The Vampire's Prey

chapter 4

I had a dream that night but it wasn't really a dream. It was just a bunch of my forgotten memories coming out at once, all jumbled up that made me even more confused about my forgotten past. I didn't remember much after waking up, just a few random scenes or images is all I can recall.
I saw a garden of black roses where I roamed freely. I saw a magical book, a cauldron and some potions all placed in a special room. I saw him; Aden, he was all weak and exhausted... He glared at me from a distance with unimaginable hatred in his eyes, his red eyes glowing with flames of anger. The look was so scary that it startled me awake. It was so vivid, I felt like he was actually going to pounce at me but gladly I woke up before it happened.
It took a while for my heart to stop racing after being so shaken and terrified by the dream. It was after my daily bath that I managed to calm down and forget about it, it was only a dream after all. I went down and found my breakfast ready as always waiting for me on the dining table...but this time there was something else waiting for me to come down as well. It was him.
He sat lazily on one of the seats of the dining table and stared and the chandelier on the ceiling as of lost deeply in some thought. As soon as he heard me enter he stood up and stepped away from the table to give me space to go and eat. I awkwardly bowed my head slightly to greet him as I went to my seat.
"How are you feeling?" Is this why he waited for me to come down, I thought he only came to talk to me of it was something important. This is the first time he's communicated with me like this so far. It's strange, are things changing between us? If they are, then is it a good thing or a bad thing? I was so taken aback by this one question that I stared at him while completely forgetting to answer. "Are you okay now?" He asked.
"Huh, um...yeah, I'm fine," I stuttered nervously, unsure of how to respond.
"Does it still hurt?" He said while looking at my neck, he almost stepped closer while reaching out to touch my neck but then he suddenly pulled his hand back.
"No, it's fine." It was only fine because he was a bit gentle this time and he didn't bite me for too long either.
He just nodded and turned to leave while saying, "okay then...you eat your breakfast."
"Yeah okay," I said as I sat down.
"Also...I had to tell you, they weather is going to get cloudier soon so...I guess we'll be going for that walk in a few days."
Really, I thought excitedly, that's great, I can't wait, hope it's soon! "Okay," I said with a small smile doing my best to contain my joy. Then he turned around hesitantly and began to leave. I guess he wanted to continue talking, I could always see the desire in him to speak more to me but he was always hesitant. I looked at my breakfast as I thought of a quick way to stop him and continue talking. "Oh by the way," I suddenly said as an idea finally came to me, "can I ask you something?"
He turned around and said in a toneless voice, with an expressionless face "what is it?"
"Do you cook all this? Or it it...like made by magic or..."
He nearly laughed all of a sudden, he brought his hand over his mouth to hide his grin as he said, "I wish there was a magic spell for this but unfortunately there isn't."
My eyes widened with surprise, "so YOU cook all this? BY YOURSELF?" He nodded while trying to contain his smile. "But how do you know how to cook? You're a vampire..."
"Firstly," he said with his beautiful rare smile starting to fade away, "I wasn't always a vampire and secondly I've been forced to learn this cooking while I had to serve someone."
"Who?" I asked curiously.
"Just someone who had enslaved me not too long ago," he said darkly while avoiding eyes contact with me. I started to understand that this conversation was headed in the wrong direction and it was making him uncomfortable while talking about it, so I didn't ask further. I felt upset that his smile was washed off his face ever so easily. I had never seen him smile much before and never ever had I seen him grin like he just did. It was so rare, I really wished to see more of it. "Anything else?" He asked noticing I had gotten a bit too quiet all of a sudden.
"No...just thanks, your cooking is really good, I appreciate you doing it all for me," I said softly.
I don't know what I said but it made him let out a bitter sarcastic laugh. "Wah, I can't believe someone can change so much after losing their memories." I stared at him innocently without a clue of what he was talking about. "Its almost suspicious, its really had to believe its really you but it actually makes it hard for me to regret erasing your memories...so I guess I should be glad."
"Why," I asked, "what kind of person was I before?"
"Never mind," he mumbled and left the room, leaving me staring back at the door with confusion.
I didn't get to see him for the rest of the day. I guess he's avoiding me now, if only I had a clue to why. He said the potion he gave me was weak and my memories would come back of given the chance but nothing has really come back yet. Only mixed up glimpses of this and that which all only make me more confused about my past. Then I remembered ...my dream! What was it that I saw in my last dream. I tried to recollect the memories of the dream and then I remembered something that felt like a clue. I saw room with potions, a cauldron and a magic book; what I saw in my dream must have been a magic lab!
I suddenly began to run to the southern wind of the mansion and go upstairs. There's a magic lab in this very mansion as well. I wonder if there are the same or not, either way it felt like a clue that I should look up to. The mansion only had two towers and the smaller tower was where his magic lab was. I've been there before and he doesn't seem to mind me going through his things, I guess its because he already knows that I don't have a clue of how to use any of those magical equipment to my advantage.
I entered the small room that was crowded with objects. There was an old wooden table in the middle of the room full of books and other things on it. There was a fireplace with a cauldron on a corner and the rest of the room was full of shelves and drawers. Some were book shelves and another was a shelf full of potions. It was a beautiful collection, looked like colorful perfume bottles of all shapes and sizes with colorful liquids inside them. Some were also steamy fumes and some even glowed. I once wondered whether I should take a risk of trying out random potions till one of them brings my memories back but obviously it was the stupidest idea ever.
I turned to the book shelf. There were many books there, some in languages I didn't even understand. I've never seen Aden use these things, obviously magic isn't his speciality but he still keeps these things just in case. But then...do these things even belong to him?
The thought was sudden and out of the blue but it suddenly awakened a strange feeling inside me that I suddenly said out loud, "this is all mine!" I had no memory of it but the gut feeling was too strong to ignore. I looked around the room and each and every object suddenly looked familiar. Can it be? Is it really all mine? Did he steal it from me? Yes, it fits, even though this magic lab doesn't match the one in my dream, the books and potions are definitely familiar.... They are mine!
But what does it mean, if they really are mine then what does that make me? A magician? A witch? Sorceress? Fairy?
Of only I had a clue...