Those Forgetful Moments

You know when you have those moments where you walk into a room, or any place, and you forget why you went there in the first place?

You're having that moment just now.

You're at John's birthday party. You had walked away from the bonfire for just a moment and found yourself looking up at the stars through a clearing in the trees. You look behind you to see the bonfire casting warm and dynamic flickers on the people and trees. Turning back to the dark forest, you gaze around for any reminder of why you are out this far from the party in the first place. Whatever it is, the forest sure ain't telling you. Just typical nighttime animal noises and shadowed woodland cast from the waxing moon.

Your gaze shifts back to the bonfire flickers, where you see Dijonna approaching you.

"Hey, mate! Waddaya doing out here?" She calls out, making sure to walk around a large dead trunk and not spill her drink. "I've been looking for ya back there for like, forever!"

"Uh… Kinda forgot." You shrug, approaching her.

"Ha, yeah, that happens to me now and again, y'know?" She walks with you back to the party. "I, like, walk into a room to get something, but then when I get there – POOF! I'm all 'uh, what am I doing here again?'" You nod, listening to her story and watching her gestures while making sure neither of you trip over any roots. You rub your neck, which feels sore from craning your neck up for who knows how long.

Once back, you meet up with John and some of your friends. You all party for a little longer until your cousin Liam gets too drunk for his own good (again). Loading one drunk and slurring unintelligibly relative into the back of the car and buckling him in properly, you get in the driver's seat and start up the car.

"Wait!"

Oh, Dijonna. She probably wants a free ride, and there is… Uh, Cate, her plain jane roommate.

"Let me guess, you wanna lift?" You ask, letting your eyebrow quirk up.

"John's sister didn't wanna leave some drunk girls alone and there wasn't enough space left for us. Please~?" Beside her, Cate avoids eye contact with you, and picks at her hoodie. Probably the shy type.

"Okay." You sigh with an extra side of drama. "I guess I could fit you two in."

"Thanks, mate!" She squeaks and swoops right in the front seat. You can't help it: you chuckle. Dijonna always brings the laughs. You look behind her to see Cate, already buckling herself in the back. Her gaze meets yours for a second and nods, probably in thanks, and then goes back to watching the Great Snorlax named Liam.

You turn back to the wheel and put the engine in drive. The stars look nice, tonight…

~A Few Hours Earlier~

'The stars look nice, tonight…' You think, scanning the clear night sky, seeing if you could pick out any constellations. You can make out Orion and the two Dippers, but that's it. You're glad you had walked out here… The bonfire party is cool and all, but the smoke was starting to get to you. You don't think that you're asthmatic, but your eyes were watering and you began to hack and cough, so you figured it was time get some fresh air. Maybe some idiots threw in some newspapers, or something.

You rub your eyes again, removing some… Eye gunk from them. You flick the stuff off from your fingers and continue looking around the wooded area.

"…Hey…" You turn to see a girl in a dark grey hoodie approaching you, the pines and twigs barely making a sound. Impressive.

"You okay?" She asks, hands stuffed into her front pocket. You look her over: she has light brown – or maybe dirty blonde? You can't properly tell in this light – long hair, an average figure, and relaxed eyes. Nothing about her is familiar.

"Uh, yeah…" You give her a half smile. "Just, y'know, getting away from the smoke. I think some guys threw some newspapers in. You from the party?"

"Yep. I'm Cate, Dijonna's roommate. We met before. You don't remember?"

"Kinda." You really do not remember, but you do not want to be rude, or lie…

"That's okay. It's perfect, actually."

"Oh? Whys that?"

She smiles, and the whole world feels like it stops. Slowly, Cate comes closer to you until you two are pressed against each other and wraps her arms around you, her lips ghosting your own. This is not going to your preferred pace, but you let her continue what she is doing. She nips your bottom lip until you feel a sting and taste some blood.

She kisses you and your eyes meet. Hers are so relaxing to gaze into, singing a silent lullaby. You close your eyes for a second, reminding yourself to breathe. You feel Cate's tongue lap at some of the blood and kiss your lips once more. You can't help but moan quietly at the sensation; she doesn't look like the type to have a lot of experience to you. She then moves to your cheek and jawline, continuing down around your neck and shoulder.

That's when you feel her bite down.

You want to push her off, push her away, but your whole body feels frozen like everything else. Cate is lapping at your shoulder and just now you feel some sort of fabric pressed to your shoulder. After a moment, she backs away, now using the cloth to wipe her mouth.

"You will forget these last few moments and turn back to the sky and look up at the stars."

Before her command took effect, you notice her gaze flickering down to the ground and back at you. She stuffs the bloodied cloth back into the hoodie pocket and turns away. You see her walk back towards the fire, the glow highlighting and shadowing her average figure.

~~~

I remember coming across a post about someone theorizing on why we have those situations of forgetting when we walk into another room. The theory was that vampires would suck your blood and make you forget it ever happened. That idea stayed with me and I decided to write this out.

Critiques are appreciated - Monos D.O.A