SEEING THE OUTSIDE

EARLIER THAT DAY,

Sam was reading a book while candy was making kites with some of the old papers on the cupboard. The cupboard was adjacent to the dining table and there were two picture frames covered with dust which seem to have remained the same way for many years. A cracked flower vase was posed on the wooden center table, opposite it was a twin dazzling fireplace keeping the house warm. Their mum, Mrs Jain was making breakfast in the kitchen so the whole house was filled with the aroma of a scrumptious delicacy. Their mum sells meat in the blood suckers market and it was the only thing they survived by.

She takes the risk everyday going to sell at the market owned by the blood suckers. Blood suckers was the name humans call the vampires. She has never sold in the human market because most humans couldn't afford the price tag of meat. 

Even those middle-class humans who could afford it were afraid of buying it because the blood suckers said meat was their own food. They didn't want to be involved with anything that pertained to those blood suckers. The more reason why she took the risks was because of her sickness. She was diagnosed with cancer so she did other petty jobs so that she could save for her treatment. 

Sometimes,Sam and candy stayed alone without seeing their mum for a couple of days or weeks because of her work. Their father was dead. They didn't complain about anything because they knew she was trying to provide for them. Sam decided to help her mum in the kitchen so she folded the page of the book so that she could easily continue when she got back.

 "Mum." Sam called as she followed her mum to the dining table, carrying a tray of food with her. 

Mrs Jain was a young woman in her forties. Her hair was short and grey, soiled a little from dust and blood from meat. Sometimes, she served the blood suckers even though she knew how risky it was; how insatiable they could be and kill anyone that breaks their law.  

"Take this, eat all of it, you need strong bones." She passed a bowl of fried meat to Sam who then passed it onto candy. 

"Thank you so much mum. I don't know what I would do without you." She smiled. Her mum smiled back but the smile wasn't deep.

"Are you alright mum?" Sam noticed an unusual line appear on her mum's face when she smiled.

"Samantha, I am alright. I just need you kids to eat and get strong."

She scooped more food onto each person's plate just to shade her worry. Candy's mouth dropped. The food that piled up on her plate was just too much. she just wondered how long it would take her to finish it up.

A brief silence drifted in but it seemed as if Sam wanted to talk more.

 "Mum, can I help you in the market?" She began with a not too soft tone and stared into her mum's face. Her mum's face was painted with fear that instant. She was afraid of one thing. The vampires killing her kids was her biggest fear. Sam watched her mum as she searched for words to say.

"Samantha, her mum began with a husk tone, it's dangerous outside." She sighed. Sam knew her mum was hiding something from her. It's dangerous yet she worked for them and spoke to them. She didn't know what to think or believe anymore.

"Mum, those vampires are bad peo…"

Mrs Jain placed her middle finger over candy's lips. She threw a glance at the door to be sure that no one heard anything.

"Don't mention that name ever again." 

Candy's heart accelerated as her mum scolded her.

"Who told you the name?" Her mum asked, shocked. 

The name vampire is forbidden to be mentioned to humans. All humans dreaded the name and never dared mention the name but rather they say blood suckers. The name emanated a very powerful and terrifying aura. Even when there was no vampire when the name is called, people get frightened and overwhelmed with fear. 

Years ago, vampires relied on humans as their meal. The human blood made them stronger so they hunted and killed children, families and friends and had them for meals. This continued until the Jules' werewolf pack immigrated into the eastern part of hobson, just after the forest-separated by the samba ocean. 

The werewolves choose to live there because they wanted their own freedom and peace. When they saw humans helplessly killed by the vampires, they came through to fight for them. The vampires fought back, killed some werewolves that defended the humans and it soon led to war. 

The vampires were more powerful and stronger because they drank human blood so they prepared for the war. The alpha of the werewolves pack went secretly to lucian; the head of vampires and they both signed a cadicarat that no one ever knew about. 

A night to the war, Lucian banned all vampires from drinking human blood causing the heart of vampires that craved for human blood to die. Many young vampires couldn't survive the new change and just passed on.

Mrs Jain was able to sell at the vampire's market and no one has killed her, she has done this for years and could even identify some vampires.

She was doing this for her health. She has to get well so that she could stay alive for her kids- Sam and candy. She would leave very early in the morning and return late at night. Yet Sam and Candy were ever acquiscent to their mum. They had been locked up from birth and never knew what the outside world looked like.

 While peeping through the window,Sam and candy would admire everything outside; the blue sparkling pool in a not so big garden and the thicket was just a few miles away.

 Candy wrote wishes upon wishes and let it fly in the air after placing it in a balloon. They never had a chance to feel the gentle wind and the floral scents from the soothing-scented lavender to sweet-smelling hyacinth. 

Their mum never got the chance of fulfilling the promise she'd make to them. She's always late from the market.

After breakfast that morning, Mrs Jain got ready to leave. Sam followed her to the door while candy was alone on the dining table; an hour to finish eating. She was about to shut the door behind her mum when she noticed the glumness on Sam's face. She held the door back and walked a few steps in. With a hand leaning to the door and the other cupping Sam's cheek, "Samantha, what's the matter with you?" Mrs Jain asked. She has never seen Sam this way. "You are worried about something, tell me." Mrs Jain pressed on. 

Sam was about to make the biggest decision in her life. She had always wanted to speak but she didn't want to worry her mum too much and she just wished her mum never saw her sullen face. She was still mute and motionless until her mum cupped her face again.

 "Talk to me, my Sam." Sam felt pampered for a few minutes. 

Nineteen years old, it was really hard for her to talk to her mum about something. Something that mattered so much to her.

 Her mum was too busy so the relationship wasn't built but that was not actually the problem now. 

She didn't want to complain or ask for too much. It is true that her childhood was nothing interesting or happy but she chose not to whine about any of that. When she looked into her mum's face, she just knew that she had suffered too much for them and didn't want her to suffer more. Her mum pinched her cheek to show that she still wanted to hear her. 

Sam took a deep breath. "Mum, I am a grown up but I can't be it when I am right here.'' Her heart accelerated as she spoke. She continued,"I am locked up like a prisoner with no future nor dreams."

"You're right, Sam."

Her mum's words surprised her.

How could she be right by what she just asked? Maybe it's just a modus operandi to say no this time. Mrs Jain couldn't say no this time because she had deprived her kids of a lot of things. She could feel the pain in her voice as she shifted her gaze to other children outside. What kind of mother was she? She has deprived her kids of their childhood happiness. Her heart swelled in guilt and that was the height of it.

"You're right. I have deprived you and candy of a happy childhood till now, what kind of a mother am I?" Sam looked into her mum's face and all she could see was regrets, pain and sadness. She wanted to talk, to tell her mum that she was the best mum and that she and candy loved her.

"I promise you that you and your sister will never be lonely anymore.'' She sighed and breathed in hard. She did what she did to protect them but how long could she go on? 

"You can swim in the pool and you candy, the garden is all yours." 

Candy tilted her head up.

"Yee…" she screamed like she had been in the conversation. Sam's face brightened and sparkles filled her eyes.

 "Make sure not to go into the forest, it's dangerous."

Sam smiled at her mum's words. How can any sound person go into the forest, the home of wild animals?

  "Mum, who doesn't know that a forest is dangerous?" Sam asked though not expecting an answer.

"The thicket Will be a bit more interesting." Candy added; happiness evident in her tone. 

Candy decided to explore the thicket before doing anything else.This was one of her wishes, to look round the thicket since she couldn't go into it. Sam loved the water in the pool so she slid herself into the shallow part of the water. 

Candy's mouth formed an 'o' as she looked into the thicket. All the plants in it were brightly blossomed green, attracting some colorful butterflies to it. 

Candy was just about to catch a butterfly but it escaped and fielded some miles ahead. Her gaze followed the butterfly into a slim path opening to the thicket. The path has been there. How come she never saw it?