So. Here's the start of my fic, Darkness Inside. Like what you see so far? Check out my Doctor Who and Torchwood fics- Cross my Hearts and Eternally Yours.
Till chapter 2!
Laughing, Lily tossed her blond hair, peddling powerfully on her slightly battered bike. It was rather late for a girl to be out, around 8:30, but it was a mild summer evening- and the sun still strained its rays over the trees. Cruising down the trail, a piercing bird cry caught Lily's attention, causing her to loose focus on the uneven ground. Whipping her focus back to the dirt path, her eyes widened as the front wheel jammed on a root. Jumping off the bike, she leapt out of its path- to run into someone, knocking them over and falling on top of him with a "sorry!". Blushing crimson and eyes downcast, Lily quickly pulled herself off of him, stammering another apology, crying out at the sharp twinge in her ankle when she tried to stand. She fell back to the ground with a huff, grumbling about her 'blasted ankle'. Offering her a hand, the man pulled her to her feet, though her cheeks were still vivid pink. Looping an arm around her shoulders, he supported her gently, like a doll that might break.
"Are you ok?" he asked. Lily winced. "Busted my ankle good. You?"
Glancing up, she saw whoever she had knocked over for the first time. With slightly mussed blondish-brown hair, pale blue eyes (much lighter than her indigo), a faint southern accent- complete with a (rather adorable) stutter. He appeared to be in his 20s- around her age, actually. "I'm fine. Couldn't say the same about you, though. Well... It's still daylight out.. I s'pose you could maybe-maybe come get fixed up. But you promise not to come back, y'hear? you gotta get outa here. It ain't safe here for a nice girl like you. You shouldn't come 'round no more."
Lily motioned to her bike, noticing a new scratch- the shiny metal glinted next to the dull black paint. "Rather nice ding I put there. What's your name? I haven't seen you around before." She laughed. "Actually, I really haven't seen anyone around before. I'm new to town, y'see- I only just-" Her face clouded, and she trailed off. "Never mind me. Who're you?"
The man smiled weakly, sadness in his eyes as he helped her limp to the foreboding bulk of the Old House. "I-I'm Willie- Willie Loomis, Ma'am. You must be new around here- hardly would see a gal like y'self socializing with me. I've.. been careless, y'might say- B-but I'm actually quite a nice fellow once you get to know me, honest. I-I like to say I've changed."
Lily offered a wry smile, wincing as her ankle ached. "Know the feeling. I'm Lily Haskell, at y'service. I'd do a curtsey or something of the sort, but I'm slightly... Incapacitated at the moment."
Willie's eyes widened slightly. "As in Joe Haskell? I never new there was a Ms. Haskell.."
She pulled a face. "No! Not like that, silly! He's my brother..." She frowned. "By name and blood only."
Wisely, he didn't push the subject. "Ah. I was gonna say- he-he was always with Maggie Evans, if you know what I mean."
The door to the Old House opened slowly with a long creak. Willie didn't protest when she struggled to walk by herself to the old couch, but he chose instead to hover worriedly behind her, just in case she fell. Sitting down, she smiled gratefully. "Thanks for the hospitality- I really appreciate it."
He grunted in reply, running to fetch some water and a cloth. Returning, he shrugged. "Sorry there's no ice- we don't really have any electricity or fancy stuff like that. Only candles and such." After handing her the bowl and fabric, he sat down in the opposite chair to her and began to repair a small wooden object in his lap- it looked like a puzzle or something of the sort.
Removing her sock, Lily wrapped the wet cloth around her ankle, sighing blissfully at the relief it gave. "Don't worry about it- seems like a nice place you've got here, maybe a bit creepy, but.."
Willie froze for a moment, before resuming his work. "Why'd you say that?" He asked, glancing nervously at the sun that was beginning to set.
Flexing her toes, Lily shrugged. "Just the natural aura around this place, y'know? Like... a bad presence. I.. have a talent for these things, y'might say. That's... that's why I was sent away. To Windcliff."
Sitting down next to her, his face was puzzled. "The sanitarium? You don't look crazy- I-I don't mean to pry, b-but you're such a nice girl, and-"
She folded her hands on her lap. "Don't worry- I don't mind. I didn't get sent away 'cause I seemed to be all loony- though there were plenty of loons there, I can tell you- I was... special. Could do stuff other people can't- this was, oh, ten years ago? I was around eight when I was sent away. Scared some people, including my... father. He doesn't deserve that title. Father means someone who cares and raises you, not sends you away like... like... some freak." She sniffed.
Without thinking, Willie grabbed her hand. "Well you don't look like a-a freak to me." He declared "You'll just fit in with all us other loonies, yeah? You just don't stick around here too long, an' you'll be fine."
Delicately, Lily placed a light kiss on his cheek, causing him to flush slightly. She squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Willie. Just don't tell Joe I'm in town, please? I don't want to be sent away again. Not when I've made a friend."
His eyes widening, Willie realized that the last rays of sunlight were creeping out of the sky. "You r-really should be goin' now- it-it ain't safe! C-can you stand on your ankle? I-I'm real sorry about this, but you can't stay here because-"
A smooth, dark voice floated into the room from the hallway. "Why can't your lady friend stay with us, Willie? It seems you know each other fairly well.."
Hesitantly, Lily touched Willie's cheek softly. "What's the matter..? You've gone white as a sheet..."
He swallowed, laughing nervously. "N-nothing's wrong! D-didn't expect you home s-so soon Barnabas! I-I-I was just telling Ms. Lily here that she couldn't stay because you don't really like guests. I-I just thought-"
Barnabas Collins slowly strode into the room, complete with his coat and wolf's-head cane. He bowed elegantly to Lily. "The pleasure's all mine, Ms. Lily. I am Barnabas Collins, cousin to my relatives in Collinswood."
For some reason, Lily glanced in Willie's direction out the corners of her eyes. The formerly sensitive man was rigid and pale, and she couldn't help but notice that he was shaking almost imperceptibly. His hand in hers had gone cold- and she could almost feel a chill in the room. Snapping back to Barnabas, she missed the death glare that he gave the servant. She forced a smile. "Lily's my name, Mr. Collins. I'm sorry to hold up your hospitality- y'see, I had a bike accident and sprained my ankle- Willie here helped me so I could bind it." She displayed her neatly-wrapped ankle "Without him, I'd probably still be stuck in the woods."
Despite his smile, Barnabas' eyes were cold and hard, boring into Willie's tense face like black beetles. "Just Barnabas, please, Ms. Lily. No formalities here. I'm sure he was must helpful, weren't you, Willie?"
Without meeting his eyes, Willie muttered, "Yes Barnabas. In fact I-I was just taking Ms. Lily home and I-I really think that I sh-should-"
Barnabas waved him off. "Nonsense, Willie! Ms. Lily, where are you staying? Perhaps we can offer you a ride...?"
Lily struggled to keep her face cheerful. Honestly, there was something about this man she just didn't like... "Actually, I really don't have accommodations, since I just arrived in town- but I'm a native. I've just been living in... in New York for several years, so I could get a proper schooling."
Barnabas sat in the armchair by the fire, still for all the world looking hospitable. "Quite so, Lily. May I offer you a place to stay the night? I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to."
Willie shook his head, almost unnoticed by Lily. He squeezed her hand once. No.
Frowning slightly, Lily shook her head and resumed a small smile. "Sorry, I must be tired. Thank you for the offer, Barnabas. Seeing as to I have nowhere else to go, it would be rude for me to decline. I thank you for your hospitality."
Barnabas smiled. Was it just her, or did he have really long canines? "My dear girl, the pleasure is all mine."
And behind her, Willie's face turned even whiter.
OOOOH DRAMA! I know, I'm portraying Barnabas as being evil- buttttt I'm still in the 300-400 episode range, and Barnabas is currently a first-class asshole to everyone around him- which includes threatening/killing all of his "friends" and "cousins". So yeah. BUT I plan to go really far with this fic- so review and follow and stay tuned!
Review my dearies!
ooooWWWEEEEEOOOOOooooooo
~Dark Moons
