Authors: Alicia J. Love
As they once again touched down in Boston, Esther could feel
her heart sinking. The end was near, and despite her best efforts, she hadn’t
been able to save her. She wasn’t going to give up, as they still had over a
week left, but she was mad.
She was mad at herself for doing this to Katie, for being so
selfish and full of greed that she threw away her life. She had never known how
much she would regret that decision, and wanted to go back in time and erase
it, letting Katie live out her life as a mortal.
If she could, she would, but as far as she knew, there was
no turning back. There was no God, there was no such thing as time travel, and
there was no way she could change what was going to happen to the only person
she had ever loved in her long life.
She saw Katie shaking as they walked to the car, and she was
immediately by her side, helping her into the dark sedan that was waiting for
them. She sat down next to Katie in the backseat, silent, and leaned into her,
wrapping her arms around her as she tried not to cry.
Katie looked over and saw the sadness in her eyes and began
to shake, sobs breaking free from their cage and consuming her. Esther cried,
too, as she held the only person she had ever loved.
They stayed that way, sobbing as they held onto each other
for dear life, until finally Esther managed to get a hold of herself. She then
knocked on the window separating the back seat from the driver, and it opened.
“Where to?” The driver asked.
Esther looked over at Katie questioningly as she blinked
away her tears. She cleared her throat.
“Um, Harmony Grove cemetery,” She said to the driver, her
voice raspy.
He nodded and then closed the window and began to drive.
Esther looked at her curiously. The cemetery? They must be
going to visit her parents, she realized. She once again felt herself fill with
grief, realizing how much she had already suffered, losing her parents. And
now, she was going to die, and it was all Esther’s fault.
She shook herself, feeling her guilt beginning to consume
her and drag her down into a depression. She needed to stay strong for Katie,
to make certain that her last few days were the best they could be. She needed
to be okay, so that Katie would be okay. All she wanted was for Katie to be
happy.
She once again felt almost shocked at her compassion and
love. She recalled the times not so long ago when she had been a cold,
heartless monster. Something a changed in her, and she hated who she used to
be. The person that had condemned her love to death. She herself did not
deserve to live. How many lives had she taken? How many lives had she destroyed
without even a second thought?
She felt herself spiraling downwards again and once again
tried to get a grip on herself. She saw Katie silently watching her with a
sorrowful look on her face.
She must be able to tell how upset I am,
Esther thought.
She quickly tried to smile and snuggled closer to Katie.
“I’m sorry, I am a complete mess. I will try to stay
positive from now on,” She said apologetically.
“It’s alright, I understand,” Katie said quietly, her eyes
darkening.
Esther shook her head, pulling Katie into an embrace once
more.
“No, no, let’s not do this. You need to be happy. I want you
to enjoy your life, to be happy and loved every moment until the end,” Esther
said, choking through tears.
Katie nodded, her eyes brimming with tears once again.
“Thank you,” She said quietly, leaning into Esther.
Esther stroked her hair gently as the car drove down the
highway towards the cemetery.
The car pulled up to the cemetery and Esther and Katie got
out. Esther turned back to the driver as he rolled down his window.
“Stay here, we won’t be long,” She said.
“You realize the cemetery is closed this time of night,
right?” The driver said, gesturing towards the large, cast iron gates with a
thick chain wrapped around them.
“Yeah, we will be fine,” She said, smiling.
The driver nodded, and rolled the window up, taking out his
cell phone as Esther and Katie moved to the gate.
“Are you alright to jump the fence?” Esther asked, looking
at Katie’s weak form.
She hesitated, looking over guiltily and opening her mouth
to speak. Nothing came out, though, and she shook her head, embarrassed.
“It’s alright,” Esther said, moving to pick her up.
She stood before the intimidating cast iron gates in the
dark night as fog began to blanket the ground and she suddenly felt empowered.
She stood there, holding the one she loved, and realized how special this
moment was. She looked down and saw the same wonder in Katie’s eyes and then
kissed her. The kiss was gentle and light, but filled with powerful emotions.
As they broke apart, Esther bent her knees, and then leapt
over the giant fence, landing softly on the grass on the other side. She let
Katie down, smiling, and they began to walk through the dark cemetery, hand in
hand.
As they walked, Esther looked around, seeing the flowers
resting on the gravestones and suddenly understood. For so long death had been
nothing, a way to feed and a simple fact of life. But, as she walked by all of
the stone memorials, she realized how painful death really was. Someone loved
each and every one of these people, buried under the earth. Someone cried for
them, grieved for them, as Esther might be doing soon.
Katie stopped, pointing to a large gravestone with two names
engraved on it.
In Memory Of
Bill Anderson
A Loving Husband and Father
AND
Mary Anderson
A Loving Wife and Mother
Died November 22
nd
, 2010
Katie kneeled before the gravestone as Esther moved back,
giving her some space as she remembered her parents. Esther felt herself crying
once more, and turned away as she listened to Katie speak.
“Hi mom, hi dad,” She said quietly, her voice shaking.
“So, some bad news, I got turned into a Vampire and now I am
going to die,” She said, laughing nervously.
“I know, not something you hear every day, right?” She said.
Esther giggled nervously as she listened, tears streaming
down her face.
“But, some good news, too. I met someone, Esther, and I
really love her.”
Esther felt her heart wrench at the words and sobbed loudly.
Katie glanced back at her before continuing to speak.
“Yeah, I really love her, I wish I could have more time with
her,” She said.
Esther felt herself overcome with grief and covered her
mouth to hide her sobs.
“Anyway,” Katie continued, “ I really miss you guys. But, I
guess I will be seeing you soon.…”
She trailed off, and Esther continued to cry.
Katie stood abruptly, turning and walking away from the
grave, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Esther followed, falling behind as she struggled to get a
hold of herself.
Katie didn’t say a word as she headed back to the car, and she
climbed the fence herself. Esther watched as she climbed into the car, slamming
the door behind her. Esther then kneeled down on the ground, consumed by her
grief, and cried, she shoulders shaking violently.
After a few moments, she wiped the wetness from her cheeks
and then hopped the fence, sitting down quietly next to Katie as the car took
them to Katie’s house.
The next night they both awoke with hurt in their hearts.
The sun was just setting, and they stayed in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms,
savoring every moment they had together. Suddenly, Katie looked around.
“Hey, what’s the date?” She asked.
“Um, October 25
th
?” Esther said.
Katie gasped, and then leapt from the bed.
“What? What is it?” Esther asked, watching as Katie suddenly
brewed with excitement.
“It’s the Salem Witch’s Halloween Ball!” She said.
Esther looked at her questioningly.
“It’s part of the Festival of the Dead. It’s a huge deal in
Salem. And the ball, I have always wanted to go! I have never been, but it’s my
last chance!”
Esther saw her gleefully opening her bag, pulling her
clothes out onto the floor.
“I don’t have anything to wear, though,” She said quietly as
she shifted through her things.
Esther smiled.
“Well, it’s your lucky day, then. I have plenty of sexy, Witchy
things in my bag.”
Katie looked up.
“Seriously? You want to go?” She asked.
“Of course! It sounds fun, after all!” She said, smiling as
she went to get her bag.
It was large, and she lifted it onto the bed and poured its
contents out for Katie to see. She then grabbed a tiny, shimmering black dress
and held it up.
“See? I have at least three other dresses like this one,
it’s got to work, right?” She said.
Katie nodded, almost ripping the dress out of her hands in
her excitement.
She stripped to her underwear and pulled the skin tight
dress up her body.
“I need help with the zipper,” She said, turning her back to
Esther and pulling her long, brown hair out of the way.
Esther zipped her up, once again trying not to notice how
thin and frail she was looking. She grabbed her by her shoulders and gently
turned her towards the full length mirror and heard her gasp in delight.
The sparkling black dress hugged her in all the right ways,
coming down to just above her knee. The swoop neck showed off her cleavage but
not too much, leaving everyone wanting more. She turned in place, examining the
sexy woman in the mirror.
“Oh my God, it looks wonderful,” She said.
“You look wonderful,” Esther corrected.
“Wait a second, why can I see myself?” Katie said.
“Huh?” Esther replied.
“The whole, no reflection thing for Vampires. That one isn’t
real, either?”
“Of course not! Like I said before, we aren’t magical
beings. The whole no soul therefore no reflection thing once again doesn’t make
any sense.”
Esther laughed.
“So what is real?” Katie said.
“How about we go over it after the dance. I have to pick one
of these dresses, anyway!” Esther said, trying not to be annoyed by all the Vampire
myths.
They had driven her nuts for as long as she could remember.
So many of the myths and legends surrounding Vampires made absolutely no sense,
yet were believed by all. She forced the thoughts from her head and turned to
the pile of clothes on the bed, pulling out another dress.
“How about this one?” She asked.
The dress was short and tight fitting, and was made of a
shimmering, deep purple material. As she pulled the dress onto her body, she
saw Katie’s mouth drop open. She was nodding as she helped her with the zipper.
“Yes, oh my God, yes!” She said excitedly.
“Alright, then. Where is this ball?” She asked as they
headed downstairs.
“It’s at one of the hotels, I will show you!”
She practically bounced out of the door and they headed for
the ball.
There were people everywhere as they parked next to the
hotel. They got out, walking proudly towards the front door. People were
already staring at them in awe as they entered the ball, hand in hand. Music
was booming through the large speakers at one end of the room, and lights were
flashing.
Everyone was dressed in costume, vampires, witches, dead
brides and more milling through the crowd. Katie and Esther immediately moved
into the dance floor, swaying with the beat.
Katie was laughing as she jumped and danced with everyone
around them, obviously having the time of her life. Esther joined in, laughing
as she pulled Katie close, dancing with her to the fast paced music.
She could hear everything and smell everything, and she
realized that Katie could, too. The look on Katie’s face was pure wonder as she
heard and smelled all of the different things in the room. She almost looked
high as she took it all in, dancing with the crowd as they pulsed and sweat
around her.
It reminded Esther of their first meeting, when she had
kidnapped Katie in the club. She suddenly felt herself filled with regret and
stopped, standing still amongst the dancing crowd.
“What are you doing?” Katie shouted over the music.
Esther shook herself, smiling at Katie and then joining in
once more.
“Nothing,” She shouted, dancing around Katie.
The music changed, a slow song coming on, and the crowd
thinned as people without dates took the time to get drinks. Katie looked at
her sheepishly, grinning like a schoolgirl as she stood in front of her.
Esther moved forward, wrapping her arms around Katie as the
slow song began to play. They swayed slowly, their eyes locked on one another
as they danced, the entire ball seeming to fall away around them. They were in
their own little world, just the two of them as they danced.
Katie suddenly leaned in, kissing Esther gently as they
danced, and Esther felt her insides melt. She had never slow danced with
someone like this before, and the moment was unforgettable. They continued to
kiss, opening their mouths in passion as the crowd watched them.
The song then ended, and the music picked up again, the
crowd around them once again dancing with the beat. Esther and Katie continued
their slow dance, swaying with each other to their own music as the ball
continued around them.
They continued to dance the night away, laughing and having
the time of their lives, when the crowd around them thinned and the ball
finally ended. As they got back into the car, Katie was breathless and
laughing, high on the experience.
“That was so much fun,” She said breathlessly.
Esther nodded, smiling at her.
She was so happy that Katie was able to have some fun before
the end. She sighed deeply, happy and hurting at the same time as she started
up the car. The drive back to the house was full of chatter as Katie relived
every moment of their night again and again.
“And did you see that guy hitting on me? I don’t think I
have ever had a guy come on so strong! It was amazing!” She ranted.
Esther sighed once more as they turned into the driveway,
feeling herself fill with sadness once again.
Katie was so young, she realized. She had so much that she
had never experienced.
She wiped away a tear as she exited the vehicle, hiding her
face from Katie.