I Would Want To See You One Last Time.

Piece 19

        I put my school bag in the corner of her room where I usually put it. I listen to the bathroom door close as I open one of her drawers to grab a pair of lounge pants I've left here in the past and change into them, folding my long black skirt and socks neatly next to my bag. I lay on her bed and turn on the TV to play something as I wait. The hum of the water running through the pipes as she takes a quick warming-up shower. 

        The sun is casting an orange glow on the horizon that mixes into the sky. Clouds partially cover what's left of the blue sky. The top of the clouds is a muted lavender color, with pinks and reds mixing in underneath from the sun. The sunset is beautiful.

        She walks in and glances at me lying in the bed, she's in a towel. I turn away from her as she opens and closes the drawers to her dresser. Once done, a warm Maria lays next to me on her back. I flip over and lay my head on her shoulder. "Can I change it?" She asks. "If you were watching it, we can finish it. There was just something I wanted to check out." 

        "Go ahead," I say and absorb her warmth. My cold hands don't affect her at all. She picks up the remote and closes out the video I wasn't paying attention to while she was gone. My eyes start to get heavy as the video she plays in the background gets more muffled. "The sunset is pretty this evening." My eyes slowly close as I start to succumb to sleep. 

        "It's always pretty when you're around." She says softly. My chest flutters and they're back again, the fucking scratching words, screaming at me to come out. I still can't figure out what they are, or what I want to say, which is irritating. I fear opening my mouth, so, I rub my face on her, ignoring the fizzing words in my throat as they dissipate back down.  

        I drift off into sleep listening to her breathing, with warm skin on my fingers. 

        By the time I wake up, Maria is still awake and staring off into the distance at the TV. I don't think she's paying attention to the video anymore. It's dark outside now and the crescent moon is peeking through the window blinds. Night time. 

        "Are you doing okay?" I ask her, sleepiness in my voice. 

        She tenses up slightly. "No," She mumbles very lowly. 

        "What's wrong?" I ask as I hold her tighter in hopes that makes her feel somewhat better, even if it's just slightly. 

        Her breath starts to hiccup. A small sniffle comes from her. 

        "It's okay, I'm here for you," I say. "You can cry. You're safe with me." I pull myself up to hold her better as tears flow down. She hugs me tight, pushing her face into me so I can't see her. Putting my hand on her head, I begin playing with her hair while stroking her back. 

        "I feel bad," She says between choked sobs. 

        "For what?" I ask. 

        She lifts her head off of me, still looking away from me to wipe her face. "Breathe, Maria. Slow down and get your thoughts together." I whisper to her. "What's going through your mind?"

        "My turning." She says in a cracky voice. "I wasn't alone where I went." She starts spilling everything, hardly taking a breath to talk. "I was with an old good friend of mine. One day," She sniffles, "She said that we should go to this abandoned warehouse, I wanted to impress her so I said yes." She's talking louder, almost yelling. Not mad yelling, just upset. "We went that same night. A while passed by, I was scared and cold, and I wanted to go home but I wasn't going to tell her that. I just wanted to have fun with her. If I had known about what was going to happen, I wouldn't have fucking gone." She wipes her eyes again. I just watch her. "An elder vampire was watching us the whole time. I was on one side of the building and she was on the other side when she called my name to come look at something with her. By the time I turned around to approach her, someone had run out of the shadows and attacked her. Biting her in the neck. I ran towards her to get him off her," She says weakly, sniffling and letting out sobs before continuing. "But I couldn't. He was strong." She says lowly. "He was too strong for my strength. I tried hitting him, clawing at his neck but I couldn't even make a mark. I got one last look at her, she was the palest I'd ever seen her before. She didn't even look at me--her life was draining quicker than she could even realize. Then, I attempted to run, knowing I was helpless to save her. I ran out of the building, just listening to her muffled screams and chokes from blood coming up her throat as I was running. Then, it all went quiet." She sits up to look at me. Tears are still pouring out of her eyes as she looks at me, broken. "I sat behind a tree, curled in a ball, covering my mouth. Trying to calm down while thinking about how dead she looked before she had even died. It was the quietest moment of my life. After who knows how long of silence, I slowly walked back to the building to see her. I knew she was already dead but I just didn't want to believe it. Then, there she was, in a small pool of her blood as whatever was left inside of her was dripping out. Her neck was torn up from the bite like he was eating her flesh too. Torn from razor-sharp teeth from improper feeding. Her head looked like it was barely hanging on. And then," Her eyebrows furrow as she looks at me, I don't look away from her, I only hold her. Being careful not to move too quickly.