Children of Van Helsing

Chapter Thirty-five - Back Underground

Regina

I didn't even know where I was running. My feet automatically brought me to the garage and to my car. I got in and didn't even notice Helen got in on the other side. She sat next to me and didn't say anything. We just drove.

Never was I going back there again. Never. Oh, God, I had ruined everything! How could I have acted so stupid? Why had I tried to break up Susanna and Ian, while I knew my sister would be happy with him? How could I have been so selfish? Why had I attacked my own family? I was a murderer. A liar and a fool.

"Where are you going?" Helen asked.

I had driven us towards London and we were close to the centre.

"I don't know." I answered. I just parked my car somewhere without looking if I was even allowed to park there and got out.

The cold went straight through my thin shirt and I wished I had brought a coat. But I didn't want to go back to the house. Ever. I had hurt too many people there and now I was afraid to go back.

"Regina, where are you going?"

Helen tried to keep up with me. I walked through the streets, bumped into people without apologising, didn't notice where I was. I vaguely smelled fresh coffee and tea, litter and car fumes. The smell of London.

Helen put her hand on my shoulder and pulled me in some kind of alley. We were close to the Big Ben.

"Stop it. Just stop it." She said.

I didn't cry. I didn't want to cry. I just stared her in the eye and waited for her to continue.

"Where are you going?" She repeated.

I shrugged. Helen sighed. "Where do you want to go?" She asked.

"I don't know." I bit my lip. "I have nowhere to go."

She hesitated about something, but then said: "I know you hate that place, but we could go to the underground city. Mickael will help us."

"I won't go near him." I immediately said.

She sighed. "Okay, how about I talk to him and you don't even have to see him. I'll arrange something. We'll at least have a place to stay. Okay?"

I didn't care. "Okay." I just mumbled.

It was running late, so finding the doorway in the church was easy now that there weren't many people around. No curious tourists. I mindlessly walked down the many stairs with Helen.

The underground city, in all its magnificence. The houses, the cafés, the little light there was - all in an endless cave. I had to give the vampires credit for creating this society from practically nothing. Some special witches' spells prevented humans from noticing the gigantic cave, Helen had told me. That would cause trouble. But they hardly ever came close because the cave lay so deep in the earth.

The walk seemed to take longer than last time. Maybe it was because I knew we were going to get close to the man I hated.

We reached the mansion.

"I need to talk to Mickael." Helen said to the man at the gate. "Can you arrange a room for her?" She pointed at me.

It was a different vampire than before. He seemed... Older somehow. His body was young, but his eyes were those of somebody who has lived for a long time. He just nodded and opened the gate.

"Isn't your brother with you?" He asked, while walking with us to the mansion.

Greg. I suddenly realised he wasn't with us - hadn't he been able to follow us? Helen and Greg were always together, they were twins, part of each other. Where was he? Maybe he would come later. Or did he want to stay with the others? Why on earth would he want that?