The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Seven (Draft 3) "The Meaner Things in Life"

Yara barely glanced toward Pam or the queue as she waved an arm. "Jules!"

Julien turned his head to Yara, then back to Athen, and finally turned around and waved dismissively at Yara.

The couple that had been between them moved past Yara to enter the theater.

"If we go now, we can save them seats," Pam suggested.

Yara nodded then strode along the velvet ropes.

Inside the dim theater, Yara beckoned them after her, toward a grouping of yet vacant seats.

It was a couple minutes later that Julien came into the theater, Athen walking just behind him. Yara stood from her seat the other side of Pam. There was a nod from Julien and Yara then pointed to an empty pair of seats in the row in front of theirs.

"You don't want to sit together?" Julien asked as he reached his seat.

"I wasn't sure if you both were coming. It seems sold out. I didn't—"

"I apologize. Yara. I surprised Julien. If you like, sit here with him and I'll find another seat."

Yara just stood there a moment. Morpheus was putting effort into looking like he wasn't paying attention, but it did occur to him she might be mesmerized; Athen did have a rather soothing voice. Then Yara shook her head. "I ran into Pam, and you're...." she trailed off and made some and so on motion with her hand. "I don't want to be third wheel."

Watching the exchange from the corners of his eyes, Morpheus saw Pam glance toward him.

"Tricycles are more stable—"

Julien pushed the soda and popcorn at Yara then rounded on Athen. "Sit down, Lu!"

And Athen did. Immediately.

⁂

The movie was beautiful. A modern film, set in a time when motion picture was in its infancy, preferring camera tricks to computer effects, referencing the modernity of a bygone age. Morpheus had never known how much he wanted to appear in a long-tailed dove gray suit. Just how historical was all that décolletage and the small-waisted, Victorian corsetry? Dracula's armor with the visage of a flayed bat. Lucy's slinky snake dress and monstrous wedding gown were positively reptilian. Jonathan's hair, gray from fright, was wolvish and kinda hot. The meaner things in life.

But Mina's wardrobe changed like the seasons from vernal green to bonfire red to the black velvet of winter night. She, corrupted and redeemed, could live again.

It was beautiful and meaningful and yet there was something confusing about it all.

Had Dracula and Mina been in love?

Could an engaged and apparently prim Victorian school mistress — with interest in Orientalist fiction ­—be seduced by a foreign prince simply because he pursued her on the street and did not know how to take No for an answer?

He'd murdered Lucy!

Could Mina want to be so close to Dracula as to willingly infect her blood?

Could a Human and Vampire do that?

Could Morpheus?

He sighed. "Lord help me, I just want to make out with a vampire right now."

Pam, beside him, chuckled. "It really was so much eye candy."

The credits played accompanied by some pretty love song, and in the row before them, Julien sat leaning forward as if at the edge of his seat with Athen's hand on his back.