A Year Later-
I'm staying with Claria, locked up in a flat, not that that will hold me back, I'm not allowed to leave. It's like I'm Anne Frank and I'm stuck in a small area, restricted, not able to leave. Except, I'm here for different reasons, I won't be the one that's hurt. I'm the one that will hurt others. Claria says I'll be allowed out soon, about six months, it sounds a lot, but for me, it will pass fast. Of course, Claria is bringing me a food supply, but it's not what I want. She brings stray animals, squirrels, mice, rats, I don't want them. I know what I want, I can't deny it, but I can't have it. It's too horrible, I would rather stick to animals, but it would be nice to get them myself, I get ready prepared, it isn't as fresh. I know she is only doing her best, it isn't easy in a town, I'm being selfish and greedy. Poor Claria, by the time I'm done, there's nothing left for her. My appetite is dying down, fast, I'm getting used to it, but it isn't whole. It's forced vegetarianism, not able to have what I want. I get newspapers too, I'm on the headlines, I always wanted to be a star, well now I am, I'm famous. The missing girl, lost for a year. The terrible thing is, my mum doesn't know I'm alive, she's sitting waiting, for her mousey haired, brown eyed, olive skinned baby to come back. They are looking for someone they don't know anymore. I wish I could tell her, but I can't, it's dangerous, she wouldn't want me.
At night, I sit and think about my life so far and what I am going to do in the rest of eternity. I ask myself philosophical questions, try and work out answers, which may become clear in the future. One question really interests me, but it's not really philosophical, it's more… supernatural. How will us vampires die? Will we end with the human race? Once the humans and the animals are gone, when the earth is dying and we are still here, we will have nothing to feed on. We will die, eventually, if it's possible to die of thirst.
Nearly Six Months-
One day. I've been told I shouldn't go mad when she opens the door. Claria told be she doesn't want to loose me, which was nice, but she didn't mean as a friend, she meant it as a danger.
Me, dangerous. I had never thought of myself like that. Never. I've always been quiet, helpful, caring and I was verging on being vegetarian, just because I used to wonder what the chicken was thinking. My mum didn't agree, but I did, however my opinion didn't count. I wish I had been, I never would be now. I'm doomed, stuck, whatever you want to call it. It's not so great anymore and I miss Harry. I'll see him first, but Claria says I can't. I think she was jealous. In fact, I'm sure of it. I'm good at that, I can tell whether people are telling the truth, I know she's jealous because I asked her if she was, she said no, but of course, she really meant yes.
Tuesday 1st March-
I'm being released, outside. At nine am. Wow.
Tuesday 9 am-
Tick Tock.
Claria kept her word, I'm in the outside world, the air smells sweet and fresh, like I last remember it. Thinking about remembering, I remember that today's my birthday. Cool, but I'm still fourteen, I suppose I can pretend, I mean, I look older. I turn to look at Claria, I can see she's hiding something, not very well. Grinning, I run and twist, successfully removing a small golden present, perfectly wrapped, tied with a red ribbon, my favourite colour. It's a traditional square, placed in a cardboard box to keep it that way. Claria does this huge thing with presents, I've seen the process. She starts with, say… a notepad. Not that she gives out notepads, her presents are usually much bigger. Then, she gets a silver sheet of wrapping paper, and places the notepad in the middle, which then is; rolled, flipped, tucked and taped, all in the flick of a wrist. Neither tape nor paper creases. The present is then placed in a hard box, which is wrapped in gold paper, in the same fashion. This time, there are no edges, it's one solid block of gold. After this, she will get a coloured ribbon, which she has thousands of, in every shade and colour imaginable. The birthday person's favourite colour is chosen, then the ribbon of this colour is wrapped around, glued to the box from the underneath and performs a perfect bow on top, of which the base is glued. It creates a lovely effect, but makes it very difficult to open. I think this is on purpose, to make the 'suspense' (annoyance) last longer.
I don't think I'm going to let this game work this time. It usually takes me about five minutes until I get it open. Not today, I grin to myself. I did into the box, feel my fingers penetrate the surface, like a piece of ordinary paper, it wasn't even hard. Carefully, I use the tips of my fingers to feel for the present, it's ok, it's only small. Which means that… scrunch. I pulled the box to shreds, crunching it. Claria stares, hurt by the lack of her game, she lost, I win. Also, she's annoyed about the fact I ruined the box. Then I remember, in a flash of a second the actual present. My hands are dropping the final pieces, along with the present. Got it, I cached it as it fell.
"You didn't have to ruin the box you know." Claria sulks.
"You didn't have to wrap it so elegantly!" I exclaim.
"But it's how I-" I hold a finger up and gesture to the present. Her angry expression falls, replaced with excitement, she jumps up and down lightly, one foot then the other. Hop hop. Long black curls fly up and down, keeping time with her jumps. Her dark eyes light up, she hasn't eaten properly for months, I've been taking most of her share.
"Calm down Snow White." I raise my eyebrow.
"Open it, open it!" She squeals back, not a very good response. I can't stand the high pitched noises she's making, so I rip off the packaging. I gasp.
"You… you found it!" My wolf. My fluffy, brown, little Harry. Good as new, the nose isn't scuffed, the glass eyes are shiny, the fluffy nylon hair is smoothed down. I squeeze it to me.
"How?" It's the one syllable I can get out.
"I went and got it. Steffan took it, it was all ripped, cotton hanging out, the lot. It was left in the forest, chucked into a tree."
"You went…and got…this…for me?" I stutter. Then I lift it's fur and see little stitches, where Claria stitched it up. I look closer at it's face, and see the hard black plastic has been coated in thick black leather, the eyes sewn back on with black thread, replicating the pirate -like smudges around Harry's eyes. It looks just right. A tear leeks out from my eye. I haven't cried since I was human, I didn't even know if I still could. Only now do I realize how much I miss Harry, I couldn't ask for a better present, words aren't enough, I hug Claria, I don't want to let go. I miss him, I forgot, I lost it, but I do, lots, it's still there. I still love him.
Wednesday 2 am-
I've decided that I'm going to sneak out and find Harry, I'm going to go and then I don't know what. I can't leave Harry again, but I can't leave Claria. Grabbing my small bag, with only my wolf, a notepad and a pen, I don't need anything else, I don't need food or a sleeping bag. The lighter the baggage the faster the journey, as with every runaway. But I am no ordinary runaway. I would smile, but I can't, if someone was out here they would see my smile and maybe come over, not good. That means I can't stop, it's a good thing I can't run out of breath. Then I think for a minute. If I accidentally attack Harry, would he be like me, or not? Could I kill him if I wanted? To be safe I head out towards the woods first, I want to look my best after all. I like being in the trees, it provides cover, I can relax. A bird nest. The eggs have just hatched, yes! Up the tree, nom. I pursue a lone fox, it's fast, but no patch on me. It leads me right to the den. Poor thing, it had no clue. I spend the rest of the night hunting.
Wednesday 8am-
Ring Ding Dong. I love that doorbell, not only does it have a really awesome sound, but it calls t he person I want the most. Sadly, it's also the person who smells the most and as long as we're together, that smell will be there, if I left the smell would go, but what benefit would that be? When the door opens, Harry yelps.
"Oh come on, don't tell me you thought I'd abandoned you?" I grinned. " You should have known I was coming anyway." Harry wasn't moving so I invited myself in, not breathing. He doesn't stop me, that's a good sign, so I walk through to the front room, the familiar grey slouchy sofa, with it's brick red cushions, the television is covered in puzzling. It's covered in dust. I blow at it and the dust doesn't budge. It's stuck, it's old dust, about a year, I would say. The sofa is sunken in, I can see he sits here a lot, but the items in the room are exactly the same as they were the last time I saw them. Harry has followed me into the room, he's pinched his nose. That really hurts.
"Um… So, where are we going?" I try to provoke conversation.
"Nowhere."
"What do you mean nowhere?" I smile, even though I'm anxious, I try to make him happy. The sofa doesn't sag under my weight as I sit down, I'm light as a feather these days.
"What do you mean by nowhere, Harry?" Asking again, I try to make my voice clearer, though I'm sure it was clear enough. I stand up and walk towards him, he back away, shaking his head. A tear rolls down his face and I attempt to wipe it away. He snaps his hand out and smacks mine away. Feeling my eyes widen, I blink a few times.
"No." A shaky voice says. I know what he means, my mind blurs, I feel it going, I'm dizzy, but I can't faint, I can't sleep, I can't die.
"No. You're going nowhere. This isn't going to work." The words echo in my head, the truthfulness is there, he means it. Slowly backing away, I make for the door. He isn't looking at me, he's looking at the dusty laminate birch floor, covered in dust, but a few clear patches where we have stepped. The atmosphere is terrible, I can't stand it I rip the door open, pulling it from it's latches and run, I don't know where, no way forward, no way back.