The Vampire's Oracle

A Name in the Dark

★Anastasia★

“Anastasia?” I blinked open my eyes as Eloise gently shook me awake.

“I’m up,” I mumbled.

“Good, meet me in the kitchen,” she said, and I groaned as I sat up. My hands clutched at the sheets and my chest heaved as sweat dripped down my temple. My bedroom was cloaked in darkness, but the dream still clung to me. The weight of it pressed against my chest. It was no wonder she had come in here to wake me up. I slowly breathed in and out until my heart rate returned to normal and I didn’t feel so tense. The uneasy feeling hadn’t disappeared, but that didn’t bother me as much as the fear. I climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I did my business before I joined her in the kitchen.

“Sorry,”

“No need to apologize…but…we have to talk about this, Anastasia. You cannot keep going on like this,” Eloise said as she set a steaming cup of coffee on the table. I curled up on the chair and wrapped my hands around the cup.

“I don’t…why is this happening to me?” I questioned curiously. “I mean, from the time you told me about this ability…I haven’t experienced it, but now? Why now?”

“I believe that it is a sign,” she remarked, and I actually rolled my eyes. “I mean it, Anastasia. You have entered a new chapter in your life. You finished college, you started a job, and you are saving up to move out…which, again, I can help you if you want me to,”

“I know you can, but like I told you the first time, I want to do this on my own…look, the stress isn’t that bad. Working isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I’m actually enjoying it,”

“I know you are, but it’s not about the job itself. I’m worried about you,” she said, and I didn’t know what to say to her. The truth was that I was worried about myself as well. “Look, I was once in your shoes. When I got my first premonition, I had no idea what it was. I thought it was just a bad dream…” her voice trailed off for a moment, but then she shook her head as if to clear the thoughts from her mind. “So, I understand the frustration…now, until you actually meet this mystery man, I’m afraid that you are going to keep having these…dreams,”

“Well…that’s great and all, but when exactly is that going to happen?” I asked curiously. “I mean, this dream wasn’t the same…Marcia was there, and she warned me,” Eloise’s eyes went wide in surprise.

“What did she say?”

“She said that I shouldn’t be here…there…and that I should be afraid,” I said as I watched my Aunt closely. Her expression immediately seemed guarded, and I sighed softly. “I don’t know what any of it means, but if it's all about this guy…”

“I know,” she whispered, and I nodded before I took a sip of my coffee. “In the meantime, just…try to get some rest,” she added as she stood up. “Now, how about some breakfast?”

“I think you mean lunch,” I teased. Eloise chuckled as she moved around the kitchen. It had always seemed so strange to me how her days and nights were switched around. Now I was living the same life, and it wasn’t as strange anymore. I remained seated as we talked about small, mundane things while she prepared a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, sausages, and toast. By the time she was done, and we started eating, the lingering dream and its horrors had faded. I felt much better despite knowing that it wasn’t going to stop until I met the mystery man. I hated it, but I couldn’t let it rule my life.

“I have to head to the club, but…if possible, try to get a bit more rest,” Eloise said after we had eaten. I pushed the empty plate aside and nodded. “Good, see you later,”

“Ok,” I got up and cleaned the kitchen before I went back to my bedroom and climbed into bed. The heavy curtains blocked out the afternoon sunlight, which was more than enough to help me fall back to sleep.

★

I woke up feeling refreshed and much better than I had in the last few days. My sleep had been dreamless, and I stretched lazily as I smiled. It was such a relief, and I was able to get to work without any worries or concerns.

“Anastasia!” Marcia called out the second she saw me step into the club. We had the earlier shift today, which was nice, but it meant that the club wasn’t even open yet. It was strange walking into the place without the music and heat from all the bodies. All of the lights were on, and I couldn’t help but look around and feel weird about it.

“Hey,” I greeted her as I joined her at the bar.

“Anything for you?” the bartender – Charlie – asked as he wiped down the already polished bar top.

“Soda,” I replied with a smile. Marcia took a sip of her water before she turned to me with excitement in her eyes.

“So…party this weekend,”

“Oh, right…the welcome home party,” I said with a slow nod as Charlie slid a tall glass of soda in front of me. I thanked him before I took a sip and turned to Marcia.

“Yes, exactly, and you are coming, right?”

“I don’t…if I’m not working,” I mused as I thought about my schedule. I did have a day off coming soon. I just wasn’t sure if it aligned with her party.

“We are both off...weekend off actually,” she remarked. “So, I thought that we could go shopping before…I need a dress,”

“Oh…yeah, we can do that,” I said with a nod as excitement bubbled up inside of me. It had been a really long time since I had done anything fun like go shopping with a friend. In fact, I wasn’t sure I had ever done anything quite like it. Sure, I had gone out for coffee with friends from college, but nothing like this. It made me pause as I thought about my social life – or the lack thereof – and suddenly I wasn’t just excited, I was happy. Marcia wasn’t a study buddy or a roommate. She was my friend. “I can’t wait,” I told her honestly and she smiled.