The Garden of What Once Was

CHAPTER FIVE - FLASHBACK

Everyone believed Reed was turned into a vampire by one of the Elders because of how powerful he was. That was not the case though. Unbeknownst to even his close friends, he was born a vampire, which is a very rare occurrence. His father was a wretched vampire who had taken advantage of and deceived his human mother. Once he had discovered she was bearing his child, he was gone before Reed's mother could even let a tear fall from her eyes. Despite having honed a deep hatred towards vampires after the betrayal of the man she once loved, she kept the baby whose name would eventually be known across the globe for the great power he held. His mother, Memini, vowed to keep him safe from all the monsters that lurked around in the shadows. That promise was kept until Memini saw the sharp canines poking out from his mouth at the age of three. Her own baby terrified her. Nevertheless, Memini held onto Reed, hiding her true feelings from him as he grew into the same monster as his father. Unfortunately, this would only bring misfortune to the two. As Reed grew older, he looked more and more like his twisted father. She became extremely cautious around him, afraid that he would suck all of the blood out of her body at any inconvenience. After some time, Reed began to notice the way his mother would keep her distance from him, shying away at the slightest contact. Although Memini flashed him a warm smile matched with the words 'I love you', it wasn't enough to distract him from the fact that she was shaking. Always shaking when he was around. Always scared. He never said a word though. Believing that if he feigned ignorance, everything would work out. Maybe, just maybe, he could show her that there wasn't anything she had to be afraid of.

When we were young, we all hid from monsters in the safety of our beds, making sure our feet were covered with blankets so no monster could grab a hold of them. But monsters don't hide under your bed or in closets. They hid under the faces of your closest friends, family, almost everybody. No blanket will save you from those monsters. You can only wish that they don't tear your heart right from your chest, breaking it with their lies and words. But, no matter how much Reed wished on those shooting stars or on those coins he threw into fountains, it wouldn't come true. During the summer of Reed's seventh grade of middle school, the monster inside his mother revealed itself. He had just come home from secretly watching the human children playing soccer in the neighborhood. Feeling hungry, he grabbed a blood bag that had been sitting in the refrigerator. What he had failed to notice were the hunters that were inside his house. His ears picked up on the sound of a gun cocking. He sped out of the pathway of the bullet, dropping the blood bag in the process of it. Two hunters emerged from the darkness of his home. They aimed their guns at the thirteen-year-old vampire, not seeing him as a child but, instead, as a target they wanted to kill. Like any other thirteen-year-old, he stood frozen in shock at the sight of the two gun barrels pointed in his direction. His eyes frantically scanned over the area, searching for his mother. While he desperately tried to evade them, he locked eyes with Memini, who had been watching from afar with a blank expression on her face. He could have sworn he saw a smile form on her lips when a bullet pierced through the skin of his arm. The hunters whooped and hollered, entertained by the sight of the vampire beginning to cry as he clutched his bloodied arm. All the while, his mother watched. That very moment was when he realized what she had done. Knowing this hurt him more than the flaming, hot lamiacida bullet that was nestled in his bicep. With his life falling apart right before his eyes, he went ballistic. The hunters who were laughing at him before were now screaming in horror at the sight of his red eyes. His pupils transformed into black, cat-like slits. They ran out of the home with their pants partially soaked with blood and a little of something else. The only person left was Memini. She still wore the same expression, except a hint of fear lay in her eyes. As Reed walked toward Memini, she prepared herself to be killed. Her mistake was taking her son for a monster when she was the only real monster in that house. That very monster shook, silently crying as Reed came closer. He hated seeing Memini so scared, especially when he was the one she was scared of. Reed went to hug her, wanting her to stop crying, wanting her to stop being so damn afraid of him. The sound of Memini's hand slapping Reed right across the face echoed through the empty home. She recoiled her shaking hand as more tears spilled from her eyes. Unable to think straight, Reed did the one thing he'd regret for the rest of his life.

Thinking it would put an end to his mother's suffering, Reed compelled her softly, "You won't remember me after I step out of this house. As far as you know, you never had a son or met that sad excuse of a man."

Memini stood, unmoving, as Reed stepped away from her. His stomach lurched as he walked out the open door, turning around to face his mother who no longer even knew that the boy standing outside in the rain with his arm bleeding and tears running down his face was her own son. The last words she ever heard from him were three simple ones. The three simple words that Reed had wished his mother had truly meant when she said them.

"I love you," He barely even whispered as he witnessed his mother forget him.

The fear in her eyes dissipated within seconds. She gasped upon seeing the bloodied, red-eyed boy standing outside her front door in the rain.

"Oh my! You're..." Reed braced himself to hear her scream 'a vampire', "..hurt!"

Reed smiled, not a happy one but a broken one. Indeed he was hurt, both inside and out, by her. Yet he still loved her, even after all that happened. He swallowed down the painful feeling in his throat as he took a single step backward.

"I'll be fine," He assured her, taking another step away from his home.

"Wait!" Memini ran towards the doorway, something was telling her not to let him walk away.

His demon eyes, which were full of translucent tears and rain, met hers. The red transformed into the color of a deep purple that was drowning in agony. She took an umbrella off a nearby hook on the wall, extending it towards Reed. Before grabbing the umbrella that had big, yellow chrysanthemums on the inside of it, he hesitated. Finally, he took a hold of it, opening the umbrella up. The sound of the rain hitting the top of it smothered his soft voice as he said goodbye. With his drenched clothes clinging to his skin and his arm slowly beginning to grow numb, he walked away, not knowing where exactly he was going. Memini watched Reed until he disappeared into the mist of the rain. She eventually forgot about Reed, going on to live a life without him. While she never thought once about him, Reed always thought about her, regretting the night he had compelled her to forget him every single day.

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PSA: Lamiacida is a fictional flower that is poisonous to vampires in this story!

I decided to go against using the typical vervain, as I feel that flower is far too overused, but, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this flashback. There will be more to come for the other important characters! :)

Have any questions or comments about the story? Contact me at: elm.wpe@gmail.com !