The Vampire's Oracle

Echoes of the Past

★Anastasia★

I woke up to the smell of coffee drifting through the house and I sighed as I got out of bed. Another dream. The same dream had been haunting me since that first night, and it clung to me like a second skin. Unsettling and impossible to shake. His voice and the way he had whispered my name. The way I had felt so connected to him, drawn to him, but so very scared. The fear was real and that was why I wasn’t sure if it was just a dream or a nightmare. I ran my fingers through my hair as I made my way to the kitchen. Aunt Eloise stood at the counter, and I wasn’t even surprised to see two cups being prepared.

“You screamed again,” she stated matter-of-factly. I sighed as I leaned against the counter.

“Yeah, that stupid dream,” I said as I watched her finish off the coffee. She handed me a cup and I graciously accepted.

“Tell me about it,” Eloise suggested, and I nodded as we went over to the little nook in the kitchen. I loved sitting here, and the early afternoon sun warmed my chilled skin.

“I’m in this alleyway and…I don’t know where I am but as I look around, I see a man standing in the shadows, and he is blocking my only way out,” my gaze is locked on the table as I work through the dream. “I can't really see his face or anything, but I know he is watching me…I call out to him, but he doesn’t say anything…I feel…” my voice trailed off as I tried to figure out how to explain the feeling. “I feel drawn to him. Like I know him somehow,”

“Do you get to see his face at any point?” she asked, but I quickly shook my head.

“No. I don’t, but I walk toward him…I don’t know why, but I feel something, but when I get closer to him all I can smell is blood and…and I get sick,”

“In this dream?”

“Yeah, and I’m like super embarrassed, but he calls out to me…he says my name. But it’s like…his voice is so painful and sad…it makes me want to cry,” I paused as I replayed the dream in my mind. “He touches me and…I can’t even explain it…it just feels right, but dangerous and wrong,” for a moment, Aunt Eloise doesn’t say a word, but I wait patiently for her.

“Are you sure it is just a dream?” she then asked, and I frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Dreams are strange, Anastasia…and should never be ignored. It could be a premonition,” Eloise said, and I flinched. When I had turned sixteen, Aunt Eloise had sat me down and explained to me that our family line was special. That we were gifted. At first, I had been so excited, but nothing had happened. I had waited to feel something or to have a premonition and while I had plenty of dreams, this one did feel different.

“It’s just a dream,” I argued, but my Aunt wasn’t buying it as she pressed her lips into a thin line as she watched me closely.

“Are you certain?” she questioned, and I shut my mouth. No, I wasn’t certain. When I didn’t answer, she continued. “You need to trust your intuition, Anastasia. If something feels real, then it probably is,”

“Right, but why am I having this premonition over and over again?” I asked curiously.

“It’s possible that you are experiencing it over and over again because it is important. I wish I had more answers for you, but premonitions are unpredictable and can change,” we sat in silence as we drank our coffee, but eventually, Eloise couldn’t hold it back any longer. “So, are you enjoying your job?” I smiled.

“You just couldn’t wait to ask, could you?” she blushed, but I shook my head. “I like it. I mean…the club is pretty intense, but I am enjoying it. Marica has been super helpful, and she’s actually really nice. I like her,”

“Good, I was hoping you would,” she said, and I frowned. “Still, be careful, Anastasia,” Eloise added, and I groaned loudly. “I’m just saying, everyone has secrets,”

“Including you,” I snapped as I eyed her closely. “Tell me more about my parents,” her whole posture changed as she tensed up. I wasn’t even sure why she hated talking about my parents – her family. “Come on, Aunt Eloise, I just want to know more about them…you don’t talk about them unless I ask, and even then…you barely tell me anything,”

“You know what happened,” Eloise said. “They abandoned you. They abandoned us,”

“They literally disappeared without a trace. How do you know that they just…left? What if something bad happened?”

“I would have seen it,” Eloise pointed out, and I nodded. She wasn’t wrong. While my premonitions were few and far between, my Aunt was a different story. She had them constantly. “Look, talking about our family isn’t easy for me, Anastasia,” she finally admitted, and I immediately felt bad for prying. “And I understand that you want to know more…Eleanor and I…we lost our parents. You know that…they were murdered and…it took a long time for us to even come to terms with it. When she met Aaron, it was like…she finally had someone who was there for her in every way,”

“Did you see it?” I asked softly.

“No, we were too young to see it,” she replied, and I nodded. “I saw Aaron coming though…”

“Didn’t my mother see him coming too?” Eloise stared at me and for a moment it seemed as if she was so confused. Then she sighed and shook her head.

“I wouldn’t know what she saw…Eleanor never spoke about her abilities. Ever,” and before I could ask any more questions, she stood up. “I have a few things to do,” she said, and then she was gone. I sighed as I looked out the window. I had so many questions but no answers. Would I ever hear the full story? Maybe one day.