Chapter 12: Nothing lasts forever

My life took a different turn the moment my mother agreed on marrying David. It was like everything fell into place, and for once I felt content. David was treating me like I was his daughter; he was the closest I had to a paternal figure.

Mom and David didn’t rush to get married. On the contrary, they spend almost a year engaged, while mom had all the time she wanted to design her dream wedding. Besides all the wedding preparations, we decided that we had to live in the same house, considering mom and David were going to get married. So, once again we had to move from our current home to David’s apartment. Much to my surprise, the apartment was spacious; mom and David would share the master bedroom, and I had a separate bedroom just like Chris.

The only thing that saddened me was that I couldn’t bring my paintings nor my easel to our new house. Therefore, I had to go to my grandparent’s house, whenever I wanted to paint and use my old room as my studio.

Izzie was somewhat jealous and annoyed that I’d spend so much time with Chris, while she could meet him only on their dates. I had a special relationship with Cristopher, and I realized that Izzie misunderstood that. She thought that Chris was flirting me when he teased or tickled me or shared a joke with me. So, when we finally had to live in the same house, Izzie assumed we were free to do all the naughty things that crossed her mind.

I got really angry and disappointed with her; I wouldn’t dare sleep with her boyfriend nor Chris would cheat on her. We had a long talk to explain to her that Chris and I were friends and soon to be family. Thankfully we clear things out, and Izzie usually would come to our place after school. We used to do our homework together, and then she'd spent the rest of the afternoon with Chris, while I went for practice.

I was fourteen when we held the wedding. I’d be one of mom’s bridesmaid, and Chris would be his father’s best man; it was cute yet a bit weird. To be honest, it was the best day of my life- well at least, it will be until I get married…

The wedding was more of a private ceremony, with the groom and bride's families, and some of their friends. Neither mom nor David wanted a huge wedding. Mom thought she was a little old to get married, and her future husband had already got married once, so he proffered this time to be a smaller ceremony. It was enough, as long as they were happy and together.

The day of the wedding finally came, and we couldn’t be more excited. A bunch of professionals came to my grandparents’ house to help us with our hairstyle and makeup. My mom opted for a low chignon updo, while I had my hair curled in beach waves. Our makeup was soft, with pink lips. I had helped my mom picked her wedding dress; it was simple but elegant. The dress' neckline was heart-shaped, it had a deep cut at her back and formed an A-line flowing skirt. I wore a similar dress with the other three bridesmaids; a floor-length, dusty pink dress.

It was surreal to see my mom walking down the aisle, with grandpa by her side. David waited for her at the end, looking handsome in his tailor-made suit. Chris had a huge smile plastered on his lips; he had overcome his fears and he was happy for once. My grandma was all teary during the ceremony, while grandpa has a small smile on his lips. David’s parents were smiling happily, although, at the begging, they weren’t very fond of this wedding.

It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception that followed even better. Mom and David shared their first dance and then invited me, Chris and their parents to join them on the dance floor. Chris offered me his hand to take, and I looked at him hesitantly. The last time we danced was a complete disaster.

“Don’t worry, I’ve been taking dance classes,” he whispered to me with a wink.

I sighed in relief and let him lead me on the dance floor.

“Since when are you taking dance classes?” I asked him as soon as we start dancing.

“Well, the last time we danced, you almost ended up with broken toes, so I thought I couldn’t make myself a complete idiot on my father’s wedding,” he replied and twirled me around.

“That is one hell of an improvement,” I exclaimed when our hands intertwined again.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said with a smirk, while his hand traveled lower at my back.

“Hands up here, buddy. You don’t want Izzie to blow a fuse again,” I warned him with a glare.

“Oh, come on, it’s my dad’s wedding; let me enjoy it,” he said with an eye’s roll, and twirled me around once again.

I just smiled and relaxed. I couldn’t worry all the time for everyone else except myself. When the song ended, we swapped partners; I danced with David, while Chris danced with my grandma, and Papa Peter danced with my mom.

We danced all night, laughed, and I secretly drink some champagne with Chris and Izzie. My mother looked more than happy; she was blissful. I wished I could taste that pure happiness at some point in my life…

I was standing outside of the reception hall, a small smile plastered on my lips. I looked around me at the colorful roses; their sweet scent lingered in the air. I walked to the small fountain in the center of that beautiful garden and glanced at the cascading water. Despite, all the happiness and excitement of the day, I felt that something was wrong.

“Stay strong, my darling daughter,” I think I heard someone whispered to me.

I looked around frantically, only to realize that I was alone; no one was there with me. The breeze made me shiver and probably hear things. I took a deep breath and walked inside once again. I looked around at my loved ones; that was enough to calm my erratic heartbeat.

David and his new wife left the night of their wedding for their honeymoon trip. I’d be staying with my grandparents, and Chris with David’s parents, until our parents would come back. Papa Peter and Nana Eve were glad that I was staying with them, and so I was. With the wedding preparations, I didn’t have much time to paint, and I wanted to do just that; I needed to express all my pent-up emotions on my canvas.

That night I went to bed at almost 5 am. I was exhausted but happy. I smiled remembering the events of the day. I thought I’d be reliving them in my dreams, but I was wrong. That night I saw another horrible nightmare…

I was floating once again in a dark and quiet house. I heard a glass break into pieces, and I moved towards the source of the sound. The small window of the kitchen’s back door was shred into pieces, while a man kicked the door open. He entered the house with two other men hot on his tail. Before I could take a better look at them, they sped out of the kitchen, and the next thing I heard was a woman’s scream.

I went upstairs and entered a room that looked to be the master bedroom. A woman, wearing a white nightgown, was standing with a petrified look on her face. One of the men was pointing a gun at a man who was lying on the bed paralyzed with fear.

“What do you want?” the woman asked, trying to compose herself.

“The Master is looking for a necklace,” replied one of the men nonchalantly.

I paid a better look at them and realized that they were vampires; their pale skin and their slightly elongated canines made it obvious. The guns they were holding, were useless to them. If they wanted to kill, nothing could stop them.

“What necklace?” the woman asked again looking perplexed.

“The Keepers are protecting a necklace. Where is it?” he elaborated, while his partner pressed the gun harder at the temple of that poor man. He was human, and he had no idea what all this was about. To be honest, neither did I.

“I don’t have it,” the woman said looking livid.

“I have an eternity, but he hasn’t,” the man said, pointing a finger at her husband. “Give us the necklace, and you both shall live.”

“I told you that I don’t have it,” she said, and before I knew it, she attacked the vampire who did all the talking.

They fight, she tried to protect her husband, she tried to save her life. What she gained was a few more minutes of pain and struggle. Two of the vampires managed to immobilize her, and the third sunk his canines on the human’s neck.

“Ester,” was the only thing that the poor man managed to murmur, while the vampire drained all his blood.

A chill run down my spine, and a few stray tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn’t do anything to help; I was a ghost floating around meaninglessly.

They tortured the poor woman, but all she said to them, but she kept repeating that the necklace wasn't in her possession. They searched every inch of the house; they even discovered a safe hidden into the bookcase.

I wandered around the house until I reached another room; it looked like a teenager’s room. The vampires had messed up everything in there. They had a son, that wasn’t there. They had a son, who was going to lose both his parents in one night. They were a happy family that fell apart in the blink of an eye.

“Who has it?” I heard one of the vampires ask, and I moved towards the living room where they were holding the woman captive.

“I don’t know,” the woman replied breathlessly.

The vampire shook his head disappointed and attacked her. A few seconds later the woman was lying in a blood pool, her eyes void of any emotion, void of life. The vampires were already gone.

“I'm sorry. I promise I'll take revenge for you,” I whispered to her lifeless body and then walked down the hall and got out of that house.

I looked at the garden around me and then glanced back at the house. There was a sign above the door’s frame where a number was written. I tried to remember it and strolled towards the road. A few blocks away, there was a playground and a bit further a church. I had all the information I needed to find them.

I was ready to wake up…

My eyes snapped open, and I tried to adjust my vision. The light that came through the curtains indicated it was almost noon. I got out of my bed and rushed to my grandparents’ bedroom, but they weren’t there. I run down at the kitchen and found my grandpa sipping his coffee, while my grandma was cooking.

“Good morning, angel,” Papa Peter said happily, but his brows furrowed as soon as he took in my troubled look. Our happiness was short-lived. We had to find these vampires, and punish them…

“I saw another murder. The victims were a human and his wife Ester; she was one of us,” I told them, and the cup my grandpa was holding broke into shreds.