I was seventeen years old when I died. It happened just a few days after my birthday. I guess you could also look at it like a “rebirth” or something. Obviously, I’m not dead – dead, you know? I mean, I’m talking to you right now, aren’t I? My name is Bree…
When I was a kid, I didn’t go to school. My mom taught me at home. I always wondered why I didn’t go to school with the other kids and I never was allowed outside until the evening. My dad worked nights at a plant and slept all day. I hardly ever saw him, except just before he left for work. He would get up, eat, and leave. Well, actually I don’t remember him eating, he would grab a thermos, kiss me and mom and he was gone. By the time I got up in the morning, dad was already back home and sleeping. Mom always kept the house dark or dimly lit during the day except for her office where she would teach my daily lessons. One night after dad left for work and she was tucking me in I asked why I didn’t go to school like other kids. She said that she wanted me to have the best education and she could do just as good as any teacher. With that, I said OK and went to sleep like a good little girl.
One afternoon I was reading out loud to my mother when the phone rang. The cordless phone was in the kitchen so she went to answer it. As I waited for her to come back, I heard a noise outside the window. So I got up, and pulled open the drapes. Just as I was about to open the blinds, she yelled at me to stop. Jeez, she scared the crap out of me! “What’s the big deal?” I asked her. I only wanted to know what was going on outside. She sat me down and said she had something to tell me. She said “there’s a reason why the drapes stay close and you not allowed to go out until evening time.” Mom took a deep, nervous breath. “You have a very rare skin condition…” I had to stop her for a second. “A skin condition? What are you talking about?”, I said. She said ” your skin condition causes you to break out into terrible, painful, blisters. You can become really sick. Some people have even died from it. You father has it, too”. OK, so I’m thinking to myself ” a disease, seriously?”. I said to her “Really? If dad and I go out in the daylight, we could actually die?”. Her reply was yes, worse case scenario and so on. “Why didn’t you ever tell me, mom?” I asked. She said “honey, I just didn’t know how to tell you and I’m sorry for waiting”. She put her arm around me and gently rocked. “I’m a freak” I said. “She turned me around to face her and said, “Don’t ever say that! You are not a freak.” “OK, mom. I’m not a freak, just some kind of weirdo vampire!”, I said and went to my room. She poked her head in the door and said everything is going to be OK. Those words will forever stick in my mind. That was years ago, but it all changed the night of my seventeenth birthday.
Most teenagers hang out with their friends or go to parties and stuff on their birthdays, not me! I was at home watching television. My dad emerges from sleep and as says “How about a movie or something?” I offered him the TV remote and he said “No, let’s get outta here and catch a movie”. I was surprised. I’ve never gone to the movies with dad. I never went anywhere with dad. “But don’t you have to go to work?”, I asked him. He said “Not tonight, besides, it’s not everyday that you turn 17. Too ashamed to be seen with your old dad?” He was actually joking around with me, that was different, too. I laughed and said “no of course not. What about mom?” “Nope, just you and me tonight. She gets you to herself all the time, now it’s my turn”, he said. I grabbed my jacket and we were out the door. We arrived at the movie theater. I have been to the movies before, no big deal, right? But I have to admit, I was really excited to be there. Everything just seemed to be shiny and sparkly… I can’t explain it, but there was definitely something different about that night.
“What do you want to see” dad asked. Honestly, I am a classic movie buff and none of the new movies looked good to me. I noticed that they were also showing “Dracula”. “Let’s see Dracula, dad!” I love that one and I’ve never seen it on a big screen before”. He looked surprised. “Really?”, he said. “Yeah, why not?”, I asked. He just shrugged his shoulders and paid for the tickets. He gave me some money and sent me to the concession stand for popcorn and sodas. Dad went inside to find our seats and I got in line. As I waited for my turn, the person in line behind me started talking.
“Nice night for a movie, huh?” I turned around and behind me stood a very tall, very cute guy. I think he was about my age, maybe a little older. His pale skin made his eyes look dark. He had the darkest eyes I had ever seen. “Oh, yeah, it’s nice night for a movie”, I replied. He chuckled a bit. ” I’m sorry, that was ever so cheesy of me to say. Let me try again.” He rocked back and forth on his heels and said ” Oh, here’s a good one, have I seen you here before?”. We both laughed at that one. “That’s really bad”, I said. He said “I know, but it made you laugh”. We moved up in the line. I couldn’t believe this guy was chatting me up and flirting. He continued to speak. “My name is Jessie Blackmoore”, he said as he offered his hand. I took his cool, soft hand,”Bree Davis”. He asked if I was there with anyone and I was way too embarrassed to say I was there with my dad, so I lied. “I’m here with a friend. It’s my birthday so we just decided to hang out”, I said. “Well, then, happy birthday to you, Ms. Bree. How old are you now? Let me guess, 16, 17?”, he said. “Yep, 17, that’s me”, I said. “How old are you”, I asked. He replied “old enough”. I made it to the front of the line and got the sodas and popcorn. He got a soda and we walked for a bit. “Well, I better go, the movie is probably starting”, I said. “Me, too”, he replied. “See you around, Jessie Blackmoore”, I said. “It was nice meeting you, Bree Davis. I have feeling we will see each other again, soon” he said. “How do you know that?”, I asked. “The world is a lot smaller than you think”, he replied. He smiled at me, then walked away. Of course, you know I don’t’ get out much, but I knew I had never met anyone like him, ever. When I found our seats, dad asked what had taken me so long. I decided not to tell him about Jesse, I just said the line was long…
We enjoyed the movie. Dad and I actually annoyed some of the other people by saying all of the lines we knew out loud. It was the most fun we had ever had together. When we were leaving the theater, I noticed Jesse leaning against the wall. His eyes were so piercing, I swear he was staring right through me. The entire time my dad was talking to me and I didn’t even notice. “Earth to Bree, I’m talking to you”, dad said. “Sorry!”, I replied. “What were you saying?”. Of course by that time, dad had started looking in Jesse’s direction. “Do you know him?”, dad asked. I tried to play it off and said that he was just some guy who was in the line for the concession stand. Well, dad surprised me when he said, “Jesse Blackmoore, I don’t like him.” “You know him?”, I asked. Dad went on to tell me that Jesse was a delinquent that he knew from the plant and I needed to steer clear. “If you ever see him anywhere, don’t talk to him. I mean it. He is bad news and very dangerous”, he said. ” Sure dad, whatever you say”, I replied. There I go again, just taking whatever they give me, like a good little girl and not asking for more information. I was so naive. I didn’t know any better at the time, but my dad was trying to protect me, the real me.
That night, I lay in bed, re-playing the whole scene in my head. Jesse seemed so nice, funny, and cute. I never had a guy that cute approach me, ever. I drifted off to sleep with Jesse on my mind. Soon, I was dreaming of him. I can’t remember exactly what we said, but I do remember him kissing my hand and giving me a rose. It was the most perfect moment and the most perfect dream. It was so perfect, that when I woke up the next morning, that perfect red rose was still in my hand. Jesse had been here, but how?
Mom was giving me a lecture on the war of 1812. I was supposed to be taking notes, but instead I was scribbling the name “Jesse Blackmoore” on my notebook. I must have had a real goofy look on my face because mom said “Bree, pay attention. You have an exam coming up soon”. I said I was sorry and I tried to concentrate but just couldn’t. “What’s gotten into, Bree?” mom asked. “Nothing, really. Well, not nothing, I met a guy at the movies last night and he was really cute” I said. “Oh really?”, she asked. I told her how nice he seemed and that he was really funny. I also told her about all the stuff dad said. “Well, listen to your father”, she replied. Hmm, of course she would say something like that. “Listen to your father”, I mumbled under my breath. “Excuse me. What did you say, young lady?”, mom asked. I just shuck my head and said “nothing”.
I couldn’t wait to go to bed. I was hoping Jesse would come see me again. I never really knew what that I had been missing something, until I met him. I must have been laying in bed for hours when I heard a “ticking” noise at my window. My bedroom was on the 2nd floor and there was nothing that could have been making that sound. I jumped out of bed and opened the curtains. I could see a shadow on the blinds. Freaky!!! I mean seriously freaky. I slowly opened the blinds and there he was, just floating. “I must be dreaming”, I said. “Shh…You don’t want to wake your mother, do you?”, he said. “Your here, really here?”, I asked. “Oh yes, I am here and there’s no other place I want to be”, he said as he reached out and stroked my cheek. I trembled when he touched me. “I hoped that you would come back. I can’t stop thinking of you”, I said to him in a hushed tone. “I can’t stop thinking about you, either. I want to be you. I know we just met, but I haven’t felt this way in a very long time”, he said. I suddenly felt very aware of the fact that something wasn’t right with this scenario. Duh, Einstein! “Jesse, I have to ask you, how the hell are you outside my window like this, floating? What’s going on? What are you? My dad says that he knows you and that I should stay away from you because you are dangerous. Why would would he say something like that about you, Jesse?”, I exclaimed. “Yes… I assumed correctly. You don’t know anything about your father or about what he does or is” he said. I became very frustrated and asked “What are you talking about?” “Get dressed and I’ll show you what I am talking about”, he said.
I dressed as quickly as I could. I couldn’t believe this was really happening. There was a guy literally floating outside my window and I was about to trust him, possibly with my life. I have lost my freaking mind, I thought. I approached the window and opened the blinds. “You are so modest, you must have no idea how beautiful you really are”, he said. I felt my face flush. “Were you watching me?”, I asked, sheepishly. “Not the entire time, just at the beginning. Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that, I couldn’t help myself”, he said. “Never hide yourself, especially from me, you are a very beautiful woman, Bree”. No one had ever called me a woman before. But somehow, I felt like one and I liked it. “Take my hand and soon all of your questions will be answered, my love”, he said. I was speechless. Was he telling me that he loved me? I took his hand and climbed out the window. I was so scared that he was gonna drop me. He put his arms around me and said ” don’t worry, I won’t let you go, ever”. And like just like that, we were flying thru the air. I could see the roof tops of the houses in the neighborhood and then the city lights. It was amazing. I felt so safe in Jesse’s arm like I belonged there, like I belonged to him.
We started to fly lower and then landed in a dark alley way. He took my hand and began to lead me deeper inside. I hesitated. He looked back at me and said, “don’t be afraid”. I took a deep breath and let him lead me into the darkness.
At the end of the alley there was a large metal door that led into a big brick building. “What is this place?”, I asked. Jesse replied, “You’ve never been here before. You really are in the dark. We are going to pay your dad a visit”. I pulled my hand away from his and said “Are you crazy? My dad will kill us!” Jesse turned to me and said ” He can always try, but he won’t. I have a feeling your dad is much too busy to even notice us”. He continued through the door and held it open for me. I was too afraid to stay by myself, so I went inside. It was very dark inside and dank. I heard voices in the distance. As we continued to walk down the dark pathway, there was a faint glow of light at the end of the corridor. Jesse leaned down to me and said “stay close to me and don’t make eye contact with anyone”. I nodded and followed him into the dimly glowing light.
I didn’t know what to expect. I was surprised to see people, lots of people, just mingling in a large room. It almost seemed like a party, but there was no music. There were metal trash cans with fires burning in them. There were a few couples, I think, just keeping to themselves, whispering softly to each other. Some where kissing, passionately. I tried not to stare, but I was not used to seeing people be so “affectionate” (not like that) in public. There was a woman and a man kissing like that. The woman pulled away from the man and caught me staring at her. I quickly put my head down and pressed myself against Jesse. He raised my chin and looked at me. He nodded at me and continued to lead me through the room. “Where’s my dad?”, I asked. Just then, Jesse stopped walking and said “over there” and pointed to the corner. I started to say something, but my words were caught in my throat. My dad was kissing another woman. I just couldn’t believe my eyes. Dad was cheating on mom! I thought he loved her. They always kissed and hugged and acted like they were happy. I started to confront him when it happened. My dad, starting kissing the woman on the neck and then a dark fluid started running down her back. He started licking her neck and then it looked like he was sucking on her. I wanted to scream, but Jesse put his hand over my mouth and pulled me away. Back across the room we went, very quickly. It happened so fast that it was all a blur. As soon as we were outside, he put his arm around me and whisked me through the air. I was crying so hard, that I didn’t realize that we had landed on a roof top. He was holding me so close. When I caught my breath I yelled ” what the hell was that?” What was my dad doing with that- that woman?” “You needed to see for yourself what your dad really does when he spends his nights away from home. Your mother has known all along and now, so do you”, he said. “Know what? I don’t understand”, I said. “Yes you do understand, Bree. You know exactly what you saw. What you saw back there was exactly what you think.” But I didn’t know what to think. What I saw back there only happened in the movies, not real life. I saw my dad drinking a woman’s blood, actual real blood; just like a …
“But it can’t be”, I said. “It’s not real”. “Bree, it is real. Your father is a vampire and so am I”, Jesse said. “You can’t deny it, no more than you can deny that we are right here, together. I have known your father on and off for a lot of years, and we have never liked each other. He always seemed to be ashamed of what he is; what we are. He even tried to blend in with humans, that’s how he met your mother. Of course, he told her who or what he really was and apparently she didn’t care.” I was completely dumfounded. I have truly lost my mind, I thought. “If he and you, are vampires, how do you explain me? How does a vampire and a human have a baby?” I asked him. “Now that is something of a legend or myth, or at least I thought”, he said. ” I had heard that once in century or something, a child can be born of a vampire and a human. You are what is referred to as a Vampeel”. “No way, you’re crazy and you’re lying!”, I yelled. I turned to walk away from him but before I could, he was standing right in front of me. I didn’t even see him move. “How did you do that?” I asked. He took my face into his hands and said “I can do all kinds of things and I can show you, if you let me.” “Oh no, you showed me enough things for one night”, I said. I tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let go. ” I knew from the moment I saw you that I wanted you, forever. I couldn’t be with you and not tell you the truth. You needed to know. They lied to you about who you are and what you can be”, he said. “What do you mean by what I can be?”, I asked him. ” I told you the truth because I love you, Bree”, he said. “What did you mean? You didn’t answer my question”, I demanded. He dropped his hands from may face and looked into my eyes. “You can be immortal. We can live forever. In your current state, you will live for a long time, longer than an average human, but you will still die. Look into my eyes and tell me you that you don’t want me as much as I want you”, he said. I looked into his eyes and I tried not to want him, but I couldn’t. “My parents, what will I do about them. They’ll come for me. They would never let me stay with you”, I cried. “It is not their choice, it’s yours. Do you want to be with me, truly? I can make it so that it is forever”, he said. “But that means I would have to d-die, right?”, I stuttered. “Yes, but you would be born again and born to me. We will be as one and no one could stop us”. “But how?”, I asked. Just then, he took me into his arms and kissed me. It was the kind of kiss you see only in the movies or read about in a romance novel. I didn’t think such a kiss as this existed, but it does, believe me. From the roof, he led me to a ladder and down to a fire escape. He opened the window and we climbed inside. It was his home. He took off his coat and helped me out of mine as he led me to his bed.
I thought I would be scared, but I wasn’t. I was excited. It seemed so natural. I loved him and he loved me. I never imagined that I would spend the rest of my life with someone, like being married. But this was different, this was more. We made love that night and I sealed my fate in blood. My blood and his blood shall mingle in our veins for eternity. As I took his blood, my body began to tremble and shake. I couldn’t control it. He held on to me and said “just let go”, and I did.
When I woke, it was very dark, dark as pitch black. I couldn’t see my hands in front of my face. I began to panic and reached out in front of me. My hands hit a wall, but that was strange because I wasn’t standing. I pushed at this “wall” and it moved. This wasn’t actually a wall, but a door to a coffin. Yeah, I know, that part is real, not just in movies. I also realized that I wasn’t alone. Jesse was laying right next to me, eyes still closed. He was perfectly still and looked peaceful and OK, dead. He looked dead, alright? I nudged him and he didn’t stir. I got up and walked around. It was a small window-less room, with a single light bulb right by the door. I wondered if it was safe to open the door. I put my hand on the door knob and just then, Jesse spoke. “Hello my dear. How was your sleep?” I backed away from the door and said “OK, I guess. Is it safe to go out?”. He stepped out of the coffin and said “open the door and find out”. So I did just that. I opened the door. It was night and it was fine. I thought I might miss the old ways, but then again, you don’t miss what you never had. “How do you feel, Bree, different?”, Jesse asked. “I feel weightless, like when you are under water. When I was a kid, I used to take my pulse for fun, just to see if I could hear my heart beating. I guess I won’t be doing that anymore”, I chuckled. “You won’t need to”, he said. He put his arms around me and held me close. I broke the silence. “I need to see my parents. By now, they’ve probably called the police.” “I don’t think your parents would do that. They would have a lot of explaining to do besides, you’re 17, that’s the age of consent”, he said. I knew I had to see them. They may not be happy about my decision, far from it, but I had to see them one last time. “I have to go to them, just so they know that I’m at least OK, you know?” He nodded and said “let’s go then”. “I should go alone, Jesse I don’t want anyone to get hurt, please”, I said. He simply nodded and said “I will wait for you here, but stay away too long. You have a lot to learn, my love”.
I made it home the old fashioned way, with my feet on the ground. I didn’t even know if I could fly or not. But I did learn one thing, I’m fast. I also figured out that I could scale a wall pretty good, too. I went right into my bedroom window and found the door wide open. I took a deep breath and went downstairs. I could here my mother crying and my father trying to comfort her. “I’m OK, mom”, I said. She jumped out of my father’s arms and ran to me, throwing her arms around me. “Bree where have been? I was so scared, I just knew something terrible had happened to you”, she said. Before I could answer, my father said “I know where you have been and you have been with. Bree I told you stay away from him”. ” I know what you told me, dad. But I also know what you didn’t tell me”, I said. My mother pulled away from me and looked into my eyes. “She knows David, she knows”, she said. “Yes, I know that” he said. “I also know what he has done to her and what she is now”, he said. My mother’s jaw hit the floor. She started crying all over again and saying “no”. “Mom don’t cry, please”, I begged her. But she wouldn’t stop. Just by looking at me, dad knew the whole story. “Look at what you have done to her”, he said. “What have I done to her? At least I didn’t lie to her about her entire existence”, I yelled. “Don’t take that tone with me young lady, as long as you are in my house-“, I had to cut him off. “No worries there, dad, I’m not staying.” He just stared at me and said nothing. “You know dad, I saw you in action last night”, I said. Oh, that got his attention. “You were there? Jesse Blackmoore had no right to take you there”, he said. “He had every right. You have been lying to me my entire life. What were you gonna say when I noticed that mom is aging and you’re not? What were you gonna do then? He told me the truth!”, I yelled. “We were trying to protect you, baby, that’s all. We love you”, mom said. ” I know you love me, but you were wrong to not tell me. That’s all there is to it. I came home to say goodbye.” “Bree please, don’t go!” mom cried. ” I have to live my own life, starting now. I need some time to adjust, but I’ll come back, if you’ll let me”, I said. She only nodded and sat down. “Bree don’t do this”, dad said. It’s too late, dad. You know it and I know it”, I said. I patted my mother’s back as I walked to the door. I never looked back. That was a long time ago. I don’t know how long exactly. The nights just seem to bleed into each other.
I was seventeen years old when I died. It happened just a few days after my birthday. I guess you could also look at it like a “rebirth” or something. Obviously, I’m not dead – dead, you know? I mean, I’m talking to you right now, aren’t I? My name is Bree…
