She sped in-between the trees–Her auburn hair dancing in rhythm with the wind that cuts through it, twisting pass the tress like a howling wind herself as though they weren't even an obstacle in her path and her feet barely even distorting the Earth's stability as I was. I was panting, my feet coming down with a heavy thud like a log, crunching the leaves underneath my feet with a disturbing crunching sound–everything seemed enhanced, more pronounced in my dream making it hard to focus with every little noise per second heard and processed by me while I tried to catch up. I was a mess trying to fix my gaze on her, further more I had no idea why we're running but the atmosphere felt dangerously murderous.
It seemed like she was as fast as the wind gust rustling the tree tops making me fall far behind until I couldn't see her anymore. I kept running trying so hard to catch up but this time my body was aching, at some point it felt like I wasn't even running. I continued pushing with the urge of knowing why she kept taking me there until I saw her again, standing at the edge of the cliff–waiting for me to catch up. I didn't even get the time to catch a breath this time, it happened too fast, she just jumped off and everything beneath my feet was disappearing too. I tried running back but it was too late, the ground cracked and let me fall through with her falling far beneath me, dust littered my veiw of her as I could only catch glimpses of her hair, the night breeze was harsh slashing against my skin and wind pipe getting clogged by air nearly not letting me breath, not until a branch held on to my wrist wrapping tight protectively like a mother's umbilical cord.
***
I was drained again in sweat and my heart beating so hard against my chest– that was new. I'd never fallen before and it never changed patterned but it did, why was it happening...it had never been as confusing or felt as real. My eyes were still closed but I was well aware of my environment. The air smelled like bleach, I could feel the super soft bed beneath me, the numbing pain in my shoulder and the fingers around my wrist.
I played dead again on instinct, holding my breath but my thumbing heart was probably breaking through my ribcage by now. How timid could I really be?, they would hear it like a loud rock music by now
Three...two ....one!
Three...two ....one!
That didn't help at all but felt like a count down to my own doom. I could have continued holding my breath but that's something impossible. I took in shaking breathes as the hand slowly peels away from my wrist.
"How are you feeling now?" I heard Lucinda say, her finger tips touching the area around my eye. I was so glad I heard her voice, it immediately calmed me down. Although it was kind of stupid to feel that way but I would always prefer her company than anyone else's. I slowly opened my eyes taking in that I was in a strange room. It was equally huge but with less furnitures, a dresser from the far end and thankfully a full body mirror to it's side and then the family size bed I was in.
I slowly got sitted up using my hands to left my weight feeling them shake beneath me, it felt like I have been drugged with a bear tranquilizer but other than that I felt nothing—more better than ever
"Good," I answered
"Here," Lucinda handed me a cup, I hesitated before taking it looking down at it, it was a pale pink liquid.
"I don't think I need any" The look on her face showed there was no persuasion, I slowly took the cup out of her hand
"It's just something that will make you feel better, I promise" Lucinda said with a smile, I looked back down at the cup in my hands again, the last time she said that I took in blood soup.
"If you're thinking there is as much as a drop of my blood in it, you're wrong"
I nodded and took a sip of it, I wouldn't even call it a sip because I just dabbled my tongue in it, just in case.
Remember the purple and green fluid mother gave me, I was wrong to call them disgusting. I thought pink was a color of sweet and happy but it's definition has changed for me. I quickly put the cup down against my lap, brushing my tongue harshly to the sheets I was covered in leaving a burning sensation.
"I know, they don't taste any better....but worse" she pointed out the obvious taking the cup from me, I wasn't going to drink in anyways. After all feeling dizzy and weak I don't think I need anything else to make me feel worst.
Speaking of worse, that's what my health has been since after the rash, it's been one thing after the other. I reached for the nape of my neck but there was no irritation or sting unchanged from what I have noticed a day before but just a numbing pain in my right shoulder. I quickly remembered falling down the stairs and then the figure, the bites and everything after that was just seemed to be scrambled in my memory I couldn't put the pieces together.
I took blood from someone!
"Lucinda, did you perhaps got me here?!" I asked curiously although I knew the figure that held me in it's arms was muscular and taller and definitely not a female but I just wanted to know who it was
"No" Lucinda answered absent mindedly, not really focusing on my words but checking my pulse. She paused for a bit quickly realizing what she answered to and looked up to me
"You might need to change" She said snatching some clothing off the bedside for me (jeans and shirt) totally ignoring my stare.
I knew she wasn't going to entertain anymore questions from me, so I just let it go. I looked down to the clothes I was in, mostly now in my bra and trousers. I couldn't get what happened to my shirt but not until I remembered it got ripped off my body. I suddenly felt my flesh burning turning into a visible shade of pink–although all covered in dried blood.
"Thank you"
She left closing the door behind her softly but no clicks followed, I wasn't locked in. I dropped my legs to the side of the bed and slowly get up slightly swaying. I walked to the door connected to the room which I presume to be the bathroom, I instinctively put my left hand up to knock before I stopped. I actually smiled at the thought of it, was I expecting anyone to welcome me with a guest platter popping a confetti canon and usher me into a message chair until I cannot even move a finger due to the calmness and peace my nerves achieve?
I twisted the door knob and entered a black marbled bathroom with a little bit of red contrast, so expected. The tub was twice as big as the one in my prison, a bathtub party of more than 10 would fit in it. I proceeded to the tub getting myself carefully up the three steps ascending to the ceramic bowl before looking down at the empty tub. I was soon covered in goose bumps thinking of all that could go wrong in that party. You wouldn't be so amused getting soaked in warm bubbly water if you're surrounded by blood suckers.
I cannot help it anymore but be pessimistic about everything lately, even a cough could make me think things that a normal teenager wouldn't. But I mentally get myself two hard slaps across each chin before I got my feet touching inside the cold ceramic tub, it kind of resembled a huge soup bowl. In a bizarre though, I pictured myself half naked again while they bite into my flesh letting the tub pool with my blood. I had a flash of the feeling of sharp pain while two tiny holes were made under my collar bone consecutively. I shiver under my skin, feeling myself in cold sweat, again.
I clentched my eyes tightly then opening them back up telling myself that everything was ok before reaching for the tap nob twisting it to the left, the clear water started flowing freely meeting with my toes before starting to form a pool from were I was standing. It was a bit warm making me take deep breaths and close my eyes tears immediately running down my cheeks as I did. I couldn't help it think of my mother again and every single last details of my life, even the hobo that sits in the alley two blocks away from my house with the trash, whom frightens me a bit. And then back to the frightening reality I was staring in
I was jerked back into reality after I felt a sudden pinch under my feet, I quickly looked down and the water was steaming hot, quickly I turned on the cold water to neutralize the super hot water. After it was to my shins and almost to the rim, I turned them both off and stripped out of the remaining clothes throwing it to the floor. I slowly let myself into the water letting my skin get blessed with hot water while some of it spill to the floor.
I sat there looking down at my malnourished body, my rib bones were all showing now. I slipped my legs so that I would go lower into the water face up until the back of my head was partially immersed, I took in breathes before I let myself all in wishing all the pain and this reality would just wash away like the filth I accumulated.
After crying in the bathroom for fifteen minutes or so, I was dressed in the clothes she left me earlier and patiently waited in bed for her to come back, hopefully with some good food.
"You're done already!" she sounded amazed like the time I took wasn't enough to take a shower but not as I was staggered. I didn't even hear the door open or close but she just appeared, I peered behind her a bit before realising she left it open. I look back at her towering over me
"Let's go" Lucinda said straightening her hand for me to take with alot of excitement in her eyes
"Where?"
I whipped my head to the door after I was beat to the question myself. It was Lenora and her friend("my guard"). He was staring Lucinda down with arched brows and arms crossed over his chest while Lenora was with me–her gaze was a million times more amplified than the previous, I felt they would be appearing anytime soon on my flesh replacing the goosebumps on my skin. I didn't even realized Lucinda wasn't by my side again but with the dark haired male in the room. I didn't even saw him move too, he looked even angrier now. Lenora stalked to the foot of the bed making me scramble my way out of it, I wasn't to be caught in bed with her after what went down. Another one of her icy smiled played on her pepper red painted lips.
"What do you think you are doing?" He asked sternly like he hadn't known Lucinda at all
"Just some good gesture"
"She cannot be present there," he argued
"Everyone would be amazed to see her, like a little shiny trophy and anyways no one can harm her unless they would want their entire coterie on a wild hunt"
"He said to keep her here and be heavily guarded tonight. There will be possible-"
"Cassius wouldn't mind if she dine in with us" she chimed in evenly to his hoarse voice that I would pee if he was talking to me but Lucinda actually doesn't seem to mind, her jolly mood was still intact.
"It's an order from the-"
"Oh! calm down Damien, Lucinda is right," she said glancing over her shoulder to them and then back to me again, "Why can't we just dine together before it happens, it will be fun to have her. She could entertain us with the story of how she killed the guy I worked hard on." she said softly, too nice coming to a vampire that nearly plunged her fangs into my jugular.
"You brought him here?" I asked more like said. The guy from the dungeon, he mentioned a lady brought him put here–now I understand. It was so her seducing him and getting him turned into a monster that he would have to live with for eternity, actually I saved him from this demonic life.
"You're welcome honey"
I hate every bit of her attitude towards me, it unnerves me. I felt a crack of hatred and anger towards her,
Her eyes never left mine the whole time, couldn't stare back but I could still see her through my pheriperal vision. I heard a hiss escape him, I looked up from staring at my feet and pretending to pick at something in my nails, he threw such a disheartening spiteful look at me before disappearing into thin air.
"If our guest would accept our humble invitation...." Lenora said a grin sweeping over her face, there was definitely something. I could feel it deep inside of me
"She will be with you shortly" Lucinda replied with a warm smile before Lenora turned on her heels walking out without a word.
I could feel my doom was near, the ticking bomb was ran down to seconds, not even after she said "...before it happens" what's going to happen? What inhumane act has not occured since I was here?
If I was brought here, not to get murdered by his high society individuals while all this while he promised me a miserable living and a pitiful end, then in who's hands was the detonator?
I was getting kicked inside my own brain tearing through the wheels and axles due to friction of thoughts scrambling through my head. I was so sure it might just explode any second as a result of my zillion unanswered questions that surfaces each time my eyes open to the realisation that I was still a prisoner to the underworld creature.
"He may seem scary but he's soft inside" she said walking back towards me
"I don't think anyone would like me being there, especially if they're not going to strangle me. I won't go" I said softly sitting back on the bed.
"Yes, you are going. Cassius won't mind–and by the day no one is authorized to harm you. Lenora hosted the party and she's invited you too. You'll be fine. I will be there too" she placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Lucinda, I. I held his heart in my hands but I don't even know how or why," I quickly broke in tears feeling the suppressed guilt in my chest spreading wildly
"Shssh" she hushed me "It's ok. I pulled out alot of hearts, you don't need to always find a reasonable explanation. What's to be done now is dinner and you definitely need to change"
"Why do everyone hate me so much?" I asked my heart banging against my chest as the river in my eyes accumulates.
"Let's just say... Because it's you Gianna"