by M. K. ROZE
eyes.
“Let her go!” I opened the door. “Help me! Please, help
me!”
No one was in sight. I turned back, and Dr. Wells’s eyes
rolled in the back of her head.
“Viata, help me!” she choked.
“Stop it!” I charged him into the wall.
His brown eyes narrowed on mine as he stepped out of
the hole in the wall and wiped his scrubs off. I stood there
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wondering how I managed to do that.
“Where did you get such strength from?” he asked.
I backed away.
He grabbed my hair and dragged me back over to Dr.
Wells. “Watch and learn.” He let me go, slit her neck open
wider, and licked the blood off his finger. “Would you like a
taste? Her blood is sweet.”
I gagged and fell backward. He ripped her head off like
paper and tossed it across the room. I jumped up and fled
out of the room.
“Help me!” I ran down the hall. I turned the corner and
collided into the nurses and doctors.
“What’s wrong?” they took turns asking.
I pointed to the room, but I couldn’t speak, then glass
shattered from that direction. Most of them took off running
toward the room while one young nurse stayed with me.
“What happened?” she asked.
I ignored her, trying to figure a way out of there. In the
distance, people were screaming and hollering instructions to
get me. I ran my fingers manically through my hair, pacing
back and forth.
“Wake up, please wake up,” I repeated over and over.
The nurse gently touched my arm. “Miss, you are
awake.”
I swatted her hand away, causing her to fall against the
wall. As she called out to the staff, fear settled in her eyes.
I ran toward the nearest exit and pushed the door open.
As I thought of the fastest way home, something that
sounded like cars smashing into each other came from the
roof of the hospital. I looked up, but it was too dark to see
what made the noise.
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“Go to Bran Castle and meet Muma,” Bain shouted
from above my head. “She will know when you arrive.
Oh, my God. Did I fall again while under hypnosis? Is this a
dream?
I looked up again, but I couldn’t see him, so I took off
running toward the woods, holding the nightgown in place.
When branches snapping echoed behind me, I picked
up the pace while looking over my shoulder, making sure the
unknown male wasn’t following me.
Out of the woods, I ran down the side streets, and
people were honking at me. I continued behind a house and
took cover for a while, panting like a dog.
When no cars were passing by, I took off again, cutting
through people’s backyards and jumping over fences. One
yard had a black lab that I came face to face with. I dodged
him and climbed over the next fence, scratching my stomach
in the process. The dog grabbed hold of my gown, tearing it,
leaving me exposed.
At my neighbor’s house, I got a good view of my
parents’ home across the street. I hid behind the shed,
clutching my chest, trying to still my pounding heart. After a
few minutes, my parents rushed out of the door.
When they left, I ran to the back door and opened the
lockbox for the extra key. Inside, I hurried to my bedroom
to change into the clothes I had left there. A car door
slammed shut. I raced over to my bedroom window. It was
the next-door neighbors, so I ran into the kitchen and dug
through the drawers to find my car keys. Found them, now
where’s my phone?
I fled upstairs to my parents’ room to see if it was there.
I grabbed it off the dresser, but it was dead. With my shaky
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hands, I unlocked my parents’ safe, grabbed my passport and
a lot of money. I saw the leftover Romanian Lei from our
trip and decided to go back there to see if Bain was telling
the truth.
I jetted back down the stairs and looked one last time
out the window before I ran outside. When it was clear, I ran
to my car and stopped in my tracks when I saw a significant
dent on the hood.
I shook my head in disbelief, then drove to my house
and parked on the next street over in case my parents showed
up. I raced inside, grabbed my carry-on bag, and jammed all
my clothes into it. I heard sirens, so I ran to the front
window. I slightly lifted the blinds, and a few cops were
heading toward my front door. I ran out the back door and
shut it so they wouldn’t know I’d been there. After jumping
over several fences, I reached my car, and I threw my carry-
on bag into the back seat.
At the Jacksonville airport, I parked in the garage and
cried, unsure if I should go back to Romania. With a few
deep breaths, I glanced in the mirror and fixed myself the
best I could. I got out and continued inside and found an
older woman stood at the counter.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I forced a smile. “Yes, I’m just a little upset that my
friend is in the hospital.”
She seemed to believe me, and my lie helped to explain
why I was such a mess.
“I’m sorry to hear that. How may I help you?”
“I would like a one-way ticket to Bucharest, Romania,
please.”
“Sure thing.”
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She told me the different times, so I picked the earliest
one, then handed her eighteen hundred dollars.
“You carry that kind of cash around with you?” she
asked.
I wiped the sweat off my hands onto my jeans. “No, not
usually, but there were no banks open at this hour, so I went
into my safe.”
“Oh, I see. Well, be careful and protect yourself.”
“I will. Thanks.”
I turned to all the other people sitting in chairs near the
window.
As I waited for my flight, I looked up the hotel in
Romania my parents and I stayed at before. There were a lot
of rooms available, but I decided to wait until I got there to
book one. I didn’t want to use my credit card because they
could find me.
When I thought about Savina and Bain, I looked up
powerful humans with wings on the internet but only found
angels. Bain was much nicer than the others, but he wasn’t
an angel.
The Vampire Diaries popped into my head, so I looked
up vampires. When I saw their fangs, I lowered my phone
because I got freaked out.
My flight wasn’t for another few hours, so I used my
carry-on bag as a pillow and tried to act normal.
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hen we landed in Bucharest, I hurried through
the crowd and continued out front where
glistening white snow lay everywhere. I
bundled up as best as I could and flagged down a taxi, just as
my father had done when
we were there last. Its interior
reeked of sweat, but it was warm.
“Where would you like to go?” the female driver asked.
“The North Railway Station, please?”
“Okay.”
“Thank you.”
The driver continued through downtown Bucharest. I
was surprised to see it was bumper-to-bumper traffic with all
the snow. I glanced at the baroque historical buildings that
were all clustered together, remembering the good times
when my parents were with me.
With only a few minor slips and slides through the icy
roads, she pulled up in front of the massive train station. I
got out and looked up at the beautiful clock high up on the
building’s façade. The gray pillars were layered with ice.
When I got on the train, I sat and placed my bag on the
empty seat next to me.
After the train started to move slowly, I thought about
Kaylee, then Dr. Wells’s death took over my mind. I wanted
to call my parents to tell them I was okay, but I decided not
to until I could figure out what was going on. I had to make
sure my dreams were real. They were too vivid and were
happening too frequently.
I placed my feet on the opposite seat and forced myself
to pass out for the three hours I had to Brasov. When the
train pulled to a stop, I gathered my bag, got off the train,
and got into another taxi with a male driver.
“Can you take me to Dracula’s Bed and Breakfast Inn,
please.”
“Sure can.” He took off slowly.
Out in the countryside, we passed the picturesque snow-
covered mountains. Their imposing presence transfixed me
just like last time. After a long climb along a narrow road
winding up the side of a mountain, we finally pulled up in
front of the inn.
I took my bag. “Can you stay here? I have to make sure
they have rooms.”
“Yes.”
“Thanks.”
When I got out of the taxi, I took a few seconds viewing
the gorgeous mountains that surrounded the inn. A cold
breeze blew across my face with the smell of burning wood.
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I shivered as I looked at the small castle with a tall tower that
sat on top of the roof, covered in icicles. I hurried up the
steps, hoping one didn’t impale me.
I pushed open the front door and walked inside. It was
dimmer than last time with a strong musty smell. As I
continued down the short hallway, I blew hot air into my
hands, trying to warm up. I opened the second door and
memories of my parents and me staying there put a smile on
my face.
“Hello,” I called out as I admired the huge stones on the
fireplace, and the red velvet antique chairs Mom and I sat in.
“Be right out,” a familiar voice said from behind a door.
Melissa stepped out from the back. “Hey, welcome back.
What brings you here again?”
I had to think of a lie. “A good friend of mine who lives
here is in the hospital, so this time I came alone.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. The room you had before isn’t
available. Would you like another one?”
“Yes, that would be great. I’ll be right back. I have to
tell the taxi driver to leave.”
I paid the driver and tipped him as well.
His eyes lit up. “Thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome.”
Inside, I stamped the snow off my sneakers.
“Brrr, it’s cold out there.”
Melissa looked up. “Yes, it is. Don’t you have a warmer
jacket?”
“I’m going to buy one tomorrow.”
“Oh.” She handed me the key.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. If you need anything, anything at all,
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please don’t hesitate to call my cell.” She handed me a hotel
card with her number on the back of it.
“That’s sweet of you. Thank you.”
“Have a great night.” She disappeared into the back
office.
On the second floor, I opened the door to the suite, and
a cool breeze blew across my face. I rushed over to the
prepared fireplace in front of the king-size canopy bed and
lit it up. When the crackling began, I sat on the red chaise in
front of it and warmed up my hands.
After a few minutes, I got up and explored the large
stone bathroom with gold marble counters and a matching
two-person Jacuzzi tub. I walked back out, opened the large
French doors, and a burst of cold air rushed in my face. I
crossed my arms as I stepped out onto the balcony. With a
few more steps, I peeked over the railing at the ancient village
of Brasov and Bran Castle, which was surrounded by
hundreds of snow-covered trees.
I ran back inside and turned up the thermostat, then I
drew a hot bath in the Jacuzzi. I lay there with my body
submerged under the bubbles, thinking about all the stuff
that was going on. I wished it would just all go away.
After a while, I noticed my hands were all wrinkly from
the water, so I got out, dried off, and lay in bed under the
white blanket. I turned on my phone. I had a voicemail from
Mom and text messages from Liam. I played the voicemail
on the speaker.
“Viata,” Mom said. She sounded tearful and desperate.
“Where are you? We’re so sorry you had to witness such a
horrific act. We know you didn’t do it, but do you know who
the man who killed Dr. Wells was?” She paused. “Please cal
us, honey, please. Your father and I are worried sick.”
I sighed. I need to text them and tell them I’m okay.
Mom, Dad. Please don’t worry about me. I’m
fine.
Almost immediately, Mom called me, but I didn’t
answer. She called me again, followed by a text.
Viata, please pick up the phone.
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I ignored her, texted Liam, and told him I was okay.
Mom called me again, so I took my earring out and used
it to take the SIM card out of my phone, in case they tried to
track me down. I knew that I needed to be one step ahead
of them.
For the next hour, I tossed ideas around in my head,
trying to decide what to do next. I need to go to Bran Castle and
see if Muma Pădurii is there. If she is, then Bain must be real.
The next day, someone knocked on the door, waking
me up. I jumped up from the chair and walked to the door.
“Who is it?” I called out.
“We have breakfast ready downstairs. Please join us,” a
male voice said with a British accent.
I exhaled sharply and rested my forehead against the
door. “Oh, thank you. I’ll be down shortly.”
After forcing myself to eat, I headed off to Bran Castle
to meet Muma like Bain told me to. While in the taxi, my
hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I was ready to tell the male
driver to turn back, but I knew I needed to meet Muma
Pădurii and see if Bain was telling me the truth.
W
hen I arrived, I climbed the steep steps and was
surprised to see that quite a few tourists had braved the
weather. Halfway up the steps, I stopped, caught my breath,
and shielded my face from the strengthening wind. After a
few minutes, I continued up the steps. Once at the top, I
blew my hot breath into my hands, trying to warm them up.
“Hello, Viata,” a woman said with a deep Romanian
accent.
I looked to my right, and a tall older woman hunched
over was next to me. “Are you Muma Pădurii?” I took a few
steps back, doing my best to avoid her intimidating stare.
She circled me. “Yes, and Muma is just fine.”
A slight breeze blew her white, straw-like hair back,
showing her black moles and the huge lump on the right side
of her wrinkled face.
“Walk with me,” she demanded.
I flinched from her tone and followed her back down
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the steps.
Muma stopped and turned to me while tapping her long
pointy fingers together slowly. “You and I share a ...
complicated past.”
“What do you mean? I just met you.”
She narrowed her black eyes on mine. “Trust me, I
would love to tell you, but my job is to convey only what Bain
asked of me, and nothing more.”
I squinted, confused. “Why did you mention that you
knew me then?”
An American couple walked toward us and stopped in
their tracks. “Are you speaking to us?” the heavy-set man
asked me.
I pointed at Muma. “No. I’m talking to her.”
“There’s no one there.”
I didn’t know if he was messing with me or what, so I
shut up. They continued walking toward me and straight
through Muma, then they edged past me, staring at me with
caution.
My body became weak, and I sat on the step in a daze.
Muma glared at me. “Get up before people think there’s
something wrong with you.”
“Are ... you ... a ... ghost?”
An unnatural chuckle came from deep within her lungs.
“No. I’m much more powerful than that. Now get up and
follow me!” she ordered.
I shook my head. “No, I’ll stay here.”
Her eyes turned red.
I have to be dreaming.