Dark Love

by Olivia M. Howe

  Kali's dressed up like a bunny. I should have guessed that she would be something along those lines for Halloween. "Cute costume."

  "I know, right? Don't tell me you're not dressing up this year!"

  "I'm not dressing up this year," I inform her of the bad news. Her smile fades to a regular Kali face.

  "I bet your sister is dressing up! What's she being for Halloween?" Kali asks. I was really wishing no one brought up Caroline's name. Tears start coming to my eyes. "Are you OK?" Kali asks. She must have noticed the tears.

  "I'm fine," I lie. My mind is racing trying to make up a lie to tell Kali. She's going to be completely broken when I tell her the news about Caroline's absence. "Lynns actually moved away for a while. She went to stay at our grandparents house to take care of them. They're really sick," I studder out.

  "No! I'm sorry to hear that. Why didn't she at least tell me? We are best friends. I'm so upset now," Kali frowns.

  "I'm sorry. It was kind of a spur of the moment type of thing."

  "Well, tell her to call me! Seriously. I need to have a long talk with her for just leaving without at least saying goodbye!" Kali storms off angrily. Well, the hard part is over. Soon the whole school will know Caroline is gone to take care of our grandparents. Thinking about it, our grandparents are dead, I think. Our parents never really spoke about them much. It was always just me, Caroline, Mom, and Dad our whole lives. Other family never really made an effort to be in our lives.

  I make my way to my first class through the crowd of people that are all dressed up for Halloween. Half of them look absolutely ridiculous in their costumes. They get a free pass though because it's that one time of the year that you can dress up completely crazy and get away with it.

  The first bell rings to indicate that we must get to class. I feel myself walking slower when I hear the bell ring. I want to procrastinate so I can avoid sitting through a lecture about God knows what.

  * * * *

  I'm shocked to see Andrew's face as I walk out of the school. It's a perfect surprise to make up for my horror show of a day. I walk over to him and greet him with a hug. "You missed school today," I say as I see his face shining from the radiant sun.

  "I had some things to take care of," Andrew answers.

  "Like what?" I ask.

  "It's not relevant," he avoids my question. "I came to escort you home, to make sure you get there safely"

  "OK," I say as I walk over to his car. Just as my hand is about to touch the handle of the car door, Andrew beats me to it and opens it for me.

  "You look nice today, Nina," Andrew compliments.

  "Thanks. I just threw on some clothes today. It's good to know that I didn't look absolutely ridiculous like some of the people here."

  "Why didn't you dress up?" Andrew ask.

  "I did. I'm dressed as Nina Mckay. You didn't notice?" I joke. "What are you suppose to be?"

  "A vampire," he laughs.

  "Didn't you know, there's no such thing as vampires," I joke again. At least we have a moment of laughing together. We've been so serious lately with all of the madness going on around us.

  * * * *

  On the ride home, I notice that the sun is starting to disappear and the clouds are starting to fill the sky. Minutes away from my house I get this pain in my heart. I have butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. The sensation of both is making me want to vomit. I will soon have to face my mom and tell her the truth about Caroline. Well, half of the truth. I'll tell her that Caroline ran away or maybe I'll just lie about something. I'm so confused. "I don't know what I'm going to tell my mother," I say as the pain in my heart starts to hurt more.

  "Tell her the truth about Caroline."

  "My mom is going to be so heartbroken. She's already been through so much emotionally with my father dying."

  "I'm truly sorry, Nina." I don't think Andrew knows how I feel right now. I don't think he knows how my mother is going to feel when I go home and tell her that her youngest daughter is missing.

  "Imagine losing the love of your life. Spending everyday with them for twenty years. Waking up to their face every morning and falling asleep to that same face every night. Having two kids with them. Planning out your life together. Then, one day they're gone, forever," I feel the tears streaming down my face, "You will never wake up to their smile in the morning. You will never feel the sensation that goes through your body when your lips touch each other's. There is no way of getting them back. You can't do absolutely anything. They're gone for the rest of your existence on this earth." I cannot speak anymore. I'm completely torn apart. My father is dead and now my sister has run away. If anything happens to Lynns, it will be my fault.

  "I couldn't imagine existing in this world without you." I see tears starting to form in Andrew's eyes. Now I think he has an insight with what my mother is going through.

  "Now, I have to walk into my house and tell my mom that her youngest daughter is missing. If anything happens to Caroline, I don't think my mom could get through it. I would lose her and I would have nobody."

  "I won't let that happen. I promise you that I will find your sister," Andrew says.

  "I can't do it, Andrew," I mumble through the sobbing and crying.

  "Can't do what, love?" Andrew asks.

  "I can't put my mom back through depression. I don't want to see her like that again. I don't want to see her completely broken," I say as my mouth and voice begin to tremble.

  "I know, sweetheart, but she needs to know."

  I sit here in silence for a minute, processing what Andrew just said. Maybe he's wrong. "No, she doesn't need to know."

  "What?" Andrew asks in disbelief.

  "You can make her forget," I announce. "You can make her forget about Caroline."

  Andrew looks at me with a discouraging look. "I can't do that, Nina. That would be wrong."

  "It sounds wrong. I agree, but she can't feel that pain. I won't let it happen again."

  "OK, say I do make her forget. What's going to happen when we find Caroline and bring her home? Ali won't remember her."

  Andrew has a point. "But, if we don't do something then my mom will get the cops involved. What happens if they find her before we do? They'll know something is wrong with her when her fangs come out and she sucks the life out of them," I insist.

  "Then, we find her before they do."

  What was I thinking? I can't make my mother forget about Caroline. I could never bring myself to encourage that option. "What am I suppose to do?"

  The car comes to a stop. We arrive at my house. Andrew shuts the car off and sits in silence for a moment. I know his thoughts are racing right now. "It's time to tell her the truth."

  "Are you crazy? Do you really expect my mother to believe that vampires and healers exist? She's going to end up putting me back into the hospital!" I yell.

  "Nina," Andrew says with a gentle voice as he grabs my hand. His touch makes me calm down immediately. "You might be surprised. Maybe she already knows about it all."

  "And if she doesn't?"

  "At least you will have the satisfaction of venting to your mother about the truth." He's right. I don't have a choice anyway. I have to tell Ali everything. "If she ends up thinking that you're absolutely insane, I'll make her forget about the coversation you two shared."

  "Deal," I inform him.

  "Do you want me to come inside with you?" Andrew asks.

  I ponder his question for a minute. "No, I need to do this on my own."

  "Everything will be okay. I love you, Nina."

  "Always and forever."

  As I'm walking to my front door, I notice the climate changed completely. It isn't the best weather outside. There is no more sun. Grey clouds fill the beautiful blue sky. The sun is no where to be found, it's lost somewhere up above.

  I walk through my front door and I realize that everything is about to change once I confront my mother about the fantasy world that exists on the outside of this house.
<
br />   I still don't have a clear explanation for all of this madness. How am I suppose to explain vampires and healers to Ali if I can barely wrap my own head around it?

  I hear Ali clear her voice while I'm just standing at the front door collecting and organizing my thoughts. "Nina, is something wrong?" Yes, absolutely, there is so many things wrong. What one does she want to hear first?

  "I'm fine," I lie.

  "Guess what?" Ali shouts in excitement.

  "What?" My voice starts to shake.

  "They loved my painting!" She yells with happiness. She hugs me and starts to squeeze tightly. "This calls for a celebration. Let's do something fun tonight. Me, you, Andrew, Caroline, and William!"

  "I think we need to talk, mom," I choke out and feel my heart start to race faster than it has ever raced before. I can feel the palms of my hands drenching with sweat, just like the rest of my body. My legs feel like they're starting to go numb and my voice feels like it's fading. The anticipation is killing me inside. My nerves are going wild. I can't get a grip on myself and just stick to the plan and get it over with because it has to happen, no matter what.

  "Sure, sweetie. Let's go sit in the living room."

  We make our way to the couch and we sit in absolute quiet. I'm not even sure where to begin with this conversation. All I know for sure is that I need to tell her the truth.

  "What's wrong?" Ali asks as her happiness disappears from her face.

  "I don't know where to begin," I pause and take a deep breath. "Did you know who dad truly was?"

  Ali looks at me bewildered. "What do you mean?" Her eyes tell me that she knows something isn't right.

  I take a deep breath and just decide to spit out the truth. "Did you know that dad was a healer?" I studder out as quickly as I can. I wish I can take those words back, but they've already fallen out of my mouth.

  She doesn't start denying it. She doesn't ask questions about the words that just slipped out of my mouth. She looks at the floor and sighs deeply. Ali looks at me with an unhappy facial expression. "How did you know that, Nina?" As those words left her mouth, I found myself stunned, flabbergasted, and speechless. Ali knows the truth.

  "So, you knew?" I ask in disbelief.

  "Your father was my soul mate, my best friend, and my husband. He never hid anything from me. Even though his ability of being a healer was one secret I was absolutely not supposed to know." She clears her throat. "How did you find this information out, Nina?" It is very crucial that you be completely honest with me. Are you in danger?" Ali demands to know.

  Tears start to form in my eyes. I try to control them so they don't leak out, but one tear breaks loose. "The first vampires sent their kind to watch over me and protect me because there are awful and vicious vampires after me, mom." Finally I'm able to release those hidden secrets into the open.

  Scared, worried, surprised, sadness, all flashed on Ali's face at once. "Ambrogio and Selene?" Ali asks.

  "Yes," is all I manage to get out.

  "Are the Brothers back?" Ali asks. I'm surprised and shocked that she knows so much.

  "Yes, they killed one of them, but the other three are coming back to retailate for the loss of their brother. They want me dead," I cry.

  "No, this can't be happening. Who killed one of them?" Ali asks.

  "Ambrogio and Selene's kids' and the Madsen family."

  "Andrew and William are vampires?" Ali asks as her hands reach for mine. "You and Caroline fell in love with vampires?" Ali yells. "Why didn't you inform me of all this madness earlier, Nina?"

  "I was scared to tell you. I didn't know if you knew about this world we live in. I thought that you would think I was insane and send me back to the hospital!" I yell back at her.

  "Baby, I would never of done that. You shouldn't have felt that way. I'm your mother and I'm suppose to protect you. Why do you think I have kept this all a secret?" She begins to hug me tight. "Where is Caroline?" Ali asks as her voice trembles.

  The tears start streaming down my face faster, like a waterfall. "She ran away with William because I couldn't heal her."

  "What do you mean by you couldn't heal her?" Ali questions as she stops hugging me and faces me. I don't respond. I just keep crying. "Nina, answer me now!" Ali yells with fear and anger.

  "She's a vampire. The Sulivic Brothers changed her and I don't have the ability to heal her unless I transform into a vampire."

  Ali stands up quickly and starts to pace through the living room. She drops onto the couch, crying. "No, Caroline. My poor baby. No!" Ali screams. Her crying becomes worse. Tears are flooding out of her eyes.

  "I'm so sorry, mom," I cry with her.

  "Baby, it's not your fault. I should have informed you girls about all of this shit, but all I wanted to do was to protect you both. "Ali cries harder. I think that's the first time I have ever heard my mom swear.

  * * * *

  Ali and I are sitting in silence at the kitchen table. We're drinking hot tea and letting our minds drift away. The only thing that I'm happy about is the fact that Ali and I share no more secrets or lies. I already updated her on everything that has been going on. She's speechless. I'm speechless. We both are at a loss for words at the moment.

  I look at my mom and see the pain start to show on her face. I keep questioning myself with whether or not I did the right thing by confronting her. I know it makes things extremely more complicated in her life. At least we have each other in our time of struggle.

  "I wasn't suppose to know about your father being a healer. After a while he couldn't keep it from me because he just loved me too much to hide life altering secrets from me," Ali confesses.

  "How did he tell you?" I ask curiously.

  "We were laying in bed one night and he just randomly tells me that he's a healer. I laughed at him and I didn't believe him for a few minutes, until he decided to bring me to the hospital. He healed this little boy with a broken leg and ribs. It was the most incredible thing I've ever witnessed in my life," Ali admits.

  "I healed a little girl with cancer."

  "Melissa Conway?" Ali pauses. "That was you?"

  "Yes," I confirm.

  "When I seen that precious girl on the television, I immediately thought of your father. He was always healing people, especially kids."

  "What do we do about Caroline?" I ask.

  Ali sits back in her chair and ponders. "All we can do is wait and hope that she finds the good side of herself," Ali confirms. "I just hope that Ambrogio and Selene's kids' find her before the Brothers do." As I stare at her, I notice her eyes are swollen and her face is red from crying. She looks like she's in so much pain. "For now, we need to stick with your story that Caroline is with her grandparents and you cannot tell anyone this secret. I have to keep you safe. I want Andrew with you every second of the day." As she says that, the door bell rings. We both look at each other with our eyes wide open. Who is it?

  I start to make my way to the front door and Ali steps in front of me. "I will answer it." She opens the door and I see all familiar faces, Andrew, Alex, Lilah, Ella, Julian, and Abel. "Were you listening to our conversation?" Ali asks.

  "Yes, ma'am," Andrew admits. "I think we should talk."

  "You were already invited into my home, so come on in," Ali says and walks back to the kitchen.

  I greet Andrew with a gentle hug and a soft kiss. "I see that everything worked out fine."

  "You were right," I admit.

  We walk into the kitchen and everyone takes a seat. "We need to find my daughter," Ali speaks the first words.

  "We're currently tracking William and Caroline right now," Lilah confirms. "We have no leads yet."

  "If the Brothers find out that Caroline's still a vampire and vulnerable, they're going for her first," Ali announces. It's awkward to be talking with her about this subject. She's well informed though.

  "We understand that," Lilah speaks. "William just knows how to cover his tracks. That's why it's so hard for us to find th
em."

  "Please keep Nina safe and find Caroline," Ali cries.

  "Ma'am, I promise you that I will keep Nina safe," Andrew confirms.

  "I think I've had enough of this vampire talk for the day. I need to get some rest and organize my thoughts. I want you to keep me posted, Andrew. I'm counting on you," Ali admits.

  "I won't disappoint you, Mrs. Mckay."

  "Nina, go out with your friends and try to be normal. Don't leave Andrew's side!" Ali shouts. "I have to be alone for a while."

  "I love you, mom," I say and hug her tight.

  "I love you too, baby."

  CHAPTER 30

  What's Next?

  Dear Diary,

  I did the right thing by telling Ali the truth. I did what I had to do to protect my family. I wasn't going to let our lives revolve around lies and secrets. I can't bare the thought trembling through my heart at the sight of that anymore. I hated lying to my mom.

  Sometimes in life you will be presented with obstacles set in your way to test you and to make you stronger. Growing up you will be set with those kinds of obstacles often, you just have to learn to make the right decision even if that means you might hurt some people you love or it might damage the feelings that sway inside you. When you make the wrong decision in life, you will sit down and ponder, wondering if you chose the right decision. It's not like that if you make the right choice. You don't look back and think you made the wrong choice, you always know in your heart it's the right decision. I know I made the right decision by finally telling my mom the truth.

  I dealt with the "grown up" decision when I forced myself to tell the truth and confront Ali. At first, I thought it was the most ridiculous idea, but now I think it was the best decision. I feel in my heart that it was the right decision. My mother is so important to me to continue the lies. Family is too important to me. I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. My mom and I can finally be honest with each other.

  Love, Nina