Chapter Seven
Memories and Tears
The scenery flashes by in a blur, almost like a dream, as Stan drove me to Casper. I gulped. We stopped on the way a few times, but only for food, gas, and bathroom breaks. I mostly had him stopping for food so I could chew on it, trying to distract myself from the anxiety and nervousness in me. It didn't work. I knew from the beginning it wouldn't. Nothing could take away the anxiety of visiting my parents' graves, knowing that I could've prevented their deaths. It made me feel guilty for ever blaming them for dying. It wasn't their fault. It was mine.
When we finally reached the Highland Cemetery, I made Stan wait in the car while I sought out my parents' graves. I knew their location by heart; I could find them blindfolded. They sat side-by-side. My mother's was first. It read:
Janine Hathaway-Mazur
1967-2004
Beloved Mother, Wife, and Sister
My mother had been Janine Hathaway, and I got few features from her. She had been Scottish, and she'd had curly auburn hair, brown eyes, and had been short - only around five feet in height. What I had gotten from her was her curvy figure, and I was forever grateful for it. She had been dedicated to her job, but she loved me as well, and tried to show it whenever possible.
My father's grave was beside my mom's. It read:
Ibrahim Mazur
1963-2004
Beloved Father, Husband, and Brother
My father had been my mother's opposite, but they'd been meant to be. Ibrahim Mazur - more commonly just called Abe - had been Turkish. I'd gotten most of my physical - and nonphysical - traits from my father. He'd had black hair, a goatee, and brown eyes. He'd been fun-loving, stubborn, and playful, but could be fiery when he wanted or needed to be. My father could be very scary.
And sitting there, looking at their graves, the memories flowed back to me. How it was my fault...why it was my fault...
"Mom!" my fourteen-year-old-self whined, trying to brush my hair and convince my mom of something at the same time. "I'm only going to Sarah's. I've gone there a million times. Why not make it a million and one?"
"Because," Mom answered sternly. "It's late tonight. You don't know what's lurking out there, Rosemarie."
That was always the excuse. I didn't know what was lurking out there. Of course I knew what was out there. Strigoi. Evil vampires who roamed the night looking for victims to drain. Sure, it freaked me out, but my mom and dad always managed to make me feel safe. I'd always thought my parents' jobs were pretty cool. They were Alchemists. They helped keep vampires a secret and wore golden lilies on their cheeks. One day, I would be an Alchemist. I couldn't wait. It seemed like so much fun. I'd get to do missions and save the world.
"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled. "I know what's lurking out their, Mom. Come on. You really think something's going to happen? The chances Strigoi are going to specifically attack us are, like, nonexistent."
"Rose." Dad finally made his appearance, giving me a stubborn look that I returned. We were so alike, we fought like siblings. "Your mother said no, so the answer is no."
"But Dad!" I cried. "You've gotta understand. You're depriving me of needs. Needs."
Dad raised an eyebrow. "Needs, you say?" He had kind of a Turkish accent, since he used to live in Turkey. I'd visited it once, and it was super cool. "And what might these needs be, Rosemarie?"
"Social needs, Dad. I gotta feel alive, Dad. What happens when you're dying and you say to yourself 'I wish I would've just let Rose go to Sarah's house that one night.'"
Dad looked amused. He had always said that I could run my own comedy show. "I doubt I'll be thinking that, Rose."
"Just let me go!"
"No."
"Fine," I grumbled, storming into my room and grabbing my cell phone. I scrolled through the contacts and found Sarah's number. I pressed the call button and waited about four rings for her to answer.
"Hey, Rose," Sarah said. "You gonna be here soon?"
"No," I told her. "Mom said no, and Dad sided with Mom."
"Man," said Sarah, sounding extremely disappointed. "I had our whole night planned, too."
I rolled my eyes. "She means well, Sarah. I just wish she'd understand that I know what's out there." Sarah didn't know, but she could believe whatever she wanted to.
"Yeah," Sarah agreed, though I had the feeling that she was rolling her eyes. There was some shuffling and inaudible voices in the background before Sarah said, "Hey, Rose? Tyler wants to talk to you. I'm gonna give him the phone."
My heart leaped. Tyler Hart was Sarah's sister, and he was totally hot. Like, rivals-the-surface-of-the-sun hot. Like, could-wear-nothing-in-Antarctica-during-the-winter-because-he's-so-hot hot. And he was single, and I was pretty sure he liked me.
"Hey, Rose," Tyler greeted me. "What's up?"
"Hey. Nothing. My parents won't let me come over. They think it's way too dangerous. They apparently don't think I can take care of myself," I complained to Tyler who, like his sister, knew nothing of what was really out there. He might be hot, but I made a promise not to say anything. They expected me to keep it.
"That sucks." He sounded dejected. "I was really hoping to see your pretty face tonight."
I giggled. "Well, you can see my pretty face on Monday, Ty."
"But that's so long," he whined. "I need my fix, Rose."
"Your fix?" I asked.
"My fix."
We both started laughing, and when we finally stopped, I said to him, "I guess I'll talk to you later."
"You're hanging up on me?" Tyler asked.
"Yes. Yes I am," I answered. "Good bye."
"Bye, Rose."
I hung up and looked at the ceiling. It's not like if we went we'd get attacked by Strigoi in the ten minutes it took to get to Sarah's house and the other ten minutes it took to get back. My parents weren't usually overprotective, but at night, it was a whole other issue. It sucked.
"Rosemarie!" Mom called from downstairs.
"Yeah?" I yelled back.
"Come here."
Begrudgingly, I got up from the bed and made my way downstairs. Mom was in the kitchen, but she wasn't doing anything of importance. She nodded when she saw me, like I was one of her co-workers or something.
"Yeah, Mom?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.
"Rose..." She hesitated, like she was looking conflicted about something. "I've...decided to let you go."
"Let me go?..." I refused to let myself become too hopeful, in case this was just a trick or something.
"To Sarah's house." She sighed, and it sounded like a defeated one. "Your Dad convinced me that you're old enough to take care of yourself and, well, the chances of the Strigoi getting to us are very slim. Casper's Strigoi population is lower than average." She frowned, and I hoped she wasn't going to start one of her lectures. "Anyhow, I've decided to let you go, so go get ready and your father and I will drive you there."
I honestly didn't know who else would drive me there, but I ignored that, happy I got to live my social life, especially if living my social life meant being with Tyler. Maybe tonight would finally be my chance. Maybe he'd ask me out. I grinned to myself just thinking about it.
Half an hour later, I was ready to leave. I'd packed a bag to go, making sure I had my cutest clothes, and ran out to the car, where Mom and Dad were waiting for me. Mom didn't look too happy about driving me, and Dad looked like...Dad. He didn't seem like he had an opinion. And I was just fine with that.
"Come on," I insisted. "Let's go."
The drive to Sarah's house took ten whole minutes. Ten agonizingly long minutes. Ten minutes I sat giddy in my seat just wanting to get there. My parents were all business as we drove, watching the surrounding area for Strigoi. I sighed. They could've made good guardians...if they were dhampirs and not humans. I shivered. The thought of my parents being half vampires made me a little sick to my stomach.
Finally, we were there. I bounded out of the car and up the steps and knocked on Sarah's front door. I hadn't called them, because I wanted it to be a surprise. I glanced back. My parents were still there, like I knew they would be. They mean well, I reminded myself.
Sarah appeared at the door with a confused expression on her face. That quickly changed to one of surprise as she enveloped me in a hug. "Rose!" she exclaimed. "You're here!"
"Yep," I agreed, laughing at her expression. "Come on. Let me in."
Mom and Dad left when I got inside Sarah's house. Tyler grinned when he saw me. "Rose. I knew you wouldn't let me down."
"I didn't come for you," I teased.
"I thought you said you weren't coming?" said Sarah.
"Yeah. After my phone call with you Mom said she changed her mind. I didn't call you. Wanted it to be a surprise," I explained. "So what are we doing?"
After watching a few movies and dressing up in each other's clothes and makeup, Tyler finally decided he wanted some quality time with Rose Hathaway. He called my name and invited me into his room, and my heart nearly skipped a beat.
"Yeah, Tyler?" I asked. What would he do?
"Hey, Rose." He seemed nervous as he moved his deep blue eyes to look into my own. "I, um...kind of wanted to ask you something." He moved a little closer to me, but didn't invade my personal space.
"What?"
"If you would...if you, um, I wanted to know if you'd go out with me." He blushed, and that made him ten times hotter than before. "I understand if you don't want to - "
"Of course I'll go out with you," I interrupted. "I thought you'd never ask."
Relief flooded his gaze and he stepped forward to hug me. "Thanks, Rose."
"No problem."
He pulled back from the hug, but not by much. He stared into my eyes, and my heart pounded as he leaned forward and put his lips on my own. I wasn't exactly sure what to do. This was my first kiss. My first real kiss. I didn't really get the chance to do anything because he pulled away just as his parents called up to me in a frantic voice, "Rose!"
It sounded important. I pulled quickly away from him and ran down to his parents, Sandra and David. Their faces were pale and fearful, and I knew something was wrong. I felt the blood drain from my face as I asked, "What?"
Wordlessly, they pointed at the TV screen, and I knew I'd never forget that moment. The moment they showed my dead parents on the TV screen. The moment they showed the accident and the damage to the car the accident had caused. The moment I fainted because I couldn't believe what I saw. They were dead. I would never see them again.
And then I was back, looking at my parents' graves. They died all because of my selfish wants, because I couldn't handle not seeing my friends for two days. Two fucking days. I couldn't wait that long? I didn't notice the tears until they were already streaming down my face. This wasn't right. They shouldn't be dead. They should be alive, and I should be at home with them, begging to go to the movies or to some party. This wasn't how it was supposed to turn out.
Nearby, a wild flower patch grew and I picked a few of them, sprinkling the flowers over their graves. I sniffled and quickly wiped away the tears, not wanting Stan the Ass to know I'd been crying. Wordlessly, I got in the car and we drove away.
