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One Last Time

As Dinah woke she could feel the bitter cold of November envelop her. She had been living in the basement of an abandoned house for a while. Stories of a ‘monster’ living in the house brought many drunken teens on dares to the doorstep. It was easy for her to get a meal, but she had to be careful. If she were to screw up the house would probably be searched or torn down and she would have to find somewhere else to live. It was getting harder to hide her secrets since all of the people in the town were scared of going near the house. Dinah had to go in search of food. As she searched the dark room for her angel outfit to put on, she heard a voice. As she dressed, the lonely voice got louder and louder.
“ Sounds like dinner,” she said to herself. Dinah went up the stairs and looked out the window facing the street. That was when she saw him, the boy who would change her life forever.
***
Duane was walking home from detention. He had gotten into another fight. Everyone was picking on him. He thought that when he got to high school, it would all stop; it only got worse after each year. Finally, he was in his last year of high school. He couldn’t wait to finish and get away from it all. He would be turning 18 in a couple of months and he would finally be able to move away from this little town and start over. His hand raked through his black hair, a habit he always had. He looked around his neighbourhood. It was already dark out and the stars were shining bright. As he passed the abandoned house at the end of his street he thought he saw something. A woman with pale white skin and long black hair wearing a white gown was looking at him through the window at him.
“Are those wings?” he whispered to himself. “Nah, it couldn’t be.”
The boy was wearing black rectangular sunglasses. It was the first thing Dinah noticed. He had a black blazer on and a red shirt underneath. Multiple piercing adorned his face, his lip, his ears and his eyebrow twice. They shone as the light from a streetlamp reflected off of them. A red and black scarf was around his neck with matching gloves on his hands. He had an angry expression on his face that turned to confusion when he saw her. Dinah didn’t know what came over her, but she wanted to follow him. As she headed for the door she passed a mirror. She turned to admire herself, but of course her pale face didn’t greet her. Dinah let out a long breath as she walked out the door. She would never be able to see her own face again.
A chill went down Duane’s spine as he looked behind him for the fifth time. He could swear someone was following him, but he couldn’t see anything. He entered his empty driveway and looked at his watch.
“It’s 8:30,” he said out loud. It was a common occurrence lately. Talking out loud as if someone was listening. Of course there was no one. His parents were never home and always working late shifts at the office. Only sleeping when Duane was at school. He only saw them on weekends, if he was lucky. As he entered the quiet house, he dropped his schoolbag by the stairs to his bedroom and went into the kitchen. There was a note on the fridge for him.
“Hey Honey!” the note went. “Sorry we aren’t home, but an unexpected business trip came up. Your father and I will be gone for the weekend. See you on Monday! Love Mom.”
“That’s just great,” Duane thought sarcastically.” Looks like I’ll be alone all weekend doing nothing yet again.”
“That was close,” Dinah said as she hid from view. “He almost saw me again.” The boy was always looking behind him. She watched as he opened the door and disappeared behind it. It was so peaceful outside. She heard no noise from animals or people; it was just too cold. Yet, the stars were still there, shining like diamonds of hope in the black void the scientists call the atmosphere. Dinah couldn’t help but smile. Then, she heard the sounds of someone climbing stairs emitting from the house. Then there was the sound of a window opening. She looked up at the house and saw the boy sitting on the roof, mesmerized by the stars. Dinah went closer to the house to get a better look. She saw the boys face as a tear slowly made its way down his cheek. He made no move to wipe it away. Full of curiosity, Dinah decided to go talk to him. It took her a while to find the right window. She climbed through and saw him there.
“Hey, I noticed you were looking at the stars. They’re pretty bright tonight aren’t they?” Dinah said softly as she offered him a white satin handkerchief. The boy seemed startled as he looked up at her, then he gasped. Dinah wondered why he would, and she remembered that she was dressed as an angel.
With amazement in his eyes, Duane looked at her. The pale, white skin, the long black hair and the white gown. It was the woman from the window. She looked so much more beautiful up close. He opened his mouth to ask her name, but nothing came out. She smiled, looked into his eyes and said, “Hello, my name is Dinah.” Overcoming his shyness he replied, “Mine is Duane. Did you follow me home?” Realizing his mistake he sighed. “Of course you did. What a dumb question. How else would you have known where I lived?” She just smiled at him and said. “Tell me about yourself Duane.” He was anxious to talk to her; finally there was someone to share his feelings with. It was the beginning of a friendship that would literally last an eternity…or so they thought.
***
Every time Dinah woke, she remembered his story. How he felt alone, how his parents were never home. He was constantly in fights with the other students in his school. It must be so hard for him to live. If she were in that situation she would have ran away; escape from her problems, like always. Duane was so strong, able to stay in such a life-draining situation; no one was there to share his problems. He didn’t even have friends. When she felt suppressed, when she felt alone, she ran. One day she just couldn’t take the tyranny anymore. It still hurt for her to think abut that day. She believed then that her only option was to rid the world of herself. On her way to the train track, she met the man. She never learned his name, but he helped her. Or so she thought. He was a vampire; it was late at night while all was asleep. She was going to throw herself in the way of the speeding train, but he got in the way. He promised her many things to seduce her into handing over her precious blood. Poor Dinah didn’t know she would wander the darkness forevermore. When she finally woke, she was in a dark place with the nameless man looking down at her.
“You’re not alive anymore,” he said in a deep, haunting voice. “Stay out of the sun, the darkness will be your friend forevermore,” and with that he disappeared.
A tear came to her eye as Dinah remembered her new beginning. She wished death would come swift and painless, though her prayers would never be answered.
Duane woke with the sun shining in his face. The sudden bright light made his eyes squint. It was Valentines Day and Duane wanted to do something nice for the angel who helped him; who listened to his problems without complaining. He had started to acquire feelings for her after a few months of knowing her. After school he headed for the angel’s house. The abandoned house seemed unbefitting in the otherwise beautiful neighbourhood. The town was convinced to keep the house because it was part of the town’s rich heritage.
“Why would something so beautiful live in such a dark and dreary place?” He mumbled to himself as he opened the door. As he entered the old house he was greeted with darkness and a strong spell of mothballs. The windows were covered with plywood so no light entered. He was in search of a light switch when he tripped. He looked to see what it was and he gasped.
“Is that a coffin?” He asked no one in particular with a slight nervousness in his voice. As he looked around the house he noticed more and more coffins. The last thing he heard was the satisfied laugh, and then he heard nothing.
Dinah heard the thump, then the faint voice, and finally the laugh. She opened the lid of her satin lined coffin and climbed out. It still would be light out, so the others would still be sleeping. Then Dinah remembered how Duane promised he would visit today; it was then she became frightened. What if it was Duane who fell? What if someone heard him enter? She quickly ran up the stairs to investigate. Duane was a few feet from the staircase. A blank, terrified look was on his lifeless face. A bouquet of tiger lilies was in his hands.
“He remembered,” she whispered. “I love tiger lilies.” She then began to cry, as if the cold tears would bring him back. Dinah noticed a little card and she began to read it out loud to herself. “Hope you like the flowers. With love, Duane.” she couldn’t endure the desolation as it overwhelmed her. She opened the front door and felt the warmth of the setting sun one last time.