Golden Hue (Ascension)

by Stone, Zachary

  I walked in and saw my mother sleeping in a large hospital bed. On her head, I could see a large bandage. Her face was slightly swollen, and I could see bags under her eyes.

  I walked up to her and gently took her hand.

  “Momma,” I said. “It's me, Eli.”

  She slowly opened her eyes.

  “Eli, is that really you?” she said.

  “Yes, it's me,” I said.

  She slowly became more alert as she opened her eyes more fully.

  “I'm so glad you came to see me,” she said.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked.

  “Actually,” I'm feeling better than I did. “Other than this bump on my head, I don't feel too bad.”

  “How is your blood sugar?” I asked.

  “The doctor says it’s back in the normal range,” she said. “They actually had to lower the amount of insulin they were giving me. For some reason, I'm doing better than they thought I would.”

  “Mom, do you remember the other night when we came to visit?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “You told me that you were a vampire,” she said in a hushed tone.

  “Well, the reason you’re feeling better is because Cathy's friend here gave you an injection of her blood,” I said. “She’s a vampire too.”

  “She did what?” my mom said, as her eyes began to widen.

  “Don't worry,” I said. “It's not going to turn you into a vampire, but she gave you an injection of her blood. It made you get better.”

  I saw my mom turn and look at the three women standing behind me.

  “Thank you,” my mom said, looking at Heather. “And all this time, I thought you were a nurse.”

  Heather stepped forward and put her hand on my mother's face.

  “No,” she said. “I'm actually a floral designer.”

  “So are you the one that brought me those beautiful flowers?” she said.

  I looked at the beautiful arrangement of yellow roses in the corner of the room.

  “Yes,” Heather said. “Guilty as charged.”

  “That was so nice of you,” my mother said.

  “It’s the least I could do, Emily,” Heather said.

  I looked at my mother and her attention turned to me.

  “I need to ask you something,” I said.

  “What do you need?” she said.

  “No, it's about what you need,” I said. “You need to let Cathy turn you into a vampire.”

  My mom's face turned absolutely serious.

  “I’m not ready,” she said. “I'm not sure if that’s the right thing to do.”

  Looking at my mom's wrinkles, graying hair, and sagging skin I wondered what she would look like as a young woman. I’d seen a couple pictures of what she looked like when she was in her early twenties, but it had been a long time since I looked at them.

  “You’re getting older,” I said. “And your diabetes is getting out of control. If you don't let Cathy turn you, I'm afraid you could get even sicker.”

  “We all grow old, son,” my mom said. “It’s part of life.”

  “It doesn't have to be,” I said. “Look at Cathy, she’s over a hundred years old and she’s healthy and happy.”

  “I'm just not ready to make such a decision,” she said.

  “Listen,” I said. “I can't bear the thought of having to put you in a nursing home one day. Do you really want to grow old and die?”

  I began to lose my composure.

  “I can't watch what happened to Nana happen to you,” I said, as I started to cry.

  “I'm not going to sit by and watch you waste away,” I added. “I love you too much.”

  My mother sighed and looked out the window. She then looked back at me.

  “What does she have to do to turn me into a vampire?” she asked.

  Cathy walked up.

  “Momma,” Cathy said. “The virus that turns you into a vampire is in my fangs. All I have to do is bite you one time, and over a period of weeks you’ll become a vampire. I promise that I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

  My mother remained silent for a moment.

  “Where do you have to bite me?” she asked.

  “Your wrist will work,” Cathy said.

  “Okay,” she said. “Go ahead and do it.”

  “Are you sure?” Cathy asked. “Once you become a vampire, it’s permanent. You can't be human again.”

  “I'm sure,” she said.

  Cathy looked at Heather, and she made sure the door was closed.

  In an instant, Cathy was transformed into her vampire form; I could see her sharp, white fangs. She took my mother's wrist in her hand. A second later, she slowly began to bite into it; the virus was being injected into her system.

  My mom's face let me know that she was in pain. However, my tough mother didn’t make a sound.

  Cathy pulled her fangs out of my mother's wrist, and she changed back into her human form.

  “I'm sorry if that hurt,” Cathy said.

  “You did what you needed to,” my mom said. “It's okay.”

  Heather took a towel from a drawer and pressed it against my mother's wrist to stop the bleeding.

  I saw that my mother was looking at Lizzie.

  “Mom, this is Cathy's sister, Lizzie,” I said. “She’ll be my sister in law.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you,” my mom told Lizzie. “You’re as pretty as your sister.”

  “Thank you,” Lizzie said.

  “She’s about to be discharged,” Heather said. “I'll take her to my place and watch over her.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Is your kitchen well stocked?”

  “Of course,” she said. “I’ll make sure she’s well fed.”

  “You don't know how much I appreciate this,” I told Heather.

  “You’re welcome,” she said. “Just do me one favor in return.”

  “What can I do for you?” I asked.

  “Just be a good husband to Cathy,” she said.

  “I promise,” I said. “I will.”

  I hugged my mother, said goodbye, and left the room.

  As we walked down the corridors of the hospital, to my horror in the distance I saw a familiar and terrifying figure.

  “Wait here,” I told Cathy and Lizzie.

  “I see someone I know,” I said.

  “Who is it?” Cathy asked.

  “Just wait here,” I said.

  I walked down a hallway and turned to the right. Before me, was Demetrius in regular clothes.

  “What are you doing here?” I said, angrily.

  “I’m glad that you’re doing better,” he said.

  “What are you doing at this hospital?” I repeated.

  “I had to talk with you,” he said.

  “About what?” I asked.

  “The empress,” he said. “Don't trust her.”

  “Why do you care if I trust her or not?” I said.

  “I’m having second thoughts about you,” he said. “You’d rather lose your arm than harm a child. That changed my opinion of you.”

  “Where’s the little demon girl?” I asked.

  “She ran off,” he said. “I didn't get the chance to secure her.”

  “I need to know something,” I said. “Are you still in league with Henry?”

  “No,” he said. “That alliance has come to an end.”

  “But let’s get back on topic,” he added. “Don't trust the empress.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  “She’s evil,” he said.

  “You think all vampires are evil bloodsuckers that are damned to hell,” I said. “What makes her any different than me?”

  “Because she’s killed, repeatedly,” he said. “As soon as she gets a chance, she’ll turn on you.”

  “I don't have much time,” I said. “I need to go, but I have a question.”

  “Go ahead and ask,” he said.

  “As you probably already know, my mother
is in this hospital and a friend of my fiancé, a vampire, is guarding her,” I said. “Do you have any intentions to harm either of them?”

  “No,” he said. “I promise I won’t harm them.”

  “Do you swear?” I asked.

  “I swear on the holy book of God that I won’t harm them,” he said.

  “If you do, I’ll have to kill you,” I said. “But I'm going to walk out of here with the faith that a man who preaches the word of God won’t harm an old lady and the woman watching over her.”

  “If I wanted to harm them, they’d already be dead,” he said. “I’m not the monster you think I am.”

  I turned and started to walk away.

  “But you need to know one thing. My order is planning an attack on the empress,” he said.

  I paused.

  “When it happens, don't get in our way,” he said.

  I continued walking away. A few moments later, I was with Cathy and Lizzie.

  “Who was it?” Cathy asked.

  “I'll tell you later,” I said.

  Chapter 10

  On the way back to the mansion, Lizzie told the driver to stop at the mall.

  “I have the SIM card from your phone,” she said. “We need to get you a new handset.”

  A few minutes later, we were pulling into the parking lot of a large shopping center. We exited the vehicle, walked across the crowded parking lot, and walked inside.

  “What kind of phone do you want?” Lizzie asked, as we entered the food court. “I'll go find a phone shop and buy it for you.”

  “I don't know much about phones,” I said. “I usually just bought the cheap, prepaid ones.”

  “Then I'll pick you out a good one,” she said. “I can't have my brother in law go around with a junk phone.”

  Several minutes later, Lizzie appeared with a new cell phone in her hand.

  “Here you go,” she said. “It's top of the line: 3D high definition display, thirty megapixel camera, and unlimited monthly minutes. I just added it on to my plan.”

  “Thank you,” I told her, as I took the phone in my hand.

  “All of your numbers should be in there,” she said. “I put in your old SIM card.”

  I looked at the phone, and it showed I had seven missed calls. Five of them were from Candace. Looking through my messages, I saw that she’d sent me several texts. One of them was particularly troublesome.

  Eli, I don't know why you are ignoring me. I wish you’d talk to me. I just need to hear from you. Why won't you tell me the truth about what happened in the cave? I promise not to reveal any of your secrets, but I'm scared. I don't know what happened to me that night. Please call, soon.

  I showed the message to Cathy.

  “Would you call her?” I asked. “I don't want to talk to her.”

  “I don't mind if you talk to her,” Cathy said. “I trust you.”

  “But I don't know . . . ” I said.

  “You don't know what?” Cathy said.

  “One time I loved her with all my heart, and I don't want there to be any chance of those feelings returning,” I said. “You’re the only woman I love now.”

  Cathy took my hand and squeezed it.

  “I'll talk to her,” she said. “Give me your phone.”

  She looked up Candace's number and called it. I listened in.

  “Hello?” Candace said. “Is that you, Eli?”

  “No, I'm Cathy, Eli's fiancé,” Cathy said.

  “Oh,” Candace said.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened in the cave?” Cathy asked.

  “Well, yes,” Candace said. “But I’d rather talk about it with Eli. I don't know you.”

  “Eli doesn’t want to talk to you now, so you’re going to talk with me,” Cathy said.

  “Okay,” Candace said. “Can you please explain what happened that night?”

  Cathy went into great detail explaining exactly what happened that night.

  “So that’s why I have over a day of missing time,” Candace said. “I was possessed by a witch's spirit?”

  “Yes,” Cathy said. “And Eli saved your life.”

  “Are you really a vampire?” Candace asked.

  “Yes, I am,” Cathy said. “But I’ll never hurt you, we don't drink blood.”

  “Is Eli a vampire too?” she asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “He’s now one of us.”

  “Can I please talk to him?” Candace asked.

  “Look, Eli loved you for a long time. He doesn’t think it’s a good idea for him to be talking to you,” she said. “So please don't ask again.”

  “I'm sorry,” she said. “But he’s my friend, and I want to thank him for saving my life.”

  “I’ll tell him for you,” Cathy said.

  “I also want to apologize for how badly I treated him over the years,” she said. “He was so good to me, and I just hurt him over and over again.”

  “I'll apologize for you,” Cathy said.

  “Do you love him?” Candace asked.

  “I love him so much I’d die for him,” she said. “He’s the most kind, caring, respectful, and loving man I’ve ever met. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm glad you two never got together. I can’t imagine my life without him.

  Candace paused. “Please let him know that I’m so sorry for how I treated him.”

  I could hear Candace start to cry.

  “Will I ever see him again? Will I ever be able to meet you?” Candace asked.

  Cathy sighed.

  “Maybe, one day,” she said. “The best thing you can do now is go about your life, and please don't tell anyone what I’ve shared with you.”

  “I promise that I won't,” Candace said.

  “Good,” Cathy said. “I’m going to text you my phone number. If you ever have an emergency, please text me.”

  “Thank you,” Candace said.

  “You’re welcome,” she said. “Bye.”

  Candace's words had dredged up thoughts of that night in the cave. Although I didn’t want Candace in my life -- Cathy was who I wanted to be with -- I couldn’t help but feel moved by her words.

  “Thank you for talking to her,” I said, as I reached for the phone.

  “No problem,” Cathy said. “Are you alright?”

  “I'm okay,” I said. “I just don't like hearing her voice.”

  “Don't think about her,” Cathy said. “Just focus on me and my voice.”

  I reached forward and took Cathy in my arms.

  “You’re the only woman I want,” I told her. “I don't want Candace or any other woman in my life.”

  “But you still have memories of how you felt for her, don't you?” Cathy asked.

  “Every now and then,” I said. “And I’m so, so sorry for that.”

  “Don’t be sorry, Eli,” she said. “It just shows you have a heart.”

  “Just be faithful to me and everything will be fine,” she said.

  “I'll always be faithful to you,” I said

  I then looked at Lizzie, and I saw she had a tear in her eye.

  “What's wrong?” I asked.

  “I just wish I could find someone as nice as you,” she said.

  “I'm sure you can,” I said. “Are you dating anyone right now?” I asked.

  “No,” she said. “I’m in a couple of on again, off again relationships, but for right now I'm single.

  “You’re going to find someone,” Cathy told her.

  “I don't have your personality or looks,” Lizzie said.

  “Eli thinks you’re good looking,” Cathy said. “I can tell. Don't you think she’s pretty, Eli?”

  I turned and looked at Lizzie.

  “You’re a beautiful woman,” I told Lizzie

  “Do you mean it?” she asked.