A n a s t a s i a
"And we are finished!" Angelica cooed, spinning my chair around so that I was facing the mirror placed on my dressing table.
She and Laurel had spent the past hour drying and curling my hair. The long blonde strands were all immaculately coiled, shortening the length of my usually straight hair by about an inch. It looked different, and I had to admit that I did like it. This was something that I had never known to be possible. Electricity was still something that I found strange, living underground only allowed me to use natural resources to survive, and all of these modern devices are so peculiar.
"Do you like it?" Laurel asked excitedly, twirling one of the strands before releasing it. I simply nodded whilst keeping my eyes glued to the mirror.
"Yes, it looks so unlike me." I observed, glancing across my whole attire for the day. The two girls had finally listened to my pleas, allowing me to wear a colour other than white. I was wearing a short, pastel blue dress today, accompanied by a pair of navy flats and cardigan. "What time will Lord Harry be here?"
I wanted to leave this castle and spend some more time with him. After the encounter that I had with Lord Zayn yesterday, I needed space from all of these perplexing and menacing people. Lord Harry was definitely not in that group. It baffles me as to how different he is, yet it leads me back to the puzzling conversation that I had with Walter and King Alistair.
Was Lord Harry hiding something from me?
"He will be here soon," Angelica informed me, her eyes then lit up before a blissful grin plastered itself onto her face, "actually, he is here now." She giggled.
Laurel clapped excitedly as she and Angelica walked towards the bedroom door. Angelica clasped onto the handle, before pulling the wood open, revealing the familiar and temperate face of Lord Harry Styles. I could not help but feel a sense of warmth rush through me as he smiled at the girls, before flicking his gaze towards me.
"Good morning, Anastasia." He nodded towards me, graciously passing by Angelica and Laurel before reaching his hand out towards me. I clasped onto it, feeling a strange surge run through me as I used it as a lever to stand up beside him.
"Morning, Lord-I mean, Harry." I smiled sheepishly, letting my hand fall by my side, the surge immediately vanishing. I looked up into his striking green eyes, noticing that they were lighter than usual. "What are we doing today?" I had to ask.
"That is a surprise, first we must walk to the car."
We both then casually strolled through the castle, side by side, in a comfortable silence. I do not know whether it was due to the surprise awaiting me or whether Harry had something else on his mind. As we exited through the front door, I saw Walter stood against the black Rolls-Royce with his arms crossed. He smiled at the pair of us before opening the back door.
I climbed into the car first, shuffling across to the other side, before Harry climbed in next to me. Walter then proceeded to close the door, walking around the back of the car to the driver's seat. The vehicle began moving, and I felt a shift in the atmosphere. The calm air which was surrounding us seemed to be more vibrant.
"Are you going to tell me where we are going now?" I questioned again. Harry turned to answer me but was silenced by a loud ringing sound. I watched as he pulled a small device from the pocket inside of his suit, sliding his finger across the screen before holding it up to his ear.
"Harry Styles." He quipped, still keeping eye contact with me. I smiled at him, receiving a cheeky grin in response, before he bit his lip and looked away from me. "Yes, I still want to." His tone shifted into a much more serious one. "I will be there tomorrow to complete the autopsy." My eyes wandered to Walter's rear-view mirror, where he was already staring at me. "The girl was found in the middle of the road; of course I am looking into it." Harry's angry voice made me jump, my eyes glanced to his face and his eyebrows were screwed together agitatedly. "Something suspicious happened and we will figure out what it was." He nodded to himself. "Yes, thank you. Goodbye."
"Problem, Lord?" Walter asked from the front seat.
"No, it was just the West." Harry replied before his head shifted back to me. "My apologies, Anastasia. Where were we?"
"What is an autopsy?" I had to ask, that was a word which had never been thrown my way before.
"That is none of your concern." Harry snapped, attempting to end the topic, and I could not help but feel slightly outraged by that. His whole demeanour had changed, with his once happy and joyful self turning into someone more tense and stern. "What did you ask before that phone call interrupted?" His head had turned to face me fully now.
"I asked where we were going today." I muttered, turning from him to face the front of the car.
"Anastasia." Harry called my name, yet I did not move. "Anastasia, please look at me." I felt his soft hand clasp onto my chin, his fingers gently grazing my jaw as he turned it to face him. His previous manner had altered once more, falling back into a relaxed aura, presumably feeling apologetic for snapping at me. "I apologise for the interruptions and my tone, I am very stressed currently with work related tasks." We looked into each other's eyes intently before he let go of my jaw.
"We're at the first destination, Sir." Walter called from the front. I felt the vehicle come to a halt, before he climbed out of the car and opened the door beside Harry.
"First destination?" I asked as I slid out of the car, forgetting the small row due to the new information having intrigued me.
"Yes, today I decided to take you on a private tour of London." He smiled in my direction. "I thought that your wanderlust could be fulfilled with exploring the ruins of this beautiful place I once knew." He gave me a tight-lipped smile, appearing unsure of his plans.
"Thank you." I had to say.
"For what?" He seemed puzzled.
"Just thank you for remembering what I had informed you the other day." It was a nice feeling knowing that someone took some time out of their day to listen to me. I had not had anyone pay full attention to me since before my family died. Harry had remembered something that I had told him once, and that meant a lot to me. "This is very kind."
"Well, I try my best." He shrugged gladly, before reaching for my hand. I felt our palms wrap around one another wholly, the warmth from my own contrasting against the lifeless cold radiating off his. "Let us begin."
Walter had driven us to a tall, circular ruin, which appeared to have multiple round balls hanging off of it. Harry had informed me that this was the London Eye, an attraction which used to bring thousands of people to London to visit. It was a large wheel which had pods all around it, which allowed around thirty people inside as it gave them a glorious view of the famous city. He also stated that he did not miss the long queuing times, whatever that means.
He then drove us across a large bridge, which also led us to a greying clock tower, another landmark according to Harry. It was named Big Ben, and next to it was a large, fallen building which was apparently the Houses of Parliament, a place where the government used to work. I wondered why they no longer worked there, but Harry simply stated that Vampires ruled in their own way. That ended the conversation.
"We keep passing a large dam, Harry. It is following us across London." I was confused by the depth of this hole. It was almost like a trail.
"That large dam, as you call it," He chuckled, "used to be the River Thames."
"That River must have been huge." I gasped.
"It was." He hummed. "It is a shame that it had to be drained." He rubbed his neck as his eyes loomed over the gaping hole in the ground, as if he were reminiscing something.
"Why was it drained?" I was bewildered.
"Anastasia, did you know that Vampires have a low tolerance to water?"
"Yes, that is why use human lived underground." I nodded to myself to confirm my information.
"Correct," He replied, "the river was drained due to it being a dangerous obstacle for Vampires to cross when travelling around the city." He explained.
"They should have left it there." I grunted, forgetting momentarily who I was with. My eyes widened in realisation, snapping my head towards Harry.
"Yes, they should have." Harry strangely agreed. Why would he want something that could kill him to stay in his city? "You are funny, Anastasia."
"I am?" My voice sounded shocked. He was truly baffling me today.
"Very much so." He mused, before tugging my hand in the other direction.
We began walking for a long while, and my legs were growing tiresome. We had passed more famous ruins, and Harry explained each and every one to me. I was so fascinated by not only the picturesque scenery around me, but by the nicest Vampire alive who was stood in front of me. Well, he was the nicest one that I had ever met.
His whole presence was just different to the others who I had encountered, and I liked that fact about him. I was also beginning to understand why Walter referred to him as 'damaged'. It was obvious in the way he spoke, along with the expressions which accompanied his words. There was some hidden meaning behind everything, and I guess that an event in his past had troubled him. I had learnt throughout my life that events can change us, and I knew that had happened to Harry.
"Have you enjoyed your day so far?" Harry asked, breaking my momentary trace as we sat down on an old bench covered in different flowers.
"Yes, it has been incredible. I cannot believe that this has all been above me the entire time." I was still dazed that he had taken me all the way into the centre of the city.
"I wanted you to have time to explore." He admitted, grabbing a hold of my hand and squeezing. I noticed how my smaller hand seemed to petite in comparison to his large. He also wore various rings on his fingers, each one of a different pattern and colour. I wondered momentarily what each of them meant to him.
"I tried exploring on my own once." I revealed, trying to laugh off the memory.
"You did?" He appeared amazed. "What happened?"
"Well, it resulted in my capturing, but let us not discuss that part." I sighed heavily. Harry frowned before tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.
"I am truly sorry that this has happened to you." He sounded so sincere.
"You are?" My curiosity and surprise twisting together in my tone.
"Yes. I would not wish this fate upon anyone." Was he opening up to me? I observed as his plump lips pouted slightly in thought before moving once again. "I will tell you my own story another day, I promise." He was changing the subject once again, and I had noticed how he did that a lot. "Did you know the danger of my bringing you out here in the open?"
"I guessed that there would be other Vampires around, but I thought that they would all leave me because I'm with you." I explained.
"You are correct there, Anastasia." He laughed. "I think that you could actually defend yourself quite well against a wild Vampire, although I would have to step in eventually." He continued to chuckle.
"Why is that?" I laughed slightly, my mind momentarily remembering the Polie who had captured me.
"It is my job to protect you, and I always will."
"You do not have to place that job onto yourself, Harry. I could defend myself if I had to." I shrugged. His free hand wrapped around mine, causing him to hold both of them strongly.
"Oh, but I do." Harry argued. "If I do have the pleasure of ever calling you my own, Anastasia, please know that it is my job to always protect and care for you. I would not care of your opinion on the matter. Just know that you will always be safe when you are with me." His sincerity caused warmth to fill my stomach. He sounded like he genuinely cared for my welfare, which was another sentiment I had not felt for a long time.
"Thank you." I feel that I have overused that phrase today.
"You are most welcome." He squeezed my hands. "Let us find Walter and head back to my home for afternoon tea."
"That sounds wonderful." I smiled, releasing only one of his hands as we stood up.
Our legs were mirroring one another as we walked back towards his car. Walter had to drive the long way round due to some of the ruins being in the way of the roads. He was not in sight at the moment, yet Harry was using his strong sense of smell to follow Walter's scent. Just as we were about to walk back across a small bridge, there was a loud crash behind us, and I was pulled away from the acquaintance of Harry.
I was pinned down my something, but then realised that I was face to face with one of the creatures I hated most. The Vampire grinned evilly as I began to squirm beneath him. I noticed that he had blood staining his sharp teeth, and that was enough to make me scream.
"Harry!" I shrieked, before lifting my arm to punch the Vampire in the face. He let go of me to hold onto his head. I then picked myself up off of the floor and began running. My eyes were wild as they searched for the man I needed, and I then noticed that he was beating up another loose Vampire. "Harry!" I shouted once again before running towards him. My sudden adrenaline rush was halted as the Vampire who had grabbed me previously pulled me backwards onto the ground.
"You stupid, little human!" He wailed into my ear. "I will very much enjoy eating what belongs to a Lord." His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he sniffed loudly, smelling my blood. "You must taste divine." He exhaled. His hand reached for my face as I then felt his unkempt nails scratch my left cheek, immediately tearing the skin.
"Get off!" I pushed him, yet I was too weak.
"Anastasia!" I heard the familiar voice call at me as he pushed the wild Vampire off of me. My eyes were then blazing as I saw Harry force a piece of wood into his heart. "Take that you insubordinate loose cannon." He jammed it into him further, causing blood to spill from his body. I had to look away as I was about to throw up. I gagged and coughed as the sounds of him dying continued. "Anastasia." I then heard Harry's voice soften as he bent down and lifted me up off of the floor. "I am so, so sorry." He was mumbling. I felt his lips tenderly kiss my forehead as my eyes closed in awe. I opened them to find Walter running towards us.
"My Lord!" He shouted frantically. "I was just pulling up when I saw you get jumped. Hand her to me." I was then passed over into him arms, which did not fill me with the same warmth as when I was in Harry's embrace.
"Be careful, she is delicate!" Harry scolded. "Did you call the West and the Polie?" He asked as I felt my body being placed into the recognizable vehicle.
"Yes, they should be here in a moment." Walter replied, before slamming the car door.
My stiffened body shot up as I tried to listen to what was happening. I reached for the handle of the door, and tried to pry it open, yet it was locked. They had actually locked me in the car. I suppose it was a precaution in case any other Vampires showed up.
I could do nothing else except watch through the blacked-out windows as the Polie showed up, alongside another large van. It had the label 'West Sanctum' across the side of it, which was a company which I was unaware of. It drew me back to the phone call that Harry had earlier in the day where he mentioned the 'West'. They must be a company which he works for, surely.
They opened the back doors of their van, as two of the workers loaded the dead bodies into it. I gagged once again at the sight of blood, it was really disgusting. Harry and Walter were talking to the Polies about what occurred, and I felt increasingly agitated by just waiting in this car.
After a short while, one of the Polies slapped Harry on the back in a friendly manner before climbing into his own vehicle, and my eyes wandered as all of the commotion drove away. Harry and Walter remained standing, having a very heated discussion. It was as if the older man was scolding Harry for bringing me out here.
I broke my gaze and looked down at the ground instead. All I ever seem to do is bring trouble to everyone, and maybe it was better if I ceased to exist. The cruel world would not do any better or worse without me.
The negative train of thoughts soon flew out of my mind as the car door swung open. Harry slid in next to me and instantly reached for my face. I impulsively wrapped my hands around both of his wrists as he held my head. I then felt him kiss along my face, especially over the spot where the wild Vampire had torn. He was being delicate and loving, reminding me that there was so much more to live for.
"I am so sorry, my dear Anastasia." He muttered as he continued to place a trail of kisses along my cheek. I closed my eyes at the sensation, merely absorbing the pleasant notion whilst it lasted. The new found butterflies in my stomach were swarming me completely, radiating the warmth that I was slowly growing accustomed to and it dawned on me that this damaged Vampire was truly one of a kind.
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I've done so much writing this week (university assignments etc) that I'm surprised my fingers haven't fallen off haha.
Please comment guys! Where have you all gone? I'd love to know your theories of what is in store for the rest of the story :) I loooooooooooved writing this chapter!
Lots of love xxxx