Beautiful Disaster

Beautiful Undead - Prologue

"I was a heavy heart to carry, my beloved was weighed down. My arms around his Neck, my fingers laced the crown. I was a heavy heart to carry but he never let me down. When he held me in his arms my feet never touched the ground. I'm so heavy in you arms."

-Florence and The Machine - Heavy in Your Arms

Beautiful Undead,

a Beautiful novel

by

Devon J. Thomas

An incredible love. An incurable thirst

Prologue

June 19th 1847

Elizabeth Van Cleef inhaled then exhaled before feeling a distinct and unwelcomed feeling of claustrophobia.

Her hand, once limp with death, lifted up until her palms were against a sort of hardwood encasement. She banged her palms against it and dust fell into her clover eyes.

She yelled out in irritation before she continued to bang against the wood. The wood cracked at the force of her palms and a heap of sand fell onto her.

Confusion engulfed her as she wondered where she was. She couldn't be at home because... because she was supposed to be... dead. Her love, Capriano had killed her, drank her near-dry.

But then...where was she? In hell?

Certainly not, she denied, refusing to believe that her Christian values would lead her to a bitter torment in hell. And she couldn't be in hell because she was sure she wasn't on fire, though she'd felt an intolerable pain before her eyes burst open.

Her chest began to heave heavily. She felt uneasy. The encasements were too close for her liking. And why... why was there sand falling on her?

Unless..... unless she'd been buried... alive.

No that's preposterous! She tried consoling. She count be buried alive because she was sure she was dead. But then where the hell was she?

Her chest's manic heaving increased and she felt her throat, once burning, and now dry.

So dry.

Too dry.

She felt hungry.

Inhaling deeply, Elizabeth concentrated on the sounds around her. Not too far away a mole was digging in the sand, trying to find it's way to whatever it seeked. Six feet above her a mouse scurried around in search for food. But there was something else she heard. Something that sounded like the beating of a fresh, human heart.

She gulped in desire at the mere thought of indulging in the person. Her teeth elongated and nicked her tongue, releasing a fresh amount of her own blood and a rush of adrenaline.

She needed to get out of here. And now

She felt her fingers turn to claws. Confusion rushed through her again but she brushed it away. She needed the person. He had what would cure her thirst... her hunger.

With her newly sharpened claws, she scratched through the wooden interior and yelled out in frustration as sand fell all over her. Feeding off her frustration, she clawed through the sand until her hand broke through the barrier of afterlife and she was free.

With a deepened, dark need to survive, Elizabeth clawed her way out of the pit she been thrown in and lifted her body out of the hole.

She felt dirty. She felt angry. She felt betrayed.

How could they just put her in a grave? Didn't they know she was alive?

She brushed the thoughts away because she knew she was supposed to be dead. Instead, she centered her concentration on the beating heart that was so close she could practically taste him.

She half walked, half limped toward the beat. The sent drew her in and the soft, rhythmic sound guided her like a map.

She came close to the body, close enough to wrapped around the heaven-sent scent of the boy who was huddled over a case.

With the smell so close she couldn't think straight. She didn't care that he was human and that she was so enticed by blood. All she could think about was how good it would feel to insert her teeth into his artery and feed.

Hesitantly at first, she began to walk towards him, her feet making the wooden floor boards creek as she entered a shack situated in the cemetery where the man was. The sound made him jump and he turned to face her.

Fear washed over his face as he saw her. He gulped hard and she cocked her head sideways. She wondered how could he possibly be frightened by her, a woman that was both graceful and beautiful. Then she looked down to see herself in scream colored gown, covered in mud. She looked horrible. She looked like a creature from a tale of horror.

"Wha- what are doing here?" He asked with fear as clear as water in his every action. This fear only excited her, made her want his blood even more.

She walked closer to him and he backed against the shack's wooden walls. She smiled. There was no escape for him. He was hers.

As her feast drew to an end, Elizabeth wiped her bloodied mouth with her hands and licked her fingers dry. She needed more. Now that she'd tasted the irresistible elixir that was blood, she craved for it. She needed to be around it.

The red crimson governed her like a God. And like a true believer, she worshiped it. She once again inserted her fangs into the man a sucked, but nothing came out.

Out of frustration she picked the dead man up and threw him across the room and yelled out.

Then, as she was about rip through the graves in search for more of that delectable crimson liquid, the scent once again governed her will-power. She turned to see where the smell was.

And standing at the shack's doorway was figure with a freshly killed human at her grip. Immediately Elizabeth stepped closer to the carcass until the person stopped her instantly.

"No, no, dear child. Not now."

Elizabeth cocked her head sideways as a revelation dawned upon her.

"Esmerelda?" She asked, bitter confusion engulfing her.

"Yes, my pretty. It is I, your sire. Now come, my pet. We have a lot to do."

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A/N

So what do you think about Elizabeth being turned into a Vampire by Cap's sire. She'll definately be stirring up some trouble later on. The song quoted in the song beginning is one of my favourite Florence and the Machine ( beaten only by Cosmic Love, Shake it Out and Drumming Song) which I think near-perfectly encompasses the romantic theme of Beautiful Undead. Anyway can't wait to read what you say about it!

-D