Trembling With the Strings
I Want To See Them Suffer
I awoke a few hours later with a pounding headache. I groaned and brought a hand to my head, hoping the touch would soothe it. It didn’t but I rolled onto my side and saw that Darius was gone. I also saw Marcy’s journal lying beside me peacefully as though it didn’t contain the horrors she’d seen.
Despite my better judgment, I crawled over to the book and pulled it open, leafing through the pages. I read the first page:
“April 1, 1974
The pain finally stopped today at midnight. I can finally write now. Drakken gave me this journal so I could remember everything that happens to me since I’ll be living quite sometime. Apparently, I have to start all over in vampire years. I’m no longer twelve: I’m a newborn! Darius still hasn’t come through yet and he’s in the room across the hall. Last I checked, he was curled in a ball on the floor, writhing in pain. Drakken told me he’d be stronger if he got through this alone, so I wasn’t to help him. I’d gotten through, so he could, too. He’s still my little brother, so it’s harder than it sounds to just leave him alone. I hope he’s done with this transformation soon.
“So Drakken is a swell guy. He’s adopting me and Darius since we’re alone. And I’m going to be a big sister! Well, again. They’re expecting Dante in five months. I know Dray will love being a big brother. I can see him holding his newborn brother. I can’t wait! But I’m so holding Dante first. I just hope Dray will be okay and cope with being a vampire. It still seems so unreal even to me.”
That got me really curious. That was what she was thinking about the moment she was no longer in pain, but what had Darius been thinking the second he found out he was so much better than humans like myself?
I jumped up and began searching desperately. I was paranoid and kept glancing to the door to see if he’d pop in, but he didn’t. I was checking under his pillows when I caught a glimpse of a dark green book. I smirked. Under the mattress: how original! I seized it eagerly and sat down on the floor beside the bed. I felt like a nerd that just found out the new shipment of textbooks was in: I felt like Johnny!”
“April 2, 1974
The searing pain in my body finally ceased today. I awoke to see Marcy peering in at me with these worried eyes. I hated that I made her so scared. I immediately jumped up from my spot on the floor and pulled her into my arms. She held me so tight and I could have stayed like that forever. She told me that we had a new family...and soon a baby brother. I finally won’t be the baby of the family! I could just see the cute little guy being hogged by Marcy. She’d always been a sucker for babies. Maybe it’s a girl thing. I don’t know.
“So I learned something. I’m a vampire now and no longer dying of malaria, so that’s a plus, right? It’s so much more than that! I’m so fast and my eyesight is great. I can’t begin to tell you how elated I am! I feel so much better than I did as a derisory human. I’m strangely looking forward to my first hunt. I want to see someone suffering just as much as we had. I know it sounds outrageous, but God forsook us when we needed him the most, so what am I supposed to believe? Well, Drakken wants us to have a family consultation. I won’t ever forget my mother and step-father, but hopefully in time their bloodcurdling screams won’t haunt me anymore.”
I immediately felt bad for reading, but it was just so interesting. What had made him hate kids so much? He used to love them. I flipped forward to September.
“September 7, 1974
Dante was born today and now everyone is paying notice to him. Marcy pays no heed to me, Drakken is focused on keeping the Missus in high spirits, and Anne is watching Dante like a hawk. I got to hold him once, but he squirmed out of my arms and cried! The little dipstick was whining and trying to get away from me! What’s erroneous with me? Am I a monster or something? Well, it’s too bad that he’ll be just like me in a few years.
“I don’t see the fuss about babies. Remind me never to go all fanatical over them. And I shall never be a dad. It’s not worth it and kids are so bothersome. They take up all your time and make you take no notice of the kid begging for your consideration. I’m working on not caring, but I get angrier each time I hear him giggling or see him laughing. I can’t wait until he’s not a baby anymore so maybe we can actually hang a bit without people drooling all over him! Oh, so they want me to make an effort to hold him once more. How quaint.”
It’s just jealousy? But Darius and Dante are good now, aren’t they? I heard the door open and I stashed the book back where I found it. I’d have to wait to read more and I knew it’d kill me until I was opening that book again. I jumped into bed quickly and buried myself under the covers.
“Get up, Gracie. You’ve got a phone call from home,” Darius mumbled, holding a cell phone in his hand. I jumped up and I could have kissed him! “Oh, and if you want to talk to Johnny, you have to kiss me first.”
Oh, aren't you cool? Too bad, I so wasn't serious!
Despite my better judgment, I crawled over to the book and pulled it open, leafing through the pages. I read the first page:
“April 1, 1974
The pain finally stopped today at midnight. I can finally write now. Drakken gave me this journal so I could remember everything that happens to me since I’ll be living quite sometime. Apparently, I have to start all over in vampire years. I’m no longer twelve: I’m a newborn! Darius still hasn’t come through yet and he’s in the room across the hall. Last I checked, he was curled in a ball on the floor, writhing in pain. Drakken told me he’d be stronger if he got through this alone, so I wasn’t to help him. I’d gotten through, so he could, too. He’s still my little brother, so it’s harder than it sounds to just leave him alone. I hope he’s done with this transformation soon.
“So Drakken is a swell guy. He’s adopting me and Darius since we’re alone. And I’m going to be a big sister! Well, again. They’re expecting Dante in five months. I know Dray will love being a big brother. I can see him holding his newborn brother. I can’t wait! But I’m so holding Dante first. I just hope Dray will be okay and cope with being a vampire. It still seems so unreal even to me.”
That got me really curious. That was what she was thinking about the moment she was no longer in pain, but what had Darius been thinking the second he found out he was so much better than humans like myself?
I jumped up and began searching desperately. I was paranoid and kept glancing to the door to see if he’d pop in, but he didn’t. I was checking under his pillows when I caught a glimpse of a dark green book. I smirked. Under the mattress: how original! I seized it eagerly and sat down on the floor beside the bed. I felt like a nerd that just found out the new shipment of textbooks was in: I felt like Johnny!”
“April 2, 1974
The searing pain in my body finally ceased today. I awoke to see Marcy peering in at me with these worried eyes. I hated that I made her so scared. I immediately jumped up from my spot on the floor and pulled her into my arms. She held me so tight and I could have stayed like that forever. She told me that we had a new family...and soon a baby brother. I finally won’t be the baby of the family! I could just see the cute little guy being hogged by Marcy. She’d always been a sucker for babies. Maybe it’s a girl thing. I don’t know.
“So I learned something. I’m a vampire now and no longer dying of malaria, so that’s a plus, right? It’s so much more than that! I’m so fast and my eyesight is great. I can’t begin to tell you how elated I am! I feel so much better than I did as a derisory human. I’m strangely looking forward to my first hunt. I want to see someone suffering just as much as we had. I know it sounds outrageous, but God forsook us when we needed him the most, so what am I supposed to believe? Well, Drakken wants us to have a family consultation. I won’t ever forget my mother and step-father, but hopefully in time their bloodcurdling screams won’t haunt me anymore.”
I immediately felt bad for reading, but it was just so interesting. What had made him hate kids so much? He used to love them. I flipped forward to September.
“September 7, 1974
Dante was born today and now everyone is paying notice to him. Marcy pays no heed to me, Drakken is focused on keeping the Missus in high spirits, and Anne is watching Dante like a hawk. I got to hold him once, but he squirmed out of my arms and cried! The little dipstick was whining and trying to get away from me! What’s erroneous with me? Am I a monster or something? Well, it’s too bad that he’ll be just like me in a few years.
“I don’t see the fuss about babies. Remind me never to go all fanatical over them. And I shall never be a dad. It’s not worth it and kids are so bothersome. They take up all your time and make you take no notice of the kid begging for your consideration. I’m working on not caring, but I get angrier each time I hear him giggling or see him laughing. I can’t wait until he’s not a baby anymore so maybe we can actually hang a bit without people drooling all over him! Oh, so they want me to make an effort to hold him once more. How quaint.”
It’s just jealousy? But Darius and Dante are good now, aren’t they? I heard the door open and I stashed the book back where I found it. I’d have to wait to read more and I knew it’d kill me until I was opening that book again. I jumped into bed quickly and buried myself under the covers.
“Get up, Gracie. You’ve got a phone call from home,” Darius mumbled, holding a cell phone in his hand. I jumped up and I could have kissed him! “Oh, and if you want to talk to Johnny, you have to kiss me first.”
Oh, aren't you cool? Too bad, I so wasn't serious!