The Road w/ Anna Part 14
After everyone said their farewells Ana sat out on the porch rocking chair as her father came out and sat in the empty chair next to her. For most of the night she half expected to see Jack coming out onto the porch to sit in the very same chair as he did almost every night. Now it felt strange to want to see him once more after the day that was had in memoriam.
Her father placed a hand to hers as he squeezed it lightly as they looked down the path that led to the cemetery where her brother now lay buried, “It looks like it’s just you and me now, sweetheart. I never thought that those words would ever escape from my lips until today. I think your brother would have liked his service especially since you did it some justice by making it turn out beautifully. I still can’t get over how many people showed up.”
Ana squeezed his hand back, “He drifted a lot between people at school. He loved to know how others thought so that’s what made him who he was.”
“I can’t believe how many years it has been since I last sat out here alone with you. Jack was always the one who came out here when he wanted to talk about whatever it was that was on his mind. I was just too busy with work to make time you either of you guys. One moment you’re jumping into my lap and the next you’re driving off to be by yourself.” He said with a sigh, “I feel as if I got lost somewhere along the way when I should have been there to see you through.”
“Well you’re here now and that’s all that really matters at this point.” She assured him, “I know that I haven’t exactly been the most normal child growing up but you helped me be who I am today. You made it so that I would be just fine on my own even if it meant letting go. Mom chose you for a reason and that’s the greatest gift she ever gave us was you. Jack knew it too. I maybe your daughter but Jack will always be your son too. You’re the only father he ever knew and never once did he ever deny you that fact for knowing it.”
He cocked his head to the side as he smiled at her softly, “Now I understand why your brother came out here all the time. You seem to have all the right words to say that could make anyone feel better.”
Ana smiled shyly as she laughed slightly before looking off into the distance with a sigh, “I’ve had many years to master it yet still I feel as if I’ve dropped the ball somewhere at times.”
“Maybe it’s time you take your own advice then.” He said with a sigh as he looked at her closely, “Live your life for you and go to college make something of yourself while you still can. Take that from your old man who knows you like no other when it comes to knowing that you can do just about anything as long as you set your mind to it. You’re a brilliant girl, Annie. You’ll have days that you think aren’t worth the trouble while others you’ll be thinking that you’re the hottest girl out there. Just keep in mind of who you are.”
Ana nodded as she looked over at her brothers’ old guitar, “Do you remember that day when you gave Jack that old thing? You always said that we’d make the perfect band one day if we stuck together then nothing could ever happen to us. He kept that even though he only played it when he was in the mood for making music. That’s how I felt about life. I wanted to live it whenever I felt like I needed to breath but I never knew how to live. Now it’s all I think about doing since the moment I left Greece causing me to reconsider that scholarship just so I could make something of myself. It’s something he would have wanted me to do just like mom would have.”
Her father looked down sadly, “I need to tell you something about your mother, Annie. She isn’t dead.” Ana looked over at him with confusion crossing her face, “I mean she is it’s just her other side isn’t. Do you remember seeing your mother handing around a man named Damon?”
“Do you mean uncle Damon?” Ana asked with a shake of her head, “He was one of moms’ friends from when she was a kid. Have you been hanging around the Whites again?”
Her father shook his head, “I’m not on drugs, Ana. The only reason why I’m telling you this now is because you need to know the truth about your mother. The night your brother was born a creature that’s a myth to us had bitten her. She just had to die so that the transformation would be complete. I came across her one night while you were away and she only came to warn me that Damon was looking for you. I was just as afraid as any one should be when they see someone that should be dead. Damon isn’t just someone your mother knew he was and is a vampire so is your mother. We are a family seeped in secrets because of the fear that someone would discover and therefore try to kill us. I have tried to push you to live your life just so that you wouldn’t have to know the truth. Your mother wanted you to stay clear of the path she chose for herself so you can’t go looking for her, Annie. She’ll have no other choice but to harm you if you go looking for her.”
Ana looked at him with disbelief as she thought back to the closed casket and the way Damon had a grin upon his face the entire time the ceremony had been done, “But why would she do something like that to herself of all things? It’s unlike her to choose such a horrible life over accepting death.”
“She was afraid of dying and having no place to go in the afterlife despite all that I’ve told you about her being fearless. So she went to Damon to make a deal and her side of the bargain is coming up quickly. You’ll be twenty-one soon and that’s the age that she promised that you would be turned. You would ultimately belong to him alone with no where else to go.” He said softly to her with tears in his eyes.
“Why me of all people though?” She asked as she looked him in the eye, “Why would she place my life at risk for her own immortality? Didn’t she even think that I might want to have my own life to myself without her deciding my fate?”
“She knew that you would be so much like her that you would be strong enough to have mind of your own to fight against it for as long as you can. You would ultimately be strong enough to defeat him. The life of a vampire isn’t something that anyone really asks for, Annie. She knew that she wouldn’t survive her pregnancy as it was but she didn’t want to die knowing that someone like Damon was out there. When you left for Greece you had a chance at being happy and you found it in a Greek boy of all things. Happiness was entirely what your mother wanted for you to have and it’s all I’ve ever wanted to give you but your blood is tainted. When he comes you must be prepared to fight him off for as long as you can, Annie.” He said with tears in his eyes, “I’ve held your mothers’ secrets for far too long to know that it could very well kill a man.”
Ana shook her head once more, “Is that why all of these horrible things have been happening to us? All those times you sent Jack and me away to places not many people would ever go she was after us. Why didn’t you ever tell me any of this, dad, if you knew I was strong enough to face it on my own? Jack wouldn’t have had to die if I had known my blood could have saved him.”
He shook his head, “You couldn’t have saved him, Annie. He would just have lived a little bit longer to only die by the same disease.”
Tears started to fall as she looked up at him with anger in her eyes, “You lied to me, dad. You told me that she was dead and everything happened for a reason but you never told me why. You made me believe that my own mother was dead for nearly sixteen years when she’s been alive the entire time protecting me and what hurts the most is the fact that you’ve seen her. How can I live out a life that’s only going to get me killed no matter what I do? I might as well just drown myself in the bay and get it over with if it means that I have to deal with this anymore.” She then walked away from her father leaving him with tears in his eyes.
As she walked along the dock towards Trents’ house she spotted him speaking to someone and from where she stood it looked like a heated argument was being had until that someone pulled out a knife and plunged it into Trents chest several times then fled just as she was running towards them. As she called for an ambulance panic struck her as she tore off a chunk of her shirt and pressed it against his wounds as the blood started pouring out of him like water.
“No, no this can’t be happening.” She mumbled as she lifted his head onto her lap as tears started to flow, “C’mon, Trent. Stay with me. You’ll be okay I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”
He shook his head in between coughing up blood, “I think I’m dying, Ana. It hurts so much.”
“Don’t say that.” She said through tears, “You can’t die. We were supposed to go back to Greece remember? We were going to live our lives together like you promised we would. You can’t just give up on us now. I’ve already called for an ambulance and they’re on their way. Just stay with me, Trent. I love you so much that I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose you.”
He held her by the wrist as he looked up into her eyes with tears in his own, “He got my heart, Ana. I’ve got less than a minuet to be with you either way I’m dead. I’m so sorry, Ana. Make sure to remember how much I loved you and all that we’ve done together without any regrets.” He then placed a bloody hand to her cheek and kissed her before falling limp in her arms.
Her hand shook as she checked his pulse to find that it had stopped pulsating. She shook her head as she cradled him in her arms rocking as she sobbed so hard that her body shook. She felt a sudden pain in her chest as she felt her own breath escape her as she fell limp against him.
