Being Mia

The Vacation

So there I was, relaxing in the sun, which was getting a little too warm for my liking but that was Miami for you. I was working as a bartender in one of the most pretigious hotels along the beach strip, and lived in a small house not far from there, rooming with 3 other people. Of course, living with humans would always be dangerous. If I ever got too hungry, like if I didn't feed for a couple of weeks at a time they started to look like walking blood bags, but my self-control was at an all time high, I had lived in the outback, back in Australia for a few months before I moved to Miami, and had taught myself how to cope without blood for weeks on end, so that those around me didn't become too suspicious. 

It was mostly my fear of the rouge vampires. I hadn't pissed anyone off or broken any laws as far as I knew, but still being a new vampire, and not having a mentor or a friend to guide me things were still pretty tough. But for an 18 year old I was living a  pretty contempt life. 

Anyway, there I was lounging around, and my phone rang, my boss wanted me to start my shift early, which meant less time to relax but more money, which I guess I was pretty happy about. So I was about to start my shift, just casually walking through the lobby, and there they were at the service desk. My 6 year old sister, now 9, had grown her hair out and was more tanned than i'll ever be. Mum had changed her hair colour again, it was bright blonde now with honey coloured highlights, she looked older in the face though, and I could tell because of the fine wrinkles on her face which I could see because of my enhanced sight, and Dad, well his hair was starting to go grey, and his beer belly had definetly grown. And they had had another child since my death or I guess, rebirth? 

 It was a boy, he looked exactly like me, and dad. I lingered for a couple more seconds and wondered what his name was. I shook my head and walked quickly through the lobby. I had moved on and didn't care much for them anymore, and frankly, I couldn't let them see me or find me because there would be a lot of unanswered questions. Like how was i alive, and breathing, and well, how on earth was i alive? When in fact I wasn't technically alive, I was dead but a dead person that could still move and walk and talk, I just wanted to drink blood all the time.

Mum and Dad had never been drinkers, so i just hoped that they wouldn't make their way down to the bar where i worked. What on earth were they doing in Miami anyway? Dad said he never wanted to go to America and Mum the same. Myabe Sadie had pursuaded them, and maybe the boy too. 

I still couldn't belive they had had another child, were they trying to replace me? 

Surely not, my death had been a huge shock for them. As much as they disliked me at times, they loved me with all their hearts, being their first born they always had  a special place in their hearts for me, and after Tom died, I left Darwin and went back to Melbourne to find them, just to see how they were coping, to see if they were ok. And that's when I found that they were still in peices. It kind of warmed my cold, deat heart. But I never noticed mum's baby bump then, but I should of known, I should of heard the second heartbeat. 

Anyway, about 3 days after I first saw them, I saw them again, this time in the bar. I was lucky, I was finishing my shift and as Dad walked up to the bar my co-worker, and roommate, Josh, served him. He glanced at me and his eyes lingered on my face, I could feel them, and after a few seconds he looked away and I saw his eyes become teary. I obviously reminded him of his daughter whom he thought was dead, and its true, I would of looked like an older version of myself but I had dyed my hair black and put bright blue contacts in my eyes. My boobs had gotten bigger too, and mum's were really small, I must of taken after Dad's side of the family in that department too, which actually, I was quite happy with. 

 He carried the drinks back to mum sadie and my new brother, whose name I was assuming began with S, because all of ours did, except I changed mine after I made my new identity, because I couldn't have anyone finding me. I felt four pairs of eyes on me as I wiped down a near-by table. I lokked up to see both Mum and Dad staring at me, and they said something to Sadie, and both stood up and walked over. 

I began to panic, is my cover blown? Should I just disappear whilst they weren't looking?

"Sorry for staring love, you just really look like our daughter who died a few years ago", I could hear the sadness in Dad's voice, he didn't even say my name, it was probably still too hard for him. 

"It's ok" I replied, in my fake american accent, which by the way, was pretty decent,"I totally understand, if you need anything just let me know" 

"Your name?, I mean, what's your name?"

"Mia, My name is Mia Soretto and you are?"

"I'm Simon, this is my wife Sandy and these are the kids Sadie and Sam, who was named after our daughter who died".

My stomach dropped when he had said that, they had named their new baby after me which was touching, in a way, but also slightly offensive, they had obviously tried to replace me. 

I couldn't help but let the venom spill out in my voice" That's lovely but I have to leave now, my shift is over and I will miss my bus if I don't get a move on". I grabbed my bag from behind the counter and looked up "Of course" he replied and made his way back to the table. 

And then someone else walked into the bar, someone I'd never thought I'd ever see again in my enntire exsistance.