Stupidity
I was staring down the dark alley wondering how I had ended up there, and then I realized that someone was at the end of the alley. . . This freaked me out because I knew I shouldn't have left home, what was I thinking when I did? Oh yea. . . I wasn't thinking about myself, actually I wasn't thinking at all and now I was staring at a stranger as he crossed the alley, slowly inching closer to me trying not to scare me. But whatever his intentions were I freaked out anyways, I looked around but found that I had nowhere to go. This was not my comfort zone. Actually it was so past my comfort zone I was hoping that some one would save me, but I knew it wasn't going to happen, why would it? No one knew I was here . . . no one. I thought about that concept for a full half second -- that was all it took for the stranger to get close enough for me to realize the crest on his jacket. I saw a picture of a hand and I realized at once who this person was, the reality of the situation sunk in. No one had told me they were coming back . . . I might have recognized the person in front of me but I didn't, they must have recruited while they were away from this town; this safe haven from all of their kind. One word sunk into my mind as he sauntered forward to destroy me the word being: Vampire. The power that word had on me was instantly unleashed when I had noticed the crest. I knew they were enemies how could they not be? And how could I have been so stupid. . .
I woke up later that week having realized the terrible pain that had left me writhing. Trying to control my emotions but not succeeding I ended up screaming louder than I had ever screamed before in my life. After that I started to calm down the pain was subsiding, it had felt like someone was looking through my thoughts now I realized that I wasn't anywhere near where I should be. . . This isn't good I thought what good could come of being here? The vampire must have carried me to an asylum or something similar. But, I still couldn't control the emotions going through my head as if it were important. The room was spinning as I tried to put it in perspective. Maybe I was in an asylum . . . or maybe I was just placed in the asylum months ago and had a dream about the vampires coming back? That could work. I still couldn't stand being in a padded cell. Were they trying to make me color blind? The cell was white on the ceiling because I couldn't reach that, but the rest of the cell was all gray pillows as walls. Then to make it worse there was a gray bed with a gray pillow and sheets. I stared at it for a while I was so angry! Perhaps too angry as I thought about this one of the many pillows in the room became red. I looked at it in curiosity maybe if I waited long enough it would change color again, but then I thought no one else is in here so I had to be the one to change the pillow. Then I realized how hungry I was. As I thought about strawberries and cake the pillow became a silver plate with strawberries and cake on it. Hmm, I thought what was going on? Before I could answer that a voice came from one of the pillows or maybe it was a few of the pillows I don't know.
"Ahh, Cynthia I see you have realized your power. Would you mind making that room look like your bedroom in real life?"
Wait what does that mean? Am I in an asylum and they wanted me to be comfortable here? I didn't think that was it but I created my room with the smallest twinge of a doubt. It was incredibly easy after having made a pillow turn red then become strawberries and cake on a silver platter. What's going on here? I began to believe I was actually crazy! But I wasn't, even I knew that.
"Thank you, Cynthia! That was a wonderful demonstration." I heard something kind of like clapping then I turned around to see my TV was on and there was the stranger I had "dreamed" of last night.
"What is going on?" I sputtered. "Why am I here?"
"Ahh the question I have been longing for! Cynthia I would like to offer you a position with my coven. Of course you will have to live here and learn how to get in and out of your room; the place you are in right now is the testing room, which is where we test those we deem worthy of a lifestyle like ours." A hint of control hid somewhere in that comment.
"What do you mean when you say 'deem worthy of our lifestyle'?" I meant to sound sophisticated, but I think I sounded just flat out stupid.
"Well that's the question isn't it? You have exactly 23 hours and 59 minutes to decide between a life like ours or remaining human and losing your memory from last night and tomorrow, I will report back at exactly -" examines watch closely, "5:34 A.M. Tomorrow."
The TV turned off right then and I decided I needed to eat or I might starve. I went over to where the cake and strawberries were still on the ground and picked them up to put on my desk. I turned another pillow into a cup of water as I got thirsty. I was realizing how special my talents were. How did this happen? I asked myself a few times. And then I realized that my parents had been able to do extraordinary things like cleaning the dishes by just staring at them, Cynthia's explanation for that one had been that they were secret magicians and no one knew what they could do. Now I was really thinking, if they could clean the dishes like that then. . . No, I'm not going to think about that, I didn't want to think about that. It was too advanced; after all I was only 14 years old. They couldn't take me away from my parents. No, no, no, no! I wouldn't let them my answer would be no and I want to go back to my family. But then what if they decided they wanted me too much and chose to threaten hurting my family if I didn't join? Oh my gosh! That's it isn't it? They were going to force me to join them! I have no choice.
I decided to go and lie down for a bit, maybe that would take my mind off of it. I was laying on my "illusion" bed thinking about my family, my little sister who was probably waiting for me to come home so she could force me into playing dolls, my parents waiting anxiously trying to make sure that I was fine, my friends . . . my best friend Chris – if I ever got back I was going to get an earful from her. We never went more than two weeks without seeing each other, emailing, calling, or even talking to her. While I was thinking about this I started to drift off to sleep . . . and started to have a dream "I was still in this room and I was able to watch my family from my TV. They were fine until the vampires found them. They started getting kidnapped and I was screaming for them to run but they couldn't hear me . . ." I was still screaming when I woke up. I only had three more hours left to decide whether I would join them or not, my choice was decided for me . . . I would join.