I feel my bed shake, and I know Ever’s here. Rubbing my eyes, I crack one eye open and see her crawl up to me. One glance at her tearstained face, and I open my arms to her. She snuggles up to me, sniffling slightly. Her soft wings flutter slightly, and their white bands flash up in the dark. She turns towards me and slips into my arms, knowing exactly how to cuddle without hurting her. “Ever… did something happen?”

She shook her head ever so slightly, sniffling into my chemise. I knew it was a dream… she had them a lot. It had probably been a nightmare, one of the ones that left her shaking with cold. She’s my big sister, but this at least was something I could help her with.

“Ever… do you need to talk about it?” Her body is cold, her freezing hands clutching at my back, holding me close. Her breathing comes in short, quick gasps, and her wings are tense against her shoulders.

“It was a dream…” she says, her normally cheerful, smooth voice reduced to a gravelly mess. In fits and spurts she explained it to me. It was an unusually graphic dream, filled with flashing glimpses of something that filled her with unjustifiable terror. A figure formed out of the shadows, its form just undefinable enough that she couldn’t tell its race or true size. The shadows parted into a gaping maw… slashing teeth tore her family, our family apart. My mutilated corpse stared at her, upside down from the monster’s mouth.

The monster crunched through my spine, my top half thudding to the ground, my unseeing eyes looking up at the sky. The monster seemed to notice her… red eyes shone through the shadows surrounding it. Its heavy strides shook the ground where she sat, her heavy skirts soaked in… blood. I feel a tingling sensation at the base of my spine, where she said it was violently severed in her dream.

“You’re dead” She manages to cry out. “I’m drowning” She chokes, burying her face in my chest. “I saw it come from your corpse’s mouth, blood down your cheek and your teeth shattered… I saw it… you’re dead…”

“Ever, it was just a dream… I’m here, I’m with you…” I tell her softly, smoothing her wings and holding her close. I’m dead twice a week it seems, although usually it isn’t quite this violent.

“I don’t want you to die…” she says desperately. I don’t know how to convince her, so just I hold her close.

“I won’t… I’m here with you.” She seems to have exhausted her ability to speak, so I let her snuggle in peace.

Her hands go still, and her breathing levels. Although she’s still cold, she finally seems to absorb some of my heat. Satisfied that she’s not going to break down, I relax and drift off into sleep.