Sooner Or Later
The dream
Claire leaned back in her seat and looked out the car window. Winding it down she felt the warm air press against her face and smiled.
“Ahh thanks mum! The girls are gunna FLIP when they see my shoes!” Said Claire. She couldn’t believe she was finally popular. And in less than a week she was going to go to an ‘end of holidays’ party, accompanied by the hottest guy in school.
Next week she would be back at school for her second term of form 3.
As she sat in the passenger’s seat of her mums flash new car she admired her new shoes that she had convinced her mum to buy for her, costing over $300. All her friends had been drooling over this pair of shoes too. Life at this point in time couldn’t get better.
Her mum pulled into the driveway of their house. Claire got out and ran up and unlocked the door for her mother, who smiled and went inside. Claire followed and ran up to her colourful room.
When she entered, however, it was dark and the walls were covered with unfamiliar emo bands but she didn’t even seem phased by her room’s dark makeover.
She put her shoes away and then turned on her computer, pulling out instructions from her fashionable handbag. She couldn’t read them but she knew exactly what to do. It was if she had done this before, along time ago.
She began to download MSN.
As she sat there waiting and tapping her fingers along the side of her desk, she caught a glimpse of a lighter in her drawer that was ajar. She opened the drawer further and noticed various other familiar objects. She picked up the lighter and looked at it in her hand, flipping it over and then tossing it from one hand to the other. As if her mind was in another place and she had no control, she flicked the lighter on and held the flame against the palm of her hand. It began to burn her hand. It didn’t hurt her, she thought it should have hurt but she was numb. Her whole body was numb. She didn’t feel as though she was in the room. She sat there watching herself unable to comprehend why she was doing this if she was so happy but she couldn’t stop.
Once she had finished she looked down at her hand and saw the big blistered ‘F’ imprinted on her palm.
She let go of the lighter and watched it bounce once on the floor.
She fell back in her chair.
She fell off her chair.
She was lying on the ground balling her eyes out. She was a complete mess.
Claire woke up in a familiar bed, not her own though. She looked around her new room. She was covered in a cold sweat and her body was shaking. She felt her warm, damp and sticky cheeks and her puffy eyes.
It was light outside but her room was dark. Claire got up and walked down the narrow hallway and into the kitchen.
“Couldn’t sleep?” She heard Frank ask her as she entered. She just nodded back. “Had that dream again?” He asked her again.
“Mmhmm” She replied. Her eyes were still blurry. Frank handed her a warm glass of fresh blood. Her legs were still shaking and her knees were weak.
“I don’t see why you just don’t tell me what it’s about, maybe I can help?” Claire finished drinking before she replied.
“I..” She had to think about what she was going to say. It wasn’t that the dream was particularly scary it was just very weird and confusing. It made her think about Frank more and more. She thought up all possible meanings of the dream but the one true meaning she ignored and it just lingered in the back of her mind.
She’d been having these dreams since they moved into this new place she didn’t like it here, it gave her chills.
Ever since the Vampire Hunter came they had been moving from hideout to hideout. She felt like it had been hundreds of years but Frank assured her that it had only been three. Unsure if the hunter was still looking for them, they remained hidden. After that night when he came for them, Claire had never seen any of her family or friends. She gave up hope of finding a working computer so she hadn’t stayed in touch with Ray.
The other week she picked up a newspaper that had been thrown in a bin and saw that there had been a memorial for the 2-year anniversary of her death. Shocked, she hadn’t realized that people would give up searching for her and assume her dead.
The few possessions they owned lay in an old suitcase in the corner of the main room, they never unpacked, well aware that they may be forced to move on any day.
Claire’s eyes had now cleared up so she had regained sight. She sat there unaware that she’d been staring blankly at Frank for the last 10 or so minutes.
“Uhh,” Frank edged on.
“Huh” Claire replied a little shocked. She had completely forgotten what she was going to say.
“Why don’t you tell me what your dream was about?” he reminded her.
“Because, uh, it’s not important…It’s nothing really, just a stupid dream.”
“Oh, ok” Frank said not taking it any further. “Well you really should try and get some sleep, It’s your 18th birthday tomorrow and Alecia and I have a surprise for you tonight!” Frank said excitedly. Alecia was bitten a year and a half ago and her and Frank were now kind of in a relationship. Claire was jealous; she knew she had now lost any chance of being with Frank. She hated herself for not listening to him when they were younger. Ray was a waste of time.
She tried to be happy for them though. Alecia was closer to Frank’s age. Frank was 20 and Alecia was going to be 20 in about 3 months.
When Claire forgot that they were together she got on really well with Alecia. She was like a big sister and she looked after Claire.
“Ahh thanks mum! The girls are gunna FLIP when they see my shoes!” Said Claire. She couldn’t believe she was finally popular. And in less than a week she was going to go to an ‘end of holidays’ party, accompanied by the hottest guy in school.
Next week she would be back at school for her second term of form 3.
As she sat in the passenger’s seat of her mums flash new car she admired her new shoes that she had convinced her mum to buy for her, costing over $300. All her friends had been drooling over this pair of shoes too. Life at this point in time couldn’t get better.
Her mum pulled into the driveway of their house. Claire got out and ran up and unlocked the door for her mother, who smiled and went inside. Claire followed and ran up to her colourful room.
When she entered, however, it was dark and the walls were covered with unfamiliar emo bands but she didn’t even seem phased by her room’s dark makeover.
She put her shoes away and then turned on her computer, pulling out instructions from her fashionable handbag. She couldn’t read them but she knew exactly what to do. It was if she had done this before, along time ago.
She began to download MSN.
As she sat there waiting and tapping her fingers along the side of her desk, she caught a glimpse of a lighter in her drawer that was ajar. She opened the drawer further and noticed various other familiar objects. She picked up the lighter and looked at it in her hand, flipping it over and then tossing it from one hand to the other. As if her mind was in another place and she had no control, she flicked the lighter on and held the flame against the palm of her hand. It began to burn her hand. It didn’t hurt her, she thought it should have hurt but she was numb. Her whole body was numb. She didn’t feel as though she was in the room. She sat there watching herself unable to comprehend why she was doing this if she was so happy but she couldn’t stop.
Once she had finished she looked down at her hand and saw the big blistered ‘F’ imprinted on her palm.
She let go of the lighter and watched it bounce once on the floor.
She fell back in her chair.
She fell off her chair.
She was lying on the ground balling her eyes out. She was a complete mess.
Claire woke up in a familiar bed, not her own though. She looked around her new room. She was covered in a cold sweat and her body was shaking. She felt her warm, damp and sticky cheeks and her puffy eyes.
It was light outside but her room was dark. Claire got up and walked down the narrow hallway and into the kitchen.
“Couldn’t sleep?” She heard Frank ask her as she entered. She just nodded back. “Had that dream again?” He asked her again.
“Mmhmm” She replied. Her eyes were still blurry. Frank handed her a warm glass of fresh blood. Her legs were still shaking and her knees were weak.
“I don’t see why you just don’t tell me what it’s about, maybe I can help?” Claire finished drinking before she replied.
“I..” She had to think about what she was going to say. It wasn’t that the dream was particularly scary it was just very weird and confusing. It made her think about Frank more and more. She thought up all possible meanings of the dream but the one true meaning she ignored and it just lingered in the back of her mind.
She’d been having these dreams since they moved into this new place she didn’t like it here, it gave her chills.
Ever since the Vampire Hunter came they had been moving from hideout to hideout. She felt like it had been hundreds of years but Frank assured her that it had only been three. Unsure if the hunter was still looking for them, they remained hidden. After that night when he came for them, Claire had never seen any of her family or friends. She gave up hope of finding a working computer so she hadn’t stayed in touch with Ray.
The other week she picked up a newspaper that had been thrown in a bin and saw that there had been a memorial for the 2-year anniversary of her death. Shocked, she hadn’t realized that people would give up searching for her and assume her dead.
The few possessions they owned lay in an old suitcase in the corner of the main room, they never unpacked, well aware that they may be forced to move on any day.
Claire’s eyes had now cleared up so she had regained sight. She sat there unaware that she’d been staring blankly at Frank for the last 10 or so minutes.
“Uhh,” Frank edged on.
“Huh” Claire replied a little shocked. She had completely forgotten what she was going to say.
“Why don’t you tell me what your dream was about?” he reminded her.
“Because, uh, it’s not important…It’s nothing really, just a stupid dream.”
“Oh, ok” Frank said not taking it any further. “Well you really should try and get some sleep, It’s your 18th birthday tomorrow and Alecia and I have a surprise for you tonight!” Frank said excitedly. Alecia was bitten a year and a half ago and her and Frank were now kind of in a relationship. Claire was jealous; she knew she had now lost any chance of being with Frank. She hated herself for not listening to him when they were younger. Ray was a waste of time.
She tried to be happy for them though. Alecia was closer to Frank’s age. Frank was 20 and Alecia was going to be 20 in about 3 months.
When Claire forgot that they were together she got on really well with Alecia. She was like a big sister and she looked after Claire.