The Last of the Old Ones

Amber

Chapter One

The overcast sky was shades dark bluish, grey. Warmth was fleeting as the chill of autumn had begun to fill the little town. The crisp smell of dying leaves blowing on the light wind. A family of three drifted across the street: mother, father, and teenager around my age. I assumed they were related based on their resemblance to each other. The three of them were anything but ordinary looking, from the eerie grace of their gate, they were all in sync, to their unusual beauty. The mother had flowing, curly golden locks and donned a deep teal dress that was fitted at the bodice and flowing beyond her hips, it was almost Victorian style but without all the frills. She had deep amber, brown eyes. The father had short wavy hair, dark as night, and wore grey slacks paired with a crisp white button up shirt, his style resembled that of the depression era. And his eyes the same unique shade as the woman's and teen's. I knew the boy; he was breathtakingly handsome even in his dark ripped jeans and black v-neck long sleeve shirt, he fit in more with our modern style but had almost a biker boy flare. We had a few classes together at school, photography, science and world history, I think. We talked a little when we could, never much more than regular small talk, but had seemed to take interest in me. He was new to town and held the attention of even the snobbiest of socialites. I wondered where they had moved from, was he considered average there or well off? He wasn't the kind of guy whose attention a girl like me grabbed. He drove a nice car, an Aston Martin that did not belong in a little town like this, wore stylish clothes and had the most aloof attitude, although he was noticeably quiet and distant from the other students... Not much unlike myself, although his was by choice and mine was from just being plain undesirable by my peers. It appeared as if the family had just finished walking the neighborhood and was now heading home. As they passed, the teenaged boy made eye contact with me. His soft lips curled up into a small, welcoming grin while his deep brown eyes sparkled. What was his name again? Colin! He motioned for me to join them. I stepped back just a bit and pointed back at myself to question if he really meant me. A weird feeling filled the pit of my stomach. Colin nodded yes and waved me over again. I felt a pull to him, like my body was now moving of its own accord. It was almost a burning curiosity, something felt so familiar about them, but I couldn't put a finger on how. The closer I got to the family, the more I realized they seemed to almost glide across the ground. Acting as if my presence did not surprise them, they kept their slow but steady pace and remained fixed on their destination. I could have sworn I even saw a relieved breath leave the stunning woman's chest.

"Hey, Colin, right? How have you guys been liking the neighborhood? How long have you been here now?" Realizing I hadn't even said anything yet, the awkward feeling set in and I had to start babbling to fill the silence. Why had he invited me over, and better yet, why did I follow? Was this some sort of trap to set me up as a laughingstock at school or something? It couldn't be that; Colin would not have brought his family for the ride if those were his intentions.

"Yes, my name is Colin. It's okay, I'm more of a cabin in the wood's kind of guy though. Today makes four months but we haven't really had a chance to look around yet." He replied not even looking over at me once as he spoke. It was as if he had been thinking to himself and began to speak aloud. His tone slightly uninterested on the surface but underneath, there was a hint of longing. Whether it was longing for the woods or longing to talk to me, I couldn't tell.

"I've lived here my whole life, it's pretty nice." I said, trying to make small talk, but the grimace that flashed across Colin's face didn't go unnoticed. Perhaps he really didn't care for small talk unless it was when we were forced to speak at school. From then on, I decided to follow in silence, my brain convincing me I was too deep in the situation. I couldn't turn away now, that would just make things 100 times more awkward, and he would tell everyone at school- confirming how big of an outcast I was to everyone.

All was fine, although slightly awkward, until suddenly... we came across a group of people all wearing blank white masks, they were void of any emotion. The strangers' bodies were clothed in full black; I had never seen such a strange sight. By instinct, my heart started to pound, and I noticed the family had started to pick up speed, Colin nudged me to do the same, full of a sense of urgency, all of that aloof attitude out the window. Struggling to keep up, I didn't have much time to think but something about the masked people just made fear manifest throughout my whole body. I didn't know who they were or what they wanted but everything in my brain screamed danger.

After what was an eternity in my mind, we pounded up the steps to a wrap-around porch leading up to a cream-colored house with a black door. The house looked much too large for a family of three, but I wasn't worried about that now; my heart pounding out of my chest, my lungs were burning. Right then, I was more concerned about getting inside to my safety.

Or so I thought....

Upon entering the house, I leaned over to catch my breath and braced my hands on my knees. When had I gotten so out of shape? I had been a dancer most of my life, but I guess I never really was a runner. After my heart rate slowed, I looked up to find myself surrounded by people so pale their skin was almost see-through equipped with walking IV bags filled with some kind of reddish-brown liquid, I could see their veins and the red blood that ran through it. What they lacked in skin pigment they made up for in their striking beauty, all the girls donning varying shades of long, dark locks with the occasional bright, white blonde. Most of their eyes were shades of blue, purple and brown. They all walked around as if nothing strange was going on. A few of them sparing glances at the thud the door made when it was shut behind me, but none seemed to share much interest in the situation and quickly went back to what they were doing.

"Can they get in here?" I asked between pants.

"Not with the forcefield and these in place," Joseph grumbled as I heard two bolt locks slide into place behind me and I realized as much as those people with Blank Masks were locked out, I was now locked in. Had this all been a trap to kidnap me? Had I just followed this family to my certain doom? Was I about to be a sacrifice of some sort? This place had serious cult vibes. I went cold with fear again but this time I felt frozen to the floor as I stood there in shocked silence. My mind was filled with so many questions: why were these people so pale? Why did they have IV drips? Were they okay or were all of them hurt? What were they all doing here? What exactly was this place? Because it wasn't just your normal family household. Was this some sort of recovery home? The house was dimly lit, and the people seemed to prefer it that way. Maybe, it had something to do with their eye colors, maybe they were more sensitive to the light? Is that why I'd never seen anyone like this out and about? Were they even human?

Colin's mother stepped closer to me and as if she could read the questions on my face, said, "It's how they stay alive dear, they don't feel a thing. They aren't as well adjusted as us." Her soothing tone had no calming effect on me, I was more confused than ever, but I felt trapped in my own body. When I could finally muster up any words at all I stammered, "Why did you bring me here?"

"Sweetie, you're one of them, one of us." Colin's mother cooed, "But don't worry, we'll take care of you." She added, cold chills ran down my spine as my shaking hands began to sweat. I needed to plan an escape.

"Who are you guys? And what are they?" I asked, I'd never been so confused in my life. I looked down at my own arms to see they now reflected the paleness of everyone around me, but my blood was blue instead of red, I let out a gasp. "What is this place?"

"I am Elizabeth and my husband's name is Joseph, we are here to guide you into your new life dear. All your other questions will be answered in time, for now let us show you to your room and get settled in, dinner should be ready soon." She turned and began gliding towards the stairs, motioning for me to follow.

I tried to follow but my legs became weak, and my sweat became chilled. I felt my vision go hazy and my ears fill with static. I fell to my knees just before Colin and Joseph could move fast enough to steady me. I felt the pressure of my knees hitting the floor and an arm hooking under each armpit. Come on Amber, of all times to pass out, this was not it, I thought to myself as I faded into black.