Blur

Chapter 2: Waking up not Myself

Chapter 2: Waking up Not Myself

My eyes flutter open to complete darkness. Everything is pitch black, yet I can see everything more clearly than I ever have before. I don't dwell on my unnaturally clear vision because there is only one thing I care about right now. My mind has only one obsession, I can only feel one emotion, I cannot think of anything else.

The only thing I register is pain. Everything hurts. A headache so fierce that it feels like nine drummers are drumming inside my head is nothing compared to the searing pain in my throat. I am fairly sure I have a few broken ribs and something must be wrong with my lungs because I can't breathe. I try to sit up straight but I fall back against the bed when the pain flares at movement. I gasp and then wince before realizing that neither of those actions is helping either.

Closing my eyes again I try to remember anything about myself. Then it all comes back so fast that my head spins, also not helping the intense headache. "Jeffrey," I whisper in a hoarse voice as I clutch my head against the agony. I search the room for any signs of him, hoping that he lived, too.

"At last, you are awake," a woman comments as she emerges from the shadows that she had been lurking in. She looks to be in her early-forties, with grey just beginning to show in her sandy blond colored hair. Her face is that of a kind and motherly woman except her strange violet eyes dilute that impression. "I was beginning to worry that I did something wrong, again." The last word is laced with an undertone of frustration evident in her voice.

I stare at her blankly for a moment before asking, "Where is my brother and mom?"

She sighs, "There is much that you must learn and I do not know where to start, exactly."

"Well, you could start with why I am here or catch me up from the last thing I remember," I suggest not wanting to upset her for some unknown reason.

She beams at me like a pleased child unable to control her excitement even though I am sure she is far from young. "That is an excellent idea. What do you last remember?"

"The wreck," I mutter. "It was my entire fault." Shame washes through me as I recall my immediate thoughts before the wreck. I had been watching the tiny speck of light that did not seem to have a source. Then the car spun out of control. I lost control because I was not paying attention.

"No, my dearest darling, you are not to blame. Somebody has fooled you. I watched the whole thing. You were distracted by a bright light glinting in the distance. I have no knowledge of what it was or who is at true fault. You, however, should not blame yourself for the work of monsters," she tells me.

My mouth forms a perfect 'o' but no sound comes out. "I... was... tricked?" I ask trying to grasp why someone would do such a thing. What did I ever do? She nods with compassion clear in her strange violet eyes. "What happened next?" I ask.

"While you were distracted, a spooked dear ran out in the road directly in front of your automobile. You and your brother momentarily fought for control of the steering wheel. Because you were not buckled, your head went through the driver's side window. The vehicle spun several times and you flew out into the road. Another car came..." she began to explain but abruptly stopped as she looked away.

I gasp as I grasp the hidden meaning behind the words she did not want to say. "I was run over," I guessed.

She nods again, solemnly this time. "You were so young and quite a pretty girl. I have been lonely for centuries, never successfully creating a companion that would stay by my side. There was clearly no way even the most talented of doctors could have saved you. So, I gave creating myself a companion another try. I gave you a new life: the immortal life of a vampire." She watched me to see how I would take her words.