#lusteredit

If you don’t mind, we would love to ask you a series of questions in regards to growing up and family life. Could you tell us about when and where were you born?

MB: I was born above, in Boston, Massachusetts. But I don’t remember much. I have warm memories of them, but that’s it. I was three when they died

How did your family come to live in Lackluster?

MB: Well, my parents died. It was a drunk driver and they was plowed off a bridge into the Charles River. Oh, no I’m not sad. I mean [coughs] I miss them, but my uncle Alexej was my parental appointed guardian. I couldn't have asked for a better parent. He’s been in Lackluster for eighty or so years. So I came here when I was three... And I haven’t left. [laughs]

And how would you best describe your family? Would you say it’s a healthy relationship?

MB: We Bakalowitz are a small tribe, but we strong as hell! [laughs] My uncle is the best person-- ever. I adore him. He id an engineer for the city and raised me, as a single dad. And is always my biggest fan. I still go over for dinner at least once a week. He my only family I got and we cherish every moment we have.  

What do you now about your family surname(s)?

MB: We’re Slovakian. So from what I know, Bakalowitz means ‘light bringer.’ My best guess, is that my family was one of the chandelier lighters of the Habsburg Palace. Or fae beings... Who knows! [laughs]

Did you have any nicknames while growing up?

MB: [thinks] Um-- I don’t think I had any nicknames... [smiles]

Would you say your guardian/parent was more strict or lenient?

MB:Oh gawd. Alexej was the best. I mean I had my rebellious phase.You know, snuck out, drank under-age... yada... But I loved Alexej, and respected so much that when he asked, I told the truth... So I tried no to get caught [winks and giggles].

What family member did you look up to the most?

MB: [gulps coffee] My uncle. You try being a single dad raising a very active little girl. [laughs]I’ll saw his sewing has improved--immensely!

Do you still own any childhood items or family heirlooms?

MB: I still own my teddy bear that my mom made for me when I was a a baby. It is the only tangible thing that I have from my biological parents. 

What is your favorite childhood memory?

MB: Oh gawd. [runs hand through hair] My tenth birthday, my present was a number puzzle. [dryly laughs] Alexej has a Numermancy. And I inherited the love and understanding of math ‘n numbers. So a lot our family conversations would be number games. [laughs] We’re nerds.

What was a typical family dinner like? Did you have any favorite dishes?

MB: My uncle was the best cook. Because he and I have spent most of our life here in Lackluster, so we have cook traditional Bohemian dishes: roast pork, schnitzel, pork mince meat pies, and cheese perogies. [makes a yummy sound] Gawd, you’re making me hungry again.[laughs]

Does your family have any special traditions?

MB: Um-- Not really. I mean none that I can think of. I guess we would purposefully sing ‘happy birthday’ outta key-- My uncle tried to throw be a birthday party a few months after I arrived. But I had no friends, so it was just me a Alexej. And he tried to make it sound like a chorus of ten people. It was soo bad! But, ever since then, him and I try to sing the birthday song as bad as we can muster. Then we stuff ourselves with cake.   

Where there any childhood games you enjoyed playing?

MB: Pattern games! Oh my, I love those games that make to guess what was next in the patters-- and Sudoku. Uncle Alexej and I would spend hours trying to trip each other up of math games. There was one time where he made my breakfast as a pattern. Gawd, that was fun. [laughs]

Could you describe your childhood home? What was your favorite thing about it? Least favorite?

MB: I think there was one time, where I lashed out. I was right after--um, right after the incident-- When Danny Tribas died. It was the night after it happened and I told Alexej that I wish it was him that died in the car crash with my parents. [takes an nervous sip of coffee] I had no idea that I had Erokensis, My whole life, it was assumed that I’d be just like my uncle. I thought so too... But I think that is my only really least favorite moment in my home. My uncle is the best I could have asked for. He makes me feel so close to my dad and mom. He was so close with both of them. That every time that he tells me a story about them, I feel like I know my birth parents a bit more. 

What did you want to be when you grew up?

MB: I think it was a ballerina?! [laughs] Honestly, I changed my mind so many times, I was basically an etch-a-sketch with my ideas. 

Of all the things you learned from your elders, what do you feel has stuck with you the most?

MB: Alexej always taught me to be kind to others. Just because they were different, didn’t mean that they were better or worse. And Kaliyah, she was my mentor and the person that taught me to control my ‘power.’ She spent the rest of my high school career teaching me how to control my allure and Steinbeck. She’s the reason why I work at the library today. I owe a lot of me, to her today. 

Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to meet with us. I know that all of us here at Lackluster News appreciate it. On a final note, if you could go back and give any advice to your younger self, what would it be?

If you don’t mind, we would love to ask you a series of questions in regards to growing up and family life. Could you tell us about when and where were you born?

a giggle left the vampire’s lips, before she’s shaking her head once more, curls hitting her cheeks gently.”i don’t mind at all. um. i was born 1494, january, in a place called belaya kalitva, russia. it’s a nice little place actually. from what i can remember, which isn’t much.”

How did your family come to live in Lackluster?

“well my family isn’t actually here with me.” she admits, a sad look in her eyes, before she’s moving hair off her shoulder.”but i came here, because i tagged along with friends really. not that exciting i know.” she says with another giggle.

And how would you best describe your family? Would you say it’s a healthy relationship?

“um...that’s a difficult question to ask really.” she murmurs, eyes down cast, an unneeded breath leaving her lips.”i guess, you could say, it was an okay relationship? depending on how you looked at it. my father i guess you could say um...well...he kind of took to me when i...hit puberty. my mother stopped loving me the moment i hit puberty....i guess she just... didn’t like the affection my father was giving me.”

What do you now about your family surname(s)?

“oh wow, i haven’t thought about my family surname in ages.” she says with another giggle, before shrugging her shoulders.”i changed my name a few centuries ago. decided i didn’t want that name, i can’t even recall my family name if i’m being honest with you. oh wow. it’s really been a long time.”

Did you have any nicknames while growing up?

“no. i didn’t have many friends. word got around about what my father was doing in my bedroom at night, i guess my mother’s doing. so people tended to shy away from me. i think they thought of me as some kind of demon in a way. i was just a kid, i didn’t know what was going on.”

Would you say your guardian/parent was more strict or lenient?

“my mother was very strict, making sure i was acting like a lady at such a young age. my father was very lenient, he’d let me away with things, i think that was just because i was his little girl really.”

What family member did you look up to the most?

“back then i admired my mother a lot. looked up to her in a lot of ways, even considered taking up her profession, which was just staying at home, looking after papa and myself. i think that was the moment i realized i wanted to have my very own family, to have children of my own but i’d do better by them than what my parents did by me.”

Do you still own any childhood items or family heirlooms?

“no. sadly things get very old, they break, and i couldn’t carry everything with me. though back then, there really wasn’t much in the way of heirlooms. plus i burnt the place to the ground with everything in it. i should of mentioned that first.” 

What is your favorite childhood memory?

“um. i don’t really have a favorite childhood memory. there wasn’t really much of happiness in my childhood. to be quite honest though, i did look on the brightside of things. i learned that if a man comes to my child’s bedroom like my papa did with me. i’d kill them. without hesitation. and i wouldn’t  hold that against my daughter. not for one second would it be her fault.”

What was a typical family dinner like? Did you have any favorite dishes?

“it was a pretty good dinner. with bread, potatoes meat. i just liked anything i wasn’t at all fussy.”

Does your family have any special traditions?

“no. no they didn’t. not that i remember, maybe they did, but i never got told what they were. i think that’s because my mother disowned me and didn’t think of me as hers, so she didn’t really let me in on special traditional type things.”

Were there any childhood games you enjoyed playing?

“um. i wish i could say there were. i just liked playing with ping. which was the piglet out back. never knew what happened to her sadly.”

Could you describe your childhood home? What was your favorite thing about it? Least favorite?

“it was small. like a small cottage type thing. had a small burner, was cold a lot, because it was shit.” she says with a giggle.”i liked my bedroom in the day time. but it’s also the least favorite place in it.”

What did you want to be when you grew up?

“a mother.”

Of all the things you learned from your elders, what do you feel has stuck with you the most?

“that you can’t trust strangers. or even family”

Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to meet with us. I know that all of us here at Lackluster News appreciate it. On a final note, if you could go back and give any advice to your younger self, what would it be?