The Curse

Chapter Two- Running Away

     When I, in a daze, gaze at myself, I don't see me, Nobara Hana.
I see a female with monstrous wings and fangs. A teen with piercing eyes and a pained, confused expression.
I crumble to the floor, and feel stinging yet relief as my wings return to their crevices inside of my back. I let out a gasp of relief.
My pupils return to their normal, spherical shape as I calm down.
I look into the mirror again. My eyes are back to being regular old blue.
I look away.
I take another glance at the mirror, just in case.
Blue eyes, brown hair. Normal, just beaten up. I am exhausted.
I stand up and realize my mother, Hebi, is on the floor nearby.
I hobble over and shake her.
"Mom...wake...up." I mumble.
Mom twitches a bit.
Her eyes abruptly flip open.
They are red and have slits for pupils...just...just like I had a few seconds ago.
Shockingly, she jumps up, forcing me to stumble backwards.
Bat wings sprout from her back and she flies upward, frantically looking around, and then snaps her gaze down to me.
Once she realizes I'm back to being...me, she breathes a sigh of relief, and floats back down.
I am too busy staring at her fangs to speak.
My mother...is a vampire.
Which means...I am a vampire as well. There is no use denying it, it's...quite clear.
"Oh...I'm so sorry you had to find out this way. I...I should've just told you before it got to this point." Mom sighs, letting her arms rest at her side.
"So...we're..." I croak, tiredly. I feel as if I will pass out.
"Yes..." she starts. "...vampires."
I flinch when she says the word.
"So...let's get washed up. I'll explain more later. I'll call a maid about this room--"
"Won't she ask about how it got like this...?" I ask.
My mother turns to go down the stairs before answering.
"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her. If she asks about it or pries too much, well...I'll take care of it." she says.
"Okay...?" I mutter, raising my eyebrows, feeling like maybe I don't really know my mother after all.

     We walk...more like wobble...down the stairs and into the bathroom.
Mom starts a shower for me.
I'm still staring into space, processing all that has happened in such a short amount of time.
"Right...thanks," I say. "Let's just take nice, hot showers. Then maybe we can get a mani-pedi. And after that I guess we could talk about what just happened..." I grumble aloud.
I hear my mother sigh.
When I step in and under the warm water, it stings a lot. But getting all clean feels good.
After a few minutes, I slide out, grab a towel, dry off, and look at myself in the mirror.
I brush through my brown hair hanging just above my shoulders.
I look good as new...just a bit pale.
"Hey, Mom...? I feel like taking a walk through the yard to clear my head," I say. "And...will my back be okay? Aren't there a couple gaping slits or something...!?"
Mom sighs and musters a smile.
"It sort of...healed itself. It's something vampires do," she replies, all too casually. "And sure, honey. But be back soon...we definitely need to talk." Mom says.
I finish tying my hair up in a ponytail, and then I make my way out the front door.
I walk around the side of the house into our backyard.
And as soon as I make sure she is actually in the shower and not peeking out at me through a window, I sprint towards the forest.
The chilly wind brushing against my skin as I run wakes me up. It makes me feel like I have more control of this crazy situation.
Before I know it, trees surround me.
"But the forest is 3 miles away...." I whisper out loud to myself. "...I got here...in seconds."
Maybe that's why my legs hurt earlier...?
I sit down up against a tree and before I know it, my eyes begin to burn.
My eyelids feel heavy, so with a sigh, I let them close.

     I wake up to see the sun going down.
"I'm really hungry..." I mumble to myself with a yawn.
I pull out my phone.
It's not too dark out, and I need someone to pour my heart out to, so...I dial Kuroji's number.
I have him on speed dial for...special occasions like this.
"Hey!" Kuroji greets over the phone.
"Hey...Kuroji...?" I say, sighing. I rub my eyes, still kind of waking up.
"What's up, Wild Rose?" he replies.
"Well...something really strange just happened." I start to explain, but pause, not knowing where to start. I don't think this is the kind of conversation you should have over the phone.
"Stranger than usual?" he laughs.
"Believe it or not, yes. Can you meet me at Our Tree in a few minutes?" I plead.
"Well...I don't know if it's physically possible to make it there in 3 minutes..." he says.
"Oh, right. It's...miles away, and you don't have a car—just—I'll see you in...whatever. Just get here eventually!"
"Right. I'll ride my bike over as fast as possible!" he chirps, trying to cheer me up already, as he can probably tell I'm in a sour mood just by the tone of my voice.
"Yep!" I smile, and then hang up.
My relationship with my mom has always been a little strange, and I came to realize a while ago that we aren't exactly like the typical family.
But I know I can trust Kuroji with this.
He's like a brother to me, and he's the only person I've met with the same sort of...eccentric dynamic that my mother and I share.
When I was only 6 and Kuroji was 7, we walked through this same forest. We found two small trees, intertwined at the top, forming an arch. It reminded us of us, so we called it "our tree". That's where we always meet up.
I finally stand up and run deeper into the forest.
I make it to our tree in about 10 seconds.
While I wait, my mind wanders to the time Kuroji and I first met.