December Never Ends: Chapter Six

“Child,” The door graciously opened. “Come in.”
My grandmother was old, very old, yet she was a beautiful woman. I could tell by her warm, gentle eyes. She led me through the house, barking cautious orders and notes.
We got the spacious, decorative living room, and she directed me to sit down.
“Hello.” I bowed beforehand.
“Now child, don’t be so tentative. You are my granddaughter after all. No need to be so formal.” She offered tea and I nodded carefully. She came back into the room with a beautiful pot and tea cup set. “Now tell me dear, why have to come to see me?”
It’s time to prepare myself, I take in a deep breath, sip some tea and sigh. Letting go of all my nervous butterflies, but the larvae are still nested at the pit, waiting to grow some more. I looked up, and I could feel my face became serious, my reflection showed in her honest eyes.
“I have come to learn.”
“Learn? Of what?”
“What do you think, grandmother? I have come to learn of my mother, father. My past that I can not seem to remember… I want to know, I am ready for it.” I can feel myself getting a little excited, “Grandmother! I desperately want to know! I have so many questions unanswered!”
She raised her hand, ever so slightly, but I got the point. I need to calm down and hush.
“My dearest December,” She looked at me with sad eyes and beckoned me to come to her. She stood up and pulled me into an embrace. “How long, how long will you be staying here?”
“As long as I need to.” I put an arm around her, this felt strange but familiar. We don’t know each other, but I feel a strong connection, an understanding.
She pulled away, leaving her hands on my shoulders. Her smile was beautiful, “Come child, I’ll tell you whatever you want.”
I sat down next to her and she poured me some more tea.
“December, tell me what has happened since the time you couldn’t remember.”
“Okay. I have a medical condition, barely any friends, a crush that is accumulating greatly. I have lived in the hospital since I can remember…”
“A heart condition?”
“Yes… How did you know?”
“It, uh. It runs in the family.” She cleared her throat then sipped her tea. “I’ll tell you a story so listen close. Okay?”
I nodded and I snuggled in the couch to get comfortable.
“You see… We, meaning since the time you lost your memories, have hid you from the world, but we have also hid the world from you. Right now you are not who you really are. You are something from the past, it can be a past life that your mother had, a past life you were somewhat destined to finish. A life your mother could not possibly finish. A human life that ran through her veins, she was the only one who could have given you her life, her human heart and life, to protect you. With you, the past ideology, standing in front of me is proof of a secret we have hidden for years. Only you mother possessed it. A very special gift of her blood.” She sighed.
I was very confused, what am I, who am I? “I’m not December Ellis?”
“No, you are December Ellis, but you’re not living your life that was meant for you. You aren’t supposed to be…” She paused, afraid to tell me something. “I can not say just yet, I am truly sorry…” She sipped from her tea, closed her eyes and sniffed the scent of serenity. “I’ll bring something, and then I can tell you.”
My grandmother got up and walked to a dresser which rested underneath a heavy mirror. Her hair was brownish grey, slightly curled like stretched out silver coil with rust. Her back was genuinely straight for her age and she was thin, and not very round like an old person would usually be, in all honestly, she was a beautiful woman. She came back with a medium sized, antique box. It was outlined in a silky, reddish-maroon ribbon, with gold accents. The box was oak and had burned corners, and starchy marks all along it, some of the ribbon was even tattered, worn, and even burnt. In the front of this box was a lock, a very old lock, still intact, rusted, but intact never the less.
“Do you want to know?”
“Yes.” I nodded and sat forward.
“Do you want to know everything? The good, the bad? Do you want to know your story?” May cleared her throat and looked at me with her piercing eyes. My strong gaze did not falter.
“Alright…” She handed me the box, and told me to open my hand. I was a little reluctant but in the end I followed her request. She dropped a small key in my hand, rusted just as well as the lock on the box in front of me. “You can open it if you’d like.”
I did as she said, the key slipped in easy and with a tug and a turn it opened, dust bloomed off the box as I lifted the cover. Inside the box were miscellaneous items; a silver chain necklace with a small blood amethyst hooked, a torn packet wrapped in a strap, and a rusted and elegant looking key to somewhere.
“What is this?” I asked.
“That, my child, is your mothers’. It was her box for keepsakes, I found it on her vanity set, and the key in her dresser. On the night that marked her death, I found it sitting upon her bed with a key attached to a sheet of paper.” She handed me the slip of paper,

To December,
My daughter,
Find your guidance, since I wasn’t there. I hope this can help with the journey of finding yourself.

I swallowed my tears and set the paper down beside me. I took out the necklace and examined it closely. Holding it made me feel at ease, closer to my inner self.
“December, let me clasp it around your neck.” Grandmother got up and walked behind the couch, and I handed her the necklace. “Your hair…”
“Oh, right.” I moved my hair away from my neck so it wouldn’t get caught in the necklace. Her hands, and the necklace, slipped around my neck like a warm breeze at the beach. I heard the click and her footsteps leading back around the couch, that was the signal that I could let my hair free.
“Beautiful.”
“It’s the necklace…” I sighed. I’m not used to compliments. I touched the blood amethyst charm and felt a soothing feeling. “What’s the history behind it?”
“It’s been passed down through the generations, I obtained this amethyst from my mother, who got it from her father. This was a very long time ago… Throughout the generations this stone has always soothed our blood, human and vampire. My grandfather, mother and I were humans. Long ago, a weed became known around the world, only bonding with specific blood types. I bonded with it, my husband did also, this was after I had Ester. She was off living a human life with a man she loved and a son she adored. This plant became known as Periculous Nidor. The odor of the plant mixed with our blood and created us vampires. The first of our kind, the royals, are the vampires that bonded with the vapor. Plenty bonded and are still alive, but the humans that could not bond to the plant, died and painful, rotten death. Your grandfather and I were some of the first, as was your mother, father, and brother. When we bonded with the vapor, I was 35 and my husband was 40. We stayed that age and never grew older. Your mother bonded at age 19, and the man she loved was 23, they barely lived…” She trailed off, and looked out the window. “Anyway, when the royals were created, we organized an advanced civilization called Amplitu. It means greatness, and with our newfound agility and Intel we created this upon our vampire greatness. December, I have been alive for thousands of years, so has your mother. Once in our lifetime, we have the gift of giving birth to one child that will live like us. My husband and I still have that chance, since we had Ester before we turned. Your mother, Ester, tried for around a thousand years and finally, one child lived, you.”
“Me?” I swallowed all the information down.
“Yes, you. But right now, you are human because your mother gave her life protecting you. Around the time you were born, most of the original vampires were murdered by others just like them. We have lived in secret till now, people know of our existence, but can not really tell which are which. Who is of the human blood, and who is of the vampire blood? Nobody can really tell.”
“When was I turned?” I sat forward.
“A couple years back, when you turned the age of five, a pair of Royal vampires murdered your mother and father. Your brother disappeared that night and you were hidden. They didn’t know about you…” She sighed. “You are safe for now, but once you have gained back some of your true powers… I fear that they will come find you.”
“I understand…” I murmured.
“Shall I continue?” She asked and I nodded.
“Right at this moment we do not know the whereabouts of your brother, Ryan. As for you, your human life span will run out at age nineteen. When your mother gave her human life to you, she lived to be that age. That is also the age when you will acquire your full powers.”
“So, I am a pure blooded vampire?”
My grandmother nodded and handed me some more tea. “Drink up.”
I nodded.
“Why do I have this necklace?” I put a hand to the charm, and I sighed.
“It will help you.”
“Only that?” She nodded.
“Okay.”
“December, do you plan to stay here for a bit?” She asked.
“Uh, yes… Do you mind me staying here?”
“No not at all. It’ll be wonderful. If you have any questions you can always come to me,” She coughed and then got up. “Let me show you to your room, okay?”

I nodded and carefully set the tea down onto the table. She grabbed the box on the table and headed towards our destination. I followed her downstairs to an eloquent room with Victorian style walls and a velvet comforter on a canopy bed. Next to the bed was a vanity set, small dresser and a walk in closet. On the wall there was a photograph of her, right above her dresser, she look like me, or I looked like her.
She was beautiful, I bet everyone loved her. I set my hands on her vanity desk and looked around. I spotted at patch of light dust, and then removed my hands, which left a clean spot on it.
“Was that box you had earlier from down here?” I pointed to the outline of the box. She nodded and set the box on the bed and sighed.
“This will be your room, please feel free to adjust it to any particular style you like.”
“Was this my mother’s room?” She nodded and cleared her throat.
“Well, I’ll let you settle down. I shall prepare dinner, please make yourself at home.” With those words, she stood up and left the basement. When I heard the door click shut, I walked around the room and dragged my hand over the surfaces. I opened the draws in the desk and I found an old journal. Nothing was printed on the front cover, but on the back there was two gold letters in the bottom corner. “E.S.” I sighed and stared at it for a while. Finally, I opened it up and looked on the inside.

My Dearest December,

I gasped and slammed it shut.