DRACULA (from a different point of view)

CHAPTER 1

I leaned across the seat to peer out of the carriage window. A pale pink sky cast by the rays of the setting sun stretched endlessly out before me, cast against the dark outline of the Carpathian Mountains. It was a beautiful sight but I was too impatient to notice it.

"When shall we arrive, Jonathan?"

Jonathan, my brother, let out a sigh. At twenty-three, he was a handsome man with soft, light brown hair and keen hazel eyes, which now looked tired and were no doubt imagining himself in bed at our host's house. A nice, cozy bed. "We shall be there presently, Teresa. Now please calm yourself. "

If there was one thing I hated more than anything, it was to be told to calm myself. Jonathan must have noticed, for as I withdrew my head from the window and settled myself next to him, he said in a mildly teasing voice, "Come now. Don't make me regret withdrawing you from that Society of the Daughters of the Empire."

I laughed at this jest and snuggled in closer to him. Jonathan was a solicitor under the guidance and mentorship of Mr. Peter Hawkins, one of the most well-known and respected solicitors in Whitby. As a solicitor, Jonathan traveled a great deal, providing legal documents for respectable persons who wished to move to other places. I envied Jonathan, who had the ability to pursue any profession he desired. I, on the other hand, was forced into finishing school at the age of fourteen and then into the Young Ladies' University. I had only graduated a month ago at the age of twenty. I hated learning all of the domestic and feminine duties of a married woman and therefore had turned down several would-be suitors, the majority of whom owned small businesses and vast amounts of wealth.

While other young ladies preferred being courted by young men, I preferred my books and the quiet. I had a longing to see faraway countries, the mountains, and foreign people. It was such a shock and surprise to me when Jonathan announced he was going Trannslyvania on a business trip and that he wanted me to go with him. Mr. Hawkins, having had a fit of gout, had specifically asked Jonathan to go in his place to Translyvania. There Jonathan would settle a business affair with a Count Dracula, who needed legal documents to ensure his new home in London. When Jonathan asked me to go with him on his trip, I leapt with joy and rushed to pack.

Now here we were, several days later, in the back of the coach that would take us up to the hill where the Count's own coach would be waiting to take us onto his country estate. My head was buzzing with anticipation. What would the count be like? What did his house look like? Would he answer my questions about Trannslyvania, its people, and the customs? When I asked the driver about the Count though, he pretended he couldn't understand English and hastily crossed himself. How strange this land seemed, and its people!