Hey everyone! Sorry this is late! My other computer has a virus or something, so I'm using a dinosaur age laptop my dad gave to me. It has the 2002 version of my writing program, so sorry if there are a lot of 'I am' and 'do not' instead of 'I'm' and 'don't' because it will not let me do those. I just do not seem to have good luck with computers…Anyway, please enjoy this latest chapter of One Girl's Wish.
My room felt icy cold and even colder air blew in from my open window. I briefly wondered when I had opened it, but the thought was only fleeting. Instead, I walked downstairs as per usual. Walking into the kitchen, I expected to see my father at the table reading his newspaper.
I choked on my scream, instead making a little squeak. My eyes widened to extreme proportions and my mind raced. Before me was my father sitting at the table with a pool of blood surrounding him. Should I call the police? I briefly wondered. I walked over to my father to check for any signs of life, though I knew the answer before I got there: He was dead.
The pool of blood belonged to my father, his body a pale blue and rigid. There was a large rip on the side of his neck where the killer had ripped out one of the most important veins. I felt moisture dripping down my face and realized that at some point I had begun to cry.
A shadow loomed over me, both dark and deadly. I did not look around for fear of seeing my murderer; it was better this way. His cold hand clasped around my neck and he brought his nose along the side of my neck. Was he going to rape me first? The answer was no, for he began to speak.
"Exquisite…" He mumbled. "I'll have fun destroying you." I felt a sharp, unbelievable pain in my neck and, like an idiot, began to thrash about. I felt the skin, muscle, and veins slowly ripped away and a scream built in my throat. From the corner of my eye I caught the sight of white teeth stained in red and eyes just as red as the blood staining my murderer.
"Ana-Marie!" I jolted up in bed, my scream dying in my throat. My silver eyes darted around in panic and I ripped the covers away from my body. I gripped Alexander's shoulders and stared straight into his eyes: Chocolate brown, not crimson.
"Thank God!" I shouted joyfully. "I thought I was a goner!" He stared at me hard, as if questioning my sanity.
"You were dreaming." He reminded me.
"Yeah, but it was a very scary dream." I told him.
"You seem to be having a lot of those lately." He said as he rolled his eyes. "Just get dressed and come downstairs so we can get to work." I gave him a nod and released his shoulders. He left the room and I stared at the door for a while before finally getting dressed.
For the past few weeks, I had been having nightmares. They always began and ended the same: One person dead and me on my way. Usually it was my dad or Alexander that had been killed, but sometimes I would be walking down a random street and see a person dying in a pool of their own blood, then I would be attacked from behind. The dreams were gruesome and I hated even talking about them. I probably should considering talking about dreams makes them go away.
"Ready?" Alexander asked me when I eventually made it down the stairs.
"Possibly." I responded as I sat on the couch with my notebook in hand. It was a new one, seeing as how the other one was filled with notes and doodles.
"Today we move on to Calculus." I groaned at Alexander's words. "Come on. This will be easy for you."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I mumbled as I opened to a clean page. He said a bunch of weird, large words that I simply wrote down and pretended to understand. He gave me a few sample problems, which I failed at completing. Alexander never lost patience with me and I eventually began to understand at least some of it.
"Have you been out lately?" He asked as I worked on a problem.
"No." I answered. "I have no one to go with." I handed him my notebook to check the problem. "Besides, you warned me not to go out at night, so I don't."
"You did this wrong." He flipped the notebook back around to explain it to me once more. "I warned you not to go out at night, but that doesn't mean you can't do so during the day."
"I'm always doing something with school work, though." I reminded him. "The only day you don't come over is Sunday and nothing happens on Sunday."
"True." He reasoned before picking up all of his stuff. For a moment, I thought I had insulted him or he finally lost patience in me. "Come on. I'm taking you out."
"Really?" I asked hopefully, to which he nodded. "What about my dad?"
"He's gone right now." He shrugged. "If he asks, we'll tell him it was for a social studies project: You were studying the way people interact." He put everything on the shelf and pushed me towards the door. "Let's go." He opened his umbrella and invited me under, but I thought it felt too intimate. I did not voice my opinion, though.
It was sundown and the sky was colored with pinks, reds, oranges, and other warm colors. The temperature felt nice compared to the air-conditioned house. I even enjoyed the sounds! People on bicycles whizzing past, couples laughing on the streets, young children running back to their homes. It was all so exciting that I could barely contain myself.
"Wow! Look at everything!" I shouted, pulling on Alexander's sleeve. "It feels so wonderful to be out!" I sped up my pace a little, taking in everything with wide eyes.
"Are you hungry?" Alexander asked me.
"A little." I admitted sheepishly. "We didn't eat lunch today."
"No, we didn't." He smiled at me softly before taking my hand and dragging me in another direction. "We're going there." He pointed to a place across the street and farther ahead. I interlocked both of our hands, turning around so we were facing and I was walking backwards.
"What kind of food do they have? Is it expensive? If it is I want to split the bill and if you say no then I refuse to go."
"Calm down, Ana-Marie." He soothed. "It's a sandwich shop and it should only be about ten U.S dollars."
"Still, I want to split the bill."
"No. I offered to take you out, therefore I will pay."
"No. We are going together, which means we will both be eating. We split the bill."
"Ana-Marie, for once listen to me." My mouth dropped open before I scowled at him.
"I always listen to you! Why don't you listen to me for once?" His hands squeezed mine.
"I want to pay for your food." His eyes pleaded with mine. "Let me treat you."
"Alright. Fine." I grumbled. "But next time we're splitting the bill."
"Yes. Next time." He agreed with a smile. I felt my cheeks heating up with the realization of my words, but I covered it up by asking a question.
"Why are there a bunch of couples here?" I whispered to him, hoping that would be excuse enough for my blush.
"This place has great sandwiches and a lot of people come here for dates." He pulled me back outside on the terrace and sat us down at a table near the railing. I looked out over the streets at the people walking by, then at the starry sky. Alexander ordered for us since I was still new to the Romanian language, though it did remind me of Latin. With my limited amount of language, I did manage to thank our waiter. He smiled at me and went to place our order with the cook.
"It's pretty tonight." I said, startling Alexander. I had been quiet since we arrived and he must have assumed I was upset or something.
"Yes, it is." He agreed. "What's your favorite part of the night?"
"The moon." I looked away from the sky to meet his gaze. "It's so bright and lonely."
"What makes you think it's lonely? It has all the stars around."
"It's the only one of its kind." I stated, looking back up at the moon. "Maybe it would like another moon to talk to." I rested my elbow on the table, my chin in my palm as I stared at the pale moon. "It can talk to the stars, but perhaps it would like to talk to another moon about moon things."
"What would they talk about?" He asked in a silent whisper, as if he was afraid of something.
"Oh, I don't know." I shrugged. "Moon things. Like why they have so many craters or which one of the stars is the brightest. I mean, a star might not understand why the moon has so many holes. What if they shun the moon?" I looked back at Alexander. "What if no star likes the moon?"
"I'm sure there are a few that accept the moon."
"But what if you're wrong?"
"There is always one." He whispered in promise, his hand reaching out to mine. I took it unashamedly, even if we were just friends. "Would you like to go home?" He asked.
"Yes, please." He led me from the shop and onto the main road, still holding hands. His carried his umbrella in his free hand, glancing at me every so often.
"Are you feeling okay?" He eventually asked. "You've been quiet all day."
"Would you miss me if I died?" I felt his hand tighten on mine.
"Yes. Why?"
"I keep having a dream where I die and I was just wondering."
"Is that what has been bothering you?" I nodded. "It always helps to talk about it."
"I know, but it's just so gruesome it scares me to even think about it."
"Just try. I want to help you." I moved closer to him, closing the large gap between us to whisper without him having to try to hard to hear.
"It's always the same." I told him. "I find someone dead and then I'm killed. They are always covered or surrounded by blood and they have a gaping hole in their neck where their veins have been ripped out. Then I am attacked from behind to where I cannot see the person's face. I get this awful pain in my neck and feel as the person rips out a chunk of my flesh with their teeth." My body is shaking lightly and my eyes fill with tears. "What if it really happens?"
"It won't." Alexander reassured me. "Just try not to think about it too hard. I'll protect you." He whispered the last sentence so softly I barely caught it.
"Thank you." I said. "For taking me out and listening." My house came into sight and a black Mercedes was waiting outside. An elderly man got out and held the door open, waiting for Alexander. Alexander let go of my hand and walked forward, waving at me before climbing inside the dark vehicle. The man smiled at me softly, his face crinkling with wrinkles. He was creepy, yet he seemed nice. If I had living grandparents, I would like him to be my grandfather.
Once Alexander was gone, I went upstairs to my room. I made sure everything was secure before changing and climbing into bed. Today was nice, even if it was filled with mostly schoolwork. I enjoyed my time with Alexander and was sad to have it end so soon. Rolling over in bed, I sighed as I gazed upon a family photo.
"I miss you Mom." I whispered before falling into an uneasy sleep.