The Sight

At day break, Charity found herself panicking as the sun’s warm rays began to caress her pale skin. The sun does not burn, or cause any physical pain; her reaction was preprogrammed in her mind. Calming herself quietly, Charity sat up and watched the daytime employees start to arrive and begin their long day of picking up trash left over from the previous nights parties.



Not wanting to be chastised for spending the night on the beach, Charity stood up, and brushed the sand off of her jeans. She headed over to a nearby bench far enough from the still smoldering fire that accompanied her the night before. Charity could not help smile to herself, happy to have another day, another chance. When you live your life wondering if the next day would be your last, you begin to appreciate the fact that you are still alive.



Charity found her mind wandering back to thoughts of the blonde man from last night. She knew he most certainly was a vampire, and that he recognized her. How much he knew, was the problem. Charity contemplated her options. With the limited amount of cash left, running away again would not be a realistic option. After all, she more than likely will just run into another vampire pack somewhere else, and that pack may not be happy with her presence. The blonde vampire from the night before had left her, without harm. He could have done more, but he didn’t. Charity had no idea if this information would be helpful to her or not. The vampire would either let her go, or come looking for her. Not to mention Max, Charity knew that he had something to do with the blonde vampire. Max was best to be left well enough alone.



Charity closed her eyes, and listened to the ocean crashing against the beach. Water has always been so calming; a way for her to escape the stress of her own troubled thoughts. When she needed a break from anything in particular, even just watching water flow from the tap in a sink would be enough to invoke peaceful thoughts. When her mind calmed, Charity considered again what she would do when and if she ran into the vampire again. There obviously would be more, as they normally traveled in packs. Whether they worked together or not, was a different story. Some preferred to be solitaire, but very rarely lived in an area where there was not at least one other vampire. She will either have to hide from him, or try to meet his eyes without fear, which undoubtedly would require an extreme amount of courage. She signed and opened her eyes. Did she have that courage left? Charity smiled at herself, and shook her head. Of course she had the courage, she left didn’t she?



Charity took the rest of the day and spent it relaxing; enjoying the attractions Santa Carla had to offer. The town had a completely different energy than it did at night. During the day it felt quiet, almost reserved, the kind of place you would feel comfortable walking alone in, despite the fact it was very much the opposite of quiet. The beach and the boardwalk were quite busy; entertaining all sorts of different people. However, at night, it was buzzing with activity, life, and the underlying sense of danger. Charity briefly wondered as she headed down the boardwalk for the fifth time that day, if she would run into Michael again. He seemed like a nice guy, and had a certain ease about him, which allowed for easy conversation. Meeting and talking with people had never been one of Charity’s strong suites; she always was a quiet, inverted person. Maybe meeting new friends would be the best way to start her new life.



Charity found herself entering a small store, “Frog’s Comics.” She looked around puzzled, having no idea why she entered the store to begin with. Comics were something she could certainly care less about. Despite the oddity of her destination, she began to look around curious as to why she felt the need to enter the store. The store itself was simple enough, shelving full of comics, the walls decorated with various action figures and posters, and the front register stacked with multiple candy choices. A couple who wore dark sunglasses and had matching dark hair, sat at the counter, apparently looking asleep, or in some other state of oblivion. A loud television blared in the corner next to them, and in the far corner stood a few video game machines including a pinball machine that one small boy was intently trying to conquer.



Charity noticed that many mirrors were strategically placed throughout the store. One would assume they were to watch the customers, but Charity knew that there were other reasons why those mirrors were in place. She stopped to gaze at her reflection, which shown back at her without any sort of distortion. Charity frowned at her face, which was looking unusually pale alongside her red hair. Her brown eyes blinked back, looking deep and serious. Charity pulled her hair brush out of her small bag, and began to brush her wavy ringlets away from her face. She eyed her wardrobe; pleased that her jeans at least appeared to still be in decent shape, and the violet V-neck sweater she wore still looked free from any sort of damage. The weather today was not quite as cold, so she was able to put her walker safely back into her bag.



“Hey, this isn’t a beauty shop princess” growled a deep voice in Charity’s ear. Charity turned around, and found herself face to face with two teenagers, dressed in matching camouflage pants and red blazing t-shirts, complete with matching red headbands. The boys both had dark wavy hair, and brown eyes that watched her moves intently. One boy stood at least a foot shorter than the other, and wore a patronizing smirk on his face. The teenagers glared at her, each holding boxes full of comics.



“Sorry” Charity mumbled as she started to walk away.



“You are new here” stated the shorter boy. “I’m Edgar, and this my brother Alan.”



“Hi” Charity said simply and looked around for an exit.



“Have you noticed anything strange about Santa Carla yet?” asked Alan, curling his lips into a snarl.



Charity looked both the boys over. They obviously were trying to intimidate her for some reason, and were both failing miserably. Their actions and forced tough mannerisms told her the boys watched far too many Rambo movies, and were trying to act years beyond their age.



“Whatever do you mean?”



“If you have not by now, you will certainly soon” Edgar said as he handed her a comic book. Charity glanced at the title, Vampires Everywhere.



“No thank you, boys really” Charity sighed as she handed the book back.



“It’s free. Read it, it just might save your life” Edgar answered as he pushed the book back into her hands.



Alan only nodded in agreement. “Our number is on the back. Pray that you never need to call us.”



Charity held back the impulse to roll her eyes at the two boys who stood so seriously before her. “Ok” she smiled politely. The boys only grunted in response as she worked her way around them, attempting to dodge out of the store as quickly as she could.



To her surprise, she did end up running into Michael, as soon as she left the door. He was walking to the store with a hyper blond teenager who bolted inside laughing.



“Michael! How are you?”



“Hi Charity! I’m doing great! I was just dropping my brother Sam off,” Michael motions to the comic store, “He has a pathetic addiction to this stuff.” Michael smiled at her, showing off his bright pearly white smile. Charity could not help but smile back, she appreciated his friendly manner.



“Do you want to stop and get something to eat? I have my bike over there.” Michael stated as he pointed towards a small red Honda motorcycle. Charity nodded and followed Michael to his bike. He climbed on and grinned. “I know she’s not much, but she runs wonderful. Eventually I will get a nicer one.”



“I think it’s a lovely bike. I have no idea how to drive one, nor would I ever want to! But I love riding on them!” Charity eagerly announced while climbing on the back, and holding onto Michaels waist. She enjoyed the ride, eagerly taking in more aspects of the town she had not been able to get to while on foot. Michael did not drive fast, almost cautiously as he drove to a small restaurant. Charity almost wished he would have gone faster, she loved feeling the wind blow through her hair, and the freedom the ride provided. Charity noted that Michael must not have been much of a risk taker, or he just was a cautious person.



After taking their seats Michael ordered a simple hamburger and fries with coke on the side. Charity stuck with grill cheese again. “Are you sure that’s what you want? You don’t have to worry about the price or being afraid to eat in front of me.” Michael stated.



Charity glared at him, irritated at his sudden display of sexism. Michael looked confused. “Trust me, if I wanted to eat like a pig I would!”



Michael simply grinned and said, “Well ok, just don’t complain to me you are hungry later!”