Eluding Emotion

After A Year

"Mom!!!!" I opened my eyes and scanned the room and sighed. It was just dream.

It's been a year since my father died but it still feels like it was just yesterday. I can't blame my mind since it's natural for us to have such a perfect memory. But it's still not surprising as to why I only dream about my mom. I love her and I hated my father for what he did to my mom. But all of these events are really starting to get to me. I have to vent this out and there's only one person that I can talk to. I grabbed my iPhone from my bedside table and dialed Ezra's number. Ezra's my best friend, in fact he's my only friend. Since we're of the same race it only makes sense that he's the only one that I trust.

"Go for Ezra!" he answered after one ring. Boy is he perky.

"Hi, can you come over?"

"Sure. Another bad dream?" I can almost see his eyebrow raising as he speak.

"Is that the only reason why I call you?" I'm sure it's not.

"It's just because it's late and you called me so that came to my mind. Never mind, I'll be there before you can waffles." he ended the call.

I was about to say waffles when there was a knock on the balcony door. He really must hate to drive...or there's a girl who's been bugging him that he had to escape before she touches him. "Mortals" I scoffed.

"Hi there, sleepyhead." he said smiling.

"Let me guess, someone drunk is trying to get her hands all over you."

"Are you psychic?" there he goes again.

"You know we're not capable of reading minds. That's parapsychology."

"Yeah, yeah. So much for teasing Ms. CEO / Psychologist."

"Enough with the teasing come in."

As we walked down to the living room, I told him about my father committing suicide a year ago and how I keep on dreaming about my mother's death again and again whenever I sleep. He did not show any facial expression about my dream since this is not the first time that I told him about it. But he seemed a little surprised about my father committing suicide after his mortal wife's death.

"That happened last year? No wonder why I didn't hear from you for that short time. You went off the grid again…but it's good though since it was just for a year and not for two decades after your mom's death." he said, raising his eyebrow at me.

"Yes, a year ago. I didn't tell you 'cause I know you're busy visiting funerals to feed."

"It's not all funerals, you know. I visited weddings and graduations for a change. Their expression of joy was quite different. Feeding off it is a somewhat satisfying than being bored attending funerals."

"Then don't attend funerals so you won't get bored." I raised my eyebrows back at him.

"Then you shouldn't sleep so that you'll stop dreaming of your mom's death." I didn't see that coming. "You know we can choose not to sleep and still look awesome. It's one of our blessings." he proudly gestured to all of him.

"Maybe I should do that. But you know, tonight's the first night that I went back to sleeping after a year. I thought I won't have any dreams, but then…"

"You know, it's starting to get to you, you should really stop sleeping. I know how you hate emotions, and I'm warning you, if you keep on sleeping and seeing your mom die over and over again, you'll start lingering on sadness then eventually end up mourning. You'll go all emotional and it'll be ugly." he cut me off and warned me at the same time.

"You're right. I'll just stop sleeping and maybe feed. I haven't fed for months, I'll start tomorrow-no, later this day." I gave him a little smile.

"That's my girl! And you should smile more and bigger smiles! That smile is boring, I've been seeing that for more than a decade." he said, grinning at me.

"I don't like smiling. And please, I'm around mortals all the time--they don't deserve seeing me smile."

"Fine, just promise me that you'll try for me and Alaura, okay?"

"I'll try." I said while playing with his copper hair.

"Good, and stop playing with my hair, it's my job playing with your curls. Why don't you dye your hair for a change?"

"You know, you sound gay sometimes." I teased.

"You know I'm not. I'm just saying, maybe it'll make you less intimidating for mortals."

"I'm intimidating? Am I really that intimidating?" I know I'm a little intimidating but I never thought I'm that intimidating.

"Well, you know, whenever you walk through the entire office, no one seems to have the will to look at your face. They just look at the tips of your hair, or your hands. That's what I've observed during my visits."

"It would be great if someone will be able to look at my eyes for a change. I hate it when I interview some applicants and they can't even make eye contact. I'm not Medusa; at least we don't have that kind of ability." I sure am glad, or I won't be able to feed.

"Tell me at once when that certain someone comes along. I wanna see how happy he'll be to see your piercing but beautiful brown eyes." I smiled at the thought.

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The drive to aunt Alaura's house was peaceful. She invited me to have breakfast with them. She told me how she misses cooking for me ever since I left. I didn't want to disappoint her when it comes to feeding me human food--trust me you wouldn't want too either. I was getting out of my new 2014 Corvette Stingray when I saw uncle Amador opening the front door.

"You really have a knack for cars for a lady, Olivia. I love how she looks." uncle whistled as he checked out my black stingray.

"I should. I love to make men drool at my toys."

"Don't forget to remind me to order one tonight before the graduation." he beamed at me.

"I sure won't have to. So, what's cookin'?" I could almost smell my aunt's famous Italian spaghetti.

"Her famous Italian spaghetti. She's serving it now; she started cooking earlier than usual. She missed you a lot." he sighed as he guided me to the dinner table.

"Hi darling! I know that it's kinda early for pasta but can you blame me? I missed cooking for you. And I also want you to accompany Amador to the graduation ceremony after breakfast." aunt Alaura's really proud of her cooking.

"I don't know; you know I'm not really fond of graduation ceremonies." I frowned.

"Well, go anyways. Besides, your company's the university's sponsor." She's not taking no for an answer.

"And you'll get lots and lots of drooling faces from the graduating students and university staff." my uncle chimed in.

"I guess one ceremony won't hurt." I answered in defeat.

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The graduation ceremony took almost half of the day considering the amount of speeches that was given by the university head and valedictorians. I was even asked to give a little speech when I least expected. I obliged and gave a short one just to get it over with. After the ceremony a lot of students and parents asked to have a photo taken with me because--according to them--it was a rare experience for me to show up at such simple ceremonies. Some people also asked to interview me for their school paper, I told them about the whole process of setting up an appointment--trust me, it's a long wait to have one with me--and they seemed to have changed their minds.

A lot of boys also took pictures of my Stingray and I even caught one drooling, who blushed when he saw me look at him as I got into my car. My uncle laughed at some students who looked shocked to see that a "girl" owns the car. I waived my uncle goodbye as I drove off.