Dracula's Return
Chapter 1
The Unique Antique's market down on 32nd street always draws in a big crowd every weekend, partly because of the music, food, and drinks. For me, it was just a
regular Saturday. Fighting crowds down the mile long street in which the market was located on. Luckily it was a nice day out, mid 70's with a cool breeze. I made sure
to dress appropriately, navy blue floral dress with a quarter length sleeve cardigan to cover it my wavy brown hair was pulled up in a bun and to complete the outfit my
most comfortable ballet flats, as I knew there would be plenty of walking involved in today's adventure. At the market they always have a large array of vintage items,
everyday household products, and also some one of a kind collectibles. It would be the perfect place to find my friend Carrie something for her upcoming 23rd birthday.
She has always loved antiques and the market, with booths set up all down the street there was no way I would leave empty handed. With my birthday only weeks
after hers, it would be a good place to try and find a vintage dress for our birthday celebration weekend.
I arrived at the market around five, and things were in full swing. Locals and tourists elbow to elbow, the smell of alcohol and food consuming the air. It was a place
known for its one of a kind item's, but also for its great cuisine and cold beer. Sally's boutique was the first stop I made; they have a lot of beautiful vintage clothing,
but nothing that seemed to catch my eye. I made my way down to a little craft booth that had plenty of uniquely painted items. In there I found the perfect painted
picture frame, it was white and pink with jewels all over it. This would be something that Carrie would love; she had just mentioned picking up a few frames for her
room last week. I was happy that I was able to purchase what I had came for pretty quickly, because it seemed every minute the street was beginning to get more
and more packed. Just to walk several feet to another booth was taking more than ten minutes. The vintage dress would have to wait; at this rate I would be lucky to
make it back to my Aston Martin before dark.
Just as I was making my way towards the middle to the street something red caught my attention out the corner of my eye. It was a large red ruby at the priceless
gems booth. It wasn't exactly the vintage dress I wanted but it was beautiful, and for some reason I couldn't help feeling as if I had seen it before. As I was reaching
out to pick it up I noticed someone else going for the same ruby, quickly trying to beat the other person our hands were placed on it at the same time a shock of
electricity seemed to run through my entire body. Looking up I noticed it was a very attractive man whom also was very tall he had to be a little over 6 feet, short
sandy colored hair, muscular. He looked to be in his mid twenties to early thirties. His height and body structure alone was impressive to me but it was his eyes that
really caught my attention. They were a deep blue and almost seemed mesmerizing. In that moment everything had stopped the music the people, maybe even time
itself. I'm not sure how long we stayed like that it was almost like we were both lost in the moment.
Thankfully the owner of the priceless gems booth came over and snapped us back into reality. He's a short peculiar man short with dark skin, not a single hair on his
head, and it didn't appear he had ever missed a meal in his life. He introduced himself as Raj, and with his best Indian accent he said, "Oh what a rare jewel indeed,
that's a one of kind crimson ruby all the way from Africa, it's very valuable." He looked up at the mysterious man that didn't seem interested in removing his hand from
mine, "Buying that for your girlfriend I see?" I spoke up before the man had a chance even process what the owner had said. "He's not my boyfriend, I don't even know
him we just happen to want the same jewel, I believe I was here first so I would like to purchase this, how much is it?" Raj replied "Well it's very rare, but for you a
onetime deal of $50.00." Of course the strange man had to speak up and put in his thoughts "I believe I was here first and I would like to purchase this ruby."
Raj was looking around unsure of what do, apparently he never had a situation like this to happen before. Raj " Well this is a first for me I believe the only fair thing to
do is take the highest bidder in a case like this, bidding starts at $50 we'll go from there." This would be easy there was no way I was letting some stranger out bid me
on this even if he was gorgeous and had eyes that seemed to penetrate to my very core. This time before I had a chance to speak the man had already went up to
$75 I countered his bid with $100 he countered it with $200 I with $250 then he with $300, it seemed we would be going at this all day. I again countered with $350
and then he jumped his bid up to $500. He then turned to me with a smug look on his face and said "Look I'll go up as high as I need, this ruby has sentimental value
to me, it looks very similar to an old family aerlume, your best bet is to just cut your losses and bow out now." I don't know who he thought he was talking to but I was
prepared to go up to at least $800, realizing he said there was no limit I thought I would at least see if he were bluffing. To my dismay he wasn't I countered with
$800, then he with $1000 the ruby would be his. I at least put up a good fight.
I sadly watched as Raj started getting up the paper work for the man to fill out. Oh well it was already 7:30 and time to head home before the crowd could get even
worse than it already was. As I was turning to start making my way to my car I heard "Hey wait." I turned back to see that the ruby stealer was the one wanting me to
wait. That would be his name for now, well I mean since I didn't even know his real name, seemed very fitting to me. "Listen I'm sorry, that ruby just means a lot to my
family, well the one I had before, and this is the closet one I've ever found that seems to almost match it exactly" he said, with a disappointed look on his face. I replied
"I'm not sure why you feel the need to apologize to a complete stranger; you won it fair and square, no need for apologies." "Forgive me my name is Damien, and yes
this is true, but I saw how much you really wanted to buy it, at least let me make it up to you and buy you a drink Mrs….?" Damien the ruby stealer wanting to buy me a
drink? I wasn't sure what to make of this, he wasn't bad on the eyes at all but a drink wouldn't make up for him basically taking the jewel that I wanted. "I'm a Miss
and its Daniella, I should probably be getting home, I live an hour away and with the weekend traffic it'll take me over two just to get there." Not sure why I felt the
need to go into details with him, I could have just said no I guess. He had an assertive look about him "Oh come on, one drink it won't take that long there's a bar right
around the corner, I think it's called Midnight's." I had a feeling if I had said no again this might go on like the bidding, he seemed to be a man that knew he would
always get what he wanted eventually.
"Okay, fine, one drink then I'm gone, and no funny business either." I tried to say it with my most authoritive voice. We made our way down to Midnight's, a small local
jazz bar. It was pretty dead for a Saturday but then again it was only 7:30. The place was dimly lit with burgundy lights that hung down above each small booth, the
booths were lined up on either side of the wall the whole place could have only been about 1000sq feet. The bar itself was located dead center of the room with seats
surrounding, there was one man sitting at it that apparently was a regular that kept calling the bartenders name "Stella, get me another one!" he would yell. She
introduced herself to us "Hi I'm Stella find yourselves a seat anywhere and I'll be over in a minute to get your order." She seemed to gaze at Damien for a few
moments almost if she knew him, but if she did neither she nor he said anything. Damien made his way to a seat at the back by an old jukebox that was playing some
type of modern version of Wicked Games.
Damien slid in the booth so as to where he was facing the door and I in front of him. "So have you been here before?" I asked. "No, first time coming here, what about
you?" he replied. "Same here, seems like a place that's been around for a minute." This came from noticing all the old antique pictures that seemed to be a least a few
decades old with all the dust and cobwebs that covered the edges. The pictures themselves being brown and discolored it was very hard to even make out the faces.
Damien agreed that the place had some history to it. "You mentioned earlier you live about an hour from here, me as well, I live in Tafton County its right outside of
Garamond city." "That must be a coincidence I also live in Tafton County, odd I thought I knew almost everyone…and the town isn't that big" I replied. "Just moved
there about a week ago out on Wood Lawn Hills, it's a very nice neighborhood, perhaps you know of it?" This was starting to freak me out a little I didn't want to let
him know he lived in my neighborhood, some strange man that I had never met just happened to have moved to my town and live somewhere near me, considering
the fact that it was a large community of about two miles of homes it was still very odd.
I nervously replied, "Yes I know of it very well, been through there a time or two, which home did you move into? I thought there was only one for sale the old
Morningside Mansion I heard it was worth a few million though." He responded by saying "That's the one, I have not fully moved in yet still got some renovations to do,
you could say it's a work in progress." "I'll say! No one has lived there in years, it was said to be haunted at one time." A small grin came across his face "You don't
really believe that now do you?" "No of course not, I was just letting you know the hear say about it." "Well thank you, but I'm not big on gossip I like to make my own
judgments and figure things out for myself, people always like to talk a lot and seem to miss out on all the true facts about things." A grim look came across his face as
if he were thinking of a past experience perhaps he was subject to being the topic of a lot of gossip in his previous town? "So where did you move from? It had to have
been some where better than Garamond City." He looked almost puzzled at the question before he hesitantly responded "It was a small village up north in
Transylvania, it was home to me for many years, but time has changed things and a fresh start only seemed appropriate." I couldn't help but laugh a little, "The state
of the vampires, and the big bad Dracula himself, eh?" I thought it was a little amusing, but from the look on Damien's face I don't think he found as funny as I did. "So
they say" was all he replied.
He stared off into the distanced for a moment like he was thinking very hard about something. I had hoped I didn't insult him because of making some silly joke about
the state. The thought occurred to me if he were married or not although there was no wedding band, but with him being handsome and apparently well off he had to
be at least seeing someone no one that attractive would just be single. As quickly as I thought it the question was out my mouth "Did you move here with your wife?"
"No, my wife is no longer living." Shocked I wasn't sure what to say, he was so young to have lost someone so close to him, I could feel my face starting to turn red, I
couldn't believe I even had the nerve to have even asked the question. "I am so sorry I shouldn't have asked you that." Way to go Daniella! I've scored another point
on the embarrassment leader board. "It happened some time ago I've learned within that time that the world goes on and have moved past it the best that I can." He
wasn't bothered by the question that I could tell he was very hard to read his expressions gave nothing away on what he was thinking, the hint of a smile was the
only change in his facial expressions I had seen that I could recall in the past hour. "What about you husband, boyfriend?" There was someone but what should I tell
him….yes it's complicated? Yes but we are trying to figure things out? I wasn't really sure what to say. I simply replied "Yes there's a guy, a guy that's my er friend." He
must have been reading into my body language "That sounds like something that would maybe be a little complicated, yes?" "Something like that" I smiled.
Realizing it was 8:30pm now it was really time for me to head home. "I should go before people start to clear out and the traffic gets worse, it's been interesting" I
laughed. "Yes I should be getting home as well. I have some business to attend to. Also I'd like to invite you to a party I'm having it's going to be next Saturday, it'll be
a black tie event, it's going to be sort of an meet and greet so I can get to know some of my neighbors, but I'd very much like it if you came, you can bring whomever
you please." "We'll see." I smiled, didn't want to seem too eager, a good looking, rich man inviting me to a black tie event, and right down the road from my house no
less, this would be the perfect event to wear my black backless lace gown to that I had been saving for an special occasion. A small smile came over his face,"Alright,
well, maybe I'll see you there then." I did however, feel a little guilty that I didn't tell him that I lived down the road from him, but I still needed time to figure this
mystery man out before I started giving out to many personal details. Out of the bar we headed our separate ways, even though he was still a stranger in so many
ways I excited about seeing him again Saturday, and I was eager to tell my friend Carrie all about my day and my mysterious new neighbor.