Creatures were everywhere. Humans, demons, angels, reapers... Everyone seemed to have gathered for a specific reason. What that reason was, I didn't know.

"Excuse me," said a voice to my left. I glanced over to see a small elderly woman. Her short hair was light gray, her dress a soft white. Her face, though slightly wrinkled with age, was nearly flawless. I guessed she was an angel, but based on the fact she was aging, I assumed she was half.

"Yes?" I asked her, my voice sounding thick and foreign.

"Have you seen a small child, about this tall," she placed her hand at her mid thigh, indicating the height of the child she was searching for, "with pitch black hair and wings of different colors?"

As I stared at the woman, thinking of how I should reply, I noticed she looked vaguely familiar, though I had no idea where I'd seen her before. Is she looking for me? I asked myself, confusion setting in. Maybe, but I'm way taller than that...

Suddenly, the woman's questioning gaze turned to one of complete confusion. "Where did she go? I could have swore someone was there..." She continued muttering to herself as she walked forward, and through me.

I stared down at myself, stunned. I looked solid enough to me. I wonder if I just imagined it, but it felt so real...

"Selena. Hurry, Angel. We must not miss the beginning of the play."

I turned at the sound of my name, and froze at the sight of my mother leading a younger version of myself down a crowded sidewalk by the hand. I stared in awe. I couldn't have been any younger than four.

I let out a surprised gasp when the scene playing around me froze. Glancing around quickly, I noticed there was no movement in the area other than my own. I was confused for only a brief moment, when I noticed someone else was moving as well.

My mother had glanced up from her child and stared straight at me, and gave me a warm smile. She released her child's hand, then quickly made her way over to me, where she proceeded to hug me tightly.

"Mom," I said, shocked by her actions and afraid to hug her back. "You said that-"

"I know," she interrupted softly, "but this is different. This is your dream. I sincerely apologize for invading, but I can hug my daughter in this world. I was not going to let that opportunity slip away."

"And..." I started, but my sentence faltered. I was scared of what she might say.

I could hear her smile as she spoke, answering my question without my having to say it aloud. "Yes, you can hug me here, and you will not become trapped. I swear it."

My eyes watered rapidly as I hugged my mother back, tighter, I thought, than she had ever held me. I missed her so much...

"Why didn't you do this sooner?" I asked her, blinking back tears and sniffling.

She pulled away to look at me. "You had yet to have a dream you would remember once you had awoken. I wanted you to remember seeing me, talking with me. I want you to have memories of me, just in case. Besides," she added slowly, as if still deciding whether or not she wanted to say it, "I was afraid you may have been angry with me. I didn't want to invade your thoughts and make you even more upset." She stared at me, tears swimming in her eyes as well. "I only wanted to protect you, Selena."

I leaned in and hugged her again. "I know, Mom, and I'm so sorry. I wasn't myself. I promise, I know better now."

She returned my hug gently, then pulled away. "Good. Now, as much as I would love to stay here holding you, I'm afraid I chose this particular dream for a reason, and I must be sure you see it." She took my hand and led me closer to where the younger version of myself was standing, hand in the air, staring happily at the space where her mother was suppose to be. "This is the day before the incident, ten years ago."

"What?" I asked, looking back to her. "But I don't remember this."

She gave me her soft smile. "That is because you suppressed this memory, dear. Your brain decided it was best if it pretended this event had never happened. It is only now willing to release it to you again."

"But why would I suppress a memory about a play and not the one of your death?"

"I am certain you will find out momentarily." Mother raised her free hand and snapped her fingers. Out of nowhere, another version of her appeared, smiling down at her young daughter, just as Mom had been at the beginning of the dream before she had paused it.

With everything as it was supposed to be, time began again. I watched as both my younger self and her mother hurried down the busy sidewalk.

"Mommy, what play are we seeing?" the young girl asked.

Her mother smiled down at her again. "You will find out soon enough. It is a surprise."

The child whined about how she hated secrets and surprises, and her mother laughed.

My mother and I followed them to a stage that had been set up outside a large building I didn't recognize. However, I did automatically recognize my father's face on the stage.

We watched the play together, just as we apparently had over ten years ago. It seemed to be about a boy and his father, who were trying to save the world from the boy's evil sister. I made sure to keep an eye on my younger self as she laughed with delight at seeing her father be clumsy and silly on stage.

Once the show had ended, little me ran up to the stage and waited excitedly for her father to come down and hug her, like he always used to whenever he saw her. But instead, he simply patted her head and rushed over to her mother, a serious expression on his face. He began talking to his wife quietly as I stared at their tiny daughter, teary eyed and confused. Before I could find out why he hadn't picked her up, though, the scene before me became blurred and slowly started to fade away.

"Selena, I am afraid you are waking up now," came my mother's voice from all around me. "I have to say goodbye for now. I will hold this dream for you where it is, and I will let you see it the next time you dream." There was a moment where she was silent, but when she spoke next, I could hear her smile. "I do not want to see you before then."

I nodded, smiling. I as much as I knew she wanted to see me, it meant getting seriously injured to make the trip to the world between life and death. There was no way I was going to risk my life to see her for a few moments, and she didn't want me to, either. I told her goodbye and that I loved her, then finally let consciousness take me away.

***

I awoke to see Maria's smiling, tear stained face. She sighed in relief, sitting back and wiping sweat from her forehead. It wasn't warm in the room, so she must have been concentrating hard to have perspired. Glancing to my left, I saw Finny sitting on the bed beside me. He smiled, and I returned it.

Slowly, I sat up, Maria and Finny supporting me on both sides. Dad was smiling at me from across the room, and I felt my own brighten at the sight of him. He approached and hugged me. As I hugged him back, I heard him whisper in my ear, "Please, stop scaring me like this. I refuse to lose you as well."

It almost sounded as if he'd been crying.

My hold on him tightened. "I'm sorry, Dad. I really am. I don't want to be such a burden to you." My eyes began to water. "I'll try to be a better demon that I was a half."

He sighed. You are not a burden to me, Selena. I would willingly do anything for you. And we will find a way to return you to normal. I'm so glad you're alright."

"Me too," I told him, surprising myself at how much I believed those words. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to leave my father all alone. I leaned my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, wanting to save this memory.

He held me until Maria suggested they continue searching for my mother while it was still daylight. They had lost a lot of time nursing me after what her ex did, and by the sound of it, I had been out all night and well into the next day. Dad agreed, and they said goodbye to me and Finny. I waved to them as they left the room.

Once the door had closed, I let out a small sigh and lay back on the bed. Finny was looking down on me, still smiling.

I narrowed my eyes playfully, assuming something was wrong with my appearance. He almost looked like he was trying to hold in a joke. "What?" I asked warily.

Finny's smile fell a little, but he seemed to be trying to force it from his face. He cleared his throat, then spoke, "How many times are you going to try to die?"

I sat up quickly and gaped at him. "Excuse me, but I've only "tried" once so far. So to answer your question: once. I'm sorry that a crazy person is trying to kill me. I-"

He leaned his face closer to mine, cutting me off. His smile had returned, but brighter than before. "I was just kidding."

I crossed my arms and looked away from him. "Good."

He sat back and laughed, then pulled me into a hug. I almost melted into his embrace. "Don't scare me like that, either. If something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do..."

"Finny..." I said, trying to look at him. I couldn't see his face because of the way he held me, but from the sudden dampness on my shoulder, I knew he was silently crying. I felt my own eyes well with tears as I hugged him back, holding on like my life depended on it. "I'm sorry."