| Chapter Five |
[Nov. 21st, 2004|11:00 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  calm | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Placebo | ] |
I woke up with a start. What woke me from my nap was the same vision I had had when Darrien and I had sex and drank one another’s blood, but this time, there were more details in the vision. The problem was I couldn’t recall the whole vision. It was almost as if someone was controlling the visions and only allowed me to see a little bit each time. Whoever or whatever it was, didn’t want me to know the entire truth of my very existence or the true nature of my friends. It bothered me. Hell, it didn’t just bother me; it pissed me off to no end! How unfair to keep something this important away from me! All my life, Mama had always found excuses just so she could avoid telling me what the big deal was with my powers and my visions. She even seemed scared when I told her how I could see into the future when I had the visions. The preternatural strength I was born with was getting stronger in me too as each year passed and I got older. Not to mention the telekinetic powers that I began doing when I was just a little over a year old. Only Mama, Chella and Michael knew about these things about me. Papa thought we were all just making up stories. He didn’t believe in such things. I was transforming slowly into some kind of inhuman thing and not only did that scare Mama to death; it scared me to death as well. From time to time I’d accidentally do something in front of Mama or even Chella and Michael, like move an object because I was angry or confused; it scared Mama so much that she began mentioning it to Papa. Both Chella and Michael thought what was happening to me was cool. That’s what they lead me to believe. Lately, I could pick up one someone’s thoughts. I didn’t have control of the powers so at random times that’s when these strange things about me happened. One night, I overheard Mama telling Papa something about vampires.
I turned over on my side and looked at my Hello Kitty alarm clock. The digital clock read, 7:45pm. I could literally feel that the sun had already set and the dark sky blanketed the world in her black void. That was something different for me. I never used to know if the sun was up or down. I had painted my windows with black tempera paint with cotton candy colored astrology glyphs. So when the sun would shine in, it would look like I had stained glassed windows in the colors of black and pink. Mama didn’t like the idea, but I had given her the reason that because I was up all night at the various shows we played at, I wouldn’t get home until after four sometimes even five in the morning. I couldn’t sleep during the day if the sun was pouring into my room. I needed total and complete darkness. Now I had added black shades over the three windows in my room and iridescent pink bead curtains in the shape of stars. I also made drapes out of cotton candy colored glittery sheer material and black lace. Chella and I had painted the walls of my room in the same color of pink and painted two coats of Elmer’s glue mixed with iridescent glitter over the pink. paint. The ceiling was painted black and I had taken over a week to stick glow-in-the dark stickers of our universe. At night, the Milky Way literally lit up my room because I had used two packages of star stickers to imitate it. Then I took the time to stick each and every single constellation that’s within our galaxy up on my ceiling and then added all of the planets and moons of our solar system. My bed was a black iron poster bed draped in the same glittery pink sheer material along the bars that connected at the top making my bed look almost like a canopy bed. I totally adored my bedroom. As for the rest of the furniture in my room, it was mostly black and pink. The shelves that I had hanging up on the walls were black. Most of them held candles and gemstones, crystals, and faery figurines.
I crawled out from under my fluffy pink, white and black comforter and pink
t-shirt material sheets and went over to my vanity to run my hair rake through my red curls. I gazed at my reflection. I was wearing a Tori Amos t-shirt and black sweatpants. That’s when I noticed my eyes actually looked like they were glowing. I closed them, counted to five and looked back into the mirror. They looked the same as always. Must have been a trick of all my silly and strange lights.
As I was sitting at my vanity, I tried with all my might to remember my dream. Maybe all that had happened to me last night was just that, a dream. Nothing more than an exotic scary dream. I pushed my hair all over to the side of my neck that Darrien hadn’t kissed and looked at my naked skin to see if I had any markings. There was none to be found. I sighed with relief. It had to be a dream then. Wouldn’t there be bite marks or even a hickie where Darrien had bitten me.
I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door. I didn’t say anything. I could feel Michael’s presence on the other side of the door. I was learning to recognize certain individuals’ essence. The way they smelled. I could even hear their hearts beating. Sometimes, I could actually read their thoughts. I didn’t think that was fair, so I tried not to strengthen that part of my mind powers.
“Raven, are you awake?” Michael called out.
“Yeah, come on in,” I told him. I put my hair rake down on the vanity and turned on the little matching bench so I could face the door.
Michael opened my bedroom door and stood there, staring at me as if he knew something. Then I felt Chella’s presence. Just feeling her essence reminded me of what she revealed to me at the apartment early this afternoon. The both of them walked into my room and went to my unmade bed and sat down.
“Did you forget that we have a show to perform at The Dungeon tonight?” Chella asked.
“Oh my God! I am so sorry. I completely forgot about it. I was just so sleepy when I got home after picking up my order from Aimee that I went straight to bed to take a nap.”
“It’s okay, it’s not like you don’t have enough time to get ready. We’re supposed to play at 11 o’ clock,” Chella said. She then looked over at Michael. He took that as a sign to leave the room while I tried gather all the things I needed to get ready. “We’ll just grab what she needs and meet you back at the car,” Chella told him.
“Okay. I’ll go ahead and warm the beast up,” he said with a little laugh. His poor Blazer was running on its last miles. I knew Michael wanted to get some money together along with the rest of the band and buy a van so we could transport all our instruments and equipment. Right now, we were using several cars and that was a big pain in the ass sometimes because of the parking, but that’s all we had for now.
“Go ahead and take Romania down to the Blazer,” I told him and pointed to where my cello was propped up against my closet door. “I promise I won’t be too long.”
Michael picked up my cello case and left my room. We could hear him taking two steps at a time going back downstairs and out to the driveway so he could start the Blazer.
“I tried to call you about two hours ago,” Chella said when we heard the front door open and close. “I left a few messages on your machine, but I guess you were too out of it to hear the phone ring or my stupid little messages.”
“I’m sorry, Chella. I don’t know why I’m so tired. Actually, now I’m not. I feel like I’ve slept for days on end. That’s weird. I usually always feel groggy when I first wake up.”
I got up, crossed my room and went to my closet to look through my collection of dresses. I picked out my favorite red velvet dress then went to my dresser and grabbed my black leather corset, fishnet stockings and red lace hand warmers. Chella asked me what pair of shoes I wanted to wear and I told her my thigh high Doc Martins. She went ahead and grabbed them and placed them in one of my black backpacks. I slipped my dress in a black garment bag and the rest of my outfit in the same backpack as my boots. Naturally I had my corset and accessories in a smaller bag that fit inside my backpack. That way, my shoes or boots wouldn’t rub any dirt on the rest of my outfit.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I put together the set list for tonight,” Chella said.
“Why would I mind?” I asked.
She shrugged her small shoulders. “Well, it is your band, after all.”
“It’s not my band, silly. It’s our band. We work together equally. Just because I’m the front woman, doesn’t mean I own the band.”
I walked back over to my vanity and grabbed my make-up case.
“Did you tell Darrien we had a show tonight?” Chella asked.
“Actually, no, I didn’t. Then again, if he reads the entertainment section of the paper, he’ll find out we have a gig at The Dungeon. I just hope the crowd isn’t like the last crowd we performed for.”
The last time we had played at The Dungeon, a bunch of skinheads had literally crashed the place to bits. Thankfully the stage was locked up with bars, just like some kind of ancient prison cell. The owners got the idea for adding the metal bars to protect the bands that played there. Too many times assholes would jump up onto the stage and then try to do stage diving back into the massive crowd. Some people got really hurt, so the bars went up and more security was hired to keep kids from trying to get up on the stage.
“Yeah, that last bunch of assholes we performed did enough damage by calling us freaks and whatnot. Sorry, but we’re not death metal.”
“SATAN RULES!” Chella growled. I laughed and gave her a big hug.
I checked my stuff to make sure I didn’t forget anything. Quickly, she changed into a t-shirt and jeans. We left my room and headed down the hardwood stairs to the front door. I grabbed my favorite pair of Doc Martin flats sitting next to the door on a shoe mat and slipped my feet into them. My house was an old Queen Anne style home. Papa and Mama moved into it when the restaurant became successful and they had enough money to move from the tiny little house on McGregor Avenue. Now we lived in a nice quiet neighborhood, where the only crime here was not keeping your yard mowed during the spring and summer, leaf free during the fall and your driveways and sidewalks snow free during the winter.
Chella lived with her mother and younger sister, Tessa, in a duplex in one of the small suburbs of the city. Michael lived a few blocks away from me with both his mother and father. He became an only child when his sister, Miranda, died from SIDS when Michael was at the age of 10. I didn’t meet him until we were in junior high. He had originally lived in Pittsburgh, but his father was promoted to a better paying job with the firm he worked for and therefore the whole family packed up and moved to New York City. His mother had insisted that they moved ever since Michael’s baby sister died. She didn’t want to be reminded of Miranda.
Chella, on the other hand, had been my friend since pre-school. I remembered the first day we met. She was a loner, just like me and during our recess period, I decided to introduce myself to her. After that, we became the best of friends and always looked out for one another.
As for the rest of band members, some of them were in there early twenties and didn’t live around here until recently. How we managed to meet them and form a band was pure luck.
Michael, Chella and I wrote a few songs and tried to play them without a full band. It was Michael’s idea to have auditions for perspective members and advertised in the want ads for band members. We had a pretty big turn out, but as soon as we met, Fredrick, Marcus and Sissi, I knew it was meant to be. What little money we made, we saved up so we could buy this old abandon Victorian mansion and set up a recording studio in there. For the most part, we hung out there almost all the time. To us, it was our home away from home.
The day we found the mansion was quite a day. It was during the summer and Fredrick had bought some blotter acid for all of us then suggested we go ghost hunting. He claimed that the woods we were going to explore were haunted. We thought it would be cool to check it out. The woods were located in a small town twenty minutes away from the city –a twenty to thirty minute drive out of the city, when the traffic wasn’t horrendous. What we found instead of a bunch of ghosts was this an old abandon Victorian mansion. We broke in and fell in love with the place. It was in major need of repairs, but to us, it was the absolute perfect place to have our band practice and record our music. Marcus’ father was a lawyer and helped us buy the place. We didn’t do much with the house right away. But now we were in the process of remodeling it and turning one of the largest rooms downstairs into a music studio. I remembered the one day we recorded one of our songs, trying to learn some of the new equipment. Talk about funny! We had made so many mistakes that when we listened to ourselves on the playback, it had us laughing hysterically. Here, we had accidentally recorded our song at a slower speed. My voice sounded like some operatic woman overdosed on valium, as for the rest of the instruments, they came out sounding all distorted and weird. That was when Marcus asked his father for a laptop computer and basically became our sound engineer. No one argued. We all knew that Marcus was a computer geek.
Chella and I ran out to Michael’s Blazer and headed into the city.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We arrived at The Dungeon while one of the horrible hard-core bands was playing. The dressing room was just this small room painted in dark purple with various kinds of graffiti written and painted on the walls. A long cafeteria-type table was set up against the furthest wall from the doorway. Two full-length mirrors were hung on the wall with clear Christmas lights hanging around each mirror near the table. There wasn’t any place to change so the guys waited outside while us girl quickly got into our outfits. Chella decided to where an ivory colored gown that she bought at Hot Topic. Sissi wore her usual vinyl attire. Only tonight, she didn’t wear a corset. She wore a cat suit instead. My dress was floor-length, but instead of just wearing the red velvet dress, I wore a black corset over it, giving it more of a Goth look. Once we were dressed, the guys came in the room and watched us do our hair and make-up. Marcus was checking all the files we used for most of our songs on his silver laptop. Fredrick was tuning his bass and string bass. Michael sat quietly in one of the corners practicing some of our songs on his white Fender guitar. For some reason or another, he was avoiding me. Sure, when we were driving here, he talked to me, but the conversation was focused on the show and the songs Chella decided we should do tonight. Occasionally, we drifted into silence and just listened to the music pouring from his stereo. I knew he was avoiding eye contact with me. That worried me. Why was he not looking at me or talking to me?
Finally it was our turn to perform. We walked out on the stage. The crowd was mainly dressed like a bunch of Goth and S & M wannabes. Marcus plugged his laptop into their system so he could control our lights and sound effects that played along with us during some of our numbers. He truly was a genius when it came to all that stuff. The crowd wasn’t as rowdy as the last crowd we performed for. I took my seat in the middle of the stage, adjusted the two microphones I used. One for my cello and one for me to sing into. The rest of the band took their places and the show began.
We opened the show with the first two songs we played on Halloween night. The rest of the set list Chella chose was a lot grungier and a hell of a lot louder than what we played at my parents’ restaurant. The crowd danced in their trance like state of mind ways. When I gazed out into the crowd I noticed Darrien again. He was wearing an all black suit and sitting clear at the back of the room by the bar. I also noticed another gentleman dressed in a dark suit and tie. When we had showed up, someone who was in one of the other bands said there was a talent scout out in the audience. As soon as I saw the other man, I knew he was the talent scout.
While we played, I saw that man smile and nod as if to say, Yes! This is the band I was hoping to find. After our show, we went back to the dressing room to change our clothes and packed up all of our equipment and instruments. That’s when we heard someone knocking on the dressing room door. Michael got up from where he was sitting and went to answer it. There stood the man in the suit smiling.
“The Children of Gaia, I take it?” the man asked.
Michael nodded and allowed the man to come into the room with us. I stood up from the so-called make-up table and went over to the man. His smile grew wider and I reached out to shake his hand and introduce all of us. As soon as I touched him, I saw another vision.
I was standing near this giant castle, unlike the kind that Darrien resided in. There were thirteen men and women standing by the front doors. Each of them looked like they were in their 30’s and 40’s, but their eyes said that they were centuries older. I smiled and nodded to them. They all smiled back at me. A woman came towards me and reached out to take my hand. I held my hand out for her to grab. Her hand was cold as ice. Then she spoke to me. “It’s an honor to meet you, dear Raven. We’ve been keeping an eye on you.” Then the vision ended. I was still shaking the man’s hand.
“I’ve been watching you guys at several of your shows and I must say that I’m completely and utterly impressed!”
Everyone thanked him.
“My name is Vincent Blake. I represent CrossRoads record label. It’s a small label, because we haven’t had a chance to build up our list of artists as of yet. I was wondering if we could all meet somewhere and have a late night dinner and talk.”
Everyone looked at me, practically begging me with their eyes to say ‘yes’.
“Well, I guess that would be okay.”
“Great! I know this fantastic Chinese restaurant near by. We could meet there in,” he looked at his watch, “in about an hour?”
“Sounds good to me,” I said and looked at everyone else. “Any objections?”
No one said anything. “I guess that’s a date then, Mr. Blake.”
“Please call me Vincent. Mr. Blake just sounds too formal for my liking.”
With that, Vincent left and we all stood in silence for a few moments. That’s when Sissi yelled, “It’s about fucking time! I was beginning to think there was no chance of becoming famous.”
We all laughed and hugged one another. Michael just nodded as if he knew something we didn’t know. I didn’t care one way or another. Now was our chance at becoming something! Sissi was right. We knew we were one of the best bands that played at all the clubs we were booked at.
We quickly loaded our three vehicles with all of our stuff and drove to the Chinese restaurant to meet up with Vincent. Before I hopped into Michael’s Blazer, I saw Darrien standing in the shadows across the parking lot. I’d have to talk to him or see him later. This was our big break and I wasn’t about to screw it up for some guy.
The restaurant was somewhat empty when we pulled into the small gravel parking lot next to the building. I grabbed my messenger bag and cigarettes and got out of Michael’s dying Blazer. Chella hopped out onto the parking lot from the back seat and Michael lock his door and shut it. Sissi came by herself. Her drum set hogged up her entire car, a two door Honda Civic that once had been her mother’s, up until two years ago. Fredrick and Marcus came in Marcus’ silver Ford Escort. Once we were out of the cars, we crossed the parking lot and went towards the entrance to the restaurant. Vincent was already there waiting for us at one of the largest tables sitting at the back of the dining area. We usually came to Chow’s Chinese Restaurant after we played at The Dungeon because of how late the restaurant stayed opened. Joe Chow loved the late-night crowd. He always said it was his way of sobering up the drunks with good Chinese food. Plus he knew most people who went to The Dungeon got the munchies from smoking pot. He was an ex-hippie, which was strange, so to speak. His grandfather opened the restaurant back during the 70’s. Now Joe owned it.
No one felt like eating too much, so we just ordered a little bit of this and a little bit of that and shared it amongst ourselves. After we were nearly finished eating, Vincent brought out a black leather briefcase that was under his chair and opened it.
“Now I know your band doesn’t have a manager, so I would like to offer my services as not only a manager, but money resource. I know for the most part that you’re not making big bucks on your little gigs. So, I would gladly hook you up with bigger and better gigs and more places, plus take care of all the expenses. My secretary, Viktoria will handle all your bills and paychecks.”
We all looked at one another. I was sure I heard everyone’s thoughts. It was so hard for me not to tune them out. I needed to practice on tuning out people’s conversations in their heads. But what I was hearing at that moment was all-good. Everyone wanted this just as much as I did.
By the end of our meal, we had looked over the contracts and signed up. I don’t think any of us realized how fast things like this could happen. Our next step was to record a demo for the record company themselves. That way, we could finally mix our first CD. I could hear Marcus’ thoughts about our little recording studio. Michael was quiet as a mouse. He was sending me strange vibes that I quiet didn’t understand. Chella was thinking about buying new clothes. Sissi was thinking of casting a good luck spell for the band. Fredrick was paying more attention to the waitress behind the small bar near where we were sitting. I was basically thinking of the bands future and Darrien. I couldn’t wait to tell him the good news.
Vincent paid our bill, shook each of our hands and said he would be in touch soon. As we walked back to our cars, I could feel everyone’s excited vibes. It made me smile. If this turned out well, I wouldn’t go off to college. This is what I really wanted. I just didn’t see myself as a music instructor or teacher.
Michael unlocked his Blazer and Chella climbed into the back. I climbed in and sat next to Michael, who was fumbling with a CD. He handed me his baggie of weed and glass pipe so I could fill it.
Michael drove us towards our Victorian mansion. The CD that was playing was one of my favorites. Danielle Dax sang her strange songs and I just sat there on the dark grey bucket seat smiling and singing along with her. We passed the pipe around, packing it three times before we reached the mansion. We were totally stoned. I even noticed Michael’s mood had changed. He seemed happier than he had been earlier. He parked near the front door, and kept the Blazer running. The three of us were singing together and dancing in our seats. When the song was over, he turned the engine off and we got out and walked up the stone walkway to the porch and unlocked the door.
Fred and Ginger came running out of nowhere to greet us. Chella and I picked them up and loved them. Michael went straight to the kitchen to get us something to drink. I put Ginger down and went to the phone to call Mama. No one answered, so I left a message on the machine telling her that Michael, Chella and I were staying at the Victorian for the night and I had a surprise to tell them.
Chella put Fred down and went around the room and lit some candles and incense. I joined her and did the same, then went to the stereo to pick out some music to listen to. Since we were in such a good mood, I picked out a CD that I had made with various artists. Chella and I began to dance around the living room. Michael came out with a bottle of champagne and three tall crystal glasses that we bought at a second hand store.
He popped the cork and champagne poured out spraying the floor and me. I laughed and pretended to be a cat and licked the fizzy alcohol off my arms. Chella laughed and hugged me and we began laughing again. Michael handed us each a glass.
“A toast to the best Goth band in the world!” he said.
We raised our glasses, gently hit the tips of our glasses up against each other’s, and then gulped down the sparkling liquid. Michael poured more champagne in our glasses then to my surprise, he gave me a quick peck on the lips. Chella stood there and smiled. I smiled like a silly teenager. That certain part of me was slowly to beginning die. I knew she was still inside my body, but for some reason or another, my transformation was beginning to happen. Maybe Darrien was the key. I promised to myself that after Chella and Michael went to bed that I would go to Darrien and talk to him. Until then, I would share this exciting moment with my two best friends.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Darrien paced back and forth waiting for Raven’s return from the Victorian mansion. He felt her reaching out to him with her mind when she had left with Chella and Michael, but he had ignored her because of Vincent. He had seen Vincent earlier in The Dungeon and after the show with Raven and her band. He had felt something was being planned for them. Vincent could shield his thoughts and this disturbed Darrien greatly to know end. Vincent was an Elder of The Crossroads. The Crossroads was the world in which the Gods and Goddesses lived and came from; a world where Witches, Sorcerers, Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Vampires, and Fae came from. It was the place where the unbelievable creatures lived. It was the realm in which the living did not believe in and yet constantly tried to find and hunt down.
Darrien sent out a mental message to Hollise, practically begging her to come to his home at once.
Something’s up if the Crossroads sent an Elder down here.
Her response was I’m in Europe and in the middle of dinner. I don’t want to be bothered at the moment. I will talk to you when I wake from the day sleep. Just don’t go and do something stupid and reckless, Darrien. Guard your door. Sleep well and I will talk to you tomorrow night.
Finally, the grandfather clock chimed 4:00 in the morning when Raven showed up. She was standing in the archway to his grand parlor. He felt her before he even saw her standing there. He went to her and held her close to his body. The smell of her was so intoxicating. When he wrapped his arms tightly around her and inhaled the sweet musky scent of her skin and all the essential oils she constantly wore, he let out a growl of hunger and lust. His lustful need for her turned into a deep seeded hunger and Darrien’s vampire teeth began to grow. He knew his eyes were glowing under his contacts that he had made especially to disguise himself from the community. He didn’t want certain people to recognize him. He began kissing and licking at the sides of her neck. Then scratched her pale pale skin and caused tiny bits of blood to rise to the surface. The taste of her blood was sweet. Sweet, just like her. Like perfectly aged wine that's sat out to breathe and sipped.
“Please, Darrien, I can’t control myself whey I’m around you,” she moaned as she exposed her neck to him.
“The same goes for me, my love,” he replied still licking at the tiny lines of blood.
“What are you doing to me?” She asked, yet not backing from him.
She gazed up and looked towards the antique mirror hanging on the wall in front of them. Seeing both of their reflections confused her. I thought vampires couldn’t be seen in mirrors? She returned her attention to Darrien and gazed into his eyes. A slight ice-blue tint skimmed the edges of the brown colored contacts he must have been wearing. Raven shivered. When she looked back at the mirror, she saw that her own eyes ice-blue eyes cast off the exact same iridescent blue as Darrien's.
Darrien’s teeth pierced her skin and he began to drink deeply from her. She wrapped an arm up around his neck and urged him to drink more. Suddenly, Raven began to feel the same exact fangs began to grow in her mouth. She took in a deep breath. The pain was more exhilarating than painful. She grew more excited. Her senses multiplied and she could smell her own blood that spilled into Darrien’s mouth.
He pulled her dress up, gripped the waistband of her panties, and ripped them off of her. Darrien removed his mouth away from her neck. With complete ease, he picked her up and carried her into the parlor to one of the maroon couches.
Lust was taking over Raven. She wanted him more than anything in the
world –even more than she wanted Michael. Darrien positioned himself underneath her. Her hands fumbled with the buckled of his pants. Her hands began trembling with anticipation. Once his pants were unbuckled, she helped him get out of them. He looked up at her face and saw that her teeth had grown. He saw another woman –the woman who he had seduced years ago. That particular woman he had seduced fought it every bit of the way. Now that she was like him, she took great pleasure in torturing him.
Shaking the vision of the other woman out of his head, he concentrated more on the woman who seemed to be doing the seducing him at that very moment. God, how he wanted her! Raven wanted him just as much. Without any articles of clothing to keep them from their ritualistic pleasure, he gently slid himself inside her. She let out a moan and purred with satisfaction.
Raven ran her hands up and down his chest. Her hands found newfound strength and she torn open Darrien’s tailors silk shirt. When he looked up into her eyes, she gave him a sly grin. They found the perfect rhythm and Darrien moaned. Vampires couldn’t have sex with humans. Only humans who carried the vampire virus within their
blood—the key to transformation—were able to engage in sex. It had been such a long time for Darrien. His companion of late just teased him and ignored his needs. She felt he needed to suffer now that she could go anywhere in the world and do whatever the hell she wanted to do. Darrien was angry at her for leaving him, but let her go knowing something—someone—out there was better. He had high hopes for Raven and hoped she would be his companion for eternity.
Raven lowered her mouth onto his neck and licked the skin. Her tongue felt like fire to Darrien. He thought for sure that he would explode from the heat from her slowly dying human body. That’s when he felt her fangs pierce his neck. Immediately, he did the same to hers. Darrien growled like some kind of animal and began drinking her blood. The both began feeding off of each other. The more blood Raven drank the further and further she pushed her mind to see if she if she would see anymore visions. |
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| Chapter Four |
[Nov. 18th, 2004|09:04 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  cold | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Switchblade Symphony | ] |
Chapter Four
Michael woke up before Chella. They had decided to stay at the apartment over night, that way as soon as Raven got back, they could ask her about her date and whatnot. Michael just wanted to know what had happened. Well, not really. He didn’t want to know anything that she did with Darrien. Chella, however, was interested on how well Raven’s date had gone. He turned over on his back and stared up at the ceiling.
Chella made her way down the small hallway and went into the bathroom. She didn’t bother turning the light on and just sat down on the toilet. Her head was pounding and she felt as if she hadn’t showered in days. When she was through using the toilet, she climbed out of her clothes and turned the shower on. She took her lighter and lit the seven candles that were scattered about the bathroom. Wax was caked on the top of the sink and the back of the toilet from previous candles and on a shelf that hung right directly above the toilet. An incense burner was sitting on the same shelf above the toilet along with a box of lavender, sandalwood, and cypress incense. She took out a stick of lavender, lit it, and placed it in the tiny hole of the ash catcher.
Chella climbed into the tub and let the hot water from the shower rain over her body. She inhaled deeply and smelled the lavender incense. It would help her pounding head. At least she hoped it would.
Michael rolled back over on his side and stared blankly at the closet door with a poster Raven loved dearly. It was an abstract painting of a cello with music notes swirling around it. The apartment was furnished with three bedrooms. The bedroom he had slept in was mainly decorated with purple and black tapestries of Celtic knot work designs and astrology glyphs. It was his favorite bedroom. Many nights, after he and Raven had gone club hopping, they’d share the double bed in this room. He smiled to himself and grabbed the pillow that Raven always used. He buried his face deeply into the pillow and inhaled the perfumes, shampoo, and aromatherapy oils Raven used religiously. He heard the shower running in the bathroom right across the hallway from the bedroom. Chella must be up, he thought.
He climbed out of bed and pulled his jeans on over his boxer shorts. His pack of Camels was sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. He took out a cigarette from the battered pack and lit it.
“Well I suppose I should brew a pot of coffee,” he mumbled with the cigarette hanging from his mouth. An ash fell on the floor and he used his sock covered foot to rub the ash into the rug.
He left the bedroom and walked up the hallway. He stopped at the third bedroom door that was closed and gently opened it. There, lying on the bed, was Raven, sound asleep. He wondered when she got back. A surge of jealousy swept through him as he remembered that she had gone out with that Darrien character after the show. He didn’t like Darrien one bit. He knew that Darrien was dangerous. That’s why he had tried to stop Raven from going out with Darrien last evening. Something wasn’t right about Darrien. He didn’t want Raven to date anyone other than himself; of course that’s what the problem was. He was too damn shy to make the first moved. Perhaps one day he’d tell Raven the truth about how he felt about her, just not this day.
Quietly, Michael shut the bedroom door and continued towards the kitchen. He put a teakettle full of water on the stovetop, knowing Raven hated coffee. Then he prepared the coffee machine with his favorite French Roasted coffee.
Chella was finished with her shower and joined Michael in the kitchen. Wrapped in a white terrycloth robe, hair spiked out every which way with molding gel, and her favorite pair of fuzzy pink slippers covering her tiny feet, she sat down at the little dinette table.
“Good morning,” Michael said to her. She looked up at the wall clock and smiled. It was almost two in the afternoon.
“Do we still have that bottle of Feverfew?” She asked thinking about her pounding head.
“No, but we do have some Excedrin,” Michael said and opened the cupboard that held all of Raven and Chella’s New Age remedies. He grabbed the white bottle of Excedrin and handed it over to Chella. “Raven hasn’t gone to Aimee’s Herbal Shoppe that I know of to buy any of her herbal pills and aromatherapy oils. She’ll probably do that tomorrow.”
“I’m going to go today,” Raven said as she entered the kitchen. She plopped down in the seat closest to Chella. Her crimson curls were all disarrayed from sleep and she was wearing her favorite t-shirt of The Cure with their album logo of “Head on the Door,” a pair of black satin pajama bottoms and a pair of cotton candy pink and glitter fuzzy slippers. “I feel like total shit and I need to get my monthly supply of goodies. I already called her earlier to place my order.”
Chella and Michael looked at Raven and waited for her to say something about her date with Darrien. She didn’t say anything. Instead, she stood up and went over to the cupboard above the sink and took out three mugs and placed them down on the countertop. She then reached into the freezer for her instant Chai’ Tea. Since she didn’t live at the apartment, she always stored her tea and Michael’s favorite coffee in the freezer to keep it fresh not to mention a carton or two of cigarettes. Even the supply of cigarettes was low. Just a few lonely packs sat on one of the shelves.
The teakettle let out its horrible shrill and Raven went over to the stove to take the kettle off the burner. Michael began to pour coffee for Chella and himself, and then sat down on the other side of Chella. Raven made her cup of Chai’ tea, added hazelnut creamer and joined them.
The three of them sat in silence sipping at their steaming mugs of coffee and Chai’ tea. Finally, Chella couldn’t stand it any longer, she asked Raven how her date went with Darrien.
“Oh, Chella, he’s such a gentleman. I’ve never in all my life met a man like that. And his house! It’s magnificent! It actually looks like an old Medieval castle. He claimed it’s been in his family for 300 plus years.”
“What did you guys do?” Michael dared to ask.
“Nothing really,” Raven said after she took a sip from her mug. The hot hazelnut and vanilla flavored tea tasted like Heaven. It warmed and gradually woke Raven’s body up. “we rode around in this old carriage and then he took me back to his place.”
“What the hell did you do there?” Michael questioned. He was getting irritated hearing Raven’s discussing her wonderful evening.
“We just talked the entire time, and well, I got a little drunk off a bottle of vintage burgundy wine. God, I wish we could get some of that wine. Too damn expensive for my poor ass, but not taste, that’s for sure. You know, I can’t even give you an estimate on the cost of that particular burgundy. He told me it was made back in the late 1800’s, so it was pretty potent. I only had two glasses of the burgundy and a glass of champagne.”
“That wine must have been potent to get you drunk, considering your consumption of Absinthe all the time.” Chella said. “What did you guys talk about?”
Michael got up from the table and poured the remains of his coffee down the sink and washed his mug, setting it off to the side in the dish drainer.
“I hate to do this to you two, but I have some important things to do today, so I gotta run,” he announced.
Both Raven and Chella looked at him strangely. What sort of important things did he have to do on the day after Halloween? Chella felt he was just making an excuse to get out of there so the two girls could talk. She smiled at Michael. Raven didn’t look up at him. Michael took that as a cue to head out. “Well, I’ll catch up with you two later.”
“Okay,” Chella replied.
“Yeah, sure. See ya later,” Raven said, still not making eye contact with him.
Michael went into the living room, grabbed his backpack, disc man, and headphones, and then went back to the bedroom to retrieve his costume and cigarettes. He left without saying a good-bye to either Chella or Raven.
“What’s up with him?” Raven asked as soon as the door to the apartment closed shut.
“Who knows? Forget about him. Tell me more about your evening. I know you’re hiding something, girl. I can see it in your eyes. You guys did more than just talk.”
Raven blushed. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Michael.”
“I could tell. So?”
“Okay, from the beginning then,” Raven started. “we did talk quite a bit, even when we got back to his castle-like home. He introduced me to his butler. Real nice elderly man. Darrien claimed that Jackson, that’s the butler’s name, worked for not only him, but his father and his grandfather! We were going to have a late night dinner, but after I drank that one glass of that burgundy I mentioned, I began to get all dizzy and kinda sick. Darrien asked me to stay over. At first, I thought he only wanted to have sex with me when he invited me to stay over. But that wasn’t why he wanted me to stay. He was worried about me and offered a room for me to sleep in.”
Chella got up and went back to the coffee pot and poured herself another mug. Raven handed Chella her mug and she made her another mug of tea and handed it back to her. She sat back down, took a cigarette out of the pack that sat on the table and lit it. Raven did the same.
“And then?”
“I don’t know,” Raven said shaking her head from side to side. “everything that happened after I drank that glass made me feel like I was in some kind of a dream.”
Chella looked worried, “You’re telling me that you don’t remember what happened after you got drunk off of one glass of wine?”
“No, that’s just it. I do remember exactly what happened.” Raven reached over and took Chella’s hand. “Chella, I lost my virginity last night.”
Chella gasped. She wasn’t sure whether to be happy or to be worried over the whole situation.
“The strange thing about the whole sex thing was I wanted it to happen. I kept thinking to myself that I shouldn’t do it, but I couldn’t control my body.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Chella said.
“Something happened while we had sex, Chella. Something scary, yet it was amazing!”
“That’s called an orgasm, dear.”
“You’re funny. I know what an orgasm is, dummy! It’s not like I haven’t masturbated before.”
The two girls giggled.
“Well, what happened then?”
Raven looked down at her mug. Both hands tightly clenched around it. She wasn’t sure if she could tell Chella. Hell, she wasn’t sure if what she had done and had seen really happened. And then there was the vision of Chella dressed up like some exotic Goddess that somewhat frightened her. The past two years, Raven had been having precognitive experiences. Each and every single one of them had come true. Some took longer than others to happen, but they always happened and Raven couldn’t do a damn thing to change the Fate of these visions. She began to wonder if seeing Chella while she and Darrien had had sex was something of the future or the past or the present, or if it was truly real.
“Raven, what’s wrong?” Chella asked. Raven looked up from the mug and looked Chella in the eyes. “I don’t know if something’s wrong or not.”
“What on earth do you mean?”
“I think I know my destiny, Chella. No, scratch that, I know what my destiny is.”
Chella nodded. The time had finally come for Raven to discover her true destiny.
“I always knew I was different, but I didn’t know how different. All my life, Mama kept this secret of who I am or what I am. I once overheard Mama and Papa arguing about me. It was during that argument when I heard Papa yell at her, ‘There are no such things as vampires!’ I never had enough courage to ask her about that argument. As I began growing up, my so-called powers changed. They grew more powerful and more intense,” Raven stopped. She lit another cigarette with trembling hands.
“Chella, I think I’m half human and half vampire.”
Chella smiled. “Raven, I have something to tell you.”
“I bit Darrien while we were having sex and he bit me,” she said not paying attention to her friend. She was in shock. “I drank his blood, Chella! I drank his fucking blood and I liked it! No, I loved it! I needed it!”
“Calm down, Raven, please,” Chella pleaded with her best friend.
“It doesn’t have that taste like you’ve been sucking on a penny. It’s sweet and exotic!”
“Raven, please, I have to tell…”
“I’m a goddamn vampire!” Raven interrupted. “I saw things while I drank from Darrien.”
Chella kept quiet and sat there waiting for Raven to tell her about what she’d seen.
“I saw Darrien with his arms wrapped around this woman. She looked somewhat like me, but her eyes where really dark brown and her hair was jet black. Then I turned and I saw you!”
Chella held her breath.
“You had extremely long blonde hair and you were wearing this sheer blue gown. You had some kind of crown on your head and you were holding a staff! There was this bright blue gemstone at the tip of the staff and it was glowing. And the crown you had on looked like one of those crowns that Wiccan priestess’ wear. You know the ones with a crescent moon cast in the very center? The same crescent moon was on the staff as well. Do you understand what it all means?”
Chella nodded. “Yes, I know exactly what that was all about. I know a lot of things that you don’t know.”
“What does it mean?” Raven asked.
“I think it’s time you and I had a heart to heart talk.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Michael sat in his bedroom at his desk. He needed to take his mind off of Raven and Darrien. It was so hard for him to concentrate on playing his computer video game, The Sims. It wasn’t often that he’d play the game, but he didn’t want to play his guitar. He didn’t want to write poems. He didn’t want to write in his journal. Nothing was working, so he turned off his game and shut down the computer.
Michael went over to his bed and sat down. He wanted to cry, but crying was for girls, that’s what they always say. Try as he might, the tears came anyway.
“Why’d you have to come back?” Michael asked. He wasn’t talking to anyone in his room. He was talking to someone who was dangerous. It scared him that Raven’s destiny was finally coming true. He knew the day would come when all the secrets would be revealed to her. How horrible it must be not to know who you are and who everyone in your life really is, he thought to himself.
The phone on his nightstand rang. Michael looked over at the Caller ID machine, it was Chella. He reluctantly picked up the black cordless phone and pressed the “talk” button.
“Hello?”
“Michael, it’s happened!” Chella exclaimed.
“I know. I felt it when she sat down with us in the kitchenette earlier. Did you tell her anything?”
“I had no choice. I didn’t tell her everything. I just told her about me. She had a vision of me when she drank…”
“Please, I don’t want to know about what she did. What was in the vision?”
Chella was silent for a moment. He could hear her close her bedroom door and then turned on her stereo. Michael knew things were happening way too fast. Plus, the way Chella was acting, he knew that soon, Raven would begin the transformation.
“Chella?” Michael said softly.
“Sorry. Mom’s downstairs and I didn’t want her to hear this conversation. I know she’s not listening on the other end of the phone. Be that as it may, I think it would be wise to meet at the old mansion. Everyone else is meeting us there.”
“You’ve already contacted everyone?” Michael asked feeling a bit jealous that he was the last to know.
“No, but I’m calling them after I hang up with you.” She replied.
“Oh. Well, I need to go and get cigarettes and then I’ll see you and everyone else at the mansion. I knew this was coming. I felt it when I saw him.”
“I know you did, Michael. I didn’t right away, then I had this dream last night after we had gotten drunk and stoned and I knew Raven…well, I won’t talk about it, since I know how you feel about her.”
Michael sighed. “I’m scared for her, Chella.”
“Don’t worry, Michael. Everything will be okay.”
“I sure hope so.”
“I’ll see ya later then.”
“Yeah, see ya later.” Michael said then pressed the “end” button on his phone. He wanted to throw the phone across the room. He was that pissed off and scared.
“Why now? What do you want me to do?” He asked looking up towards the ceiling of his room.
Michael got up, grabbed his black leather jacket and car keys, and then headed down to the garage. Thankfully no one was home to bother him. He loved his parents, but they could really be nosey sometimes, especially lately. He walked through the empty house and out the side door from the kitchen and into the garage. He got in his poor battered up metallic black Chevy Blazer and started it. Music blasted away from the car stereo and he turned down the volume. Soon he was heading down the road to the small convenience store to buy a carton of Camels.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I went back to the bedroom and gathered up my costume, cello, and used the outside entrance to leave. I didn’t want to run into Mama or Papa. All I wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and go back to bed, but I had to stop at Aimee’s to pick up my order. Maybe after I picked it up, I’d go home and get some more sleep. Too much was going on in my head and Chella just made matters worse by telling me about what I’d seen in the vision when I drank Darrien’s blood.
“My God, this is really happening, isn’t it?” I said.
I walked over to my red Toyota and hopped in. I put my favorite CD in my portable CD player then backed out of the parking lot behind our family restaurant. I felt like I was in a daze or something. I didn’t even realize that I was parking my car along the street in front of Aimee’s store.
I got out of the car, locked it, then went up to the door to the herbal shop. I could already smell the various herbs that Aimee sold before I opened the door to her store. I could also hear the peaceful music she was playing on the store’s little sound system. The chimes on the door twinkled as I opened the door and entered the store.
Aimee was with a customer telling them something about one of her essential oils. The chimes hanging from the door made her look towards me. She gave me a warm smile and then returned to the customer. At the back of the shop, Aimee had a small supply of Wiccan books, talismans, incense, and other pagan trinkets. I walked up to the bookshelf and glanced at the titles of the books. I was looking for something about vampires, but I was out of luck. Maybe I could ask her if she knew where I could acquire any books on vampires. I’m sure though, the only books out there were fictional. I was still having a hard time believing what had happened to me at Darrien’s.
Just the very thought of him made me blush and tingle. Maybe what happened was a dream. Even though my heart and my body were telling me it wasn’t a dream. It was all real. Now everything would change. Not just myself, but my life.
“Hiya, Raven!” Aimee greeted me. She saw I was looking at her small collection of books. “Looking for anything in particular?”
“Actually, yes. I wanted to read up on any books about vampires. And I don’t mean like Bram Stoker’s Dracula.”
“I figured you didn’t mean fiction. You sure are obsessed with vampires, aren’t you?”
“You could say that,” I said.
“Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I don’t carry any books about vampires. Just your average ordinary Wiccan books. Oh, and books on Gods and Goddesses.”
I hadn’t even given that a thought. “Do you have a book on Goddesses that you recommend?”
Aimee nodded and ran her fingers along the spines of the books. She took out a book and handed it to me. “Why the sudden change in reading material?”
“Oh, nothing, you know I love reading just about anything.” I looked down at the cover of the book. My eyes grew wide when I saw the cover. There, as plain as day, was a woman with long blonde hair wearing a crescent moon crown.
“I love that picture!” Aimee said. “It’s supposed to be the moon Goddess, Diana. I sure as heck wished I looked like her.”
I smiled. Poor Aimee had been picked on all her life for being overweight, so I felt close to her in a sense that she was a victim of cruelty like I had been.
“Do want to buy that book along with your order?”
“Sure.”
Together we walked over to the counter where her antique register sat. She grabbed a bag and a box from underneath the counter and placed them next to the register. There was an order form taped onto the box that Aimee took off and began ringing up the total of everything. While she rang up the items, I flipped through the pages of the book.
“Your order comes to $157.95, the book is free.” She said with a smile.
“Oh, honey, you don’t have to do that. I can pay for the book.” I told her.
“I already gave you a discount and that book needs a good home to go to. I know you’ll like it. Maybe you should talk to Sissi about Wicca. If you’re interested in practicing witchcraft.”
Sissi was a frequent customer as well. She was a practicing Wiccan and practically lived day by day by taking advice from her beloved tarot deck. Maybe I should talk to her. She might be able to tell me what this whole business with Chella was all about.
I handed Aimee my credit card and waited for her to process it. She had to use an out of date credit card machine. The kind that you place a credit card on a manual metal device, then put a carbon copy slip over the card and slide the roller across so the numbers printed out. She wrote the total of items and the total, along with her special V.I.P. discount then handed me the receipt to sign. She handed me the carbon copy and my credit card. I folded the receipt and put it and my credit card back in my pink vinyl messenger bag.
“You need some help carrying all this stuff to your car?” Aimee asked.
“Nah, I got it. Thank again!”
“Hey, no prob', Raven. You’re one of my favorite customers. Next time though, don’t wait until you run out of your supplies. It’s just like taking medicine, if you skip a dose, everything gets all fucked up.”
“Yes, Dr. Aimee,” I said with a smile. “Well, I better get going. I’m absolutely bushed from partying too much last night.”
“Speaking of last night, you guys sounded great! I forgot to tell you that when you called me. You should really check out some record companies or something.”
“I didn’t see you last night at the restaurant.” I said changing the subject.
“That’s because you were distracted by a charming Victorian man.”
The thought of Darrien brought back the tingling sensation again. I smiled. “Yes, he is charming.”
“I’ll say! He’s all that and a bag of chips!” We both laughed.
Aimee walked ahead of me to hold the door open for me. I told her I’d see her around, then went back to my car. I opened the passenger door and placed my order on the tan bucket seat and went around to the driver’s side and climbed in. I wanted to read the book on Goddesses right away, but decided to head for home, take my shower, then read it.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chella was the first to arrive at the once abandon old Victorian mansion. Everyone in the band wanted to buy the place since the day they found it. So, Marcus went out of his way to find out everything about the place. All they needed to do was pay the back taxes on it and it was theirs. They raised the money from all of their shows and went ahead and bought the house. Now the old Victorian mansion was where they hung out and began building a recording studio in the one of the largest rooms on the first floor. There was still a lot of stuff that needed to be fixed up, but other than that, the place was perfect. The closest neighbor was at least five miles down the road, so there wasn’t anyone around to complain about the noise they made while they practiced. The studio was just about finished and soon they would be able to record their very first CD properly.
Chella went straight to the kitchen and opened the fridge to get out a bottle of vanilla coke. They practically lived there when they didn’t use the apartment above Raven’s parents’ restaurant, so there were plenty of food and drinks stored in the antique refrigerator and a pantry located in the right hand corner of the kitchen. Last winter, they had trouble with mice getting into the pantry and even in the music studio, but that was quickly taken care of when Sissi adopted two longhaired black kittens that were advertised in the newspaper. Sissi adored cats. In fact, she was famous for taking in strays. Her mother loved cats just as much, so it never bothered her. It was always a plus, considering that Sissi’s mother was into New Age things and claimed that the stray cats that came to live with them protected them from negative energies. At least Fred and Ginger, the two kittens Sissi brought to live at the mansion and named them after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, were well behaved and didn’t get into too much trouble. The big plus was they were excellent mousers. They more or less owned the place and knew better not to disturb the expensive equipment, amp and microphone cords and their instruments, when the band left them there.
Chella opened her bottle of vanilla coke, took a big gulp, and then went to the cupboard underneath the kitchen sink to get out the large plastic container of dry cat food so she could feed Fred and Ginger. The two cats heard her pouring the dry cat food into their dishes and came running into the kitchen.
“Hey you two!” Chella said and bent down to pet the both of them. They began to purr and meow and wind themselves around her legs. After Chella was done feeding and loving them she stood back up, grabbed her bottle of vanilla coke and went back out to the main room to sit down and wait for the rest of the band to show up. She wasn’t sure what she was going to tell them, so she tried to think of ways to break the news gently to them about Raven. She was more afraid of Michael discovering that Raven was no longer a virgin. He had told her last night while they had gotten stoned and drunk that he wanted to be her first. Chella wondered for a moment, did he mean he wanted to be her first lover or her first victim. She bit her lower lip and shook her head. Everything was happening way too fast. She always knew what Raven’s destiny was, but she didn’t expect it to happen so soon.
Michael’s Blazer pulled into the dirt circular driveway. Chella could hear Nine Inch Nails blasting from the stereo speakers. Even though Michael’s Blazer was a piece of shit, it had an awesome sound system. Chella got up and went to the front door. She was happy that he had shown up first.
Michael turned off the ignition and the engine coughed like an old man with tuberculosis for a few seconds. He saw Chella standing in the doorway and waved. She tried to give him a smile and waved back, but Chella’s smile looked more like a forced smile to him. Whatever she had to tell him, he knew it wasn’t good, especially if it had to do with Raven.
He got out and shut the car door. No one else was there other than Chella. He figured the others would show up soon, so he hurried up his pace and went to Chella. She wrapped her arms around Michael and gave him a very sincere hug. That was warning enough to send shivers up and down his spine.
“Let’s go inside,” Chella said. “I want to talk to you before everyone else gets here.”
Michael closed the door behind him as the two entered the house. He went directly to the kitchen and Chella followed him like a lost puppy. He figured he was going to have to get a drink before the horror conversation began. He found a bottle of vodka and grabbed it. To hell with a shot glass, he thought and twisted the cap off and took two huge swallows of the horrible tasting burning liquid. He let out a small cough as the vodka burned his throat and entered his stomach.
“So, what’s going on?” He asked and turned to Chella.
“Why don’t we go out into the living room and sit. I would suggest sitting for this conversation.”
Michael raised an eyebrow. “That bad, huh?” Chella nodded.
They walked back into the living room. Fred and Ginger bounced up happily to Michael and gave him their cute greetings. He ignored them and sat down on the old blue and red plaid couch. The living room was somewhat decorated like the living room of the apartment. Only there were more posters hanging on the walls to cover up the old peeling wallpaper. The room was also decorated with Christmas lights and candles.
“Okay,” Chella began. “after you left the apartment today, Raven told me something that scared the absolute shit out of me.”
Michael nodded and dug into his front jeans pocket for his baggie of weed. Vodka wasn’t going to be enough, he thought, so he began preparing a joint. Chella just sat there and shook her head from side to side. She really didn’t want to tell him what she and Raven had talked about several hours ago, but she knew it was her duty to tell him everything. Including the part about Raven losing her virginity and drinking Darrien’s blood.
“Raven’s no longer a virgin,” she blurted out.
Michael looked up from the coffee table and the small pile of pot that he was breaking up for the joint. “Yeah, so what? Big fucking deal! She’s old enough to make that decision.”
“No, Michael, it is a big deal! I think something was in that wine that Darrien gave her. I don’t know what, but whatever it was, it…” she paused.
“Yes?”
“Raven told me that while they were having sex, she drank his blood and he drank her blood. Darrien is the man. He’s the one we’re supposed to protect her from.”
“Like I didn’t know that!” He yelled. He was so angry now that the very thought of killing Darrien made his heart race.
“But that’s not all that happened. She told me she saw something while she was drinking his blood. She claimed she saw Darrien in the arms of some woman that looked somewhat like Raven, only the woman had brown eyes and jet black hair.” Chella paused again. She was deathly afraid to finish what she began. Finally giving in, she told Michael the rest of Raven’s vision. “Raven then told me she saw me.”
“She saw you?”
“Yes, Michael, she saw me. In my true form.”
Michael stopped picking through the weed. He looked up and saw how scared Chella was. “You told her, didn’t you?”
“I told her about me. Not about you or anyone else.”
He returned to the weed and began rolling a huge joint. He didn’t care how high he was going get. Reality was what he didn’t want to face.
“What exactly did you tell her?”
“I don’t think she believed me. She actually laughed at me when I told her I’m a Goddess.”
He licked the rolling paper and finished making the joint. He took out his orange disposable lighter, lit it, took a long drag from the joint then passed it over to Chella. She didn’t hesitate to take it. She inhaled deeply, held the smoke in her lungs as long as possible then exhaled, sighing at the same time.
“I told her that long before she was born, I was given the job to protect her from a man who would transform her. Like I said, all she did was laugh. It just seemed like she didn’t believe me.”
Michael exhaled the spicy smoke and took the joint back from Chella.
“I more than likely wouldn’t have believed you either. You didn’t tell her anything else, right?”
“No,” she coughed. “I was afraid to tell her about any of us.”
“Raven may not believe you, so we have one advantage. We just have to be more careful now. Plus, we have to keep her from returning to Darrien’s lovely dungeon for the undead!”
“That’s going to be hard, Michael and you know it!”
“Well what the fuck should we do then? Lock her up?”
“Michael, you know it’s her Fate. I just hope she doesn’t have anymore of her visions. You know how powerful she’s becoming.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why we need to shield our thoughts when we’re around her. If we don’t, she might pick up on some information that she’s not supposed to know until the day she’s completely transformed into a vampire.”
The joint was nearly finished by the time the rest of gang showed up. Now it was time to tell them. Perhaps, with all of them, they could help her. Then again, like Chella had said, it’s Raven’s Fate to become a vampire. |
|
|
| Chapter Three |
[Nov. 18th, 2004|09:01 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  cranky | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Dead Can Dance | ] |
“Well, here we are,” Darrien announced as the carriage pulled into a circular driveway.
It was so dark outside. It felt like if you whispered something out loud, the quiet-still of the night would shatter into a million pieces. I looked out the window of the carriage. Not a single city light was in view. Darrien had asked me if I wanted to have a late night supper at his home. I wasn’t prepared for what my eyes would feast upon when I stepped out of the carriage.
Darrien gracefully picked me up, as if I weighed nothing at all, and lowered me to the gravel driveway. When I gazed around at my surroundings, I thought I was in a different country or perhaps a different world.
He reached for my hand and led me up the marble stairs of the gigantic castle-like mansion. I found it so hard to believe that such a mansion was residing just on the outskirts of the city. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. The smell of fall and winter entered my soul. It was if I was under some kind of spell. I didn’t feel strange. I actually felt like I was returning home.
Darrien opened the double doors to his home and I walked into the hallway ahead of us. My footsteps echoed in the grand hall and I slowly spun around to look at all of the antique furniture, murals, and tapestries. Candles were lit all along the walls and in the chandeliers hanging above our heads. The ceiling seemed to be miles away from where we stood. I wondered to myself what it would be like to live in a place like this all alone. I know I would be lonely and perhaps paranoid of the shadows. There were times when I was absolutely terrified of the night and especially of shadows. As I got older, that fear turned into a comfort. I lived for the nightlife.
“So, what do you think?” Darrien’s voice brought me back from my wondering.
“It’s huge!” I said. My voice echoed throughout the room.
“It’s been in my family for almost 300 years. Of course, it’s modernized now. When I inherited it, I began making renovations.”
He took a hold of my hand. “Here, come with me to the parlor. I’ll fix you a drink and tell my cook to prepare a meal. I hope you don’t dislike steak.”
“No.” I said, not really sure, what I was saying no to since my mind was somewhere else at that moment.
I sat down on a maroon settee and watched as Darrien poured us each a glass of wine from a small bar sitting underneath a huge tapestry of a unicorn. An elderly man in a standard uniform tuxedo entered the room and nodded his head to me. Then he walked over to Darrien. I could barely hear what Darrien was asking the man. The man bowed, turned towards me again, and bowed.
“Welcome to Le château du Sang, mademoiselle,” the butler said to me.
“Jackson is my butler.” Darrien announced then walked over to me and handed me a lead crystal glass full of burgundy wine. “He used to be my grandfather and father’s butler. I like to think of him as a second father.”
“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” I said with a smile.
Jackson turned and went to some other part of the house.
“Do your servants live with you?” I asked.
“Just Jackson. My driver, Ren, he lives in the servant’s quarters at the back of the house. He’s a very private man, so I rented out the servants house to him, so he could live in luxury as well as come to me at my beckon call.”
“That seems somewhat selfish.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. In time though, you’ll get to meet my friends and other relatives. Hollise, my cousin, is due to arrive in a week.”
“Where is she from?” I asked then took a sip of my wine.
“My dear cousin, Hollise is from everywhere. She’s what some people would call a gypsy. She lived with me for over a year a while back. It’s a long and boring story to hear about.”
I got up from the settee and walked around the parlor looking at all of the beautiful décor. I felt as if I slipped back into time. I did take note that most of the furniture and paintings were from the late 1800’s. A few Renaissance items decorated some of the walls, such as a coat of arms with two swords crossing each other forming an "X" at the center of the emblem. There was even a suit of armor standing in a lonely corner of the hallway. I wanted to see what the rest of the house looked like, but figured that Darrien wouldn’t want some dopey teenager tromping around in his beloved home wearing a pair of combat boots.
“I can show you around if you like,” Darrien said as if he had been reading my thoughts. “Actually, I thought you’d like to stay the night.”
I turned quickly to him and gave him a hard look. “Look, Darrien, you’re really nice and charming, but I’m not about to have a one night stand with you.”
Darrien looked confused at first, then he laughed. “Oh, my dear, lady, I did not mean that I wanted to take you to bed with me. I was going to give you your own room.”
My face turned beet red and I looked away from him embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I just thought…”
“Not to worry, my dear lady. I may have kissed you, but that doesn’t give me any rights to seduce you.” He walked over to me and placed his hands on my waist. I felt dizzy and unsteady.
“I’d only seduce you if you wanted me to. Never without your permission. But I cannot lie and say that you don’t stir me with your beauty.”
I laughed even though I knew he was being serious. “You sound like you’re stuck in a time warp. I don’t think there’s a man on this planet that speaks like a gentleman.”
“You must remember, I used to live in London. I haven’t allowed the American ways of speaking to taint my English speaking or manners.”
He turned me to face him and I felt like someone was probing my brain or something. I felt drugged. Darrien’s face began to leave trails.
“I’m not feeling well.” I said handing my empty glass of wine to Darrien. “I just need to sit down or something.”
“Here, ” Darrien said guiding me to a maroon couch that matched the settee. “Lie down here. Perhaps you drank your wine too fast. It’s one of my oldest burgundies, so it could be more potent.”
“Oh, why didn’t I know that? I knew that wine was the strongest I’ve ever drank. Not that I haven’t had stronger drinks and drugs.” I giggled. Perhaps I was drunk. Oh Hell, I was having fun. And maybe, sleeping here wasn’t such a bad suggestion. I wouldn’t even mind it if Darrien tried to seduce me. It certainly wouldn’t take much to get me all hot and bothered.
Darrien took a sip of the dark red liquid from his glass, then set both of our glasses on an end table next to the couch. I closed my eyes and imagine Darrien kissing me. Then gently caressing me.
His lips were colder than mine. But I invited them to dance across my lips. I slid my tongue into his mouth and ran it along his teeth. I could taste the wine from both of our mouths. My hands trembled slightly as I reached out and unbuttoned his jacket and shirt. I ran the palms of my hands up and down his tight, masculine, hairless chest. Gently, I scratched his skin. Every time my nails scratched him, he sucked in his breath and kissed me harder.
“Oh God, Raven, I want you,” he whispered.
“I want you too,” I replied. I didn’t care anymore. Michael would never want me like this. Darrien was perfect for me anyway. I don’t know why I felt that way, but it felt right.
“Let’s not do this here,” Darrien said.
I opened my eyes and saw how his eyes seem to glowing. Maybe it was the wine that made me see his eyes were glowing. Or perhaps the fire in the fireplace was playing visual tricks on me. Before I had a chance to say no, I was in Darrien’s arms and he was carrying me up one of the large curved marble staircase.
I had no idea where we were in his gigantic house, but I knew I was about to lose my virginity. I noticed a glass of the burgundy that we were drinking was sitting on the nightstand. Darrien wasn’t paying any attention to me. He was going around the room fixing the curtains and lighting the gaslight candles that hung from the walls. The poster bed I was sitting on was decorated in gold and maroon silk. I took the crystal glass on the nightstand and quickly downed the wine, then I put the glass back on the table. The wine made me feel dizzy so I fell back onto the bed and closed my eyes to prevent the room from spinning. I certainly didn’t want to get sick in front of Darrien.
“Raven, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met,” I heard him say to me. I smiled, but kept my eyes closed.
That’s when I felt him climb on top of me. My eyes snapped open and I gazed into his eyes. I could feel he was completely naked. It didn’t take him long to undress me. He took great care to fold my clothing and place it on a silk covered chair next to the bed. His eyes seemed to be on fire when he looked down at my body. I wrapped my arms around him and brought him closer to my body. He kissed my harden nipples, sucking at them then biting them. My legs wrapped around him and I used them to pull him even closer to me. His kisses lowered and found the very center of my body. I tossed my head back and forth while my body thrashed all over the bed. The noises that came from my mouth sounded almost inhuman. My moans turned to growls. I felt like I was floating, yet I felt something else boiling inside my body. When I climaxed, I felt him slide himself into me. I gasped expecting to feel pain, but felt total and complete pleasure instead. My body moved with his as we made wild and passionate love.
I opened my eyes and saw he was staring into mine. My gaze fell from his eyes to his neck. That’s when I felt the pain. My mouth suddenly expanded and grew new teeth. Not just plain teeth, but fangs. Sharp and deadly fangs. I ran my tongue over them not believing that I suddenly grew fangs. But they were real, as real as my body, my blood, my hair. I felt like I was having a dream, but I wasn’t dreaming this. I also wasn’t dreaming that I felt strange hunger pangs for the blood that flowed through Darrien’s veins. I wanted to pierce his skin and drink his blood. What the hell was going on with me?
“Do it, Raven! Bite me! Please,” Darrien moaned.
I pulled his neck to my mouth and licked the salty skin. I couldn’t explain what was going through my head at that very moment, all I knew was I wanted to taste his blood. Not just taste it, but drink it. I opened my mouth further, pressed my newly grown fangs on his neck, and heard a popping noise. At the same time I pierced Darrien’s neck, I felt a sharp jab on my neck where Darrien had been kissing me. I wasn’t sure what was happening. It was as if I was hallucinating.
I closed my eyes and drank deeply from the wounds on Darrien’s neck. Suddenly, I found myself standing in the middle of a field. I was having one of my weird visions again. I could tell because the colors were not as vivid as real dreams or real life. The sky above me was dark and the air smelled rank. It smelled like rotting bodies. I looked all around me and discovered I was alone. Although, I knew I wasn’t alone. I could feel and smell other people. I looked around at my surroundings again. Then I spotted Darrien. He was fully dressed and standing no more than 100 feet away from me. I saw a woman standing beside him. I don’t know how she got there, but she wrapped her arms protectively around Darrien. Where the hell was I? I turned around quickly and saw Chella standing behind me. She didn’t look like the Chella I knew. Instead, she looked totally different. Her short pixie-like hair was now long and flowing. She wore a sheer blue gown and a crescent moon crown sat upon her head. It was decorated with some kind of silver glittery ivy. The ivy was twisted along the headpiece. In her right hand, she held some kind of white staff that was taller than she was and it was decorated with the same crescent moon emblem, except there was a large glowing blue gemstone sitting at the very tip of it. She smiled and nodded her head. She tried to tell me something, but I couldn’t hear her.
When I opened my eyes again, Darrien was lying next to me drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. I, too, was in the same state. I was confused about what I had seen while we had made love. No, not while we had made love, while I had drank Darrien’s blood. I had a sudden dread that I wasn’t just a strange and unique young woman. I was more than that.
“You’ll soon learn in time who you really are, Raven,” Darrien said. He sat up on his elbows, then propped himself and turned towards me so he could stare into my eyes.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“All in good time, Raven, all in good time. For now, my love, sleep. I must leave you though. I need to get prepared for work.”
“But you didn’t get any sleep!” I declared.
“Not to worry, love. I do this all the time. But you,” he smiled, “you need some rest. There’s a bathroom just beyond those French cut doors with a tub to die for.” I looked at the French doors. “When you get up, take a bath. I’ll let Ren know you’ll need a ride home later on.”
I had a sudden dread that Darrien was going to avoid me. Use me, then toss me aside. I wanted to leave right then and there. How could I’ve given up my virginity to a man I don’t even know!
“Raven, it’s okay. I’m not using you.” Darrien said as he slid his legs out from underneath all the covers on the bed. “So, please, dear, don’t leave. I invited you out for the night and well, I didn’t expect to make love to you. I knew I was attracted to you, but it must be something more for me to get so careless like that.”
“I believe you. I guess then I’ll see you later?” I couldn’t hide my disappointment. I wanted to snuggle up in his arms. I was somewhat afraid to be alone in this grand home of his. I was also afraid of the nightmares that haunted me while I slept for the past few years. It seemed like the older I got, the more vivid and violent my nightmares became. I knew the dreams were trying to tell me something, but I didn’t want to know what they had to tell me.
Darrien ran his hand through my red hair. “How ‘bout this, I’ll sleep with you until you fall asleep, then I’ll go and get ready for work. This way, you won’t be scared.”
I smiled. “How did you know that I was scared to be alone?”
“I can see the fear in your eyes.”
“Oh,” I said.
Darrien crawled back into bed with me and wrapped his strong pale arms around me.
“Sleep well, my lady.” |
|
|
| Chapter Two |
[Nov. 18th, 2004|08:58 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  sleepy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Miranda Sex Garden | ] |
We opened our show with an acappella round. Sissi and Chella were also very good singers and sometimes we’d write acappella songs that reminded us of the traditional tunes that were written during the Victorian era as well as the medieval era. As our choral round grew more intense, Sissi began drumming out a tribal like beat. Fredrick added a single low droning note on his bass guitar. It was then my cue to begin to sing the lyrics and play my cello.
The whole restaurant stood or sat quietly and listened.
“Hello, have you met me? Hello, have you been waiting for me? Where did you come from? Did you know that I can hypnotize you with my eyes? Did you realize that you’d never be free? Free from my gaze, my sweet seduction, my power over you. When did you realize that I was the one? When did you realize that you’d never leave?” I sang.
Michael and Fredrick picked the lowest strings on their guitars while I played this haunting melody on my cello and began singing again. Chella played the xylophone softly. Our song was like a seductive funeral dirge.
That’s when I saw him. He was standing directly in front of me. Staring at me with adoration. I stared right back at him and sang the lyrics to the song as if I had written them specifically for him. The corners of his sensual lips curved into a slight smile. He was dressed like the actor, Gary Oldman from the movie, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, in a gray Victorian suit, complete with white hand gloves, a gray satin top hat, blue circular sunglasses, and tucked under his one arm an antique looking cane. My body seemed to vibrate. I noticed that I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. I also noticed that my hips were literally gyrating to the beat of the song. I’m sure people were thinking I was masturbating or pretending to be like the singer Tori Amos, who always moves sexually as she plays her Bosendorfer piano, but I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t want to stop either. It felt so good.
The song was over, but I kept singing quietly, almost whispering it until I felt like the spell was broken. The crowd cheered and clapped so loudly, I thought my ears were going to explode. Chella quickly began playing the next song while Marcus cued in the sound effects from the laptop. I looked away from Darrien to the set list that was taped onto the floor of the stage as a reminder of what songs we were going to play. When I looked back up, he was gone. I could still feel his presence. I knew that tonight I would finally get a chance to talk to him more. Perhaps even go out with him after we played.
We played ten songs and ended the set with a cover of the song, My Funny Valentine. It was Chella’s idea to perform the song like the group, Miranda Sex Garden, did on their third album. Slow and jazzy. That’s when everyone picked up their other orchestral instruments and played. Fredrick plucked out the bass notes on a string bass instead of his bass guitar. Michael picked up his violin and played along with me, playing the harmony. Sissi still played her drums, but used a bass drum mallet to hit the snare drum and brush for the cymbals. Chella played her viola along with Michael and me, and Marcus, who never played any instrument other than his precious laptop computer surprised everyone by picking up a tenor saxophone. It was truly awesome. The reaction from the crowd was quite overwhelming.
When we were finished, the DJ took over and began playing the song Superstitious by Stevie Wonder. Mama ran over to me and gave me a huge hug and kiss. Papa was right behind her and smiled brightly.
“Raven, you guys played exceptionally well! I’m so proud of you.” Mama cried. Then she looked over at the rest of the band. “You all played marvelously!”
“Ah, thanks, Mrs. Mercucio.” Sissi said.
“You guys should be famous!” Papa beamed.
“We’re workin’ on it, Papa,” I said smiling at both him and Mama. Then I turned towards the rest of the band and gave them the thumbs up. Chella motioned to me to come over by her. I nodded and gave Mama and Papa a hug and kiss and excused myself.
“Did you see him?” Chella whispered in my ear.
“If you mean Darrien, yes I did! I’m going to go look for him as soon as we pack up.”
Michael looked at me and frowned. I knew he didn’t like the idea of me going after a total stranger. Then I thought to myself, why should he care, anyway? He doesn’t want me for more than a friend anyway. I should be allowed to see whomever I want. I hurriedly packed my cello up in its case and took it back into the employee’s locker room. I was afraid of Darrien leaving before I had a chance to talk to him. To my surprise, he was waiting for me by the door that was marked, “Employees Only.” I nearly tripped over him when I ran out the door.
“And where are you going in such a hurry, my lady?” Darrien asked me. I had fallen right into his arms and when I did, I felt this surge of excitement that flowed throughout my body that made me want to kiss him.
“I was afraid you’d leave before…” I suddenly couldn’t help myself. I pulled his head to mine and kissed him full on the lips. It felt like I was on ecstasy. He felt so good. He pulled my body closer to his and I felt his arousal. I didn’t care. I wanted the kiss to go on forever, instead it ended, leaving me feel hungry for more.
“Is that the way you always greet total strangers?” He asked quietly.
“No,” I said and began blushing. What just came over me? Why did I feel the need to kiss him?
“You shouldn’t be embarrassed, Raven. I wanted to kiss you just as badly as you wanted to kiss me.” He then leaned over and whispered into my ear. “Would you like to go for a ride? I have my carriage waiting for us.”
“Your carriage?” I asked.
“I wanted to really fit the part of a true Victorian gentleman and went ahead and rented two horses and a carriage for tonight. I thought it would be more romantic to ride around the city in a carriage drawn by two horses than to ride the busy streets with a silly limousine.”
“Are you asking me out for a date?” I asked him with a sly grin on my face.
“Of course, my lady! A true Victorian gentleman needs a Victorian woman to romance and woo.” His voice was music to my ears. “We have all night to get to know one another better.”
I nodded. Yes, we have all night to get to know one another. I suddenly blushed. I was very inexperienced in the dating game and I was still a virgin.
“You have me at your expense all night, Raven.” He held out his arm and I curled my arm around his and smiled. “I’ve been anticipating this date for a long time now.”
“So have I.” I was so surprised at how honest I was with him. Maybe it was time to move on and look for someone who wanted to love me and not wait around for Michael to make up his mind. He never seemed to care about me anyway, other than friendship wise and I was certainly not going to wait my entire life for him to make his move.
“Lead the way, my dear,” I said and pointed towards the entrance to the restaurant.
“Raven!” I heard Michael call out. I ignored him and let Darrien guide me out to his carriage and horses. “Raven, wait up! I have to talk to you!”
“Too late, Michael, she’s with me. You had your chance.” Darrien said when Michael stopped us by standing in front of the door. I no longer cared about Michael. Darrien was right. Michael had his chance and blew it.
“Please, Raven, I really need to talk to you.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Michael. Can’t you see that I’ve been invited out on a date?” Michael cringed when I said “date.” Yes, you had your chance, Michael, but I’m not waiting for you forever. Michael stepped away so we could exit the restaurant. The look he gave me made my heart ache. He walked away slowly with his head down and went back to help the band pack up.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The night air was crisp and clean. The smell of the fallen leaves was intoxicating and the night sky was clear of clouds and sparkled with its blanket full of stars. Darrien led me out to his rented carriage and horses. I immediately went to the solid black horses and gently patted each ones’ nose. Darrien handed me some sugar cubes and I allowed the horses to lick my hand and take the cubes.
“I think they’re in love with you,” Darrien said with a smile. “They certainly trust you, and that’s a good thing.”
I nodded and took Darrien’s hand. He helped me up into the carriage. It never dawned on me that there wasn’t anyone to help guide the horses. Then, as if he had been waiting for us in the shadows, a tall, handsome man, clambered on board and took the reigns in his hands. The interior of the carriage was decorated with red satin. I noticed a sterling silver bucket of ice sitting on the floor holding two bottles of what I thought was champagne. Tiny lead crystal vases hung delicately from each corner of the carriage and each one of them held a single blood red rose. Romantic indeed! I sat down and straightened out my skirt. I let out a little chuckle when Darrien took his place next to me.
“What do you find so comical?” he questioned me.
“Oh, it’s silly really.” I replied.
“Now, come on, no secrets. What made you chuckle just now?”
I couldn’t resist and began to chuckle again. “Oh, you said something about a Victorian gentleman needs a Victorian woman.” Looking down at my attire and then my reflection in the window. “I’m far from being Victorian. At least not the kind of Victorian woman you had in mind.”
Darrien leaned forward and spoke into what looked like some kind of microphone.
“Ren, lead the way, please.”
“Yes, sir.” Ren replied and the carriage began to stroll down the city street.
“You were saying, Raven?” Darrien asked me.
“I just meant that I look like a vampire with tattoos and body piercings and not Victorian at all.”
His face lit up when he smiled and he chuckled. “I see your point. Women did not dare do those kinds of decorating to their bodies during that time period. But you, however, have an essence that says you are Victorian. You may not be wearing pastels, pearls, lace, and cameos. And your corset is exposed, which was definitely not done back in those days. On the other hand, this isn’t that time period and what you’re wearing is alluring to say the least.”
“You’re not from around here are you?” I asked.
“No, I am not. I don’t like to stay in one place for too long. I get bored so easily as time goes by. Why do you ask?”
“You just speak and act like you’re not from the city. You also have a hint of a foreign accent.”
“How right you are,” he replied. “I’m originally from London, but certain circumstances brought me here to the States when I was but a wee lad.”
I looked into his eyes and noticed he was wearing contacts. He saw that I was looking at his eyes and removed the sunglasses. “I just love the outfit Gary Oldman wore when he met Winona Rider for the first time in the movie…”
“Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” I finished. “It’s one of my favorite movies too. Although it isn’t true to the book.”
“Then again, do most movies based on books stay faithful to the stories?”
I smiled, “No, they aren’t. Sometimes they are, but for the most part, Hollywood likes to add things to make the movie more appealing. Disney movies have a habit of making every fairytale a happy ending. Don’t get me wrong, I love happy endings, but when it screws up the story, it pisses me off.” I was suddenly embarrassed by my language. I didn’t want to sound like some kind of mouthy kid.
“You didn’t offend me, Raven. You could never offend me. I’ve heard all kinds of insults and foul language. And I’m just as guilty because I swear at times too.”
“Thank the Goddess!” I sighed.
“Now there’s a phrase I don’t hear too often. I take it you practice Witchcraft?”
I nodded.
“You remind me of a sexy witch,” Darrien said and reached out to touch my face. His hands were still gloved and I gently took off the suede glove that touched my face so I could feel his skin. He let out a sigh when his hand touched my cheek without the glove. I closed my eyes as I allowed him to caress my cheek. It felt heavenly. When he stopped, I opened my eyes and looked into his. I wanted him to kiss me again. As if he could read my mind, he leaned in and pressed his lips upon mine. The kiss made me tingle from head to toe and I wondered to myself, what it would be like to make love to a man like Darrien. As quickly as the thought came to me, I shrugged away the images and broke the kiss.
“I’m…”
He raised a finger to my lips and stopped me from saying sorry. Then he reached down, making sure his hand brushed up against my leg, and took a bottle of champagne from the bucket of ice.
“Would you care for a drink?”
“Yes, that would be lovely.”
With ease, he popped the cork and poured the sparkling liquid into one of the lead crystal glasses that sat on a tiny bar above the bucket. He handed me the glass, then poured champagne in a glass for himself.
“What shall we toast to?” he asked.
“To new friends and relationships, perhaps?”
“Yes, that’s perfect,” he raised his glass and toasted. “To new friends and relationships.”
I repeated after him and raised the glass to my lips and took a sip. The champagne filled my mouth and I sipped at it slowly, savoring its flavor.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Michael finished cleaning up the apartment and went over to the kitchenette. He opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of beer, twisted off the cap and tossed it into the garbage can then took a big gulp. He was angry with Raven. He was also scared for her. He knew for weeks that Darrien had been coming to the restaurant to see her. Maybe it was jealousy, but he didn’t like the guy. There was something about him that made Michael shiver to the bone.
“I’m such a fucking coward!” he said and chugged the rest of the beer. He placed the bottle on the countertop and went to get another beer. Normally, he hated to drink. Especially beer, but at that moment, he didn’t care.
Chella entered the apartment and went straight to the bar and poured herself a glass of red wine. Tonight had been such a blast, but she was tired and wanted to relax now.
“Hi,” Michael said to her from the kitchenette.
Chella almost dropped her glass of wine. “Jesus, Michael, don’t do that to me! You scared the absolute shit out of me just now!”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I thought you went home.”
“Nah, I didn’t feel like going home. It’s Halloween! We should be celebrating. Plus I’m too awake to try and sleep.”
“Yeah, I know what ya mean,” Michael said with a depressed tone to his voice.
Chella saw he was drinking beer and instantly knew he was upset over something. Not to mention, he didn’t sound too happy when he greeted her.
“Care to tell me what’s on your mind, Michael?”
He shook his head and went over to the stereo to pick out a CD. He found what he was looking for and put the shiny disk into the stereo. My Bloody Valentine’s album Loveless began playing.
“You’re upset because of Raven, aren’t you?” Chella dared to ask.
“Is it that obvious?” he asked her. He went over to the couch and sat down. An open pack of Camel cigarettes sat on the coffee table near an ashtray. He reached for the pack and took out a cigarette and lit it. Chella sat down beside him and took out a pack of cloves and lit a cigarette. They sat quietly for a moment and listened to the CD. The voices of Bilinda Butcher and Kevin Shields filled the apartment’s living room.
“I wanted to talk to her, but she ran off with that weird guy,” Michael started.
“Darrien? Oh, he’s harmless.” Chella said. “He’s been coming to the restaurant now for a whole month. Almost everyday.”
“Doesn’t that seem weird to you?” He asked her.
“Not really. He’s seems pretty cool. I’ve waited on him several times. He sometimes just orders wine.”
“Really now? Why doesn’t he just go to some bar or lounge to do that?”
Chella smiled. “Sounds like the green-eyed-monster is lurking within you. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a thing for Raven.”
Michael sighed. He was in no mood to fight with her. Then again, what harm would it do if I told her the truth, he thought to himself.
“Are you going to talk to me or are you just going to sit there sulking?” Chella asked him.
Michael butted his cigarette then reached into the front pocket of his jeans. He pulled out a small sandwich baggie filled with pot and a pack of Zig Zag rolling papers. Silently, he began rolling a joint to share with Chella. The beer just wasn’t enough. It made him sick to his stomach.
“Would you do me a favor, Chell, and throw this fucking beer away and get me a glass of wine?” he asked her.
“Sure, babe,” she said and grabbed the bottle of beer from the coffee table and went back into the kitchenette to dump it down the sink. She dimmed the lights and walked around the room, lit some candles and incense then plugged in the Christmas lights that were arranged in an unorganized fashion on the ceiling; then went over to the coffee table and picked up her half empty glass of wine and walked back over to the little bar to add some more wine to her glass and pour a glass for Michael.
“Do you think Raven loves me?” Michael asked Chella when she sat back down on the black velveteen couch that showed every piece of lint and hair possible.
She patted his leg and smiled. “Of course she loves you Michael! How could you doubt that?”
He lit the joint and deeply inhaled its spicy smoke. Chella took the joint from him, took a hit, and passed it back to Michael. She picked up the remote control and turned the TV on and muted the sound. The station that was playing was showing the classic silent film, Nosferatu.
“I love this movie!” Chella said as she exhaled the marijuana smoke from her lungs.
“Me too,” Michael replied. He took another hit off the joint and passed it back over to Chella.
They sat there together, passing the joint back and forth, listening to My Bloody Valentine while watching the classic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Neither said a word. There was nothing to be said. Chella didn’t want to betray Raven by telling Michael about how much Raven loved him. Better yet, how much she was in love with him. It was none of her business to get involved with the situation. Besides, if Michael was in love with Raven, he should act on it, instead of holding back all his fears of rejection, Chella thought to herself.
The CD ended and Chella got up and went to change it. She picked out Switchblade Symphony’s CD, Bread and Jam for Frances and began playing it.
She glanced up at the wall clock and saw that it was almost three in the morning. Raven had left the restaurant with Darrien around 11:00. I hope she’s having a good time, Chella thought. She deserves to have fun. Chella made a mental note to tell Raven about the way Michael was acting and what he had said to her. Yes, it would be considered as betraying Michael, but it would be for his own good. Maybe she could convince him to make the first move, since she knew that’s what Raven was waiting for. |
|
|
| Chapter One |
[Nov. 18th, 2004|01:25 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  loved | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Evanescence | ] |
It was October when I met Darrien. Mama was scared half to death when she laid eyes on him for the first time when he showed up at the restaurant. He was of course, perfect in my eyes and I soon became obsessed with him. I wanted him more than I had ever wanted any man. It only took one look from him to make my blood boil with desire and lust. Chella always teased me because of how I drooled over him. She called him the “Goth Prince looking for his Goth Princess.” How true, I thought. And perhaps I was that “Goth Princess” he sought out. I looked and dressed like a “Goth Princess of Darkness.” My skin was so pale it almost looked translucent and my ice-blue eyes seemed to glow with a cold fire. My hair was below my waist and layered with thick crimson curls. The girls in my school were extremely jealous of me. I had grown to be very beautiful and so they feared me. As for the guys I went to school with, they wanted me even though I seemed untouchable. I always had to face challenges with guys who asked me out. Most of the time, the guys who drooled over me had girlfriends already, so I made a ton of enemies. Despite all that, I’d smile to myself as I walked through the hallways of the school like I owned everything and everyone. Teachers were even intimidated by me. I was smarter than all of them and I did what I wanted to do so no one argued with me. The only two kids at my school that I ever allowed to get close to me were Chella and another outcast kid named, Michael Xanders.
Michael was an absolute sweetheart and harmless kid that I adored with all my heart. We were more like brother and sister than just friends. Chella was like my sister. The three of us were inseparable. We always did everything together. We even went out of our way to get identical tattoos (except for one tattoo, a raven holding a bleeding black rose located on my right shoulder blade) and body piercings. Mama and Papa didn’t approve of my tattoos or of my tongue, nose, and eyebrow piercing, but they accepted them. They knew how much I wanted them and Mama went behind Papa’s back to fill out the permission slips for me to give to the tattoo and body piercing shop. She just shook her head from side to side and signed all the papers I gave her to have my body art done. When Papa took one look at me after I had “mutilated” myself, as he likes to say, he just threw his arms up in the air and didn’t even bother to ask me ‘Why?’. At first, he wouldn’t allow Chella and me to expose our body piercings and tattoos at work, but eventually he gave in. Most of our customers asked us if it had hurt to get tattooed or pierced in the locations we had chosen. And as always, our reply was the tattooing hurt more than the piercing. At least what we had done was tasteful and not like some of the weirdoes out there.
For the month of October, we went all out and decorated the entire restaurant for Halloween. I dressed up like a vampire and Chella dressed up like a faery. The other waitresses and busboys dressed up in various costumes. From pirates to French maids. The customers loved our costumes and even gave bigger tips. For some odd reason or another, this specific October brought in more customers. Papa was absolutely tickled-pink over the profits. I asked Mama and Papa if we could host a Halloween costume party and have our band play on Halloween night. I had a horrible feeling that Papa wouldn’t hear of it. Needless to say, he shocked me by giving permission to go through with our plans. Three weeks before Halloween, we made our announcement that ‘Luigi’s Fine Italian Dining’ was throwing a special party for Halloween night for anyone who wanted to enjoy good food and great entertainment. The entertainment was to be provided by a DJ with the special guest appearance of our band.
Promptly at nine, the Halloween party began. Most of the people who attended were around my age, but some of our regular customers showed up and even several people who were just passing by decided to stop by and see what all the fuss was about. It was fantastic! Every imaginable costume glittered and gleamed throughout the restaurant, turning it into a world of the supernatural and fantasy.
Michael, Chella, and I sneaked upstairs to the office and smoked a joint before attending the party. Michael dressed up like a Victorian vampire. He looked so hot that I kept telling him I needed to suck on his neck to taste his sweet blood. He laughed and gently shoved me away when I tried to bite his neck. The look in his eyes though, said something else. Chella stood in silence as she watched how the two of us flirt with one another.
“Okay you two, either go and get a room or get ready to perform. Fredrick and the others are waiting for us, so I think we should…”
“I know, I know…I was just havin’ some fun before stage fright takes over me.” I giggled.
“Is your cello tuned?” Michael asked me. I played the cello and sang for our band. Michael played lead guitar and Chella played the keyboards and her violin and viola. The other members of the band, Fredrick Cowder, Marcus Donovan, and Simone Harper (who preferred to be called “Sissi” and nothing else) were waiting patiently for us when we went into the apartment that I rented from my adopted parents. I didn’t really live there; it was more like my home away from home. A place where we could write, record, and practice our songs and hang out and do “bad things.”
“Yep, ‘Romania’ is tuned and all shined up.” I named my cello, Romania, after of my obsession with the gypsies that originated from Romania. I named my computer, Transylvania or Sylvia for short after my “Vampire” obsessions.
“Well, we better go meet up with everyone else. I hope your parents will like us.” Chella said.
“Chella, my darling, my parents will love us no matter what! You know that as well as I do. Hell, even Michael knows that. We’re all talented musicians and personally, I think we even have a chance to make it big out there in the world. We’re just as good, if not better, than some of the famous bands playing today.” I always wanted to be a famous musician. I started the band myself because of my ambition to succeed as a musician. Our band recorded some of our favorite songs onto my computer and then later we burnt our own CD’s to sell at some of our performances to bring in some extra cash. Michael’s father worked with graphics and made our liner notes and even designed some t-shirts for us to sell at our performances. Most of the time, because of school and because of our ages, we had to play at select bars or clubs on the weekends. Gradually, we were booking our band for gigs all around the city. I truly loved life! All the dedication, work, hours, “smoke breaks” for inspiration, and just being together was what I lived for.
Fredrick was tuning his bass when we entered the apartment. Sissi was drumming out beats with her drumsticks on one of the walls. Marcus, on the other hand, was rolling a big fat joint while a clove cigarette hung from his lips.
“You didn’t already smoke, did you?” Sissi asked as soon as we plopped down on the couch.
“A little, but that’s okay!” Michael confessed. The one thing I loved so much about Michael was how he loved to have fun. His quiet presence at school made everyone think he just stayed at home and drowned his sorrows into poetry and Anne Rice novels. In truth, he was a club kid. Together, we always went out club hopping both Friday and Saturday night or whenever they had under 21 nights. Most of the time, after our performances, we would just hang out at the clubs we played at and had a good time dancing and taking smoke breaks out in one of our cars. Chella really wasn’t into clubbing, so she’d just sit at the bar and talk to people while Michael and I danced. If the rest of the band stayed behind, Marcus and Fredrick, who were old enough to drink, would hit on girls and get drunk. Sissi would either sit with Chella, to keep her company, or danced with us. I loved it when it was just Michael and I hanging out at our favorite clubs. Secretly, I was madly in love with Michael, but too afraid to tell him for fear of messing up our perfect friendship and rejections, as well. Many nights I would lie in my bed, stare up at my ceiling at the glow-in-the-dark galaxy I created and wondered to myself, what it would be like to kiss Michael? Sometimes I saw us kissing tenderly. Other times, the passionate enchantress in me saw us kissing hungrily. Almost as if we couldn’t control the lust that boiled in our veins. But then I’d come to my senses and get all depressed because I knew, deep down in my heart, as much as I wanted to be Michael’s girlfriend, it just wouldn’t happen. He was like me, in the sense that we’re just plain old untouchable. I never wanted any man, but the right one, to know how exotic I could be. I wanted Michael to know. He didn’t see that side of me. I protected that identity when I was around guys, especially him. I was afraid of letting my walls of protection to fall and let anyone in my world. I knew I was beautiful with a hint of danger in my eyes. But I never wanted anyone to know my passionate side unless it was through my writing or the songs I composed.
The band and I passed the joint around and then practiced a few songs. My stage persona was that of a Victorian Mistress of the Dark. I was wearing a black satin velvet corset with black laces and ribbons. My skirt was a very full black crinoline that I found at a second-hand shop. Its layers of black chiffon, lace, and an iridescent black red gauze overlay made me feel like I was in an emotional cocoon. There was also the reason that I wore fuller skirts thanks to my past experience with dresses. The fuller the skirt, the easier it was to straddle my beloved cello and still look like a lady. The corset was useful, in a sense that it helped keep my body in perfect posture so it was easier to play my cello and breathe correctly while I sang. My Mama thought I was insane. She didn’t know how a corset could help me gather the air in my diaphragm while I sang in my operatic voice and sit on a folding chair with the posture I needed to play my cello. I wore a replica Victorian ruby necklace, matching ruby teardrop earrings, and hand-length black lace hand-warmers. Where I spent most of my time preparing was on my crimson hair. Almost all the girls in school hated me because of how beautiful my hair was. I imagine that if I were to straighten the natural soft looking curls, my hair would be almost to my knees. Whatever the reason was, I never had to deal with expensive hair cosmetics or frequent trips to the salon. My mama adored my hair but always seemed to be spooked out by my eyes. I knew she could see my mother when she gave me that distant look while she was talking to me, but then she’d make eye contact with me and grow eerily quiet. It always spooked me out the way she would stare at me and not say a thing. So many times, I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but held back because of the promise I had made long ago about revealing the identity of my real father.
As a child, I always wondered why everyone I loved feared my eyes. I loved my ice-blue eyes. Every time I played my cello and sang, Chella told me that my eyes seemed to glow. I’d always teased her and said it was my “magical powers and passion.” I also noticed how my eyes seemed to glow when I was angry and or excited. I would later discover my eyes would show their true nature. The furious passion of sex and hunger. A hunger I had yet to discover. As I grew up, I found out why my eyes made Mama shiver. My mother’s eyes looked nothing like mine. Her eyes were blue, but not that blue. All the photographs I had of my real mother I kept sacred and stored in an expensive storage case, decorated with purple satin and black bugle beads and amethysts.
I had bought the antique case while Chella, Michael, and I were going shopping in our favorite antique stores. I had no idea how old the case was, but as soon as my set my eyes on it, I knew it had to be mine. I asked Henry, the antique dealer, if he could locate any information on it. He was successful and told me it was made during the Victoria era. I’d sit alone in my bedroom or the apartment, drinking glasses of Absinthe, a very religious ritual I’d do when I felt melancholy. After consuming about half a bottle of my favorite brand of Absinthe and spending countless hours starring at my mother’s pictures and crying, I put two and two together that my eyes resembled my father’s eyes. My eyes reminded Mama of the man that seduced my mother, got her pregnant with me, and then suddenly disappeared. Tragically, it was the cause of my birth that killed my mother. She bled to death while giving birth to me. Mama never told me what exactly had happened in the hospital. She only told me the small details, leaving parts out of the story. I knew it had to be a terrifying experience for Mama to talk about, so I never asked her about it. I wanted to ask her and someday I’d get enough courage to ask her to tell me the whole story. And then, I would know everything.
I finished playing around with my hair and decided to tie it up in a Gibson Girl twist with scattered braids and ribbons and scattered loose curls specifically styled so the curls would encircling my face. I wore bright red/black lipstick, translucent foundation, black mascara, and black eyeliner. I refused to wear anything that was too gaudy when it concerned my make-up. Because my complexion was already sickly pale, so pain-strikingly pale, I was almost forced into wearing make-up to hide what changes that I was going through. Since everyone around me found me to be some kind of Goth Princess, I had enough money to fulfill the perfect cover-up.
My ice-blue colored eyes were glowing from the anticipation of performing live for the very first time in front of my family. I knew a lot of people that came here to see us were regular costumers, so our music might be a little unsettling to them. But that didn’t bother me one earthly bit. I was a musician and nothing would ever stop me from continuing my studies and performing. “Children of Gaia” were begging to be heard and I wanted to make that dream happen for everyone. It wasn’t just a selfish wish, was it? To be successful? I figured my powers would come in handy someday if a talent scout was out in the audience listening to us.
Chella wore her faery costume. She resembled a sexier Tinker Bell from Peter Pan. She had the perfect haircut that made it possible for her to spike it and achieve the perfect pixie look. Michael as always was a distinguished gentleman in his Victorian garb. Every time I looked at Michael, I smiled and thought to myself that we were a Victorian Gothic couple. I loved him so much, but was too fucking scared to ever act on it. There had been many times that just the two of us hung out and wrote music together, while drinking absinthe and smoking pot. I treasured every second I spent with him. It saddened me as well, because I knew he didn’t feel the same way about me as I felt about him. It was heartbreaking.
I constantly wrote in my diary sharing my secrets and fantasies about Michael. One day, he almost read my diary by accident. I had left it out on my desk and he thought it was a book of poetry or lyrics. He innocently began reading it while I was getting ready to go out with him. When I saw what he was reading, I freaked out! I know I scared him because I overreacted and yelled at him. He began to cry and then I started crying. I told him that it was my diary and I didn’t want anyone read it because I had written really private thoughts and things that I was slowly discovering about myself. After I had told him that, he apologized and I told him to just forget about it. Since then, I kept wondering what he had read that day. I wanted to ask him, but as always, I became too scared and never asked.
After we finished sharing the joint, I watched the other members fix their costumes and tune their instruments. Fredrick was wearing a dark red velvet suit. Marcus was wearing his usual black t-shirt and black corduroys and Sissi was wearing a tight black vinyl mini-skirt, black vinyl corset, fishnets, and combat boots. We were definitely a very interesting band. Our music ranged from loud gothic rock to baroque grunge to medieval choir. Chella always compared our music to the band, “Miranda Sex Garden.” It was Chella who came up with the band’s name, Children of Gaia. Everyone in the band loved the name and began plotting our stage persona, our photo shoots, and even the composition of our music. I loved playing my cello and singing. Sometimes, some of the members would play their string instruments instead of their usual guitar, drums and keyboards.
Marcus grabbed his laptop computer and zipped it up in its protective case. I sat on a folding chair and rosined my bow. My mind was working overtime. I wasn’t even paying attention to anyone until Michael came over to me and shook me a little.
“Earth to Raven, come in Raven?” he teased.
“I’m sorry. I was just rehearsing the lyrics to our songs in my mind and lost track of the time.”
“I’ll say you lost track of time. We have exactly ten minutes before we’re supposed to perform!” Chella exclaimed.
“Let’s get downstairs now, okay? We certainly don’t need to be in a negative mood about this, Chella,” Marcus said.
We picked up our instruments and headed downstairs. When we reached the lower landing, I felt Darrien’s presence. I looked out over the crowd, but didn’t spot him. I knew he was there though. I smiled and started for the stage. |
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| Raven's Blood (prologue) |
[Nov. 16th, 2004|02:19 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  creative | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Lacuna Coil | ] |
Where to begin a story as long and such as mine? From my childhood, or perhaps my days of suffering as a so-called freak, meaning my teenage misery. Or should I pick the day I died? You’re probably wondering what on earth is she talking about. I guess I shall begin by introducing myself. My name is Raven Jada Mercucio. I’m the adopted daughter of Luigi and Jada Maria Mercucio. Neither my real parents nor my adopted parents knew what would become of me. At least that was the impression that I got. But both sets of parents loved me very much.
I learned I was adopted when I was seven years old. Before I found out I was adopted, I had always wondered how an Italian family had a daughter with pale skin, ice-blue eyes and copper hair. As Fate would have it, I was always tormented by my fellow classmates because I didn’t “look” like my adopted mother and father. It was on a day that I was beaten up by Sophia Cicci, a girl from an extremely wealthy Italian family, that I was told part of the story of my life. Sophia claimed I wasn’t worthy of having an Italian name.
I cried all the way home. When I got there, Mama gathered me into her arms and asked me what had happened. After I told her about my horrible experience, I begged Mama to tell me why I didn’t look like her or Papa. She held onto me like I was dying. Little did she know that I truly was dying. Not because of some disease or perhaps it is some kind of disease that most ignorant people think to be just a tale.
“Raven, my child, the reason why you don’t look like either your Papa or me is because you’re not our ‘real’ daughter. We adopted you.”
I was considered a genius, a trait I would later learn I inherited from my father. And it was because I was so smart that I somewhat understood what was going on. Plus I also knew in my heart, even though I loved Mama and Papa dearly, they weren’t my real parents. When Mama confessed that I wasn’t her flesh and blood, I had already figured that I was adopted. I just needed to hear for myself the truth. So when Mama told me, I felt relieved, yet very unhappy.
“Where are my real mother and father?” I asked immediately. I was sorry that I asked when I saw the tears begin to form in Mama’s eyes. Tears of pain and sorrow.
“Before you were born, your real mother, Raven,” she began and smiled to herself as she remembered the days before I came along, “worked as a waitress for our restaurant. She rented the apartment above the restaurant from us shortly after she moved to the city. Your papa and I were unable to have children and your mother was an orphan. We treated her like she was our own daughter. We helped her get an education and even helped her so she could live out on her own. Before she came to work and live with us, she lived in a homeless shelter. It was just a few months before she graduated from trade school that she had waited on this young man traveling through the city. He fell instantly in love with your mother and even moved here so he could date her. He even went to the trouble of buying a mansion on the outskirts of the city. We thought nothing of it, him, or the situation. We were actually very happy that she’d met someone. Soon their dating became serious and their love grew stronger until…” Mama paused and wiped away the few tears that fell onto her cheeks. I was afraid to hear anymore, but to prove that I was old enough to understand, I urged her on.
“Until…well, Papa and I became suspicious of this man. We didn’t know anything about his background and noticed he had very strange habits. When he’d come to the restaurant to eat, he’d only come at night. He’d only visit your mother at night always using the same excuse that he was a night owl and couldn’t sleep well during the night because he suffered from weird anxiety attacks. When he came to the restaurant to wait for your mother’s shift to end, he’d always ordered food, but never touched it, unless it was a rare steak, which he’d ordered once or twice a month. He always seemed to have money, yet no source of a job. Your mother told us that he was extremely wealthy and didn’t need a job to support himself. He came from a wealthy family and inherited a fortune from his father when his father passed away. The creepiest thing about him was he always kept to himself. Your mother, God Rest her soul, saw a bright future with him,” she said and shook her head.
“He had lived here for almost a year before he asked for your mother’s hand in marriage. Two or three days later, she came running to me in tears. At first, I thought he had broken off the engagement or she discovered he was having an affair. That would have been easier to accept. But of course, it was worse than that. Your mother was pregnant with his child. That child was you. She cried to me, blabbing all this silly nonsense that your father was some kind of…” Mama looked frightened, all of a sudden. I could tell she didn’t want to continue telling me about my parents. I tugged at her dress and pleaded her to go on.
“Well, my dear, I really can’t tell you anything more, other than your mother loved you very much. During the months that she was pregnant with you, she changed. She hardly ate a thing, which made both your papa and me worried. I noticed that when she did eat, it was things like a rare steak or rare prime ribs. She also drank nothing but black coffee and red wine. No matter how often she went to the doctor’s, he proclaimed that her strange eating and drinking habits were normal. I never believed him, but then again, I’ve heard that some women ate stuff like clay while they were pregnant. We noticed that she looked paler than normal, and began wearing turtlenecks and thick sweaters, claiming she was so cold. I should have seen it coming. I should have put my foot down when it came to your father, but she always said to us that she couldn’t live without him. Who was I to tell her what she could or couldn’t do? After all, she truly wasn’t my daughter.
“During the last month of her pregnancy, your father deserted her. She became very reclusive. It was so hard for us to talk to her. She’d get angry at the littlest of things. I can’t tell you how many times we’d hear her screaming while she slept. I wanted to know what she was dreaming about. She’d kept to herself and refused to seek counseling. Then the night came when she went into labor. So, it was up to us to take her to the hospital. She died that very same night you were born.”
I gasped. I felt like a murderer because I was the cause of her death.
“What happened to her?” I asked Mama.
“She wasn’t able to give birth to you the natural way, so the doctor was forced to do an emergency Cesarean. There was so much blood. I knew she was dying and I’m sure she thought she was dying too. I was with her when she spoke her final words and held her hand as she took her last breath. Before she died, she said, ‘Name her after you and me. You’ve been like a real mother to me. The only mother that I had, I should say.’ We were both crying. I held her in my arms as best as I could while the nurses cleaned you up. Then they brought you over so she could hold you in her arms. She held you and kissed your tiny face. The she looked up at me and said, ‘You must promise me something.’ I could only nod my head, because I was losing her so fast. She then said to me, ‘Never let him come for her. He’ll come back! I know he will. He’ll come back and try to take her!’ I leaned over the both of you and kissed both her and your forehead. She smiled one last time, gave you a kiss…and…and then she just stopped breathing. The doctors and nurses tried everything they could to save her, but in the end, they failed. I went into shock and just slowly walked out of the operating room like I was in some kind of a trance and went to your papa. He knew, by the look on my face, that we lost her. You spent a week in the hospital and after all the documents were signed, sealed, and delivered, we were able to adopt you.”
“I’m glad you did, Mama,” I told her and hugged her.
She sniffled and used the back of her sleeve from the dress she was wearing to wipe away her tears. “Her name was also Raven,” she said with a warm smile on her face. “You know, you look just like her.” Mama said hugging me closer to her plump body. Then she released me and stared down into my eyes. I could see she seemed scared about something else. Then she spoke. “You look just like her, except you have his eyes.”
I wanted to know more about my mother and especially now my father. I was sure he was the reason why I was developing these strange and interesting powers.
“Mama, what was my father’s name?”
Her eyes grew big and serious then she turned and looked away from me as if looking into my eyes would force her to say his name. “I won’t speak it, Raven. I absolutely refuse to say his name, so please don’t ever ask me to.”
I hugged her and told her I wouldn’t ask her again.
Eleven years passed since I was told the tale of my beautiful mother, Raven and my mysterious father with ice-blue eyes. I was eighteen now, a senior in high school and planning to attend college to pursue a career in music. One of my best friends, Chella Jenkins, worked for our restaurant so she could save money for college. I too worked for Mama and Papa, just so I could save every penny to use towards school.
Chella and I were very different from the rest of the teenagers that went to JFK High School. We had mysterious qualities that some kids actually were scared to confront us. It made me feel powerful to know that I could give off a presence that kept the very same kids who picked on me when I was a little girl away from me. Once I hit high school, they never picked on me again. I had matured into a very beautiful young woman, with certain gifts. I could read minds sometimes. I was stronger than the average teenage male. So no one fucked with me. Sure, I heard what they called me, but it didn’t bother me. I actually enjoyed hearing what names they called me. I was called almost everything but human. I was a witch, one day. Then a psychotic killer another day. I was pure evil. And my favorite, I was the daughter of Satan himself! As if!? Not all my so-called gifts prepared me for the pain I would have to suffer. The pain of losing the people I loved the most.
Everything changed for me the day Darrien entered my life. And I mean everything. |
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