Thicker than Water
(A Re-telling of Romeo and Juliet)
Brushing her auburn hair off her cheek and eyes, Anna awoke disoriented. Blinking, she took in her familiar surroundings- the pale blue bedspread, dark wooden bedposts, and the white gauzy material that blocked the rest of her room. Slowly loosening herself from the tangle of bed sheets that entrapped her, she remembered the monotonous dinner party her parents had planned for that evening.
Reaching around the gauze that separated her from her bedside table, she felt around until her fingers closed around her hairbrush and she pulled it back past the material. Her long auburn hair had become matted and tangled in the night. Nearly down to her waist, it took much effort in the morning to sort out.
When this task was accomplished, she slowly rose and walked down the middle of her bed. Arriving there, she parted the gauze and hopped to the floor.
She heard a commotion sounding like metal crashing to their marble floors and hurried out to find its source. Indeed, a pile of precariously perched pans of all the usual delicacies littered the floor. She slowly descended the stairs, hoping for a better view. Her mother glanced up to Anna and distaste filled her eyes. "Dear, you really mustn't walk around in such a state. Go upstairs and get dressed." Anna glanced down and felt her cheeks flushing; she was still wearing her favorite tattered pajamas amidst all the people preparing for their party.
"Yes, Mom," she sighed obediently, before turning on her heel to scurry up the stairs and back to her room. She begrudgingly opened up one closet door, revealing an impressive array of clothing. She carefully picked out the simplest outfit she could, and put it on before continuing with her typical morning routine.
She wound up on her terrace overlooking their masterfully landscaped grounds, book in hand. She had a view of the various vans driving up to the house, and noted the likely contents of each by reading the side. Most were caterers, with a few table rentals thrown in for variety.
A truck reading, "Verona's Finest," and subtitled, "Musicians for rent," with their phone number following caught her attention. It contained a small strings ensemble.
A little later she heard them playing, presumably for her parents to review. The classical noise sent her fleeing for her room, blocking them out by closing her beautifully crafted French doors.
Fully awake now, she decided to go downstairs and help the cook. She found him cracking eggs over a huge pot, the kitchen musty from the heat of the appliances. The entire kitchen staff worked relentlessly at their tasks, and Anna slowly back out of the room, mercifully unnoticed.
On her way back to her room, Anna's mother called her name loudly; followed by an echo from another, far more welcome voice. "Su!" Anna exclaimed, rushing into her old friend, Susan's, arms. Her mother smiled approvingly, if a little put out by the waste of time.
"Come with us, Anna. We need to have a talk." Her mother said. Anna shuddered apprehensively, and was glad to have Su's company. They trailed Anna's mother down a series of hallways to her extravagant dressing rooms.
Once Anna was situated in a chair before many lit mirrors and Su's practiced hands fixing her hair, Anna's mother began to speak.
"Anna, darling, your father and I believe it's time for you to wed," her mother stated nonchalantly.
Anna's breath caught in her chest; she froze. The ensuing silence echoed in her ears, a jarring reality. Glancing back to her mother's face (and interrupting her make shift hairdresser), she discovered only that her mother had no humorous sparkle in her eyes; this wasn't some sick joke.
Meanwhile, at the other end of town, a rowdy group of men were jovially conversing. They spoke cryptically of a hunt set to commence after they crashed an enemy's party.
The pale moonlight and flickering firelight exposed their striking features: every one of them had black hair, the fairest of skin, and menacing black eyes. The most clamorous of them gave a terrible laugh, revealing two rows of perfect white teeth, distinguished by two protruding, pointed canines.
Only one of them was distanced slightly from the group, a melancholy expression marring his characteristics.
The party was now well underway, dinner set to follow the dancing.
Anna had spent all night being gallivanted around on the arms of various men.
At this moment, however, she was with her cousin Flybalt, a merciful break from her potential suitors. However, some mystical force (or just the flow of the dancing) was directing them ever closer to her mother.
Anna's mother's intentions betrayed her; standing at rapt attention before her was a man only a few years older than Anna. Although she could only see the back of his head, Anna couldn't say she immediately hated him. Her dwarfed her mother by several inches, and his short hair showed many shades of blonde. He appeared muscular; not slight in the least. He seemed… tolerable, at least for the time being.
Flybalt spun her ever closer until they came to a halt before her mother. His duty done, he quickly made himself scarce, clearly ignoring Anna's glares.
Placing her hand on the small of Anna's back, her mother gently steered her to look at this man. His eyes were large, and much too inquisitive for her liking. His face was square, with a red and ruddy complexion. He wasn't exactly cringe-worthy, but she knew she could never love him.
"This is Frederick," her mother said quietly. Gesturing back to her daughter, she stated simply, "Anna." In an action so swift Anna couldn't quite recall how it happened, she found herself in Frederick's arms, dancing.
After only a few minutes of this, Frederick's pattern of dancing was implanted precisely in Anna's brain. The exact same twirls, the same steps, all set to the same droning tempo others seemed to follow much less predictably around them.
In order to keep herself busy (Frederick wasn't much of a talker), she started glancing around her. Almost immediately, a pair of dark eyes caught hers, and she strained for a look at whomever they belonged to.
Various dancing couples around them obstructed her view, and Anna decided it was time for a breather. Politely excusing herself from Frederick, she took a slightly longer route to the drinks table, but she couldn't seem to find the mysterious owner of those eyes.
She spotted several people with similar eyes, but none that were quite equivalent. Just as she resigned herself to more wearisome dancing with Frederick, she spotted a tall man leaning against the wall, facing away from her.
Although his face was pointing the other way, Anna knew at once that it was him. Sneaking up behind him a little, she could see his eyes frantically searching the dance floor. Could he possibly be looking for her?
She took another step toward him, and with inhuman reflexes, he turned to face her. She couldn't tell how he knew she was there, as the music was easily loud enough to mask her footfall, but somehow he did.
Embarrassed, she quickly turned her gaze outward to the dance floor, ashamed to be caught staring at a stranger. He, however, seemed all to comfortable staring at her.
After a few moments, she turned back to him, hoping the redness in her cheeks had gone down.
His eyes bored into hers with such intensity, she immediately felt the need to look away again, but couldn't make herself.
"Hello," he whispered. Despite their surroundings, she heard him perfectly. Unsure of how to respond, she merely gulped. The intensity of him overwhelmed her entirely, making her unable to react in any way. She managed to shift the very corners of her mouth into what she hoped was a noticeable smile.
"Your name?" he inquired just as smoothly. Without being commanded, Anna's lips formed the word.
"Mmmm," was his only response. He gestured toward the dance floor, and Anna took his hand. His movements were slow and deliberate, but at the same time unpredictable. He was a very good dancer.
Anna relaxed, partially due to the lull of their movement, and partially due to the distraction it presented.
He never spoke a word, and she followed his example, afraid to somehow shatter the illusion. The end of the song brought them slowly to a stop, and Anna waited anxiously for the next song to begin. However, instead of another song, her father's voice echoed through the hall, announcing dinner.
Exhaling a frustrated sigh, she let go of her dancing partner.
After standing in silence for a few awkward moments with everyone around them moving toward the dining room, Anna asked casually, "Shall we?"
Instead of any normal response, this man just opened his mouth and laughed. Anna found her eyes widening, herself confronted with two long, sharp teeth. This man, perfect in every possible way, had the only imperfection that could possibly matter. He was a vampire.
Without so much as a word, he turned, joined by his comrades, and left. He glanced back once more, smiling. Anna realized that he had no idea who she was, let alone who her father was. All by herself in the hall now, she sunk to her knees and covered her face with her hands.
Outside, someone found his way beside Anna's vampire, known to them as Edward. He arched a perfect eyebrow at Edward.
Edward's brow creased; he appeared confused.
"Do you not know who that was?" asked his friend in surprise.
"Who who was?" Edward asked, a little bewildered.
"The girl. The one you were dancing with." The man prodded, as Edward's face lit up with recognition. He grinned, and shook his head.
"She's Anna." The man continued.
"I knew that much," Edward teased his friend. It was then that he realized she didn't know as much about him.
"She's Anna," his friend continued in a significant tone, " Anna Fleming. His daughter."
Edward stopped walking, stopped moving, stopped thinking. He couldn't possibly comprehend what was being told to him. Anna Fleming. Arthur Fleming's daughter. The daughter of their adversary, their only enemy. Anna Fleming.
Dinner commenced without her, and Anna's mother was quick to note her absence. Wandering into the hall, she found her tear-streaked daughter.
Before she could inquire, Anna began, "Mother, I'm feeling sick. Can I please go to bed?"
She was about to inform Anna that this party was months in the planning, and how rude it would be for the guests, especially Frederick when her daughter burst into a fresh round of tears. Utterly unable to decide how to act, she nodded.
Anna nodded gratefully back to her, and clambered up the stairs. When she arrived in her room, she threw herself onto her bed.
She heard a tiny noise of something tinkling against glass. In her state, she ignored it entirely, until it happened again.
Opening her eyes and dragging herself off her bed, she looked for its source. Judging by its origin, near one of her walls, she decided it had to be something knocking against her glass doors.
Opening them, bombarded by the fresh quality of the night, she looked out across the dark, looming grounds. Peering through the darkness, she could make out a perfect figure silhouetted by the moonlight standing beneath her terrace, one arm raised, preparing to throw another stone.
Seeing her, he dropped the tiny stone, and positioned himself closer to her.
She needed no confirmation of his identity, she had been sure of it since discovering him. She did, however, need one thing. "What's your name?" she called through the darkness, careful to be quiet enough to not attract attention.
"Edward," came the even reply.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, realizing that it probably would have been a more reasonable first question.
She could somehow sense that he was grinning, and replied, "I had to see you."
Trying hard to think of a suitable response to this, he saved her by asking, "Are you Anna?"
Confused by this, hoping this wasn't some sort of joke or trick or mistake, she nodded. She wasn't sure how much he could see of her, but he clearly got the message.
"Anna Fleming?" he clarified.
"Yes." She said it as though it disappointed her.
"And you're a…." she trailed off, unable to speak it, as though it would heighten the reality.
"Yes. A vampire." Edward said. He seemed to find her hesitance laughable.
"I should probably go," Anna forced herself to say. She could feel him frown.
"Do you hate me for it?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Your father is the problem, then." She didn't bother to reply; it was clear that he understood the situation.
"He doesn't have to know," Edward teased. He had no idea how aggravating this was for her.
"Edward, of course he does. It's not like I can run off and marry you, and just have him be clueless forever!" Anna exclaimed in frustration, too bothered to notice the forwardness of this response.
"Why not?" he asked.
Anna's eyes bulged; she couldn't believe it. Was he honestly asking her to marry him, despite what he was, and who she was, and everything that separated them?
When she didn't reply, a different tone faltered, "If you wanted to, I mean."
Letting go of all inhibitions, she whispered down to him, "I do."
The mood lightened considerably, and he approved, "Well, it's settled then. I'll send you word tomorrow, but how?"
"I'll have my friend Susan meet you in town. By the baker's shop. In the morning." She clarified each point, hardly believing what she was agreeing to.
"Alright!" he chorused happily. "I'd better leave, but I'll see you soon, Anna," he promised. She nodded down to him, and watched as he crossed the grounds.
Turning back to her bedroom, she crawled into bed and fell asleep quickly, hoping to bring herself to the next day all the faster.
Instead of awakening in the morning excited and jittery, Anna woke to the sound of her mother weeping.
She scrambled out of bed, not bothering to change, and followed the noise up a flight of stairs and into one of the guest rooms. Anna's father had a furious expression on his face, while her mother was weeping over a body.
Relieved to see the object of their discomfort (she had worried that they had somehow discovered her plans; she was known to talk in her sleep as a child), she immediately became horrified when she saw a pale and lifeless Flybalt, lying on his guest bed, unmoving.
Two perfectly round perforations interrupted the expanse of his neck.
A deep, rumbling snarl rose in volume, coming from her father. He shuffled down the stairs with surprising force, headed for the door. On his way out, he reached to grab his crossbow and arrows. Somehow, Anna's weeping, hysterical mother beat him to them, and threw them violently to the marble floor.
"No!" she screamed.
Letting out a seething noise from somewhere deep in his chest, Anna's father stormed up the stairs and into the bowels of the house, leaving Anna's mother a weeping mess on the floor.
Anna did her best to comfort her, but had trouble keeping her mind on the task at hand. She was preoccupied wondering when Su would awaken, and hoping it would be in time to meet Edward.
The first rays of light were streaming delicately through the windows, and she heard a stirring upstairs. Leaving her mother's side, she craned her neck, to catch a glimpse of an approaching Su.
Carefully directing Su in such a way that she might not discover the tragedy, Anna asked her to go and meet Edward in the bakery shop. Su was all too happy, having been a slightly rebellious youth herself.
With Su safely away from her mother, Anna's mind was free to work more persistently at comforting her mother, and also at a guise of sadness for herself.
At the bakery, Su inconspicuously browsed the loaves, while keeping an eye out for the striking features Anna had briefly outlined for her. After a few minutes, a young man with pallid complexion and shining dark eyes entered the store, browsing it casually. Su knew at once that he was Edward.
"Edward," she called quietly, trying not to interrupt the other shoppers. He glanced around, trying to place her, and Su waved her arm up a little. He caught her gaze and maneuvered himself to her side.
"How is Anna?" he fired at her once he arrived.
"She's fine," she said slowly.
"Does she still want to marry me?" he asked a little more strongly.
"Yes."
"And she realized I can't enter a church?" he asked. All these details that seemed so unimportant the night before had flooded him with dread once he was out of her presence.
"She mentioned it, yes," Su said suspiciously. The only detail Anna had somehow managed to omit was that Edward was a vampire.
"And does she have a plan?" Edward pressed, ignoring entirely Su's inquisitive eyes.
"She believes you'll know more than her what to do, and leaves the decision and arrangement entirely up to you," Su informed, defeated.
"Right! Tell her to meet me…. Er, here, I guess, tonight. At nine," he decided. Then he turned quickly and headed for the exit.
Almost as swiftly, he turned back with an apologetic grin. "Oh, and thank you."
Leaving Su, she barely had time to recover. His charm was thick and numbing, and when she could finally feel her heartbeat lowering, she set out on her way to bring Anna the news.
Waiting none too patiently by the front door, Anna paced back and forth. She was alternately cursing Su and wishing her speed. Long before, Anna's mother had slumped off to her bed, presumably to cry and sulk some more.
Finally, Anna heard steps coming up the walk, and she threw open the door and ran to meet them. Su approached with a cautious smile, glancing about to be sure no one would hear them.
When she had satisfied herself, she turned to Anna.
"He says to meet him at nine tonight, and he'll take care of everything." Elated, Anna emitted a squeal, and Su quickly quieted her with a significant glare.
"Where?" Anna inquired.
"At the bakery," Su explained. Anna nodded gratefully, before rushing off to her room, to spend hours dreaming about the night to come.
All too slowly, 8:30 approached. After carefully lying out her nicest dress and the most practical shoes she could, Anna slipped downstairs to explain to her parents that due to her feeling ill and Flybalt's death, she would be going to bed early.
As inconspicuously as she could, Anna told them that she loved them, and goodbye. She had no idea what the coming night would bring, but she could feel somehow that they wouldn't cross paths again.
Her plan went on without a hitch, and she quickly changed clothes when she arrived in her room. Being sure to lock the door behind her, Anna went out onto her terrace.
From there, she had it made; she climbed down the lovely jutting architecture and once on the ground made her way to the heart of town in a matter of minutes.
Sure enough, beneath the dimmed lights of the bakery, a young man awaited her.
Suddenly Anna's stomach filled with butterflies, and as she approached her soon-to-be husband, she tried to quell them. It was funny to be waiting and yearning all afternoon for this time to approach, and then suddenly lose her bravery now.
Just like the last time, as soon as she approached, Edward Spun around inhumanly to greet her. She looked up into his shiny black eyes and suddenly her worries seemed to dissolve.
Taking her hand, Edward led her through a confusing series of alleys and streets, until at last they reached the outskirts of the city. In the quiet cover of night, they found a hill overlooking the vast countryside that lay before them.
Sitting down on the cool, crisp grass, Edward turned to face her.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"I'm not exactly sure what we're going to do," Anna admitted a little naively.
"Well, what are your options?" Edward asked playfully, his sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight.
Anna's brain suddenly jogged, and she realized what was going to happen to her.
"Will it hurt?" she inquired, squirming a little.
"I'm afraid I don't remember." Edward said gently.
"Well, you best get on with it, then," Anna said bravely.
She braced herself and closed her eyes tight, hoping somehow to block out the pain as well. She sensed him lowering himself slowly, and felt his warm, sharp teeth piercing her neck.
It felt as though all the life and energy Anna possessed was slowly flowing out of her, and she collapsed on the ground. Edward followed her down, and then slowly removed his fangs from her neck.
Blood flowed freely, and despite his temptation, Edward managed to cover it with his hand, at least long enough for him to whip off his over-shirt, and mop it up with that.
Lightheaded and woozy, Anna tried to sit up. Working quite ironically, this made her pass out. The overwhelming trauma, along with loss of blood was working on her.
Edward simply stayed there, soaking up the blood and waiting for her to revive. She slowly came to, opening her eyes to take everything in.
Feeling a little more stable now, she was also too wise to try sitting up. She could feel the blood draining from her, and wondered how long it would take to leave her pallid and colorless, like Edward.
The strain of the day caught up to her, and Anna felt into a reluctant but satisfying sleep. Edward stayed there all the while, knowing that soon sleep would be a missed luxury.
He watched for hours as she became paler and paler, and watched her awaken in the morning.
The process was no almost complete, her canines noticeably larger. He smiled at her as she groggily looked into his eyes.
"Almost done," he reported cheerfully.
"That's good," she let out around a yawn. Stretching, she slowly drew herself up. She was feeling much stronger this morning, but it was also a different sort of strength. Rather than feeling like she was running on a meal or some sort of life source, it felt like she was running on a hollow sort of energy. Given time, she was forced to accept it.
Glancing down at her skin, it seemed translucent. Her hands, her arms, her ankles were so much lighter. It was peculiar, like never seeing the sun. Except worse. Although she had no mirror, she figured her eyes were probably nearly as black as Edward's.
"Get up, I want you to meet my coven!" Edward exclaimed merrily.
Grinning at his antics, Anna pulled herself into a standing position and Edward took her hand to lead her.
Again, they passed through alleys and streets, although they were much less foreboding this time. The early morning rays of sunshine flooded them.
In one alley, he paused briefly to knock on a well-concealed door in the wall.
It opened with unnatural speed, and they were greeted by several men of similar coloring to Edward. And to me, she reminded herself.
The men seemed to welcome Edward, until their eyes fell on her. One in the back snarled in disgust, and then looked up to Edward distrustfully.
"You changed her?" he asked incredulously.
"Yeah," Edward replied coolly, trying to enter their lodgings.
"You're not living here," piped up another, smaller vampire.
"Of course!" Edward exclaimed.
The oldest and most authortative vampire stepped into the entrance. "Edward, I'm sorry, but we can't allow you to live here. Not with her," his eyes flickered back to Anna.
"When he finds out- nothing will be able to stop him from killing us. All of us," the man continued stolidly.
Anna realized that they were speaking of her father and shuddered.
"But-" Edward started.
"Edward, I'm sorry, no." And with not another word, the door shut noiselessly, sealing them from Edward's friends.
A little abashed, Edward glanced up to Anna.
"Well, this hasn't turned out so well, but where to next?" he asked her.
Anna merely shrugged and grinned.
"As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter."
Holding hands, they traversed the busy streets carelessly, ambling past various shops and open markets.
Walking down one lane, the mood of the street changed suddenly, from one of quiet content to frantic worry. People threw themselves out of the way as a man charged through, an armed crossbow on his shoulder.
Anna's father.
Without pausing to think, Anna pulled on Edward's hand, urging him back down the path they had been on. He turned, but a little too slowly. Against her father's aim, Edward didn't stand a chance. He took a single arrow to the heart.
One second, Anna was looking into the eyes of her lover, terrified. The next, the space he had occupied was empty, and her hand grasped for nothingness that seemed to fill the air.
She let out a strangled scream, collapsing at her father's feet. "How could you?" she shrieked in utter dismay.All the eyes in the street were on them.
Cruelly, he turned to face her. A great distance separated them; he was a tall man on his feet, she a mere girl on her knees. However, a boundary much greater than this was the one to be reckoned with.
His eyes filled with hatred for his daughter, who had become his most supreme enemy so suddenly. Although he lacked the heart to raise his crossbow and end her life, he did the only thing that hurt her; he looked into her eyes and spit on her.
Turning away, she heard him announce to the crowd that she was no daughter of his; that he had forsaken her.
Her anguish spread across her face. Barely aware of herself, she reached out and took the bag of arrows her father had accidentally left in the street. Several women called out in horror. Her father looked back to see what caused the commotion. Sheer grief exposed itself on his face, but it was much too late for it to matter.
Anna took one of the silver arrows from its quiver, and plunged it deep within her. Crying out in pain, she disappeared as Edward had. She could only hope she'd meet him somewhere else.