Violet Forsythe has finally found peace.
She successfully escaped a coven of malignant vampires, worked hard to get an education, and has actually managed to pull herself together.
But, as old acquaintances begin to resurface, the life that Violet w...
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I lurched from a deep sleep, bathed in cold sweat. My heart was racing, as it did every time after I had the dream.
I carefully sat up and eased out of bed, being careful not to wake my roommate. The sun still hung low in the sky, but it was daylight nonetheless.
Dawn was my favorite time of the day. Inexplicable relief swept through me each time I witnessed the day break, as the sun rose slowly above the horizon.
I slipped out of the room I shared with two other girls and crept into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee before anyone else got up. The house was owned by someone or another's grandmother and was currently occupied by eight people, divvied up amongst three bedrooms and a living room. The place was always a mess, and I never had personal space, but the lodgings kept my name off of the lease and my identity under the radar.
When my parents died in a horrible camping accident involving a large, angry grizzly bear when I was seventeen I'd gone off the grid, living my life with a series of burner phones on other people's couches. I didn't have any memory of the accident, or the subsequent six months, due to head trauma, but the large scar on my face, neck, and chest was a physical reminder of what I couldn't recollect.
After the accident, I moved to Dallas, Texas and went to school, graduating with a bachelor's degree in music - although once I had it, I had no idea what to actually do with it.
Throughout college, I made friends, but I didn't keep them. I never did anything that required me to pen my name on paper, or post online. In the modern world, I didn't exist.
Despite my foggy past, I was twenty-three and the world was my oyster; and yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that the end was near.
The unseen force, the End, loomed behind me, but each time I looked over my shoulder, it disappeared.
I was brought back from my sinking thoughts by my phone buzzing; it was Mark, the only person who'd managed to survive as my friend since my freshman year. He was insistent, and a bit clingy, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel nice to have at least one person not give up on me.
"Hey, Violet. How are you?" he asked groggily. He must've just woken up.
"I'm okay," I replied simply.
"Did you have that nightmare again?"
"Yeah. It'll pass, though. Just like you always say."
"It will," he assured me. Mark was two years older than me, and had graduated with a degree in psychology. I supposed that contributed to his unrelenting belief that he actually understood me.
"Hey, I know what will make you feel better," he said, his tone brightening up.
"Oh, yeah? What's that?" I asked, trying to feign interest. Usually when Mark said that, he ended up being dead wrong.
"Yeah! Rebecca invited me to her New Year's Eve party tomorrow night. I want you to come with me."
I hated when he did that. He'd learned years ago to word requests in a way where I couldn't politely say 'no'. I knew he was just trying to be nice, but I was annoyed. He knew I wasn't comfortable leaving the house after sunset.
"I know it'll be late, but it'll be worth it," he insisted.
"Okay, Mark."
"I'll pick you up tomorrow night at eight."
"Okay. See you then."
"Okay," he said. "Violet?"
"Yeah?"
"It'll be a night to remember. I promise," he said with earnest ambiguity.
"Okay. I'll see you then," I repeated before hastily ending the call.
I had no idea what he meant by that, but I had a hunch that it wouldn't be good.
