Reawaken

Vampires were forged in folklore and plagued the nation. These creatures of the night that could suck blood was believed to be among us, but what do you do when there actually is one around you?

                                                Time’s Stumble

      Have­­­ you ever heard a vampire’s tale? One that makes you go through the terror of nightmares or sighs wishing for maybe, just maybe a dream to let your imagination wander. Well I have, several in fact. You know how people say that the past is a great identification of the future and history sometimes repeats itself? Well history is definitely repeating itself and it looks like my future is going to crash and burn unless I stop it.

      It was a cold and windy, when I awoke. My open window revealed a few beams of Twilight. I instantly rolled out of bed and went out onto my balcony, watching the trees bending as if they were going to snap.

      The year was 2019, Rhode Island. I know this is strange, but whenever I’m out at Twilight, (which just so happens to be every day) I feel at home; it’s… eerie. I take a deep breath and enjoy the beautiful view of the morning creeping up from the horizon. Looking at my watch, I noticed it read “6:00.” I then got up and proceeded downstairs with careful quiet feet, trying not to make any noise.

      In almost 5 minutes, I’m downstairs reaching for the metal doorknob, when I heard a shrill voice calling, “Rosalyn!” Great, just when I’m about to leave.

      “Yes mom?” I called back to my mother from downstairs, not letting the irritation that was tempted to drip through my voice slip. If she’d catch me using the “wrong” tone, I’d be lectured until I was old and gray.

      My mother ran downstairs and automatically turned to me, an angry glare on her face. “Where do you think you’re going?” She asked sternly.

      I sighed quietly. so close! I then turned around to face her and answered simply, “I’m just going to get something from the library.”

      “Well hurry back, we need to talk.” I turned around and started for the door again, when my mom hissed at me, “What’s that?” She grabbed a book from my hand and looked at the cover: A Sea of Vampires.

      She put her hand on her waist popping out her hip while she began scolding me; her signature move. “Rosalyn, I thought I told you to stop this obsession with vampires; they aren’t real.” My mother said to me. Oh no, not this again. I thought with a mental groan.

      “I keep trying to tell you that you’re holding on to something that isn’t there. You need to let it go and get practical. Listen to me: ignorance will come and bite you in the long run!” My mother lectured.

      “Okay mom,” I agreed to get her off my back, quickly swiping the book from her hands. “I gotta go to the library. See you soon.”

      I turned to the door and finally bolted before she could say another word. God, that woman could talk. I know it is wrong to say things like that about your mother, but it’s the truth, complete honesty. My mother and father were divorced years ago and they fought over the custody of me. My father, who was interested in my vampire “obsession”, lost and my mother won (tragically), gaining custody of me. Dad still visits, but he mostly calls and lately, the visits have been coming less and less. I began to think of the horrid thought when the calls stop and he just cuts me out from his life completely, leaving me in the thought. Quickly, I brushed it off because thoughts are simply thoughts, but the idea still lingers in the back of my mind. The doubt isn’t that he doesn’t love me; it’s just he doesn’t want to be around my stubborn mother for long periods of time.

      Now I could see why: my mother is so pessimistic. Okay, maybe I’ve been spouting the bad about my mother; sure she’s a good person when she’s not on her mood swings, but to take it out on other people is honestly just plain annoying. The thing is she actually does believe in vampires, but she doesn’t want me to know. She’s been claiming vampires were fiction for years, but with my father behind closed doors (this was before they got divorced), that’s all they would talk about. She hides it from me acting as if I was clueless; another skeleton in her closet.

      I found myself in front of the library, walking up the stairs outside. I swung open the door and walked in. I passed the surrounding people, trying not get distracted by the conversations around me. I finally found the vampires section and looked for a book. My fingers skimming the spines of the books staring at the titles, I sifted through the array of books, until I found what I was looking for. I pulled it out of its hole and smiled down at the book. I spent most of my time reading; books weren’t simply words printed on sheets of paper and published, but an escape to another world, a place where your mind and thoughts can run free with no judgment. I walked back to the register and checked out the book. I left the library, gripping my two books in hand. I didn’t feel like going home to face the “Wrath of the Queen”, (as I called my mother whenever she was on her mood swings), so I walked in the opposite direction of home to the one place I wouldn’t be bickered with. Soon I stopped at a mailbox marked “Latterman” and walked up the driveway.

      I knocked on the door and a man with green eyes opened the door, smiling when he saw me. “Hey Rosalyn,” He greeted with a grin.

      I smiled. “Hey Mr. Latterman, is Ace home?”

      “Yeah, he’s in his room.” Mr. Latterman informed, stepping aside to let me in. I walked in and looked around the living room, which appeared to be refurnished. I noticed the crystal chandelier hanging above me.

      Looking back to the man and beaming, I asked him curiously. “When did you get the chandelier?”

      “A few days ago, Ace picked it out. I guess he knew you’d like it.” Ace’s father answered.

      I nodded. “Oh, well I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”

      I turned to the staircase and walked up the stairs towards Ace’s room. I stopped as I saw Ace engrossed in a video. I leaned in the doorway, watching my best friend of 13 years play his game and not even notice me, chuckling quietly and shaking my head at him; I swear if I didn’t drag him out of his house every time I came over, he’d be stuck in his room playing video games like those “World of Warcraft” people.

      “Aren’t you going to welcome me in?” I asked Ace snapping him at of his zone, still chuckling a little. He turned to face me, his green eyes glinting with a hint of embarrassment.

      “Of course I was.” My best friend said sheepishly standing. “I was just…” I saw him look to the floor and pick up a case. “Thinking of which movie we would see. You know games help me think.”

      I stood up off the doorway, walked towards the 16-year old boy, and took the case out of his hand. “First off,” I started, “this is a video game case. Secondly, you had no idea I was coming.”

      “Right…” Ace said, snatching the case away from me and walking away. “I knew you were coming because every second Saturday, your father comes over and every other Saturday, the Queen rears her ugly head.” He pointed out, making me roll my eyes.

      “It’s not every Saturday.” I replied.

      He ignored my comment. “And I’m assuming you brought another vampire book.”

      “You are correct.” I said nodding, taking my books out of my small bag.

      “Ooh, it’s another book on Mercy Brown.” Ace cheered, mockingly.

      “Shut up!” I demanded, playfully shoving Ace to the side.

      “So what movie are we going to see?” Ace asked, getting serious.

      I simply shrugged my shoulders and said, “Put on any movie, it doesn’t matter to me.”

      “Rosalyn, you know my parents have tons of DVDs. We’re going to have to pick one.”

      “You’re probably going to be the only one watching it.” I said to him, “I’m going to be putting stuff from this book in my file.”

      “Ahh yes, A Sea of Vampires: your own personal collage of every bit of information on vampire history, especially Mercy Brown.”

      “I think it’s just interesting that she has the same last name as me. She was written down in history all because the people of Rhode Island needed something to believe in and killed a 19-year old! And her brother survived 2 more months before he died.”

      “Well she was perfectly preserved for two months and she wasn’t embalmed.” Ace pointed out.

      “So you’re claiming she’s a vampire?”

      “I’m not claiming anything. I don’t even believe in the supernatural and that includes vampires. They’re just a foolish belief made up by people of the past as an answer to things they don’t understand. It’s like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; it’s not real. Look Rosalyn, the evidence is against Mercy and it’s saying that maybe she was a vampire.”

      I shook my head, my blonde hair flying around. “And you claim you don’t believe in vampires.”

      “I don’t, alright!” Ace snapped and I was taken aback. Out of all the years that I’ve known Ace, he never snapped at me. True I do mess with him sometimes, but that’s our dynamic. In a softer tone, Ace said to me, “I’m sorry. Just get to your book while I put a movie on.”

      I walked over to my friend’s bed and sat down, putting my encyclopedia on vampires next to me. I lie back on Ace’s pillow and opened the book I got from the library. I heard muffled sounds from the T.V. and looked to see an old Victorian manor. There are a few things that really interest me: the supernatural (mainly vampires), old Victorian manors and a few more things. I yawned and my eyes felt heavy.

      I closed them and I awoke outside. I looked around and saw a building marked, Ol’ Al’s Brewery.

      Ol’ Al’s Brewery, I thought, but the last time that was open was in 1982.

      I saw a man walking by with a newspaper and I snatched it from him. He looked at me stunned and I gave my biggest apology look. He simply walked away and I looked at the date “March 17, 1982.”

      “It’s March 17^th. Isn’t this the day that Mercy dies?” I asked aloud to no one in particular; luckily, no one answered. The sun suddenly set and I saw people heading towards the Brown’s home. Crap, Mercy!

      I turned to run towards the cemetery, but stopped immediately. I can’t interfere with the past, knowing that it could possibly destroy my future. What to do…? I then turned around to hear a mob heading towards me.

      I need to do something. I can’t let an innocent woman die just because of a fable and I don’t know if she’s related to me. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to save her.

      I nodded in agreement with myself and ran towards the cemetery. Looking through the headstones, I said lowly, “Come on Mercy, where are you?” I finally found the headstone I was looking for and grabbed a nearby shovel. Best bet, the people of Rhode Island had already planned it, but wouldn’t do a thing unless Mercy’s father gave the “ok”. I shoveled through and got to the coffin. I opened it up and saw myself looking back at me. I jumped back and gasped with a fright, “AHH!”

      I suddenly stopped as I remembered what Mercy looks like. “M-m-maybe I should go.” I turned around to leave, but saw the mob heading towards me, Mercy’s father in the front. Crap, I’m stuck. Mercy dies, I die or we both die. I can’t let that happen, so I’m going to have to take her with me. I’m in too deep now. “Let’s go Mercy.” I said lowly, pulling the vampire… oh wait, “vampire” out of her coffin.