Silently the young girl walked down Wallaby Boulevard. She pulled her shawl around her fragile shoulders, fearfully she looked behind her shoulder, nothing was there. She sighed and turned around she let out a gasp there before her stood a stunningly handsome man, he gazed at her small agile form.
" Excuse me ma'am but, do you know what year it is?" he had a beautiful, mesmerizing voice. She shook herself out of her daze. " Um, yes it is the year 1810." She replied looking down trying to hide her blushing face. He
gazed at her with a look of pure interest .
"Would you please join me for a walk in the park , I would like to get to know you better." he said charmingly. "Oh, but it is much to late I must get home." she whispered pulling out her fan to cover her blushing face. He gave her a dazzling smile "Hmm, well what if I walked you home?" he asks politely.
"I guess you could if you wanted." she replied bashfully. He smiled at her and held out his arm, she placed her arm around his and the began toward her house.
She still held the fan in front of her face as they stepped into the light of a store. He stopped and looked at her she blushed " Why do you hide your face from me, is something the matter?" he asked her. Her blushed an even deeper shade of red. He smiled at her, "Are you too ugly for me to see, well if you don't mind I would like to be the judge of that?" once again he dazzled her with another smile. Slowly she lowered her fan, his eyes widened, "Why ever did you hide your face from me, it's positively beautiful?!!" he asked with a hurt expression on his face. " I-I thought you wouldn't like me any more if you thought I was another arrogant girl with a beautiful face." she whispered. He smiled and continued to walk "Please my dear, have a little more faith in my judgement." She blushed and walked with him. They came to her house, "Goodnight my beautiful little angel." He whispered as he takes her hand and gently kisses it. Her face became an even darker shade,of red "Uh, t-thank you, but I don't even know your name and will I ever see you again?" He smiled "My name is Merrick and yes you will see me again tomorrow night, now please rest for tomorrow night you will be with me." he replied uncertainly.
She opened the door to find all 3 of her sisters wide awake and full of questions.
Rebecca the oldest "What happened we were so worried- she was cut off by Veronica "Yeah and then you're outside with a strange man" she was cut off by Kathline " Oh Katrina please, tell us everything!" she sighed happily. "Well let me begin by telling you all what he looked like," she paused to take a breath "He has the most black hair I've ever seen and a sorrowful face as if he's lived for too many years, and his eyes are a deep bluish green color they seemed to call out for me like he needed me or something. His skin is very pale like - like mine only it seemed to glow even in darkness. He's the most beautiful man I've ever seen - "OK , OK but, what's his name?!" asked Rebecca impatiently "Merrick." sighed Katrina happily.
Gracefully she twirled into her room and locked the door. Her sisters looked at one another and sighed "She's gonna get hurt just like we did ..." began Rebecca, "Do you think we should warn her?" asked Kathline. "No she needs to learn this on her own if she's ever going to grow up." whispered Veronica.
Katrina was too excited to sleep, she had already changed into her sleeping gown as she laid in bed.
She smiled and clutched her pillow happily, finally long after midnight she drifted to sleep.
She felt a gentle breeze on her face, slowly she opens her eyes, her window is open, she rubbed her eyes and got up to close it, she gently placed her foot down on the rug she shivered from the cold draft, suddenly she felt a pair of strong arms around her small frame she looked up and saw Merrick's soothing smile she blushed instantly. "Oh, um, hello Merrick, thank you." whispers Katrina, "No problem my Sweet Little Angel, you really should get some sleep though." He tells her tenderly. He delicately he lifted her as if he were lifting an infant and he set her down "May I do something?" he whispers "Anything you wish." she answers looking into his with pure devotion, "You're going to wish you hadn't said that ..." he says as he slowly leans forward she makes a small sound as his fangs pierce her satin skin. She loses all thought of time and reality, she feels as if her life is slowly draining out of her through those two small puncture wounds. " I'm sorry my love, but I- I just couldn't resist, please forgive me." he says getting on his knees and taking her hand gently in his. "There is no need to apologize I told you , you could do whatever you wanted I'm happy just being able to do whatever is needed to help you ... my love." she whispers wearily as she begins softly wiping away his tears. He looks at her and smiles she returns it, "Well I guess I'll be seeing you tonight." He leans forward again and gently kisses her. She sits, completely dumbfounded staring after him as he steps onto her balcony, closes the window, and disappears in a flutter of his jet-black cape. Suddenly she sits up, she's covered in a cold sweat, slowly her fingers crawl to the puncture wound her fingers freeze when she feels something warm and sticky on her neck.
The next morning the sisters are surprised to see that their youngest sister is not at awake yet, usually she is the first one up, naturally they begin to worry that she is sick; they sneak up to her room and try to open the door, only to find that it is locked, now they are really worried. Gently Rebecca knocks on the door... no answer, they look at one another; Veronica, fed up with the suspense, begins beating on the door. Finally they begin to hear movement within the room, slowly the lock clicks and Katrina opens the door a little bit, all three sisters gasp; she's as pale as a ghost. "Are you OK?" asks Kathline, "Yeah you weren't the first one up and- begins Rebecca "And you're as pale as a sheet." cuts in Veronica. "Hmm, oh I'm fine there's no need to worry I'm just tired that's all." she says giving a weak smile. "Are you sure that you're OK?" asks Rebecca "You look sick, are you sure it's a good idea to still go out with Merrick tonight?" asks Kathline "Yeah I could have someone go find him and get it canceled." added Veronica hopefully. "NO!!Um, I mean 'no' please don't cancel it. I'll be fine after some more sleep so please just leave me alone." she says hurriedly. The sisters exchange glances, but shrug it off "Alright we'll be back around noon." says Rebecca anxiously. Katrina closes the door and locks it again, she crawls back under the covers slowly and returns to sleep.
All morning the sisters make up excuses for their sister to stay home. The reasons the sisters want her to forget about Merrick is because they were all hurt by their lovers before her. Rebecca's fiancé drowned himself to escape their marriage, Kathline's husband went bankrupt and burned everything they owned including himself, Veronica's boyfriend left her for a prostitute and told her he never wanted to see her again. So naturally they were worried about Katrina. Finally after what seemed like an eternity them, it became 12'o'clock they rushed to her room only to find that while they had been thinking of ways to change her mind she had snuck out to find Merrick.
Quickly she followed the sound, it seemed only she could hear it. She soon came to apart of town she had never been to. It was beautiful, their were billions of different types of flowers and cherry trees in full blossom lined the street and she giggled as the petals fell all around and on her. She stopped when she realized someone was watching her. She turned around to find herself in Merrick's arms she blushed as he smiled at her "Do you like them?" he asked her she couldn't her eyes off him his skin looked like living crystal, it sparkled like diamonds refracting all the colors of the rainbows. "Are you okay?" he asks her, his voice full of apprehension. "Oh, yes I'm fine it's just your skin how does it do that?" she asks tearing her eyes away from his bare shoulders "And where is your shirt?" she gasps realizing he's not wearing one . He sighs "Well I guess I have a lot to explaining to do, huh?" he asks her smiling.
He led her to a small balcony that looked out over the ocean. "It's so beautiful." gasps Katrina leaning over the balcony, letting her sundress billow out in the sea breeze. Slowly Merrick walked onto the balcony. "You mean like... you?" he whispered. She blushes and sits down quietly, "Well I--" "Nonsense" he cut her off, "you're as beautiful as the morning sun which I can no longer stare at . . ." . Soon she began to piece the clues together. "You're a vampyr!" she whispered in surprise. "Yes I am please don't be afraid!" he said when he noticed her backing away "But you're planning to kill me and drink my blood aren't you?!" she whispered accusingly as she pointed her finger at him "No, no never would I dream of hurting you . . . I . . . love you." he whispered hurtly " . . . but I'm not--" "Now don't start that rubbish again you're beautiful!" he yelled not at her but at everything "How do you think I lived all these years? Without you I would've . . ." he didn't finish because she held a finger to his lips to silence him " Please choose one of my sisters, I'm to young to be married I want to see the world in the day to meet people in broad daylight, to smell the bazaars in the heat of midday, to stroke horses without them screaming in fear I want--" he cut her off "You want to live . . . what if I could give you all eternity for it? the places you want to go, all women must wear veils so the sun would not touch your sensitive skin and I'm sure I could find something to rub on my skin to make it dull and dark . . . please stay with me . . . forever . . ."