"Where is Grace Danielle?"
"I can't say for certain because the last time l saw her was when she went to the garden with Lord Micael. Let's go find her together" Danielle offered, leading the way with our hands interwoned. How can l tell Danielle l will find Grace alone without sounding rude? l had foreseen it already that Danielle would know of our little secret...l only hope she is able to stand it.
"And why are you staring at me that way?" Danielle asked. l did not even realise l was looking at her while l thought of what her reaction to the secret will be
"I just missed you Danielle!" l said, raising my voice while we both giggled and pulled each other into a hug the hundredth time. So much for being a female. We checked the garden, the stable, the store and everywhere we thought Grace could be but she is nowhere to be found. l was beginning to panic now. What if she fled? How will she survive if the estate guards apprehend her?
"We have not checked the maid's quarter Vanessa"
"Ohh...How could we have skipped that?"
"She definitely would be there" Danielle confirmed. We both hastened to the maids quarter and off to Grace room. 'I won't forgive myself if she is in a bad state'. Danielle pushed open the door to Grace room and as expected, she was lying on her bed traumatized. We both rushed to her worriedly and she looked dead. Her hair is disheveled, her eyes looked red and puffy. She must be deep in thought because she did not acknowledge our presence.
"What in hell happened here?" Danielle asked and l could detect fright in her voice. She shook Grace gently and the latter finally regained herself.
"What is wrong Grace?" Danielle asked gently as she assisted Grace to sit up
"Vanessa..." Grace called weakly on sighting me. l did not realise l stood a few inches from them as l rushed to her. We embraced longing and l felt her body tremble. She pulled out immediately, searching my eyes, my face then my body with her piercing gaze leaving Danielle confused
"Were you hurt? Did those monsters hurt you?" Grace asked gently but her voice is filled with string resentment
"Monsters?" Danielle and l said in collision. l feigned ignorance
"Yes! The Lords and Ladies of this mansion and other mansions unknown to us are vampires." She said as a matter of fact. "We have blood sucking no, human's blood sucking monsters living with us. They are even superior to us leaving us with no choice to fight them" Grace disclosed in one breath, her eyes portraying pure fear. l think this is the point l need to say something
"Grace there..."
"Monsters? Vampires? What in Heavens?" Danielle squealed
"We are doomed Danielle! We will all be taken at intervals to feed these monsters" Grace explained further
"And how did you know this?" Danielle asked
"Micael told me. He is one of them!" Grace said bitterly.
"Vanessa" Danielle called me, surprising me and giving me the cold shoulders.
"Yes?" My voice came out calm no matter how hard l tried to make it sound unstable and shaky
"What do you know about this?" Danielle asked, startling me, startling Grace
"What do you mean by that? The poor girl was taken against her will to be used as flood for those monsters. They must have threatened her not to reveal the truth or they might have erased her memories since they are of course, monsters!" Grace defended, raising her voice from frustration
"I want to tell you both all l know but l will like you to promise me you won't tell a soul" l began...Grace sent a 'for real' look to me but she promised not tell a soul so as Danielle
"I was not taken against my will..." l said, assuring Grace. "Neither was l taken to the Lord as an assistant. l went to the rooms that very day when..."
The silence that followed my confession was deafening. I told them all that happened, including my near death experience and how l had forgiven Gabbriel. They are my family now so l need not hide anything from them.
"You forgave someone that almost took your life?" Grace was the first to pull out of the trance
"Yes Grace. l told you it was not intentional and truly, it was not intentional"
"You scare me Vanessa! You forgave someone that sucked you dry? All in the name of love? What if you had died? Would you still forgive him?"
"l did not die Grace."
"Still, you..."
"You said once a person is bitten, they become a vampire..."
"Yes, th..." l was saying when realisation hit me hard. The words hung in my throat as well as my breath
"What!!???" Grace and Danielle both screamed in fright as Grace drew away from me impulsively. They both stared wide eyed at me while l began to tremble in fear. 'Wgat now? Has my humanity been taken from me? What will happen to me now? Will l go savage like the head maid and kill my kind just for the fun of it?' My loud pumping heart is becoming deafening to my ears as sweat drenched me. My eyes found Grace and Danielle and l thought of how the people l have grown connected to will begin to run from me. Tears burned my eyes as l watched them study me like l am a wild animal that will pounce on them in no time. They both drew closer to me after a while and pulled me into their embrace. Their gesture only made me shed more tears as my life flashed before my eyes. 'No, l can't take this. l won't take this!"
"Well, if you say so...but then, you can't tell the Lord Vanessa"
"Why? She obviously needs guidance" Grace connered
"And you think Lord Quinn will guide her? Did you forget what he did you the heads maid?" Danielle queried
"Ohh that is true. He burned her to ashes Nessa. He took her to his private garden to take pleasure in her pain as he burned her" Grace explained and l almost laughed at how smoothly they narrated the incidence like it happened in their very presence. If l had not seen the head maid in the dungeon, l would have believed their story
"And how did you know Lord Quinn burned the head maid? Were you guys invited to witness the scene?" l asked sarcastically
"Lord Quinn said so himself, doubting Nessa" Grace said as a matter of fact
"Well, what if l told you girls that l saw the head maid in the dungeon"
"What?! Did Lord Quinn lie to us to give us false solace? How could he do that?" Grace said, her hatred for the Lords once again surfacing
"I am sure he has his reasons Grace. He won't intentionally want to hurt us. l trust him on that"
"Well, what do we expect from a vampire's wife who is also a vampire" Grace mocked dramatically
"I am not his wife Grace and l am not a vampire for heaven's sake"
"Well you will soon be...in small time"
"It is high time you dropped this topic Grace, you are getting irrational and it is getting on my nerves"
"Ohhh so l am getting on your nerves now? Will you like to grab me and do justice to my blood?"
"What!?" l asked, shocked at Grace' attitude
"I think you should both stop this now!" Danielle intervened "What the hell is wrong with you? Is this the time to fight over spilt milk or find solution to it?"
"What solutions can reverse this?"
"l will just have to ignore you at this point" Danielle told Grace before turning to face me "Vanessa, l am strongly behind you girl. You need to tell the Lord about this though before changes begin to occur"
"l will..." l said, feeling extremely down and dejected.
Our awfully prolonged meeting finally came to an end with Grace being as grumpy as she can be while Danielle on the other hand is a complete contrast to her. She is understanding and compassionate...
★★★
l keep trying to avoid the topic of becoming a vampire in my mind as l never wished for it to happen. What would become of me? What will be aunt Linda's reaction to this? She definitely won't be pleased you know...l sighed in frustration as l knead the dough energetically. My frustrations and confusion has been directed to it for the past hour now. It is still far from smoothness considering the large amount of dough it is. I have been living in fear, alarmed at every slight changes in my body. I wonder just how long it takes to fully develop into a vampire. It has been four days since the incidence yet nothing has changed. Grace had been keeping her distance as a precautionary measure incase l come at her to suck her blood as she will always say. She would silently inspect me from far and near looking for any change at all but she is getting tired herself. Danielle now think we both lied to her about the Lords being vampires
"A wagon just entered the mansion" Bruse announced
"It must be Lord Quinn" Lola said, looking healthier than ever with her already protruding tommy. No one told us how pregnancy makes you more beautiful. Lord Quinn had gone on a real official trip this time. l did not even get to tell him about the possibilities of me becoming his kind. Why did he not talk about it? It must have skipped his mind as it skipped mine too. Afterall, it was Danielle that was cautious enough to join the dots. I hope he is the one that is back because l have a lot to tell him. I am restless as Hell!
"Girls!!!" Dija screamed as she entered the kitchen
"And to what do we owe the honour of this deafening scream?" Gerl asked
"Higher Lady Quinn is here!!" Dija screeched