Chapter 1: Just Tonight
Lightning crashed from overhead, as a brutal storm moved toward Wisconsin. But this was no problem for the owner of the extravagant mansion, below these dark skies. Vlad Masters sat in his study, reading a book titled: She Doesn't Love you, Get over it. He sighed softly, a frown covering his face, before he looked up to a picture of Maddie Fenton, which sat on his desk. Then a smile turned across his lips, as he remembered what he almost had.
And then, seemingly just to interrupt his fantasizing, the doorbell rang, and he glared at the clock, which read 10:35 p.m. 'Who would come here, at this hour?' He wondered, as he went to the door, the butler being gone for the night. When he finally got to the front door of his immense home, the noise had sounded off about six times. "Alright. I'm coming." He called out, before calmly opening the door, to reveal a small wisp of a young girl, who couldn't have been more than nineteen.
He raised an eyebrow toward this girl, before she began to speak, her violet eyes looking into his dark irises. "Please sir, a storm is coming." She started, before lightning struck a tree nearby, sending shivers up her spine.
He watched the girl's reaction to the bad weather, and stepped aside for her to enter. "Very well, come in." He said, a slight scowl remaining on his face. It seemed to be permanent. "Come on, you're letting the cold in." He continued.
Hearing him, she gave a small smile, her light pink lips curling at their corners, as she walked through the front door.
"There are rooms upstairs. Take your pick." He informed the little vagrant, turning toward her to notice she was rather skinny, a wraith of a thing. And with such piercing violet eyes. Strange color, how very peculiar. "One of my maids will bring you extra blankets, miss…" He trailed off, never getting her name.
"Raven, sir." She replied. "Raven Sterling."
"Miss Raven." He confirmed, with a nod. "I am Vlad Masters, and you're welcome to stay until the storm settles. Do what you like, but I have one rule; Stay out of the basement." He concluded, before he turned to leave the girl to her own devices. "Good night, Miss Raven."
"Please, just call me Raven." She replied, before she went up the flight of stairs that led to the second floor. She opened the door to the first room she came to, and felt around the wall for a switch. Finding it after a few seconds, she turned on the overhead light, which revealed a very well decorated guestroom, furnished with an oak dresser, and wardrobe. Both were empty, upon further inspection. A four poster bed, with far too many pillows piled on top of the white comforter and sheets, and a night stand, which matched the dresser and wardrobe, were also in the room. She looked around, amazed at this place. This was a guest room, and not the Master Bedroom? She looked up to the fifteen foot ceiling of the room, and then to a window, which was directly across from the door. It was a bay window, she noticed, as lightning struck once more outside, reminding her of the terrible weather just outside this place. She sat on the edge of the bed, sighing softly; glad to be out of the rain.
Meanwhile, Vlad had returned to his study and his book. An hour passed, and the billionaire's stomach began to growl. He looked at the clock: 11:30 PM. Nothing wrong with a little midnight snack. He smirked, closing the book, and laying it on the desk in front of him. The cook was off for the night, and so he made his way down to the large, white tiled kitchen, which had everything a master chef could ask for; a stainless steel refrigerator, flat top stove, with a white plastic and chrome microwave above it, and a rather large sink, also stainless steel.
Years ago, before he was unspeakably rich, he had learned to cook. It comes in handy, when you're always alone. He thought to himself, as he gathered what he would need for spaghetti. Soon, the kitchen smelled like garlic, and marinara sauce, as the stove was at work, under Vlad's command. Then another thought hit him; I wonder if that girl has had anything to eat? She looked quite thin, when she stood at his door. Perhaps she was a vagabond. But her clothes were not torn or dirty and in fact looked quite new. Maybe she was just stranded.
Without another thought, he walked from the immense kitchen, toward the stairs, and to the door of the room she'd picked. He gently knocked on the door. "Err, Raven?" He called out, getting no answer. "Raven?!" He raised his voice. This time the door opened slightly, as she poked her head out. She had been wearing headphones. That would explain why she didn't answer him at first. But the one in her right ear had been removed, as she spoke. "Yes?" She said, a bit meekly.
"I was making some dinner, and I wondered if you were hungry." He said.
"If you're already cooking, I'll share it with you." She answered, as she wrapped the cord of the headphones around the mp3.
"I am. It's spaghetti." He replied, moving away from the door, so she could leave the guest room. They walked down the deserted hall, and down to the first floor, where Vlad led her to a large dining hall, with a long table, set with two places. Being a gentleman, he pulled out a chair for her, as she sat down.
After a few minutes, the food was brought out, by a hooded figure, which somewhat alarmed Raven.
"Don't worry. He is harmless. He's one of my employees." Vlad explained, smiling slightly, as the servant set plates of spaghetti and meatballs in front of them, before leaving without a word. Beside the plates were two half full glasses of wine that looked almost too close to blood, as Raven observed the contents of her glass, before taking a sip. Nope, wine. She thought, as the crimson liquid traveled down her throat.
"So tell me Raven, how did you get here?" He asked. "My home isn't exactly mapped, you know."
"I got lost, and ended up here." She explained. "I went exploring in the forest, alone, stupid me, and eventually came here."
"I see." He replied, before taking a bite from his meal. "Don't you have someone who would be worried about you, if you were missing for too long?"
"Not really." She answered. "I'm kind of an outcast."
"Ah, aren't we all?" He chuckled.
"Pardon?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh nothing, child. All in good time." He concluded.
She said nothing else, and began to eat. But soon, there was an explosion from the basement.
Vlad seemed annoyed, and dropped his fork, excusing himself from the table. He went to a door, which had several locks on it, and quickly went through each one, gaining access to the staircase beyond. "I will return shortly." He assured her, before descending into the shadows.
Raven smelled ecto-plasm. She shook her head, at the nauseating scent, pushing her plate away, and rising from her place. "Maybe I'll just go back to my room." She said to herself, as she retraced the rout they had taken to get to this room.
Meanwhile, in the basement, Vlad's portal to the ghost world had imploded, leaving behind an ecto-plasmic sludge that had animated into something that had a bone to pick with Plasmius. Vlad had taken on his alter-ego, and was now trying to avoid becoming part of a wall, as he fought the beast. "Curse you! Get in there!" He shouted, thankful the walls of this place were sound-proof. He was holding a replica of Jack's thermos, which sucked the creature into its confines, to be dealt with later.
Plasmius turned back into Vlad, slamming the thermos onto the surface of a hospital cart, before going back up to the dining hall to find his guest gone. "What? Guess she got tired…" He said, before he heard an ear-splitting shriek.
Raven had found her room to be the hiding place of one of Vlad's friends. And now, Skulker had her by the throat. She fought his grasp, trying to kick at his metal plated chest, but to no avail, as he held a plasma ray toward her head. "I will not ask again, girl. Where is the ghost man?" He demanded.
He was answered with an orb of ecto-plasma to his own head, as Plasmius entered the room. "I have told you, you pathetic piece of machinery, you are banished from my house." He glared toward the armored ghost. "Now, be gone!" He fired another orb, but was answered by a counter orb from Skulker's canon, and was hit in the stomach.
Skulker had dropped Raven, seeing his prime target, and she stood behind him as Plasmius lay unconscious, taking back the form of Vlad Masters. Anger seethed in her eyes, as she glared toward the ghosts back. "Enough is enough, intruder!" She shouted, holding out her right hand, as lightning surrounded it. She was indeed not normal! The ghost warrior turned toward her, just in time for her lightning bolt to meet his chest plate, causing his system to malfunction, and breakdown, making his suit useless. "You will not get away with this, brat! No one makes a fool of me!" He ranted, before phasing through a wall, and out of the mansion.
Raven went to Vlad's side, as he sat up on the floor, rubbing his head. "Are you alright, Vlad?" She asked, before realizing what just happened, her eyes widening a bit, as she gasped softly. "All in good time?" She asked.
He rose from the floor, looking to her. "You have no room to speak, child." He mused, a slight smile crossing his face.
"I guess neither of us are really 'normal'." She concluded.
"I suppose not." He replied. "So the story about you exploring the forest, was that completely true?"
"Not really." She faced the ground, embarrassed to be caught in a lie.
"Don't worry." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Do you have any other powers?"
"Yes…" She hesitated. "I can control the elements around me. I used the lightning from the storm clouds." She explained, as the storm seemed to still linger over the mansion.
"I see. Interesting." He continued.
"And you? You seem to be a different person when you fight." She concluded.
"That's because I am. I have an alter-ego, of sorts." He said, taking on the form of Vlad Plasmius. "This is Vlad Plasmius. You see, after a certain…incident occurred, I gained a myriad of abilities. But those are for another time." He continued, changing back to Vlad Masters. "Right now, we both need to rest. I'll see you in the morning."
"Alright, good night." She replied, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Good night." He shut the door behind him. Strange day today; First she came across this old mansion, to find it deserted except for one man, and his weird servants. But he seems nice. But he's not human. But neither is she. In fact she was not even from this planet. She sighed as she lay on the over stuffed mattress, and slowly fell asleep.