Perspiration trickled down Callie’s forehead as she glanced at the old and rusty grandfa-ther clock. It was 3.00 am. Callie winced. It had been exactly twenty-four hours since he had gone. When would he call again? He had promised. He never broke his promises, not even once.

Uncertainty overwhelmed Callie. Somehow, she had an ominous premonition that something awful was about to occur. Did something happen to him? Frowning, Callie shook her head in frustration. No, nothing happened to him and it would stay exactly the way it is.

Questions flooded Callie’s mind. What would happen to her if he did not come? Would the transition be smooth? Was she strong enough to control everything? Most impor-tantly, was she, Callie Thomas, only twenty years of age, ready to handle it? Physically, Callie had a feeling that she was prepared. On the other hand, she wasn’t so sure if she was up for the challenge mentally.

Callie could still recall the exact same words Janet had said, “Be careful of what you wish for, Callie. What is unleashed cannot be taken back. The metamorphosis can be extremely difficult if you aren’t ready. My advice to you is to follow my initial recommen-dation.” Her words sent shivers down Callie’s spine.

“Ring! Ring!”

The ringing of the phone snapped Callie out of her thoughts. Finally, she thought, as she let out a relieved sigh. Callie rushed to the telephone and picked the receiver up.

“9999, is that you? It’s me, 9653. Thank goodness, you called at last. I was worried sick. Did you manage to retrieve it?” enquired Callie urgently.

“Hmm, so it’s you, 9653. Finally, after all these years, I have managed to locate you. Callie. I swore to God that you could never run away from me. You actually thought that you could run away from me?” a low-pitched voice answered.

Callie froze. Fear swept over her. It couldn’t be. That person on the telephone. Some-one must have been playing a joke. It had been five years! Five long years since she had taken off from that horrid place. Callie tried to speak, but no words came out.

“Speechless, I presume? Callie Thomas... speechless? I must have been a very un-pleasant surprise. Don’t try to run, Callie. I know where you are right now. If you try to pull off what you did five years ago, the consequences are going to be terrible,” the voice boomed.

“What are you go...going to d...do...do? You already have what you need. John, he died. No, you murdered him. I saw you, so don’t try to deny it. What more do you want from me, Vladimir? Do you want me at my death bed too?” Callie replied, gathering up all her courage.

“Of course not, my dear Callie. I’m extremely touched. You remember my name. I thought you would have long forgotten it by now. It has indeed been a long time since I’ve heard you this distressed. Relax, Callie. I’m not here to hurt you,” Vladimir emitted a sinister snicker.

“You sick and heartless psychopath! Stop this! You are a disgust to the human race! You killed John, my only surviving kin. Everyone else you knew had been taken by the illness. But you had to kill him, didn’t you?” a sudden surge of anger rose through Callie as she raised her voice.

“Now, now, Callie. I had to finish him off. You know I did. I had no choice. Think about what I said. I’ll be back.” With that, Vladimir put down the receiver.

“Wait!” Callie cried out. She still had many unanswered questions. About her past. About John. A solitary tear rolled down the curve of her cheek as she reminisced about her happy memories with John, her brother. He had protected and cared for her. When-ever Vladimir punished her, John would always find a way to cheer her up. Now he was gone forever from this world. She was the only Thomas left on this world. Callie shud-dered.

All of a sudden, Callie remembered. Her transition! It might happen at any moment from now. She doubted that Hugh could arrive on time. Callie let out a scorned laugh. She didn’t dare think of what had happened to Hugh. Vladimir could have easily finished him off too. Hugh was just an amateur. Nevertheless, he was brave, risking his life every time he passed the drugs to her.

Peering out from the window, Callie said a silent prayer. She had chose to become a vampire. Janet had told her to think it over. Callie, on her quest to search for power, to avenge her deceased brother, had accepted the dark and seedy offer. At this point of time, all that she could do was to pray and hope that her transformation would be smooth sailing.

Suddenly, Callie felt a twinge of pain in her heart. Now was the time. She was trans-forming. Closing her eyes, Callie uttered her final words, “John, I love you. I will make you proud of me. Vladimir will pay for what he has done.” It was the point of no return.