Vampire Dream

Chapter 5 - Long Forgotten

I awoke in my house. My mother’s house. In my own bed I had grown up in. The room was very dark and lit with candles. The only thing I could remember was one thing: Gabe. Looking around the room, it was very empty except for a vanity and all the candles lining the walls. To my left was a bedside table covered in dim candles. To my right was a figure sleeping in a velvety chair. He was so familiar and yet I couldn’t seem to remember. I tried sitting up, but I became too dizzy as soon as I lifted my head.

“Josie?” The figure said. He stood up and crawled into the bed with me. He made me feel safe, yet I was embarrassed to be like this in his presence. Lifting my chin to look into his eyes, I saw the flames reflected in his eyes.

“Gabe.” Relief and pleasure filled his face, and I loved seeing him light up in this way. Pulling me closer to him, he gently set his lips onto mine. I felt a fire in my skin and a reviving energy flowing through my veins. I felt my memories coming back to me.

This was Gabriel Jacob Harmon, my brother and betrothed. We were part of a royal family for the vampires, some of the last survivors. In my first life, there had been an uprising against us, leading to many ambushes and sabotages. Thousands of our kind slaughtered and betrayed by human friends. My brother had always protected me from all the others, had raised me himself, so our parents could deal with the matters of our people. Yet after he left for his embassy meeting, our house had been ransacked by humans and a traitorous vampire. They killed every vampire in sight. I was locked on the top floor of the building and would have been safe if I had agreed to…

I pushed Gabe away from me, feeling all the original emotions I had possessed. Shame, regret, fear, anger. His face softened as mine clouded with these ugly feelings brooding within me.

“You didn’t come back,” I said. “Why didn’t you come back?” He sat there in silence. Slowly, he reached for my hand. I let him take it and pull me closer to him, until he was embracing me.

“The meeting wasn’t real. It was a farce set up by the humans. They took us and shoved us into metal tins we couldn’t escape from, binding our cells with silver chains. Every single one of us had to choose between eternal sleep and dying of starvation. I chose to sleep, knowing that someone would set me free eventually. I’m not sure how you came back to me, but you did. It was your presence that awoke me, Josie. You brought me back.” He lifted my head with his hand on my chin, looking me in the eyes. “I can’t live without you. I won’t.” His eyes flared a little. I kissed his cheek without a response and placed my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, and we spent the next few hours just being together.

My body became tingly and numb. I couldn’t move or feel anything. I could see Gabe’s face beside mine, sleeping peacefully. Across the room, a figure stood. He was tall and very muscular, with long blond hair running down his back. We looked at each other, and he smiled. Walking towards us, he held a silver spear. I wanted to scream at Gabriel to wake up, but couldn’t. Just as this man was about to plunge the death device into Gabe’s heart, the bedroom door burst open, and in came someone garbed in knightly armor and a silver sword.

The man gave a menacing smile to the knight, blew me a kiss, and disappeared into thin air.

“What were you doing?” He demanded. “Were you going to let him kill you?”

He looked so familiar, and yet I knew nothing about him. The knight came in and sat beside me on the bed. I looked over my shoulder, and where Gabe had been was just a half-made bed. As if he were nonexistent.

“Hey! Did you hear me?” I snap back to attention at this guy. He was pretty cute. I could see through his tough act and knew he had emotions for me, but there was something else. I knew him. But from where? He scooted closer to me and I caught his scent. It was a very powerful scent that made my entire body writhe with glory and pure hunger.

“I thought I lost you.” I looked into his eyes. They shimmered with so much hope. And something else I couldn't put a finger on. He embraced me, and we are at just the right angle I could...

“NO!” I yell. Pushing him away, I back myself into the bed’s back frame. Sh**.

“But, Josie-”

“No! Stay away from me. Please!”

Gabe burst into the room, seeing the knight and me talking.

“Josephine, are you okay?” I nodded, but my entire body was shaking with my self-control. It was waning quickly, as I was very weak. The knight saw our connection and became visibly angry.

“What is going on! What did you do to her?” My breathing became labored, and I began to moan loudly.

“Kingston, you need to leave. Now!” A switch inside of me burst, and I felt nothing. I gave in to the blackness that was trying to merge with my soul, and I blacked out.

I am a small child, who seems to be three years old. Sitting on the playground alone. A young version of the knight walks towards me, with a quizzical look on his face.

Why are you alone? He asks me.

Because I am different. I reply.

I’m different too. He stated

Not like me. My daddy says I’m a weapon of mass destruction. I spit at him.

He stands there, nose scrunched, thinking.

Well, can we be alone together? He asks, a hopeful look on his face.

I pity him. He wants to be friends with a loser like me, who can never be normal.

Yeah, I guess. I look straight down so he can’t see my smile.