Chapter 7:

“This will be your bedroom,” I told Chrissie, pointing around an empty room with wooden floorboards and light pink walls. The room had nothing more than a bed in the corner, an empty shelf and a wardrobe. There wasn’t really any time for preparation because I hadn’t informed Professor about Chrissie’s stay. Chrissie stood beside me, putting her bag down the floor with a thud and giving me a wide beam.

“Wow, this room is big!” she exclaimed giving a twirl.
“It used to be Elizabeth’s room when she was young,” said Nan suddenly, appearing inside the room. It had felt like a while since I had seen her. I gave her a smile.
“Oh so your name is actually Elizabeth!” said Chrissie in surprise.

I gave a sheepish smile.

“My name is Nancy,” Nan said “You can call me Nan.”
“Are you Eliza’s mother?” asked Chrissie, looking from me to her. I gave a little flinch.
“Oh no, sweetheart,” Nan said sadly, hesitantly looking at me while I was fixing Chrissie’s stuff “Elizabeth doesn’t have any parents. Professor Terrison adopted her. I will be your nanny, like I was to my darling Elizabeth!”
“I’m sorry,” Chrissie said as I looked at her.
Walking over to her, I wrapped my arm around her with a comforting hug.
“Don’t worry,” I told her “Prof is my father now and you are my little sister. Shall we eat dinner?”
With a glow, she nodded.

Ë

Dinner was unusually bright and colourful that night; the room had been filled with mirth as if we were really one big, normal and happy family. Chrissie had looked like she had finally become able to settle down. Nan’s beef stroganoff’s whiff had filled the whole room and it was really as delicious as it looked.
After dinner, while Nan tucked Chrissie up in bed, I had pulled Professor for a small chat.

“Professor, I-I have something to ask,” I said, holding the permission slip behind my back.
“What is it Elizabeth?” he asked, looking a little chary at me, thinking I was in trouble at school again.
I took in a deep breath as I handed him the permission slip. He took it from me and read it in momentarily silence.
“Elizabeth,” he said as I looked hopefully up at him. “I’ll think about it.”
“Oh,” I said masking my disappointment, “Yes well, I’ll be outside taming wild animals.”
Professor sighed.
“I have nothing to say tonight,” he said, shooting me a disapproving look. “Except to be careful.”
He looked at me one last time as if to say something but left without another world. I got ready, wearing a cloak this time, bringing yet again the rapier with me.

As I took my steps outside, I breathed in a smell of the cool night air. The moon shone down at me as if indicating its presence to say I wasn’t alone. The trees were filled with dark shadows, the street nearly empty under the dim light of the moon. It made me feel secure knowing that I was one with the night.
Changing myself again, pain in every corner of my body, my hair growing long and turning black and my eyes becoming able to see more clearly in the night as it turned grey. I raised my head trying to sniff out any vampire scents.

It had been a while since I had hunted vampires in the city. The stillness of the past few nights were becoming suspicious and I know that after killing more vampires from the vampire clan, they wouldn’t let me get away so easily.
I sprinted around the city, searching for any signs of vampires. Even after it had turned midnight, I still hadn’t found any sight of any vampires. I was getting restless and I figured that I had to go home.
I had reached the town port, where boats of all sizes were docked and I took a rest. Staring at the moon’s reflection on the lake, I sighed and leaned back. What was the clan planning? What was William doing?

I sat up abruptly, shocked and bewildered on why I had suddenly thought of William.
“You’ve inhaled too much air, Eliza,” I told myself “Time to head back.”

I heard small rumblings from above. Drops of water fell on my forehead as I looked up and it started to rain.
“Great,” I muttered.

As I was heading back, I saw a small figure fly overhead and saw that clear enough that it was a bat. The symbol on the Fanged Clan’s Crest was a bat. The most loyal servants of vampires were bats. Assuming that the clan has been hiding out of town, I stood up and followed it.

I hid behind the trees, making sure that I wouldn’t make any sounds. Even though bats were said to be blind, they have acute senses of hearing. They weren’t stupid enough either. One small noise, they would go higher and off course until they were sure that they had lost their stalker.

I was led far off to the end of town nearby an abandoned building.
The bat disappeared into the building and I caught scents of vampires inside. The rain became heavier as I stopped amidst the trees. There was another low rumbling and the thunder roared. There was a small light, giving away the shadow of a figure not far from me.
I took out my rapier ready to slice and I prowled towards it. Then I ran in for the kill.

There was thunder again as the figure turned around and I found myself holding the rapier, inches from William’s neck.
“You again,” I groaned inwardly. What was he always doing around my prey?
“Not much as a hello or a nice to see you again?” he asked, his hood over his head, hiding some of his face. Yet, his blue eyes still stood out like cat’s eyes that shone in the dark.

“I would,” I told him crisply “except that you’re in my territory”
“Whoa,” he said, “I’m in your territory? I’m afraid I arrived here first.”
“You didn’t mark it,” I pointed out.
“Look,” he said walking towards me “Can’t you just accept the offer I’m giving? Having you in our group would be better,”
“I prefer to work alone” I said, moving away from him and striding towards the building.

“Wait,” he said going after me but making a big mistake in stepping on a branch. No matter how hard the rain was falling upon us, the vampires didn’t miss that single crack of the branch. There was a roar from inside as the vampires ran outside.
“Shit,” William said under his breath.

“You,” said one of them to the others “Search that area, other search over there and the rest follow me!”
I grabbed William and ran into the trees just behind us.
“I thought you were an experienced slayer,” I grumbled.
“I was, until that branch came along!” he said from behind me. We ran together, finding a place to hide. I heard them coming around us and we were to be surrounded. This was a bad scene.

I looked around anywhere until I saw an old oak tree, standing soaring just ahead.
“Over there!” I said and we ran. My nails grew, long and sharp but making my hands filled with unbearable pain. I suppressed anything from showing on my face as I looked at the trunk. It wouldn’t be any problem to climb.
I dug my nails on the bark and started to climb, William doing the same but he kept slipping.
I saw the vampires catch William’s scent, who was unable to mask his. I jumped down. I couldn’t believe I was helping him after I have said that I had preferred to work alone. Except I couldn’t just leave him to get killed or worse, turned into a vamp!
“Wrap your hands around me,” I said.
“What?” he said aloud, astonished.
“Just do it!” I snapped.
He wrapped his hands around me in a hug, awkwardly at first but he grew comfortable later on.

I wrap one arm around him and used the others to climb. I released my hold of the other arm, using both arms as we went higher up. I stopped on a large thick branch above the ground and William released me and sat on it, his face showing me gratitude. The warmth I felt when William had his hands around me left, the cold wind of the night sending shivers towards me. The rain continued to fall heavily.

“I swear they were just here a minute ago!” yelled out the vampire to his other mates.
William and I watching quietly, holding our breath hoping they wouldn’t find us.
“You morons!” yelled the leader, “You dare be tricked by them? And you all call yourselves high ranking vampires!”
He ran and disappeared, leaving the others muttering. I heaved a sigh as they returned to their hideout without the leader.
After a few moments of silence, William spoke.

“How’s Chrissie adapting to living with you?” he asked in a whisper, afraid that even though we were high above the ground they might still hear us.

“She…looks happier,” I said slowly in barely audible voice.
William nodded in relief and gladness.

“My plan to hunt tonight,” I sighed “has been but a complete failure.”
“Sorry bout that,” William said “but so did my plan to slay.”
“Well, yeah,” I said, “All we can do now is wait for the sun to rise. If even we step down a little, we would be caught.”
“Amazing how vampires can do anything,” William commented.
“Oh,” I laughed bitterly “It’s not all that good.”
“Other than being chased by slayers, getting hungry for blood and losing your family,” he said “how come?”
“Well,” I thought for a minute “you’ll blow up under the sun.”
He laughed.

“You know,” he said “You sound like a good friend of mine. You remind me of her too. When I look at her, she reminds me of you. It’s weird. Her name’s Violet.”
“Purely coincidental I guess,” I said with a shrug. “Why are you even a slayer?”
“Well, it serves as a purpose,” he said.
“For what?”
“Pleasure.”

“You killed my family!”
-Robert Haydren