The Diary of Jane Tepes

by Kakashi's Boo

Jane Eyre had a hard life at home with her less than welcoming family. She finally thought she made friends at Lowood, but discovered they had a very dangerous secret. Follow Jane through childhood to a vampirous adulthood. Some sensuality and carnage

1. Chapter 1

The Diary Of Jane Tepes

By: Kakashi's Boo:

Chapter 1

Dear Diary, October 4, 1847

I can hardly remember a time before I thirsted for blood. I could not have been more than a mere child of ten. I thought I understood and knew the world so well

back then. My nanny Bessie often told me stories that gave a good fright before bedtime, and I distinctly remember fainting after fancying I saw the ghost of my

uncle in that horrid red room at my Aunt Reed's. Horror stories, stories, I thought they were. Stories from the only person I could talk to at Gateshead Hall. Just

stories. I found out later that what Bessie thought she imagined turned out to be all too true and that I would eventually become one of the characters I so often

pitied.

Lowood Academy was a horrible yet awakening experience. I remember the first day I arrived there, or I should say night. I could hardly wait to see what my new

home had in store for me, what the other girls would be like, would I make friends there, or would I be lonely and misunderstood like at Aunt Reed's. I had been

given a bed and left to sleep until the morning. I was very tired, because I had literally been up before the sun, and I would have fallen to sleep instantly if there

wasn't that persistent clanging noise. No other sounds were heard, just that persistent and distant clang. I was never the type to sit and wonder instead of explore.

I quietly slipped out of my small bed and crept as silently as possible through the long dark room full of sleeping girls. I poked my head out of the doorway and

saw only darkness in each direction, but again, I heard the noise. That infernal clanging. I began to walk blindly through the black hall towards the sound. It grew

louder and louder with each step. Still in utter darkness, I walked with arms outstretched trying to grasp the walls beside me. As I moved farther away from the

shared bedroom I left, the wider the hall got. Once, I was able to hold my palms against each wall. I felt the cool stones against my left hand and then the ice like

rock under my right. Soon I was unable to touch either wall, but was sightlessly wandering towards the curious clanging. Eventually I saw a light. It was a very

faint light, but a light still. I moved more quickly now in the direction of the light, arms still outstretched on either side of me. The noise was getting closer. I

quickened my pace more towards the ever growing light and sound. What happened next nearly took my life.

I fear I am almost out of time, and I am dreadfully hungry. Tomorrow. Yes Tomorrow. I will write more when I have more time.

Dear Diary, October 7, 1847

I've neglected writing the past few days because I was almost… Well that is not important now. To get back to my story…my curiosity nearly ended my life that

night, my first, at Lowood. The light at the end of the dark hall grew nearer along with the clanging sound. I lifted my right foot to continue my stride, but felt

nothing but the cool air that seemed to flow from the outside into the hall. I again tried to find the floor, but there was nothing there but air. I bent carefully and

placed my hand where the floor once was. Nothing! There was nothing there. The light at the end of the hall was still not close enough to see where I was. I was

scared, to say the least. "What if I had been running", I thought. "I surely would have fallen to some horrible death below." No matter how far I reached into the

abyss, I could not feel anything. The clang was still there, but I was no longer interested in its annoyance. All the way back to my cold bed I wondered about the

suddenly floorless area of the hall.

I spent hours imagining all sort of reasons for there to be an unfinished hall at Lowood. Maybe there was not enough money to finish it. Maybe there were many

passage ways or classrooms at the school that were just left undone because of the lack of funds. Maybe there was a floor there but it was further down than my

tiny arm could reach, but then I thought that would not make sense. Why would there be a huge gap in the flooring. One would have to jump and nearly break an

ankle to reach the next level of the floor. All of these thoughts eventually lulled me to sleep. That was my first night at Lowood.

When I awoke in the morning I rushed to get ready for my first day of school. I will not bore you with the details of the school day. We sat by age group, were

taught, and released for dinner. I sat alone seeing it was my first day and I knew no one. One girl in particular interested me though. She was a pale sickly thing.

Tall and gangly. Her eyes sat deeply in her sockets and were each rimmed with a heavy brown circle. Her jet black hair never sat in place but covered half her face

as she leaned to read by the fireplace. I quickly finished my cup of soup and the tiny slice of bread that accompanied it and made my way to the fireplace. I

remember sitting in front of the fire and trying to figure out how to start a conversation with the interesting looking girl beside me. I must have been leaning too

closely to her, trying to read what she read no doubt (I loved and still have a great love for literature/ the escape from reality is needed at times), because she

stopped her reading and looked at me. I, feeling silly, quickly moved back and apologized for invading on her quiet time. She said it was fine. I asked her what she

was reading. She told me. She seemed to want to continue her reading, but I was lonely. All the other girls in the room had a friend to talk to, but as I explained

earlier, I was the new girl. I knew no one. So I imposed myself on this poor girl. We had a conversation about books, literature and life. I liked the interaction. I

had never had such a conversation with anyone that close to my own age before. I figured the girl was at least three years older than me, but still I liked

conversing with someone near my age that did not think me a wretched child. She was taller than me and had a wisdom that only an experience full life could give.

She had wisdom well beyond her years I thought comparing her to all the adults I knew.

After dinner was over, we all gathered to read the Bible. I was not the religious type as a child. I could never wrap my mind around faith, believing before seeing,

and all faith required of one. My mind drifted to the floorless hall outside of my bedroom and then to the mysterious clanging just beyond it. I made a plan at that

moment to explore Lowood once more. This time I decided to go in the opposite direction of the noise.

After the other girls and I were told to go to bed, I laid there and waited. I waited for the teachers to leave and go to their own rooms. I waited for the cooks and

other workers at the school to disappear. I waited for Lowood to become silent. Hours went by before all I heard was the clanging. The sound called to me. I felt as

if no one heard it but me. None of the other girls stirred in the slightest in their beds even though the noise was louder tonight than it was the first. I crept to the

hall once more, but this time I turned to the right and not the left. I stretched out my arms in the darkness and palmed each wall. I slowly walked down the black

hall. The air was cool, but the farther I got from my room, the warmer the air felt. The walls began to feel warmer to the touch also. After some time, I could not

bear the heat of the walls underneath my palms. I released the walls and walked with arms shooting straight into the darkness before me. The floor began to heat

up under my bare little feet, and it was then I saw it. A light at the end of the hall. I was relieved to finally be able to see something. I saw the door that hid most

of the light. I bent to see into the keyhole. (I had not noticed that the clanging noise had ceased some time before I had gotten to the door. I realized it later

though.) There was a small lady standing near her fireplace. I had remembered meeting her earlier. Miss Temple her name was. She looked as if she were trying to

find a book on her shelf. I knelt and watched Miss Temple for a moment. She calmly yet quickly moved back and forth around her small apartment. I remember

smelling the soft scent of coffee and baked goods that night. Miss Temple's room looked so inviting. The walls were a soft yellow covered with small pink flowers.

All of the furniture looked plush, which differed from all the flat, hard, and bumpy chairs, stools, and bed I had had the misfortune of sitting or sleeping on since

arriving at Lowood. I wanted to enter the room and sit on the fluffy arm chair in front of the fireplace and eat whatever heavenly smelling sweets were in Miss

Temple's room. I was startled to a shriek when I felt the icy hand on my shoulder. I jumped and was instantly shooshed by the odd girl I met earlier by the

fireplace at dinner. Miss Temple obviously hearing the commotion outside her bedroom door, opened it to see Helen, she told me her name later that night, with

her boney hand covering my mouth. She had to stop the screaming somehow. I did not understand the look on Miss Temple's face that night, but I understand it

all too well now.

I hear someone coming. I must get to my duty. I will write more tomorrow.

Dear Diary, October 8, 1847

Helen quickly released her grip on me and told Miss Temple she had no idea I was here and that she was trying to keep me from stirring the other girls. Miss

Temple calmed her countenance and checked the hall behind Helen and me. When she was absolutely sure there was no one there, she invited us into her

apartment. Miss Temple and Helen shared a quick glance at each other and then at me. I instantly perceived that I was an unwelcome third in their personal

meeting. Miss Temple, being the kind soul she was, handed me a sweet cake and told me to take a seat in the lush arm chair by the fireplace. Helen helped herself

to one of the desserts on the table in front of the arm chair I occupied, and Miss Temple took a seat on the edge of her bed. Even though I was a youth, I could

recognize Miss Temple was uneasy about something. There was an awkward silence followed by Miss Temple asking, "How are you Jane? I hope your first two days

at Lowood have been satisfactory." "Yes ma'am." I replied. "I would much rather be here than at my aunt Reeds." I blurted out before thinking. Miss Temple had a

puzzled look on her face. She told me she only heard good things about my benevolent benefactress up to this point, and she asked me why I would rather be at

Lowood than at my aunt's comfortable estate. So I related my life's tale to the two curious souls. I told of my infant orphancy, my move to Gateshead Hall to live

with my loving uncle Reed, and his death which left me in the hands of his less than caring wife. I explained to Miss Temple how I was never treated as one of the

family, but was always seen in the light of contempt and that I was a continual burden to my "benefactress" Reed. No matter how hard I tried, I could not hold

back the impending flood of tears. I looked down for I was ashamed of such a show of weakness. When I lifted my head, I saw Miss Temple's kind and caring eyes

in front of mine. She embraced me and told me it would be alright now. "You are among friends." She said. "We will take care of you." The kind lady continued. I

instantly felt relief from the grief that held me captive for so long. Miss Temple did not believe I was a horrible monster like my own relations had. She truly cared

for me. The sincere look in her eyes made this fact apparent. Helen came and place her arm around my shoulder and leaned her head on my neck. I thought

nothing odd about this gesture until I saw a sudden shift of emotions in Miss Temple's once kind eyes. A grave sternness flashed across her countenance at Helen.

The sickly girl quickly released me and sat down on a bench near the window beside me. I did not know what to make of that moment between Helen and Miss

Temple, nor did I have time to mull it over in my mind because Miss Temple said it was time for bed.

When we made it back to the girls sleeping quarters, Miss Temple gave me a hug goodnight. Helen did not make such an attempt. Miss Temple kept her eye on

Helen as the two of us made our way to our small beds. I covered myself with the thin and moth eaten blanket that was provided to me and I saw Helen do the

same. (Her bed was not next to mine, but across the room.) Miss Temple watched a moment longer then disappeared into the darkness.