To Kill a Vampire

Chapter Nine ~ Welcome to the Black Parade

 Black. The breeze rolled in through an open window behind closed curtains, dragging the long fabric back and forth along the edge of the floor. That is the only sound that came into the room. There was almost no traffic to be heard. Stretching out and curling back in, Gwen pulled the softer-than-normal blankets up towards her face, breathing in the scent of what Gwen thought to be a mix of old wood, cherry blossom air freshener, and dust.  The tangy scent made the inside of Gwen’s nose tingle, and she rolled over onto her back, rubbing her nose.

  Dropping her hand onto the pillow beside her, she exhaled loudly and opened her eyes a crack. Suddenly realizing that she was not at her home, she sat upright, causing herself to become light-headed. When the dizzy sensation went away, she rubbed her eyes and looked around the room.  Black. The only light coming into the room was the light spilling in through the space in between the opaque curtains.

   Gwen got up from the bed and walked over to the curtains and pulled them apart. The sky was a violet-blue, and the streets were quite clear except for a few cars driving here and there. Gwen assumed it was probably the early hours of a Monday morning and turned around to face the room.

   A large king-sized bed stood against the wall, the silk blankets on it collecting the light from the window. Across the room, a cushioned armchair stood at an angle facing the bed. There was a large armoire in the furthest corner facing the room, and a full-length mirror beside it. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting spidery shadows in the already-dark room. Gwen had been here before. She was in Gerard’s apartment. She knew that the door near the armchair led to the hallway outside, but there was a second door right across from where she was standing, on the same wall that the mirror stood against.

   She walked across the room and pushed the door open cautiously, hoping to find a washroom. It was completely dark in the room, and her hand searched for a light switch on the wall beside her. After a few minutes, she found it and flipped it on. A fiery light filled the small room and Gwen shut her eyes as she entered. She shut the door softly behind her and opened one eye slightly.

   Everything was made of a dull grey marble, and there were small torch-like lights in each corner of the room– a washroom– casting a warm, orange light. Gwen felt like she was in a dungeon. She dragged herself to the sink and looked at herself in the large mirror.

   Black. Gwen ran her hand through her hair as a pit formed in her stomach. Her once-bright red, shoulder-length, messy hair was its original blackest of blacks. It was also about 3 centimeters past her shoulders, and hardly messy. She didn’t look anything like herself. She took a few steps back and sat down against the bathtub behind her on the cold floor.

   A deep, childish misery filled her from the loss of her wonderful hair. The horrible turn of events had caused it, and she kept digging a deeper hole of misery in her mind with every passing second. Why had all this happened to her? She should have just listened to her dad. Her parents were already so worried and protective of her, and she didn’t know what they’d do if they found out anything happened to her. They had already gone through so much. Gwen then thought about Mia, and her education, and her life. Everything was ruined.

   Her memory came back to her and she remembered that everything that been turned around two days ago. After she had come to live with Gerard because of Mia’s death, they had discussed how to hide her. Of course, Gerard’s plan was to make everyone believe her to be dead. The story was that both she and Mia were murdered in their apartment, and Gwen’s body was taken away. Now, she didn’t have a family, a job, or art school. The only one that knew that she was alive was Gerard.

   Gwen stood up again and leaned against the sink. She was too tired then, and agreed to everything Gerard said. Now she regretted it sincerely. She could have just gone back to her parents. Maybe then Mikey wouldn’t be so angry with her. Her head suddenly shot up in realization.