The Judgment

Of all the things to separate two worlds ours is separated by a long, rusted gray fence. Not even a barb wire fence. There isn't even a warning sign, because no warning is needed. No human in their right mind would willingly cross over to their world. No living person really knows what lies beyond this fence. Many however do have their theories about the mysterious vampire world but they're just that, theories. The only ones who really know never return to tell. This is how I've spent the last few days, sitting in my room looking out the window into the depressing gray haze that has seemed to linger over our small town for days, my mind wandering to far off things in far off places. As I sit here time seems to freeze and I sit still for hours upon hours dreaming up my own theories as I dreadfully await the impending judgment every human receives on his or her sixteenth birthday. For on your sixteenth birthday a man comes to your house to tell you one of three things two of which could possibly change your life, not necessarily for the better. In most cases the man does not even speak he just hands you a piece of cheap business-like paper folded in the traditional three-fold format. And if you can control your trembling hands long enough to read your judgment you will find it says one: we are sorry but you have been declined. You will continue your life as it is. Thank you for your troubles, signed the G.C.V (government of the civilization of vampires). This one is the best one to get and the one that people hope and pray for. No one understands why they would apologize for letting our hearts continue to beat, a condition that does not come with the other two. This also means that you get to continue on in your life. Optiontwo: Congratulations! You have been chosen to be transformed into a condition in which you will be able to exist in our world. See you soon, signed the G.C.V (government of the civilization of vampires). This one despite the positive vibe in the writing basically means that life as you know it is over and you will be taken to the other world where you will sit and wait for the inevitable, your death. You could wait there for years until you get changed into one of them. When you finally are changed your human life is officially over you are now officially a vampire and remain the same age forever. Option three, however is even worse. Three: Congratulations! You have been chosen to serve our government and yours by sacrificing your blood to us. See you very soon, signed the G.C.V (government of the civilization of vampires). If you get this one you only have about three weeks to live. You will be taken to the other world immediately and a vampire or a few vampires in some cases will suck your blood. If you are lucky, though if you got this fate you probably aren't, they will kill you fast but if they are heartless they will do it slowly and make you suffer. These are the only things we know about their world because we have been taught this for years and we have all experienced a day when we walk into school and the desk next to you is just empty one day then the next then the next and the next and they tell us they moved away or got in trouble and expelled or that they were mysteriously accepted to some far away elite private school, but we all know the truth so why do they waste their breath.

"Janiebear, I swear your eyes will be stuck open like that if you keep this up. Either that or your head will explode from being overworked! Stop wasting the days away, it will be fine." The sudden sound of my mother saying my nickname in her sweet-natured voice came from behind me startling me out of my dream. When I turned around I studied her delicate features. She had hazel eyes and porcelain skin embraced by her short golden brown hair; she was tall unlike me only standing at five-two.

"I know mom I'm jut real worried and I …" she cut me off.

"How many times do I have to tell you everything will be fine" my mother tried to reassure me though I sensed a hint of worry in her words, which was unusual because I had never seen her worry in all my years. I conjured up my best attempt at a smile for her sake then followed her downstairs for … dinner? Had I really been up here for that long? The last thing I remember was breakfast, I was feeling a bit hungry.

"What are we having?" I asked with probably the realest smile id had in days.

………

The next morning I walked down the stairs, officially starting what could possibly be my last day as a living person. Today was my sixteenth birthday. The mood in the room is not of a usual birthday. Like when I turned thirteen, and officially became a teenager, my mom baked a cake bigger than my head and covered it in pink frosting flowers, a delicacy only served on my birthday. My dad grabbed me up in his arms and swung me around, kissing the top of my head.

I missed those times now more than ever. And I missed my dad too. I shivered every time I thought about the terrible accident that claimed his life less than a year ago. Mom had tried to keep herself together for my sake but I could hear her sit in bed and cry herself to sleep every night for the first month and sometimes I still here her every so often when it's been a long and hard or just a lonely day.

"Good morning sweetie, happy birthday! How did you sleep?" my mom asked trying to start up a conversation.

"Alright" I answered trying to avoid conversation.

"I made you a cake," she announced while simontaneously taking out a small white cake with two pink flowers on it.

"Do you want a piece?" she asked with an almost forced smile on her delicate face.

"No thanks. I'll have some when I get home." I grabbed a muffin off the counter and sat down across from her.

"Do you mind if I have a piece?" she asked with a giggle and a much more natural smile, showing her famous dimples. It was impossible to not smile back at her, even with the pressure of what was to come.

………

"Jane!" Mira, my best friend since first grade, yelled my name from down the hall and ran up next to me and wrapped me up in a big hug. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks." I mumbled hugging her back and a smile instantly came to my face. Mira just radiated energy.

"I got you a present!" Oh great.

"Mira I thought we talked about this."

"I know I know but I saw this awesome outfit in KKK's and just knew you had to have it!" KKK's a.k.a Kristi's Kewl Klothes is the hottest store that all the popular girls shop at. She practically pulled my arm out of its socket pulling me to her locker. While I massaged my aching shoulder she pulled out a medium sized purple bag with yellow and green polka dots. She handed it to me with an overly-enthusiastic smile, that's just how Mira is, always smiling. I rolled my eyes and took the bag and sunk my hand into the bag. I felt a very soft material I pulled it out. OH. MY. GOD. It was beautiful, probably the most beautiful piece of clothing I have ever owned. It was a sweatshirt and the color was beyond royal blue and it had two white stripes down the sleeve and the KKK logo in the lower left hand corner. And it was SO SOFT.

"So do you like it?" Mira asked happily.

"Like it? Mira this is…this is…" I shook my head, "unbelievable."

"There's more." I stuck my hand back in and pulled out a bold yellow camisole and an intoxicating black mini skirt. My heart almost stopped.

"Mira, you are the best best friend ever in the history of the universe!"

"I know." She said with a smile. I looked down at my current birthday outfit, a red sweater that totally clashed with my radiant red hair, and plain blue jeans.

"Should I go put it on right now?"I asked.

"Yes! I can't wait to see what it looks like!" I was just as excited as her. We practically ran to the bathroom.

………

That fantastic start to my day basically set the mood for how the rest of it has gone. The outfit looked more stunning on me then I or even Mira ever imagined. Then they served my favorite lunch, pizza with cheese in the crust, macaroni salad, and pineapples. Then our evil math teacher, Mr. Crane, was sick so he was absent and so the test, scheduled for today that I forgot to study for, was canceled. Now Mira, mom, and I are sitting watching television. Well none of us are really watching we're just waiting for that knock at the door. I was there when Mira got her judgment; we danced the night away from pure joy when she got her "rejection". So now she's here to be with me when I get mine. The hours drudge on and mom falls asleep. Neither Mira nor I spoke, because we didn't know what to say, so we just sat there. 6:30 now. And then there it is a dull business-like but eerie knocking at the large wooden door. My mom jumps and me and Mira lock eyes. I get up from my seat and head towards the door, I hear Mira and mom right behind me, I thought I heard mom say something. Or was that Mira? I didn't know, right now all that mattered was what was behind that door and in that man's hand. I finally made it to the front door. Had it always been that far away? Oh well that didn't matter. I put my hand on the door knob and sucked in a breath. I opened the door and there was the man. He had short curly brown hair and a boring white dress shirt and dark grey suit and a black tie. He had glasses too. And his face looked old and worn, like he'd seen so much pain in the world and just didn't care anymore.

"Jane Christopher?" He asked in his dull office-like voice. I nodded hesitantly. He held out a tan tri-folded paper the paper, the one I'd been waiting to see since I learned about them in second grade. I slowly and painfully unfolded it. My heart stopped in its tracks when I saw what it said.