mom cry. "Connie, please! We have to go now!"

I'm so dumbfounded by her tears that I let her half escort, half drag me to our backyard. The air is heavily humid and my lungs almost reject it. The air reeks of sweat and sex. My senses go alight and I hum before I can stop myself. It smells incredible, I pick up my pace as it grows stronger.

Ahead of us my dad is sitting on a chair 50 feet away from a circle of candles and demonic lore symbols and drawings. I can tell he's crying. In fact as we get closer, it's apparent that he's sobbing.

"Dad, it's going to be okay." My voice sounds distant to me as the wind rustling the trees begins to pick up. It feels so nice against my skin, so powerful and raw that I smile.

"I know, pumpkin. I'm just a worry wart." He hugs me tightly and I melt into his arms.

"I love you, Dad."

He sniffles one more time and squeezes more. "I love you too."

"Doug." We pull apart reluctantly and my mom hugs me too, briefly as it is. "It's time."

I turn to the invocation spot as a whisper calls for me.

'Come to me daughter.'

I want to ask if they've heard it, but the pull is too strong. I take a step forward and the call grows louder.

'Accept your destiny, daughter of Lilith.' It's a different voice this time, but it only feeds my hunger. 'Half demon, half human, your legacy awaits.' It hisses.

I break into a sprint just as everything begins to brighten. The moon reaches its apex the second I land. I know it does because I feel it in my soul. I cry out in joy as my feet plant firmly and raise my arms in praise. The invocation lines burst into flames and that delicious smell increases so much my knees buckle.

"Connie! Don't fall!" My mom calls.

I barely hear her, but I force my knees to lock in place.

"Constance Lilith Mahaswaren, demon born from flesh." The voice is audible now, moving me to my core.

The ground shakes underneath me as I listen intently, my head falling back until the moon is bathing my face with its gracious light. I feel light, feather light. I feel like I could float. My feet lift, but the irony is nothing compared to–

"Your time has come."

Chanting. I hear chanting. It starts low and I feel a mosquito bite me, but I'm paralyzed. It starts spreading, like the thousand sharp pricks of a mosquito's sucker and then the itch and burn. It builds as the chanting grows louder and I gasp in pain as I feel my veins bursting inside of me. I can feel it traveling under my skin like bruises and the ache turns into exponentially more intense agony. I'm convulsing, I can just barely feel it past the horror and pain. I want to ask why. I want to be held by my mommy and daddy. This pain is too much, I won't survive.

At first I think I've gone deaf as everything goes quiet, but I realize my ears are ringing with bloodcurdling screams and wails. My bloodcurdling screams and wails.

"You're going to be okay!"

"Connie, we love you! Remember what we learned! Deep breaths!"

I struggled to even breathe in, but once a full breath got in my ears picked up that cryptic murmur again.

'You're going to be something extraordinary. You're going to be half-breeds.'

And then everything goes black.