Spend Forever

first vision

when she awoke, it was to darkness. but it was different than the darkness she had been in. for one, her eyes were open, and she could finally see. she didn't know what she was looking at, but it was so much different from the surrounding blackness that was all she could remember. it was lighter now, she could make out shapes and some other colors. all around her were twisting branches. trees, she remembered. she looked above her, and could see bright spots of white peppered in the sky. the stars. it had been so long since she had seen them. she smiled faintly as she looked up, looking for the familiar patterns she knew in her childhood.

she sat up, wanting to further explore her surroundings. she was alone, unable to hear or see or smell anyone near her. there were just more trees as far as she could tell. she looked at the ground, and she was sitting in the middle of a small meadow. flowers dotted the grass. she stood up, unsure of where to go from here. she wondered how long she had been sleeping on the ground, or why she was in the meadow. she racked her brain trying to remember, but she could only recall blurry flashes. an unfamiliar man glaring a her with an evil smile, another man picking her up, and then the forest flying past at an impossible speed. neither man was around, and she didn't know what the images meant.

as she thought, she began to see other things. much sharper images this time. she saw a man and a woman standing together and laughing. their eyes were the strangest color, almost golden. a younger boy, a teenager, was with them. his eyes matched theirs. she was sure she had never seen these images before; she would have remembered faces as beautiful and kind as theirs. kindness wasn't something she had seen too much of. who were these people? how could she find them?

she reached further with her mind, trying to see more of this strange thought. vision, her mind suddenly told her. in this moment, she realized she was seeing the future. how could she see this? did the men who had brought her here know anything about this? did they give these powers to her? she explored further, wanting to see more from these kind people with the gold eyes.

they were standing in front of a house, in a forest not unlike the one she was standing in now. the house was big and white, with a lot of windows on the lower and upper levels. a shaded porch wrapped around the entire front of the house, and stretched onto the sides. the older man with blonde hair stepped forward, as if in greeting. he said something, but she couldn't make out the words. the woman with long brown hair said something in response. they both smiled. the younger boy with bronze hair laughed; but what was the trigger?

the vision changed, and suddenly she could see who they were talking to. a short woman with black hair was standing in front of them. she had the same strange golden eyes. she was also beautiful, and smiling at the trio of vampires in front of them. vampires? the word had seemed like an impossible thing, like something out of a horror movie. but now, it was real. she took a deep breath, and suddenly felt the fire in her throat. she clutched her hands around it, wondering what had happened. one word stuck in her mind: thirst. she knew how to quench the fire, or at least calm it, but could she really do that? could she really end another person's life?

she reached back for the vision, trying to find another answer. the teenager with the bronze hair was now with the short black haired woman, and they were walking through the forest. images flashed by faster, quick little snapshots. a lion, leaping through the air. the teenager, leaping with it. the lion landing and roaring in pain. the teenager, with his arms locked tightly around the lion's body. his teeth were at the lion's throat. she understood. vampires could survive off of animal blood? was that actually possible? did that explain the strange color of their eyes?

she took another deep breath. she would find her answer later. for now, she wanted to understand who these people were. she had been alone for a long time; it was all she knew. she didn't want to be alone anymore. she wasn't sure how she knew, but it was her with these kind people. vampires, she corrected. how did she find them? did they know who had changed her? would they welcome her as one of their own? did she belong with them? where were they? who were they? her mind filled, once again, with the images of the trio and herself in front of the house. 

these images were 13 years later. she would have to be alone for 13 years before she could find them. she took a deep breath, unhappy with the thought. but at least it was something. she would find them, and wait. she searched the vision, trying to find any clues to their location. rochester, new york. something told her. she smiled. the place sounded familiar, though she had never been. she knew she would be able to find it. she would go their and bind her time, waiting to find the kind, golden eyed strangers. but they didn't feel like strangers. she didn't know them at all, but somehow she knew they would become her family. she would begin her journey later, for now she had to hunt, and plan.

she started to take a step further into the forest, but then stopped. there was someone in the vision she hadn't noticed before. now that she had, she couldn't look away, or understand how she had missed this woman earlier. this woman's eyes were bright, bright red. somehow, this wasn't her most astonishing feature. she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. she had long, golden hair trailing in soft waves down her back. she had full lips and a small button nose. her eyes were a lovely shape she couldn't quite identify; the strange color somehow added to their beauty.

as she looked closer at the woman, she realized what else was different about her. she looked wary, almost frightened of the trio, despite their kind eyes. she seemed to recognize them, and that was worrisome. what was she so concerned with? did she know something about the trio that wasn't clear? she searched for another vision, something to tell her about the woman's fear. she couldn't see anything further, just more of this meeting, or her hunting the the bronze-haired teenager or the beautiful blonde woman. the blonde woman seemed to keep her distance from the trio, but not from herself. she smiled, happy that the woman seemed comfortable with her.

she explored further, trying to understand the depth of their relationship. the two were walking together now, holding hands in the forest. for the first time, she was able to hear the words spoken in her vision.

"it's okay. we'll be safe here," she was saying to the blonde girl. "i've been watching these people. they are kind and open. they'll help us. we can stay with them. i know this isn't the life you wanted, but i've seen our future. we're happy together, with them. they'll become our family." the blonde girl shook her head, pulling away. 

"are you sure? is this where i belong?" the blonde asked, looking at the ground. "i've never felt at home anywhere. not here. how do i know i will feel it with them?" 

"because i'm here. i'm your home now. i promise you, you'll find your happiness and home here. this is where you belong."

the blonde took a deep breath. "i still don't know. but i do trust you. i belong wherever you are, alice," the blonde said, looking up at her companion and into her eyes for the first time. the vision ended, and she smiled.

"my name is alice," she declared to the meadow. "i will find happiness with that family, with the beautiful blonde woman by my side."