Mermaids and Vampires

2: A Dark Mess

~~~~~~~~~~~OLIVIA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I wake up the sun is beating in from all directions. The room is warm and the air is thick. I guess I left my windows open, it smells like the sea.

My clothes are scattered on the floor. I pick out an outfit for today. I quickly change into a grey t-shirt and dark blue shorts. I check the mirror that stands in the corner of my room. My hair is a mess. I try to comb it out a bit with my fingers before going downstairs.

The old, wood stairs creek with each step. As I walk down I get a waft of an all too familiar smell. I gag and fan the air in front of my face. The basement is not a good place to store your- leftovers. I knew it would start to stink.

I continue down the stairs and look into the hallway.

I find Adam in the living room. He’s staring out the window that looks upon our front yard. I know he’s heard me come in when he says my name without even looking back. “Olivia,”

“Olivia, how long has this been here?” his tone is urgent.

I walk over to the window. “What…” I begin.  And then I notice it and my heart skips a beat. The little for sale sign on our front yard says sold! No, no, no, no, no, it can’t say sold.

 “I didn’t see it yesterday” I say hurriedly, thinking back to our walk home in the dark.

“Yes, but did you look?” asks Adam, angered.

I shrug.

Adam storms out of the room. “Grab everything you can,” he calls from the hallway.

I run upstairs as quickly as I can. My bag is under my bed. I haul it out and fill it with clothes, then shoes. My notebooks fit in the front pouch. And, really I don’t have anything else. I had packed light from the beginning.

I couldn't bring anything I used to own. Three months ago, I had faked my own death and dead people don't bring things with them.

I shivered as I recalled the experience. It was a memory that lived in the darkest corners of my mind and I rarely ever let it surface. Three month ago, after we had gotten to know each other and planned out this whole thing we decided that the only way for me to run away from my family would be to fake my death. Adam taught me how to slow my heart rate, how to hold my breath long enough to be titled dead.

I was buried. Yes. I was buried alive. The entire process was scarring. First, I had to lay in the coffin, listening to my family grieve. Listening to the things they said, how much they would miss me. I cried, nobody noticed but the tears dripped silently down my cheeks as I waited for it all to end. I could hear my mother crying, everyone I loved was there. I was lying to all of them. I was hurting them all in more ways than I had ever imagined.

I found strength in one thing that Adam had said to me. "It will be sad, yes, and right now it will seem like a horrible thing, but trust me when I say this; when the thousands of years go by, and you've outlived everyone you know a hundred times over, it won't matter. It won't be anything. Just a first step to infinity."  The words echoed in my head.

That alone was what got me through it. That, and the joy that filled my heart when I knew I would be living with Adam.

The next part was a test of will power. Being lowered into that ten foot deep hole, I knew I could cry out at any moment, make just one sound and it would all be over. But I held out. I listened to the pitter-patter of the dirt being tossed on top of me. I lay silent in that stuffy, claustrophobic box until the hole was all filled in. Everyone was gone. I started to cry. I wept for what seemed like an hour. My world was closing in on me. I was trapped in so tight that I couldn't even roll over. It was pitch black and the air was getting thinner. The only hope I had was that Adam would stay true to his word. I trusted him with my life. I had to.