6. The Future


When the blackness had consumed me, it was like I was standing in a cave. No light, not even when I put my hand in front of my face. The pain had faded until it was nothing at all. Was this what it meant to become a vampire? My life would forever be this velvety blackness?

A flash of light flitted across my face. There was an object…or substance, a brightness that seemed to be reflecting the intense light that was now distorting my vision. Several colorful pigments flowed across my vision.

My brain was having problems processing reason. My perception was off; like my intellect or understanding was being distinguished from the faculties of feeling...my own free will was quickly being captured by this new sensation.

The prophetic vision seemed to be increasing exponentially. The act of power or sensing things to come were becoming more vivid. Suddenly, I was full with this mystical experience of knowing the future. The whole future, for years to come. Clear, crystal clear…clear as glass, clear as the wind that I could feel softly blowing across my face.

Events that are to happen in time to come…the possibilities of the future; peoples successes, failures, advancements. I could see it all, rapidly, immensely. My brain was on overdrive.

This instinctive foresight, my perception by intuition was now filing into my mind so quickly sometimes it would only be a glimpse, other times it would be whole days playing out before my eyes.

The blackness that ultimately consumed me only seconds ago was now gone. A bright illumination like the sun or an electric light bulb…a beacon, was lighting my mind with radiance. Shifting pictures were flashing so quickly I was becoming dizzy. My brain felt like it was carrying an excess amount of information, driving my mind to work harder than ever to keep it up. My brain was constantly in an intense state of activity and productivity.

A boy. A beautiful, glorious, wonderfully joyous boy. My life, my love. My foresight focused on him above all others. His face flashed across my mind more than the others. Each moment my body ached with the desire to hold him, to love him…for him to be mine.

Another flash.

There was fear and hope in the future that continued to wade over my mind. I saw the advancements of the times, the wars, the deaths, the love…and the hate. I could see buildings towering, automobiles in funny shapes flying down large paved roads, storms that will cause great devastation, and I could even see so far into the future that the continents had moved positions.

The assault of knowledge, the acquaintance of facts…truths were beginning to send my mind into a state of excitement and agitation. Each vision was overwhelming. I tried to overcome it, to master or subdue the foresight but the excessive feelings, answers, the future were slowly gaining mastery over all my bodily powers and mental faculties.

In a matter of minutes I learned centuries of knowledge. The future continually showing itself to me. There were visions…foresight…that were more intriguing than others. Sometimes things showed themselves in greater detail.

I saw it all. My whole life flashed in front of my eyes. My love, my family…even my death.

Again, there was the blonde boy. He was walking towards me, his lips twitching up into a brilliant smile and his arms wrapping happily around my small frame. The image was full of joy and love and nothing but pure happiness. Feelings I had never felt before were slowly making the blinding light burn brighter.

New figures were now encompassing me.

A blonde man, glorious yet earthly…a bronzed hair boy, young and intriguing – a family of two.

A family of two becoming a family of three.

A family of three becoming a family of four…of five.

A family of five becoming a family of seven.

A family, my family becoming eight. A beautiful brunette. Her long dark hair and her beautiful face. She would be my friend, my best friend.

Of all the visions I had witnessed since I was a little girl, these were the greatest of any fortune I could ever think to own.

As quickly as this joy filled me, agony rippled through my heart as the worst vision yet played through my mind. Daniel being killed by James, Victoria helping to burn the pieces. My heart ached, the pain scorched. Why him? A thought I didn't want to see, the image was more vivid, more disturbing than all the rest, yet shone brightly in the new illumination.

I watched slowly as he crouched over my body. My eyes were closed, my chest still moving…so I was alive. He was…protecting me, like he always tried. James' voice was furious, angry words slipping through his teeth as Victoria hissed in the background. At the sight of my body, he grew irate and charged after Daniel. He tried to fight, but between the two of them there was no chance. I had predicted this from the beginning. This divination above all others I pushed from my mind forcibly, trying my best to remove the stain of my despair. I refused to think about this, to know that I killed the one and only person who loved me.

Deep down, somewhere buried beneath all the grief I was feeling, I knew that someday I would be loved even more greatly than Daniel loved me and I would love in return. The prospect helped to ease my mind, though I wished this vision, of all the visions, were false.

More flashes.

The deluge of facts and information didn't slacken, if anything, it speed up, showing me more images, new revelations, as the body of truths accumulated in the course of time.

A great depression. Hunger, sadness…jobless.

A war…a world war, and another war. Death and destruction seemed to consume the world. Religion slowly bringing death to most.

Several Presidents. Some great, some marred by rumors and hideous truths.

Plagues, illnesses, epidemic diseases that cause high mortality. Wide spread afflictions.

Impressive inventions. New Technology. Cars, computers… Space shuttles?

Medical practices improve; no more torture, no more shock treatment. Pills to treat the insane. Miraculous surgeries, intense treatments for the sick.

Planes… large aircrafts that hold hundreds of people.

Nuclear weapons. Nuclear wars.

Before my eyes I saw grand things, I saw devastations, deaths, births, forests cut down, forests re-grown…Some type of contraption that showed…video?

Every second the onslaught of new information was expanding my brain to its limits. It seemed like seconds had passed, or maybe it was hours…days?

How much more could my brain take? The expansion for the new information wasn't enough. The longer the visions plagued me, the more my head ached until there was suddenly nothing.

The blackness had returned, my brain had reached its capacity.

My eyes fluttered open.

The sun shone brightly through the canopy of trees. I sat up so quickly I startled myself.

"Oh!" my voice sang out.

My fingers instantly found my lips, wondering where the wonderful sound had come from. Something shimmered and caught my eye. I turned quickly, trying to find the culprit of the rainbows that were dancing around. Looking down, I saw that my skin was radiating colors, glittering in the golden glow of the sun.

I gasped.

What was I doing here? How did I get here?

I searched, trying to expand my mind for some sort of knowledge but all I could remember was Alice. That was my name. It seemed the basic knowledge was there, but with all my effort I couldn't figure out what I was doing here.

I sighed and at my intake of breath a fiery ache burned the back of my throat. As soon as I thought it, my hand was already at my neck. My movements were so fluid they happened almost before I actually thought it.

Shock flooded me and I rose from the ground so quickly that several birds flew out of the tree next to me, startled. No pulse. My hand fluttered to my chest, to my other wrist. No heart beat.

What does this mean?

After taking in another deep breath I could feel the dryness of my throat. I was so thirsty. In the distance I could hear a stream of water, but it was unappetizing…unappealing to me. Next to the water was something that smelled more delicious…more enticing.

Automatically I licked my lips. Crouching, I giggled. What was I doing? It seemed natural…right, but it was so odd. My giggle was like bells chiming. Light, airy…beautiful. Once again my fingers met my lips. Could I possibly be the one making that delightful noise?

Another breath.

The delightful scent made me thirstier. Again, I crouched. Instantly, I was running through the trees. I skidded to a halt. Looking back and forth, between where I was and where I had been; my mind began to race ahead. But I was just there…and now I'm here. Hey, I am fast!

Turning, I took off, winding my way through the many trees. They flew by me so quickly that sometimes it was just a blurry streak that I saw from my peripheral vision. I was following my nose now, the delicious fragrance not far from me.

Without thinking or understanding my thoughts I bounded into a thicker area of trees where a large spring was flowing rapidly. There was a man sitting on the bank, fishing. He wasn't sitting on the bank for long, for my fingers wrapped around his arms and brought him to my mouth, his fishing pole now swimming with the fishes. My teeth met his throat…his juicy neck. I could hear his skin tearing under my bite and a shiver of pleasure rippled down me as I found a vein. The man groaned in pain but I was moaning in pleasure. The taste on my tongue was spectacular, wonderful, the most glorious tasting thing ever. The blood was warm, wet and easing the dry thirsty ache in my throat. It felt right; good… the sensations that were pulsing through me made my head spin wildly.

When there was no more blood left in the shell of a man I dropped him. He splashed into the water and I dropped to the forest floor, lying comfortably on my back, though standing was just as comfortable. I felt full as the ache had finally subsided, my body still full of the intense, unrestrained excitement that his blood sent through my quavering body. Just thinking about it made me tremble in satisfaction.

My body was radiating brute strength. I raised my hands in front of me, turning them around and around, wondering how something so small, so delicate looking could hold a grown man off the ground so easily.

Deep down, I knew killing the man was wrong, unjust, but he tasted so wonderful that the thoughts entered my mind as quickly as they left.

As I lay there, dismal, I continued to search within my mind to try and find out who I am…what I am.

Drinks blood. Well, that one should be obvious. I guess I'm a…vampire. I brought my fingers to my arm and pinched. Nothing. Not a dream, or nightmare apparently.

As soon as I thought it I was standing. What was going on with me?

Alice…I pondered. My finger tapped over and over on my temple. It was like an open abyss, no memories, nothing but a blank surface ahead of me.

Then I saw it. Something so distinct whipped across my mind. I don't know how I knew it, but I did. It was going to rain in exactly three minutes. I waited, lightly tapping my foot impatiently against a tree.

I could hear it before I saw it and before I felt it. It sounded like a swirling nose, like many little droplets were whizzing through the air. Then, I heard light clunking noises on the leaves above me before small little droplets of rain splattered across my face.

My mind was in a tumult of queries that I didn't have the answers for. It kept racing ahead, pushing my brain to the limits. Still…nothing.

And, as if things couldn't get more confusing, another startling flash of insight overtook me. A tall, lean…very pale boy with blonde hair was walking through the streets of a town. As if predicting the future wasn't enough, I was now seeing people. Wonderful people…glorious people. Each second I dove deeper into this…vision…or premonition. Whatever it was, I tried to find out what it was about this boy that had me so intrigued. He seemed to be wondering aimlessly, like his life had no purpose. Where he was at? I didn't know.

It swirled away and I made sure to store this into my memory…etch it into my brain. The man, beautiful and glorious, was important. He was special somehow. Not understanding why I knew this, a new sensation rocked through my body.

Love.