Alexa
She woke up to find her whole-body aching. Her throat felt as if it had been rubbed sore by a sandpaper.
What a nightmare! she thought.
She looked around her familiar room only to find her neighbours' pitiful faces.
"Mom-," she called but her words died in her throat as she saw the beautiful flower chain around her mother's photo. It was a tradition to put a flower chain on a person's photo after their death in her area.
With a pang she realized that all the happenings were true. That her mother was gone. She had nowhere to go. She didn't have any relatives. No father and now no mother. Why should she live? But deep inside she knew that her mother would never forgive her if she suicides herself after all the agony, she had gone through to make Alexa live a happy life.
"Come dear," said Mrs. Callous, her eyes filled with pity and adoration as she looked at Alexa, "It's time to bury the coffin, it was your mother's last wish."
"What?!" Alexa snapped, she couldn't help herself, "How? Who told you? Did my mother tell you?" She was so shocked that she started blabbering, but the words that left her mouth didn't make sense to her as much as it did to Mrs. Callous.
"She discussed it with me," said a new voice as a gang of attractive women walked into the room. "We worked with her in the bar and she was so close together with us and she told me her final wish. She wanted to be buried beside her husband."
"But-" Alexa started to protest but as she saw the determination and the cold look in her eyes and felt silent.
"You were out for a whole day, we were getting worried," she said, as her eyes softened, "I am Margaret." She was a tall but had a little weight and walked with dignity and power, with long black hair with strands of brown here and there to match her penetrating dark eyes.
Alexa managed a weak smile, "Alexa." They both shook hands.
"Your mother talked a lot about you." She said, smiling. She's friendly, thought Alexa. "Better get dressed."
****
She stood infront of her mother's coffin, a mass of people spread out behind her, wearing the colour of doom, though an Egyptian man, one of her friendly customers at Callous's place disagreed with her telling it's a good colour as in Egypt food grow in black soil, soil left from river Nile after floods, as if she cared.
The aching in her heart got stronger but she had no tears left to cry. She felt hollow. The meat in her shell ripped off. The cold wind slapped against her but she felt no cold.
"I am so sorry, honey," said Mrs. Callous, hugging Alexa. She nodded. She didn't trust herself to talk and not break down in front of everyone.
"I love you mom, always will and I shall never be weakened. I will avenge your death," she didn't know why but the words felt true to her. "Lower the coffin," she said, kissing her mother for one last time and closing the coffin lid. And only then did she let her tears fall.
*** *
"I can stay if you want."
But Alexa politely said no. She needed time to be alone in her own misery and think what to do with her messed up life.
"Be strong, honey," said Margaret, "Call me if you need anything. If you want to know some answers for the questions you asked from your mother, I suggest you go to her room." Alexa was about to ask what she meant by that but she was already gone.
After thanking the neighbours for their kindness and Mr. Callous for the money he gave her for free she walked towards her room like a zombie. No feelings. She felt as if she was dead. Only an empty shell to call her miserable hungry body. She felt as if the last warm firelight was thrown and destroyed, settling a cold darkness all around her. She was frightened and confused.
She started talking to herself, "What am I going to do? What did Margaret mean by that? Who is she? They are saying that mom suicided herself on top her father's tomb, but how can a person suicide herself without any trace of blood or injury in her body? What suicide technique did she use? No, I know my mother, she never loved father. One thing she hated was weakness. She never would leave me alone and suicide herself. And if she hated her father, why did she asked to be buried beside him?
"That means she was murdered," she muttered and gritted her teeth, her body reawakening with fury. Only one word kept repeating itself in her mind: revenge.
She headed towards her mother's room still muttering, "I am going to find who killed you mother and avenge your death. I promise," and was about to bury herself in its unfamiliar cold comfort when she saw the red leather-bound book on the bedside table; her mother's diary. She took it and saw that it was dated since the day they moved here. The words felt unfamiliar to her and to say that she was shocked would be an understatement as she realized what her mom's real job was.
Dear diary,
Today, 26th of June, we were informed that there were two of those bloodsuckers. They were easier to take down than I thought. The girls are doing a great job and I am proud to be their kind of teacher. At last I am following my dream to save human lives. I know it's not well to lie to my daughter about her father and my job but it's for her own safety. I can't say her the truth and put her life in danger. I told her the only lie that came to my mind, that I am going to work on night shifts in the club. Only here there are less numbers of vampires comparatively. So, I decided to stay here, especially when I got to know that my husband had died here, near my husband as now I am getting tired quickly. I won't be surprised if I got killed by them. Anyway, I am proud to be a vampire hunter....
Alexa's mouth dropped open and her hands began to shake.
She could still remember the day when her mother told her that her father was buried here, the shock she got and when she asked why they came here if her mother hated him so much, her mother had averted her eyes and simply replied, they pay well.
"You freaking lied to me?" Alexa yelled, "but why? Oh mum, I could have helped you and-" her blood drained from her face as she realized the truth.
"Oh god," she muttered. I knew that she was murdered! Those bloodsucking vampires wait till I get you, she thought.
She was so overcome by the happiness of finding a lead to her mother's murder that she forgot to be angry with her for lying to her.
But what about my father? she thought, what did she lie to me about? And those other attractive woman and Margaret who came to her burial must be the vampire hunters that mom taught. No wonder they look ready to kill and restless, looking at the attendants to the funeral suspiciously.
For a fleeting second, she thought of joining them but no, she decided that she was going to take revenge alone. For some reason, she didn't trust Margaret and she had grown to trust her instincts.
After debating with herself all day, she decided that she can't stay here anymore. Many misfortunes had happened and until she find a clue about vampires, she was going to move on start her life from scratch. Her mother had already written that there weren't many vamps here. With that thought in mind, she prayed for her mother, let tiredness overtake her and fell asleep.