The
darkness doesn't seem as dark as before, everything seems so crystal clear, and
the sounds are so vivid. I can hear everything in high definition. I've walked
and walked for what seemed like an eternity, and I have no idea where I'm going
yet, but I know I must get as far away from here as I possibly can. My heart
breaks as I know I will never see Chris again. I still love him despite
everything that has happened. I want to hate him, but I find that I miss him
more and more the further I get. I push those feelings back as I have made my
mind up. I was so tired of everyone trying to do what they wanted with me that
I was going to make my own destiny and do what I wanted with my life. I didn't
know what the future had in store for me, but I was going to try to make the
best of it.
My
new condition had me concerned because I didn't know much about it at all. All
I knew was that we could survive on food and could deal with day or night, but
the blood thing was going to be my problem. If Chris had not forced me to drink
his blood, I would have refused. I know I craved it, but still, how was I going
to deal with it on my own. I would never want to take anyone's life and
defiantly don't want anyone to know about me. If what he says is true about me
being the last female of my kind, that would explain why I was being hunted
literally my whole life.
It
was weird having teeth like this all the time. I keep biting my lip and trying
to hide them when I went to talk was going to be a challenge. How did Chris do
it? I never noticed his teeth before, and then it hits me. That's why he never
kissed me any deeper than what he did. I would have surely discovered the
secret that he was hiding from me. My anger grows when I think of how he
betrayed me.
I
finally get to a small family store, and I got to get something to eat. I feel
like I'm wasting away, but I must be very careful. I look in the window to
check my appearance. I didn't know what made our eyes red, but that would give
me away. I could hide my teeth, but that would give me away for sure. I head in,
trying to keep to myself. The store is pretty much empty other than a few
people not paying me no mind. I walk over and grab water out of the cooler and
then grab a bag of chips and then a sandwich out of another cooler. As I head
to the counter, I pass by and see some hair dye. I get the idea to try to
change my appearance, so if I did run across Chris or my uncle, I would have a
chance to get away without them noticing. I grab for blond since my hair was brown;
this would make a difference. I make my way to the counter, keeping my eyes
down as I pass everyone. I place my stuff on the counter, and the clerk rings
it up.
"That
will be twenty-four dollars maim," she says. I reach in and pull out my
wallet and hand her the cash. She hands me my change, and I get my bag heading
out without having to say anything.
When
I get outside, I let out the breath that I was holding. I walk around the
corner and sit on the curve, placing my backpack and bag beside me. I start
with the water first, then finish off my chips and sandwich, which was yummy
but a little bit of a challenge. It's going to take me forever to get used to
these teeth. How in the world did he do it? I shove all the empty packages into
the bag and push it into my backpack. I got to find a bathroom to dye my hair.
I wasn't looking forward to it because I loved my long brown locks of hair. I walk
around the corner, and I see the public bathroom sign. I head in and lock the
door behind me.
I
got to be quick, but this was going to take some time to do. I would hate to
mess my hair up and make me more of a site to spot out. I pull the box out and
read the instructions very carefully. I put the gloves on and massage the
contents into my hair. I look in the mirror, and I look like an idiot. I hope
this works. I place the little bag over my head, waiting for it to set while I
timed it. The twenty-five minutes seemed to take forever, and I could only pray
no one had to use the bathroom while I looked like this. Finally, it was time
to rinse it out. I pull the bag off and place my head under the little facet in
the bathroom. As the water runs over my head, I can see the coloring run down
the drain. When I think it’s all washed out, I ring it out as best as I can. I
pull out my brush and brush it out in the mirror. My brown hair was now blond,
which made me look pale, but it defiantly changed my appearance drastically.
After I get it, all brushed out, I pull out my hoodie and place it on pulling
the hood over my wet hair. With one last look, I unlock the door and head out,
leaving the store behind.
When
I reach the next town, it's a small town with a lot of small businesses. The
neighborhood was smaller than what I just came from, and I wondered what I was
going to do about a place to live. I knew I needed to get a job, but that was
going to be a little difficult with these dang teeth, but I had to do
something. It's almost daylight, and I got to find a place to rest. Walking
through town, I see a local park, and there are woods nearby, so I head in that
direction. I step back into the woods where it looks like no one normally goes
and set my backpack on the ground. I lie on the ground and use my backpack as a
pillow. I drift off in a troubled sleep.
I
wake with a jolt as my body jerks. Usually, I was always waking up with
nightmares, but this time I wasn't sure what exactly woke me up. I stretch out
with sore muscles and set up taking in my surroundings. It's still dark, and
I'm still tired. I sit there for a little bit watching the stars and find
myself slipping, falling, and tumbling in my dreams of what seemed to be a never-ending
battle of love and hate for Chris. His hazel eyes that now are fire red haunt
me. I can't wrap my head around what he told me, and none of this was making
any sense to me. It didn't matter what he said we were, I was a monster, no
different from the bloodsuckers in all the stories I read when I was a child. I
didn't know what my future held, but it sure scared the hell out of me.
I
see myself as if I was looking at another person. I'm wearing a red dress with
spaghetti straps with a slit running up my leg. I'm going somewhere, but I
can't see it. I follow in her wake as she heads to............ Chris! What is
he doing here?
“Don't
go, stupid girl,” I shout.
She
pays me no mind as she runs into his arms. He pulls her close and glares down
at her with his red eyes and fangs. He moves her hair and sinks his teeth into
her neck, letting blood trail down her neck, then down to her dress. I turn
away and run, leaving them in the distance. When the scene changes, I see these
evil creatures that are chasing me, trying to kill me when I see my uncle in
the distance. I stop and look for another route to take, and when I think I
have just outrun them both, I run and see Chris. I stop with panic on what to
do now. I'm surrounded by monsters with no possible escape. I watch them all
coming from different directions and freeze in fear of which one will reach me
first and rip me apart.
Panic
sets in as I wake with arms grabbing me. My eyes spring open and its Chris, and
he's got me over his shoulder carrying me like a sack of potatoes.
"Put
me down," I yell as I kick my legs and beat my hands on his back.
"Leave me alone!" I yell at him.
"You can't be alone right now," he
says as his grip tightens around my thighs.
"You
have no right," I yell.
"I don't care, Kristen, you can hate me
all you want, you are vulnerable, and whether you like it or not, you need
me," he says.
"I
don't need you; I can make it on my own," I huff as I dangle from his
shoulders.
"Oh yeah," he says, in one swift
motion I'm set on my feet face to face with him.
He drops my backpack on the ground, and I'm
stunned by his reaction. He reaches over and bites his wrist, letting the blood
drip to the ground. My mouth goes dry, and I know I want to drink from him. I
step back and cover my mouth.
"You
are not playing fair," I say as my throat burns.
“Exactly, you are not going to be able to do
this on your own, I will teach you," he says as he picks up my backpack,
then hosts me over his shoulder again making me squall out.
"I
can walk on my own, thank you," I yell as I hang upside down.
"I'm not taking any risks on losing you
again. I've already lost you twice, and I will not do it again. I will tie you
to me if I have to," he says as he marches on.
We
get out of the wood line, and I see his car parked on the side of the road. He
opens the back door to his car and slings my backpack in the seat. He closes
the door, then reaches for the front passenger side door, once he opens the
door, he puts me on my feet. With utter defeat, I climb in the front seat and
give Chris a glare of disapproval. It doesn't seem to faze him as he reaches
across me, buckling my seat belt. His scent hits me, and I close my eyes,
trying to shut out my body's reaction to him. Shutting my door, I watch him
walk across the front of the car heading to his door. He climbs in, starting
the engine without even looking at me. Taking a glance, he pulls out and we're
on the road heading to god knows where.
"So, I'm your prisoner now?" I ask.
"Kristen, you're not my prisoner, I just
need to explain a few things to you, so you understand what's going on. You are
overreacting, and I need you to know the truth," he says as a way of
explanation.
"I
think you have told me enough to where I have made my mind up on wanting
nothing to do with you," I tell him, making him flinch.
"Try
to keep an open mind," he says as he turns up a driveway.
"Where
are we going?" I ask.
"My house," he replies.
"So
why even pretend to be a teenager and befriend me, just to lie and betray
me?" I ask.
"Think
about it Kristen, if I told you the truth the first time, we meet do you think
you would have even given me a chance to show you a part of this world. You
would have exposed me and you leaving us venerable to the hunters that will not
give up till they find us and wipe us out of existence," he tells me.
"Well,
you could have at least told me something to hint around to it after you let me
fall in love with you only to...... I say as he cuts me off.
"Stop Kristen, I know you are angry with
me but don't push my patience," he says with a tone that shuts me down
completely. My heart sinks as the Chris that was so sweet, and kind was
now someone I didn't know.
