Altered Path

I wasn’t supposed to wake up, but apparently, I had failed, yet again.

The first thing I am aware of is that I have not ended my pain. Fresh on my mind is memory of Snap telling me my baby was gone. The sound of my own crying echoed in the background of the memory.

So, here I was, still alive. Still hating myself for every miserable failure I’ve managed. Still having no reason to continue in this world.

Suddenly, my throat felt dry and seemed to burn with the need to drink.

I reached for my throat, startled. I had never been so thirsty.

You have to open your eyes, Melissa, I thought to myself, but the idea of opening my eyes made me feel like a traitor to the tiny angel I had wanted to die for.

I could stay here. I felt pretty comfortable, except for this thirst.

Still clutching my throat, I decided I would open my eyes, find water, drink enough to stop this burning feeling in my throat, which I assumed was from inhaling smoke or fumes from the crash, then find some other way to end my life.

“Mommy will join you soon,” I whispered, hoping my little baby would understand.

Here we go, I thought, bracing myself for the pain of moving a stiff, sore, broken body.

I opened my eyes and slowly took in my surroundings.

I was still inside the SUV, my face pressed to the roof of the overturned mass of machinery and glass. I could see daylight through the missing windshield. At least, I thought it was the windshield.

I started to wonder if I had been paralyzed. I couldn’t feel any pain, but I had to have bad injuries from falling from the height that I did and getting smashed inside an SUV. I wiggled my toes, my fingers, I shifted in place a few times. Still, I felt no pain.

I set my sights on the patch of sunlight just a few feet from the broken-out window and started to crawl. Using my feet to find a solid start, I grasped the edge of the broken window and pulled myself out easily.

Too easily? What the hell was going on?

Looking around, I crept out into the open, still a foot or so from the sun's rays. I waited for something to happen. I waited for a while, standing there, unsure of what I was really expecting.

Nothing happened. I had just driven my vehicle off of a freaking train track and into a riverbed, and, except for the busted-up car behind me, it seemed nothing had changed at all. It made me feel even worse…. insignificant.

I didn’t know what to do, but then the dry, burning in my throat flared up again and I remembered.

“I need water,” I said out loud.

The riverbed was dry. I wondered if there was ever water there at all. I would have to find another source.

“Better start walking,” I said out loud again, then, “Better.... hello.... lalala...”

My voice sounded strangely unfamiliar. I made a few more sounds, but it didn’t change. I figured it was the fumes, again. It must’ve damaged my windpipe or something.

“Doesn’t matter. I won’t need it for long,” I said.

Again, the strange sound of my own voice startled me.

A rustling of leaves and branches behind me caught my attention. It didn’t sound like wind. It was a messy, clumsy sound. I hoped it was people with water. That’s not weird, right?

I started off in the direction of the crunching, but with my first step, I knew something was not right. Instead of taking a step, the thought of getting to the refreshing water took over and I was suddenly speeding through the trees.

I thought that I must have really done a number on my own head to be hallucinating like this. The trees flew by me at unrealistic speeds, but I never hit a single one. Finally, I decided to stop and came skidding to a halt right at the edge of a small clearing where I could see kids setting up tents.

I smiled. Boy scouts! They would definitely have water.

I stepped into the clearing and waved at the only adult I saw, a fatherly looking man with chocolate skin and laughing eyes.

“Excuse me!” I called.

The man and some of the boys turned around and stared at me with eyes wide.

It was like they were frightened.

Then, the man ran to me and asked, “What happened? Are you okay? Does anyone else need help? Boys! Get the first aid kit!!”

I looked down at myself and realized I was covered in blood from head to toe. My shirt was so soaked that it looked like a red material, until I turned, and you saw the rips and smudges of more brownish red. Where had it all come from?

“Come sit down, lady,” one younger boy said, offering me a chair in the shade.

“Water,” I said, in my unfamiliar, cooing voice.

“Sweetheart, are you alone?” the man was asking me.

I nodded, still examining the blood on my clothing.

“Boys, I think she’s in shock. Get the manual,” the man said, then he turned back to me, “I’m Malcolm and these boys are Troop 269. What’s your name, sugar?”

I really hated when men talked to me like this. Sweetie, sugar, baby. It reminded me of the way Erik would taunt me when he was drunk and ready to fight.

“It’s not important. I won’t be a bother. I just need a drink,” I said, as he leaned over me, gently touching the crusted blood spot on my head.

That’s when I noticed the way he smelled.

I inhaled deeply and all I could think of was happiness and warmth and buttery yellow sunshine.

“You smell good,” I said, and leaned in closer to him.

One of the boys, holding a water bottle, came up quietly behind Malcolm.

I heard him and looked up just as he screamed the loudest, shrillest screech I had ever heard. He pointed at me, eyes wide with terror, and the other boys came running to see what was wrong.

“Oh, my god!” Malcolm suddenly said and he fell back on his rear and scuttled away like a crab.

I jumped up and moved towards the boys, thinking there was something huge and hungry just behind me, but when I turned to face it, there was nothing there.

Yet, the boys were still running and screaming.

I spun around searching for the threat, but I didn’t see anything.

Now the boys were all piling into one of the tents and Malcolm was shouting orders outside of it.

“Forget that stuff, let’s go, let’s go…. on the trail,” he was yelling them.

“Hey! What’s going on?” I called out.

Malcolm looked at me and I could see that he was terrified, but he spoke anyways, saying, “Your teeth, man, what the hell is wrong with your teeth?”

My teeth….

I touched my mouth. Lips, normal. Teeth, smooth and unbroken. Then, I felt a poke into my bottom lip.

“Ouch,” I said, startled, and I touched the spot where the poke was still stinging.

Now, I screamed. Loud, long, terrified screeches.

My incisors were long and pointed. The poke had been my own freakishly elongated teeth stabbing into my lip.

I was terrified, enraged and confused. I can’t say how long I screamed, but it eventually turned into sobs.

When I became aware of my surroundings again, it was dark, and Malcolm and all the boys were gone. I was alone.

I was confused and the pain in my heart burned almost as bad as the burning thirst I felt in my throat. The burning thirst that I now knew was for blood, not water, because I knew now that I had died in the crash. I died and came back to life as a vampire.

Gideon had never explained to me how vampires were made.

Eventually, I got up and started moving. I didn’t know where I was going. My feet just kept stepping and I didn’t feel any need to stop them.

As I walked, I took note of sounds, scents and sights I had never experienced before. I would smell the moist earth, bend down and pick some up, then realize there were more new scents hidden inside. The trees were so green, even in the dark. I saw animals running from the brush as I got closer to them, eyes darting fearfully around as they ran for new cover.

My feet kept going and it felt good to be moving. I didn’t question the urge to walk, or the direction my feet chose. It just felt right.

The burning in my throat was getting worse and I wondered what would happen if I didn’t drink blood. How could I drink human blood? It sounded disgusting.

Then again, I had drunk Gideon’s blood, and it hadn’t tasted bad.

This was a whole new world with a whole new set of issues.

“Great, I’m already a bad vampire,” I said, out loud.

“Nonsense! You followed orders beautifully, if a tad slow,” Gideon said from the darkness.

I spun around, searching for him, mostly because his voice sounded different, too, and I wasn’t completely sure it was really him.

There he was, leaning against a tree, smiling at me.

I ran to him and threw my arms around him, sobbing.

“There, there. I am so sorry, dear. I should not have left you alone,” he said, as he stroked my tangled hair.

“I wanted to die,” I admitted, through hysterical sobs, "I still do."

I don’t know why it was important for me to tell him that. Maybe it was my subconscious trying to be a tattle tale.

“You’ll find that much more difficult now, I’m afraid,” he said, casually, as if I just said I wanted a Pepsi.

I pulled away and looked at him, confused.

“Can’t I just walk into the sun?” I asked him, because I had enough sense to have already come up with that as my new plan.

Gideon shook his head, “I won’t allow that.”

Oh. He meant that it would be harder now, since he’d be on me like bees on honey.

“So, you’re going to keep me locked up? Follow me everywhere? Like some creepy stalker?” I said, feeling my anger flaring up.

Gideon put up his hands and said, “Nothing of the sort, dear. You simply will not try to end your existence again,” he stated.

I immediately knew he was right. It was frustrating. I could feel the reasons I wanted to die, but when my thoughts went to planning, my mind went blank.

“What the hell!” I shouted at him, “What did you do to me?”

He sighed and shook his head.

“Melissa, you’ve consumed my blood. Large quantities, to be clear. If you die with vampire blood in your system, you become one of us. This is as much your fault as it is mine, dear. I wish you would’ve come to me,” he explained, in a tired, sad voice.

“Why can’t I think about killing myself?” I said, wincing when the blankness wiped my thoughts again.

“I don’t want you to. I told you not to. I have some control over you, being your Sire,” he explained.

“Wonderful! I go from a bossy, abusive human to a vampire who can control my thoughts,” I said, throwing up my hands, “I can’t freakin’ win.”

Gideon waited a few seconds, until I looked at him expectantly, waiting for more.

“I know we don’t know each other well, yet, but as you’re now my daughter, I think that will all come with time,” he said, then, “You will learn to trust me, Melissa. I will not ever harm you or control you beyond keeping you safe. The Sire bond is not something to abuse. Not for me.”

My mind was reeling again. So much new information, new sounds, scents and sights, new ideas, new problems…. I felt overwhelmed.

“Okay. I’ll play along, but the first chance I see to jump into the sun….” I trailed off as my mind went blank, “Shit!”

Gideon chuckled.

“Shall we go inside?” he asked me.

He pointed behind him at the huge, dark mansion and I realized I had been heading towards him and our home the whole time I was walking.

Sire bond. Ugh. Will I ever know which thoughts are mine again?

“Of course, you will,” Gideon said, heading towards the house.

I hurried after him and said, “Could you at least pretend I have privacy?”

He chuckled again and said, “You will learn to guard your thoughts. Among other abilities.”

That word, ‘abilities’, caught my attention.

“Can I learn to control people, like the compulsion thingy?” I asked him.

“Definitely.” he responded.

I followed him inside with a tiny bud of happiness growing in my mind. Maybe being a vampire would not be so bad.

Maybe.