Twilight Saga: Forever Dawn
Chapter 3: Unforgotten Christmas
Christmastime in Nashville was a big deal back in the late '50s. Back when everyone was enjoying themselves after the World Wars and before the inevitable Vietnam. I remember almost as if it were yesterday arriving in that busy town. Everyone interested in becoming a country music legend would flock towards it; especially after Elvis had introduced us to the sin of Rock 'n Roll. If only these people had a clue what kind of sin was entering their precious town. ..
Snow had begun to fall lightly on the town, everyone was bustling around the shops preparing for the next day; Christmas day. I remember seeing a small girl walking with her mother on the sidewalk wearing a red coat and hat. You could tell the girl came from a very wealthy family. "But I want that teddy bear mother! Not the brown one! The white one!" she stomped her foot. The girl had to have been about 7 years old and already I didn't like her. Her mother turned around to look at her.
"Priscilla darling, last week you wanted the brown bear," the girl's mother replied calmly reminding me of an old movie actress. "But if you want the white one…" she turned towards the entrance of the shop.
"Wait mother," Priscilla sighed. "Fine, I'll take both."
"Darling you do know when you want something!" her mother said appraisingly. "You must take after me! Of course you may have both!"
Watching this exchange between mother and daughter left me feeling sick to my stomach. Oh how times have changed so much! From back when we as a country had very little, to a time when they care nothing for values or the cost! This made me angry, for all that my parents had once sacrificed was being taken for granted by this dimwitted woman and her ungrateful child! That was when I got an idea…
Instantly I was across the street standing next to the woman; I held the door to the toy shop open for her. "Ladies first," I said in my most beautiful voice. The woman looked stunned at first and then smiled.
"Ah, so nice to have good help these days," she said in her chipper tone. "Come now Priscilla." She eyed me closely as she led her daughter inside. As she passed by I watched as the dark haired girl in the red dress skipped across the floor. Her short dark curls bouncing I could smell the sweet smell of her. Like a field of daisies after a summer storm. I bit back the onslaught of pain that burned my throat. She smelled so deliciously sweet. I could wait, I was rebelling but it was neither the time nor the place in this busy toy shop.
The woman was an overgrown version of her daughter; wearing a dark red dress and overcoat, dark hair on flawless porcelain skin and deep green eyes. She wore gloves and tall heels that clicked on the tile floor. Walking up to the counter she took off one of her gloves and began talking to the balding shop owner. "Oh Larry.." she said in that rich snobby voice.
"Why Miss Virginia, what can I do for you today?" Larry said, his voice dripping with southern drawl. He obviously had some affection for this snobby woman, most likely it was because she must have come in here quite often. I stood behind a rack of Silly Puddy pretending to be interested in the toys all the while focusing on the woman's conversation and the child searching through the toys.
The young girl Priscilla was staring at a box full of circus tops while dropping a few in her little white purse. Stupid girl, I thought to myself. I hope the store owner catches you and throws you out. Soon.
"Oh Larry," Miss Virginia said, drumming her perfect nails against the large oak desk. "My darling Prissy would love two of your teddy bears in the shop window; one of each color." This woman proclaimed loudly and proudly so that all of the store could hear. Oh right, Prissy, that's exactly what you and your annoying child are, I thought, a smirk forming on my face.
Larry jumped up, "Why of course Miss Virginia!" As if he should have already known what this woman wanted before she asked. "Michael, a customer wants 2 of the bears!"
She must be someone very important, I thought to myself. As if answering my question a boy of about 16 appeared from behind the saloon style doors behind the desk, wearing a very worn pair of brown dress pants and a white dress shirt under a dark smock. When he saw Miss Virginia he stopped short. Oh God not her again, he thought. I smiled, I like this guy already.
"Which bears?" he said faking a smile. This better not take forever like every time, I swear I'll lose my job if this kid changes her mind constantly like always.
"The ones in the window," Larry answered turning back to Miss Virginia. "Will that be all, ma'am?"
As if on cue Priscilla came up behind her mother tugging on her dress. "Mother I want a Chatty Cathy!" I could hear a groan come somewhere from Michael's direction. I stifled a laugh as the girls mother looked down at her eager child.
"Darling tomorrow is Christmas, you can wait until then," she said in her perfect voice.
Priscilla looked on the verge of tears. "But I want a Chatty Cathy now!" She stomped her foot again on the floor making a loud ping noise that caused many people to turn and stare. Finally, I thought. The moment I've been waiting for, this man has to kick these people out once the girl starts her temper tantrum.
Miss Virginia slapped her daughter across the face with her naked hand. "I said you can wait until then." Priscilla eyes began to water as she held her swelling cheek, the blood rushing. The thirst became almost unbearable I started walking towards her.
Just then Michael came up behind her with the bears. Damn, that was unexpected, Michael thought. I stopped walking and stood next to a bubblegum stand. "Here is your bears ma'am." Michael said setting them on the desk. Turning back to his boss he said, "Is that all sir? I really need to be getting home soon, my mother will be expecting me for supper."
"That's fine Michael, tell your mama I said thank you for the soup for my Miriam. She's so under the weather.."
"I will sir," Michael said and left.
"Now Miss Virginia that will be $5.00" Larry said while Miss Virginia began digging in her purse. After about five seconds she pulled out $10.00.
"For my daughter's outburst and disrupting your shop," she said innocently, as if she hadn't just slapped her daughter in front of everyone. Larry took the money, nodding, placed it in the drawer in the cash register, put the bears in a bag, and then handed the woman her receipt.
"Thank you ma'am and have a Merry Christmas," he said sweetly.
"And you too Larry," she said while grabbing Priscilla's hand and pulling her towards the door. "Now darling, you can't always have everything you want."
"Yes mama," Priscilla said massaging her swollen cheek, tears still swimming in her eyes. I took that opportunity to run to the door to have it open again as they left. That should definitely scare them a little, make their blood pump a little faster, I thought stifling a chuckle.
Standing at the open door waiting for Miss Virginia to notice me a gust of cold air blew in tossing her dark strands around her features. I realized at that moment that Miss Virginia was indeed very beautiful and smelled just as deliciously sweet as her daughter. The burn in my throat increased even more to the point that I had never known before. Finally she reached the door and looked at me warily. "I don't think I've ever seen you before, are you new?"
I smiled. "Why yes, this is my first day." Ah in more ways than one.
Mama he's scary, Priscilla thought hugging close to her mother.
My goodness this young man is more handsome that my husband, if only he were ten years older, Miss Virginia thought. I tried not to laugh but my smile grew even wider. "Well, thank you-?"
"Edward," I said. "Edward Cullen."
"Well Edward, I suppose I'll be seeing you around," she said, tugging Priscilla off her arm and half-dragging her down the street. I watched them walk away as the wind blew their delicious scent toward me. It was dark out, and the streetlamps had already come on. They continued down the sidewalk about two blocks then turned left onto an alley way. I knew which way they would be going because Priscilla held onto the directions in her mind like a talisman, as if by reciting the directions might get them home faster.
I was already in the alleyway when they turned the corner. I was hiding in a dark doorway. As they passed a metal trash can fell and a cat screamed. I heard Priscilla scream and Miss Virginia pulled her close. "Mama I'm scared," Priscilla cried into her mother's coat.
"It's alright darling, we're almost home."
They continued walking faster and then stopped when Miss Virginia's heel got caught on the grate of the storm drain. "Damnit," Miss Virginia mumbled under her breath. "Hold on darling my heel is caught. It'll only take a minute." She let go of Priscilla's hand and the little girl backed up staring at her mother worriedly.
I dashed behind the mother and stood there waiting, my mouth watering, my vision turning to shades of deep red. I sniffed the air around her. The smell of daisies and orchid fill my lungs. I growl and the little girl screams, Miss Virginia's head snaps back to look at me and screams too. She quickly turns to her daughter. "Run!" Priscilla cries and starts running off down the alley.
Miss Virginia looks back at me, "Don't hurt my baby! Don't hurt my daughter! Take me instead!"
"Oh I was always planning to take you, but I can't promise to not take your daughter too. For I am very thirsty and my meal plans just got changed." I lunge at the helpless woman crying and feed for the first time on human blood. It takes only seconds and the woman stops struggling. Her blood is all drained and I'm still very thirsty. "Now its feeding time number two."
I dash through the alleyway towards the little girl's screams. She didn't get very far, I thought. She must have fallen down a few times, she's bleeding. I caught up to her after only thirty seconds just as she fell against a brick wall. She turned around clutching her leg which was obviously broken and cried trying to find somewhere to hide. I jumped down in front of her watching her with death in my eyes.
Please mister, please, you already took my mama, please don't hurt me. She thought holding her hand to her mouth to stifle the scream that I knew was emerging. "I'm sorry it had to be this way, but I'm just so very thirsty and so tired of holding back." I lunged forth and bit at her neck the warm blood filling me. It was so deliciously sweet that I couldn't stop myself even if I had wanted to. When I was done I left her broken dead body layed sprawled out on the sidewalk. I looked up, wiping my mouth with my shirt, just in time to see the Michael's face staring at me as he held a trash bag hovered over the empty trash can.