I screamed as I got dragged into the darkness of the night. I screamed until my throat was raw, my stomach hurt and it felt like my brain was on the verge of exploding. But no matter how long or how loud I screamed it seemed that no one could hear me. I was dragged to one of the back alley's by my house and pressed by my shoulders against the brick wall so hard, I thought either me or the wall would break. I was still screaming for my life, for someone to come help me, anyone.
"No use in screaming, girl, everyone in vicinity to use is dead." He said smirking with the blood of his past victims escaping the corners of his mouth, rolling down his chin and soaking into his clothes. I whimpered in fear and pain.
He looked into my eyes and said, " Now you're gonna scream as loud as you can, but no struggling. This is gonna hurt a lot." He smiled at me as his eyes turned a crimson red to match the blood that's all over the rest of him, fangs protruded from his gums and veins crawled their way to his face as he moved his head back and stabbed the sharp fangs into my neck. I screamed like I wished the gods could hear me.
I could tell I was slowly dying, a tear dripped down my cheek. I felt myself getting weaker and weaker, my voice dying out slowly. The last thing I heard was, "Tell your ancestors I said hi." He dropped me to the hard and cold concrete ground. I heard him walking away as my eyes slowly slid close.
"Mari! Mari wake up! MARLENE!" I was confused wasn't I dead?
"MARLENE WAKE UP!" I jumped awake to bump heads with Harper.
"Ow!" We both said as when we bumped heads she fell off the bed and I sat straight up. That was the worst nightmare I think I've ever had. I feel my forehead and it's covered in a thick layer of sweat just like the rest of my body. Thank the gods that it was just a nightmare
"Are you okay?" She asked.
I wanted to say, 'To be honest, I really don't know' but what I said was, "Yeah, just a nightmare." She looked at me with eh look that said, 'I don't believe you' but thankfully she let it go anyway.
"What are you doing here anyway?" I asked as I got up and prepared to take a shower then get ready for the day.
"Uh your gramps let me in and did you forget?" She looked appalled
"Forget what?" I said still as confused as when she first got here.
"Today is the NOLA festival! We always go together!" She looked a little disappointed that I forgot
"Oh right! Sorry, it's just.. I got a lot on my mind right now." I sighed and she looked sympathetic "Let me get ready then we can go, alright?"
"Ok." She said and went downstairs, my guess to either get some breakfast or wait for me. I think I'll go with he former since Harper and I have always acted like siblings and she basically lived here every summer I was here, so my grandparents love her.
As I'm in the shower I can't help but think about what that dream meant if it meant anything at all. Am I in danger? What did he mean about my ancestors? Did he know them? What happened where he has to send a 'message'? I shake it off and try to enjoy the rest of my day. I finish my shower and put on some light washed denim shorts, a pink, orange and white striped tube top and a pair of converse. I decide to talk to my grandmother about it when I get home, she was always the one more into family history than the rest of us. The rest of us wanted the past to be the past for all we care, grandma always wanted to know what kind of people she came from.
Harper and I make it to the festival when I get a text.
Chris :"Hey um, I'm at the NOLA festival with my band mates and I was wondering if you wanted to join us?"
Me: " I'm actually here too with my friend Harper."
Chris: "Really? Cool wanna meet up at the dessert truck?"
Me: "Sure. Meet you there! :)"
"Who are you texting?" Harper asks as she looked over my shoulder. "oouuu the cute bassist"
"His name is Chris."
"Ooouu you know his name now?" She wiggled her eyebrows
"Whatever, c'mon let's go get some beignets."
"Don't have to ask me twice." All it took was the mention of beignets for Harper to drop the subject and skip her little merry way all the way to the dessert truck.
"Hi, can I have 3 beignets please?" As we walked up to the truck I saw Chris, he saw us there too. "Actually make that 5" He said as he pulled out his wallet and paid then proceeded to walk over to us.
"You know, you didn't have to buy us that."
"But, I want to" He said looking at me
"Yeah he wanted to Mari," Harper said making Chris finally acknowledge her existence there. "Hey, I'm Har-" She got cut off once the dessert guy said that the order was done and went to go get her beignet. I just chuckled at her actions
"That's Harper." I said still smiling but instead of looking at my best friend I'm looking at Chris
"I figured." He said smiling back
" Wanna walk around a bit find some more foods to eat?" I asked as we walked over to the group with his friends and Harper
"Sure," He said. "C'mon guys we're gonna go look around a little more."
"You do that, ima go hit up the music shop over there." The lead singer said. We all just shrugged and continued on.
"Welp, that was Asher and this is Delton" I noticed that this was the drummer. Not only did I notice that, but I noticed Harper making heart eyes at Delton the whole time.
Long story short we had a great time at the festival we left with laughs but just because we were having fun doesn't mean I missed the tension between Delton and Harper. I was walking up the porch steps when the memory of the dream I had last night smacked me and shock mew to my core.
I immediately went to find grandma to ask her anything she may know about our ancestors or our family history.
She was confused on why I was asking but after a little talking she told me that our family was very powerful back in the day. Our family use to rule New Orleans and people weren't to found of that so we had many enemies. That was all she told me. I could tell that she was hiding something. I knew there was more to the story but, I'll figure it out eventually.
Everything that was happening that past few days rattled in my head. First the dream about dad, then this dream, not even to mention Chris coming into my life. My thoughts are just banging against my head and the more I try to silence them or sort them out the louder and more jumbled they get. So, I do the only sane thing in my head, go to sleep and try again tomorrow.