"What's wrong, Anna?"
I looked up, the thoughts going to the back of my head. "What? Oh, nothing." At least the thoughts were gone. "I don't think I'm that hungry. May I be excused from dinner?"
"Sure. But are you sick?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry."
It was definitely something, but my obsession was for me alone. I couldn't possibly tell my mom about our funny neighbor and his... condition, which would be a lot easier to refer to as "vampirism", but he hated that. Though that was clearly impossible.
I got up from the dinner table and went upstairs to hide in my room and try to forget about the crazy thoughts and the crazy afternoon that I had.
I watched TV all night and did a little drawing and writing to get my mind off it, but sometimes I would revert back to it and see that I was obsessed. And how could I not be? He was a strange new guy, completely hot, who could kill me very easily and not even notice. So there were no possibilities of... well it doesn't matter. Though it didn't help that they were putting a vampire movie on TV and kept me thinking about it even more, though this one was a scary movie, so I got completely grossed out. So it turned me off even more, but I couldn't stop thinking about him. I was truly obsessed. And banging my head on the wall wasn't helping, only to give me a bad headache.
At around 11:00 I turned off the TV to go to sleep, but not before I glanced out my window to see into his backyard (yeah, it was most/least inconvenient that my window should be the one facing his backyard). I took a peek in between my black-laced curtains and looked into his backyard, into the box.
Through a barred window facing my side, he was standing there, staring up at me. I wasn't sure if he could see me, but he kept staring as if he could. And then he relaxed his evil stared and smile. It was scary as hell and I shut my curtains completely and stepped away. Now I wasn't thinking about him in a more romantic way, but in a creeped out way, and I was sure going to have nightmares tonight.
I decided against my will to look out the curtains again, just one last glance. He wasn't there this time, but his hand reached out a little from the dark window. Just a regular movement, I figured, so I went to my bed.
It was afternoon and I went to see him again. I had climbed the fence into his backyard this time and walked over to his box to sit right in front of it. But as I looked to the opening that was usually barred (the only opening, other than the side window, that let in any light), I saw it wide open. The bars had been taken away and weren't even anywhere in sight. Had they let him out? I went closer to the wooden box and peered inside. It was empty. I couldn't sense any movement inside, actually, because the box was so dark that I couldn't possibly see any movement. And that's when I felt someone behind me.
I was flying through the air before I could realize that it was Patrick the person behind me, the person who had pounced on me and sent us both through the air towards the back of the cage, in complete darkness. When we landed, the hard, wooden floor creaked and teared beneath me and my back hurt too much for me to move. He had pinned me against the ground and I was incapable of moving. I tried as much as I could to get free because I could sense it in his growl that he was about to bite me. But all I could see was the flash of red from his previously green eyes.
And that's when I woke up. Thankfully. I was sweating and had almost no breath, but I was still alive. And that had been the worst nightmare of my life.
I got up and ran to the window. I peeked into his backyard and saw what gave me a sigh of relief: his box had the bars firm and just how they always were. I went back to my bed when I looked at the radio clock at my bedside and saw in shock the time displayed. It was 2:00p.m.! I had slept until way too late. I changed in more than a hurried manner and raced downstairs to greet my mom a good afternoon and yell at her.
"Why didn't you wake me up? You know how much I hate waking up late!" I shouted at my unexpecting mother standing in the kitchen.
"Because I thought you were sick and wanted to rest."
Great. The one day that I have a horrifying nightmare and would much rather have been woken up earlier, is the day that my mom actually lets me sleep in. Thank you! Why she'd have to be so caring.
"Yeah, mom. Thanks."
"Are you better this morning?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
At least she didn't notice my hysterical appearance, but I had managed to calm down when I came downstairs.
"I'm gonna walk around," I said after finishing my cereal.
"Ok. But aren't you going to go over next door to meet your friend? I thought that was what you did yesterday."
"Oh, yeah. But I don't have to go today. He's probably not there." Lying was second nature to me, so my mom didn't notice and let the matter go.
"Ok, then bye. And don't take too long out there."
"Umm... ok."
I got my keys and my cellphone in case someone called and went out the door, into the clear air of the afternoon.
I walked to the small shopping center in the middle of our gated community (obviously in the opposite direction from his house), to get an ice cream. It was a really boring afternoon on a Saturday. But it was summer and my best friends had ditched me to go on a vacation with their families. Lousy friends. It was a short walk, so in less than 10 minutes I had made it there, with an entire afternoon to spare.
I sat at the bar in the ice cream parlor and asked for a regular chocolate sundae when I heard two girls talking. And what do you know? They were talking about Patrick.
"He's a real weirdo, the new guy. I hear he drinks blood. Humans' blood," said the first one.
"That's absurd," said the other one.
"No, it's true. Why do you think they keep him in a box all day?"
Great. It didn't take long for the small community population to find out about the freak! Why can't they have their own lives and not talk about other people?
"I really don't think he's dangerous," continued the other one. "I think he's cute."
What? Some gullible girl she was.
"How could you say that?" continued the other one. "I've heard them talk about him and mention that he drinks blood. I think I even heard it on the news. They had to move away cuz he accidentally sucked the blood out of his three best friends. And they all died. He's pretty freaky, I don't care how cute he is."
"I don't believe in this b.s. It's almost as if you're trying to say he's a vampire."
Oh no. Not a vampire. But something terribly close. I'm thinking cannibal, but he doesn't eat the humans, just drinks their blood. Still creepy, though.
"He might be."
Ok, their conversation was getting really stupid, so I just tunned out and went back to my ice cream. Really good ice cream. It helped me forget what had worried me so much lately.
"He's all alone there..." I heard against my better judgement.
I didn't want to hear that. I knew he was alone, and I had been cruel in leaving him alone like that. But I had gotten scared of him. And he did warn me, and even let me go.
Argh! This was not my favorite summer time drama!
The girls left once they finished their conversation and I was free to eat my ice cream. Though I mostly stared, thanks to losing my appetite. I left the parlor with the ice cream cup in my hand, but threw it away outside.
My afternoon was dull. It wasn't even 4:00 when I left the shopping center. I still didn't want to go hom because sooner or later I would have to encounter my worst fear: him. And though he was no threat (or almost no threat, I could still be careless and get too close), I didn't want to see him. So I wandered aimlessly around town and sat on a park bench to look at the clouds and the trees and possibly have that lull me into subconsciousness and see if I could figure out what I was going to do.
It was done. I was going to ignore him from now on. It was best. I couldn't possibly let myself, or him for that matter, get too attached. It would be painful. And I could die. Or he could die. Or be taken away. I was being smart.
I left the park bench and went home. I looked, from my bedroom window when I got home, to his backyard. It was motionless, like if there wasn't a monster in hiding there. But he was there. I knew it. But I closed the curtains to never look at him again and never worry about it anymore.
End of Part 4 heart
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheesh. Must I take forever to only write this much? I guess I'm just not inspired anymore. Can someone please help me with some inspiration? Or a bribe? Or a gift of some sort? Just kidding. But I don't know if I can keep writing (even if this story is too strong in my head).
And no worries, there are very few parts left (I think at the most 4). So I'm almost done!
Comments make me happy!
And donations even happier!!!!
