7 Last Event Myself

I went back to the inn and checked out. I went to the place where Cloute, the le Langme castle, used to stand. It is now infested with weeds, different plants and trees. I pictured the castle standing there with its majestic towers and gray bricks with creeping ivy. I walked into it and flashbacks of what happened that day came back again.

I was strolling in the woods just beside the castle and I was seventeen. I met a mysterious looking man with cadaverous skin and violet eyes that is almost shining. He smiled at me, revealing perfect white teeth but with canines so abnormally long like a snake's fangs.

I was shocked that I did not move nor run when he came near me. He said I don't need to be afraid because he is a friend. He said something else to me which had changed me so much. Just then, he kissed the left corner of my lips and touched my hair, running it down to its tip. He inched away a little and covered my eyes with his icy hands.

"Don't die, Casandra", he just said and he was gone.

Someone's calling me.

It was my cousin who assured me that I am safe and sound; we went back to the castle and because of curiosity and the feeling of wanting something, I escaped from the castle and went back to the woods, expecting to see him again... just then, I lose my footing and before I realized it, I was falling from a high cliff, his words came like a hunting ghost but it was too late, I felt the earth, the warm blood from my head... I died.

I opened my eyes and expected to find myself in heaven but instead, I found myself on the same ground I fell onto. Quite shocking! I am sure I died, so perfectly sure, but how, how did I ever survived that. NO! I did not survived, I was revived from death and I don't know what to think of it.

When I turned around, there he was, holding my favorite velvet gown.

"Come Casandra, you need to change and go back, they are looking for you."

I stood up and let him lead me to a brook I don't remember seeing in all my tours in those woods... just as I was about to be led to the water, I noticed how bloody I am, the stench of my blood doesn't smell bad, but it smells like strawberry freshly picked. I wondered why.

I bathe, cleansing myself with the cool waters and put on that dress he held to me. When I finished up, he came to me, so close that I think I can't breathe.

"You did not listen to me! You're so reckless", he said, not mad nor happy.

I managed to have my voice back and was surprised to hear such a beautiful sound. It was creepy and wonderful at the same time.

"I died, I knew it", I said, "Why am I still alive? Who are you? It looks like you knew but I don't know you."

"I've known you long enough, Casandra", he said, "My name is Reyl and my apologies because I can't answer you're first question."

"What are you, then?"

"You need to go back now, your family is looking for you."

"But – ", I started but I was interrupted with a kiss, his lips tasted like honey, cherry and blood. He put something on my neck and he let go.

He inched away so fast, "Farewell, Casandra", he said and was gone like the wind.

From that day on forward, I became so mysterious to everybody, even to myself. I rarely speak and my family was in great disarray, I never saw Reyl again.

I went to the airport after visiting Cloute and planned to return back home, if ever that is my home.

In the mansion and I found Aniston, Calina, Seven, Andros, Aldrin and Madame Isalen seated by the fireplace... like they are expecting me. Why are they even here, all of them? Almost everything that involves me feels... so strange.

When I entered, all eyes were on me, I just can't say anything, unlucky enough, I run into a vase and it fell, it broke in my hands and shards of the glass cut my forearm in some kind of a deep slice.

Before I prevent it, they saw the cuts closing up then healed, leaving no trace of the previous cut, like there's really no cut done on it. Their faces were so surprised, shocked so I immediately found myself telling what happened to me... the truth, to them.

"You probably wonder why, but first hear my story and I hope for all of you to understand", I started, "I am all the women you know that resembles me, I am legitimately Casandra le Langme and I once lived in England, when I was seventeen, I met this vampire who said that I should be careful not to die but I did, the perplexing thing that happened was, I died but I lived... we, him and me, don't know why, I planned to escape from my family and I did, I found out that my home burned and all I thought of that time was, I won't ever return back to being Casandra so I decided to be Melranne Arke, when I found out that Richard is in love to me, I spare him and left without saying anything to him then I went to Spain and met Jamy, before the wedding, I left because I realized that I'm going to hurt him one way or another, I don't really love him and I wanted to apologize to him for letting him entangled with my life, I then, headed to China and was judged to be a vampire by those old women and those witches, I partly said something of myself to Langsheur because I was fond of him that time, I left, making the village believed that I was killed and burned to ashes", I paused to catch my breath and continued, "I came here and went to high school and I met you, Isa," – looking at Madame Isalen – "remember the parties we went to even though your mother disagreed? Our trips to Alaska which caught me freezing like a snowman once, but then, the people started suspecting my youthful age so I left for the last time and then I lost myself after I saw Lesa's bright face looking at me so kindly", I ended my story with a sigh, "I remembered all of these after I cliff dived, it just came to me...", I don't have anything more to say because I feel strange, as always, for summarizing my story.

It's like I'm narrating a story hoping it is just a fictional novel that I read somewhere.

No one spoke a word, everyone is so speechless and is looking at me like I am insane but I can feel that they believed me, they were just so shocked and all.

"So, any reactions to my true identity?", I asked, partly joking or something, still no one spoke, "and, now, I must leave this place, too, find refuge to some other place where no one knows me."

"Who cares what you are!", Seven said, "You are still Spring Lelash and nothing changes that, your past is your past and we don't care, just live like you're normal, you survived this long so why not spend it with us.''

Calina and Aniston seconded him so I just stood there staring at them, silence reign again and I don't know what to say anymore.

Why... why... why are they making me stay?

I'm still afraid of what the future hold for me as I look at them.

"I'll stay'', I said, out of nowhere, at last, already done but I know there is doubt in my words and I have strange feelings, I ignored it because seeing how glad they were, I smiled and forgot what I am for a... bit.

They are unusual too, aren't they? They heard me, my story, knows my true identity, yet they chose for me to stay and live with them. No one really spoke much except Seven, they all nod to show that they are with him. Their smiles are sincere and I said to myself that I am still blessed, despite living like this... ageless after dying once.

I don't know when to stop living anyway. I hope Reyl's here but he is not. So, I am going to take the risk of staying as Spring Lelash... for now.

I guess, I will leave the matter to fate's hands like most always have. The past will remain past and today is another one, the future is a mystery.