Cross my heart...

I slowly opened my eyes to see Laura and Tracy hovering over me.
My hand was throbbing like crazy.
“Haley? Are you okay? What happened?” I looked up into Laura’s hazel brown eyes that reminded me so much of my mother’s, Kathleen.
“I’m okay. I think I just fainted.” I explained, trying to sit up.
I groaned in pain when I got a sudden head rush. I put my right hand to my forehead. Then I heard Tracy’s startled gasp come from behind the couch.
“What? What?” I yelled, panic clear as crystal in my urgent voice and on my face I’m sure. I sat up quickly, ignoring the head rush it gave me.
“Y-your hand.” She stuttered as fear etched in her features.
I slowly, cautiously, removed my hand from where it seemed to be stuck to my forehead.
I examined my hand left and right. I felt the color drain from my face.
The ruby ring glowed and throbbed with every beat of my fluttering heart. When my heart beat faster, the ruby glowed brighter and throbbed quicker.
Then I noticed the thin golden ribbons that traced along the veins in my hand, wrist, and all the way up my arm where a more noticeable, brighter ribbon wrapped around my forearm.
As I stared down at it and the weird ribbon design of my veins, examining them, the memories of what happened last night came flooding back through in my head like an enormous tidal wave.
I was just about to let out a terrified scream when I noticed Laura and Tracy were both staring at me with penetrating eyes. So, instead of scaring them half to death, I took in a very deep breath and let it out as slowly as possible.
“Haley-“ I looked up when Laura whispered my name again. Her eyes in serious panic. Her chubby cheeks were colorless. It was obvious she noticed how harsh I was breathing. “What happened? Do I need to call the cops?”
I had to think quickly before she noticed my hesitation. Think! I definitely can’t tell her the truth. She will think I’m totally nuts.
“No no. I just um… uh-“ THINK! “I… uh… I thought I saw a spider. You know how I hate spiders.” I lied and plastered a fake half smile on my pale face. When neither of them smiled back, my smile quickly fell flat.
“Are you absolutely positive that is what happened? You don’t usually faint when you see spiders.” Tracy stated.
“Yeah, what else could it have been?” I asked.
They glared at me suspiciously as I tried to get up quickly to avoid their gazes.
“Look, I’m just… uh… really tired. I just need some more sleep. I’ll see you guys later.” I said, making up an instant excuse to get away from them.
Their voices trailed off and faded away behind me as I rushed up the stairs and down the hallway.
As I lay in my bed with my hands behind my head, staring up at the darkened ceiling, I thought deeply about what happened this morning not too long ago.
Did it really happen? Or, on the other hand, was it my over-reactive imagination? What is he? If he is real, why is he back? Where did the ruby ring come from in the first place? Why did it expand and trace my veins when he was here? What is it exactly? Why did he give it to me?
So many questions all have gone unanswered.
I don’t know where to begin or how to search for answers.
I tear trickled down my cheek and into my dark blonde hair.
I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep. This time the dream – or nightmare – was very different.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing before a building that looked like it was built before I was even born.
I hesitantly opened the creaky front door, slightly faltered, and walked inside. There were voices bickering in the next room.
I walked a short distance to the door. I got on my knees and peered through the abnormally large keyhole. I watched and listened intently, curious of their conversation.
Maybe this will give me some answers.
“Alexander, he saw me over behind the barn.” A woman’s voice whispered nervously, barely loud enough for me to hear. Her elegantly arched back towards the door, towards me.
“How could you possibly let him, Harmony?” The familiar voice of the creature/man yelled between clenched jaws. “Weren’t your damned senses up? I guess not if you didn’t know he was watching!” He screamed, raising his hand, preparing to back hand her.
She raised her hand as well, trying to protect herself.
I covered my mouth to stifle a shocked gasp.
There, on her pointer finger of her right hand, was the ruby ring. The thin golden ribbons tracing the veins along the underside of her wrist up her arms and wrapped skin-tight on her forearm.
I looked down at my own right hand.
Just like mine.
I looked up into the keyhole again.
From where I was looking, I couldn’t tell much of their features. But, what I could see was that he must’ve seen something in her face. He immediately put his hand to his side and reached out to her with the other. She took it and he pulled her into his arms.
“I’m sorry Harmony. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he doesn’t touch you, let alone look at you.” He growled as he bent his head to take her into a deep kiss.
I closed my eyes, only for a moment. When I opened them, light was streaming through my window and into my eyes, making them look gray-green. The other kids’ voice from downstairs echoed up to me from my open door.
I looked down at the clock.
10:30 a.m.
Dangit! I slept right through breakfast.
As if on cue, my stomach growled ferociously at me.
I groaned and dragged my lazy butt out of bed and into the bathroom, closing the door behind me with the heel of my foot.
I turned the knob for cold water. I winced when I noticed the ring and that dream flushed my head right after. I filled my hands with the icy cold water and splashed my face repeatedly.
I let my hair loose from my hair tie I put it in before I went to bed. Loose ringlets hung just below the small of my back, and it was more buoyant.
I stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes and played with my new gorgeous hair for a little bit, then realized my hair wasn’t like this yesterday.
I went so pale the barely noticeable circles under my eyes stood out more than anything on my face.
“What’s happening to me?” I asked my reflection.
First the ring, then that weird dream, now my hair. What’s next?
I can’t think about it right now though.
I slapped on my usual amount of eyeliner, mascara, and lip-gloss. I changed out of my pajama bottoms and dressed myself in a pair of flared blue jeans, a bright yellow tank-top with a white one underneath that fit my slender curves warmly. I quickly threw on my old, washed-out vans and pulled my ringlets of my now strawberry blonde hair around my face. I took a deep breath and headed downstairs to face the wild questions the other kids may have for me.
When I hit the bottom of the stairs, I wasn’t expecting Tracy to wrap her little arms around my waist and cry into my chest.
She looked up at me as fresh tears began to pool in her eyes
“What’s the matter Trace?” I asked, getting down to eye-level.
“You’re l-leaving!” She cried and stomped her feet.
“What are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere for a long, long time.” I explained, brushing her soft brown hair out of her eyes. “Yes you a-are! Someone called this morning and was asking if they could come here and adopt you tomorrow-ow.” She stuttered and wrapped her arms around my neck, threatening to never let go.
I wrapped my arms around her, too shocked to speak.
What am I going to do? I can’t leave now. I don’t ever want to leave again.
I held her closely on the bottom of the stairs for a few more seconds and let her cry uncontrollably on my shoulder.
She, at last, looked up at me. Her red-rimmed eyes looked over me repeatedly. Examining me, figuring out what was different. Her eyes stopped at my hair and grew wide.
“What happened to your hair?” She asked dazed, stroking it lightly with the tips of her fingers and running her hand through it gently.
I smiled with satisfaction, “I curled it a little bit. Do you like it?”
“Yeah. It’s really pretty. You should do your hair like this more often.” She suggested, smiling.
“I will honey. Just for you.”
Her smile grew wider. She grabbed my hand and led me quickly into the other room.
Right when I walked into the room, everyone yelled at the top of their lungs, all at once, “We’ll miss you Haley!”
I stepped back in surprise. My lips formed a perfect circle. I was so not expecting this.
I glared down at Tracy.
She smiled innocently and shrugged. She ran off through the full crowd of children.
I tried running after her, but before I could take one step, the other orphans gathered around me. They congratulated me on the whole new family and said their goodbyes.
I visited and ate some rainbow and chocolate cake with as many people as possible until it got late. I looked up at the clock. It was 6:30. I realized I had not seen Tracy since this morning when she brought me to my goodbye party.
“Are you all right Haley? You look a little pale.” Tamera Johnson is Laura’s helper here at the orphanage. She used to be an orphan here until she turned 18. Instead of moving out and away to do something with her life, she decided to stay here and help out Laura. She is 20 now and so gorgeous. Her hair was soft silky light blonde, close to the shade of mine. She had the bluest eyes and a pale complexion to complete her look. For all the years I’ve known her, we’ve never been great friends.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Have you seen Tracy?” I asked as I rushed toward the stairs.
Tami yelled something, but I was already half way up the stairs, too far away to even remotely hear her.
I stopped when I got to our door. I put my ear against the cool wood and listened intently.
There were two voices. One was Tracy’s sweet voice.
The other one was the creature/man.
I quickly became panicked when I heard Tracy suddenly scream bloody murder.
I twisted the doorknob frantically but it was locked.
“Tracy!” I screamed at the absolute top of my lungs over and over again, trying to break down the door. She screamed and a few of the other orphans ran upstairs to help me. With great force, we finally broke down the door.
Tracy was lying on the floor.
Two tiny wounds on the side of her neck.
But they weren’t just holes.
They were bite marks.
What killed my family? What might’ve killed Tracy is in fact a creature/man.
He’s a vampire.
Almost instantly, the marks on her neck healed.
I automatically ran to her and bundled her into my arms and stroked back the hair that was clinging to her sweat-drenched forehead.
This horror-filled moment reminded me of a painful memory too close to home.
Then it hit me like a punch to the stomach.
One minute I’m holding Tracy tightly in my arms. The next, I’m five again and clutching Cayden to my chest.
My body started shaking in an uncontrollable sob.
I felt for her pulse with my left hand. She was still barely breathing.
“Call the police! Now!” I screamed harshly.
I sat there with Tracy in my arms, trying not to cry but failing terribly.
When the ambulance came, they had to pry her loose from my arms.
I sat there for a good solid ten minutes before Laura and Tami came to get me. I was so numb, I didn’t realize they dragged me down to the kitchen until I broke down in their arms and cried out all my held back tears.
While Laura held me to her as I wept, she talked to Tami as she cooked some chicken noodle soup for the three of us.
“Poor baby.” She whispered softly in my ear.
“No one deserves for this to happen to them twice.” I heard Tami say from across the room.
I shot up out of Laura’s arms, “Is she dead?”
“No, but she’s on life support. We can go visit her tomorrow. Oh, wait. You’re leaving tomorrow aren’t you?” She asked thoughtfully.
I just nodded slightly.
“Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Tincher can take you to see her tomorrow.” Something occurred to me when Tami said that.
“Why do they want to adopt me?”
She looked up from the steaming pot in front of her and into my eyes, “To tell you the truth, I don’t know. I think they want an older daughter to take care of the younger ones.”
Something felt off about this whole conversation, but I was too tired and miserable to argue. I turned to Laura, “Can I sleep on the couch bed tonight?”
She touched my cheek lightly, smiled, and whispered thoughtfully, “Of course you can sweetie. You don’t even have to worry about packing your clothes. Tami and I will do that while you sleep. How ‘bouts you go take a nice, hot shower and change into your pajamas?” She suggested, holding me as she got up and led me up the stairs and into the bathroom.
Once I heard Laura shut the door behind her, I began to undress. I stepped in and turned on the shower and felt it as it went from ice cold to steaming. I sat in the tub with my arms around my knees, pulling them too my chest so I can rest my weary head on them while the scorching hot water spilled over me. I cried. I cried for everything and everyone I lost and might be losing soon.
When I got out, the water had run cold. I wrapped a warm towel that was hovering over the vent around my damp body then walked down the hallway toward my room.
I got to my room, hoping Tracy would be lying under her covers, cuddling with her blanket and snoring softly in rhythm with her even breathing. Great disappointment washed over me when I saw her bed was empty and made.
I grabbed the pajamas that were laying on my bed that Laura left out for me and just held them tightly against my body as tears were on the verge of spilling over again. I closed my eyes against them and took in a deep sigh of sorrow. They were the pajamas Tracy gave to me for Christmas. They had little teddy bears of all different kinds printed on them. I sniffled then finally put them on.
I went downstairs and into the living room to find that the couch bed was already pulled out and ready for me. I smiled graciously.
I climbed in under the cozy blankets. I turned off the lamp by the couch and turned onto my other side. Resting my head deep into the soft, feathery pillow, I closed my teary eyes.
My eyes flicked open and I shot up in bed when I realized why something had felt very off about the conversation with Tami today.
No one knows, not even Laura, about what happened to me twelve years ago when I turned five.
How did Tami?