Delayed Awakening: Part One - Vampires

Delayed Awakening - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Hannah lifted her head to see the figure standing hesitantly at the doorway. Hannah’s vision was blurred by tears and the faint light, but she recognised the voice of her younger brother.

“Shane? Is that you?” she asked quietly. Shane was still looking at the damage that was done to Hannah’s room and had not heard Hannah’s quiet voice. Hannah thought of getting up, but she had no will to do so. She tried anyway. She barely got on her feet when she fell back onto the floor. Her movements in the shadows were noticed like the flicker of a candle’s flame in a dark room.

Shane’s head turned to Hannah’s corner. He noticed her right away. He rushed to her side and saw the tear tracks that ran down her face. Her eyes were sore and red from crying, but her face was pale and cold. Seeing her younger brother’s face close up, she started sobbing. Shane was right there with her, yet, they were in different worlds. In just one more year, he would enter the very world that she had just entered that day. She could not imagine her younger brother turning into some sort of monster. To her, that was impossible. He always had such a gentle and kind personality; he would never want to hurt anyone, or anything.

“What’s wrong?” Shane asked, concerned. His youthful face looked stressed and worried. Hannah continued to cry, not saying a word. Shane put his arms around his sister and let her cry. Though Hannah was older than him, he often acted as the older sibling. Shane stroked her hair in a brotherly way and started to sing a song that would always calm Hannah down whenever she was in a mood.

“If you got the blues,

Just go ahead and cry.

If you got the blues,

There’s not a need to ask why.

I know you’re down,

So do what you need,

To turn that frown,

Upside down.

If you got the blues,

Just go ahead and cry.

If you got the blues,

Do what you need,

And say your goodbye!”

The song did not really work on Hannah this time, but she stopped sobbing all the same, so that she did not make Shane worry even more. She closed her eyes and leaned against him.

“More.” She ordered like a stubborn young child refusing to go to sleep. Shane froze at that.

More? Uh... I don’t know any more of the song... Was that not the end? Hm... I wonder if she’d notice if I just sang the same song again...

Shane started to sing again. He repeated what he had just finished. Hannah recognised the song immediately.

“More. Not again, stupid.” She commented cheekily in a solemn tone. Right after she said it, she regretted the tone of her voice. She hoped that it would not cause Shane more worry, but she did not make a move to cover up her mistake.

Shane laughed at her calling him stupid, but frowned at her tone. He sighed and gazed around the room. The sunlight glinting off a car sitting on the side of the road caught his eye and he shied away. Shane wanted to ask Hannah about what had happened here, but he knew that he should stay off the subject for a while, at least until she stopped crying fully. He knew that, even though tears were not streaking down her face, her heart and soul were falling to pieces, and she needed some time to at least gather them back together first.

As he shied away from the light, he saw a tiny bit of cloth hanging on to a branch of the tree right outside Hannah’s window. The wind was strong and the bit of cloth was on the edge of flying away with it. Shane almost got up to take it, but it flew away. The only evidence that someone else was there flew away, out of his grasp.

Right then, he knew that he needed to know what was happening to his sister. If that someone else was the one that caused this damage, he was not going to let that person get away with hurting his sister.    

“Hannah,” She could hear the note of hesitation in his voice as he said her name, “What happened here?” Hannah did not say anything. She tried to feign that she was asleep so that she did not need to answer him. He could tell that she was awake, listening to his every word, every breath, every heart beat. He brought his hands to her shoulders and pushed gently pushed her to a distance in which he could see her face.

Hannah kept her eyes closed, but her breathing was light, and not heavy like it would be if she were asleep. Her hair covered her face. He leaned her against the wall, as though she would fall if he did not. He pushed her hair to the side. He sighed. He knew very well what his sister was doing– avoiding the question. She did not want to answer him. Usually, that would have been fine, but this time, he had to know. He had to know what happened here, and why she was so deeply upset and disturbed.

If she did not want to tell him, he would find another way. He left her there to dwell in the darkness and went downstairs to their mother in whom he hoped he could find some answers. He left the door ajar. The sunlight from the window strengthened and brightened the whole room, including Hannah’s corner, making her wince as she opened her eyes. She got up and quickly shut the curtains.

She indulged in the luxury of the darkness. She could see perfectly and started to gather up her personal belongings. She threw them on to the bed and repeated this process for some time. A big sports bag that she rarely used was sitting in her wardrobe. She took it out and wiped it clean, then placed her things inside. The sun was setting, and dark was arising. Soon, all the creatures of the night would awake and come out. Including the one named Hannah Bedingfield.