A rewrite of Into the Dark and Into the Fire, which combines the two into one longer story. Longer chapters, added chapters and more character details. Also, contains corrections I made on some parts that made no sense. Enjoy!
THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY
Watching the dust settle on a pile of Bertrand's old books was a rather dull activity, unless you were trying to put off another activity. Luckily, and unluckily, for Vlad this was the case. With Elisabetta banished to the blood mirror, Vladimir Dracula had finally found time to sort through his old mentor's belongings. The reason he had put it off was simple- Bertrand's death was his fault, a stupid mistake he had made, and it felt wrong to go through his things, the things of a man Vlad had killed. If he were any other vampire, he would have been killed for actually, most vampires were not being punished these days. Vlad had not had enough time to sort out any executions and the Vampire High Council had, sort of, fallen apart. Ingrid insisted she could sort it, she could bring back the law, but Vlad didn't trust her. Ingrid had betrayed him too many times, tried to kill Vlad too many times; it was sad he couldn't even trust his own couldn't even trust his dad, the infamous Count Dracula, not entirely. Not after The Count had tried to disown him, claiming Vlad was no son of his. After Vlad saved his life, The Count had accepted him again, but it felt awkward between them. So, The Count had returned to what he did best- trying to attract the innocent Miss McCauley, using his charming attitudes and gifts, (though, as usual, it wasn't working at all).
Vlad's family had been torn apart by Malik and his mother Elisabetta, both of which were completely insane. The pair of them had plotted to overthrow Vlad and wreak revenge on The Count, for abandoning them three hundred years ago. Vlad had managed to stop them just in time, with help from his Chosen One powers, (oh, and Ingrid), but not before everything was broken. And once a thing is shattered, it is increasingly hard to mend- Vlad had learnt that from his time with Erin.
"Crying, wimpire?" Ingrid scoffed, appearing in the doorway wearing her usual black attire. She sounded annoyed, but deep down, (deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, beneath Hell even, down), she was genuinely worried. Vlad really hadn't been himself lately and his evil side attacked now... Well, there was no Erin or Bertrand to stop it. Vlad wiped his eyes, which had been filling with tears at the thought of Erin, and looked over at his sister.
"No." he said, quietly. Ingrid let out a sigh and crossed the room to him, heels clicking against the floor. She sat down on a box, which was full of Bertrand's books, and looked down at Vlad.
"You look like a loser." was all she could think of to say.
"Good. I was trying to look like you today." Vlad snapped, a sudden hatred clawing at his insides. Why did Erin leave him? Who would choose Malik over Vlad?
"You're not succeeding." Ingrid said, a little uneasy at her brother's sudden anger, "You look like Wolfie, when he's been out in the rain."
"And what look would you call that?" Vlad raised his eyebrows.
"Bedraggled and bewildered." Ingrid said, "Let's call it Bewrigglered." Vlad burst out laughing and it felt good, to laugh like that even if it was at Ingrid's lame attempt at a joke. Ingrid shrugged and, for a moment, just for a moment, she looked like the old Ingrid. The Ingrid before she became a full vampire. The Ingrid that made jokes once in a while. The Ingrid that was in love with Will Clarke. At least, Ingrid knew how it felt to lose the one you loved, she understood the pain Vlad was going through.
"Are we going through Bertrand's dusty old books?" Ingrid wrinkled her nose, "Are we going to sell them and make some actually money? We can't survive on Dad's wages forever."
"What do you mean?" Vlad said, his forehead creasing in confusion. The Count's money had always supported the family, even back in Stokely.
"We're pretty low on money right now, in case you didn't notice." Ingrid got to her feet, stalking from the room.
"I'll add it to the list of things to worry about." Vlad called after her.
"I can help with the council!" Ingrid yelled. Vlad looked at the piles of books, quills and various items from at least four hundred years ago. He let out a small sigh. Could he really trust his sister?
"Ingrid!" Vlad sped after her, catching up with her in the corridor; Ingrid stopped where she was and turned to face her younger brother.
"Ingrid, maybe I have been a little unfair..."
Smiling innocently, Ingrid looked down at her little brother.
"Finally realised how stupid you are, Vlad?" she said. Already, Vlad was regretting talking to her. He could tell she was plotting something, she nearly always was. But he needed help and there was nobody left that he could trust.
"Can you sort out the council for me?" Vlad muttered, looking down. He didn't want his father to hear him asking his sister for help- the Count would probably throw him out again. Ingrid was never going to let him escape that easily.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that?" Ingrid smirked, "Speak up, dear brother?"
"Help... Ingrid..." Vlad whined, feeling pathetic, "Help me..."
"Once more." Ingrid said, "A little louder." She was really enjoying this. It had been ages since she could be horrible to her brother without him throwing her backwards throw a wall. Obviously, she was going to make the most of the opportunity.
"Help me, Ingrid." Vlad said, louder, "I want your help." That was when The Count choose to stride out of the shadows, having been listening for a long time.
"You're asking her for help? That treacherous girl?" The Count demanded and Ingrid didn't help matters by standing there, smirking.
"Ingrid may have been untrustworthy in the past but she's going to be nice now." Vlad said, "Well, as nice as someone as horrible as her can be." His sister was nodding, still smirking.
"You might as well be giving her a stake. Just look at her!" The Count gestured towards his daughter dramatically, hitting her in the face- possibly by accident, possibly not. Ingrid stepped backwards, frowning.
"You've betrayed him and ruined his unlife just as many times as I have." Ingrid said. Vlad was about to agree when he found himself being smothered in a very awkward hug.
"I've given this boy everything his heart desires." The Count insisted, "I raised him in the ways of the Dracula, helped him master his abilities and even let him have that weird Italian snack he likes!" Rolling her eyes, Ingrid just walked away. She had what she wanted.
"It's called pizza. And it was one time." Vlad muttered. His father just smacked the side of Vlad's face affectionately before chasing after his sister, no doubt to argue further.
THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY
"Malik, Malik, Malik, look at me!" Erin jumped up and down frantically like a five year old on a sugar rush, her eyes brightening with excitement. She had blood coating her mouth and a scratch down one side of her face.
"What?" Malik sighed, looking up from his newspaper. His girlfriend had become incredibly clingy and annoying, almost like her old self. Malik had never liked Erin as a human, and it seemed he was starting to dislike her as a vampire as well.
"I snapped a man's neck just like that!" Erin clicked her fingers and beamed. With a sigh, Malik returned to his paper; they had made the Wanted page again, pictures of the pair plastered across the news. Erin wasn't helping with her new I've-just-realised-how-cool-vampires-are attitude.
"Erin." Malik said, thinking carefully, "Have you ever considered the fact you might be a bit annoying?" Erin's eyes darkened dramatically, as she grabbed Malik by the neck and threw him to the ground. She pinned him there, using her newly found Half Fang strength. Malik flung her aside using one arm, snarling a little at her. Instinctively, Erin leapt at him, looking like a startled cat; Malik rolled out of the way and Erin and made a grab for his neck. Erin's fangs dug into his shoulder and he let out a small yelp.
"You scream like a girl." Erin laughed bitterly, pulling away from his neck and collapsing beside him.
"So you do." Malik reminded her.
"But I am a girl." Erin said.
"That's no excuse for screaming like one." Malik said, "That's incredibly sexist." His mind drifted to Ingrid suddenly and her ideas for female rights- he found himself staring straight ahead. It was weird, he hadn't thought about Ingrid for so long. Erin followed his gaze but couldn't found what he was looking at.
"Sometimes I have no idea what you're saying." Erin giggled, stroking Malik's face with her finger tips. He squirmed at her touch, wriggling away from her. Darkness fell over them suddenly, too quickly to be the night falling. Almost like a... shadow.
"Malik, I have been looking everywhere for you!" A girl stood over Malik and Erin, staring down at them with a look of disgust. She was tall and slight, with blonde curls tumbling down her back, as if to balance out her height. She was dressed at least a hundred, maybe two hundred, years behind the rest of the world, in a long dress that had been blackened by fire. Her arms were covered in scratches, like she had been clawed at by a demon.
"Why are you caressing my brother in that way?" The girl was addressing Erin, who was still clinging to Malik. The pair of them still lay on the ground, staring up at the girl that stood over them.
"I-I'm Erin." Erin stuttered, sitting up on the pavement; she muttered to Malik, "Do you know her?" He shook his head.
"I did not ask who you were Miss Noble." The girl replied, a knowing smile on her face, "I know all about you and your family- your mother, your father, your brother. It was them who directed me here. They were most helpful." The sight of the girl made Erin sick. What a filthy, freaky looking, little know-it-all.
"Who the hell are you?" Malik demanded.
"My name is Emarni." the girl held out her hand and helped Malik to his feet, "I am your sister." Her hand was very small and delicate with long fingers. The kind of hands piano players had. Malik frowned at them and at the girl.
"What?" Erin shrieked, throwing her hands up in frustration. She glared at the pair of them, her eyes flicking between them. Emarni pulled Malik close to him, pressing her mouth to his ear.
"We need to leave." she whispered in his ear. Malik felt entirely unnerved by her closeness to him, almost like she had known her all his life. But he was certain that he'd never even seen her before.
"I've never met you before in my unlife." Malik told her so.
"And me, you." Emarni said, "But we are brother and sister."
"No, we're not." Malik snarled at her, shoving her so hard she tumbled over. She scraped her hands and knees on the pavement, looking up at Malik in disappointment.
"Malik, we do not have time. Siblings or not, you have to come with me!" Emarni got up and licked the blood off her hands, glancing over her shoulder. The scratches healed over instantly and she didn't seem bothered at all that he'd pushed her.
"Emarni, what's going on?" Erin looked at the pale faced girl, who ignored her.
"Malik, follow me." Emarni strode down the pavement, gesturing to her brother follow her.
"What about Erin?" Malik called, as he hurried after her.
"Leave the girl!" Emarni commanded, "We have no use for a ignorant little half fang like her."
"Get in the car." Emarni pushed Malik into the back of a taxi cab and yelled something in French -that was much too fast for Malik to catch- to the driver. She slammed the car door shut behind her and the taxi squealed down the road.
"Where are we going? And how can you be my sister?" Malik demanded.
"So many questions." Emarni lifted her knees up and rested them on the seat, "Where we are going? The nearest airport. How can I be your sister? We have the same parents."
"We have the same parents? That is not enough of an answer!" Malik snarled, "I have just been thrown in the back of a taxi cab, by a girl dressed like it's still the 1800s, I deserve more of an answer."
"I do not know much more than you." Emarni hissed, "Mother told me nothing of you!"
"Then... How did you know about me?" Malik stared at her; why could none of Emarni's answers add up?
"You are marked on our family tree." Emarni said, then she leant forward and tapped the driver on the shoulder. She muttered something in French. The driver said nothing, but Malik swore he saw the speed meter move up to a hundred.
"Why haven't we met before?" Malik asked again; his sister was refusing to answer his questions properly, always changing the subject. Emarni glanced over at him, as if she were checking to see if he were serious. Then, she looked at the taxi driver to check he wasn't listening.
"Malik." Emarni whispered her brother's name like it was sacred to her. She pressed something into his hand, the one thing that could change everything. Malik looked down, shock clear on his face.
"No!" It was a golden locket but it couldn't be. Because Malik had used the exact same one to convince The Count that he was his son.
THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY
"'Dangerous murderer and kidnapper, Malik Vaccaria was spotted two days ago, forcing a supposedly innocent girl into the back of a taxi cab.'" Ingrid read aloud, "'We thought that would be the news of the week, but we were wrong. Vaccaria was seen again yesterday, with the same girl. The pair illegally boarded a plane, heading to London, with what looked like a crossbow. They threatened airport security, even holding a knife to a child's throat. Could this girl be not an innocent victim, but indeed Malik Vaccaria's new partner in crime?" She looked at her younger brother expectedly, waiting for him to explode with anger and destroy the furniture. He didn't.
"Rubbish." Vlad said, "Malik's bad, but he wouldn't break into an airport. He wouldn't need to threaten anyone, he could just hypnotise them."
"You don't think Malik would do that?" Ingrid asked, a little taken aback. Vlad had never trusted their half sibling in the past, mainly for decent reasons. You should never trust a Dracula.
"What Malik does is no concern of ours. If he turns up here, then he'll be our problem. In the main time..." Vlad waved his hands around to empathise that he was referring to the empty high council room. Ingrid continued reading to distract her brother.
"'The girl is tall with blonde curls and Victorian style dressing. We have no name for her as of yet but if you see her, you should inform the local slayers immediately or kill her yourself. We will be requiring the ashes.'" Ingrid finished, "Sound like anyone you know?" Vlad shook his head. He knew every vampire clan but he couldn't match the description up to anyone he knew. Perhaps she was a half fang. Malik's new girlfriend. Ingrid bit her lip, looking around at the seats that should be full by now; Vlad had called a meeting of the Vampire High Council, to certify Malik's death. Though he stood for peace, Vlad had drawn up a contract, giving permission for Malik and/or any friends of Malik's, to be staked on sight- including Erin.
"What if the council have turned against you?" Ingrid said. Her younger brother considered this for a moment, then turned to stare at her.
"Ingrid, what have you done?" he scowled. Ingrid smiled innocently.
"Nothing." she lied.
"Get out!" Vlad yelled, "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" He knew he never should've trusted her.
"Vlad-" Ingrid tried.
"I don't care about your stupid excuses." Vlad snarled, his fangs lowering to match his pitch black eyes. Ingrid was a traitor, she had always been a traitor and she always would be a traitor. He should have listened to his father.
"Vladimir-"
"SHUT UP!"
"I DID IT FOR PEACE!" Ingrid screamed, echoing her brother, "Half the people on the Council were planning to betray you, so I told them to get lost!" She stormed out of the room, kicking over a chair and swishing her cape dramatically, as she left. Vlad felt his eyes fill with tears of anger and upset. He had definitely messed up.
With a fierce look clear on her pale face, Ingrid stamped down the school corridor, pushing aside any students that got in the way. She was fuming with anger, burning inside like a flame had been struck. Ingrid had a short temper, a temper that could flare up at the smallest things, but she usually calmed within minutes. This was a different sort of anger, a more permanent sort of rage, the sort that bubbled inside her.
"He's always asking for me to be nice, to believe in the peace. For once, I actually try to help him and he lashes out at me." Ingrid snarled under her breath.
"He sounds unkind." an unfamiliar voice said. Ingrid spun around, her eyes narrowing in annoyance.
"Sorry, did I interrupt your monologue?" there was a boy leaning against a set of lockers. He had a smirk plastered across his face, that reminded Ingrid of Malik.
"No." Ingrid snapped, "I wasn't monologuing!"
"My name's Julian." the boy said, "And you are?"
"Uninterested." Ingrid continued to strode down the corridor.
"Do you need someone to talk to?" Julian called after her. The Dracula girl stopped where she was, not even turning to look at him. She faked an innocent expression.
"Say you had a brother." Ingrid said, "And a council that wanted different things. You were on the council. You betrayed your brother at every chance you got." Ingrid felt her eyes grow darker, her blue eyes flickering to black.
"One day, you decided to help your brother. You know the council are plotting against him, so you tell them to leave and never come back." Ingrid looked at Julian, her head bowed so her eyes were hidden from his sight. Her hair fell forward, brushing against her pale face.
"Your brother thinks you have betrayed him and tell you to leave and not come back." She lifted her head, her black eyes glistening; Julian let out a gasp.
"What do you I do, Julian?" Ingrid asked, her eyes pitcher than night, "I don't know. Do you know? Do you know what I'm going to do?"
"What?" Julian backed away a few feet. Ingrid lowered her fangs.
"I'm going to kill you."
THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY
Thank you for reading xox