Chapter 1.6- The vampire market

It was a dark street with shops on either side, every shop was painted either red, black or white. It was not a very crowded place, people there were wearing either black or white hoody, which were as long as upto their feet and everyone's face was covered with a long hood attached to the hoody, it seemed like a dress code or maybe a uniform, so mom also bought us that black hoodies too, as we were the only people in coloured due to which we were stared at by everyone. There were oil shops with some antique bottles, meat shops, locket shops, where I saw the same red locket which I had, Mom stopped there and bought a black locket too, I asked her about it but she didn't answer, there was a shop which was selling some kind of liquid solutions of different colour, like the one mom sprayed over Dad with some cat hairs in it, she bought some kind of blue solution from there, we went farther in it, the farther we went the darker it got, but there were no food shops, then I saw a huge building, VLW was written over in huge letters, "ohh I have heard it before from Granny, but I couldn't recall", I wondered, then suddenly I saw Aunt Julia, and I remembered it was the organisation to which Aunt Julia donated her property.

I shouted "Aunt Julia, Aunt Julia", she turned towards me and smiled, same as Aunt Julia, she was Aunt Julia, but what happened with her face, very pale and dull, she was wearing that white hoody which very few of them were wearing, "stop it, she is not Aunt Julia", mom said annoyingly. Mom asked for her forgiveness, but I was very sure she was Aunt Julia. "Don't you know she is dead, now just don't talk to anyone, and don't even look at anyone, just walk looking down, like everyone else is doing". There was some kind of sermon going on in VLW, it had a huge hall which can be seen from outside, through its very large windows. The lady looking like Aunt Julia, walked into it. It was already 12:30 in the night, I showed mom, "isn't it too late mom, for shopping, we could have come in the morning", I asked, "no it opens at night only", she answered, "but what is this place", I asked, she didn't answered, mom told me wait outside that VLW hall, and she went in, I was watching her from outside, mom then went up the stage, the lady looking like Aunt Julia, put on a garland of black roses around mom's neck, everyone there stood and bowed before mom, "what is happening?, who is my mom", I wondered. Then a lady came by me and said your mom is calling you in, she then called me on the stage, "this my elder daughter, Jane, she is 15 and after 4 months on a full moon night she is going to be 16". "That means she might be our future leader?", a man sitting in there asked, mom smiled, "maybe", "I am preparing her, today I showed her the market, I want her to be a good person, kind and helpful", everyone clapped, "You are the only only one who helped us in all the odds Renie, after our leader died, we can't be thankful enough to you", one of them said, "Everyone seemed to be normal, maybe I was over thinking", I wondered.

Mom then bought some other stuff too, some oils, some solutions, etc, etc. "Mom who were these people, why this market is so weird", I asked, "this is a vampire market" mom said, "what, why are we here then, do vampires even exists, are we vampires, why you bought me here?", I panicked, "ohh no,no, this is just called so, because they are those people who either lost their loved one due to natural calamities or some rape survivors, acid attack survivors, some who are disowned by their family, they used to set this market by whatever they could arrange and sell it for their living, they do so in the night because they think humans like might exploit them again in the daylight, so I help them as much as I can", mom said and got a little emotional, "ohh mom I am so sorry", I then hugged her, "you should have told me earlier". "But don't tell anyone else about this", mom said, we then went out, and sat in the car, "but why is this called a vampire market", I asked mom, "because these people live a totally different life, away from other human beings, I want you also to help those who are aggrieved like this, so I brought you here", she answered. "I was so happy and relieved, we then went back home, Granny was waiting for us, "I had told you several times, to stay from that vampire market, we are not the one to help those people, they could help themselves, you wanted to be called 'great' by taking their advantage", she shouted at mom, mom didn't answer, and asked me to go to my room, but I can't do anything about my peeping and curiosity, so I hide behind the wall and listened. "I saw Aunt Julia there", mom told Granny, "whatttt?", How could she...", Granny was shocked and asked anxiously. "I don't know I couldn't ask because of Jane", mom said, " I was right, how could she be there when she was dead already, is something bad happened to her ?, or she is also a survivor of something bad? like others there", I wondered. "I should go and meet her" Granny said, "no you can't go there, and she can't come here", Mom said. Ohh no mom saw me, "Jane I told you to go to bed, else you will be grounded", mom shouted at me. I went to bed, "where were you?", asked Ana, "you are still awake ?" I asked, "I am not feeling well Jane", she said, "I feel like someone else", she said. I then gave her a pink locket, which I from that market, although mom told me to stay away from those shops, and should not buy anything without her, so when mom went in, I bought it, " You are feeling so, because it's your birthday, you are 12 now and a new person", "ohh this is beautiful Jane, I love you, I thought you forgot", her eyes were glittery when she saw the locket, I was so surprised, I told her, "you eyes are glittering", she ran towards the mirror and wore it, "ohh yes, because this looks so good on me, I feel very powerful wearing this", she said excitedly, "but how come your eyes are glittery, "ohh I am so happy Jane", she said ignoring her glittery eyes. Then I told Ana about Aunt Julia, she was very shocked as I was. "Is she still alive?", she asked, "and where did you met her", then Ana suddenly pulled the curtain of the window very abruptly, "I can't bear the light of the moon, it is too shiny for me today", Ana said. "Let me see", I jumped out of the bed, "no it's normal, only the thing today is the full moon night", said I, "why don't you tell me about Aunt Julia", said Ana, abruptly ignoring the moon, as she was hating it that time, "I don't know much about her", said I, "what do you think, happened to her", Ana asked, mom appeared suddenly before, you both are still awake, sleep now, she said furiously. So we went to sleep but we were still thinking about Aunt Julia, "what would have happened to her?"