Greythorn Alley was close to the outskirts of the village, I was expecting a wide street to match all the others in town, but in reality, it really was an Alley. About three feet wide, the tall buildings either side shrouded it in shadow so dark that it was difficult to see where it ended. I stood at the entrance, half cloaked in shadow, half bathed in light, listening to the frozen silence that ebbed from the darkness. This alley didn't belong here, I looked at the dark worn brick buildings and the narrow doors that led inside and I shivered, wondering what a place like this was doing in a human town.
"What is this place?" I asked the pair.
"It's built so that sun never touches the alley; its where all the vampire lovers live."
"Vampire lovers?" I ask.
"We're the closest town to the vampire city so naturally we get a few passing through and that's where they stay, better here than dotted about the place causing havoc. At the end of the alley there's a pub that only serves vamps, I've seen the bottles of blood being delivered once." He
"You're making that up." She says doubtfully.
"Am not! It happens each week at two in the morning!"
"And where were you at two in the morning?"
He shrugs, "I don't remember."
"Very convincing Jacob. Don't worry about it Shion, he's just trying to scare you."
"I'm not scared." I reply, I was curious. If that was true, then maybe I really could stay here.
"Just remember Shion, curiosity killed the cat." He added seriously, watching my expression carefully. I don't know about a cat, but I understood he was warning me.
"Let's get out of here." Thalia suggested.
"I should probably get back before uncle wakes up." He comments.
"If that's the case then i'll go back home too."
"Go easy on your mum." Jacob laughs.
"You know I won't. See ya." She gave a lazy wave goodbye and walked off in the opposite direction, back the way we came.
With Thalia back at home to lecture her mum and Jacob doing chores for uncle, I started on the pile of books left in my room. It was tedious work, with childish stories that wouldn't really entertain a five-year-old, but my English really was quite bad. That evening Thalia was back working through another pile of work, while occasionally helping me with a word I couldn't pronounce.
"But the black cat was already gone. She had left the... hed-ge-hog... hedgehog alone in the forest..." I muttered, flicking over the next page to a colourful drawing of a spiky creature with a long face and wet black nose. I knew what it was, but it would be an understatement to say that I'd ever seen one. Apart from the rare occasions that mother would get me away, I'd spent my entire life at the centre of the vampire city, barely venturing to the outer districts.
"This creature, have you ever seen one?" I asked her.
She shook her head gently, "No, after the war, they went extinct in this region. Apparently, they used to be quite common though. So what about this homework?" she winked.
"Aren't you meant to do it yourself?" I asked but taking the paper anyway.
"If that was really true they wouldn't give it as homework."
"You have quite a unique view on things. But you realise I cant actually read this?"
"Oh yeah." She looked disappointed, then her face lit up again. "that doesn't matter! Besides, it should be in my handwriting anyway."
"So, you're going to do it yourself?" I asked.
"Nope! I've got better things to do that look things up in books, hows your knowledge on genetics?"
"Not bad I suppose. But wont it take longer this way?"
She shrugged "Jacob isn't in the same class for biology so I can't copy his, so help me will ya? I'll help you later with English."
I sighed and pushed the picture book aside. Timmy the cat and holly the hedgehog will have to wait. "What's the first question?"
She glanced at her page and there's a moment of silence as she read it, "so basically, why is it rare to get male tortoise shell cats?"
"Females have two x chromosomes, whereas a male have one x and one y. the allele for ginger, black and brown are all located on the x chromosome, therefore a male, who only has one x chromosome can only inherit one colour. Unless the male cat has the mutated xxy chromosomes which is extremely rare and can make the cat liable to genetic disoders and other conditions."
"See? That would have taken half an hour to find in a book. Right, so question number two..." the questions continued for about an hour, but I didn't mind I don't think, it didn't feel bad to help her, but I wasn't all knowing, and a couple of times she had to look things up in that three inch book of hers. In fact, at some point I began to enjoy it, and I was a bit regretful when the questions ended.
"I'll help you with English tomorrow, I'm needed downstairs."
"Downstairs? Do you work here?" I asked her but she was already out the door. Though I'm sure she heard me, she ignored my question. I looked back at the colourful glossy pages and large print words and I couldn't face any more English. I fell back onto my bed and dozed. The ceiling paint had started to peel and crack, I thought that when I tilted my head sideward, it looked like a lopsided rabbit with a top hat. I smiled at the ridiculous image in my head, when I closed my eyes, I imagine it bouncing across the ceiling, dancing to the tune I was humming under my breath.
When I opened them again and the image disappeared, the music did not; the tune I'd been humming was bleeding up from downstairs, and I could hear the faint sounds of someone singing. Although I couldn't hear much, I recognised the song, I know I'd heard it before, but I couldn't place where. I rolled off the bed and padded down the staircase.
The entire bottom floor was packed with people, with the most people I'd I've ever seen this place, and the smell of human was overbearing. All the tables were taken and even some extra chairs were taken out of storage, people were even standing around the room packing against each other like sardines. I had to fight my way to the front to discover what and who were making those beautiful sounds of that sad song. I found Jacob and Thalia sitting at a piano that I didn't even notice when I first came in.
Jacob and Thalia had managed to transform an old decrepit piano tucked into the shadowy corner of the room into a beautiful melody. And the pretty sound of someone's voice, was Thalia. It sounded young and free, and despite the dark words, it seemed so pure and innocent to me. Jacob was playing masterfully at the keys, and Thalia was sitting next to him, her eyes little slits as she poured her heart out into the words she sang. Then Jacob began to sing, his voice deep and soft like honey.
"Oh little girl where are you going,
With your long crimson hair,
And your deep blue eyes?"
And Thalia replied, perfectly in synch,
"I'm hiding from the monster,
The one that seeks your heart.
Beware, beware of the best inside,
Beautiful fires and deep dark desires.
Oh, little man, with your love for greed,
How will you feed that monster you harbour?
Will you take from deprived,
with the dirt and the grime,
Or the foolish rich,
beautiful bewitched?
Take from weary,
where's there's no risk of the gallows
take from the monied,
rose fed queen honey,
where a penny or pound lost
from a place where pound are many."
After a short piano solo, Jacob picked up his lines
"Oh, little girl, are you really a girl?
Your words are heavy, sapient,
like dark pearls at night.
Your blood runs cold,
Slay in the night
When the moon is high and bright."
"True, true little man, I kill, murder, destroy
Product of our creation,
Is humanities driving greed.
Greed created this darkness,
We are the forsaken,
that sulks deep in shadow."
Oh little girl, little girl,
With dark ruby teeth,
Now we are one, Entwined
To banish the darkness deep within.
Sweet retribution, we shall die together.
Their voice sing in harmony, "we shall die together. Forever..." I was speechless long after the sounds of voices faded into the last note of the paino keys, their voices created these vibrant images and emotions in my mind that I couldn't put words to. Seeing them like that I could generally believe they were the characters they sung about. The words came from something deeper than reciting the words from memory, I couldn't put my finger on it, but they gave life to something that should have just been sound.
I fought my way through the last of the crowd, ignoring the grumbles and light swearing. They look up as I approach, "Wow, you both have great voices! And you're great with the piano." I congratulate them.
"I know, I bet you didn't expect it, but little Mozart here is pretty good with the piano." Thalia beams, wearing a wide grin.
"One day we wanna play in the capital with the big names." He replies, looking wishful.
"Playing like that, I'm sure you'll get there... I have a question about that song you just played."
"Its a song about a little girl vampire who questions the purity of a human man. It's basically a conversation between the two about who is in the wrong. She blames him for creating them, but he argues that he is a single man that had nothing to do with it.
"But she drinks his blood and ends up dying?"
"Yeah, so you really were listening." Thalia comments. "It's work of someone who belived that the uprising wasn't the vampires fault. We are just reaping what we'd sown. Its a pretty contriversal song, but most people just listen to the sounds not the meaning of it. Especially in this town, where we aint too smart."
"I think I know the song, but I can't figure out why I recognise it."
"Well it isn't a very popular song for obvious reasons so that's quite surprising. But I guess you could have picked it up anywhere." He answered with a pondering expression.
"Who wrote the song?" I asked, maybe that would give a clue of how I knew it.
"It was a women nicknamed Schism Unity. She wrote three songs in a space of a year then completely disappeared. No-one knows who she was or where she went; she didn't even have an agent. Her songs just appeared one day; they were well known enough to get heard but not liked enough to be popular. It's kinda a mystery. Anyway, we've got a show to run." Thalia winked then they both turn back to the piano.
I found a crooked stool in the corner of the room where the crowd was slightly less thick and listened to the sounds of paino and the pair singing until the night drew in and the moon rose high in the sky.
Jacob shook me awake hours later, "Hey mate, everyone's gone home. We stopped playing half an hour ago."
"Huh?" I rubbed my eyes, I didn't even notice that I'd fallen asleep, if I let my mind drift I could still hears the songs playing in my head. Stiff from the weird position I was sleeping in, I stretched my muscles, and clicked my joints.
"You look like a cat." Thalia commented from across the bar.
"Sorry I fell asleep while you were playing." I apologised.
"Don't worry about it. You must have been tired from the tour."
"Don't worry about it? You owe me another biology homework!" Thalia whined.
"I can't believe you're already getting 'im to do your homework, he's only been here for a couple of days. Youre such a bully!"
"Bully or not, I'm going to be the one acing biology. Anyway, I'm going home to crash. See ya!" she says as she skipped out the front door, which swung a few times before settling shut behind her.
She was right about me being tired; my bones ached and my mind was so foggy I could only just comprehend full English sentences. "I'm going to bed too." I announce. I heaved myself up the staircase, I remember vaguely pushing the door shut and collapsing, full clothes onto of the sheets.
That night I had swirling dreams of that song and my mother. I was eight when I last saw her, her face has been vague in my memory for a while now, but that night it was as vivid as ever; her beautiful angelic blond hair and electric blue eyes. Her mouth curled into grinish smile and the tiny pale scar on her brow. In my dream I could remember her voice and the light warm sensation of her embracing me. There was someone else there too, another women and I'm sure it was her singing, only I couldn't see her face or remember her name.
Something bright and blinding pulls at my dream, and I could feel it fading, if only I could have stayed a little longer. Weak sunlight was pouring through my open curtains, shrinking away from the light, I close my eyes again and try to retract the dream, all the while knowing it was pointless. The dream had already faded with the morning light, and with consciousness, the image of my mother dispersed. I felt wet under my face, gingerly, I put my fingers up to my cheeks and find that I'd been crying in my sleep. I hadn't cried since she disappeared- why was I crying? The dream was a happy one, so why?
I felt gentle knocking at my door; I quickly wiped my face with my hands and replied, "Come in."
The door creaked open and Jacob was there, "Morning, breakfast is down stairs if you want some."
"No thank you, I don't usually eat breakfast." Not the sort you mean anyway. But the truth was, I was starving! I was meant to check out that pub they mentioned in the tour, but I fell asleep before I could, now its going to have to wait until tonight. If I stay away from humans, it shouldn't be so bad... if I stay away humans, in a town full of humans. I suppose I should get used to that, this is one of the impossibilities I let myself in for by coming here in the first place.
Slightly reluctantly I started on the pile of books again, wasting the day away with my seclusion and a mass of English books, ignoring my growling stomach and the human smells wafting up from downstairs.