Predator

26.

To humans, the banshee scream is unheard of. However, any supernatural creature can hear a banshee scream. Banshee's are women who have the supernatural power of being able to predict when some will die. They unconsciously scream to announce when someone has died at the the hands of a supernatural being or someone the Banshee knows. Banshees scream to block out other noises that could limit their premonition.
Banshees can appear as old hags or as a supernaturally beautiful woman. Their hair can either be red or a pale color which is said to "shimmer like wildfire", both types of hairs are very long. Their eyes are permanently glossed and puffy from crying all the time.
Banshees are not known to to be evil nor violent. They only seem dark from their own life of tragedy. Banshees are hypersensitive to to the sadness of others. They are also deeply devoted to the family they serve and each banshee is given a specific family to serve.
Banshees are some of the most useful creatures in the supernatural world, according to families they serve. Their powers come to them through premonitions and in those premonitions is where they can see someone's death before it actually happens. The banshee would then tell her family and it would be up to the family to either turn the premonition around or to let it be, that's why people says the future isn't written in stone.
If bit by another creature of the supernatural, the banshee would only then gain the powers of Immortality and the powers of whatever creature had bit them.

Damien stayed up for the rest of the resting period reading what little research was done on banshees. Neela would be of great use to his family in the case of something terrible happening. He wanted to learn more about how the banshees love others, but there was no research done on that aspect, maybe way before mates were heard of in the demon realm.

Damien, all morning, wondered about how Neela would react once she realized she was home again. That was the home she spent most of her time in, that was where the most pain had been endured by her. Would she cry? Would she be angry? All the Damien knew is that she would have to have a shower and to fill up on food. The color was already returning in her beautiful face.

A few more hours had passed before any of his children awoke, Ethan and Evan were the first ones awake. As they walked down the grand staircase, Damien held a finger up to his lips, once he was visible to them, signaling them to keep quiet. The twins being curious, walked over to the couch and saw Neela's sleeping body. Parts of her hair were matted, her fingernails were bitten unevenly, her face was stained with tears, she even had self-inflicted scratches on her face, neck, even her arms and legs.

"Ryan won't be happy once he sees those," Evan speaks. "Why did they not take proper care of her? They should have protected her," came the voice of Ethan. "I know, boys, but we'll get through it. We always have," Damien tried his best to sound positive, "just make sure you both stand near Neela once Ryan comes out, we'll keep her safe."

Evan walked to Damien's desk and picked up the folder simply titled 'Banshee Research'. "What are these?" He showed the papers to his father and brother, but Ethan wasn't really paying attention, he was just taking her in. "Neela is a banshee, that's her supernatural power."

"So when she becomes a demon, she'll stay the same?" Damien shrugged at Evans question, "I really don't know, banshees are rare, there's only a little bit of research done on them." Damien went over to the desk and skimmed through a few papers, "their powers go through levels. She has to be made aware of the power before she becomes more useful. As she matures and even gets bit, she becomes more powerful."

Damien left the boys to look over the files while he went to check in on Ryan. He had been sleeping in a downstairs guest room as he couldn't walk up the stairs by himself. Damien slowly entered the room, thinking that Ryan was asleep but he wasn't. Instead, he was sitting up in bed, crying in his hands.

"My son," Damien called, "you're innocent, I've a surprise for you in the living room." Ryan just shook his head at his father's words, "I can't see her. I'm going to hurt her, Egin said so himself." Without even seeing Neela, just knowing her presence was near, snapped Ryan back to his old self. His skin was dark again, he had energy, he wasn't shaking with a fever, his room was actually a normal temperature.

"If you trust yourself and truly love her, it'll all be okay. She doesn't hold any animosity toward us," Damien didn't know if what he said was true but he needed to get Ryan out of the room, he needed them to be back together.

Ryan was about to say something but was cut off by a little voice from the living room, "is this going to be another good dream?" Ryan and Damien shared a look before Damien rushes out to the living room, "you're awake!" Damien ran to his daughter to pull her into his embrace. "So this will be a good dream!" Neela smiled.

"Look, I'm not the cop anymore. We're going to get you into more comfortable clothes, okay?" Damien held his hand out for Neela to take, but she didn't. "I'll only be here a short while, I'm fine," it was only at this point that Damien realized is that Neela truly believed that none of it was real. That's why her voice was so dead in the hospital, she came to that 'realization'. She only felt true happiness when she was 'dreaming' about Ryan.

"I cannot take hearing this anymore," Ryan's voice could be heard coming closer, Ethan noticed that Neela visibly perked up at the sound of his voice.