Daciana: Blood

Daciana stared, her reflection defiant, a haunting look straight back at her. The scissors were heavy, hard, and stiff, driven by anger. Clumps of hair filled the sink and tumbled to the floor. Hot tears burned her cheeks as she forced the cut through thick chunks. Birthdays had come and gone, yet Charlotte had not bothered with them. Why Daciana felt a desperate need for her, she could not explain, but she did. Maybe it was to vent, to scream at someone who deserved it.

Daciana had woken from a dream. It would be a nightmare, but the enjoyment was overwhelming. She could hear a heart beating and imagined blood pumping through arteries. The oxygen-rich energy excited her. The thought in her waking state made her mouth water. Daciana let out a scream, tossing the scissors across the bathroom. They stuck in the wall above the tiles. That steady heartbeat belonged to her sister sleeping in the next bed. Daciana had crept over, listening to it. Something inside urged her to rip the covers and taste the blood rushing from the heart to head. She staggered back and ran to the bathroom upstairs away from everyone.

What was happening? What was this darkness? Daciana loved her sister. She felt they were the same person, split in two by a god with a warped sense of humour. Daciana was the darker energy the pain and suffering imposed on them. Luliana, in bright colours and blonde hair, embodied the joy of life, making the best of the hand dealt. She looked like Charlotte, with those same blue eyes. Daciana looked at the clumps of brown hair. She shared her genetics with Caleb. The difference between the girls and their parents was their physical shape. Daciana and Luliana were plump, what Patrick called puppy fat, something they would outgrow. He would pat his stomach, happy with who he was. They were a family who loved and enjoyed their food. Except Daciana did not. Being force-fed high-calorie shakes was not the food that could give her life. What she wanted, what the voice inside demanded, was blood.

Daciana shuddered, a bitter taste in her mouth, new tears on her cheeks. She swept the hair into a bag, stuffing it into the bin. After watching a Sims tube video, Daciana filled the scissor-made hole with toothpaste. It seemed similar in texture, so Patrick might not notice.

On the landing, Leticia waited. Her eyebrows were drawn together, her chin tilted to the floor, and her lips parted. Daciana trembled as the heartbeat drowned the shaky voice of concern. Covering her ears, Daciana ran downstairs, desperate to block out the growing desire. Leticia followed, her heart beating faster with each panicked step. Daciana begged Leticia to stay back, but she did not listen. In a desperate attempt to comfort her daughter, Leticia rushed forward. She embraced Daciana, a hand stroking the shaggy remains of her hair.

Daciana felt the searing pain in her mouth. Two teeth, human and dull, spat on the floor. Blood filled her mouth. It tasted sweet, flavoured by the berry smoothie. Patrick insisted she drank it the previous night despite the toothache. Daciana held Leticia as the metallic taste filled her senses, dulling the pain. It was all Daciana understood as blood flowed through her. It tasted different. The metallic undertone accompanied sage, rosemary, thyme, tomatoes, and beef. Daciana sucked harder. There was cheese, salty and creamy. Her hands squeezed tighter on flesh, compelled to drink. A thousand neurons fired in her brain, and her skin hummed like an electric current. She was alive.