Marked

by A.N. Meade

you for your generosity, my Lord.” He bowed before the man. It made me feel like he thought I was worth less.

  I wanted to run, but there was no way past them. They hadn’t given me any window to escape. My father took my hand and put it in the strangers. As he ushered me out he promised that I would be well taken care of. My father slammed the door shut, but I could still hear the sound of my mother crying. It was a deep cry, like she was dying. My little brother stood at the doorstep. His bare feet were covered in mud. They were red from the cold. Maybe they could afford to buy him a pair of shoes now.

  The man’s grip on my hand was firm. Perhaps he knew that I was contemplating the steps to the forest’s edge. I mounted the horse behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. It was horribly uncomfortable holding onto him like that. I didn’t know him, and I didn’t think that I liked him. There was a road by the family farm that wound up the mountain and down into the town. I could remember someone watching me sometimes when I went out to find the goats. It must have been him. I couldn’t understand why he chose me. We rode up the mountain and along the edge of the cliffs to a grey stone castle. I would have taken the chance to look back longer if I had realized that it would be the last time that I would ever see my brother, or my home.

  We dismounted at the entrance. He put his hand out to lead me inside. There was a small chapel, and a priest waiting for us. This was not what I had imagined my wedding day would be like. There was no family, no flowers, no love, or softness.

  The priest was a middle aged man, fat, with red cheeks. We stood in front of him and he began to speak from the bible. “18 And the Lord God said: It is not good for a man to be alone: let us make him a help like unto himself. 19 And the Lord God having formed out of the ground all the beasts of the earth, and all the fowls of the air, brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: for whatsoever Adam called any living creature the same is its name. 20 And Adam called all the beasts by their names, and all the fowls of the air, and all the cattle of the field: but for Adam there was not found a helper like himself. 21 Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it. 22 And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam. 23 And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. 24 Wherefore a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh…- Genesis 2:18-24

  Having come of your own will to give yourselves to one another in marriage, will you honor and love one another as husband and wife, and accept children from God raising them according to the law of Christ and the church?”

  The priest looked at us. I refused to answer, but it did not matter because the man answered for both of us. “We will,” he said. I certainly did not.

  Then the priest continued with his scriptures. “5 And a voice came out from the throne, saying: Give praise to our God, all ye his servants; and you that fear him, little and great. 6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunders, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord our God the Almighty hath reigned. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife hath prepared herself. 8 And it is granted to her that she should clothe herself with fine linen, glittering and white. For the fine linen are the justifications of saints. 9 And he said to me: Write: Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith to me: These words of God are true- Revelations (Apocalypse 5:9)”

  The priest joined our right hands and continued speaking “Having declared their consent before God and the Church, Dacian, will you take Elizabeta here present for your lawful wedded wife, according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Catholic Church?”

  He looked almost smug. I wanted to slap him. I wanted to kill him. He looked at me and said “I will. “His gaze did not feel warm or comforting. I looked at the priest. I wished that he would turn away from me. His eyes were like searing fire.

  The priest spoke again. “Elizabeta will you take Dacian here present for your lawful wedded husband, according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Catholic Church?”

  I was silent. I could not do this. It was not right. Nothing about this was right. He leaned in toward me without a second thought, and without hesitation. I couldn’t see anything behind his eyes. He leaned in close to my ear, opposite the side of the priest and whispered “The old woman, I would kill last so that she could hear the little boys’ screams. I can make your life very good, or I can make it very bad. Do you want your little brother to have a chance to grow up?”

  It hit me then for the first time. I had begun to understand what my life would be like. I was terrified, absolutely terrified. He had the bower to do anything he wanted. I would have fought him and left that very minute, but I was afraid, frozen still with fear of what he would do to my family.

  Dacian grew impatient at my silence. “Do you want me to spare him or not?” He demanded an answer.

  “Yes.” I said.

  My feeble whisper was enough to prompt the priest to continue. “May the Lord in His goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

  The priest gave a ring to Dacian and he spoke of the ring as a symbol of deep faith. Dacian repeated the priest’s words. He held my hand tightly as the forced the ring on. “With this ring, I thee wed, and pledge myself unto thee. Take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit.” I wondered how the priest could do this. I wondered how it was that he couldn’t see what was happening. I wondered why he didn’t care.

  The priest didn’t stop things, instead he concluded our marriage with words that I would never forget. “May the hills lie low, May the sloughs fill up, May all evil sleep, May all good awake, in thy way. By the power of the Catholic Church, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

  I turned as quickly as I could when he tried to kiss me. There was no wedding reception, no family, or friends. There was just a short good bye to the priest before he began to lead me through the corridors. I begged him, “please…” as I collapsed in the long narrow hallway. My long dark hair was wet with my tears.

  He looked down on me and yelled “get up!” I begged him to please just let me go. It was then that he knelt down, and lifted my head so that I had to look at him as he spoke. I tried not to see him, to look past him as he spoke. “You are mine. I will never let you go. Do not let me hear you speak in such a way ever again. I am your husband and you will honor me. Now, get up!”

  I wasn’t sure what to do. I could have fought him, but he would have easily overpowered me. It was clear that he would do whatever he had to in order to control me. He would have won either way, so I decided to obey him in an effort to win his favor. I wiped my tears, and stood to my feet, straightening out the bodice of my dress.

  He held out his hand for mine, “Good girl. Come, we are almost to our room.”

  I placed my hand in his reluctantly. I was still trembling. Our room was up a stairway at the end of the long, narrow hall. It had one window that looked out over the sea. He locked the heavy door behind him. I stood looking out over the water. He walked up behind me and pushed my hair over my left shoulder. I asked him why he chose me.

  He began to kiss the right side of my neck as he answered, “Because you’re beautiful.”

  I cringed and closed my eyes. “Surely, there are more beautiful girls.”

  He continued down my shoulder, pushing off the right sleeve of my dress. “There are none with your eyes.”

  He turned me to face him. I looked down at the floor at first. He pushed back the hair from my face, “look at me.”

  My eyes met his
. He had brown eyes with flecks of amber fire. They were piercing. They made me feel exposed and vulnerable. I know that face. It’s Damian!”

  Aimee screamed in absolute horror. She knocked over the incense from the table and began to run toward the stairs and the front of the apartment. She was disoriented and confused, and just plain sick. She passed the bathroom, and darted inside, vomiting blood and acid.

  Elsie followed her. “What is it, child?”

  “The man in my first life,” she said in between retches. “I know him.”

  “He’s vampire?”

  Aimee stood up, wiping her face. “I’m sorry about the table.”

  “I ain’t worried about no table, girl.” Elsie wiped the edges of Aimee’s lips where she had missed some blood.

  “Thank you for everything Elsie, but I have to go.” Aimee made her way toward the door.

  “Be careful, you be real careful.”

  Aimee stopped at a motel just a few minutes away. She needed to rest. She felt so weak. As she was walking down the sidewalk to her room, she heard footsteps behind her. Everything had begun to blur, she felt confused, and so she just ignored it. She was so weak that she could barely walk. Everything was spinning, and she collapsed on the sidewalk. When she woke up she was lying on the bed in her motel room. The