The Demon Of The Night [OUTDATED VERSION]

Sarracenia Psittacina

Barbara found herself continuing to glance at her arm as she walked home from the library. She ran her thumb over the bandage, wondering if the wound Richard left her still looked fresh.

"Well, this is just another thing I have to hide from dad." She rolled her sleeve back down as she entered the house.

The house was empty and quiet, which Barbara wasn't surprised to find. In fact, she was quite glad he wasn't here yet because it meant two things. First, she did not want another lecture from him because of this morning's argument. Second, and most importantly, Sarah Essen wouldn't be here.

"Oh, but she could still show up." Barbara recalled the many times she had appeared on her own.

"What the-" The chill of the night air hit her as soon as she entered the room. She flicked on the light, seeing that the window was opened. "I know I didn't leave this open." She marched over to the window and slammed it shut. "But then why would dad leave it open..."

"Ahem," A voice said from behind her. Barbara let out a loud shriek as she turned around to face whoever was there.

Richard waved at her from the bed, flashing her a toothy grin. "Hey, Barba-"

"Ugh! Richard!" She rolled her eyes, marching up to him. "Between you and your father creeping in here- Well, I see where you picked it up from!"

"Wait, what?" The bed creaked as Richard rose off it. "He came in here? When? And why?"

"The night I hit him." Barbara cocked her head. "You didn't know?"

"No..." A dark look came over his features, which did not go unnoticed by Barbara. "Why was he here?"

"He told me to stop with my research and never humiliate him again. And never speak of that encounter. Because if I did, I would be taken to Arkham." She gave an involuntary shudder at the memory.

"And what else did he do?" Richard clenched his fists together as he came closer.

"He put his- his claw over my mouth. He pressed his teeth against my wound." She pointed to the nearly faded scar on her neck.

His eyes were ablaze with a fury Barbara had never seen before, startling her with the intense passion burning within them.

"He had no business coming in here and threatening you like that. I promise he will never do that again." The whites of his eyes started to fill with what looked like blood and his black pupils began to dilate. 

Barbara cleared her throat, unsure of what to say. "So why did you come here?"

Richard grabbed her hand, immediately returning back to his former, handsome self. "I couldn't resist seeing you again."

"I am glad you're here. I wanted to see you too." She smiled, placing her free hand over his own.

"Barbara, I need to ask you for something." Richard hesitated. "Your blood- I need more. I want more."

Barbara blinked. "How much more?"

"Just a taste. You will be able to recover it quickly," he assured.

"Okay... Then use my other arm." Barbara slowly gave him the arm that had no scratch.

Richard eagerly grabbed it, wasting no time in using his nail to cut her vein. To distract herself from the pain, Barbara began humming that same happy tune from earlier. Catching a glimpse of Richard's fangs, she watched as they became stained red. 

Even though she could only see the top of his head, Barbara could still make out the change in his eyes. What had once been white was now filled with a crimson red. His pupils were also enlarged to an unnatural degree, but that did nothing to take away the glow from his blue irises.