The Only Way ✓

2. A Few Words

Camila

"Camila, you're on time," I felt a hand on my shoulder and I knew that I had obeyed. I kept my stare straight ahead, I hadn't been acknowledge as of yet. 

"The mother is over there. I want you to go greet her  and then settle to the side." Simon murmured and I kept my face straightforward. 

"Okay," I set towards the young woman who was crying into a man's shoulder, who also carried a little girl crying in his arms.

"Remember if you recall anything even the smallest thing let me know," I felt Simon's hard stare on my back. I turned to look at him and I nodded. I walked around the coffin towards the family. As I walked towards them, the scent twisted and then neutralized. It was really strange. It was strange that the mother was vampire and the rest of the family was human. I felt my canines elongate against my tongue and I did my best to control myself.  They were so alluring. Camila, this is not the place or time. 

"Excuse me. Hello, I'm Camila Reid, my condolences for your loss. She was my best friend," I spoke in a sympathetic tone. The woman's eyes were inundated with a scarlet color, so dark that they were almost an onyx black. I took a step back in precaution. Simon had warned me to stay away from ever letting my eyes settle on the absolute nothingness. Emotions could take hold of you and then you were gone. Emotions had a way of manipulating a vampire and making it their slave. She must have noticed because her eyes had settled down to a more natural color. She sniffed and wiped her tears away on the flowy sleeve of her own black blouse. 

"Thank you," she came forward for a hug and I stood there awkwardly.  I heard the light sniffs as she tried to register me. As she let go, she eyed me for a moment.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked. Her emotions had clouded her senses.

"No, no. I was just trying to recall if my daughter ever spoke of you," she said. I didn't know what to say. Uncle Si had prohibited me from speaking of my current amnesia and I knew little of my past. 

"Dear, I think we should continue on," her husband, I had concluded, the man at her side whispered into her ear and I just excused myself. I made my way through the rest of the family. The brother, the cousin, the cousin's boyfriend and her best friends. Human, the most enticing aromas radiated from them. I had to learn to control my impulses. 

I stood at the side, where no one stood. I could feel the eyes of many of them on me. I tried my best to keep my eyes away from any of them. I didn't want or need to meet any of there stares. I stood there throughout the whole ceremony. At times I found myself dazing out, my eyes settling on the coffin as the family spoke of the many accomplishments of their daughter, of my best friend. They opened the ceremony up for the others here that had come to speak to her one last time and I couldn't stand being there anymore. I felt like an intruder. I couldn't remember her. I just couldn't. I turned around and I walked away with the excuse of giving them privacy. 

"You came." I kept walking. 

"You told me I had to come. So I did." I responded. 

"Yes, so has anything triggered a memory of any kind?" Uncle Simon asked. I turned to look at him. He was dressed in all black in exception to his white button down shirt. 

"No. None of this is making me remember anything." I said looking past Simon and out towards the vast area dotted with various grey stones each labeled and residence for many humans. Dead humans.

"Let me take a look at you," Uncle Simon asked though he held my face between his palms without an answer. He grew closer and stared deeply into my eyes.

"Incredible," his hands dropped and he examined at full length, "you've actually mastered the skill." I nodded. 

"I thought green blue suited today," I joked and Uncle Si chuckled. I looked back at towards the gathering. 

"Can they hear us?" I asked unsure of our capabilities limitations.

"We're vampires, but we can only do so much Camila. You'll learn sooner or later," Uncle Si said and I looked back towards him.

"You do know, you are one of the rare ones, one of the million who have that trait," Uncle Si explained. I looked at him interested to hear more. 

"I know you've told me so many times." I said trying my best not to let him change the subject. He always did after I asked him why I had this rare trait. He looked at me intensely, and he gave me a sympathetic look. I stood their confused. It was like Uncle Simon felt bad for me. 

"Camila, are you sure you cannot remember anything? Any headaches?" Simon asked changing the subject. He paced around once again not meeting my stare any longer. Why was he always worried about my head? It's like ever since the accident, ever since I had savagely consumed dead man's blood, which caused my amnesia, according to Uncle Si. All he has been worried about is my head. 

"No Uncle Si. I cannot remember anything. Can I leave?" I begged. Just thinking about what I had done, dead man's blood, just being in a cemetery made me feel like I was returning to the very place the could send me over the brink again. I waited for Uncle Si to give my request a thought. 

“No," my hope for leaving evaporated, "I want you to stay a bit longer. I just want to see if this can in fact trigger any memories, anything at all,” Simon said in a more serious tone. I looked around, it was like I was being punished. Uncle Simon stood there one hand in his pockets and the other he fiddled with his fingers. He wasn't speaking any further. I walked back towards the gathering. Everyone had left. The family had left. The funeral had finished and all who stood there were just but the five boys. They watched me carefully. No, they watched Simon carefully. It was like they were trying to figure something out. But if they knew Simon as much as I did-- they would know that trying to puzzle out Simon was never possible. 

I took several strides towards the white coffin and tried hard to find the right words to express how I felt. No matter how much I tried, words just wouldn't form the right way. 

"I'm sorry," was all that came out. I was sorry because I couldn't find any attachment to her. I was sorry...that she was human.