Running along side her mother, Victoria grinned as the butterfly once again escaped her small outstretched hand. Her mother giggled and tackled her, knocking her into the field of flowers. The couple basked in the sun, high in the sky.
Victoria had only been alive for five years, seven months, and two days.
Childhood.
Gone.
1.
Promise
Screaming-again. Mercy recognized the scream immediately. Mother. This moment of her life had been relived over and over for almost 256 years now. She knew and dreaded the silence that came afterwards. After the scream and murder of her mother, the man, if you could call it a man, with those wings and eyes and teeth, the thing that had done it, turned to her. “Greetings. Now dearest, you be a good girl and let me feed on your blood. Your mother here,” he said in fluent, yet irregular French, motioning to the lifeless body laying in the doorway, “she didn’t let me feed, and so, I put her to sleep.” He smiled, showing white teeth, lined with blood, sharp and menacing. The eighteen year old girl whimpered and set her jaw stubbornly, whispering,
“I’m no child, fool! I know what you did.” She spat. “You broke her. You drank her blood. My mother’s blood, her life!” she fought the tears pushing at her eyes. “You would have killed her anyway, you spawn of Satan!” she looked away, and he frowned, speaking to her gently.
“Now, don’t judge simply by actions, darling. I only did it because if I don’t feed, I die.” The girl still wouldn’t meet his eye. “How would you like to make a deal with me, hm? Does that sound good?” She began to reply, but he cut her off, saying “Now before you say ‘no’ or anything of the sort, let me tell you the deal.” He smiled at her as she glanced up, getting a grimace in return. “It follows these rules: one, you let me… drink, two, I let you live, three, I give you the gift of a very long and healthy life. That’s it, no strings attached.” The girl looked disgusted, giving a laugh that held no humor.
“Yes, of course, ‘a very long and healthy life?’ is that all you could think of? Who do you think I am? I am no commoner!” the man looked down, seemingly ashamed.
“I’m sorry; I haven’t been in my human mind for quite a while, you know, I’ve almost forgotten how it works. So simple, yet complex at the same time.” He shook his head, then swallowed. “Yes, I would change you into one of my kind; you would be so powerful, given time, of course. No more people would dare hurt you. You wouldn’t be invincible, but you would be strong, so strong. You could live like no other human has ever lived before. I promise you. I promise you!” Then, seeing the denial in her eyes he knelt in front of her, a desperate, pleading look masking his formerly smug expression, “Please. I haven’t eaten for a month. Please.” The girl finally looked into his eyes, those blood red eyes, and saw the pain, the sorrow, the desperation, and the… hunger which lay beneath them. Her stubbornness melted away as she realized this man had suffered for more years than she had been alive. She felt a tear fall from her eye, a tear of pity, and she answered quietly.
***
Mercy woke up, tears streaming down her cheeks, breath coming in short gasps. She dreaded that dream. Everything about it made her wish she could change the past. New tears began to run down her cheeks, because she knew she had ruined her life that day, ruined her life, her mothers life, and many other people’s lives that day.
More tears came when she felt thirst, writhing and painful, and she swallowed a sob. She remembered the words the man had muttered after he changed her. As she had thrashed wildly on the ground, he had held his hand over his mouth muttering, with a mix of English and French, he’d said ‘No more. No more. Made a promise. Promise. Pro…mise…” She hadn’t understood the words then, but after the virus had taken over and the pain had lessened every memory she’d ever had had played before her eyes, up until that moment, with it frightening clarity and detail.
Worrying that Daniel- that was the beast’s name- might be in her dorm, she glanced around the dark room, which was slowly becoming illuminated by the rising sun. Her enhanced vision made it easy to see that no charming demons were lurking in the shadows. Nothing.
Well, almost nothing, there were snores coming from above her. She stood up, just to make sure- yep, just Cindy. Wiping the tears from her face and taking a couple deep breaths, she looked at her watch- 5:00am. She tried for a smile and nudged her roommate.
“Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead. It's morning. Think you can stay in bed just 'cause you ‘forgot’ to set your alarm? Poor mistake there, Cindy-win.”
“Hate your nicknames Mercy… win,” groaned her roommate, Cindy Wood.
“Yeah, but still, it is five o’clock am and you have class in thirty minutes, Winnie.” Mercy smiled. “Oh yeah, and Cinderella-bella? I woke up first so I get the bathroom first.” Cindy groaned. “Get up!” She laughed when she heard Cindy mutter something about ‘stupid Mercy and her stupid nicknames, then slipped into the privacy of the small bathroom.
Once inside, Mercy locked the door and turned to find her reflection staring disappointedly at her. Same old girl. It wasn’t safe to keep the same appearance as long as she had, but she couldn’t seem to let go of the last tie she had to her family. She looked exactly the same as she had decades ago. Same old green eyes, black hair, fair skin; same nineteen year old girl, but for how long? One hundred, two hundred years, maybe. At the thought of age, the true age came into her mind instantly- two hundred and seventy-four.
She stared in to those eyes, so old, so young, always different, and never changing. She sighed.
As if on cue, her eyes began to change, a dark rusty tint beginning to cover up the green.
“No. Not now, please,” she whispered, panic racing through her bloodstreams, racking her brain for ideas.
She opened her drawer, pulling out a sharpie; she began to write on the wall:
Surprise trip, back in a jiffy!
-M
As she stumbled towards the window, two knives were stabbed into her back. No, not knives from the behind, wings from inside. She felt the blood dripping down her back as the sharp black feathers ripped their way out of her skin. Her mouth crunched as her jaw moved to make room for her teeth, now long and sharp. Her fingertips bled as claws protruded from each finger. Her wings fluttered impatiently. Mercy got to the window, and seeing it was already open, she jumped.
***
The phone rang. Again, and again. After what seemed like hours of incessant noisemaking, Will fell asleep to the rhythm then woke again at the beep that told him he ‘had a new message’. Reaching blindly for the play button, he relaxed to listen to what would be the end of his relaxation.
“Hey, Will, it’s Roy. I know it’s your day off, but can you come in today? Well, I really need you to come in now, not later. This lady is seriously insane. She requested you personally, says she knows someone who heard about your ‘epic skills’, who even says that? Anyway, she won’t see anyone else, won’t reschedule either. She’s threatening to sue if we don’t get her the psychiatrist she wants and… can she even do that? You’re not even a real psychiatrist, no offense, man, but still. Anyway, whenever you get this, come in, Anderson is offering a raise if you can fix this lady. I didn’t know interns got paid at all. Thanks, bro. I’ll see you then.” The answering machine let out a high beep and said in a robotic female voice, “No. More. Messages.”. Will groaned and sat up.
Opening his eyes revealed that his alarm hadn’t even gone off yet. Five thirty-nine. Five freaking thirty-nine. He rolled out of bed, groaning and making silent promises to kill Roy and the customer who had him awake at such ungodly hours of the morning.
He stumbled through his shower, clothes, and breakfast. Then after a slight combing of short blond hair, he grabbed his suitcase, and stumbled out to his cheap black Kia.
now, I know it isnt the best, but i promise, it gets better!
thanks for reading!!
-Siena
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