It always started the same way...

Her heart raced as she climbed down the rough stone wall, her bare feet finding familiar holds in the weathered surface. She had practiced this route for weeks, timing the guards' rotations, learning which stones would hold her weight without crumbling. The night air was cold against her skin through the thin cotton slip. She had carefully arranged pillows under her blanket and the formal dress on top - her mother would check before retiring, but by then Lupe would be back, safe in bed with her secret intact.

Nothing would stop her from seeing the Volver - even if she was a year too young to attend the celebration properly. She had watched her older cousins return from their Verdad year after year and had seen how they transformed from children into adults worthy of respect. The celebrations that followed were legendary, full of music dancing, and beauty. Tonight she would see it all for herself.

The dream shifted. Her horse galloped across packed earth, her hair streaming behind her. A soft golden glow lit the horizon. Music and the sounds of celebration carried on the night breeze.

She stood in the shadows, wearing a yellow silk dress. She held her mother's pilfered mirror, checking the cosmetics she had applied after countless hours of secret observation. The reflection showed a woman's face instead of a child's.

The music pulled her forward, each beat making her want to move. Her heart pounded in time with the beat of drums, and the strums of guitar as she watched the dancers from the shadows. This close to the celebration, she could smell sweet wine and hear laughter mixed with the music. The older girls wore such beautiful dresses, their skirts swirling as they spun. She had dreamed of dancing like that since she was small. Without thinking, her feet carried her into the crowd, and suddenly she was among them. People danced around her, their faces and forms blending together in the dim light. No one questioned her presence - she was just another reveler caught in the joy of the moment.

Then everything stopped. The air grew warm, and heavy with the scent of cinnamon and chocolate. She turned and saw his eyes - black and deep. He was beautiful, dressed in fine clothes that showed his wealth without being ostentatious. She felt she should know him, though she had never seen him before.

His hand was cold against her back as he led her through the dance, his other hand holding hers firmly. She couldn't hear his words over the music, but it didn't matter. She saw the jealousy on the faces around them and felt proud.

The music died.

The jealous faces turned to horror. Someone screamed. His grip tightened when she tried to turn. When she looked at his face again, his eyes were bright orange. She tried to pull away as fear gripped her. His mouth still moved, forming words she couldn't hear as his hand reached for the left side of her face.

Pain seared her skin and she screamed...

~~

The nightmare shattered as Esperanza's voice cut through the darkness. "Lupe! Wake up!"

Lupe Casteneda's eyes snapped open, heart hammering in her chest. Esperanza Boyorquez leaned over her, amber eyes dark with concern.

"I'm... fine." The words rasped from Lupe's dry throat. Morning light filtered through iron-barred windows, casting stark shadows across the stone walls of their dormitory cell. Two narrow beds, a writing desk, wooden stools - the sparse furnishings offered little comfort against the lingering chill of her dreams.

Hil's warmth slowly spread through her trembling body as the sun rose higher, driving back the cold fingers of fear that had gripped her in sleep. Saved by Your glory once more, Lupe thought. Their light was steady, unwavering - a shield against the shadows that haunted her nights.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Prayer first," Lupe said, rising on unsteady legs. Her nightgown clung to sweat-soaked skin. "Questions after."

They knelt together at the windowsill, sharing a thin cushion as other voices lifted in morning prayer around them. Lupe's voice remained quiet, though she yearned to cry out her thanks to Hil for banishing the darkness once more. Exhaustion weighed too heavily.

After, she retreated to her bed, watching the sky until Esperanza's worried face blocked her view. Lupe met her sister's gaze. Though not bound by blood, their bond ran deeper than family. She wouldn't insult that connection with lies about mere bad dreams.

"It's getting worse, isn't it?" Esperanza asked softly.

"We'll be late," Lupe deflected, forcing a smile. "Unless you want another ruler across your knuckles from Voca Aguirre?"

"That was you who fell asleep in Sermons yesterday," Esperanza countered.

"The vieja enjoys her own voice too much. If she loved her faith half as well as she loves that ruler..." Lupe shrugged.

"Gods, what will I do with you, Lupe?" Esperanza stood, exasperation warring with fondness in her voice.

"There's a list somewhere. You can probably ask my mother for it," Lupe said, a ghost of a smile touching her lips.

"Clean up and change. You've soaked through your gown."

"Yes, yes, mamacita," Lupe waved her toward the door. "Worry about your own preparations. Final tests approach and I won't leave without you. Top marks in Divina mean nothing if you're not ready."

The mask of tired humor crumbled when the door closed behind Esperanza. Fear wasn't something she could share freely, not even with her sister - not yet. Though Esperanza knew of the dreams, had firsthand experience with Lupe's night terrors from their first weeks as roommates years ago.

Back then, Lupe had counted herself fortunate that her screams hadn't awakened her new companion. Three roommates before Esperanza had already requested transfers, fleeing Lupe's nightly terrors. The first had lasted barely three days before demanding new quarters, claiming Lupe was possessed. The second endured two weeks of Lupe's thrashing and crying before she too departed. The third simply disappeared one night, leaving all her belongings behind rather than spend another moment in the room.

When Esperanza arrived, Lupe had resigned herself to another failure. She tried desperately to stay awake those first nights, fighting sleep until exhaustion claimed her. But as the second week dawned, the dreams intensified beyond her ability to contain them. One particularly vicious nightmare had torn her from sleep to find Esperanza standing over her, shock etched across her features. Unlike the others though, there was no fear in Esperanza's eyes - only concern.

Whether it was the confusion of waking from hell or the fear of judgment from a stranger, Lupe had spilled everything. She'd expected mockery or dismissal. Instead, Esperanza had wordlessly drawn her close, holding her as the dam finally broke. Despite Lupe's silent, wracking sobs, her new roommate's presence had offered a comfort she'd forgotten existed. For the first time, she could share her truth without shame. In that moment, the stranger became family.

Esperanza had been her anchor these past years as the dreams worsened. Each cycle they grew more intense, more detailed - less like dreams and more like reclaimed memories. They built like a wave over weeks before crashing down in one final vision that left her shattered for days.

Through the window, autumn painted the courtyard trees in deep crimson and gold. Volver approached with the harvest season. Her skin burned at the thought, phantom pain racing across the scars that marked her face and back. For a moment, she could almost smell cinnamon lingering from the dream.

He was coming. The Devil drew closer with each passing night.

The sour stench of fear-sweat filled her nose as she hurried to the washroom, passing Esperanza's concerned gaze. Inside, she stripped off the damp nightgown and reached for a cleaning cloth. Her reflection stopped her cold - sunken red eyes, burn scars twisting across the left side of her face. Hideous. Disgusting.

Clouds dimmed the morning light as tears threatened. Why was she still powerless? Still being punished? Lupe thought as Hil's light warmed her skin. But as the sun broke through once more, something else rose within her, burning hotter than fear or self-loathing.

Rage.

Her fists slammed against the washstand. "No more!" The words tore from her throat. "Never again!"

"Lupe?" Esperanza's worried voice carried through the door. "Are you alright?"

Lupe yanked the door open, standing naked and trembling before her startled sister.

"It's okay, Anza." Her voice steadied despite her tears. "I know what I must do now."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to find him." Steel entered her tone. "I'm going to find the Devil. And I'm going to kill him."