CHAPTER 5
“ Oh, hello.” I voice said. My head was bent down when I went in the kitchen. I looked up and saw a girl by the stove.
I found myself in a dark room when I woke up. It was around 3am. I was sweating and I needed a drink. I was thirsty. The lights were on in the kitchen. There, a girl was cooking something. I went over to the fridge and looked for something for me to drink.
“So, you’re finally awake, huh?” the girl asked me. I finished a glass full of water before I replied, “What do you mean?” I sat on the counter, facing her.
She turned off the gas and turned around to face me. I was stunned by her beauty. Her eyes were pure black, with a brown hair. She gracefully made her way towards me and sat on a stool. Then she slowly said, “You were asleep for two days. Aunt Sammie was worried.” I had a feeling that her smile sparkled. She continued, “By the way, I’m Leila. I’m also staying here.” She held out her hands, and I took it. Her skin was smooth, but cold. Really cold.
I smiled back and replied, “Nice to meet you, Leila. I’m…” She cut me off and said, “Anastasia. I know your name. Everybody’s been talking about you. Well, I’m glad that I finally met you.” The only word that came out from my mouth was an ‘Oh’.
What did she meant by ‘everybody’s been talking ‘bout me? Everybody? So, there are lots of other people here? Man, what in the world have I got into? Grandma’s place sure is mysterious.
“Okay. What are you cooking anyway?” I asked her. She stood up and went back to what she was doing earlier. “I got hungry, so I tried to make food.” She replied.
“In this hour?” She only nodded.
I jumped down from the counter and straightened myself. I realized that I was still wearing the same pants, but I am wearing a big white shirt. It confused me. I felt nasty, so I left the kitchen and went back upstairs. I managed to say to Leila, “See you later!” before I left.
Amazing. I couldn’t believe myself for sleeping two days straight. I went back to the room I have woken up. I didn’t bother turning on the lights. The moon’s light streaked in the dark room. I took off my jeans and shirt, and placed them on the bed. The lights went on when I stepped into the bathroom. I was surprised, again. I snapped out of my amazement, and went in the tub and took a hot shower.
It took me a while to get out of the shower. When I did, I quickly took a towel and wrapped it around my body. Water still dripping from my hair and skin. I moved over to the sink, where the oversized mirror hung. I looked at myself. I had a feeling building up inside me that I am not myself anymore. A feeling where I don’t know myself. A feeling that something was taking over my body, my whole self, my soul.
I looked clearly now at myself. My eyes were darker blue now, and surprisingly, the dark circles around my eyes disappeared. Just then, a faint and vague figure came to life in the mirror. And my reflection was replaced by a young man whom I met. The vision was so unclear. It was as if he was holding me tight. He seemed so familiar. As if we’ve met before, but I wasn’t sure. I closed my eyes and snapped back to reality.
“Clean and fresh. Much better.” I told myself, smiling as I closed the bathroom door behind me. Just then, I saw a figure by the window. It was Nathan. He looked like a living doll by the way he stood. Suddenly, he tilted his head and body around to face me. His gaze met mine, and his emerald eyes were sparkling, or so I thought. We were staring at each other for hours, well fine, it wasn’t hours, but still. Then, I had goosebumps all over my skin. Darn it! Why did he have to be that attractive? I turned away from his gaze, but unable to move.
He smiled, as if he just read my thoughts and laughed. And then he said, “Something smells good.”
I blushed. Before I could reply, he was now standing inches from me. “How… what?” I asked Nathan.
He took both of my arms and pulled me closer, almost hugging me. He caressed my damp hair with his fingers and said, “It’s a secret for now. You’ll find out eventually, my dear.” He brushed his cold hands slowly against my cheeks, and lifted my face up. I was now face to face with him. My blood rushed all over my body. I could feel my face began to color, red. I was definitely blushing. What the heck is he doing? Darn it, again. Why am I so drawn to him?
The next thing I knew, cold lips was on my lips. I felt his hand move down around my waist, and the other was still on my cheek. I couldn’t find any words to describe my feelings at that moment. I wanted to kiss him back, but when I did, I saw him grin, his lips still on mine. Stupid jerk, I should’ve just pulled away. I’m so stupid! He was only playing with me. With anger rising from my blood, I hit his face so hard that he was sent flying on the bed.
Awesome. But I know I’m kind of athletic, but not this strong. I quietly told myself.
“Wow. I didn’t see that coming.” Nathan told me.
I was pissed now. “What the… How dare you ki… kiss me?” I told him angrily.
He chuckled and replied, “But you did like it, right?” I blushed. I quickly ignored his comment, which was half true, well maybe it was true.
“What are you doing in here anyway?” I asked him.
He replied, “The question is, what are you doing in my room?”
“Your room?”
He stood up and walked to the door. I heard a click and the lights went on. It really was a guy’s room.
He grinned and said, “See? This is my room.”
“But this was where I woke up a while ago.”
“Yes, you did. I found you curled up on the floor, and I carried you and put you on the bed. I also changed you’re your shirt.” Confused and embarrassment was written all over my face. He continued, “Your grandma tried to tell you where your room was, but you were already up here. So, I guess you either didn’t hear her or didn’t listen to her.”
I tried to laugh a bit, feeling nervous. “Oh, sorry about that. So, where’s my room?” How did I end up sleeping for two days anyway? Man, I can’t believe I slept at Nathan’s room.
I heard him laugh. I calmed myself by sighing. He walked over to his closet and took a big black shirt and tossed it to me. I put it on. I almost forgot that the only clothing I had was the towel wrapped around my body.
“Your room is just down the hall. You won’t ever miss it.” I gave him a smile, that probably shocked him. I quickly took my things and walked out.I gave him a warm smile and mouthed a ‘Thanks’ when I passed him. His eyed widened, as if taken aback from what happened, and now realizing what he did to me earlier. He looked sad and hurt. I finally broke our gaze. I turned away and walked out from his room and started walking slowly down the hall. Seconds later, I heard his door close.
I haven’t been so embarrassed before. How could he? He even stole my first kiss.
The only word that I could describe my room was incredible. It was huge, bigger than the two bedrooms I had at my old house. I had balcony that overlooked satisfying scenery under the moonlight. There were clothes in the cabinet, or should I say my wardrobe. The room had a classy girl atmosphere. The huge plasma TV was facing the couch.
I went out to the balcony. Everything was also marbled. There were white chairs and a table. It was covered with fresh snow. I looked up at the sky. It was clear, and the moon was bright, a full moon. A sudden gust of cold wind circled my body. I was only wearing the shirt and the towel. The freezing air didn’t affect me. I remembered what happened earlier. I actually managed a smile, slowly touching my lips. “You know Anastasia, you might be able to survive to whatever is out there.” I spoke to myself.
There was a knock on my door. I slowly opened my eyes and yawned. I looked at the clock. 11:25. It was almost noon. I clumsily went to the door and opened it. It was Sarah, smiling at me.
“Good morning, Annie.” Her sweet voice traveled in my ear.
I abruptly snapped out of my dizziness. “Morning. When did you get here?” I asked her.
“When you were still sleeping. I came by here earlier, you didn’t answer, so I presumed you were asleep. So, I didn’t bother you. Do you want me to bring your food here?” She asked.
“I’ll eat in the kitchen. I’ll go with you now.” I told her. I quickly changed into my normal day clothes and followed Sarah.
Although I was hungry, I didn’t like the food I was eating. My body seemed disgusted by the food. After that, I went to my grandmother’s study room, which was also her bedroom. She was sitting behind her desk, concentrating on her work. I quietly went inside and closed the door behind me.
She looked up. “Come here, Anastasia.” She ordered. I quickly walked towards the big brown leather chair in front of her desk and sat. Getting nervous.
She continued, “Ania, it’s kind of difficult for me to explain the most vital information that you must know. This wasn’t supposed to happen, you know? It was an accident, a terrible accident.
I only nodded. I heard the story from my father, but I wanted to clarify all the things that led me to confusion. “So Grandma, vampires do exist?
“Yes, dear.”
I looked down at my trembling hands. “So, I’m really going to be one of them?”
She was quiet for awhile, and then continued, “Ania, I’m really sorry. It was my entire fault. If a hadn’t let you go in the forest that day. This won’t probably happen.”
“I-I don’t really mind. It also doesn’t mean that I don’t care. I-It’s just that I’m pretty worried about myself, and for the safety of the others. I’m not even sure if I will still be myself.” I managed to say to her, to ease my trembling body.
I couldn’t stop my tears. I was crying. My grandmother hugged me. I didn’t even know what I was anymore. Then, a question popped in my head.
“Grandmother Sammie, who was that person?”
I felt her stiffen. She slowly pulled away from the hug. “That person? What do you mean?”
“Yes Grandmother. The person who changed me, do you know that person?”
She hesitated. “No… no, Ania. Why?”
I had a feeling that she was lying. That she knew that person. That she knew everything. There could have been no way she doesn’t know about him. If she didn’t know, she wouldn’t have hesitated. She was keeping it a secret from me.
I patted her shoulder lightly and said, “Grandma, I’m not forcing you to tell me who it was. I can wait. But, I know deep down inside my soul that I already met this person. I just don’t remember anything. So, uhm… when will I change?”
“I’m sorry, Anastasia. It’s just not the right time to tell you. If I reveal everything now, things might happen that I do not have knowledge about. But I promise you, one day, when it’s the right time, I will definitely tell you everything.” She paused for awhile and continued. “I don’t know about the turning point of a vampire, or when you change. It depends on how long your body could resist.”
“Resist what?” I asked her.
She walked back to her desk and sat. She finally said, “Blood.”
The word made me shiver, and my throat was itching. Resist blood? I asked myself. “By the way, Grandma, just earlier while I was eating breakfast. The food was great, it was my favorite breakfast. Suddenly, I didn’t feel like eating, or more likely I didn’t like the food. My body did not want it. And I wanted to throw up.”
My grandma looked up at me with a saddened face. “It is part of the change, I think. Dear, I advise you to eat less food as much as possible, and drink lots of water.”
“Oh. Okay. Thanks for the information, Grandmother Sammie.” I walked to where she was sitting and gave her a peck on her forehead. I turned to the door and walked out.
After some thinking, I decided not to think about it. I will accept anything as it comes to my life. I promised my parents and sister that I will be alright, and I plan to keep that promise with me.
I roamed around the mansion the rest of the day, to keep me busy. There were fourteen rooms in the main house. I saw a house just outside the mansion, but I didn’t bother myself with it. Five rooms were on the third landing, where Nathan’s and my room were. Four on the second, where my Grandma’s study was. The library was on there too. There was also a music room. Different kinds of instruments were there. The white RX-7 KAWAI grand piano was facing the huge window. I didn’t get to check what the last room was. It was locked. There were five rooms on the first landing. Two living rooms, the kitchen, a guestroom, and a pool room, which was connected to the swimming pool outside by a sliding glass door. The house was a mixture of a classic and modern day Victorian mansion styles, located in an isolated forest. The garage was pretty big, also. I was a bit surprised to find my cars parked on my own space. I almost laughed in amazement. It was like a collection of sports cars, with the coolest kind of cars, ever.
Christmas passed by rapidly. I received tons of Christmas gifts. It would be a pleasure if it was money. I was greedy, well not really. I had a Christmas Eve dinner with Grandma. Nathan was nowhere to be found, Leila too. I haven’t seen them since the last time I talked to them.
Winter break was almost finished. I was nervous about everything. I was new at school, and the town. I saw Leila outside, getting off the limo. I ran to her.
“Leila, I have—” she wasn’t Leila. Her hair was lighter than Leila’s and her eye color was different, but the face and everything else was Leila’s.
She stopped in front of me. Her eyes searched all over me. “Who are you?” she asked with a cold voice.
“Uh… I’m Ania. I’m…” I told her in reply, not able to finish.
She didn’t answer me and instead she raised an eyebrow on me, and walked away. My body froze, but when I turned around to protest, she was gone.
My eyes widened with curiosity and confusion. “Wh… what w-was that?”
Email this story 
Print Story 
Add to reading list
