ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF LONDON, THERE WAS A CASTLE ON A HILL. It was the perfect place for a vampire and a bunch of zombies to hide. It was adjacent to a graveyard, making it in a rather remote location even though it was relatively close to the city. Before Dio moved in, there had been no one even visiting the castle for a long time.
Or so I was told by Dio. I'd been in the same room ever since I'd entered the castle, so I didn't know for sure what the place looked like on the inside. Much less, the outside. But I was thinking it was about time to explore.
I made a careful note of where Dio's room was before heading down the long hallway. It didn't take me long to spot a zombie. I quickly pulled back, feeling unsettled after my past few experiences with those creatures. But the zombie noticed me before I could even finish taking a step in the opposite direction.
He smirked. "Hello . . ." The way he spoke made it sound like he wanted to say something else.
"U-uh, hello." I responded mostly out of habit. I wasn't getting a very good feeling about this guy. Perhaps it was the way his smile showed off his pointed teeth. Or maybe it was the dark look in his eyes that made me feel uncomfortable.
The lingering feeling of death inside the mansion seemed to grow stronger as the zombie neared. "You're looking for something," he observed.
"Yes. Do you know where Dio is?"
"I don't," the zombie frowned.
I frowned. I was really hungry . . . "Would you happen to know if there's any human food here?"
"'Human' food, huh?" The zombie chuckled. "That's right in front of me."
It took me a second to process that the zombie had made a joke from my poorly worded question. It took another second for me to realize that he'd just referred to me as food.
"Ah, that's not what I meant," I said. For some reason, I felt the need to clarify this to the zombie.
His smile grew into an amused smirk. "I know."
I suddenly became aware that the wound on my side was nowhere near completely healed. Plus, I was still wearing the same dress as before, blood stains and all. I probably shouldn't have left Dio's room.
"Dio will be mad if you do anything," I said, hoping that the mention of the blonde's name would do something to help me.
It didn't. The zombie chuckled. "Well, it's better to ask forgiveness than permission."
I didn't wait to start running, ignoring the sudden sting in my side. I hoped I was correctly remembering the path back to Dio's room. I didn't have time to find out.
The zombie let me run a few seconds before using his inhuman speed to catch up to me. In a mere second, he had raced past me and blocked my path. My steps faltered to a halt.
"What will you do now? You don't know your way around the mansion, do you?" He stepped slowly towards me, as if he was waiting for me to do something. I held my ground until he stopped in front of me. "Are you going to run?" He asked.
I tried to answer confidently. "No, because you want me to run."
"Then you're surrendering yourself?" The zombie raised his eyebrows. "That's no fun."
"Well, I'm not a toy."
"Really? You're certainly letting Dio play around with you." The zombie scoffed.
Fear was forgotten as anger rose in my chest. "What?" I snapped.
"The only women he's ever brought to this castle have become food," the zombie explained. "Perhaps he told you he cares about you after your little one-night fling, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I killed you right now. After all, I'm hungry too."
I lunged to the side of the hall in an attempt to escape into another room, but the zombie blocked my path and I collided with his chest. He grabbed my hand that was reaching for the doorknob and twisted my arm behind me, pressing the front of my body against the door. I tried the door handle with my free hand. Locked. I never had a chance from the start.
"I wish I could say that was fun," the zombie said. "But it really wasn't. You humans are so slow and weak. Easily breakable too."
His hand started to tighten painfully around my wrist. I was just beginning to tear up from the crushing pain, but suddenly it was gone. There was a disgusting noise, like someone tearing meat apart, and the zombie screamed.
I jumped, startled by such loud sounds right behind me. I started to turn around, but a hand gripped my shoulder.
"Do not turn around."
I easily recognized the owner of the voice as Dio. His anger was almost palpable, chilling the air around me. I hesitated, but obeyed his words. As I looked back at the door, I noticed fresh blood splattering the walls. I became painfully aware of the metallic scent of blood in the air. Suddenly I was glad Dio had told me not to turn around.
I heard the zombie's trembling voice. He sounded completely different from earlier. As if all his confidence had dissipated upon Dio's arrival, but he was still trying to keep up the facade. "D-Dio! I . . . I was just getting some food." He explained.
"Were you now?" Dio seethed. "I said she was off limits."
"I know . . . I thought you were just keeping this one to yourself. We're all hungry, you know."
"But this woman is not your food. I told you so, yet you ignored me." Dio growled. "You have betrayed my trust. A shame. Your skills are were so useful"
"'Were'?" The zombie echoed questioningly.
His question was followed by an awful noise. A dull crunching noise that I recognized as breaking bones. The zombie's screams made me shiver.
I pressed my hands over my ears as if it would help the terrible noise. "Dio, stop!" I exclaimed. Even if this zombie had tried to kill me, I didn't want to hear this. I didn't want this . . .
The zombie's body fell to the floor with a thud. I could hear his labored breathing as Dio took my shoulders and smoothly maneuvered me away from the scene. All the while, he made sure I didn't see what was surely a gruesome sight. We walked further down the hallway in the opposite direction of Dio's room. I assumed he just wanted me away from that area.
We stopped a safe distance away and Dio faced me with a glare. He crossed his arms over his chest like he was waiting for me to say something before he exploded with anger.
I hesitantly spoke first, feeling uncomfortable under Dio's red eyes that literally glowed with anger. "Thanks for saving me."
Dio ignored me. "What were you thinking?" He glared. "I told you not to leave my quarters. Yet you disobeyed me."
"Look, I'm not your zombie servant. Plus, I was hungry," I defended.
"Even if you were hungry, you should have awaited my return."
"Well sorry!" I undulated. "I got bored and hungry and I had no idea when you would be back. Did you want me to starve?"
"I would rather you starve a while longer than find you killed." Dio snapped. "If I had not been on my way back, you might have died."
I couldn't say anything in response. When he put it like that . . . "I'm sorry," I said. "I shouldn't have left. I knew it was dangerous."
"As long as you understand," Dio grumbled. "And I shouldn't have lost my temper. But I couldn't stand letting that zombie live after he terrorized you. That one in particular likes to torture his victims. He likes when they're scared. I hope he didn't do anything too nasty to you."
I shook my head. "You saved me before that happened."
"Good," Dio sighed, anger fading from his expression. "I suppose I shouldn't have ripped off his arm while you were right there as well. But I couldn't stand the sight of him touching you like that."
"And you shouldn't have told me you ripped his arm off," I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "I don't think I needed to know that."
"Apologies," Dio said, not sounding too sorry at all. "Anyways, I should have remembered you humans require subsistence different from us." How on Earth could he forget something like that? It's not like he'd been a vampire for very long. "Could you wait until nightfall?"
"No," I frowned. My stomach growled in agreement.
"Hm . . . Then you will have to get it on your own. It's still light outside," Dio explained. "But your clothes are not exactly suitable for such activities."
We both looked down at my bloodied dress. Now that Dio had decided to rip apart a zombie in the hallway, there was more fresh blood on my clothes. I couldn't go out like this without attracting attention.
"I think I have something that might fit you," Dio said suddenly.
"Really?" I asked, blinking in surprise.
"Yes." Dio opened a nearby room and told me to wait there while he got the clothes. This time, I waited as he asked. Dio returned with two different dresses. "These are all I have. I can get more clothes for you later too."
I briefly examined the dresses. One was a plain dress with a simple white top and a green skirt. A length of white fabric was tied around the waist for a bow. The other dress was a pure light blue dress with large inwards-facing pleat in the front that revealed white fabric with a lacy pattern over it.
I decided to go with the blue dress. It was simple but cute. I wouldn't stick out too much with a more casual dress like this. The sleeves were fastened with little blue fabric buttons in the shape of roses. It was unique. A shame that the one on the left sleeve had come off. I decided to leave the right sleeve unbuttoned to match, letting the fabric hang more loosely around my wrists. I walked out into the hall where Dio had been waiting for me to change.
"It looks good on you," Dio complimented. I felt happy at his words. He led me through the halls for a while. I was glad he was with me or I certainly would have become lost. It was no wonder this place had been abandoned for so long. It was practically a maze!
Dio finally stopped walking. "The front door is there," he pointed. "I will see you off from inside."
"Alright," I said.
"You . . . you will return, right?"
I blinked at Dio in surprise. "Of course I will," I said. "What's wrong?"
"I was simply thinking about something. But it doesn't matter."
"It does matter," I said. "Tell me what's wrong or I'm not leaving."
Dio scoffed. "You could not wait in my room because you were hungry, yet you would wait here until I tell you what's bothering me? How ridiculous. I will not allow you to do something so foolish," he said. "Leave."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "No."
"Are you not hungry?"
"I can wait." I spoke confidently, but my stomach roared in protest. The harsh look on Dio's face softened slightly.
"No you can't," he smirked. We both knew I couldn't win, but Dio took pity on me. "I was thinking that it's probably safer for you to be with your own kind than it is for you to stay here. I thought you might have reached a similar conclusion after being attacked. When Jonathan is defeated, I will have no more need for this army of zombies. We could live with just a few servants. You would not have to fear. But for now, I cannot guarantee your safety here. Perhaps it would be better for you to return to the inn you were at before."
I frowned. "There's no need to worry. I can defend myself," I said.
"Yes, you did a wonderful job defending yourself earlier today," Dio muttered sarcastically. "It is dangerous here."
"Then I'll be more careful," I said. "And I'll listen more carefully to what you tell me. Next time, I won't leave your room. Even if I get really hungry," I added the last part teasingly.
Dio gave me a small smile. "You're a stubborn girl," he sighed. I could hear the fondness in his tone. "Get your food and return safely. When it's dark, I'll have some of my more trustworthy servants procure proper food for you."
I grinned. "Ok. I'll be right back," I said, bouncing on the balls of my feet so I could give Dio a quick peck on the lips before I left. I'd just turned around when a hand grabbed my wrist.
"Wait."
"What is it?" I turned to face Dio only to have my lips captured unexpectedly by his. I gasped in surprise, but instead of air, Dio's tongue entered my mouth. He was kissing me slowly, savoring every second before he pulled away.
I blinked at him in a bit of a daze. Dio smirked and wiped the saliva from my lower lip with the pad of his thumb. "That's a better goodbye kiss," he said. "Now you may leave. Don't get lost."
"Ah . . . Ok . . ." I was feeling a little dazed now. My face was burning with heat from the kiss. I left, feeling Dio's smug gaze following my movements until I exited through the front door.
Just as I'd reached London, I realized I had no money for food. I guess I should just go back to the inn and grab my things. That's where my money is. Plus, I could grab my clothes. But if I ran into Andrew, it could be bad. I weighed the risks and decided I could deal with that problem if it came up. There was no way for me to know if Andrew was even at the inn. He might be outside looking for me.
I headed into the inn carefully and went to my room. As I reached the door, I suddenly remembered my key was still in the pocket of other dress. The one that was still at Dio's castle. I hadn't thought to bring it with me. Luckily I was able to get a key to my room. The innkeeper remembered me and Andrew.
I grabbed my things from the room and then went back to the innkeeper. "Can I leave you a note for the person I checked in with?" I asked. "His name is Andrew. He's in room 203."
"Of course," the innkeeper said, handing me a spare pen and piece of paper. "You're not leaving him alone here, are you? Did he do something wrong?"
"Ah . . . it's complicated." I said, scribbling my note on the paper. "We just . . . have some things we need to work out." I finished my note and handed it over.
"Oh, I've heard that one before." The innkeeper sighed. "Good luck. Come back if you're in town again," the innkeeper said.
"Thank you," I smiled. I headed back outside and went to get food.
I grabbed a couple of sandwiches from a nearby shop. One was to eat now, the other was to eat if I got hungry again later. I was headed back down the street back to Dio's when someone grabbed my right arm.
I turned and faced the person, half expecting to see Andrew. To my surprise, the person who was looking at me was a stranger. A brunette with her hair pinned up in a bun. Her eyes were wide and doe-like, shining a soft chocolaty brown.
"Chelsea! Where have you―" The woman started, but abruptly cut herself off. We both stared at each other for a moment in mutual shock. "You're not Chelsea," she said finally, sounding both surprised and dejected.
"Um, no. I guess you had the wrong person." I said.
The woman's eyes were fixed on the long sleeve of my dress. "This dress . . . It's Chelsea's."
I froze at the woman's words. How did she know that just by looking? Was it really so unique?
"She sewed this dress," the woman explained. "She spent days working to buy the blue dress and she sewed part of her old dress into it because it didn't fit anymore." I knew I was in trouble as the girl continued. "She used little fabric roses out instead of buttons on the sleeves. She was really disappointed when the one on the left sleeve came off."
Right, I knew that, but I hadn't paid much attention to it. I thought it wasn't important. I'd wondered 'what stranger would care about a missing button on the sleeve of a stranger's dress?' I guess I'd made a mistake assuming such a small issue would create a larger problem.
"Chelsea went missing yesterday," the woman said. "The police said she might have run away. They said I shouldn't worry, but I know she wouldn't just run away." Her voice was shaking now, rising higher with emotion. "I know this is her dress and I know something bad happened to her. She would never disappear like this. Where is she?"
"I really don't know where she is or what happened to, uh, Chelsea."
"Then why are you wearing that?"
I hesitated. In this situation, it didn't matter what I said. I would just be digging myself into a deeper hole. Even now, it was impossible to escape. "It . . . It was a gift." I said.
"A gift?" The woman's eyes narrowed. "Who gave it to you?"
"I don't know," I lied.
"You know," she said, picking up on my lie instantly. "You're trying to protect that person. Don't you have any idea what happened to my friend? Can't you tell me anything?"
"I really don't know. I-I didn't do anything," I said, raising my hands in defense. I felt defenseless. There was nothing I could say.
"Even if that's true, you're still involved in this. You have to come with me to the police station," the woman pleaded. "If you're truly innocent, the police will know. And you're not a heartless person who would leave me looking for my friend without any clues, right?"
She was guilting me with her words, but I couldn't let myself be tricked into going with her. "Can I do it later? I have somewhere to be right now." I said dismissively.
"Chelsea is in danger. She could be dead right now. How can you just say you have something better to do than help me?" The woman's voice was breaking. "Please, she's my sister. I'd do anything to find her. We've been struggling financially. I know she goes out at night to help pay the bills. Something bad must have happened with one of her . . . coworkers. This dress must have been a gift from one of them too, right? He's my only lead. I don't know what kind of power that person has, but anything you can tell me will help. I won't judge you, just help me . . . Please."
It was hard watching a young woman break down in front of me. I knew how she felt. I'd been in a similar situation in one of my past lives, but at that time I'd just felt empty at the loss of someone I didn't even know. Part of me felt that same way as I watched the woman wipe her tears with a handkerchief. I knew her feelings were genuine, but some part of me just didn't care. Another part of me felt sympathy. That part won out.
"I don't know his name," I started, "but he had blonde hair. He was rather tall and well built. His most striking feature was his eyes." Most of this information was the truth. It was the least I could do.
The woman smiled at me. "Thank you so much for telling me, really." She said. "I'll start looking for this man and I'll find my sister." Her voice swelled with determination.
"That man is dangerous," I said. "I wouldn't recommend looking for him." If this girl really looked around at night, she'd probably find Dio at some point. Dio would easily kill her. That was probably what happened to her sister.
The woman just nodded. "I understand. I'll be careful. Thank you so much for your help." She started to leave. I was shocked that she would make such a big deal in the middle of the street and just leave when she got her answers. Was that really it?
"Wait!" I called before I could stop myself. The woman stopped and turned to face me with a confused look on her face. "Did you want this dress back? Since it's not mine."
The woman shook her head. "No. You seem like a good person and I believe that you're innocent. Chelsea would want you to keep it. Besides, it was a gift."
With that, the woman headed back down the street. I stared after her with mixed emotions swirling in my chest. Then I turned and started the walk back to Dio's castle.
I had a pretty good idea of what had happened to this "Chelsea". I couldn't tell the woman what happened, of course, but I still felt bad for lying to her. She really did seem like a kind person who was concerned for her sibling. That concern and hunger for the truth could lead to her demise. Perhaps it would have been better if I hadn't given her a clue. I felt like I was luring a curious antelope to a bloodthirsty lion. But I empathized with that woman. Even after all my deaths and rebirths, I was no closer to understanding why these things happened. I'd just come to accept it as reality. If some sort of clue about my curse fell into my hands, I would chase it to the end. I was also searching for a truth that could crush me in the end.
I reached the outskirts of London in no time and walked back to the front door of the castle on the hill. It was gloomier than the bustling streets of London. Even in the daytime it cast a large shadow that made it feel like nighttime. It was the perfect place for a vampire and a bunch of zombies to hide. But I wondered if it was really the right place for me.
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A/N: This chapter took forever and I worked hard on it, but at the same time I don't know if it's exactly what I had in mind. Oh well. I hope you all enjoyed reading this one.