by Liz Crowe
My eyes shot open and my hearing quickly spread out over the castle. My ears were filled with a commotion of noises and my vision was blurred. I remembered Marlo telling me to reign in my senses as soon as I woke, and I did just that. My vision and hearing came into sharp focus. I saw everything in perfect clarity and heard only the ticking of a nearby clock. I looked down and found myself perched on the wooden foot board which had served as my meditating spot. I felt refreshed, like I had rested for hours.
I hopped off of the bed and walked over to the vanity. The clock showed that it was ten twenty-three in the evening. I had rested almost an entire day. But more importantly, there was little over an hour until I would make my escape to see Vincent and start our new existence together. My heart fluttered at the thought of seeing him again. I wondered which great exotic location he would take me to. I wondered where we would live and how we would get there. I couldn’t wait to get out of this castle and start this new phase of my life.
Someone must have been in my room while I rested because a large pitcher and goblet had found its way to my night stand. Remarkably, I hadn’t heard anyone enter or leave the room while I was meditating, just as Marlo had said would happen. It was kind of a scary thought that someone had entered the room without my noticing, and it absolutely reinforced Marlo’s admonition to always rest in a secure spot. I poured a glass of the thick liquid and slowly sipped it, savoring every drop. I swished it around in my mouth as if drinking a fine wine and enjoyed it as it slid down my throat and into my belly where the liquid extinguished the smoldering embers.
The huge picture on the wall grabbed my attention. I set the goblet on the table and walked to the wall for a closer inspection. It was a beautiful image of the ocean that spanned the length of the wall. The waves were immense and deep in color…blues, greens, even some black. The swells were topped with foamy white caps that were anything but delicate. Fierce brush strokes had made the masterpiece and the artist’s anger was apparent in the soaring waves. This was the ocean in the midst of a violent storm.
I continued staring at the picture, losing myself in the crashing waves. Then it struck me that I had briefly looked at the painting when I had first woken from my transformation. I had been able to see every paint drop and brush stroke when I had lost control of my senses. Though it was a blur of color, I swore I saw black letters scrawled across the middle of the painting.
I raised my hand and touched the painting as if that would make the words appear. I found nothing. Whatever it was that I thought I saw yesterday must have been a figment of my imagination.
I walked over to the vanity and sat on the chair. The mirror revealed perfectly soft and smooth skin. The scars from my prior day’s tears were completely gone. I pulled at the skin gently, searching for the jagged ruts that were visible yesterday, but found nothing.
I examined the rest of my face in great detail, the first time I had really done so since becoming a vampire. My skin was smooth, all of my mortal imperfections gone. My complexion was now that of a fashion model, supple and perfect. My hair was perfectly styled, as if I hadn’t run miles through the woods yesterday and attacked an animal. The blonde color was more vibrant than it had ever been in my mortal life.
My complexion, though pale, needed no makeup. My skin shone as if I was full of life; ironic considering I was now part of the living dead. My lips were a rosy red, as if colored with gloss, and the hollows of my cheekbones radiated the slightest bit of color. The coloring of my eyes, though a mix of dark and light, was vibrant, like a light was illuminating from behind them. This is good, I thought. I must be well nourished.
All of it – my complexion, eyes, hair – was part of my arsenal. This was what would attract a mortal to me. I had never considered my mortal self remotely beautiful. In fact, I had thought I was pretty average looking. But now, I was just the opposite. There was nothing average about me. I could rival some of the most beautiful people in the world. But I knew I had an advantage over them because I was something they were not…the perfect killer.
I stood up and walked over to the large wooden wardrobe. I pulled open the doors and was surprised to find a large collection of clothes and shoes. I flipped through the hangers and was quite impressed. Someone knew me, knew my style. In my mortal life, I didn’t spend much money on clothes. I had invested in an expensive work wardrobe, but didn’t see the need to spend a lot of money on casual attire. But if I had, this was exactly what I would have bought.
There were hangers full of jeans in every shade of blue, black and some white, even a few pairs of leather pants. I grabbed the waist of one, searching for a label but found none. At least 30 t-shirts were folded on the top shelf, some plain, others adorned with Celtic crosses or tribal looking designs, none of which had labels. There were fancier tops too made of fine fabrics such as silk and cashmere and there were boots – lots of boots!
I mulled over the options, changing outfits several times, wondering what I should wear to meet Vincent. I settled on a pair of tight, red leather pants, a black blouse and black high heeled boots. I changed with amazing speed, with almost the snap of a finger, and looked in the full length mirror. Something was missing. I went back to the vanity and flipped open the top where I found an assortment of necklaces, earrings and bracelets. I put on a leather cuff and a necklace made of black, copper and silver chains. I looked for something else to wear and spotted the oval ruby ring I had worn the night of the Halloween party. The stone matched the color of my pants so I slipped it on my middle finger and went back to the mirror. Perfect, I thought. And not a hair out of place.
I glanced at the clock and realized it was time to go. I walked to my bedroom door and gently opened it, careful not to make a noise that the others might hear. I stuck my head out the door but no one seemed to be around. I gently closed it and tiptoed across the room.
Once at the window, I leaned into the crank to muffle any noise it might make and opened it. I hopped on the edge and turned to look one last time at my room. I wasn’t going to miss this place. I hadn’t stayed here long enough to feel nostalgic about it. But my siblings on the other hand, I would miss. Especially Marlo. She had been the sister I never had. I would miss my brothers also, but I had something much better to look forward to – my new existence with Vincent.
I scaled the wall of the castle with ease, my high heeled boots proving to be no obstacle. I reached the ground and looked up. It was pitch black, the sky blanketed in voluminous gray clouds that rolled over the full moon. I ran down the side of the castle and rounded the corner, speeding along the back of the building as Vincent had instructed. I turned to look behind me, but no one was there. I briefly glanced up and saw that Vincent was right; the cameras were facing elsewhere at this moment. If they hadn’t been, my siblings surely would have stopped me to see what I was up to.
I approached the corner of the castle and broke for the woods. I glided across the dewy grass, the cool fall air pleasant against my hot skin. My eyes narrowed on my entrance into the dense woods. I attacked the branches and foliage as I pushed my body through the foliage, fluidly navigating my way around the obstacles. I came upon a rock, pounced on it like it was a diving board and threw myself into the air. I grabbed a branch and vaulted over it, as polished as a trained gymnast, landing on another and bounding to another branch and then another. I leapt from branch to branch, having fun with my newfound skills until I thought better of it. I needed to stop playing around and focus on the task at hand. I jumped to the ground and concentrated on finding the river. I could hear it in the distance.
After several more yards I came upon water and stopped. Vincent had told me to head north. I looked up the river, then down it. Something inside of me told me to turn left. I dug my heels into the soft earth and took off.
“Going somewhere?”
A familiar voice floated through the chilly air and stopped me in my tracks. I looked in the direction of the voice but I couldn’t see Marlo. I only saw a
streak of black and gray moving amongst the thick shrubbery and soaring trees. I must have imagined Marlo’s voice. I examined my surroundings one more time and still didn’t see her. I took a step forward and heard it again.
“Going somewhere, Allison?”
I looked in the direction of the voice but only saw swaying branches as if someone had just run past the trees. “Marlo?” I called out.
A pair of lavender crystalline eyes emerged from the blackness of the forest. The red hair followed and then the familiar pale face. She wore black pants and a gray sweater that nicely showed off her toned arms.
“Marlo, what are you doing out here?” I asked.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“I was just going out for some fresh air,” I replied.
“Really? And what was wrong with the front door?”
“I decided to try out my new vampire athleticism.” This lying thing was really starting to get easy for me.
“Mmm hmm,” Marlo hummed as she approached me. She looked me up and down. “Nice outfit for a walk in the woods.”
I looked down at what I was wearing. It really wasn’t appropriate for a stroll in the woods.
“I uh, woke up from my meditation and decided to check out the new wardrobe. I couldn’t resist wearing something new. Did you pick this out for me?”
“Don’t change the subject. What are you doing out here?”
“I was going for a hunt,” I lied again, knowing I couldn’t hunt this close to home.
“You’re going to see him, aren’t you?” Marlo questioned, ignoring my response.
“See who?”
“Come on, Allison!” Marlo yelled with slight agitation in her voice. “Stop playing these games. You’re going to see Vincent, aren’t you?”
“Marlo, I told you I was just taking a run; nothing more.” I stared her straight in her eyes wishing I could make her believe my excuse.
“Which is it? A walk in the woods or hunting? They’re all lies!” Marlo shouted. “My brothers were too blind to see it. But I can’t blame them; men don’t pick up on such emotions.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, completely confused as to what Marlo was referencing.
“You’re in love with Vincent,” Marlo simply replied, arching her eyebrows.
The words hit me like a brick wall. How could Marlo have known that? No one, besides Max, had been in the vicinity when I had confessed my love for Vincent. My face must have given away something yesterday when my siblings had grilled me over my Vincent sighting. Maybe I wasn’t as good of a liar as I thought.
“I, uh, I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m just going…”
“Stop,” Marlo instructed. “There are things you need to know about your precious Vincent before you run off with him.”
“I’m not running off with Vincent!”
“Vincent isn’t the man you think he is. He’s not the man I thought he was and I’ve known him for a really long time.”
Marlo now had my attention but I didn’t want my interest to show. I had no idea what she could possibly be talking about or when she had learned it. I wondered if Vincent had made contact with his siblings or if he had left something behind at the castle.
“Marlo, if this is about Vincent transforming me without my consent, I told you that it’s okay, I forgave him for that.”
“No,” Marlo said. “It’s not that. What if I told you that he did something to speed along your symptoms? That he didn’t quite leave things completely up to nature?”
“What? What are you talking about?” I demanded.
“The night of the Halloween party, the drink that Vincent gave you wasn’t just wine.”
I thought back to that night and recalled going to the bar with Vincent where he had leaned into the bartender to order our drinks. The music had cut in just in time for me not to hear what he had ordered. I remembered the bottles the bartender had grabbed including the green bottle with the strange label that I had seen at the cottage. I recalled the taste of the sweet liquid as it tickled my tongue. The drink tasted like wine yet was different somehow. It had been quite refreshing, so much so it actually took away the burning in my throat. Sort of like the blood of my first prey.
“Really?” I questioned sarcastically. “Then what was it?” I couldn’t wait to hear the story Marlo was about to deliver.
“It was some sort of concoction. It was mostly wine but not real wine.” Marlo shut her eyes and shook her head as if confused.
“Marlo, you’re not making any sense. It was wine but it wasn’t wine? Which is it?”
“It was a wine made by gypsies. It’s a mix of red wines and human and animal blood. Vincent had been drinking it for weeks and wouldn’t share it with us. I don’t understand it and it doesn’t make sense. Gypsies and vampires are enemies so I have no idea how Vincent got the wine or why he was drinking it.”
I stared at Marlo. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. At the cottage on Rattlesnake Island, Vincent had drunk that wine but wouldn’t let me have any. He had said that I didn’t like that kind of wine. If he wouldn’t let me drink it then, why would he trick me into drinking it at the party? Vincent couldn’t be that vindictive. Or could he? I glanced down at my ring which had the same dragon crest – the Drake family crest – on it that the wine bottle bore but couldn’t make sense of any of it. “Are you trying to tell me that Vincent fed me blood with my wine?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m telling you.”
“Okay, suppose that is true, why would he do that to me? He knew I would have to consent at some point.”
“Vincent gave you the concoction hoping it would accelerate your symptoms and that you would agree to the transformation sooner rather than later.”
“Oh come on,” I said in disbelief.
“Haven’t you noticed Vincent’s penchant for unique things?” Marlo shouted.
I jerked back at her question.
“His motorcycle, for one,” Marlo pointed out.
“So, it’s an Agusta…”
“A custom made, one-of-a-kind bike, Allison.”
“And your point is?”
“And his car – it’s a custom Maybach. That’s just one of many expensive or rare cars he owns. And then there’s the castle. He went ahead and bought it without consulting any of us. Like we really needed a castle.”
I couldn’t understand where Marlo was going.
“And his clothes, custom made by Francesca,” Marlo carried on. “Your clothes, too. He had those made for you, you know.”
“What’s your point, Marlo?” I asked, my voice full of frustration, my mind not knowing what to think.
“My point is that my brother has a fondness for things no one else has. Things that are rare, one of a kind. Sound like anyone you know?”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Was Marlo trying to tell me that Vincent only loved me because of what I was…a mortal descendant of Cain who was morphing into a vampire? That I was something so rare and unique that otherwise he wouldn’t love me? That I was just another prized possession he wanted to add to his collection?
“He had to have you,” Marlo said. “It’s not that he couldn’t wait for you to consent -- he didn’t want to wait.”
Her words lingered in the air for a moment. “I don’t believe you,” I said, shaking my head from side to side. “Vincent loves me. He wouldn’t hurt me like that.”
“Vincent only loves himself,” Marlo yelled. “He had no regard for you and your choice. He grew impatient waiting for you to give your consent. So when an opportunity arose, he took advantage of it…and you. And now he wants to run off with you and have you all to himself, his precious little trophy that no one else has.”
“How dare you,” I shouted. “Why are you saying this? Are you jealous that your brother has found love? Are you jealous of me?” I felt the pit of my stomach begin to churn with venom. The anger I felt was building and about to spread t
hrough the rest of my body.
“Why do you want to run off with him?” Marlo shouted at me. “Knowing what I just told you, why would you want to go to him? He only wants you because of what you are, because you’re a descendant of Cain. The first of your kind to show signs of vampirism.”
“I don’t believe you,” I hissed through clenched teeth. “What I do know is that Vincent loves me and I love him. Besides, I believe you made all this up in some desperate attempt to stop me from being happy. Well you know what? I thought you were the sister I always wanted, but I’m through with you. If you can’t be happy for me, well then that’s too bad for you. But I’m going to find Vincent and we are going to disappear and be happy together for eternity.”
I threw all of my rage into a full sprint, ready to run off and find Vincent, hoping the cool air would erase the lies Marlo had just spoken. But as I took off, her next words stopped me dead in my tracks.
“Matthew is alive,” Marlo shouted. Her words were clear though my back was to her.
My boots stuck in the ground and brought me to a dead stop. I froze trying to comprehend what I just heard.
“It’s true,” she said.
“Excuse me,” I questioned, turning my head to look over my shoulder.
Marlo stepped closer to me. “Matthew is alive.”
“Matt died three years ago,” I whispered, still looking over my shoulder.
“No Allison, that’s what Vincent made you believe.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The night of your accident, Matt was with you.”
“No, no, no,” I stuttered. “I woke up thinking that Matt was with me, but Jenna corrected me; she reminded me that he had died years before. Doctor Frid said the accident report showed me as the only passenger that night.”
“I’m afraid you’re wrong, Allison. You were driving your Jeep and Matthew was in the passenger seat. Another driver t-boned your car through an intersection and your car flipped and landed in a ditch.”