Dark Famiglia

Chapter 6

Callie stands there in awe.

“That’s such a beautiful poem!” Callie says excitedly.

“Thank you, Callie,” replies Sabrina.

“Anyway, let me know when you want to order something,” says Callie as she waves goodbye to resume her duties.

Several minutes go by as Sabrina gazes at the small garden. Sabrina thinks about all that has happened since moving here to Fairfield. Meeting Kason and Miguel was the best thing that could’ve happened to her. That’s precisely why she must protect them from the monster she is. Suddenly, a cup is set on the table and Sabrina sees Callie standing there with a cheerful smile.

“It’s a caffè latte. I didn’t know if you like black coffee, so I put some cream foam and sugar in it. Don’t worry about paying for it. It’s my thanks for the lovely poem you recited earlier.” says Callie.

“Then, I’ll gladly accept it,” replies Sabrina.

Callie walks back to the serving counter as another customer arrives. Sabrina picks up the cup and takes a sip. The bittersweet drink washes over her taste buds and the tension Sabrina has been feeling is gone. The warmth and love from this drink envelop Sabrina like a blanket. Sabrina can’t stop the tears from falling. Sabrina silently cries as she continues to drink the caffè latte. Callie looks over to Sabrina and sadly smiles.

“Poor girl. She must’ve been holding in those tears for a long time.” Callie whispers to herself.

Sabrina stops crying after two hours pass. It’s sunset now and the café is about to close for the day. Sabrina decides to return home and walks out of the café in a daze. Eventually, Sabrina returns home and walks into the front door. She closes the door behind her and sees Jesse and Leo sitting on the couch.

“Welcome home, sis,” Leo says as he waves at Sabrina.

“I’m home,” replies Sabrina as she faintly smiles at her brother.

“Mom is gonna be late getting home again. She has a meeting for a project her client’s proposed. Lunette already had dinner and is in bed asleep. I left a plate of food from dinner out on the kitchen counter. Eat up before it grows cold.” Jesse says as he points to the kitchen.

“Okay, I’ll eat dinner in my room and work on my homework before bed,” replies Sabrina.

Sabrina grabs the plate of food and walks to her bedroom. She walks over to the window seat and starts eating her meal even though it gives her no nutritional value. As she eats, Sabrina gazes at the moon. Since she was a little girl, she’s always loved gazing at the moon. After finishing her plate of food, Sabrina changes into a pair of pajamas and starts on her homework. But before that, she chugs down another two bags of blood. That leaves only one bag of blood left to drink.

“Looks like I only have one bag of blood left. That’s not good.” Sabrina says in concern.

Sabrina works on her homework and finishes it when the clock strikes nine o’clock. She leans back in her chair and sighs.

“Turaya, can I ask you something?” Sabrina asks as she calls out to Turaya.

“Yes, I am here, my sweet child,” replies Turaya in her tender, sweet voice.

“Do you think I can trust Kason and Miguel? It’s only been three days since I met them and they’re starting to grow on me. I don’t want them to get hurt because of me. I don’t want what happened to Natasha to happen with Kason and Miguel. I took away her memories of me. I don’t want to take their memories away. I’ve been hiding my true self from everyone, even from my family. When they were close to finding out about me being a vampire, I erased their memories. Every time I erase their memories, a piece of my soul breaks. I don’t know if I can keep on hiding like this.” Sabrina asks as her voice shakes with sadness.

“Take your time and get to know Kason and Miguel. I can tell that they are good people. But the fact remains that they are still humans. They are not vampires. You can’t keep blaming yourself for erasing Natasha’s memories. And I know that a certain warlock will tell you the same thing. Have faith in your friends. There will be a day when you can finally reveal who you truly are without fear.” replies Turaya as she comforts Sabrina.

Sabrina’s lips curl into a smile as a single tear falls onto the back of her hand.

“Thank you. I needed to hear that. Maybe I could start trusting in my friends.” replies Sabrina.

Turaya retreats into the depths of the bracelet as Sabrina rummages through her nightstand beside her bed. Eventually, she pulls out a small wooden box. It’s a simple-looking box. It has a rose engraved on the lid and on the underside of the lid are words in the French language. Sabrina opens the wooden box and looks at the engraved words. She recites the words out loud.

‘Des ombres qui colorent le monde assombri

Rideau la nuit; étoiles brillantes brûlant

Appelez-moi dans le royaume cache

Des fragments scintillants d'une promesse faite il y a longtemps brillent comme des milliers d'étoiles dans mes souvenirs’

(Shadows that color the darkened world

Curtain at night; bright stars burning

Call me into the hidden realm

Glittering fragments of a promise made long ago shine like thousands of stars in my memories)

Sabrina recites.

Sabrina had this saying engraved on the lid of this wooden box. It has a special meaning to Sabrina. To her, this saying means that even though this is a cruel world, there is always beauty where you least expect it and embrace it. Sabrina takes out the items inside the wooden box and walks to her window seat. She sits down and sets the items on the cushion one by one. The first item is a photograph. It’s a photograph of her and her family after she was adopted. The second item is a locket that Brett gave to her for her fourteenth birthday. And the third item is a mini red rose encased in amber resin. This rose was left in an envelope that Jayden left for Sabrina, along with her daylight ring, after she woke up from her transition into a vampire. It’s the last thing he left for Sabrina. Sabrina picks up the rose and gazes at it. She looks at every detail. Every line and crease. And its shape. Sabrina puts the other two items back into the box and walks to her bed. She curls up in her bed covers and clutches the mini rose encased in amber resin close to her heart until morning comes. Once morning arrives, Sabrina gets ready for school. She decides to put the mini rose inside her book bag. For some reason, Sabrina wants to hold onto it. She thought over and over again about throwing it away, but she never could. Sabrina drinks her last blood bag and walks to school after seeing her brothers and little sister off. All morning, Sabrina kept to herself thinking about how she would tell Kason and Miguel about her being a vampire. Eventually, Lunch break starts and Sabrina is running to the school courtyard when she bumps into someone. Sabrina immediately recognizes the scent. It’s the same scent she smelled coming from the nurse’s office. She tries to keep her nerves calm.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you. I’m on my way to meet my friends in the school courtyard,” says Sabrina nervously as she apologizes to the school nurse.