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Needle Marks[Finished Story]
By: Ayame-Yuura
I awoke in a perfectly white world. My dreams and nightmares disappeared- And so did my memories. All that was left was confusion and pain. My neck hurt as though punctured by two needles. I felt excruciating pain. That was when something flashed in my head. I was looking at a bloody wall. Then, someone or something attacked me from behind.
I heard a voice and felt a gentle touch on my hand.
“Scarlet, are you awake? ... Thank goodness! It’s me, Charlotte. Your best friend!”
I looked at her. The girl was really happy. At first glance, I noticed her fair complexion and rosy cheeks. She looked about sixteen. Her short blond hair was neatly in place. She looked like a straight-laced kind of girl with the clean and organized room and all that.
Wind from the open window blew my hair towards my face. That was when I noticed its unusual red tone. The long, layered strands were the color of the blood stains on the wall in my vision. It startled me.
“Ah yes, the unique color of your hair… Don’t worry. I think it’s beautiful. It is the subject of envy in our batch. More importantly, it’s what catches Leon’s eye.” Charlotte laughed. “You’re really very lucky. The most wonderful man is in love with you but you do not answer him. Not just him– everyone is in awe of you!”
When I made no reply, she said “Alright then. I have to go now. Leon will come visit today. Just wait for him!
Again, she did not give me a moment to speak. As soon as she finished, she was out that door. I sighed.
Her departure gave me time to further examine my hands. They were pale, almost like a corpse’s. I wondered what I’ve been doing with them. Was I a good person? A traitor perhaps? I wonder…
I tried my hardest to remember my past but it was futile. The only thing I could remember was the darkness of the night and the moon illuminating those bloody walls.
I did not forget the pain on my neck. I felt the bandages with my hands and then those wires on my chest. They were attached to a heart rate monitor at my bedside.
At this point, all I could feel was all-consuming pain from the inside. Why can’t I remember? Where am I? What am I doing here? More importantly, what happened to me?
I panicked with all these thoughts going through my head. I could not stop the tears from falling no matter how hard I tried. The distraught of my unknowing quickly caught up.
The door opened. I looked up to see a young man with dark hair and piercing black eyes enter the room with a bouquet of flowers in hand.
He wore a black trench coat with a black shirt inside. His skin was white – pale white! Even paler than mine. The image of him in my mind was that of strong black strokes painted over a completely white canvas with those dark eyes piercing me… like the puncture wounds on my neck.
In my line of sight, the flowers he held were the only ones with color in the white room. And once again, I was frightened by that color – the same color as my hair, the same as those blood-stained walls! I looked away, the tears continuing to rush out of my tired eyes. I wanted to say something but I couldn’t. I felt that I couldn’t.
“Are you still angry with me? It’s okay. I understand.” He paused. “Scarlet, I could not help myself. I told you to stay away from me. I did! You didn’t listen. You gave me your blood with those tears in your eyes – that painful expression.” He mellowed.
“What are you saying?” I asked him with a tinge of anger on my face.
“I gave you blood? Who are you anyway? What have you got to do with me? Did you bring me here?”
He widened his eyes, slumping onto the chair at my bedside. He left a short silence with his eyes focused on me the whole time. He spoke:
“You really don’t remember?” He mentioned my name in a slow, lamenting manner. “It’s me, Leon! You are Scarlet - my queen, my savior. You illuminated my world so full of hate. And you saved me from death by infusing me with that water of life. That is who you are to me. Can you recall any of that?”
“No, not at all.” I answered him with no shame and no regret.
“I see.” Leon sighed. “You lost your memory… Because I bit you and sucked too much of your blood. You see, I’m a vampire. Our kind communicates memories and emotions through blood. I tried to be careful but I could not help myself. I loved your memories, emotions – the very essence of you. Your blood tasted so sweet and… addicting.”
“Stop, stop! Don’t say such things.” I touched my neck where the puncture wounds were. It started to hurt again with his vivid description recalling it to my mind.
He noticed my gesture and moved towards me, leaving the flowers on my bedside table. He sat by me and asked permission to remove my bandages. I didn’t answer him.
“Alright. I’m sorry.” He said, starting to unravel those white wraps that masked my pained neck. As he did, I felt his cold hands – cold as snow. It sent chills down my spine – that feeling.
“Does it still hurt?” he asked. He held his head closer to my wound. I objected but those strong, lean arms held me back. And in a strange way, I found it comforting, like an infant being caressed by its mother.
He kissed my wounds gently. I couldn’t feel the pain because of the cold. When I felt it afterwards, it was gone. It did not hurt at all.
“What are you?” I asked wearily.
“I told you, I’m a vampire.” He smiled, seemingly amused by my expression.
“I don’t believe it!” I said, not convinced by his words.
“But you did! You were the first one… The only one who believed.”
He looked at me with an intense and passionate look but I only raised my eyebrow. To me, he seemed odd. Everything about him was. His dark aura slightly frightened me. His strong, masculine look intimidated me. His profound worry humored me. His gentleness made me feel warm despite the coldness of his skin. He makes me feel warm whenever he touched me.
He laughed when he saw my expression.
“Even though you lost you’re memory, you’re still the same – snobbish and ever resentful. But I love everything about you. Everything!”
With this said, he drew closer. The next thing I knew, I felt something cold on my neck and something soft touching my lips as gently as a butterfly lands. I felt a strong passion overwhelm all resent, all skepticism, and all reason. It was fulfillment and relief equivalent to a first taste of freedom, a reunion with a loved one and all happy things.
So many things flashed in my head while it happened – my memories! They’re back! Without much ado, I came back to my senses. My first instinct was to slap him in the face.
“How dare you?!” I said with furrowed brows.
I remembered everything from that night and much, much more! When he kissed me, I knew and I remembered. It was something I knew too well.
That bloody night, I was searching for Leon in a dense forest. I knew from the beginning that vampires lurked there. Even so, I armed myself with nothing but the vampire-killing knife. We fought. I haven’t seen him since. I practically put myself in danger just to apologize. That was how much I cared.
In a retreat hidden in the forest, I broke my silence and lowered my guard. I expected Leon to be there. I thought I was out of danger.
That was when something left up from behind me. It wasn’t Leon but another vampire. I shut my eyes tight and clenched my fist.
Alas, no harm came to me. Leon stopped him from coming near. There took place a bloodbath between two creatures of the night – one sworn to protect, the other succumbing to bloodlust.
Both were badly injured in the battle. After knocking Leon against the wall of his home, the fiend driven mad tried once again to attack me but Leon was quick. He got up and clawed through the creature’s head and flung him back. After the struggle, the wall of Leon’s hiding place was drenched in his own blood. He suffered heavily from blood loss.
I brought him inside and bolted the door to make sure we weren’t disturbed. I started wiping his blood with a towel I found near the sink. It was no use. His wounds would not heal like they normally would. In my frustration, I started to cry. I couldn’t bear the idea of losing him.
“Scarlet, go now! Run away!” Leon said in garbled words. “I cannot control my blood lust if you stay.”
“No! I won’t let you die.” I protested.
“It would not be a worthy death if my last memory of you is that painful expression.” He smiled, his lips drenched with blood. “Cheer up!”
His casual expression brought me to my knees. It brought me pain – intense pain! And anger. How is it that he does not worry about his own death? All I could think about was my grief if ever I would lose him.
In my mind, there was only one thing to do. I knew it was taboo – something unheard of. I clenched my fists as I made up my mind. It was a difficult decision. I was weary of the consequences. I started to drown in cowardice. This uncertainty was all-consuming. At last, I spoke:
“Leon! Please drink my blood. This is the only way I can save you.”
With tears running down my face, I exposed my neck to him.
“You, yourself, might die if you do that.” Leon cried out in protest.
“It’s no life without you by my side.” I replied, trembling with fear.
Against his will, Leon drew closer, pulling back my candy red hair. His blood lust must have pushed him on but despite that, he hesitated.
“Hurry!”
I shut my eyes tight and waited, feeling his cold embrace. He held himself back, trying to stay in control. The hesitation only caused me to panic. My heart went berserk, beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wings. Before he touched my neck with his fangs, he said one last thing before I slipped into unconsciousness. “I love you.”
I fainted into a deep sleep from which I woke up without memory. Slowly, I slipped back into consciousness. It was the face I loved that first greeted me once more.
I heard Leon’s voice calling my name. I made a somber response after which, he explained how I suddenly blanked out. He did not forget. With a disheartened expression, Leon asked why I slapped him. I made no response. Instead, I glanced at him twice without making a sound. Then, in a soft whisper, I said:
“Leon…”
“Yes?” He awaited my response eagerly.
“Thank you and… I…” I paused, finding it hard to say what I had to say.
“… I love you too.”
With joy overwhelming him, he held me in a tight caress. He knew I remembered. But there was no need for words, everything was clear to me.
How deep his devotion, I could not know for sure. But I knew he loved me and that was good enough.
~The End~
 Ayame-Yuura · Fri Apr 01, 2011 @ 09:55am · 1 Comments |
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