Bloody Rhapsody (Damon Salvatore Love)

22. Vampires and Grave Sites

  Silence that is never ending, darkness that expands farther than the eye can see, nothingness. I am nothing, surrounded by nothing, lost in oblivion.

  "It's okay amore" A soft comforting voice pierces the silence.

  The voice isn't familiar, and yet I feel an instant connection with her. She soothes me, making me feel as though being lost in the dark isn't so dreadful. I let go, allowing myself to float away into unconsciousness. As soon as I begin to relax I feel a pulse cut through me.

  "You have to wake up now." the woman's voice is still kind, but a hint of urgency pulls me back. A second pulse jolts threw me, all sense of calm now lost. What is going on?

  "Wake up!" Panic now evident in her voice, infecting me with the need to run. But to where?

  A third pulse, so violent that I shoot up from my deep sleep. Gulping for breath, I can't shake the feeling that I was just drowning. My heart races, pounding so loud it's all I can here. Instinctively my hand push against my chest, feeling the fierce beats vibrating threw my body. Closing my eyes I force myself to breathe slowly, doing anything I can think of to calm myself. What is wrong with me? What a weird dream!

  "You okay over there?" Dads voice from behind me jumpstarts my panic all over. Twisting my body to see him I can't help but glare in his direction.

  "You scared me!" My voice is shrill, I have to concentrate once again to try to slow my thumping heart.

  "I think you were scared before I even came into the picture." Dad's mouth twitches up at the corners even as he tries to hide his amusement.

  "Crazy dream."

  I sigh and run my hand through my hair, pushing it back out of my face. I grunt as my fingers catch a snarl, only getting worse by my impatient tugging

  "Want to talk about it?" He grabs his cup of coffee off the counter and comes toward me.

  Scrambling I move to make room for him on the couch. Pulling my legs closer to me, I am shocked at the realization that I am still wearing my dress. How did I sleep through the night like this? Man, I don't even remember falling asleep! Moving the soft knit blanket so that it covers my legs, I sit cross-legged, making plenty of room for Dad.

  "I don't know. Don't really know how to describe it" I shrug.

  He drops in beside me and pats my knee in an attempt to comfort me. He glances around at Moms stuff, still scattered around the coffee table, and stiffens slightly. I know seeing this stuff must make him sad, make him miss Mom more, yet I hate the idea of packing it all away again. Biting my lower lip I push past my uncertainty and clutch the blanket as if in fear that it will be ripped away.

  "So, I see you found your blanket." He smiles at me, his eye glistening as he runs a hand over the soft yarn.

  "Mine?" I ask, not sure I heard him correctly.

  "Aye, Ally made that for you when she found out she was carrying." He answers, nodding his head with his words.

  "Really?" I sit up, a new surge of excitement washing through me as I pull the blanket tighter around me. For a moment I can almost imagine it's like being hugged by my mom.

  "I told her you would be a girl, with beautiful eyes just like her." He grins, putting a hand on my cheek. I lean into his touch even as I feel the blush rise in me. "She wasn't so sure though, decided to go with gray so no matter what it would be fitting"

  "I love it" I breathe, completely at ease in this moment.

  "I am glad" He beams at me for a moment before turning back to the rest of the trunks contents.