Breaking the Hourglass

[Velveteen]

She had no idea how long it been, a day? A week? One or two? It was all a blur really and she couldn’t even say she cared at this very moment in time. With a rueful shake of her head she slipped the small passport sized photo back into her pocket. They would be wondering why they hadn’t heard from her and she missed them now like she never remembered missing them before. Her parents, not even they could help her this time. Velveteen raised a hand to comb slender fingers through ebony locks and grimaced in disgust as they were met instead by tangles and something that felt like straw. No wonder she was drawing so much attention from the humans, she surely looked a right mess, not being able to remember when she last showered even. Oh wait...yes she did. She was still human, and at her place in Perth. Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall what day it was and gave up with a sigh.

It felt like yesterday she was so full of curiosity and excitement and yet it felt like a lifetime ago. The time between her meeting with Zachariah Staus and now sat like a fog in her mind that refused to disperse. Sure, she was a vampire. She sucked the blood out of humans to survive. She had new abilities that seemed to develop out of nowhere , her senses more heightened than she could have ever imagined possible and yet she still found it hard to believe despite having accepted it. She would adjust, adapt and maybe even one day come to embrace the inevitable but for now she struggled. Too many unanswered questions. Too much that didn’t make sense and no clue as to what was coming. She hung her head and rubbed firmly at her forehead as if the touch alone would somehow clear the haze in her head. It didn’t. Perhaps it was time she sought out the man that had done this to her, maybe he had some of the answers to her questions but first she would have to make herself presentable.

Digging in her pocket for her room key she cast a precarious glance over each shoulder which, had anybody been watching, would have looked highly suspicious. They may have even seen her lips move in silent prayer as she inserted the key in the lock, and hoped it still worked. It did. Slipping inside quietly she quickly shut and locked the door behind her and tossed the keys on a bedside table. Her eyes instantly fell on the soft toy rabbit that lay on the bed exactly where she left it. Her shoulders slumped and instantly she could feel the tears welling up, tears she had managed to bite back on more then one occasion since...the thing. “Where are you?”, she whispered as she picked up the rabbit, fingers affectionately picking at one of the floppy ears. “Why wont you answer me?” Her voice suddenly filled with rage as she threw the rabbit hurtling across the small room and into the wall with a soft thud before it came to rest in a crumpled heap on the floor. She wanted to scream, she wanted to break things she wanted....she just wanted him to talk to her but for some reason he either wouldn’t or couldn’t. Maybe Dr. Staus could tell her why.

She slammed her fists against her temples in frustration. She was feeling a little more than frayed. All the unanswered questions were literally making her crazy and her inability to control herself even more so. Velveteen felt like a tightly wound spring on the verge of snapping and if **** didn’t change soon she might well do exactly that. “Fuuuck!!” Shrugging of her jacket she threw it on the bed and wrinkled her nose as she could see the state of it even in the dim lighting offered by the street light through the curtains. No wonder the hunters were constantly on her arse. She continued to strip as she made her way to the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothing behind her. Clothing she would have to get rid of later.

As the warmth of the water washed over her cool skin she felt herself relax, easing some of the tension that had taken up permanent residence in her neck and shoulders. She winced slightly as her finger gingerly examined several healing wounds. A bullet wound in the shoulder and a stab wound in her abdomen. They were healing fast but not fast enough to be painless for some days. Another couple of days though and she would be as good as new, provided she could stay off the human hunter’s radar. Perhaps it was time she found a more suitable place to stay and one that wouldn’t be maxing out her credit card. Velveteen laughed suddenly as an amusing thought struck her. Her credit cards and savings would only sustain her for so long and the amounts she was lifting from the humans she fed on was never anything considerable, perhaps she would have to consider finding a job. “Oh yeah, that’s an option.” She said out loud as she stepped from the shower, wrapping a towel around herself.

It took only moments before she was dressed in a clean change of clothes and had run a brush through her hair, feeling more human than she had in a while. She hesitated as she looked toward the light switch, which she had avoided using up till now. Her hands and arms under the revealing bright light looked somewhat corpse like, her skin almost translucent and the veins beneath completely visible. She had become accustomed to avoiding well lit areas for this very reason but who would see her here...and besides she needed light to put her make up on. Snatching up her make up bag in resignation she flipped the switch and moved to the mirror. Her concentration focused on searching among the many small bottles and pallets for her best foundation. She smiled triumphantly as she found it, perhaps this would help her look a little more human at least.

Her joy was short lived as she looked up toward the mirror. Her features twisted in horror and the bottle slipped from her hand, instantly shattering against the tiles upon impact. She rose a hand to her face, her lips moving silently as fingers slid along her cheek. Her initial shock turning to anger in a heartbeat. “You have got to be shittin’ me!” She growled in frustration and slowly backed away . The only thing visible in the mirror before her was the wall behind her, that now pressed against her back. No reflection, she was going mad, surely. She approached the mirror again but still she could not see herself. No reflection, what the **** is this? She shook her head, this just wasn’t possible, couldn’t be possible. She didn’t realise she was moving until she felt the cold tiles again at her back. She closed her eyes, unable to look at the mirror any longer and slid down the wall, hugging her knees to her chest. She then did something she had not done in more years than she cared to remember, she cried. Completely alone, half a planet away from home and a **** sucking vampire....Seriously?

[Velveteen]

Velveteen loathed self pity. There was nothing more pathetic to her than those individuals that wallowed in self misery and blamed the world for their woes. She had no sympathy for them nor did she have the social aptitude to not display her disgust at their apparent lack of fortitude when personally faced with such an individual. Just another of the many reasons that the woman was a social outcast and preferred it that way. Yet here she was the very epitome of that which she despised. Her own weakness and self hatred only served to drag her further into the depths of despair as she lamented over the situation and so the internal battle for righteousness began.

She could have been there for minutes or hours huddled on the cold tile floor. She did not know nor did she actually care, months could have passed without mattering to her in that moment and had it not been for the vibration of her phone against the hard laminated surface it sat upon, they very well could have. The woman groaned inwardly. She had no idea who could be calling her or why and she forced herself to move to at least find out. Anything to distract her from her own self-centered pity party was a welcome distraction.

Velveteen pulled herself up onto hands and knees to reach up for the device before resuming her prior position, offering the flashing screen only a cursory glance before hitting the button that would connect her to whoever was at the other end. Raven colored strands fell forward as she dipped her head to meet her hand that rose simultaneously and pressed her ear to the phone. Instead of offering the obligatory ‘Hello’ to let the anonymous caller know she had answered she remained silent. Static laced with a hint of paper shuffling was all that could be heard in the drawn out seconds of uncertainty that followed before a male’s voice cut through the semi-silence.

“Uhh...hello? Is there anybody there?”

"Yes.” Granted it was not the most welcoming of replies but it answered his question. She was far from being in the mood to make light conversation.

“Oh, right. I need to speak with Miss Brandon? Valyrie Brandon. Are you her?” The voice sounded somewhat nervous and she detected the Australian accent immediately. Her brow furrowed at the use of her formal name. Despite her sudden curiosity Velveteen became guarded. It had been several weeks now since she left without a word and while she had spent little time wondering how to deal with her family and work, she had yet to figure out exactly what to do. Dread began to gnaw at the edges of her mind as she sat silent, unsure of how to proceed. “Hello? Are you still there? I need to speak with Miss Brandon, it is quite urgent.”

Velveteen shifted uncomfortably. She didn’t like the tone of his voice. It sounded too official and her growing sense of apprehension made this feel even more like something she did not want to deal with right now. But her need to know got the better of her. “I am Valyrie Brandon. What do you want?” The sudden irritation in her voice was quite unnecessary but she really wanted to get this over with. More reminders of a home she won’t ever return to were the last thing the woman wanted or needed right now.

“Right ...ahhh....Hello Valyrie, my name is Scott Reardon. Your parent’s lawyer? I don’t know if you remember me.” Velveteen had to suppress the growl that threatened to erupt from her lips. Oh she remembered him alright. He was a big part of why she ended up in that place all those years ago, though he couldn’t possibly know that she knew that. The nervousness in his voice made her imagine him pulling at his buttoned up collar uncomfortably and suddenly it occurred to her that the fact he was even calling could not mean anything good. “I have been trying to track you down for days. I...I am afraid I have bad news. There was an accident. Your parents. They were killed instantly. The funeral is tomorrow. They had made prior arrangements so it was all taken care of.....” The man continued to ramble but she had already stopped listening.

The hand that clutched the phone to her ear fell away as Velveteen sat in a stunned silence. Was it bad that the first thing she felt was relief? Probably. But knowing that she would not have to deal with them and her current situation definitely lightened the weight upon her shoulders. She was already dealing with the loss of never seeing them again so their deaths didn’t change that. Of course she was saddened. She loved them despite the... issues and for all of her own short comings they loved her, even though they didn’t have to. Just like they didn’t have to choose her thirty three years ago but somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that with them gone, there was no longer anything to miss at home. Besides her family, all she had was a job, an apartment and some material possessions. There were no friends or social life to speak of. No other significant relationships. Nothing.

“Valyrie? Valyrie....are you still there. There are some things I need to discuss with you about your parent’s affairs.” She could still hear him clearly even though the phone was nowhere near her ear. “Stupid phone.” There was annoyance in his voice as he obviously believed the connection had been lost followed by random beeps as he tried to redial. The guy was such an idiot; Velveteen couldn’t help but wonder how he ever passed the Bar. Sterling silver orbs rolled upwards to stare blankly at the large mirror, a framed reflection of the seemingly empty room. The blank expression on her face did little to reveal her emotions as she pulled herself to stand in front of the mirror once more and again she saw nothing but the bare, white tiles behind her.

Her voice was steady yet emotionless as she lifted the phone only part way to her lips. “I’ll have to call you back Scott.” The line went dead amid his protests and she tilted her head slightly as she continued to stare into the mirror. So that was it. Everything was gone and she was as dead now as her past. She was a ghost. Not even a reflection of the person she once was existed anymore and her own face was no more than a memory that she was likely to forget over time. The only people who could truly attest to her existence at all were gone. Her brow creased as her mind swirled in a surreal landscape of random thoughts. Had the story ended or was it just beginning. A new chapter? A sequel? Perhaps a tale yet to be thought of and imparted to another.

Whatever it was she knew one thing with certain clarity. Everything that tied her to anything before now no longer mattered. Everything she thought she was had been negated in the space of a five minute call and what she was from this point onward would be a consequence of her own actions and decisions. The silence of the small room was shattered as Velveteen drove the heel of her hand into the mirror in a fit of rage that came without warning. Glass crashed and splintered as it fell to the floor, each piece reminiscent of a memory that now bombarded her mind in a barrage of emotion as she relived each in vivid detail.