The Nocturnals

Chapter Eight: What?

Eliora's eyes involuntarily search the room for weapons. None in sight. She jumps up from the bed, walking wobbly around. She takes deep breathes to calm herself down. She's in an unknown place, for no reason, she almost died, and somehow it's morning. Sunlight trickles in through the window as the sun peeks behind heavy clouds. Hearing footsteps down the hall, Eliora leaps to the side of the hospital bed where a scalpel rests.

The footsteps sound random and almost like someone being slapped. Eliora grabs the scalpel and pushes herself against the wall next to the door as a shadow creeps into sight. She flings herself at the person walking in the room. When she opens her eyes, she's on the floor with a bleach blonde girl giggling at her. Searching her eyes, Eliora only sees green eyes, not yellow.

"Wow, you have horrible aim!" she says in a creepily weird voice as she giggles, "Oh... You're on Anesthetics! Oh my! Someone got into a scuffle! You've got a huge gash on your leg and a bandage around your head!"

Eliora turns herself around on the cold ground and shivers, "Who-who are you?"

"Oh! How silly of me! I'm Beatrice!" she smirks. Beatrice gives her a hand up off the ground and assists her to her bed, her feet slapping the concrete. Just like Eliora, Beatrice wears a revealing tissue paper dress. Eliora watches her suspiciously as she sits on the bed and plays with her hair.

"What am I doing here?"

Beatrice turns towards her and gives her a studying look, "Well, I don't know, actually. I mean, I know what this place is in general, but I don't know why specifically you're here. Would you like to know what this place is?" Nodding, Eliora pulls herself up to sitting position, "Well, this place is where the Peacekeepers save people and help them," Beatrice notices Eliora's confused expression, "The Peacekeepers are the vampires that feel bad for us, so if we're in trouble, they come and save us. After they save us, they give us a choice on what we want to be; a vampire, a Shifter, a Slave, or a human, out on your own. I became a slave," she pulls down the neck of her dress where two canine teeth indents lie, not on broken skin, "Isn't it cool?"

Eliora's eyes narrow, "No."

"Pff. You're just jealous. I'm Blayne's slave. He doesn't like taking blood from the unwilling so he has a slave," she pauses, "That's me if you didn't figure that one out."

"Yeah. I did," Eliora rolls her eyes, disgusted.

Beatrice scoffs, "Too good to be a slave, huh? Well, who's going to live in the mansion? Huh?"

"Are you shitting me? You think I'm jealous of someone who's a vampire's pet?! Well I got news for you, Fluffy, I am not going to stop fighting against these monsters til' the day I die! I'd be damned if I ever turn into one of those mosquitoes!" Eliora snaps.

Beatrice's jaw drops to the floor as she folds her arms and stands up, stomping her foot on the ground, "The audacity of some people!" She walks out of the room, furious.

As soon as she walks out of the room, a man enters in a labcoat, his yellow eyes friendly, but Eliora knows better, "Hello."

"... Hi," Eliora watches him suspiciously.

He smiles brightly as Eliora's eyes narrow, "My name's Blayne. I'm your Peacekeeper today. You can ask me any question necessary as I check your vitals."

"Fine. First question: What happened to me?" Eliora asks slowly as he pulls out a light and inspects her eyes, shining the light into her pupils. She squints and flinches at the light and his cold touch. His touch was reminiscent of a dead man's.

Blayne steps back, taking a deep breath, "Well, one of the Peacekeepers found you being circled by another vampire. They stopped him as soon as you had passed out from lack of oxygen. When you passed out, your head hit the rock. That explains your head bandage. For some reason you had a huge gash in your leg, too. Now it's my turn to ask a question," Eliora nods as Blayne crosses his arms, "Alright, do you know what that gash is from?"

Eliora looks down at her hands in her lap, "Well... I got a wood shard in my calf from falling through stairs on a gazebo." Eliora's heart drops at the memory, a sudden soreness spreading through her leg.

"Oh my. Well, I sewed it up for you. I also have to tell you that you'll have a visitor, today," Blayne smiles as he grabs her wrist, taking the pulse.

"A visitor?"

Blayne pulls away and scribbles something on a clipboard, "Yes. The-uh- the Prince of all vampires."

"What?"