Roses are Red

A recurring nightmare

I was waiting outside by the pond, with my two little sisters Ani and Kura. Our big brother Matt was tossing small pebbles at the fish. "Big brother! Stop you're hurting the fish !" Ani yelled as she tried getting up and brushed off her blue skirt. "So." Kura followed behind and nodded. "Stop hurting the fish." She pouted. I just chuckled at seeing their attempt to stop Matt from throwing another pebble. I was 12 at the time. Matt was 14, Kura and Ani were twins both age 6. "Big sis! Big sis!" I heard my little brother Sean scream from behind the rose bush. "What is it Sean? Careful don't get hurt" I stood up and looked through the rose bush for my brother when he hugged me from behind. "Our Big Sis Mykala calls for you, she needs help in the kitchen." "Okay okay I'm coming." I said as he tugged on my skirt. He was turning 8 in a month. "Matt watch over Kura and Ani for me." "Yeah yeah hurry up before Mykala gets mad." "Bye bye Big sis!!" Both Ani and Kura yelled as I followed behind Sean. I grabbed his hand and walked with him into our small home. I could smell the great smell in the air. "There you are Minomi." Mykala said as she cut the carrots in the counter. "Yup what did you need Big sis?" "Could you go to town and get some milk please, here's some money and if you want buy yourself an ice cream." I took the small money bag from her hands and nodded. I really loved ice cream she knew how to convince me. "Okay I'll be back soon!" I called out as I slipped on my black boots and pulled off a hat from the coat rack. I started running on the rocky path to the town.  My fathers fields smelled like lavender. And I could see the cornstalk in the distance. I loved my dads farm, but I had dreams of my own, to become a fashion designer in the big city. I just loved the clothes the city woman wore, the dresses with corsets and their pretty bonnets that matched with their parasols, that was my dream. I saw my best friend James. He was walking the sheep, he waved at me before running over to me. "Hiya Minomi, where you going to?" "I'm buying milk and getting ice cream." He smiled and ruffled my hair. "Won't the milk be too heavy for you to carry, I'll come help you okay."  "Okay." He quickly put The sheep back into his dads farm land then he jumped over the fence and started running. "Let's do a race." "Okay." I called out, running behind him I knew I could never win against him he was too fast for me.  After buying a jug of milk, we shared an ice cream sitting on the fountain as the villagers passed by. "So Minomi hows your designing going?" "It's going good." He chuckled and poked my nose. "When you're a great big famous designer do t forget about lil ol' me James." "I won't!" "I'zat a promise?" "Yes." I replied as I licked the ice cream. When we finished the ice cream he followed behind me towards my house. I could smell the lavenders but something else smelled off. It smelled like smoke. So I started to run faster towards my home when I saw my dads carriage upside down, the horse was still tied to the carriage but it was dead. It looked like it's neck had been snapped. Then I looked up to see my home in flames. I could hear Mykala's screams from inside. "James go get some help." He dropped the jug and ran off probably to call his elder brothers and his father. I ran in through the main door. "Mom!! Dad!! I screamed. When I saw a man dressed in black standing over the flames. He was looking at the corner of the kitchen. "Stranger get out of my house!!!" I screamed when he turned around and smirked at seeing me. He had blood dripping from his mouth. I looked down at the floor and their was my Sister Mykala, her face was gray and it looked like the life had been drained out of her. "Big sis!!" I cried. "Guess who's next " the man said with his voice echoing in the room full of flames. He started walking over to me and my feet felt like jelly and I couldn't move as his eyes locked into mine. When I heard Matt scream. "Min!!! Go get Uehara!! And get our little siblings out of here." I saw a quick flash of him hitting the man hard in the head with a burning plank of wood. I ran up the staircase and got my baby sister out of her crib and I ran into my sisters room. "Everyone hold hands let's go through the back door!! Go lead Sean." He ran the fastest he could in his small feet when I heard a blood curling scream. I looked back as we ran and I saw the man. He was holding a limp body in his arms. Matt. I saw a quick flash of white before he bit into his throat. I turned away and cried, but I kept running cause I knew I'm the eldest I must protect them. I ran towards My dads barn when there were men dressed in black. I put myself in front of my siblings, wone stepped down to his knee. "Are you kids okay?" He asked. I nodded and looked into my eyes. I could tell his eyes were different from the one inside the house. He pulled out a cross necklace and showed it to me. "I'm Jack. I'm a vampire Hunter from the Belmont Clan. Is there anyone else at home?" Kura shook her head. "They are dead." Ani whispered loud enough for Both Jack and I to hear. Jack put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm guessing you're the oldest alive correct?" I nodded. "Okay, go to the barn and don't open it until I come get you Okay, and if I don't get you my partner Sanri will get you okay." I nodded. Before I left he stopped me and smiled. He put on the cross necklace around my neck. "This will keep you safe okay." I nodded. I made sure all my siblings were safe as we sat in the barn. Sean cried as he sat in the hay. "Shush lil one, he might hear us." Kura and Ani hugged each other as they sat in the corner. "Sean could you hold Uehara." "Yes I want to." I gently placed my baby sister in his arms. He gently rocked her. I got up and tugged on the cross necklace. "Just in case I'm going to protect all of you." I grabbed the pitchfork and I held it tightly in both of my hands. I could feel the wood slowly cutting into my hands but I needed to be strong and protect my siblings, just like Matt. Even if I have to I will die to protect them. Someone knocked on the door. I didn't respond since it could've been the murderer, no the monster, the vampire. "It's okay kids, it's me Jack. Open up you're safe now." I still didn't respond. Then I heard the other one speak. "What if the vampire came with others? Those kids could be dead." "No, that can't be." Jack said back. He knocked louder this time. "Kids open up its me Jack." I slowly opened the barn door. Jack sighed in relief. "Thank god you're all safe." He seemed to be young like around 17. The other one was probably in his early twenties. He knelt and ruffled my hair. "So what's your name?" He asked me as his brown eyes looked into mine. "Minomi Vasconovich." Kura and Ani slowly walked over to us and bowed. "I'm Kura and I'm Ani." Sean walked slowly as he carried my baby sister. "Sean." He whispered quietly as he looked at his feet. I pointed to my baby sister. "Uehara is her name." He stood up and reached out towards me. "Come on let's go somewhere safe."
12 years later
I woke up startled. Not that nightmare again I thought as I remembered my  home back then. How are my siblings I thought, they haven't sent me a letter in a month. I sat up in my bunk and looked down to my teammates they were sleeping still. When I heard a voice coming from the bunk under mine. "Did you have a nightmare Minomi?" I laid down on my stomach and I looked down. "Yes, again." I whispered back making sure I didn't wake up the other two. I rolled back and looked up to the ceiling. "Do you regret coming here?" He asked quietly. "No." "Or is it because you had no choice?" I didn't respond since he knew the answer. I wanted to become a designer, that dreamed died those years ago as well. Back then, Jack brought us back to his clan. The Belmonts, it was an academy of people who trained to become vampire hunters. Once you join you're all one big family. I had no choice but to serve them if I wanted my family to be fed and kept under protection. I only get to see them once a year. Uehara has grown a lot. Her hair is a lot like fathers. "Minomi?" "Yes?"
"What role do you think you'll get in this clan?" He was right, I never thought about it. In this clan everyone had different roles once they graduated from the Academy. Depending on your results from all the training you'd get a role in the Belmont Family.
A Lone hunter. Squad Hunters. Captians. And what Jack is, a rescuer.
"Who knows?"
"I bet you'll be a Rescuer, just like Jack."
"Why do you say that?" I asked as I closed my eyes. "You seem to admire him so I was guessing you probably tried your best to be like him." I reached upwards towards the roof. "Well you're wrong Ren. I don't want to be a rescuer I want to be a hunter." He stayed quiet for a while as if he was thinking what to say next. "That also makes sense, after all you want revenge right." "Yeah. Now go back to sleep it's late." "It's actually early." "Shush." "Okay goodnight Minomi." I closed my eyes and imagined seeing that vampire who killed my family, I will find him and I will kill him.