Chapter 2
Mavis Meets Her Mom
(Mavis POV)
After I flew off the roof and back to my room and left my dad on the roof, all I could think about was that night. The night had been perfect; everything that Jonathan showed me was exactly what I wanted to see. But one thing still bothered me; why did he lie to me? I knew that it had to have been my dad's idea, but why? Why did dad force Johnny to lie to me? If dad was really that against us being together, then why wouldn't have he kicked Jonathan out of the hotel immediately? Was it possible that dad knew that we had zinged? Maybe?
The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. I loved everything about that night; from what he had showed me, to us dancing together, and culminating in our first kiss. The kiss was so special, so perfect. And yet something about it felt weird, but weird in a great way. I could see in his eyes that he felt the exact same way too. I was convinced that he had felt the zing too. He had to have. Nothing else could have explained his reaction.
But I still couldn't understand why Jonathan did what he did next. Why did he say he hated me? That he hated monsters? This couldn't be the Johnny I knew. Now yeah, I only met him four days ago, but still he was my zing. He had to be my zing. Didn't he?
I buried my face in my knees, the tears resuming their flow from my eyes, and that's when I heard the voice for the first time. "Don't lie to yourself, Mavis," it said. "You can lie to your father. You can lie to Jonathan. But you can't lie to yourself. You know what happened tonight."
"What!" I yelled in pure shock. I had never heard this voice before, but I knew it, even though I can't remember ever hearing it. I don't know if anyone else heard the voice, or it had just been in my head.
"To thine own self be true," the voice said. It was a woman's voice, and it sounded caring and compassionate.
I had heard this line before, but I didn't know where it was from.
"Shakespeare was a brilliant writer," the voice added. "He had written many dramas and tragedies, but even though many things can be based on his writings, that doesn't mean that they can't be different. Romeo and Juliet can have a happy ending."
"What does that mean?" I asked, more out of fear than anything else. I was growing even more confused the more I heard the voice.
"He's your Romeo. Don't lie to yourself about it."
I asked again, "What does that mean?"
"You know exactly what it means, Mavis."
"Who… who are you?" I asked as I began to place all of the things she was telling me.
"Two lonely bats crashed in the night,
They felt a zing, love at first sight,
They knew right then that they would be husband and wife,
For a zing only happens once in your life."
The realization hit me like a tombstone. "Mom!" I cried. I had never had the chance to meet her, but I was certain of it. It was my mother.
"Yes, my sweet little Mavis."
"But you're gone. How?"
"I've never really been gone. Mavis, I've watched you for the last hundred years," the voice corrected herself, "the last 114 years. You've grown from that curious little girl that I left in the hands of your father into the beautiful young vampiress that you are now."
I saw her figure at that time. I wasn't sure if it was actually a ghost or something like that, or her image was just in my head. She was beautiful; slightly shorter than myself, but with gorgeous dark brown hair that stretched down to her waist. I saw her wearing a simply black dress and she also wore a choker around her neck, black accented by a pink jewel. I had never seen that choker before, but I absolutely loved the way it looked. "But it can't work," I pleaded. "Dad's right; we're just too different."
"Differences is what makes love so great," the voice added. "Mavis you need to trust yourself."
"Trust myself with what?"
"It can work if you both want it to.
"What does that mean?"
"You know exactly what it means, Mavis."
"Does that... No, it can't!" I yelled. I still didn't want to believe it.
"Yes it can, Mavis. You have to just trust it. You must believe that it can work. Your life is too long to go through it rejecting your zing. You only zing once after all."
"But what about dad?"
"That is why he has been faithful to me. He will always be so, until the day we meet again. And on that day, he will be rewarded for it."
"What does that mean?" I asked. Mom was getting way too deep for tonight after all that had happened.
"No. You'll learn soon enough, Mavis. At least, I hope so."
"But, how do we..."
"Your father will know, and he will tell you when the time is right."
"How?"
"If you remember the why, the how will take care of itself."
"But what's the 'why'?"
"You're kidding, right?" The voice asked with a chuckle.
Then I felt something that I had never felt before; I felt her touch. It almost made me shiver, but in a good way. Sure, it felt cold, but it felt comforting, personal, and loving. "But I don't know what to do."
"You will. Your father will tell you when the time is right."
"What about dad?"
"He know what needs to be done. Or should I say what will need to be done," the voice said. "And more importantly, just trust yourself, Mavis. His life is too short, and yours is too long to have never known your one true zing."
"But he's already gone. Dad and I… we drove him away."
"No you didn't."
"What?" I screamed again. Could she be saying what I was hoping that she was? Jonathan was still here.
"He's closer than you think. He will always be so. Go get him!"
"But I can't!" I pleaded. "The sun will be up soon."
"Maybe he's closer than you think."
I shook my head, "There's no way he's still here."
"Just tell yourself that Mavis, and he won't be much longer. Just know that your father will always do whatever it takes to make you happy."
I scoffed at her last comment. "With all the lying to me he's done, I don't know how he could."
"Every lie he ever told you was because he thought it was for the best for you. Even when he lied about Jonathan. Even though," but the voice didn't finish her thought.
"What?" I asked softly. I was losing the ability to be mad or confused, and began to place all of the pieces together.
"Humans aren't like they once were anymore, Mavis. At least, the vast majority of them aren't. Most of them will be friendly. Sure, there will be the exceptions to that rule. But let's just say there has been a lot of monsters and humans, who have done a lot of work to make us each seem less of a threat. Because most of us are. Most of us just want to be friends. But you just need to trust yourself, Mavis. Trust yourself, and Jonathan will come back to you."
With that, the vision left my head. I began to ponder what I had been told. Jonathan was still here. I smiled at that realization. But what was mom trying to tell me? What would 'need to be done'? Could it mean that Jonathan could be with me forever? Was it possible to make a human immortal? I didn't know; dad had all but forbidden me from even meeting a human before Jonathan came to the hotel. A part of me hoped that this was the case, but I wondered what I would have to do.
There was one other thing that she said that made me think. She had said that there was a lot of humans and monsters who had been working to make our love possible. Did that mean that most of the stories that dad told me were wrong? She had said that the majority of humans were friendly. I smiled as I remembered that. I never got to meet any before Jonathan. Well, except for that boy when I was much younger, but that had been an accident. (This is a reference to a sub-plot that will be explored in chapter 23 of my story The New Vampires) But we never really got to talk that much; just on the walk from the hotel to the edge of the forest. I thought back to the boy. He looked a little like Jonathan, but I do remember that he was kind of cute. I couldn't remember his name. I did wish that I could have seen him again, as he was really nice, but my dad forbade him from ever trying to find us again, and I don't think he ever did.