Uncle Vampire by Cynthia D. Grant Page B

up. The deejay chattered. The stuff he said was supposed to be funny. Listening, I thought: I take life too seriously. Everything changes. Hair grows back. I kept snipping and snipping. My hair was so thick. It hadn’t been cut since I was little. I felt light and free. My head turned easily from side to side. Framed in the mirror I saw someone new, a solitary seed breaking through the ground.
    Honey was going to kill me.
    Her reaction was almost comical. She stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror as if I were a monster from hell.
    â€œI can’t believe this! How could you do this?” She reacted just as I’d expected. Honey is always the star of the show. The rest of us are scenery. “You’re insane. Why didn’t you just cut off your head and make everybody happy? You’re such a freak!”
    â€œOh, go hide in your piano.”
    â€œI don’t want to be seen with you! This is so embarrassing! You might as well wear a clown costume to school!”
    â€œFine. Can I borrow your cheerleading outfit?”
    â€œYou’re out of control. You’ve gone over the edge. I mean, look at you!”
    â€œDid you hear what they said at the table tonight? They’re going away for two weeks!”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œSo look at your neck! He’s drinking our blood! He’s going to kill us!”
    Honey laughed harshly. “Keep that up and they’ll put you away.”
    â€œWhere did the marks come from?”
    â€œDuhhh. Let me think. Let’s see if we can figure it out.”
    â€œBradley did that?”
    â€œAs if you didn’t know. You’re jealous because he loves me. Nobody loves you. You’re such a pervert. It’s disgusting.”
    She sounded vicious. She didn’t sound like Honey.
    â€œWho’s that?”
    â€œWho’s who?”
    â€œYou’re not acting like you. You’re acting like someone else.”
    â€œOh, God.” She smirked. She shook her head. “You’re as crazy as they say you are.”
    â€œWho says I’m crazy?”
    â€œEverybody does! Just take a good look in the mirror!”
    Richie knocked at the door.
    â€œJust a minute, Rich.”
    â€œThat’s okay, I’ll go downstairs.”
    â€œRichie, wait.” I stuck my head out the door.
    He came back down the hall, his eyes wide with amazement. He said, “Man, when you go, you go all the way.”
    â€œDoes it look too awful?”
    â€œNot exactly.” He grinned. “But I want to be there when you show the folks. We better have an ambulance standing by.”
    â€œThey like my hair better than me,” I said.
    â€œThey’ll probably keep your hair and kick you out.”
    â€œI’ll be downstairs in a few minutes.” I closed the door. “He doesn’t think it looks bad,” I told Honey.
    â€œHe’s your brother. What did you expect him to say? If you wanted to change it, you should’ve gone to a salon. It looks like you cut it with your teeth,” Honey said.
    When I came into the living room Richie was hanging around, waiting for the show to start. My mother saw me, stood up, and put her hands to her heart, like a heroine in a horror movie.
    â€œMy God!” she cried. “What have you done to yourself?”
    My father put down his newspaper. “Jesus Christ! Have you lost you mind?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œYou look like hell. I can’t believe you’d do this. Are the other kids cutting their hair? Is that it? I thought you were a leader, not a follower, Carolyn.” My father was as furious as if I’d cut off his hair. Uncle Toddy stared at me but didn’t speak.
    â€œI just felt like cutting it.”
    â€œOh, Carolyn,” Mama sighed. “Why would you want to make yourself look ugly?”
    â€œI don’t look ugly.” I hoped I looked hideous. I hoped they would turn away and leave me alone.
    â€œYou