The Vampire's Oracle

★Anastasia★ I felt as if I was in a daze as I looked around me. I didn’t recognize the area, but it was clear to me that I was in an alleyway between two buildings. It was dark, which meant it was late, and the smell of decay and rubbish made me feel sick. I turned around and froze. I spotted a man in the distance, and I had to assume he was looking directly at me since he was facing me. I couldn’t really see his face since he was partially hidden by the shadows. Not that it mattered, I felt an unease settle over me the longer we seemed to stare at each other. My heart started to beat faster, and my breathing quickened. “Hello?” I called out, but the man didn’t move. He was tall and appeared to have an athletic build – lean but strong. I still couldn’t see his face, but he was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a leather jacket. I couldn’t even tell if he was young or old or middle-aged. Again, not that it mattered. “Hello?” I repeated, my voice a bit more steady. Still, he didn’t answer. In fact, he didn’t even move. That was pretty creepy. I looked around me to see if I could recognize something, anything, but I had no idea where I was. I also couldn’t see any other way out. The man was blocking the exit. Wait, how did I even get here? That thought hit me harder than anything else, and I tried to remember how I had gotten here. My mind was blank and that scared me more than the strange, creepy, man did. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember how I had gotten here or what I had done before this. “Anastasia…” I spun back around and looked back at the man. The man had just called me by my name. How did he know my name? I stared at him as I willed myself to remember something. However, the longer I stared at him, the more I felt like I was connected to him in some way. It was the strangest thing because, despite the fear I felt, I was drawn to him. I wasn’t sure why, but suddenly I wanted to get closer. I took a step forward. And then another. And another. The closer I got to him, the more drawn to him I felt. “Who are you?” I asked curiously, but he didn’t answer me. I felt some sort of connection to him, as if he was somehow important to me. Did I know him? I still couldn’t make out who it was, but as I took another step closer, the smell of blood hit me so hard that I bent over and vomited. I should have felt embarrassed, but the smell was so strong that I struggled not to throw up again. “Ugh,” I muttered in disgust. “Anastasia…” “What?” I snapped as I glared over at him. “How do you know my name? Who are you?” when he didn’t answer, I groaned in frustration. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and a slow feeling of fear and danger washed over me. I wasn’t safe. This man wasn’t safe. I took a step back, and he reached for me. Don’t ask me why, but instead of making a run for it, I stood perfectly still. I was losing it, clearly. I should have turned around and made a run for it. But where would I run to? I was trapped in this alley with him. “Anastasia…” “Yes?” I whispered as the tips of his fingers brushed against my cheek and I closed my eyes. There was something painful and sad about the tone of his voice. It was deep, and it captivated me, but it was as if his voice alone held so much pain that it suddenly made me want to cry. He caressed my cheek for a moment, but when he dropped his hand, I opened my eyes. I still couldn’t see him, but the smell of blood, and my little pool of vomit made me feel sick. I wanted to get away, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to move. To run. “Anastasia…” “What do you want from me?” I asked, as I continued to stare at him. It was rather annoying that I couldn’t see his face. “You,” he whispered, and for a split second, I was taken aback. The fear washed over me and when he reached out for me again, I opened my mouth and screamed. I bolted upright in bed as I let out a piercing scream. I looked around me as I tried to focus. I was in a bedroom. My bedroom. I wasn’t in the alley. There was no man. I took a deep breath as I shoved the blanket from my body and got out of bed. Minx, my black cat, glared at me before he went back to sleep. I ignored him and went into the adjacent bathroom. I avoided the mirror as I washed off my face. “Anastasia?” a voice called out and I groaned softly. “Yeah?” “Is everything ok? I heard you scream,” “I’m fine, Aunt Eloise,” I said as I went back to my bedroom and opened the door. My Aunt, dressed in her long nightgown, eyed me suspiciously. “Bad dream?” she pushed, and I sighed as I slowly nodded. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked and, for a moment, I was tempted, but I shook my head. “Nah…it’s…” I glanced over my shoulder to check the time, and I saw that it was just after three. “It’s early, we can talk about it later,” Aunt Eloise studied me for a moment before she finally nodded and let me be. I returned to bed and snuggled under the blanket. I didn’t fall asleep immediately as I thought about the dream. It had been a dream, right? I wasn’t so sure, but I could figure that out later with the help of my Aunt.