Valkyrie - the Vampire Princess (8 page)

CHAPTER 17

I had been oversleeping.

Every afternoon, after school
, I always came home and went to my room, where I usually slept for twelve hours.

I couldn’t understand why I
was so sleepy.

All this time my mother had been worried
about me. She thought I was sick, maybe I could be anemic.

“
I’ll take you to see a doctor,” she said as she was so worried about me.

“
I’m okay,” I said, trying to make her change her mind.

“You
sleep too much,” she insisted. “Tomorrow, we are going to see a doctor.”

***

The next day,
we drove downtown to the doctor’s office. While we were in the waiting room, I was looking at a middle-aged man as he was in his white medical coat.

My mother
was by my side and described to the doctor my behavior over the last few days.

He started asking questions
about how I was feeling. I responded to all his questions, irritated, as I thought everything was just nonsense.

A nurse walked me to the emergency room
and lay me down on the stretcher. My mother stayed with me. I looked up at her face and noticed she was nervous, pacing back and forth.

The nurse
brought the necessary instruments to collect my blood. I looked to my left when I felt the needle of the syringe move into my left arm. The clock was ticking and she was still trying to collect my blood, but it didn’t seem to pump.

After several
frustrating attempts, she decided to call the doctor. My mother got even more apprehensive about what was happening to me. She knew there was something wrong with me.

The doctor
came in, followed by the nurse as she was telling him all that had happened to me.

“What’s going on?”
my mother asked the doctor, with a weeping voice.

“There is
nothing to worry about. We just couldn’t find the blood vessels of your daughter,” he said prudently.

After three
attempts, they finally managed to find my vein.

My blood was
dark and thick.

I noticed that
something was unusual. The result of my blood test would come within three days.

My mother and I walked out
of the clinic and I looked down at my arm. Then I saw swelling and hematoma on my skin.

“
Satisfied now?” I asked my mother when I stepped into our car.

“
Not yet. I need to check your blood test,” she replied.

“I will never set foot in that damn clinic again! Look what they did to my arm!” Then I slammed the car door as I was outraged.

CHAPTER 18

The next day,
I went to school in a bad mood, all because my arm was still swollen.

Before I entered the classroom
, I met Eros in the hall. I tried to turn back and not face him. It was too late. He walked beside me, side by side.

“Are you still angry at me?”
he finally asked.

“No,” I answered,
looking ahead.

“Why are you
avoiding me?” he insisted.

“
I’m not avoiding you.”

At a faster pace
I tried to leave him behind. But he held my wounded arm, obstructing me.

“Ouch!” I screamed out.

“Are
you hurt?” He looked down at my right arm. “What’s this?”

“This was an unlucky blood test.”
I looked away awkwardly.

“Did they
collect your blood?” He raised his eyebrows at me.

“
Yeah.” My voice was very weak.

“
Are you sick?” he asked.

“I’ve been
sleeping too much and my mother is worried about me…she thinks I’m anemic.”

“
That’s stuff is nonsense…” he said, glancing at me with a slight smile.

“
Do you think this is nonsense?” “What if I’m really sick?” I asked, disappointed.

“That must be a
lack of blood,” he said, in a serious tone.

“
How? Lack of blood?” I asked perplexed at his supposition.

“You need red meat,”
he explained.

“I
eat red meat every day.”

I
ingenuously gave him details of my meals.

“
Try to eat only raw meat,” he said, staring at my face.

“Thank you
for this hint!” I said, ironically.

Would who
eat raw meat? I thought to myself.

“I’m serious,” he said again.

Eros and I stared at each other in silence.

I felt another chill as I stared at him. Then I became confused. He seemed to understand more about my problem than my own doctor.

CHAPTER 19

I returned to the school library. I was on tiptoe, in several frustrating attempts to pick up a book that was on a shelf. But I didn’t get
to even touch it.

It was then that  I heard a voice that made me stop.  That same voice always made me tremble every time I heard it.

“Let me  pick it up for you.”

Eros didn’t need to be on tiptoe to reach the book. He just lifted up his hand and brought the book among his fingers.  When he raised his arm, his shirt sleeve went up and I could see a tattoo on his left arm.

“Here it is,” he said leaving the book securely in my hand.

Then I held the book distractedly, because my thoughts were on the tattoo on his left arm.

“What’s this on your arm?”

Curiosity had been more intense than my own silence at that moment.

“This is a ‘symbol of Neptune,’” he answered while he lifted up his shirt sleeve and showed me the engraving clearly.

Then I felt a strange sensation as I was gazing at that design. I imagined I had seen it before at some place, but I didn’t know precisely where and when. I didn’t remember how.

“You surprise me every day. I swore you didn’t like these things,” I said as I felt a little giddy.

“I didn’t make it because I wanted it,” he gazed into my eyes. “It emerged on my arm.”

“You always make use of your mood sense to justify all the wrong things you do.”

“Do you think this is wrong, someone having a tattoo?”

I turned my gaze aside and answered him. “I think it is wrong - the manner in which they are used. ”

“In my case
my tattoo makes part of my survival.”

“Are you some Mafioso?”

“Do I look like one?”

“Uuuhh, I don’t know... sometimes you are so... mysterious,” I answered gazing at his face.’

“Does this disturb you?” I was faced by his enigmatical gaze.

“It does, a little...” I answered and went out of his way. I wasn’t able to continue that conversation, much less
gaze into his eyes.

CHAPTER 20

I hosted a
dinner for my two school friends, Mirta and Eros. My mother wanted to get to know them.

Eros
was the first one to arrive. I went to my home’s front door to welcome him. I cared about doing my hair before opening the door for him.

“
Come in!” I told him.

“
Thanks.” He looked tense.

We moved to the living room
and my mother stood up, observing us.

“
Mother, this is Eros,” I said, nervously.

They stared at each other.

“Hi,” she first said.

“
How are you ma’am?” he asked.

My mother
looked at Eros. Her eyes seemed as vigilant as always.

“Sit down,” my mother
gently prodded.

Eros
sat on the sofa and my mother sat on a chair next to the couch. I went again to the front door to receive my girlfriend Mirta. I barely opened the door and she walked in, as if she was my family member.

“Where is your mother?”
she asked, looking up at my home’s decoration.

“
There,” I pointed a finger at my mother.

Mirta
glanced at Eros, with his back to us while he was sitting on the sofa.

“Why
didn’t you tell me he would be here? I would have dressed in more appropriate clothes,” she whispered into my ear.

I looked at her
from top to toe and checked out her clothes. Mirta was wearing a miniskirt, her legs were exposed. Her clothing was like an invitation to any man, including Eros, to travel through them.

We finally went to
the living room.

“
Ma’am, are you Valkyrie’s mother? You’re so young!” Mirta said this before I had introduced her to my mother.

“
How are you? My daughter speaks very highly of you!” she said and stood up.

“I am
fine,” she answered and smiled genteelly.

Then
she stared at Eros, who was still sitting on the sofa.  He seemed not at all happy at her presence.

“
Hi, Eros!” she said and smiled at him.

“
Hi!” he said, seriously.

I didn’t notice
him staring at Mirta’s legs and that had created a feeling of relief inside me.

We sat on our chairs at the
dining table when dinner was finally ready. My mother sat at the head of the table. Mirta sat by my side and Eros took a seat opposite me.

“
Who are your parents, Eros?” my mother asked after she placed all the food on the dining-table.

“
My parents… don’t live in this town,” he responded, quietly.

“What about
your parents, Mirta?” she continued, looking at Mirta.

“My
father is a lawyer and my mother is a housewife,” Mirta said proudly.

“Mother,
we’d better eat,” I said.

We all had dinner quietly. Later
my mother brought the dessert.

***

After dinner, we went back to the living room. We sat on the couch and talked about the town and about school, too.

Unexpectedly, we heard the sound of a
horn. Mirta skipped quickly and rose from the couch. Eros’ gaze stopped on her legs. I felt afflicted as I was jealous because I knew his eyes were focused on something interesting, that is, a wonderful pair of legs.

“
It’s my father. He came to fetch me!” she said.

I walked
Mirta to the front door after she said to everyone,

“Have a good night.”

***

Then I came back to the living room and Eros was talking to my mother. He had the intention to leave, too. I stood near him.

“
Good night!” Eros said, distantly.

My mother
touched his cold hand and looked into his eyes. She shivered and got a strange feeling.

“
Good night!” she said, stunned.

I walked
Eros towards the front yard while we walked side by side.

“You are leaving so soon,”
I said, outraged.

“
It is late.” He stared at me for a moment. “I’m going to bed early.”

“Did you enjoy having dinner in my home?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“And did you like
my mother?”

“
I think you should ask her that.” His voice was troubled.

“Why?
Did she treat you badly?” I was preoccupied with this subject now.

“No,
but my presence bothered her,” he confessed and his gaze searched the darkness.

“She’s
like that. My mother always tries to protect me from everything. ” I was embarrassed.

The silence lasted for a long moment until he finally said
, “Have a good night, Valkyrie.”

“
I can ask my mother to take you home!”

“
Don’t worry, I’ll go walking,” he said and kept walking slowly.

Every time I stared at his back
, he seemed further and further away. He was so fast.

***

I locked the front door and went over to my mother.
She was standing in the living room after she leaned her face to the window and saw Eros and me in the front yard.

“
Your friends are very interesting!” she said in a low voice.

“What’s wrong?
” I asked, staring at her face.

“
Mirta’s clothes are so short!”

“What’s the big deal about that?”

“Your friend Eros…” she grimaced.

“
What’s wrong with him?” I asked, apprehensive.

“
He’s a weird and distant guy … he has an enigmatic gaze… like…”

She didn’t finish her sentence and watched me, intently
.

“Like who?” I was so intrigued.

“Like a person I met once.”

“Like my father?” I insisted.

My mother stared at me and then her eyes met the floor. “How do you know this?”

“
I guessed.”

“
He reminds me of your father; not his physical look but his gaze… his icy hand…” my mother said as she looked puzzled at him.