Well, today was a new day. And hopefully today would be a better day then the last. I definitely did not want a ride in the ambulance to the hospital again, so I would heed my mom's warning and lay low for today, try to blend in.
My regular routine: stop reading around the time I needed to have a shower and get ready for school, then get in my car and start driving to school. No, there was no breakfast. Ever. I barely ever felt hungry anymore.
As usual, I didn't get any sleep last night. After thinking over what my mom told me, and getting too frustrated to think anymore, I picked up a book and began to read. I normally would've been doing homework that late, but since I missed the day I had no idea what there was. Plus no one had come over to give me work, most likely a result of Monica spreading rumors about me. That's what she did to her old boyfriends, and I was no exception to the tradition.
Or maybe the teachers thought they shouldn't give the dying boy homework. I was pretty sure that was the reputation I was receiving from the staff at Port Alberni Secondary School. The gym teacher had apparently told everyone about how low my blood pressure was, and news had spread pretty quickly yesterday that my heart had stopped. Well I guess that's what you get for living in a small town. Everyone knows everything about you since people had nothing else to do but gossip. I guess I know why small towns get that reputation.
Miraculously I was able to burn the time I had before school. I seriously don't know how I did it. It usually seemed like forever before school started in the mornings. Maybe just because I knew I did not want to go to school today to find that everyone was talking behind my back, and I had become the newest circus freak of Port Alberni High is why time seemed to be moving faster.
Now I was doing up my tie in the mirror, looking over my uniform. Well I certainly looked normal. To myself that is. Anyone else would have sworn that I had gotten even paler then the day before… I quickly finished and started to head down the stairs toward my old Honda Accord.
As soon as I stepped outside I could tell it was going to be a rainy day. The air seemed wet; the sky was covered in grey clouds. And all too soon, I felt a water droplet fall on my face.
Running to my car to escape the rain, I unlocked it and jumped inside, starting it as quickly as I could. Just before I sped out of there like I always did in the morning, I sat there and thought about if I should go or not even more. No. I had made a commitment to myself, and I was going to see it through.
It was a fairly short drive to school since I loved to speed.
But as I got to the school parking lot, I began to feel weird, as I had yesterday. There was an icy clenching in my chest, and the back of my throat began to tingle. Coughing, I tried to get rid of the tingling, but it did no good. And, to admit the truth to myself, I was kind of nervous to go to school today. No, actually, scratch that. I was very nervous. I would never admit it out loud, but it was true. This feeling had come the other day before my heart stopped, and it was doing it again. Would the same scenario happen again? I hoped not. If it happened again, I probably wouldn't be coming back to school. There were most likely many rumors about me, and I probably couldn't handle more on top of that. Maybe I couldn't even handle the ones that had already been spread about me, but I didn't know yet.
It all depended what Monica had said about me. I guess that wasn't what I should be worrying about at the moment; what I should be worrying about is how I was going to get through this day with the icy feeling back.
Sighing, I locked the car doors quickly and sprinted across the lot toward the doors, ignoring the stares everyone was giving me from their cars and the people standing on the sidewalks.
I went straight in, not even bothering to say hi to my old friends. By everyone's weird glances I could tell no one would want to talk to me. It was surprising, though, that I hadn't seen Monica and her group yet. She was usually surrounded by a group of kids, walking in whichever direction she went. Like cattle or sheep. It was actually pretty funny if you watched it from a distance.
It was still a few minutes till the bell rang for the first class, so I just hung around outside the door, watching people walk by nonchalantly. Everyone who passed me gave me a strange look. The people that I noticed doing it the most though were my old friends.
Andrew, Conner, Mike…. Many people that used to be my best friends passed me by without so much as a 'hello' or 'hey'. I could only imagine the things that were being said about me… because they certainly were or else everything would be fine and dandy, and no one would be looking at me funny.
The bell rung and I sighed as I started to enter the classroom. Many people pushed past me to get into the room, shoving me into someone who would push me into someone else, like a ball or something.
After everyone was gone from the door and into their seats, I looked for one, seeing only one open seat beside Monica. It was where we usually sat together, and it shocked me for a moment to see that she was sitting there and not with someone else, like one of her many friends.
But then I saw her posture. Her eyes were darting around desperately to find another seat, and she was glaring at a few people who had probably been asked to sit with her, but went to sit with their other friend. It was the most likely answer I could come up with.
I approached her slowly, reminding myself that I would only make things worse if I talked to her, because all I wanted to do at the moment was talk to her and make things right again. But I knew that that would never in my lifetime happen.
By the time I reached my seat, everyone else was seated and staring at me like I was on something. Monica's posture was ramrod straight and tense as I sat down. She shot sideways glances at me, and looked extremely frightened; as if she were going to cry any moment.
I sighed and looked away, not exactly ashamed of myself, but not proud of myself either. I didn't know really what I felt then. All I knew was that I was definitely the freak of the school now.
I didn't spare Monica another glance the whole period in fear that her expression would start making me feel guilty for no reason at all. It wasn't my fault that she was afraid of me. I hadn't done anything to her. And if she thought I was, even if she had done something, said anything bad at all, I wouldn't harm her. If she believed for a second that I would ever try to hurt her over something like this, she didn't know me very well. Maybe she never did know me at all.
The whole class seemed to be as tense as Monica was the whole period. Which was fairly normal, but the emotion for Monica, and everyone else was not normal. Even the teacher seemed surprised about how quiet the class was being.
By the end, I was starting to get irritated. How on earth could I make a class go silent like this? None of it was my fault, so why wouldn't these people just forget about it? How could my condition affect people like this? It wasn't like I was going to attack at any moment. After I thought about it for awhile, these people were creeps and I shouldn't be bothered with them, and their aversion of me.
But despite this, I had already made up my mind to try and talk to Monica after class was finished. It was a vain thought, and I knew I would probably not be able to convince her of her thoughts of me otherwise, but I was going to try and make it right anyway. I had to at least try.
The bell rang, breaking the tension as everyone hurried to gather their things and get out of the classroom A.S.A.P.
I sighed heavily as I turned to catch Monica before she left. But I ended up staring at an empty chair for about ten seconds before I realized she had already vacated the room and was probably running down the hallway.
Jumping up and out of my chair, I surprised the very few people who were still in the room. In my haste of running after Monica, I left my bag on the desk, thinking I would just come back for it later.
I heard the teacher trying to call me back after I had sprinted out of the room, but I was already too far away, and didn't really care, even though I heard loud and clear.
Pretty much every activity that was going on in the hallway stopped as soon as the people saw me running.
I saw Monica down the hall, and it looked like she had already been warned. She started running full speed down the hall, not caring if she bumped into anyone. Nobody dared to run after her; they saw me coming.
I sped up, not yet at my full speed even if to other people, it looked like it.
Monica was only a few feet away from me now, and the crowd of people was thinning out. Everything seemed in slow motion now.
"Monica, please wait! I only want to talk to you." My voice wasn't breathless like it should have been. Monica on the other hand, sounded winded as she spoke.
"Get… away… from me… you creep!..." I could see her trying to run faster, but it was clear she was exhausted.
I was so close I could almost touch her now. But something had changed… I could smell her now.
It didn't smell like perfume or anything – she never wore any of that kind of stuff anyway. It was something different, something luscious…
Suddenly the icy clenching in my chest came back. My eyes widened, my breath came in gasps, I slowed down, and all I could think was, 'oh no… not again…'
The pain made me come to a full stop. Kneeling down on the linoleum floor, I clutched my chest and bowed my head so no one could see my expression. I was mortified and afraid all at once.
Someone's sneakers made a high pitched squeak as they came to a halt.
"Avery?" Someone's scared voice breathed. It was only for me to hear, and I don't know how I heard it in the first place.
The pain became too great for thinking anymore, and I fell to the floor, gasping harder and harder for air.
"Avery!" I felt someone's fiery hot hand touch my icy cold shoulder lightly. The girl yelped as she felt the temperature difference between me and herself. She started shaking me.
"Avery! Avery! Someone help! Call an ambulance."
All noise faded out, and the icy hand gave one last squeeze. What was left of the warmth pumping inside me ceased. My heart stopped, I couldn't hear it anymore; couldn't feel it anymore.
But another one started – the one of the girl closest to me. I could hear others, but they were farther away.
A ripping, burning sensation sparked in the back of my throat. And I lost all sense of sanity.
One of my hands shot from my chest to the hand of the girl that was still placed on my shoulder. I gripped hard – probably too hard for hand to manage. I heard a faint snap and a yelping noise.
"Avery! Avery…?" I started to raise my head slowly, and as soon as the girl caught sight of my face, my eyes, she fell silent.
I didn't know who this was, where I was, or what was happening. The only thing I was focused on was the vein I saw pulsing hot and lively through her neck…
"Avery… what's wrong? What happened?" The girl's words were barely uttered. Her face was horrified, and her eyes were wide like a deer's eyes caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
There was no room for emotion in me right now. Just… instinct.
"Ave–" She was cut off as I lunged up into a standing position. She shot up too, as soon as she saw me up.
"Run." I whispered. She looked at me like I was crazy – with one eyebrow raised and her frightened eyes questioning.
I started to growl in warning and she took the hint immediately.
For a few seconds I really did want her to run – to get as far away from me as possible, because gruesome, unprovoked thoughts were swirling madly around in my head.
These thoughts mainly consisted of me biting her neck, piercing through that warm, thin skin and…
I couldn't take it anymore.
The girl was about halfway down the hall. And I was by her side in less than a second.
"Ugh!" She huffed as I came to a stop in front of her. She knocked into me, and I sent her flying back a few feet. She turned her head to look where I was only a few seconds earlier.
"How…?" She asked her voice in wonder as she panted. Her face hadn't lost the horror-struck look yet. And it looked like it never would.
I grabbed her torso roughly and pulled her close to me. She struggled, and from what I saw it was very violently, but she wasn't able to move an inch from where I had trapped her in my vice grip. Right then, it barely felt like she was using any of her strength at all.
My fingers were gripped in her soft, glossy blonde hair, and with that hand I pulled her head back using barely any muscle at all, exposing her fair, sun tanned throat.
I could see and hear that vein in her neck pulsing, calling to me….
"I'm… sorry…" was all I could utter. I basically lost my mind. Nothing made sense any more. I was only compelled to… feed.
The girl's heart rate sped up, and it almost seemed like she was going to have an anxiety attack. In my side view of her face, I could see her perfect, gem-like blue eyes were huge with fright, and her mouth wide open as if she were going to scream but no noise came out. Except her breathing, which was exceptionally loud.
I leaned down quickly, and my teeth pierced her fragile neck. A weird gasping sound came from her as I did this.
And in that mere second, when I started feeding, something went wrong.
This time, a fiery hand gripped and squeezed my chest. Within seconds, I felt warmth wash through me.
I let go of the girl, too focused on the pain of the lava flowing inside me. I couldn't hear anyone's heart beat for a moment… until mine started once more. I drew in one huge life giving breath before everything went dark.
†
"Well, there's no doubting he's yours anymore… You know what I want you to do! Even if it hurts me… it's best for him. Please, for his sake…" Ellen's pleading and anxiety stricken voice registered in my mind; the noise that woke me up.
Where was I? What had happened? A million questions immediately started to spin out of control in my head as I became more aware. It seemed my mind was working over-time, and it wouldn't handle thinking about twenty things at once.
"Thank-you… You have no idea what this means to me, Edmond. Good-bye." Ellen said her farewells to someone as my head started to pound from the stress.
"Ugh…" I groaned. Instantaneously I felt someone at my side, wherever that side was, and heard a little controlled gasp.
"Avery! Ave, can you hear me?" Yes, that was definitely Ellen's panicky voice.
"Mom? Where am I? What happened?"
Ellen sighed sadly, and I felt a soft, gentle hand on my face. My eyes still hadn't opened yet, and I rushed to find my eyes.
"You're in a hospital," Her voice was filled with grief and remorse. Well, the only reason I could be in a hospital is if I had one of my attacks again, so I immediately assumed that was why I was here. I sighed, and finally found my eye-lids.
It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the bright whiteness of the room, and then I could finally focus on Ellen's face.
She looked as if she were ready to burst into tears. Her tired, hazel eyes were brimmed with tears. The rest of her face was tense and worried. I frowned at the sight of it.
"What's the matter?" She let out a gusty breath as she stroked her thumb across my face.
"Everything." My frown deepened, and I was about to ask her what she meant by 'everything' but just then someone opened the door.
Ellen had backed away from me in what seemed less than a millisecond and was by the door, talking to someone in less than ten seconds.
"Is he awake? We need to ask him a few questions," A man's voice asked. I adjusted myself so I could see the person the voice was coming from.
"I don't think you should be asking questions just yet, officer. He woke up a moment ago, and he needs to rest more." Ellen was at the door, talking to a police officer. It felt like my whole body froze, and went cold. I had a bad feeling about this.
There was a grunt from the dark-haired officer as he eyed me for a moment, then left.
Ellen was over to my bed than less then a heart beat once more. And I had more than just a few questions to ask her now.
"Why is there a police officer here? And why does he want to talk to me?" I had to work to make my voice sound calm. I felt extreme anxiety all over. Had I done something? Because I couldn't recount a thing I had done… and I usually remember my attacks, too.
She sighed and closed her eyes tightly as she sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Well… you had one of your episodes again, as you've probably already suspected. But this time you… did something bad. You attacked Monica Haines. Do you remember?" My eyes were wide, and I was searching my brain frantically as I shook my head. Why had I… attacked her? How could I? Even if I had been that angry with her, I would never harm Monica.
"What did I do to her? Is she okay? How bad is she?" Ellen heaved yet another sigh.
"She almost died from blood loss but she's in a stable condition right now." My mouth almost dropped as she said 'she almost died'. But I relaxed just a bit when I heard she was in a stable condition. But how could I not remember almost killing Monica?
Even though I was trying desperately to comb through my memories and find any memory of attacking Monica, I came up with a blank.
Ellen's head dropped. And her voice went very quiet.
"I'm sorry I've never told you this, but I didn't want to tell you unless I was absolutely positive it was going to happen to you. I'm actually very surprised that you've been able to hold off for so long, and why it has only started to happen now. But now it's time to tell you the truth." I waited over-anxiously for her to continue as she paused. I'd never known she'd been keeping something from me my whole life.
"You know how I told you your father… ran off when you weren't even born yet, right? And how I've never mentioned him, never talked about him?" I nodded. But I was very confused. What would my father have anything to do with this conversation? I wanted to know what was happening to me, not know why we never spoke of my real father.
"Well, there is a very good reason why I've never said anything about him to you." I nodded, urging her to continue. Where was she going with this?
"I'm just going to come right out with the truth, okay? And you have to believe me, even if you think I'm crazy." I frowned and nodded once more. She continued to look away from me as she whispered.
"Your father is a vampire," My eyes narrowed on her form, and my head jutted forward.
"What?" She sighed heavily.
"This is why I've never told you, Avery. It's really very hard to believe. But just try to believe it for a moment, okay, so I can tell you what and why it is happening to you." My eyes widened, and my head drooped slightly. It felt like I was going to start hyperventilating, but I didn't I tried to remain calm, and tried to believe my mother's insane words. Vampires are real? My father was one? How was that even possible? Vampires were myths, not real… Had my mother finally snapped under the pressure of my… condition?
"I was in love with a vampire once upon a time. His name was Edmund Hunter. We were together for awhile, but near the end of our relationship he thought that vampire-human relationships could never happen, since he was always against the idea of changing me and he was always afraid he would end up hurting me. So he left. And he left before I got the chance to tell him that I was pregnant. We didn't even think it was possible, but… it is, obviously, because you're here." She smiled at me, but it instantly disappeared as she saw my expression. I was trying to remain as calm as possible, trying to accept what she was saying. But I couldn't. It just wasn't possible. And that was saying something about how insane my mother was sounding right now, because I tended to be a very open minded person.
"So that's who you were talking to a few minutes ago?" She gasped, and looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.
"You… you heard our conversation?" I just looked at her, feeling detached.
"Only the end part. So what does this mean? Why are you all of a sudden telling me this?"
She covered her face, and turned her head away from me again. Her back was hunched over, and she looked just awful. But I couldn't feel sorry for her. I was still cut off from everything.
"It means… you're becoming a vampire, honey. I'm so sorry." Little whimpers came from her as she started to cry. And I just couldn't help it anymore. I snapped.
"How do you expect me to believe… all… all… of this? Have you finally had a mental breakdown?" Ellen ignored my harsh words and continued to cry, sobbing things such as "I know, I know sweetie… I'm so, so sorry…"
I couldn't do anything but sit there and be stunned. This wasn't happening… this couldn't be happening… Vampires weren't real, and my mother would have more common sense than to sleep with a vampire.
"I'm sorry… I need a minute alone, Avery… I'll be back in a moment. I'm so sorry…" My mouth hung open as my mother exited the room quicker than I had ever seen her move before. Her hands covered her red, tear-stained face and her back was somewhat hunched as she got up and pretty much ran out of the room. I was in shock, not only because I wasn't sure if my mother had a mental breakdown, but because I'd never seen her have such a fit before.
The few minutes I expected I would have to myself, I needed to think. Hard.
If Ellen approached me with this again, I needed to prepare an answer. But I couldn't believe her, so would I tell her a little white lie to appease her, or come out with the truth that I thought she had gone crazy? That I didn't believe her?
Then without warning there was a metallic banging on the door. It was immediately followed by, "Avery Carter? Carter, are you awake? Can I ask you a few questions?"
"No! Don't! He's not ready for you yet, officer… Maine. Please, wait until tomorrow morning."
"Please, m'am this will pass a lot quicker if he's awake right now and I can talk to him."
"What will pass quicker? What! Tell me, officer, please, tell me." Suddenly my mother and the officer stepped into the room. He eyed me seriously when he saw me, and made a bee-line toward my bed.
"He seems fine enough to talk. Can you please exit the room Mrs.…Carter? I need to talk to your son alone." She shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face. But I nodded for her to go. Her tears abruptly stopped then started again in surprise.
"Honey… what are you doing?" I was staring at her very seriously, willing her to go with my eyes.
"I want to talk to him, mom. I'll be fine, just leave it to me. I'll be fine, I promise," But there was no way I could promise that, and my mom knew it. But maybe she believed me, because, with a nod, she left the room. Without a last fuss, too.
The officer was a heavy set man, looking to be in his late thirties and early forties. He looked also exceptionally tired as he took one of the plastic chairs from the wall, and took a seat beside my bed. He sat quite a distance away from me, eyeing me a little bit warily. I immediately disregarded the fact, too used to it to care much anymore.
"So… Avery. Do you remember what you did yesterday? Do you remember what you did to Miss. Monica Haines?" I closed my eyes and shook my head.
"What does she think I did to her?" I looked up at the man, looking at his face for an answer. His eyes flashed hatred as he looked at me, and I was really very surprised. I'd never gotten that reaction from someone so far.
"The victim- Monica- says you had one of your episodes again. What are those exactly? She didn't explain clearly enough." I looked away.
"It's a medical condition I have. My heart rate is very low, and my heart has been stopping a lot." The officer's piggy eyes widened.
"Really? So you've essentially died… how many times?" My eyes flashed back to his face, and after the look he saw in my eyes, which told him that it was none of his business, he backed off. My eyes on him seemed to make him nervous, and he squirmed in his chair a bit.
"Well… umm, yes. Monica said that you had one of your 'episodes' again. And then after a few minutes you seemed fine. But then as you got up, you seemed different. You told her to run, and she did. But she got only so far away before you ran after her," My brow furrowed as I tried to remember the scene this man was describing.
I delved into my memories, searching, like I had been so desperately every moment I had been awake so far.
But the last memory I had of the day before was me, pushing past everyone to get to Monica, who was running away from me. Maybe it had happened then… but in front of everyone? Wouldn't everyone have seen me… attack her? Wouldn't everyone be able to tell the officer what had happened?
"What exactly did I do to her, officer? I can't remember what happened. Just tell me." The man heaved a grunt as he shifted in his chair, leaning over so he had his head in one of his hands.
"You… you bit her neck. When the ambulance was called for her, she was almost dead. She'd lost so much blood…" He stopped mid-sentence as he saw the look on my face and in my eyes.
My eyes tightened and I glared at him. All my muscles tensed, and my hands tightened into fists.
"What did you say I did?" Each word was uttered one at a time, full of venom. The man flinched back, astounded.
I had gotten up, and had my face in his within two seconds. He immediately backed up, flinging his chair and self back, almost falling over.
His mouth was hanging open and he was looking at me with wide eyes.
"What are you?" He breathed. And that's when I really freaked out, making one of the worst decisions I could ever make.
I walked over to him quickly, probably too quickly for him to see, and grabbed his neck and pinned him to the wall.
"Well, apparently I'm a freakin' vampire!" I screamed at him. The man was gasping and struggling against my hold, but yet, as hard as he tried, the burly man couldn't break my grip.
"You've gone mad! Let me go, let me go! Help! Someone help me!" I didn't bother covering the officer's mouth. I couldn't care less if anyone came to help him.
"Mr. Carter! Let go of that man!" A nurse in light blue scrubs and brown hair in a ponytail burst into the room, her face serious yet surprised.
She attempted to pry my hand off the officer's throat, but found that she couldn't budge it. She kept trying as she shouted, "Help! Someone call security!"
"Avery! Oh, Avery! I knew this would happen, I knew it!" Ellen sobbed. I took my eyes off the still struggling man for only a few seconds to look at her face.
Her face was still covered by her hands, but her eyes weren't tear-rimmed; they were horrorstruck.
I looked back at officer Maine without remorse as more and more people poured into the room. He stopped moving only seconds later, and at the same moment I felt prick on my arm, and a drowsy feeling overcome me.
"Avery! Avery." My hand loosened and I let the man drop. My eyelids fought to stay open, but didn't succeed.
Just before I fell to the ground someone caught me, and I lost consciousness.
X XX
It seemed I was slipping in and out of awareness. I caught only little bits and pieces of conversations, but couldn't do anything else but listen.
"We can't wait till he wakes up? I wanted to say goodbye."
"I'm sorry Mrs. Carter, but he's just proven himself extremely dangerous, and we can't chance someone getting hurt again."
After that my mother started sobbing.
For the next few seconds of awareness then, my mind ran frantic, asking where I was going. Apparently I was being sent somewhere. But where?
And why wasn't my mother stopping them from sending me wherever? She hated me being in the hospital, let alone anywhere else. I couldn't think of any places at all…
"…did you hear why this guy is going to Lion's Gate?"
"No, why?"
"Well, I heard he snapped. He bit this girl's neck, almost killed her. And then when a police officer went to ask him a few questions about it, the guy attacked him. He picked him up, this man probably over three hundred pounds and three times his size, and pinned him to the wall. Then he claimed he was a vampire, and almost killed the officer too." The laughs that followed were tinged with nervousness.
I think they may have been people walking by in the hall, and they may have over exaggerated just a little. I'm sure I didn't almost kill them… did I?
The rest of what I heard was basically irrelevant. Doctor's and nurse's small talk as they came to check on me. Only sometimes would I hear Ellen murmuring incomprehensible things to herself as she sat beside me.
I was mostly drugged and kept asleep. I didn't know that they had moved me, or anything. The next time I woke up, I was in a completely different place. It was disorienting, going to sleep in one place and then waking up in a different location.
I blinked a few times, taking in the new surroundings. The room was completely white, like at the hospital, and it was very spacious with absolutely nothing in it except the bed I was laying in, a tiny barred window to the right side of the room, and a door to the left. I frowned. Why was the window barred…?
There was a fumbling at the door… the light clanging of metal, and the unlocking of the door. The door opened with a click, and revealed a pretty woman in a white lab coat. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail, and she had extremely fair skin. She had a delicate smile on her face, but the air around her was serious. She looked nice enough, but the area I was in right now wouldn't let me trust her.
She glided over to my bed, where I now narrowed my eyes in suspicion. Every movement she made, a waft of air was sent towards me. I could almost smell her… I shook my head, disgusted with myself. How could I be thinking such things? If I hadn't stopped myself, there would have been a lot worse things that would have… I shuddered. I realized I had been on the brink of losing control. Losing control of what though? My instincts? I repressed anymore that was coming to mind, and focused all my attention on the lady who was looking at me expectantly.
I would deal with the memories that had just resurfaced later, when I was alone. I put on a fake smile for her, revealing a lot of my teeth, and I saw she flinched only slightly. I restrained a sigh.
"Good afternoon Mr. Carter. How are you feeling?" I shook my head, closing my lips so she couldn't see my teeth anymore.
"I'm feeling all right. And please, don't call me Mr. Carter. Avery will be just fine."
She nodded, and looked down at a chart that I hadn't noticed she'd brought in with her.
"Well… first things first –you're probably wondering where you are right now, aren't you?" I nodded, and she continued, "You are at the Lion's Gate Mental Institution. Welcome, Avery. My name is Juliet Hopkins, and I'm your nurse. You can call me Jewel for short. I have a schedule for you here…"
She stopped, and looked at me wide eyed as she saw my expression. I was mortified, horrified, and appalled all at once. How could I end up here? I knew what I had done was pretty bad, but why was I put in a mental institution of all places? Why not jail? Was it because I had stated the truth? Because I was a vampire, though I knew no one believed me?
"Avery… are you okay?" Her voice trembled, and I almost lost it right there. Why was everyone so frightened of me?
But I calmed down in time. I sighed, and let my body loosen up from its tense and upright position –I relaxed back on to the pillow.
Her body responded by relaxing also. She looked at me expectantly.
"Sorry about that." A genuine sad, apologetic smile set itself on my face. I didn't want to explain to her –or anyone for that matter- why I had had that sudden outburst. A tiny answering smile appeared on her own lips, and then she patted me on the arm lightly. I wasn't surprised, though, when she immediately flinched back from me. I was unnaturally cold, and it definitely did not appeal to most humans. I rolled my eyes and groaned as I realized I no longer considered myself a human. Sadly, I was now grouping myself with the immortals.
Juliet looked at me like I was crazy, which now, apparently, I was classified as. I shrugged it off. Whatever. It didn't matter what the nurses thought anyway…
"Well… as I was saying, here is your schedule. We have a group session at two o'clock… which is in an hour and a bit." I looked around for a clock but found that there was none. Great. This was just like a dungeon… I wonder how long I would be here for. Unless the dungeon masters here would tell us the date, then maybe I would have to start marking the days down by carving little notches on the wall… But that probably wouldn't happen unless I used my nails, since there were absolutely no sharp objects or anything I could break in this room. The only next upgrade would be moving me to a padded room.
Would I be released when I was 'cured'? If that was the case, I would just have to make everything up to seem like I was cured, and not admit the truth, which was devastatingly and unbelievably true.
"Well, here you go. I hope you have a pleasant stay here, and please buzz me for anything." She gave me a time table on a sheet of paper, and then pointed to a red circle that looked like it was a part of the white walls, except that it was a call button that I could push when I wanted something. I glared, looking away. This place had tight security for little old me.
But then I looked up at her again.
"Are you sure this is safe to give me?" I stated, nodding at the paper. Juliet frowned at me quizzically.
Then I clarified, "Are you sure I'm not going to fold this paper up and slit my wrists with it?"
Her eyes widened with worry, and she bit her lip. It looked as if she were debating on whether or not to take the paper away from me. I snickered under my breath. She obviously didn't understand my sarcasm. What stiffs around this place…
"Well… are you seriously thinking of doing that?" I bellowed a laugh, and her eyes went even wider. Yes, lady, I am completely and utterly insane.
"Oh yes, Jewel… I hate my life; it's a swirling black abyss of utter chaos! I see dead people, and you're neon pink right now. Please let me have my paper, and let me end the madness with thin paper cuts up and down my wrists!"
She was now glaring at me, understanding my sarcasm. I'm glad I over exaggerated so she understood… I don't think it would help my case any, if she believed that I saw pretty colours all the time, and dead people walking around…
"Hardy har har –very funny. But we don't appreciate jokers around here, Avery, if you can imagine why. This is very serious, and we need you to keep it that way."
I shrugged my shoulders, and gave her a sensual grin.
"I'm sorry –whatever you say, Jewel."
Her brows set in a frustrated frown, and with pursed lips, she exited the room, leaving me behind with my thoughts.
As soon as she was gone, my eyes widened. What had I been thinking? I never, ever use sarcasm. And I never get angry, ever either.
So what was my problem?
Why was I acting like this? It just wasn't in me to think or act that way… maybe the sarcasm was just a reaction produced when I got angry… and I'd never been angry, really, to begin with so I wouldn't know what my reaction when I'm angry would be. So this was my only explanation.
I sighed and looked down at my table. I had to pull myself together if I was to survive, and hopefully one day I can get out of here.
There was recreation time, lunch time, group session, private session, movie time… it sounded almost like the timetable at an old age home I'd once volunteered at.
I let the page drop onto the blanket, and squeezed my eyes shut. What was happening to me? I already knew the answer to that question, so the only question I should be asking myself is 'what should I do about what was happening to me?'
I didn't have the faintest clue. If I 'turned' again, and attacked someone, I would most likely be institutionalised for life. Running my hands roughly through my hair, I exhaled loudly. I needed to get some fresh air –something to clear my head for a few moments.
I touched the red circle lightly, and then almost immediately the nurse blared through the speakers, "Yes?"
I flinched at how loud it was. To me myself and I, it was ear deafening… I didn't know if that was the case for anyone else, though.
"Uhh, Juliet?"
"Yes, Avery?" She sounded slightly impatient, and I knew she was frustrated that I'd used her full name. Oh well. It was a pretty name –why not use it?
"Is there any possible way I can get outside for a couple minutes? I need some fresh air."
"Yes… we have a recreation area outside. I'll be up in a few minutes to take you out." I nodded though I knew no one could see me.
"Thank-you."
She sounded a little baffled as she answered, clearly not expecting me to thank her. What –did she never get thanked for anything around here? I answered my own question; probably not, since most likely everyone staying in this building were nutcases. And now I was put in the same group as them.
"No problem… see you in a few."
Then the speaker went silent, and I got to my feet, a little shaky at first. I hadn't walked in who knows how long now. I would have to ask someone sometime.
I stretched, and then sat down on my bed once more. I couldn't tell what the future would hold for me, but I somehow knew it wouldn't be good.