A Little Girl's Broken Tales

4 **

I glanced at Alexander; he had a look of pain on his face, as if he was telling the story and not me. I cleared my throat and went on. “We were walking through the field where I usually played and suddenly, something just felt wrong to both Elizabeth and I. She stopped for a moment glancing around us then we gave each other a look, but said nothing and continued walking. As we walked closer I noticed smoke escaping the chimney -” I took a deep breath, trying to center my thoughts before continuing.  “It was unusual. The fire was usually only lit at around seven o’ clock or so. Then, I noticed the black, nondescript SUVs surrounding our house. My heart tightened and I was ready to run to my parents’ aid, but Elizabeth grabbed my hand to stop me. She was speaking to me in a frightened voice but the only bits I caught were, ‘Go to your secret tree and hide. Only open it for your parents or myself.’ The rest was just a blur as I ran away like a coward!” I hung my head to hide the tears that were running down my cheeks. It was embarrassing! Crying in front a vampire? I scolded myself. That’s pathetic!

“Liv,” I heard Alexander whisper softly, but I ignored him. He walked over to me and moved the tray from my lap before anything could spill. “You weren’t a coward. You were only six years old. What could you have done? Absolutely nothing, Olivia, because they would have snapped your neck in a single breath. They wouldn’t care that you are a child. Nothing would have mattered to them.”  His voice was soft and velvety, and for a second, I believed him. I pushed my hair away from my face so I could peek at him. “I know all of that, but it doesn’t make it easier or make me feel better,” I said in a childlike voice. “Anyway, would you like to hear the rest of the story?” I made my voice firmer, like I had heard Luigi speak in when dealing with difficult customers.

Alexander’s eyes widened at my tone, but nonetheless he nodded. “Please do carry on,” he said sweetly.

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to be transported back to that dreadful day. “I did as she said and ran to my tree. I sat in the hollow trunk and took the bark that one of the many gardeners found and concealed myself. I dug around for my favorite bear, Tommy, and hugged him to my body as I fell asleep. The dim light of twilight filtered through a small crack in the bark that covered the trunk, woke me up and then with a startling realization, I figured out that no one came for me. But before I allowed the fear to consume me and immobilize me, I pushed aside the covering and peeked out to see if the coast was clear. That was when I saw the three monsters ride past my tree in a giddy rush on my family horses! Their disgusting faces were ecstatic, but the dripping of blood from their mouths distracted me. I knew something was wrong then, and I didn’t care if they saw me or not, I just ran to my family, dragging Tommy behind me the whole time. They always use that saying, ‘Hope for the best, but expect the worse,’ and that was exactly what I did. I hoped to God that they didn’t kill my parents, but deep down I knew what I would find. I just prayed that the scene wasn’t so gruesome. Sadly, it seemed as if God didn’t care about me that day. He ignored all my prayers.  I walked in to find my parents tied to dining room chairs, with their hands tied behind the backs of the chair with plastic cable ties. I looked at my mother and nearly threw up. Like a necklace, there were bite marks circling her thin neck, and then it traveled further down to her hands. I remember seeing the last few drops of blood falling to the tiled floor. My poor, sweet father was stripped off his shirt and he was degraded. He was maliciously bitten all over his body; from his neck to his hands, down is chest. Everywhere. My heart broke at the cruel sight, but I knew what I had to do. I knew I had to get out. So with the last ounce of courage I had, I bid farewell to my parents, packed what I would need and ran for my life.” 

A treacherous tear rolled down my cheek and I hastily wiped it away. I didn’t need to show how badly this affected me. I snuck a glance at Alexander. He was sitting quietly, watching me with a dark and silent stare. Mentally, I willed him to say something. At last, he spoke. “What did they want?” he breathed quietly.