Oblivion

The Knock at the Door

When I awoke this morning, it was once again on my desk. There wasn't a day that went by this week that I didn't awake to a breeze coming in from the window and my hand covered in charcoal. Looking down there were the abundant of white sheets with sketches I didn't bother to look at. I grabbed the papers by the handful and shoved them in a drawer. For the past few days my nights have gotten worse. I felt like I never slept and I'm sure it showed. I've never snapped at more people in my life. Just the other day I told Isadora to shut it while she was reading a book out loud. The reaction wasn't the best and we didn't talk for the rest of the day, but I kept my nightmares to myself. They were all about the creatures in the books and there have been so many books. I used to spend time looking at the sketches, rummaging through Isadora's books when she wasn't looking. But it's been too much. So now I just shove them in a drawer. Despite the fact that I just met Isadora and Calum, the nightmares have been going on for months.

"Carlisle? Are you up yet?" I heard my Dad call out and I grunted in response. He made it known that he was heading out for work and he'd see me in a few hours. Which was my cue to get ready for the day. I grabbed my backpack and headed towards the restroom for a change when my window burst open and a familiar smile came through the small opening from my window.

"Good morning Carlisle," Calum said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, seamlessly gaining the trait from Isadora. "I have a door Calum."

"Yes, but the window is so much more fun."

I headed into the restroom and changed into the shirts I had left. Friday is generally laundry day, but last Friday Isadora was teaching Eden and I how to block punches from an inhuman and I was way too tired to do anything but lay down in bed. 

Looking into the mirror, I sighed. The mosquitos in this town were insane and they particularly loved biting the neck area. Every morning I woke up with a new bite and today Benadryl was no match for the small red spot on my chest. I scratched the mark as the itching increased until Calum banged on the restroom door and I took it as a sign that I had been scratching for too long.

I headed out the restroom and Calum tossed me my backpack and just like every other day, we were out the door. It was a Saturday which means that Eden was with his family, spending time together. After what happened with Eden's sister, his mom makes every Saturday what she calls "family day". So today Eden would not be accompanying us.

"You know, you're eventually going to have to find your way by yourself," Calum said to me as he pointed towards which way to turn.

"It's tricky," I mumbled. The way to Isadora and Calum's so-called house wasn't a normal route. We headed towards the same street that was never lit up unless I was wearing the spiderwick glasses, which I preferred to avoid. Anytime I wore the glasses I looked, and felt, like an outsider peering in a world that wasn't mine.

We walked through the bland street and Calum told me for just about the twentieth time, that I should get used to wearing the glasses in the meantime. We headed into the library and took out three books. Each one is a different shade of red and the titles all different. Truth be told, I have tried coming before. The first time I got the wrong book. The second time I got lost on the way to the library and by the third time, the librarian found me to be a little too suspicious. After looking for the books for two hours, she refused to let me in. But with Calum it was a short five minutes. They hid the books in a different space each time but he knew the library like the back of his hand. It was like he could sense where the books were.

With the books in hand he turned them into the librarian and she gave him a sweet smile. One that I never will receive, I'm sure of. She let us in through the back and with a scan of the three books, we were in Isadora's house through the library. Calum opened the entrance way and there was Isadora yelling at her cat.

I cleared my throat and the cat ran in the opposite direction, with Isadora fuming. "Do not go anywhere! I am not done talking to you!"

She turned her head to me and her eyes widened, "Carlisle, come here." Calum glanced at me and stepped aside, suddenly it was like she knew everything. She knew that I hadn't been wearing the glasses. She knew that I hadn't been reading all the articles she's been sending me. She knew about Eden's list. Suddenly she was back to the girl that I thought was a serial killer. My feet could no longer move so she stepped towards me instead.

"Take off your shirt," she said. I shoved my hands in my jeans pockets and I could feel the heat running to my head. Calum shrugged and I felt like I had no other choice so I slipped off the shirt and looked away, towards anything but Isadora.

"Carlisle how long have you had this mark?" she asked as she touched my neck, the part that never stopped itching.

"What mark?" I headed towards the mirror near the door, there wasn't more than a small mosquito bite. Isadora rummaged through my backpack and pulled out the disaster that she called glasses.

"Put these on."

I grabbed the glasses out of her hands and put them on. Sadly. When I turned back to the mirror the deep red on my skin was so much more evident than just a small mosquito bite. The red rash started from my chest and stretched its way upward to the base of my neck. It wasn't until I touched my neck that I noticed the scratch, but they weren't from whatever gave me the mark. They were from me. I had been scratching so much I didn't notice I was cutting myself in the process.

Isadora touched my neck and she pointed towards where the rash ended, "Carlisle, did Nat touch you?"

I turned my head from the mirror to face Isadora, "Nat?"

"The vampire we met the other day? The girl?"

"No, no she didn't touch me." I looked back at the rash, the red stretched up and now that Isadora mentioned it, it looked like a malformed hand reaching for my neck.

"Are you sure," Calum asked.

"I'm sure," I said. But we met Nat a few days ago and I couldn't remember the night clearly. "Wait, no. I don't remember. I, I don't think she did."

Isadora shook her head and headed out the door. I put my shirt back on and followed her out the door.

And as if the day couldn't get any worse, there was a small knock on the door. We all stood still, staring at the door. The main entrance door.

I didn't understand the supernatural world just yet, much less Isadora's house. It was filled with mist security men, a black cat and every once in a while I could feel a priceless painting staring at me. But the one thing I knew for sure was that no one ever knocked. She had the place bewitched when she first bought it, no one knew exactly where it was on a map. The only way to enter was through the library. That's if you got the code right, and still you would enter through Isadora's home library. Not the front door.

Isadora walked towards me and Calum went towards the door. Calum's hand rested on the knob and he bent down to glance through the peephole. He pulled open the door and looked over at Isadora and there stood the blonde vampire, Nat.

She stood outside the house, dripping in black liquid. She reached out for a hand and Calum turned back to look at Isadora. Nat was asking for permission to enter.

"Please," Nat said in a whisper. "I need your help."