padding. On the other side of the room sat an armoire, trimmed with gold. Four drawers were nestled at the bottom and two bigger ones on the top. A little farther down sat a cream colored chaise, gold and floral print on the soft looking fabric. In the center of the room was a huge bed, a black comforter topping it, and about a dozen silk pillows atop it. I walked over to it, fully aware of the big smile on my face. A door sat off to the side, and I could see black tile peeking from the darkened space. I assumed it was a bathroom and smiled at my luck. There had never been a time when I had my own bathroom.
I sat on the edge of the bed, facing Mikhail, and noticed the flat screen TV hanging on the wall. My eyes traveled down to the floor, and that was when I noticed several sealed up boxes. “What’s that?”
He stepped into the room and shrugged. “I thought you might like your things from your old room. So I had them brought here.”
I was touched by his thoughtfulness. “Thank you, that really means a lot.”
He shrugged again and smiled. “I’ll have Cadeon stop by and answer any questions you may have.”
He lifted his hand in goodbye and shut my door. I took off my coat and stared at the door for several minutes. Boxes littered my floor, and I got up and walked over to them. The carpet was plush beneath my feet, and when I sat down I pulled one of the boxes close to me. I ripped the tape off and sat there for a minute just staring at the contents. A picture lay atop the mass of articles inside the box, and I stared at it a moment before picking it up. Tears started to form at the corner of my eyes. It was a picture of Cecile’s seventh birthday, when Marie had taken everyone to the zoo. Cecile sat atop an iron hippo, Toby, Mack, Marie, and I standing beside her. Some old lady had offered to take the picture for us, which had been a bad idea, since it took her twenty minutes to figure out how to focus the thing.
I smiled as I stared at the picture, Cecile’s hair a wild mess, and all of us looking drained from the walking. It had been a great day, one I would never forget. The tears didn’t stop as I continued to pull things out of the box. Little trinkets the kids had made me, pictures, and some stuffed animals. I went through the other boxes quickly, my head pounding from my crying as my emotions bombarded me.
When I finally finished going through all the boxes, I sat there, thinking about how everything was so different. Just thinking about how “normal” my life had been only days ago, and how drastically it had changed, was like a punch to the face. My life wasn’t mine anymore. I had to follow a whole new set of rules, had to abide by them or I could die. I didn’t even know if I could go out in the sun, something I really had liked before, but still something I would have been able to do if I were still human.
Human.
I still couldn’t believe I didn’t fall under that category any longer. I couldn’t really expect people to understand how I felt, but to wake up one day and find out you aren’t you anymore is depressing. The tears continued to flow, my sinuses becoming so clogged I had to breathe through my mouth. I still wasn’t used to my fangs, and every time I sucked in a gasp of air, they would prick my inner lips. It made me cry harder.
I just had to keep telling myself what Marie would say, “you have to accept the things you can’t change.”
I didn’t know if I was strong enough.
Chapter Seven
I sat at the vanity and stared at myself. I looked the same, but so very different. I probably looked at my teeth a hundred times, touching the sharp tips of my fangs. My face looked paler, my hair darker and shinier. My eyes were still a little red and puffy from my crying, and because my skin looked so pale, they really stood out.
I had thought about what happened, running it through my mind over and over again, trying to put the pieces together. None of this made sense,
I sat on the edge of the bed, facing Mikhail, and noticed the flat screen TV hanging on the wall. My eyes traveled down to the floor, and that was when I noticed several sealed up boxes. “What’s that?”
He stepped into the room and shrugged. “I thought you might like your things from your old room. So I had them brought here.”
I was touched by his thoughtfulness. “Thank you, that really means a lot.”
He shrugged again and smiled. “I’ll have Cadeon stop by and answer any questions you may have.”
He lifted his hand in goodbye and shut my door. I took off my coat and stared at the door for several minutes. Boxes littered my floor, and I got up and walked over to them. The carpet was plush beneath my feet, and when I sat down I pulled one of the boxes close to me. I ripped the tape off and sat there for a minute just staring at the contents. A picture lay atop the mass of articles inside the box, and I stared at it a moment before picking it up. Tears started to form at the corner of my eyes. It was a picture of Cecile’s seventh birthday, when Marie had taken everyone to the zoo. Cecile sat atop an iron hippo, Toby, Mack, Marie, and I standing beside her. Some old lady had offered to take the picture for us, which had been a bad idea, since it took her twenty minutes to figure out how to focus the thing.
I smiled as I stared at the picture, Cecile’s hair a wild mess, and all of us looking drained from the walking. It had been a great day, one I would never forget. The tears didn’t stop as I continued to pull things out of the box. Little trinkets the kids had made me, pictures, and some stuffed animals. I went through the other boxes quickly, my head pounding from my crying as my emotions bombarded me.
When I finally finished going through all the boxes, I sat there, thinking about how everything was so different. Just thinking about how “normal” my life had been only days ago, and how drastically it had changed, was like a punch to the face. My life wasn’t mine anymore. I had to follow a whole new set of rules, had to abide by them or I could die. I didn’t even know if I could go out in the sun, something I really had liked before, but still something I would have been able to do if I were still human.
Human.
I still couldn’t believe I didn’t fall under that category any longer. I couldn’t really expect people to understand how I felt, but to wake up one day and find out you aren’t you anymore is depressing. The tears continued to flow, my sinuses becoming so clogged I had to breathe through my mouth. I still wasn’t used to my fangs, and every time I sucked in a gasp of air, they would prick my inner lips. It made me cry harder.
I just had to keep telling myself what Marie would say, “you have to accept the things you can’t change.”
I didn’t know if I was strong enough.
Chapter Seven
I sat at the vanity and stared at myself. I looked the same, but so very different. I probably looked at my teeth a hundred times, touching the sharp tips of my fangs. My face looked paler, my hair darker and shinier. My eyes were still a little red and puffy from my crying, and because my skin looked so pale, they really stood out.
I had thought about what happened, running it through my mind over and over again, trying to put the pieces together. None of this made sense,
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