Katniss
Bleeding Hearts Chronicles
I opened the door and walked out, my hands pressed to the sides of my dress.
" Marvellous! " Angie shrieked, jumping up and down on the sofa. She sat, readjusting her makeup at the vanity. "Ouch! Flossing with fangs, bites! Bites? Fangs? A pun! Oh, I'm so funny." She's really not.
But, Angie is a vampire and so is the rest of my family. I am too, but I'm weaker than everyone else.
The room, dark with nothing but the fireplace and the moon in the window. The room was large. Sofas and chairs, coffee tables and vanities occupied he large powder room. I walked and sat at the fireplace. I glimpsed myself in the mirror. My light green dress fit perfectly, matching the colour of my eyes. The black lace that covered the green silk was elegant. My makeup was dark and sharp, matching my blonde hair, braided into a stern bun. A gold chain heart pendant sat on my collar bone.
" Well, " Angie looked up from the mirror, " Don't we look pretty? " Her purple satin mini dress was drop dead gorgeous. She somehow tied it together with a white bead choker and black flats. Her chocolate brown hair was curled with her bangs pulled to the side with a pretty black butterfly pin. She looked allot younger than me, even though she's about 209 years old and I'm only 28.
There was a knock on the door. A spidery leg pushed through the doorway. My stepsister, Sofia, came through in a blush pink mini skirt strapless. Her dagger like black stilettos clacked on the hardwood floors, while her short, white blonde hair bobbed at her cheeks.
" Well, I certainly do. " She chirped, " Come on Angie, we have to help set out appies. " She turned to the door as Angie quickly followed. The two of them were around 14, but still rivalled me in actual age.
" Oh and Katniss? " Sofia poked her head back through the door, " Dez needs attending to. " With that, she slammed the door.
" Ugh! " I growled. Despéro, or Dez as we called him, was my cousin, Angie's little brother. He didn't look anything like Angie, but resembled my grandfather so much, it was scary. I sat on the satin vanity stool, staring at my reflexion. The candles flickered, almost rhythmically to the blowing December wind outside.
Then, there was a knock on the window. I whirled around to find my cousin Despéro, hanging upside down holding a napkin filled with quiche. " Dez! ", I yelled, opening the window, " What the hell?! " He jumped through, landing on the red sofa.
" Sup, Katniss? " His black hair was whipped around and frozen with the cold wind, making him look more insane than usual. His black blazer was wet, along with his pants and shirt.
" Dez! You're soaking wet, your hair is messed up, again and you almost gave me a heart attack! " He just stood there, his brown eyes glimmering like the candles at the vanity.
" Your point is? " He smiled, coyly. I rolled my eyes and pulled him over to the vanity. After about ten or fifteen minutes fixing his hair and finding a new outfit, he looked even better than before. He had on a purple dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. His new black jeans, and vest looked great together. He adjusted his red tie, pulling loose then tight, trying to decide which he liked better.
" Uh, Dez? " I said, " Grandpa said we only have to mingle for a few minutes. You don't have to tighten it. "
" Oh. " He loosened his tie and fluffed his hair.
"Really? I just fixed your hair. "
"What? I like my fo-halk."
"Fine. Are you going to be in the basement or upstairs mingling?"
"Basement? I'm still digesting the quiche. Plus, my dad said that I'm not allowed to have any of that stuff yet. Well, let's get this show on the road. " He smiled his usual smile that either meant 'I'm so excited or Hand me that firecracker, I'm gonna throw it down this guys pants!'.
"Wait, " I caught his shoulder, " have you seen James? He said he was getting the DJ booth set up, but he wasn't there last I checked. "
"Hmm, I don't know. He's probably getting his 'dinner." He winked and walked out the door. "Actually, now that I think about it, I'm kinda hungry too." He flashed his smile again, this time his teeth gleaming white and … sharp. Then, he disappeared through the doorway.
The clock chimed seven bells. Here we go, I though to myself. Pulling open the door, when the fire crackled and went out.
"Hey." Someone spoke behind me. I spun around and saw my friend James, lighting a candle.
"James! What are you doing? Dez has looking for you for half an hour."
"He has? " James said, setting the candle down on a stool. "Hmm. Funny, I've been avoiding him for half an hour." He dusted off his black suit as he walked towards me. He was much, much older than me in real age and in physical age. He looks 17, but is actually 89.
"Um, " I stuttered, "have you heard anything from Marcus? He hasn't texted me back yet." He was two feet away from me, when the door burst open.
"Dude! " Dez burst between us, "Where've you been? You missed the keg cracking! Oh, Katniss? Your dad wants you. Like, now." I knew the second he walked in the room, that he'd gotten the first sip from the keg. I could smell it, even before I saw his bright red lips.
"Oh, um, where is he?"
"Outside." He turned to James and his face brightened into excitement. "J-Man, there are girls here from T.S. Walker Academy! Plus, this chick I've been talking to over Facebook, she's coming with her friends!"
I decided to leave then. My Blackberry beeped on the table. I grabbed it and left, while the boys continued their conversation. I opened the message and read it out:
Marcus: Hey, i'm on my way. Sorry, i was at the hospital.
What? I couldn't believe that Marcus had gone to the hospital and not told me. I quickly texted back:
Katniss: What? And you didn't tell me?
Marcus: Yeah, sry. Didn't wanna freak u out. But i'm fine.
Katniss: Ugh, ok. Tell me next time! Hurry, people r coming and it'll be packed. And Dez invited some gurls from T.S.W Academy :P
Marcus: Haha very funny but i have a gf, remember? However she is out of town… ;D jk jk Cya in 5
I shoved my phone back into my dress pocket and walked down the hallway, crowded with different Art Gallery people. I looked over the balcony and watched the guests arrive and mingle. As I looked around for my dad, I could hear a low beat coming from the lower ballroom. I descended the staircase, still watching for my dad. I came to the door, where a sign saying, UNDER 20 CLUB, FEATURING DJ H.U.N.E.E. I opened the door and Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous" blasted in my face. My pocket buzzed, which I wouldn't have noticed if my hand wasn't glued to the sides of my dress.
I made my way down the staircase, towards the music and screaming teenagers and glittering purple lights. I sat down on one of the sofas that were pushed to the wall. The room was big, filled with kids. The music blared. The Dj booth was cranking out tunes from DJ H.U.N.E.E, while he danced, pumping his white trucker hat in the air. I opened my phone and read the new text message:
Marcus: Im here. Where r u? Im at the party! :D
He was here? I had to get up, or else the couple making out in front of me were going to make me sick, the way they were going at it.
Katniss: Same here!
Marcus: I know.
"Hey, Kat." I looked up. Marcus was standing beside me, smiling. He wore a black dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up, and a white vest. His black denim jeans made him look like one of the Jonas Brothers, especially with his curly brown hair.
"So," he started,"these Academy girls? They sill here?" He laughed.
"Oh," I said as some people moved past me, "I don't know." Suddenly I felt weak. I almost fell to the ground, but Marcus caught me.
"Woah, are you okay?" He helped me over to a couch.
"Ugh," I pressed my hands to my face, "I'm just a little hungry, I guess."
"A little? Kat, you almost fainted. Come on, let's find your dad."
He took me up to my grandpa's study. He pushed open the grand wooden doors.
"I can go from here." I told Marcus, "Thanks." I walked into the dark candle-lit room that was filled with hundreds of books. I walked over to the desk. "Dad? Grandpa?" I called. Just then a pile of books fell over. I swirled around.
"Oh!" a voice muttered, "Why am I the clumsy one?"
"Uh, hello?" I said, "Who is there?" I crept slowly towards the books. A figure came from behind the stack of books.
"Katniss." It was my Uncle Demetrius or as we called him, Dmitri. His curly dark brown hair was wild, matching his brown eyes. His white dress shirt was clean and his polished black dress shoes were clean and shiny. A red flower sat in his black jacket pocket.
He knelt down and started picking up the books. "You know how Grandpa likes his study organized." He said with his Irish accent.
"Where's my dad?" I asked, kneeling down to help him. "Dez told me …" I felt faint again. I fell into his shoulder and suddenly I was sitting in a chair with my uncle kneeling at my side.
"Jeez, Kat." He said, checking my pulse. "You need to stop being such a teenage girl and eat. As for your dad, I don't know where he is. He was talking to your grandfather on the balcony a few minutes ago. But first, we need to get you some food." He pulled me up and led me outside.
"Actually, " he started, " have you seen Dez or Angie?" Dez and Angie were his children, along with my oldest cousins, Christian and Mona, but they were in Europe for the winter.
"Angie was helping Sofia with something and Dez was talking with James last I saw him." I felt sick again. I doubled over and fell to my knees.
"Katniss!" My uncle came to my side again. I sat up and looked over to the mirror and my heart skipped a beat. My eyes had changed and so had my skin. My eyes were black other than white and my irises were blood red. My skin was so pale it was almost white and I felt cold everywhere.
Dmitri pulled me up again. "Okay, no more fasting for…" He looked at my eyes, "I think running would be best." He picked me up and I closed my eyes. A gust of wind went by me and when I opened my eyes, we were in the basement cellar. Dmitri sat me down on the floor.
He opened a door behind an empty keg. "Liam? Kat's starving. She's already gone shadow." Then, my dad came through the doorway. The thing is, my dad and uncle are twins. The only way to tell them apart is that Dmitri has a moustache. My grandma loved Shaekspeare (Some say she used to court him) so she named my dad and Uncle, Lysander and Demetrius from A Midsummer Night's Dream.
"Katniss! Good Lord, you need to eat!" He offered a glass of red liquid.
"No, I want regular food." That was all I could manage.
"Kitten, you've gone shadowy. This is what you need.
"Fine." I drank the glass' contents until it was empty.
Then, I fell backwards through the air. Or so I thought. Then, I was standing in a garden, filled with willow trees and different types of irises, roses, daisies that my mom could have easily named by heart. It was dark out, sometime around 10:00 at night, I guessed. I was sitting under a willow tree, looking at the beautiful view of trees and flowers.
Then, two dark figures came from the bushes. I crawled behind a bush as they came through a small pathway. They came and sat on a bench beside the willow tree. I tried to see who it was, but it was too dark.
"I've got to go soon." Said the first one, who was sitting the closest to me. I leaned closer and I noticed that the first figure might have been holding a ball or was really fat.
"But," complained the second one, who had an Irish accent, "Can't you stay a little longer? I'm sure he won't mind."
"No he won't! You said that the last time and he almost killed you for it." Now I could tell that the first was female and the other was male. A couple out for a late night walk, no doubt. "I have to, Ly." Ly? Where had I heard that name before?
The man cursed. "Why can't he understand? I hate him for it!"
"Ly! Hate is a strong word. You can't hate him. Listen, I love you Ly. I've got to go before he finds out I'm still here." She must have kissed him or something, because the two shapes meshed together and there was silence for four seconds. Then, the woman stood and i realized she wasn't holding a ball, or fat. She was pregnant. The man stood as well and they slowly started off towards the dark pathway again.
Suddenly, I heard giggling behind my back. I turned and found my cousin staring right at me.
"James!" I yelled. But it wasn't James exactly. He looked younger, around 15 or 16. "What are you doing? Where are we?" But he didn't respond.
"Dezzy!" he called behind him, "Come here!"
"What?" another voice echoed, "Did you find the baseball?" Another figure came from the bushes. It was Dez, only he looked 8 years old instead of 13.
"Look!" James whispered, "Oh man, Grandpa isn't going to be happy about this!" He stared at Dez, in his denim shorts and red race car t-shirt. "Dez. Grandpa isn't going to be happy? Go tell him!" Dez ran off.
"James!" I yelled. "What's going on!" But then, James moved closer and I moved right through James. I realized this was a memory. But if it was a memory, then where was I? An angry presence surrounded me. Then, I was falling again. I landed back in my chair in the cellar.
"Kat?" my dad whispered, "You alright?" He helped me up.
"Uh … I was in a garden. There were these people, a man and woman. And James and Dez were there, only they were really young. It was weird." My pocket buzzed. I opened my phone. I had a new message.
Marcus: Where r u? Hannah is here!! :D :D :D
Honestly, I had no idea. But the only thing I did know, was that the woman in the garden.... was my mother.