I closed my eyes desperately hoping that I could fall back into my dream of Alex. It was so real, his deep grey eyes and his always warm smile. I felt as though I have just been punched in the stomach, my insides squirmed as I hopped into the shower. I felt oddly cold and automatically turned the knob for the hot water to come on, it didn't, today's shower started a whole series of unfortunate events. When I got out of the shower I thought of what Alex had told me, his words played like a broken record in my head. Why couldn't he be more specific? Then an awful realization hit me and I felt like I got punched all over again. I read in books many times that the dreams people had was just their subconscious, maybe Alex in the dream was being so cryptic because I didn't really know what was going to happen. I closed my eyes, No, it was Alex trying to tell me something I was sure of it, he said that he'd be with me always. I didn't know what to believe. "Give me another sign, please?" I begged, I waited and nothing happened. I shook my head and went on with picking out my outfit for today. CRASH, I turned slowly toward my bedside table, the picture of me and Alex at the beach was laying on the ground in it's broken picture frame. I walked over to it slowly carefully avoiding the glass and picked up the picture with shaking hands.
That was a good enough sign for me, I smiled a little. "I'm sorry I lost faith, Alex, but did you have to break my picture frame?" I said aloud. The branches of the trees outside my window bumped against the glass obnoxiously. I threw on my favorite lace shirt with a little ribbon in the front, the kind that the kids these days wore in their hair. I picked out an old pair of ripped jeans that Alice had given me, still smiling I pulled out a broom from the bathroom closet and cleaned up the mess of glass. After that was done I took the frameless picture and put it in my pocket, "for extra strength." I muttered, I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I grabbed my car keys, camera, and 10 dollars (I didn't feel like lugging around a purse all day) and I draped my black coat on my arm. The drive to Anna's was quiet, again, Alex's words played in my head over and over again, I was beginning to think that it really was a broken record. "Everything will play out how it's supposed to be, I promise." I sighed, what was he trying to tell me? I pulled into Anna's driveway and I saw her and Mali out front working in the flower boxes, Mali seemed to enjoy it. I smiled and opened the car door and walk towards them.
"Hey," I said, Mali looked up and smiled. There were bruises all over her face and the cut above her eyebrow looked a little swollen. "Mali, has a newly discovered talent!." Anna said proudly pointing at her beautiful flower boxes. I laughed, "It's beautiful!" Mali's smile broadened and she turned back to her work. Anna got up from her position on the ground and motioned me to come inside, I nodded and followed her. "The police found Mali's father." she sighed when we were in her living room. "he's coming this afternoon. I nodded, "what does that mean for Mali?" I asked bitterly. Anna shrugged, "I don't know, Honey, I just don't know." Anna pulled me into a giant hug and I gladly hugged her back, it was the closest connection to my angel. Speaking of my angel, I thought Anna would like to hear about the dream. "Alex came in my dream last night." I said conversationally, Anna smiled and led me to her kitchen. "Did he? He always seems to come into my dreams when I really need him, the same with my husband. Sometimes they are together, sometimes it's just Alex." I nodded, "He told me that everything will play out how it will supposed to go, that Mali will be in the right hands." Anna chuckled, "I like to believe it's him trying to contact me or something." Anna said thoughtfully. "Same with me! I hate to think it's just my sun conscience, you know?" Anna sat next down next to me. "And every time you doubt its really him something strange happens, right?" I looked at her, "Yeah." Anna smiled mysteriously. "I woke up that morning feeling like I just got punched in the stomach I had all of these doubts about everything and I said something to him aloud. The next thing I know a picture of us is on the ground and I'm cleaning up the broken glass."
Anna chuckled, "I thought I was going crazy," Anna confessed, I laughed, "You gave me his first sign you know." I said, Anna smiled. "Really? How so?" I looked down at my dark red nails. "Remember when you and Mali came to visit me in the hospital after I jumped off the cliff?" Anna nodded, "You gave me a picture that had fallen, before you came in with Mali I asked for a sign or something to prove he was with me and that picture fell off the bulletin board." Anna smiled, "the first sign for both of us, I guess." I nodded. I sighed, There was a fifty-fifty chance that I could be Mali's guardian, I would have to tell her my secret sometime soon. I stood, "can I take Mali for a ride?" I asked, Anna nodded and got up to make herself some coffee. "Come on, I want to take you somewhere." I said to Mali when I was outside, she got up silently and followed me to my car. She's been quiet since what happened with her mother, I smiled kindly at her.
I pulled into the general store parking lot and got out, but I didn't head for the entrance like Mali was expecting, I headed to the path Alex once brought me down. I closed my eyes when I saw the stream, "IT'S NOT FAIR!" Alex's voice shouted in my ear, I flinched a little, "She didn't have to die!" I breathed in and out slowly as his voice got gentler and more emotional, " She had her whole life, doesn't get the chance to fall in love, or get married, or have kids." The small vision then ended, Mali waved her hand across my face, I was staring at the rock. I blinked, Mali chuckled, "Welcome back to earth." she said. I smiled a little. I led her to the rock, when she was seated I began. "Mali they found you dad." I said softly. I sat down next to her, "he's supposed to come this afternoon," Mali's eyes were wide, "he's coming?" she seemed to be in a little daze. "Don't make me go with him, please!" she begged, "he just wants to meet you." I calmed her, she put her head on my shoulder. "Mali I also have to tell you something myself." I said hesitantly. And I told my story, and of how my family were vampires and all of that. I told her about my gift and how I knew how bad her mother was, I also told her that Alex could have lived. She didn't let me tell her that Alex knew what I was and wanted to die.
"So you let him Die?" She snarled, I looked at her in surprise. "No, Mali-" "NO!" she cut me off, "You probably didn't even care about him!" her eyes were full of tears, I started to tear up to. "Mali you didn't let me finish!" I shouted, "You don't have to! You probably thought he was just a high school boyfriend, no big deal, right?" she screamed. I looked at her shocked, she was standing by now, and she was yelling and yelling. "MALI!" I shouted over her, my eyes were blurred by tears. " You think I didn't love him?" I cried, my voice cracking. "So me trying to commit suicide was just an act, huh? You think that I just stayed in my room without talking to anyone for 3 straight months was all an act?" I shook my head, running a hand through my hair. "You don't understand!" I sobbed. "he wanted to die!" then I collapsed on the ground crying. "Alex was my life, without him I'm a basket case, a wreck." I said letting my tears fall into the river. "I'm broken without him." I whispered. Mali fell silent, "everything's broken, Evi." she said gently, I looked up at her, the tears rolling down my cheeks. "You didn't tell me that jump was a suicide attempt." she said, her voice cracking. "I didn't want you to think I wasn't strong enough." I said quietly. "Evelyn, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have doubted your love for him, I was just, I don't know." Mali bent next to me and I put an arm around her.
"You know I always knew there was something special about you." Mali said on the way back to the car. It was almost dark out, we lost track of time, I loved that fact that I could tell her things without editing out all of the vampireish things. "Special?" I laughed, Mali nodded, "Yeah, special." I smiled at her and kissed her forehead in endearment. "Part of me doesn't want to meet my dad." she said to me in the car. I nodded. "I kind of want you to turn me into a vampire or something so I could stay with you forever." I looked at her, "that would be an option." I said quietly. Mali's smiled broadened and her eyes became suddenly bright. "But I think you should meet your father before I bring you into the world of the living dead." I joked. Mali smiled, I didn't want to get her little hopes up. When I pulled into Anna's driveway there were two extra cars there. One was a silver Volvo, the other was rented SUV. "You ready?" I asked, Mali nodded, "ready." she took my hand tightly and I led her into the house. The first people I saw were my "siblings" Edward and Bella, they both looked that same, but my "parents" on the other hand looked like they were dressing as middle aged people for Halloween, it took a lot of self control not to laugh. On the couch was a man, he was handsome, in that Dad sort of way, he looked rather tired though, with bags under his eyes. "Mali, Evelyn," Anna said, Mali followed me like a lost puppy when I went over to hug my family. "Is that my dad?" she whispered to me. I shrugged, "he looks like you!" I said softly. The man looked at Mali shocked, he was in a complete daze. "Patrick, this is you daughter Mali." Anna said holding Mali's hand as she led her over to the couch. Mali stayed behind Anna shyly. I smiled a little. "Hello Mali." Patrick Swenson said to his daughter.
