Bloods Gem (11 page)

Her sister worked at a local club in the
downtown London area. From what Kate told me, Gina’s boyfriend was
the owner of the club. And we were sure to stop by before we had to
leave London.

When we arrived, we were greeted by Gina's
roommate. Her roommate was pretty. Gina said she was a runaway or
something and she took her in, a few years back. She was only
sixteen when she found her begging for money on the street. Said
the poor girl didn’t even remember where she came from. She had
lost her memory. There was something strange about her though. She
was almost too pretty, and her eyes were really dark with a light
blue tint in them. When Gina introduced us to Haley she looked at
me intently, like she knew me or something. It was kind of
creepy.

Gina showed us to our rooms. She had
five bedrooms in her home and it was very spacious. Walking through
a long hallway, we passed Haley's room , peeking in, I noticed a
familiar face. The man I had been dreaming of for months now, in
the form of a photograph standing with his arm around Haley hung on
her wall. I
Froze in place, unable to look
away from the photograph. He was real. The dream man was a real,
live human being.

“
Your room's over here”
Said Gina, breaking me out of my trance.
Once alone in
my room, I lay on the bed. I knew I had to get back into Haley's
room later.

I checked my phone to see if I had any
messages and there was about seven text messages and four missed
calls.

“
Hey baby please call me
when you get there safely, I want to hear your voice and make sure
your okay, I love you xoxo.”

“
Babe did you make it
there yet? I really miss you. I need you in my arms. I'll dream
about you tonight xoxo.”

“
Hey beautiful I just woke
up and had the greatest dream. It was valentines day and I held you
all night kissing you. I miss your kisses xoxo.”

“
Faith am I texting you
too much? I just worry. I’m sorry. I wish I was there with you. I
should
have just bought a ticket and went
no matter what you said. Then again, I would probably stay if you
wanted me to. I love you babe, xoxo.”

His text messages made me laugh. I text him
back . “Hey, I’ve made it. Our plane didn’t crash or anything. I
miss you a lot! Can't wait to feel your lips on mine again and
maybe attack you once more. He-he. Xoxo.”

He text back. “Mm, yeah I wouldn’t mind
that. Please be good. You're so far away and its killing me,
especially when you talk like that. I want you… Back. Now…”

I smiled and put my phone back down. I laid
there on my back for awhile imagining what valentines day would be
like with him and tried to get my mind back on track. I text him
back before I put the phone down for the day. “I want you too.
Badly. I'll call you later and we’ll finish this. Xoxo.”

At lunch, we talked about everything from
guys to cars to movies we'd like to see. Gina told us to take her
car to town and buy a few things for dinner and while we were there
we could go sight seeing.

We were excited to see everything in London.
We parked in a parking garage and began walking along the uptown
strip. Shops lined the street. We peeked into the higher scale
clothing stores. Imagining being a customer there one day. We
walked across the street where stiff solders stood in red and black
uniforms. Laughing at their big fluffy black hats, we waved but
they gave no notice of our presence. In Trafalgar square, passing a
bronze lion statue, we approached a fountain. Inside the fountain
stood a statue of a mermaid surrounded by dolphins that spewed
water. It was beautiful.

We sat down on the side walk next to the
fountain watching people as they passed. After discussing our plans
for the future and mentions of our boyfriends, we walked around the
square until the sun began to set in the distance. We hurried to
the market picking up supplies for dinner.

Back at Gina's house, we cooked dinner
together. After eating, we talked, relaxed on the sofas, but then
Gina said there were rumors around town that vampires were feeding
this month and virgins should stay in at night. I glanced at her,
“Why virgins?”

“
Well supposedly the scent of a virgin
makes them go nuts and the purity of the blood tastes
better.”

She laughed at my worried expression. “It's
just a stupid rumor Faith. There’s no such thing as vampires.”

The sound of racing footsteps startled me. I
glanced over my shoulder and noticed Haley dashing down the stairs.
Looking away, in a flash she was positioned on the floor in front
of us. “So, what are we discussing?” Haley asked.

“
They were just telling me about their
boyfriends at home,” Gina said.

Gina rolled her eyes at Haley's
interruption. Haley stared at me, making me feel uncomfortable. She
moved to sit next to me on the sofa.

Gina turned the television on. Her and Kate
oblivious to what odd behavior Haley displayed.

Leaning over and sniffing me, she whispered
something in my ear. It sounded like a foreign language. I shifted
my body away from her, hoping she'd get the hint from my body
language to leave me alone. She leaned in again, “You smell good
girl.”

I jumped from the sofa. “What’s your
problem?!” I yelled.

Standing, she bolted towards me. “You!” she
shouted gritting her teeth. She turned on her heel and headed back
upstairs.

“
What the hell was that about?” Gina
asked.

“
She sniffed me and told me I smelled
good. Whats her deal?” I asked.

The girls started laughing. “I'll have a
talk with her in the morning,” Gina said, still chuckling. “She's
always been a little strange.”

I ran to my room annoyed they were laughing
at the situation. Throwing myself on the bed, I grabbing my phone
from the nightstand and called Chris.

“
Hey Baby,” he answered, sounding half
asleep.

“
Did I wake you? I can call back
tomorrow.”

“
Nah, I’ve been waiting for your call.
I must have dozed off. How’s everything going Babe?” He
asked.

“
Good, except for this one little
thing. Gina's roommate,” I said.

“
Huh? Is it a guy?” He
asked.

“
No, it’s a girl. She's really weird.
Got in my face and yelled at me.”

“
Why did she do that?” He
asked.

“
I don't know. She kept sniffing me
like I was a piece of meat. It was strange.”

He chuckled into the phone.

“
I wish you were here with me,” I
said, pulling the covers over my head. “You could protect me from
all the vampires. They want virgins.”

He got quiet.

“
Why so quiet?” I asked.

He sighed. “Babe, don't creep me out. There
are no such thing as vampires. Is someone trying to mess with your
head over there?” He asked.

“
No, not really. I'm just paranoid.
Don't worry. After a good nights sleep I should be
fine.”

“
Okay, just get some sleep. I love
you.”

“
I love you, goodnight.”

Putting my phone on the nightstand, I
thought about sneaking into Haley's room to look at the picture I
saw earlier on her wall. I was too scared. Maybe tomorrow night, I
thought.

The phone woke me. Chris had text while I
slept. I looked at a message he sent.

“
I love you. Call me
later, Beautiful.”

I smiled and text back. “I love you. I'll
call you tonight.”

I tiptoed passed Haley's room. Her door was
ajar, so I peeked in. The picture was missing. In it's place was a
bare imprint of where it once hung.

“
Why would she take it
down?” I questioned.

“
He's my brother,” Haley
was right behind me.

I flinched. “Sorry,” I said, stepping
back.

She gestured me to follow into the bedroom.
Hesitating a moment, I wanted an explanation for the picture, so I
followed. She shut the door behind me. I watched her warily.

“
Have a seat.” She pointed
to a blue chair sitting in the corner. Uneasy, I obeyed.

“
So, why are you
interested in my picture?” She asked.

I shrugged. “I was just curious who the man
was in the picture. Because Gina told me you lost your memory.”

“
Did she also tell you I
recently started having flashbacks?”

I shook my head.

She stood up and walked to her dresser,
opened the drawer and took out the picture. “The man in this photo
is a fraud,” she said.

“
What do you mean?” I
asked.

“
Since I started having
flashbacks, I remember he was the one who killed my mother. I keep
the photo so I can keep his image in my head. So when I do see him,
I'll kill him.”

“
Are you sure?” I
asked.

She glanced at me. “I don't know Faith, are
you sure you have blood running through your veins?”

“
Huh?” I asked
confused.

“
He killed my mother. I'm
certain.”

“
So, did you run away from
home or--” I began.

“
Why do you care?” She
asked.

“
Sorry if my questions
bother you.”

She came closer and bent down eye level.
“You're hiding something,” She smiled.

“
No. What would I be
hiding?” I asked.

“
You think I'm strange.
And you are scared of me aren't you?”

“
Well, to be honest yes,”
I answered.

She straightened and walked away from me.
Her back towards me, she stared at the wall for some time. Turning
around slowly, she pointed her finger up. “You have some sort of
connection with my brother don't you?” She asked.

“
I don't know your
brother,” I moved uncomfortably in my seat.

“
But you do, just not in
the way you wish to be acquainted with him.”

I got up from my chair, wanting the
conversation to end. I felt she knew too much, and it made me
uncomfortable. “Okay, I'm done” I said walking towards the
door.

“
I believe you will find
what your looking for very soon Faith,” she said.

I glanced back at her and she was gone.

In my room, I sat on the bed as my thoughts
raced. Kate came to the door and invited me downstairs for
breakfast.

As we ate, Gina promised she would take us
to the club the next night. She also explained our itinerary for
the day. Telling us we'd meet up with Cameron, Gina's boyfriend,
for lunch. After, we would go to a symphony. Thrilled, Kate and I
went upstairs to get ready.

At a grill called Beef Corp, we sat around
the table impatiently waiting for our food. After we were done
eating we went back to Gina's house and prepared for the symphony.
She let me borrow a long red dress, sparkled with faux diamonds.
She also set me up with jewelry and high heels.

Putting my hair up in a bun, I curled my
bangs on each side. I turned the curling iron off and headed
downstairs.

We were lead to a private box seat divided
by curtains. The small compartment had half a dozen seats lined in
rows. It sat one level above the orchestra section. Kate sat next
to me as the lights dimmed.

As the music played, I closed my eyes and
relaxed against the back of the chair. A vibrating sensation below
my feet slowly traveled up my body, lulling me into a trance. Faces
flashed across my mind. I tried to shake it off, but saw Kate and I
yelling at each other. A cast covered my hand. Our voices
muffled.

The sound of clapping halted the visions. I
opened my eyes and looked up. Kate had stood, clapping along with
her sister and Cameron. I jumped from my seat startled. She glanced
in my direction. “You okay Faith? What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “Not sure. I keep getting
these images in my head.”

“
Well, we're going home now, the show
is over. You can lay down when we get back to the house,” she
said.

I nodded.

At Gina's once again, there was mention of
poker. After changing into comfy sweats and a baggy shirt, I ran
back down stairs since they were wanting to play cards. Kate
insisted that I rest instead of playing.

“
I'll go to bed if I don't feel well,”
I said. She patted my back and smiled.

After getting the table ready, Cameron
started dealing the cards. I focused on the cards as they were set
down in front of my opponents.

My vision suddenly seemed to grow sharper.
The details in the table we sat at seemed extremely close. I sat
back, thinking that perhaps I was going to faint. Thinking to warn
Kate, I glanced upward, but her hands caught my eye. I could make
out every single line in her hand. From the tips of her polished
nails to where they connected with the wrist. She held an ace and
jack in her hand. I put a hand to my mouth, surprised. They all
glanced at me. I acted like I was yawning.

“
Sorry, I'm getting tired,” I said
excusing myself. They wished me a goodnight and I ran
upstairs.

Starring out the window, I wondered what was
wrong with me. Am I a freak or something? If I decided to tell
someone they would surely have me committed I thought.

I decided not to call Chris that night, laid
my head down on the pillow and shut my eyes.

We flew across the night sky. My dream man
held me close, taking me to a place surrounded by glowing trees.
Each tree radiated a different color. Butterflies surrounded the
trees, taking on the color of each individual tree. Approaching a
purple tree, I reached out to touch the branch and butterflies
began swarming under and around me. My body was lifted from the
ground and they carried me to a nearby lake. Placed in the middle
of the lake, I noticed the water beneath me glowed bright blue.
Sinking under the warm water, I began to explore.