My Vampire Secret

W-why is she here! And her two brothers!

Should I confront her about why she deceived me?!

Of course not, my rationality tells me that all I can do is pretend everything is fine, pretend that her hypnotism worked, Pretend that I know nothing about any secrets related to vampires， the truth hiding in the shadows!

So I try my best to reply to Annie with the same tone as before, making sure she doesn't notice anything unusual: "I was lucky enough to escape unscathed, thank goodness."

I thought that less is more, so I only replied with this short sentence. But I didn't expect Annie to immediately ask me with concern, "It seems like you really got scared. You're usually so cautious about your life. Last time, you complained to me for an hour after being chased by the neighbor's dog for half a block. You even talked about starting a pet dog control treaty in the town ..."

I furrowed my brow in embarrassment. Did I do that? Have I done such a thing before? In my memory, I have always been a quiet listener, haven't I? Could Annie's hypnosis have caused me to lose some memories?

I sadly realized that I couldn't chat with Annie in a relaxed and normal manner anymore because I know her true identity. I stared at the screen of my phone. It took me a while to carefully choose my words before replying, "Did that really happen? I have a slight headache and I can't remember many things." Annie's message came after a long time. "Really? Then you should rest early. Take it easy. It's also possible that I mixed up the memories."

I fell into deep thought. I stared at those messages for a long time, trying to figure out if it was really one of us who remembered incorrectly. Or is Annie testing me in this way?

This feeling is really terrible. My former best friend, who used to share everything with me, has now become someone I need to be wary of. Oh God, I don't have many friends in this world . Why is fate so cruel to me?

I angrily threw my phone aside. It seems like the phone is the culprit causing my troubles.

I closed my eyes and tried to immerse myself in the extremely quiet inner world I had built, where everything was silent. Only my own heartbeat guided me back to the rhythm of my life. I knew that the most important thing for me now was to remain calm and not let any mistakes invite disaster.

Since I didn’t get injured, I was discharged from the hospital quickly, but I felt drained and would wake up from nightmares every night. This is typical of post-traumatic stress disorder, but theoretically, I shouldhave been hypnotized by Annie and had my memories altered. I should be oblivious and carefree instead.

The school held a memorial service, with photos of the deceased students hung outside the walls. The townspeople silently left flowers there, hoping that these poor children could find happiness in heaven. I silently observed the survivors who had made it through the school cafeteria that day, listening closely to their whispers. The survivors described the shooting scene to everyone, including the ruthless look in the shooter's eyes as if they had really seen it, and the agonizing screams of the victims as if they had really heard them. These descriptions brought horrified gasps from others, and everyone cursed the non-existent gunman. I clenched my lips tightly to suppress my fear. Vampires were too powerful; they had manipulated everyone's memories!

I ran away from the school like a madman, away from the crowd. As the only person who knew the truth, being among those people felt suffocating. I ran through the woods on the outskirts of town, stopped by the lake, and shouted meaninglessly. I was a coward; I didn't even dare to say the word "vampire" out loud at this moment. Because vampires were too powerful and unpredictable, I was afraid they were hiding somewhere, silently watching me. If I showed the slightest weakness, they would immediately snap my neck!

In the days that followed, I was immersed in an agony that only I knew about.I started to become paranoid, seeing everyone as if they were vampires. I couldn't trust anyone, not even my closest friends. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that something supernatural was at play.

One midnight, I was woken up by a thunderclap. As I opened my eyes, a ghastly pale face appeared right in front of me under the flash of lightning, with the tip of the nose almost touching mine! It was the face of G, Annie's little brother, who had haunted my nightmares countless times.

I was so scared that I couldn't even scream, and almost had a heart attack right then and there. But in the blink of an eye, that guy disappeared without a trace, leaving me alone in the bedroom with the sound of pouring rain outside. I couldn't fall asleep again that night, huddling up in my blanket and staring at the ceiling until the sun rose.

Coincidentally, on that day, I received a message from Annie: "Dear K, I suddenly dreamed of you crying last night, and it seems like I haven't heard from you for a long time, which makes me very worried. If everything is fine with you, please let me know. Otherwise, I'm afraid I might not be able to resist telling the police to help me find a missing person."

Everything is too coincidental, making me suspect that a vampire really stood in front of my bed on that thunderstorm night and observed me secretly. It can really scare someone to death! As for Annie's message, I hesitated for a long time before choosing to reply with a simple "Don't worry, I'm still alive and kicking."

I didn't do it because I was afraid that Annie would report me missing, but rather because I hoped that some ruthless monster, G, would see the friendship between me and Annie and not harass me any further as a poor, ordinary, fragile human being.

I couldn't sleep after that night, constantly checking my windows and doors, making sure they were securely locked. The sound of a branch rustling outside would send my heart racing, convinced that it was a creature of the night trying to enter.

Days turned into weeks, and my mental state continued to deteriorate. I became a mere shell of my former self, haunted by thoughts of vampiric conspiracies lurking in every corner of my life.

Deep down, I was afraid of being betrayed and hurt by those closest to me. The vampire symbolized this fear, an embodiment of trust and security being shattered.

Fortunately, I have always been interested in myths, legends, ghosts, and vampires, so when I spent all my time reading books about vampires, my family didn't think anything was off. I told them that reading books that interested me was a way to distract myself, and they easily believed this excuse.

humans are a resilient species with powerful self-regulation abilities. After a two-month adjustment period, I'm not sure if it's because of my strong psychological resilience or the effect of the sleeping pills, I haven't had any more terrifying vampire hallucinations, and I finally began to stop scaring myself and break free from the nervous tension.

Life had returned to normal, and I had deliberately lengthened the time between responding to Annie's messages, trying to let our friendship fade naturally and slowly. I thought I had succeeded, because Annie hadn't sent me a message for almost a week. It was great! My world would never intersect with vampires again!

The sadness gradually dissipates, and life in the town gradually returns to its former tranquility. With the company of my family, I try to forget that nightmare and pretend that nothing ever happened. With the blessings of my family, I celebrated my sixteenth birthday and finally got my own second-hand old Ford. My mom suggested painting the car body red, which symbolizes vitality and energy. I agreed, hoping that with this new beginning, I can leave behind the darkness and start anew.

I took my newly painted red car out for a spin, feeling the wind blow through my hair as I drove down the familiar streets of the town. It felt amazing, a sense of relaxation and exhilaration that I had never experienced before. However, when I arrived at school, a familiar figure appeared in front of me and startled me so much that I almost pressed the wrong pedal.

The screeching sound of the brakes echoed in the air as I stared at the three people in the parking lot, rubbing my eyes hard and questioning if I was seeing things. Annie! W-why is she here! And her two brothers!

The sound of brakes attracted the attention of many students, including Annie and her two brothers. Sensing their gaze on me, my nervousness almost made my hair stand on end and my arms broke out in goosebumps.

"Calm down! Catherine, calm down!" I repeatedly reminded myself in my mind and took several deep breaths. I shouldn't be afraid because my memory was manipulated by Annie, and I wasn't supposed to have seen Annie without her heavy makeup and her two ridiculously handsome brothers. If I acted strangely and aroused their suspicion, it could be a death sentence that I couldn't bear.

"Come on! Catherine, it's time to show off your acting skills as a third wheel! God help me, if I can deceive the eyes of Annie and her brothers, I can confidently go and make a splash in Hollywood! Come on! The little Oscar golden man is waving at you." God knows what I was muttering to myself at that moment, my head was already as confused as a pot of overcooked vegetable soup.