****Alexis
I was startled awake by an odd sound. It took me a minute to figure out what it was. 'Chains? What the Hell?' I kept looking around but couldn't see anything. It was too dark. Then I realized why I had heard chains rattling. Someone had lowered the chandelier to change and relight the candles. When I got a closer look at the someone, I realized it was Joanna, the women that had been Mary. "Can I ask you something?"
She glanced over her shoulder and said "I guess so."
"Are my friends really alright? All of them?"
It took her a few minutes to answer. "Your friends are fine."
"Where are they?"
"They're safe." Again it took a little while to answer.
"Are they here, too?" She didn't answer, so I assumed it was a yes answer. "What about Melanie?"
"He knows she's your favorite, so he never touched. Neither has anyone else."
She answered quickly, and that sort of made me wonder. "Vincent?" No answer. "Charlotte?" Another no answer. "Myron? Garret?"
"They are here, but it's not what you're thinking."
I tried to sound as calm as I could. "And what am I thinking?"
"That he's hurting them, but he's not. I've never seen leave anyone alone. I don't think he even wants to hurt them."
"What do you mean?"
She gasped quietly and whispered "I've said too much. I have to go." She quickly pulled the chain for chandelier, raising it to its rightful place, and hurried out of the room.
I barely caught sight of her as she sped off through the doorway. I glanced back to where she had been and noticed something sitting on top of the piano. I couldn't tell what it was, so I slowly got up to take a look. It was a small box of matches. 'I wonder why she left it.' As I picked it up, I shook it. 'Empty. Why would she leave it.' I slid the box open and found a tiny piece of paper. It read THEY'RE HERE. 'What does that mean? They're here? Who's they? ...' My mind started screaming 'Vincent! Melanie! The others! They're here!'
As I tried to calm myself down, I heard the door open. I barely turned halfway toward the door, before someone had grabbed me from behind and frantically bit my neck. They had missed the normal stop everyone usually goes for and got the meaty, muscle part of my neck where it meets the shoulder. It hurt like hell, and I screeched in agony. I felt the familiar burn of their thirst, so I quickly got to work, taking it away. They seemed to crumple toward the floor a little with each change my blood took. After they shoved me away from them, I breathlessly said "Next time hit a vein not a muscle." I glanced up to see who it was. "Mr. Swanson? ... But you were human.-"
"I did my job. I was the reason you had to come to the hospital. Now I'm one of them."
"Is it really so much better than your life before them?"
As he stood up and started backing toward the door, he sneered "Yes. It is."
After he left, I picked myself up off the ground. I had almost forgotten about the matchbox. In the slight ciaos I had dropped it. I found it under the bench to the piano. 'I should probably get rid of this.' I thought, glancing around, and went to the bathroom to flush it. With all the mirrors it was hard not to notice the blood on my shoulder, so I went to the closet to grab something else to wear. I did like the red dress, but not if I was wearing it for Damian. 'Oh, well. It's ruined, now.' I opened garment bag after garment bag. To my utter surprise and humiliation every bag had an elegant dress with a pair of matching shoes. 'I don't think there's a pair of jeans or a T-shirt in here anywhere.' I gave up and just grabbed a bag. I didn't open it until I got out of the shower. It was breathtaking. It was a pearl white, calf length, shiny silk, low cut, halter top like dress. The shoes to match where a short heal with straps that made a crisscrossing design that went a little above my ankles. 'Wow. This is beautiful. ... Nothing I would ever normally wear or have a reason to, either.' I put it on and glanced around at the mirrors. 'Huh. Not to shabby. Even if I do say so myself.' I didn't notice right away that Damian was standing in the doorway. When I did, I almost fell over when I jumped half out of my skin and spun around, backing myself up against the counter. "Jesus! ... Don't do that. Don't you know it's rude not to knock first?"
"I didn't want to interrupt. You look beautiful." He eyed me over for minute. "Breakfast is on the table. I thought you might be hungry."
'Be nice! Make him trust you!' My mind scolded. "I am. Thank you. Will you be joining me?"
A smile played at the corners of his lips. "I'd love to." He held out his hand to me.
Even though the thought of him touching me made my stomach churn and my skin crawl, I took it with a forced a smile. "Anything in particular you'd like to talk about?"
As he wrapped my arm through his, he said "Anything you'd like."
"Alright." I didn't know what to ask first or how to ask, but I wanted to know if the note in the matchbox was what I had thought. 'I think I'm going to be sick!' We were almost to the table, when I took a shot in the dark and hoped for the best. "You didn't really say before, so would you tell me where Vincent, Melanie and the others are?"
I must have struck the wrong cord, because the next thing I knew, he had me against the wall behind the table. "You need to forget them. Do you understand me?"
"I just want to know that they're safe at home. I'm sorry." With his arm crushing my throat it was difficult to talk or breath.
As he slowly lowered his arm from my neck and backed away, I coughed and gasped for air. He stepped toward me and grabbed me by the shoulders, gripping them hard enough to bruise. I cringed away, reflexively. In a quiet voice, he said "You need to forget them, Alexis."
As calm as I could, I spoke slowly and quietly, but my voice was still shaky. "I don't think I can. They're part of me, and I'm part of them. ... They're family to me. ..." His grip was getting tighter with each word, so I decided to tell another of my secrets. "When I heal someone, I end up with a little of them in me, and they end up with a little of me, too. Only one other person knows." His grip loosened, slightly. "Melanie knows, and, now, so do you."
"Why Melanie?"
"She saw me heal someone in pretty bad shape. She asked me something, and it just sort of came out with my answer."
He let his hands slowly slide down my arms and looked at me carefully. He gestured toward the table, and I hesitantly stepped passed him and sat down. "Will you explain it to me?"
I nodded and carefully said "It's hard to explain. ... When I heal someone, if I'm not careful, I don't just take their pain as my own. I take a piece of them. I can also give them a piece of myself. I have to be careful to give back only what's necessary for healing them."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience."
"I kind of am. I healed this women once and gave and got more than I was suppose to."
"What happened?"
"I've got a few of her memories, and I think she has some of mine, too."
"Who was it?"
"Mary. She was the first person I ever healed, besides myself."
"It hurts quite a lot when you heal someone."
It didn’t sound like an actual question, but I answered anyway. "Sometimes yes, but other times it's not so bad. Like you for example. I've healed a few vampires, but your venom is so strong. It feels like my whole insides are on fire almost instantly."
"It's because I drink daily. Sometimes a few times a day."
"Why?"
He half smiled and laughed once without humor. "Because I can, and it keeps me at my best, strongest."
"I guess that makes sense." I started to pick at the breakfast, a ham and cheese omelet.
When I was almost done, he asked "You really want to know where your friends are, don't you?"
"Yes, I do."
"My word isn't good enough?"
"I just need to hear it from them."
"If I tell you I know where they are, will you feel better?"
"Maybe."
"They're here looking for you."
"They are?"
"Yes, but I believe they'll be going home very soon."
'They're here. Just like the note said.' I thought and asked "And you're sure they're here?"
"They're here.”
“All of them?" I asked, and he nodded.
"Myron and Garret have been seen around town. Vincent and Charlotte are close, too."
"What about Melanie?"
"No one's seen her. We think she's still at home. I haven't gotten any word back yet to be sure. When I do, I'll let you know."
'She's here, too. I can feel it.' I nodded and let that sink in a little. Hesitantly, I asked "You won't hurt them, will you?"
He took a long time to answer. "I'm trying very hard not to, but it's not easy."
'Was that honesty?' I wondered and stuttered "Th-Thank you."
"Don't thank me, yet. I did say I was trying not to hurt them."
"Why are you being … honest?"
"I think that's a conversation for another time." He stood up and stared at me for a long a moment, as if he were deciding something. I half expected him to drain me dry again, but he didn't. Instead, I watched him as he slowly left, waiting for him to change his mind and come back, but he just left. 'I don't believe it. He left. Without a drop of my blood. ... He must be full. That's got to be it. ...' I sat there for a little while, trying to figure out what his motive might be, but the only thing I could think of is that we were playing the same game. Trying to convince each other to trust the other. 'This isn't going to end well.'
I spent the rest of the morning wandering around the room, closet and attempting to play the piano. I even tried to figure out a way to get up to the window sill, but nothing in the room was tall enough for me stand on and reach the edge enough to pull myself up. And yes, I tried everything I could move, including the damn piano. I'm sure all those sensitive ears around the place had to have heard that, but no one came in to check on me. All the while I kept thinking. 'I think I've been here a few days, but I'm not sure. So Melanie would've tried to connect by now, wouldn't she? Maybe she can't. Maybe I'm too far away or something. ... But I connected to my mom when I was home and she was here. Maybe I was passed out when she tried. ... Could he really be telling me the truth? No ones seen Mel? But Vin, Myron, Charlotte and Garret are here. That means she has to be with them, hiding. She better be safe. There will be Hell to pay if she's not. They know that, so they have to be hiding her. ... Now I just have to get out of here and get to them.' I felt like someone was watching me, so I quickly glanced around. 'This place needs a serious lighting make over.' I couldn't see anyone, but I felt someone was there. "Hello? ... Who's there?"
"You're the Healer, right?" A quiet voice asked.
"Yes. Who are you? Where are you?"
"I'm Evangeline, but everyone calls me Eva. I'm sorry you have to be here. I didn't like it at first either, but you get used to it. It's really not that bad, if you follow the rules."
"Not so bad? Yeah, I'll take your word for that. Wait. Rules?"
"Do whatever he says, and you’ll get along just fine." She finally stepped into view near the piano. It was the women from before with the soft brown hair, eyes that almost glowed white, young, strange, seemingly quiet. It was the same girl. "He must really like you to put you in here. He's been working on this room for a really long time. He never let anyone in here until you."
"He did say it was for me."
"I thought so. ... You know. He's really not that bad. If you give him a chance you might even like him."
I laughed once hard. "Yeah, I'm sure if I could forget the fact that he killed my parents, and that I got to watch, sort of, I just might. The truth is I don't know why he has me in here instead of a cell, like I saw my mom in."
"Because you're more important to me than that." I couldn't see him, but Damian was somewhere near the door.
'Oh, damn!' I was looking at Eva, and her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. "I can't forget that you know. I'm sure it sounds childish to someone like you, but I can't." The girl had taken on an almost solemn look, almost shameful.
"I don't expect you to." He came into view near Eva and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is that what's keeping you from trusting me?"
"In all honesty? Yes."
"Do you think you'll ever be able to get past that?"
'NO!!!!' I acted as if I were thinking it over. "I don't know."
"You killed my twin brother, and I forgive you for that."
"He was attacking me and my family. You forced mom and dad to kill each other."
He nodded and sighed heavily. "That's true." He seemed to be thinking for a long moment. Finally he glanced at Eva and said "I believe you still need to be healed." She nodded once and glanced at me. "Alexis, would be so kind as to join us over here."
As I forced myself to slowly walk toward them, I said "I'm sorry. It must be Hell to be near me. I should've offered before. I wasn’t thinking."
"Before?" Damian asked.
I quickly realized she that maybe she wasn’t supposed to in here. "She was fixing the candles on the chandelier. I don't even think she noticed I was awake."
"I didn't. I'm sorry if I woke you."
"It's okay. I don't think it was you who woke me up, anyway." He glanced at us suspiciously, so I quickly shrugged and added "Bad dreams." Glancing at Damian, I held out my arm to her and asked "Shall we?"
"I was hoping to join the two of you, Alexis." He said with a smirk playing at the corners of lips.
I slowly lowered my arm. "What do you mean?"
"While you heal her, I'd like to taste you. I very much enjoy the way your blood changes. It’s intriguing and intoxicating."
Not liking it one bit, I swallowed hard and nodded. "I think that's doable."
He grinned like a lion about to get his prey. "Excellent." He gestured for me sit on the bench, and I did with a very bad feeling. He motioned for Eva to sit to my left, and he sat to my right. As I held out my left arm to Eva, I felt him gently brushing my hair away from neck. I looked at Eva with what I'm sure was fear and uncertainty clear in my expression. She gently took my arm and bit down. As I cringed, he hastily bit down as well. It took a few minutes to think clearly enough to do anything but groan in pain. When I finally did start to heal her, I felt his hand slide around my neck, tightening slightly and lifting my chin up, holding my head still. His other arm slowly wrapped around my waist, hugging me closer to him. I managed to heal her fairly quickly.
After she let go of me, he pointed to the door, and she nodded once and began to leave. "Thank you." She murmured and glanced back at me with apology in her eyes.
"Welcome." I managed to rasp in a small, weak voice. 'Damn it. He's draining me, again. Can't he stop himself?' I tried to stop the blood flow to my neck, but it made things worse. He bit down harder and sucked harder, so I had no choice. I could only let him drain me, yet again.
I was just about to pass out, when I thought I heard Melanie. 'Stop him, aunt Lex!'
I thought it was just wishful thinking, but I weakly answered anyway, before I lost consciousness. 'I can't.'
****Charlotte
When I woke up, there was a bottle of water and a plate goulash sitting just inside the door. It was half cold, but I didn't care. I was starving. I had to make myself not inhale it. Chew first, then swallow. I ate every bite. I almost licked the damn plate clean. I put the plate back over by the door and started to look around. I couldn't really tell where I was, other than a basement jail cell. 'How the hell am I going to get out of this mess?' I couldn't hear anyone or anything. I had to go to the bathroom something fierce, but I certainly didn't like the idea of going in the nasty little half sized bathroom in the corner, with a half wall around it. When I couldn't hold it anymore, I gritted my teeth and held breath. It was the most disgusting thing I'd ever done.
As I paced my little cell, trying to figure out how to get out, the day light slowly faded. Or at the very least warn Garret, Myron and Melanie. I came to two conclusions. One, my life wouldn't last much longer, and there was no way around it. Two, there was no way out. Everything seemed hopeless. As I was about to give up for the night and try going to sleep, I heard the heavy door at the far end of the long hall open. It wasn't quiet pitch black. There was just enough moonlight to cast a dim glow. Damian and a young fragile looking women came into view. "Did you enjoy your dinner?"
"I've had worse." He opened the door, and the women picked up the plate and set down another bottle of water. "Thanks." I said to her.
She nodded once at me and again at Damian. As she left, he said "Have someone keep an eye them." She nodded once again and quickly left. After the heavy door shut, he came in and stalked toward me, menacingly. "I have a question for you, but I need a very honest answer." He grabbed a fistful of hair from the back of my head, wrenching my head back and looking straight in my eyes. "Tell me, Charlotte. How far would Alexis go to make sure all of you were safe?"
I tried not to tell him, but it was useless. "She'd stop at nothing. Even if it means it hurts her."
"Good. ... If she thought I had done something to any of you, then what?"
"She'd do everything she could to kill you. She already despises you for what you did to her mom and Charles. I don't suggest pissing her off."
"That's good, Charlotte. I'm sure she'd like to know you are all just fine. I'm going to have to make sure I don't do anything to rash with the two of you." He sank his teeth deep in my neck. and I gasped and groaned in pain. I tried to struggle away even though I knew it pointless. I was still weak from the last time he drained me, and it didn't take long before I was out, again.
****Vincent
When I couldn't hear anyone around, I tried to pulled my arms free, but nothing short of a key or cutting my hands off at the wrists was going to get me free. 'I have to get out of here.' I turned myself around and put my feet on the wall for leverage. As I pushed with my feet, I pulled on the shackles. Not even a simple stress crack on the. 'I can't give up. She needs me.' I kept trying to get free, but nothing seemed to be working. The rest of the day passed by slowly. The following day did, too. I was getting weaker by the day, struggling to free myself. I was at the point I thought I should try to gnaw through my wrists. 'I could do it, but I wouldn't be much help to myself afterwards in finding Alexis and Charlotte.' I kept talking myself in and out of doing it.
Day three went slower than the first two days did. I had almost given up on the shackles, when a thought occurred to me. 'He wants her alive. If Charlotte, Alexis and I are the only ones here, what happened to Myron, Garret and Melanie? He didn't even mention Garret or Myron. Was the plan to take Alexis and us? Or just Alexis and we got in the way?' I gave up on my restraints and tried to get some sleep for the first time since being there.
****
When I woke up, I heard voices slowly getting closer. Today would have been four days, since anyone had come close enough for me to hear. It was Damian I heard, and it didn't sound like good news. "I don't think I'll be needing her anymore. Alexis tastes ... much better, and she's a little more convenient. After I'm done here, I'll see her. ... Go check on Alexis. See if she's awake. Let me know." I didn't expect death to be so soon, but I guess it was inevitable. "Oh, good. You're awake. You must have heard me, then."
I nodded. "I think I've got the general idea. You're going to kill Charlotte and me. You're bored with us already?"
He laughed a hard loud "Ha!" Shaking his head, he said "No, Vincent. I'm not going to kill anyone."
"Yeah, right. You don't really think I'd expect you to let us go."
"Actually, Vincent, I'm going to do just that, if that's what you choose. Of coarse, there are a couple of ... stipulations."
"Yeah, right. I suppose, you're going to tell me I won the lottery, too."
He laughed deeply and said "No. I was thinking, I'd let you go with a little JOB to do. Then, you're free to go."
"What about Charlotte and Alexis?"
"Charlotte will have her own JOB to do. Then, she'll be just as free as you."
"What kind of JOB?"
His smile became even more sinister. "It seems, Myron and Garret have come to my lovely home town. I assume they're not here to sight see."
"So?"
"So, you and Charlotte will MAKE them go home, or all of you will die here. I don't want to upset Alexis. -"
"And what becomes of her?"
"She stays here."
"And if we disagree?"
"She stays. The rest of you go. It's that simple. Think of it this way, Vincent. You all get to stay alive."
"Does she know we're here?"
"Yes, and I suggest you take the offer, Vincent. I really would hate to kill you and Myron. I rather like the two of you. As for Charlotte and Garret, I couldn't care less what happened to them. Alexis wouldn't like if I hurt any of you, so I'm trying very, very hard not to."
"What happens to her after we leave?"
"You're free to do anything you like, except come back here. Alexis stays with me, and she'll be happy to do so, too."
"I doubt that."
"You never know." As he turned to leave, he added "You have until tomorrow morning to decide. Stay here and die, or go home and live. It's your choice."
I spent the entire night trying to figure out if he was full of shit or not. 'He's just screwing with me. That has to be it. He never let's anyone go. Not unless he has something else planned for them afterwards.' I went over and over the conversation in my head, trying to find any hidden message or agenda in his words. Nothing seemed to stick out, other than STIPULATION and JOBS. 'That part made some sense. He wouldn't want any of us around to disturb him from his normal 'routine', but why not just kill us? Alexis knows we're here, maybe she's already on to him. Maybe she knows what he's planning and has a plan of her own. I should stay and wait for her. See if I can help in any way.'
****