This dream was worse than the last. I saw me lying in my bed, while strange creatures in black surrounded me. After conversing in some strange language that consisted of head movements and grunts, they picked up my mattress without even stirring the version of me that was lying in the bed.
Everything went black and my vision came in time for me to see a beautiful, but frightening face of a woman, but part of it was covered in the mask that surgeons wear.
“Welcome,” she said, her voice muffled by the mask.
“Turn her over lets get this over with.” This time she directed her voice to someone behind me. I felt someone turn me over and after a short pause a pain shot up my back. I screamed and screamed till I could scream no more.
I felt someone nudge me as I plunged back into the real world. The pain kept coming till all I could think about was how much it hurt. My eyes fluttered open as some of the pain left me. I saw Hiram kneeling beside me with a look of real concern on his face. I could tell that he wanted to help, but didn’t know how. I mustered up all of my strength and managed to whisper that I needed to be put in cold water. He looked surprised at my voice but immediately took action. He drew me up into his arms and ran faster than a cheetah to a near by river. He plunged me into the water briefly before pulling me out and laying me on the riverbank.
He kneeled down beside me, propped my head up into his lap, and was gently stroking my hair away from my face. As I came around, I was slightly embarrassed because of our closeness, but his face showed only true, genuine concern. The pain subsided after three long minutes of me gasping for breath.
I laid there a minute more while I regained my strength. Then I got up and shuffled over to a nearby rock and put my head in my hands, letting my hair flow down to where it almost reached the ground.
“What did you see?” Hiram asked, his face was still concerned.
“Her,” was all I could manage to say. He must have understood, because he stood and started pacing while running his hand through his hair. He sighed and turned to look at me.
“Let me see your back.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.” I wasn’t going to, but I remembered the night before and realized I could either show him or he could make me show him. So I dutifully turned around and raised my shirt.
I knew what he would see on my perfectly sculpted back, for I had seen and felt it many times. First there were the bite marks where they had changed me on the back of my neck. Below that were hundreds of whip marks, some of them scabbed over, but some of them were still bloody from the lashing I had received right before I had fled. These marks showed that I was rebellious and would not follow the rules of my cruel maker.
I heard him gasp when he saw my back, for no human could have survived that many beatings, but even as a vampire he knew that I was probably on the verge of death when I ran away. I let my shirt fall gently back over my back and turned to face him.
His jaw was clenched and tears were forming in his eyes and shook all over like it taking all of his strength not to scream in rage that anyone should be treated like that.
“Why?” He whispered as a tear fell down his cheek.
“I wouldn’t let them hurt her.” His brows furrowed together in confusion. I continued. “They wanted to change my sister, but they have to have approval from a family member and I was the only one left. I just couldn’t let them do it. I just couldn’t, so they whipped me...and other things.” I looked at him with pleading eyes hoping that he would understand and forgive me for being mean to my creator. Suddenly he is sitting beside me and putting me in his lap. I hold onto him as if he is the only thing left on God’s green earth. I can tell he wants to ask something else, but doesn’t have the nerve to ask. Finally he regains his courage and looks me in the eye.
“Who gave consent for you to be changed?” The tears stopped cold on in my eyes and I glare at him, but seeing those marvelously golden eyes my face softens.
“Our father was very upset after Mom died and gambling was a good way to forget about his problems. He was not upset for trading me,(a reminder of his agony), for some money to forget his pain.” I paused wondering if I could trust him with the next part, “He is the first one I killed. He tasted terrible, but I did it anyway. That way he couldn’t give permission for Kit to be changed.”
He just nodded and let me rest in his lap.