The journey was a painful experience. I wanted to stay with my gramps. It had been so long, but it felt like only yesterday, but he died 12 years ago.
I was only six but I remember it all. I sobbed in his arms even though he couldn't hold me. I begged him to stay with me, but he couldn't hear me.
Mum said the angels needed a new protector, and of course he got the job. I laugh now thinking of the story she spun me, but if god needed a protector then they got the best one. I just wish they could do their jobs here on earth.
I was still spiraling downwards seeing my gramps moving further and further away from me, but every inch I moved away, memories flooded back to me. Visions too, like my life was flashing before my eyes, but backwards.
From that moment with my gramps, to the moment I was born, everything people ever kept from me too. My whole brain was being rewired, and things were being put back where they belonged.
Whoa! Some of these memories were a little shocking, but I had to suck it up. One thing was for certain, I was back. I had a lot of questions, and I wanted answers.
What I thought I was, was wrong. I don't even know how I will cope with it, but I was going to have too. The things that were coming next were going to be the hardest of all.
I opened my eyes and saw everyone around me. They looked mesmerised, in shock, in awe. So many emotions were moving across their faces.
I looked around at every single one carefully, luckily for Leighton he wasn't here, I didn't want to see him. I looked back to see they were all smiling, but I didn't want smiles I wanted the truth now.
It was Jo's Dad who broke the silence first. "Hey kiddo you gave us a fright there. You ok?" I smiled but chuckled at the same time.
"No, I don't think I am ok. I was calling and calling and nobody heard me. Why? How come?" Jo came forward and took me in her arms.
"Gracie we did come. We been searching ever since you left the coffee shop. I could smell you, sense you, but every time we got closer something distracted us. It was only when you called Taylor that we found where you were being kept.
We followed your scent to this place twice, but there must have been some sort of glamour. But you're safe now." I laughed again.
"You think what I just went through, all the pain and suffering makes me safe? I put my arms up to show her all the gashes and the blood, but I was gobsmacked, they were all gone.
"What the hell? Where did they go?" I looked around to see them all staring at me. "Don't be looking at me like I'm some crazy person. I know what happened and I know what she did, now what happened to them?"
Taylor stepped forward and touched my shoulder, I shrugged it off, he looked a little heart broken by my rejection, "Gracie you had horrendous wounds all over you, blood was everywhere-"
I cut him off, "So I'm not going crazy. They really were there?" He nodded.
"So where the hell have they gone, don't tell me they just got up and walked away." he laughed, touching my face, this time I let him.
"No they didn't get up and walked away. They healed themselves at an incredible rate. I've never seen this before. Your heart stopped Gracie, when it did everything healed. You transformed almost immediately"
What the hell was he talking about? So I really did die? I really saw gramps? But why am I back here? This is impossible.
Taylor looked over to Evie. "You knew, didn't you, Mum?" She nodded, what did she know? I didn't understand. She walked over to me, and sat down next to me.
"You know the part about the transfusion when you were a baby you almost died?" I nodded. Yeah, I remember her telling me that.
"Well the part you don't know is that 85% of your blood is my blood.
"Then, when you were four you were playing by the river. We had all gone out for the day, it was meant to be our last outing with you before you and your parents left. You loved the little duckies. You jumped in after them, Gracie. You drowned resulting in your 1st death that day."
I was shaking my head in disbelief. Evie put her arm around me, "We took you back to ours, and five hours later you woke up! Your parents didn't want you growing up a vampire, Gracie. They wanted you to forget that part, so we erased all the memories. It was always hard on you, but over the years it got easier, and you too ended up forgetting."
Everyone was looking at her shocked, Jo was looking how I was feeling. "Mum how could you keep that from us, and from Gracie? She could have protected herself."
Her Mum shook her head, "No she couldn't have. It's laid dormant for fourteen years Jo. She couldn't have awoken it on her own, but because she has died for a second time, and is now an adult it's now been awoken."
They all looked at me and this sudden anger was building up inside me coming from nowhere. "No, Gracie, keep calm. It's not anyone's fault. You're still you. You'll always be you." But I wasn't was I.
I had flashbacks and was taken back by the beauty of it all. Mum, Dad, Jo with pigtails, Joshua and Fealan running around as we all played by the duck pond. Then there was screaming; I had fallen in. it was true.
I suddenly felt calm, "So I'm now a vampire, no longer weak."
Jo shushed me. "Gracie just cause you're a vampire, you will never lose your humanity. One thing you never were, was weak. You brought shame to all of us, because after everything you've been through, you were always the strongest of us all."
Everyone was nodding in agreement, All of a sudden there was a crashing noise, and we heard someone running in our direction, Jo's Dad pulled out a gun. Joshua, Taylor and Fealan were crouched in front of me, at the ready.
"Jo, Joshua, Dad, it's me. It was Hayden They all returned to a normal position. Hayden looked at me as he came in the room.
"You ok sweetie? I came as soon as I heard you calling. What happened? Jo's Dad relayed everything and Hayden just looked at me.
"Well I think we best get her home she looks pallid. I called aunt Simone she is flying back tonight she will need to know the details." Jo's Dad nodded and lifted me up into his arms and carried me out to the car.
Jo got in next to me and I layed my head on her shoulder. She soothed me by stroking my hair.
The journey home was peaceful, but my mind was playing havoc with me. All the memories were enveloping me, things I never knew, there were some memories I didn't want to know.
How the hell am I going to be able to look Taylor in the eye again? I have too. I have to know why he erased those memories. Was it shame? Did he not want to make love to me? Was I a mistake? What was it? We shall have this discussion another time, I was sure of it.
Right now the idea of going home sounded perfect, for what seemed like hours of torture, I was getting out alive, with not a scar on me, nevertheless I was a different person all together now. But was this new person someone I could live with?
I never was good with change, and this was a huge change. I was a blood sucking vampire.
Back at the house Jo took me upstairs and helped me get changed. I felt increasingly weak. I was shaking and could barely pick up my legs to put my leggings on. Jo did everything. Then Jo's Dad carried me back downstairs and into the kitchen.
I tried to eat something, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It tasted funny. I just sipped on my Coke. I almost jumped out my skin when the door bell rang.
Fealan went to open it, and Leighton burst through the door, followed by his Mum and Dad. He was at my side in seconds.
"Gracie I'm so sorry, baby. I should never have left you."
Jo punched him, "Damn right you shouldn't have. She would never have gone through any of this if you had just put her first."
Simone silenced them both. "Jo you know that wasn't possible." Then she looked at me.
"You ok darling?" I nodded.
"I suppose I just need to rest ." She smiled "You will, but I just need the story first, sorry sweetie"
I relayed everything I could to her, detail by detail, right up until I died.
The horror on Leighton's face was touching, but I left out the bits about him and Reaba. I'm waiting until we're on our own for that part. I looked back at Simone, her face was one of confusion and understanding.
"Hmm, how long have you been a vampire, Gracie? Leighton and Ethan looked at Simone and then back at me, I giggled "About two hours."
Leighton looked confused and looked at his Mum. "What you going on about? She's still human. "
She shook her head. "Listen, son, where's her heartbeat?" his face was a look of shock.
"You mean Reaba did this to her? Why would she do this? Why would she hurt Gracie?" I got angry at that point, but before I said anything Fealan spoke up.
"Well maybe if you weren't such a tart before you met Gracie, maybe you wouldn't have had an obsessed teen getting more and more jealous by the minute. She executed a very well thought out plan to kidnap Gracie and torture the hell out of her, Reaba by the way was a fully fledged vampire! She had us all fooled, but it wasn't Reaba that made Gracie a vampire it was my Mum, fourteen years ago."
Evie tried to explain everything to Leighton. Leighton sat down, looking even more pale than he did before. He looked at me and his eyes filled up.
"Gracie I'm so sorry, this is my fault!"
Simone looked over at me, "Is that true Gracie, is Reaba a vampire?"
I nodded "Yes she bit me, but spat my blood out. She slashed all over my body open using her claws. She said something about her mother being a witch who used glamour to hide her true form."
She nodded. "Ok, she needs to be picked up with anyone else involved."
Jo's Dad spoke next, "We had to break into the property. They were all in attack mode, so we had to use self defence, they're all dead!" She nodded, looking quite pleased.
"Good. But I want Reaba's mother and father brought to me alive" Dragon simply nodded.
Oh my god they're dead! Reaba is dead! Oh well, I'm kind of glad, really.
Maybe now I can sleep knowing there's no loca, crazed, jealous, vamp after me, because I'm Leighton's new girlfriend. Or was I? After everything I found out was it now too late for us?
I looked around the room at everyone chatting, deep in thought. I suddenly realised this was all too much. I needed some time away from everyone, including Jo. I would make my excuses in the morning, but now I needed to go sleep.
I got up and started walking to the door, and Leighton came up behind me. "Gracie, where you going?"
I looked at him coldly, "I'm going to bed." He put his arms around me.
"Baby, you need blood. That's why you're so weak. You're a young vampire you need blood now, or you will die permanently."
Right now that didn't sound like such a bad thing, but how would I go see my parents if I was dead? I nodded.
"Bloods disgusting though."
He laughed, "Try it you might be surprised. To me, it tastes just like a sweet soda."
I nodded. He took me back over to the fridge and got me out a blood bag. I took a sip, and you know what? It didn't taste bad at all. It tasted sweet, very sweet. I drank more and more.
Leighton pulled the bag away and I snatched it back out of his hands. "Slow down, Gracie. Don't drink too much you might be ill, I didn't listen.
I finished the bag. I already felt so much stronger and glowing. I smiled at Leighton, chucked the bag in the bin, and walked away.
"Gracie where you going?"
I turned round to look at him. "I already told you I'm going to bed,"
He walked up behind me. "I'll come with you, I've missed you." Without hesitation I turned, putting my hand against his chest.
"No I don't think so, I want to be alone. Besides I need to think about things."
He looked alarmed. "Think about?"
I said just one word, "Us." And I walked away. I walked up the stairs and into my room, it was dark, I slid to the floor, and I broke down.
So much had happened in one day, it was all too much. I wish now I never drank the blood. Maybe I would have been better off dead. I crawled up to the bed crying into my pillow until darkness took me.