Authors Note; One shot from Ingrid's point of view, read and review please!
I hear footsteps approaching, big, heavy footsteps. I try to run, but it's no use, I'm trapped, and they're not far behind me. I stay silent, not wanting to attract the eldest Slayers attention. I curse mentally as I step on a twig, breaking it in two. The Slayer whips his head around, looking for the source what caused the noise, no doubt.
I try to walk, but my legs won't work, it's like they are stuck to the ground with super glue. The Slayer clocks me, and laughs.
"Ingrid," He seers, "We know you're there, we know you are, come out come out where ever you are!" His voice is harsh, cold and dark. I begin to feel rather alone, and hungry. I wish Will was here with me, protecting me, with me, in my arms, where he belonged...
I am all alone in the world. With no one to look after me, no one to kiss me or hold me, and it's all my fault. Why have I been so stupid, thinking I could avenge Will, all I've achieved is blood poisoning, my face looks like the root of a hundred year old tree, swollen and warped, and very, very painful.
I feel a wetness slide down my cheek, and drop onto my mouth. I try to stifle my sobs, but they just keep coming, and coming, and coming. My cheeks are wet now, I can feel the moisture seeping through my pale complexion, sinking without a word into my skin, dissolving into the atmosphere. I fiercely wipe my cheeks, I will not cry because of Slayers, I am a Dracula, I am a powerful Dracula, I can beat them.
Before I can stop myself, I step out from my hiding place, all ready to face the Slayers.
"Ah, there you are," The younger Slayer whispers, "Come closer!" I tentatively walk forward, taking care not to take my eyes off either of them. As I get closer to them, I notice the younger ones boyish looks, he must be in his early twenties, I'd say. He has sparkling green eyes and a dazzling smile-.. I slap my hand, how can I think that of a Slayer, he is a Slayer, and they have to go...
"Ingrid," The younger Slayer beckons me with a tanned finger, oh, why do I find him attractive?! "Come closer, we won't hurt you." He draws his finger back, and involuntarily, I follow it with my gaze.
It's my turn to laugh now. "I'm not worried about you hurting me," I gasp as a pain shoots through me, and I feel myself falling.
"Help," I manage to rasp to the youngest Slayer, "Help me!" My chest feels so heavy, like I have a weight in it.
He looks at me, with, what is that? Pity? I don't know, but I feel myself melt underneath his gaze.
He looks at his partner, and mumbles something inaudible, then nods in agreement to the older Slayers decision.
"Ingrid," He smiles at me. "Go, run, and we won't say another word about you." I smile back, I'm not quite sure whether or not he is joking, but I'll take my chances. I stagger to my feet, shaking.
"Thanks," I mumble, then feel the ground at my face once more, my chest feels like it is going to collapse, it feels heavier than anything I have ever felt, I won't deny it, I'm scared, like, really scared.
I stumble as I pick myself up, nod at the Slayers, then turn away from them. I begin to shakily walk, concentrating hard putting one foot in front of the other, it is proving difficult.
I fall against a tree when the Slayers are out of sight, I feel like that Jesus guy did when he carried that cross up that hill, although I'm not really big with the whole 'bible' thing, and I haven't actually got a big heavy cross strapped to my back, although I might as well have, I feel like I have, anyway.
My chest is feeling easier now, lighter, almost, I sigh unnecessarily at the sheer loss of the pain, but, almost immediately, it returns, it's sharper, much shaper than before, I try to sit up, but the weight is back in my chest, holding me down like a dumbbell, I am a prisoner in my own body, a prisoner, me, Ingrid Dracula trapped in my own essence..
"Ingrid," A new voice drags me back to my reality. "Ingrid, it's me, it's Vlad!" Vlad? I smile at the name, I must be hallucinating. "Ingrid, oh, my, Ingrid, you look.." He stops, unsure of how to finish that sentence, a wise move on his part, I must say.
"Vlad?" I whisper, almost silently, my throat must have swollen. He helps me to my feet, but almost instantly, I fall back down again, agony shoots through my chest as I hit the floor with a strong force.
"Ingrid, what happened?" His voice is soft, soothing almost. He supports my head as I fall backwards again, and stops it from hitting the floor.
"Slayers, I was chased," I try to explain, but it's almost as if my memory has been wiped clean of anything I have done today. "Chased, they," I wheeze, "Let me go, they let me," Vlad screams as my head lulls forward and my eyes blacken.
Then, all I see is darkness.
"Ingrid?" Someone is calling my name, the voice is unfamiliar, though. I try lifting my head in response, but it tips back as I struggle against myself. A cool hand rubs the back of my neck, a nice, cooling, soothing feeling swills through my body like lavender oil, I am rather content with the feeling.
I hear muffled voices in the distance, they are concerned. "She's fading fast, Vlad," sobs fill my ears. "I don't know what to do.." I think the voice belongs to Bertrand, but I'm not all that sure, in fact, I'm not really sure about anything at the minute...
"There must be something you can do, Bertrand, she's my sister, she's sick," More sobs. "She's very, very sick, please, she's my sister." Vlad must have fallen to the floor, a thud echoes my head, hurting it even more.
"Vlad, she's," Bertrand pauses, unsure, I suspect, "She's breathing."
I'm what?! I'm...I'm...!
"She's breathing?!" His voice is high, stressed.
Bertrand stays silent, I can hear heavy footsteps approaching.
"Vladdy, what on Earth is going on?" Oh, my Dad, yay.
"It's Ingrid, Dad."
Dad snarled. "What the bat has she done this time?" Oh, love you too, Daddy.
"She hasn't done anything, she's extremely sick." His voice was low, scarily low. He was doing his High and Mighty voice, again.
"Don't you use that voice with me, Vladimir, I am your Father, don't forget that, boy!" He sounded like his fangs had made an appearance. Typical, I'm practically on my Deathbed and they're having a 'who's voice is deeper' fogging competition!
Bertrand coughs. "Count, she's very sick, she's shown sign of breathing.." My Dad laughs, fogging charming!
"She has caused us nothing but trouble since she was born!" Ouch, that hurt, a lot... I feel the familiar wetness of tears slip down my warm cheeks.
"Dad! she's your daughter!" Vlad roared. If I could, I would almost certainly laugh at him, he's sticking up for his mean older sister, for once in his puny little worthless life!
"She is no Daughter of mine." I feel a rage so strong it burns right to my very core, shaking me like a volcano ready to erupt any second, except, I can't erupt, I'm still trapped. Trapped, in my own body.
Vlad growls low in his throat. "Renfield!" He summons him with such power, I'm almost proud of him.
"M-Master Vlad?" Renfield stutters, what a buffoon. I can hear him breathing rapidly, scared maybe?
"You listen to me, you are not to leave this room until Mistress Ingrid is better, do you hear me?"
Renfield whimpers, "Y-Yes, Master Vlad." I presume he scurries off somewhere.
"Dad, Ingrid is very sick, as I am now eighteen, I want you to obey me and look after her."
"Why can't we just bite her, or stake her, or something!" He snaps.
"Because!," Vlad roars "Because she's family, she's in need of our help!"
"Master Vlad?" Bertrand's voice again. "She will need to consume the correct potion in twenty four hours, otherwise, she'll be human and die." Well, that's very to the point...
"She won't die!" He's sobbing again, oh, baby brother, grow a pair of bat wings, purr-lease!
"With any luck, she will, eh, Renfield?" Dad and Renfield share their little joke. Why, when I get out of here that rat will be sorry!
Vlad snarled, then roared, using his High and Mighty voice again, I mean, come on, what is with that?!
"Dad, Count Dracula, Prince of Darkness, you will do as I fogging say and leave this room!" Whoa, since when did Vlad get feisty?!
"Oh, will I now?" Dad shot back, ugh I'm bored now...
"Or you could spend the night in my UV cage?" Vlad laughs.
"Fine!" I hear a swoosh and a sigh, I think it's just Vlad in the room now.
I feel something touch my hand. "Ingrid, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand, please," More tears! "Come on, Ingrid, you can hear me, can't you?" Yes! Yes, I want to shout, I want to scream, I want to move, but it's like I'm in an iron coffin, welding me down, I concentrate, trying with all my might to squeeze his hand, but it's no use, I stay rigid. He drops my hand, and I feel more tears trickle down my cheeks.
"Ingrid?" Vlad must have clocked the tears. "Ingrid, you're there, I knew you were!" I am screaming and shouting inside my head, but nothing is making it to my mouth, I don't recall ever being this lonely or afraid, it's horrible, horrible beyond belief, all I want is someone to rescue me from my body prison, I try and squeeze my eyes so they open, but it's still no use, they're super glued together, or, at least they feel like they are...
"M-Master Vlad?" Renfield again, snivelling warthog that he is, I really do hope he can cure me, rid me of my prison, I pray inside my head, this is serious, I have never prayed before, like ever.
"Renfield," Vlad's voice is tired and weary, he's been crying again, I think. I feel for him, I really do, I want to tell him I'm fine, I want to tell him to stop crying, but I can't.
"There isn't a cure," Renfield mutters something that I can't quite make out.
"There must be a cure! You've not looked hard enough," He snarled, Renfield whimpers again. "GO and look again!" Another whimper, Vlad snarls again.
"R-Right away, Master Vlad." I heat the scamper of his footsteps retreating.
Vlad paces up and down the room, possibly looking in a book, I can hear pages of some description being turned, anyway. He sighs, and I hear the book slam shut, then a fizzling sound echoes about my head, huh, so that can't have been any use to anyone, I suspect Vlad has just turned the book into ash, temper, temper little brother!
"Dad!" Vlad shouts, then he leaves the room, I think. That means I am all on my own, with only my thoughts for company, yay...
He's back within seconds, with another book, again, I hear him frantically turn the pages of the book, trying to figure out how to wake me from this hell I'm now living, hopefully, anyway. He growls and throws the book across the floor, I hear the dull thud as it hits the hard floor, he must be really agitated, he's normally so calm, so content with the world. I can't help feeling slightly smug, he is doing this for me, after all...
Someone else enters the room. "M-Master Vlad," Oh, good, Renfield, if I could, I would almost definitely have rolled my eyes at him, "I've found this book, it may help Mistress Ingrid." I hear something slide across the table.
"The Big Book Of Spells, Volume Two," Vlad reads, clearly, I mean, what is this, School Assembly?! "This looks promising, thanks, Renfield, lets hope so," The pages are being turned with incredible speed. "Book, show me a cure for Ingrid, please." Ugh, what is it with Mr High and fogging Mighty today?! More pages turn, faster an faster, until Vlad shouts, "Stop, I saw something!" The book falls silent, a Heavenly sound for my poor, aching ears. He mutters to himself, I can't quite hear what he's saying.
"M-Master Vlad?" Renfield asks, there's something different about his voice...
"Yes!," Vlad shouts, making me jump. "Yes, Renfield, we can save her!" He is literally jumping for joy, I can feel the floor shaking with the sheer power of his excitement, I'm almost won over by his enthusiasm, even.
Renfield makes a noise, a sort of noise that reminds me of a dying pig, but a noise all the same, "I'll go and tell Master right away," He stutters, "He will be..pleased..." HA, what do you think of that, Daddy? I'm going to be alright!
Suddenly, a bright light fills the room, and I hear Vlad exclaim in surprise. "Renfield, help me!" I am beginning to feel lighter, it's almost like I'm floating.
"Ingrid," a soft voice calls out to me, I think it's coming from the bright light, but I'm not too sure. "Ingrid, it's me!" Wait a minute, that's not possible..
"Will?" I can suddenly talk again, I realise.
"Don't be afraid, Ingrid, come with me, Princess." I melt at his words.
I feel my self lift out of my body, a spirit of myself, perhaps? I float towards the bright light, and realise it's a door. I begin to breathe, rapidly, in, out, in, out... Wait, I'm not supposed to be able to do that...
"Ingrid, shush, I'm here." Will's voice floats through to me like a soothing lullaby, I smile and he grasps me in his arms.
"Welcome back, beautiful." He breathes in my ear. We link hands, and I kiss him, I have missed him, I don't care that it isn't actually possible for him to be here, I have missed him so fogging much!
"Come with me," He beckons me towards the great white door. "We can be together through there, Forever, I promise, I will never leave your side ever again."
I look into his glowing eyes, and laugh, I can't believe this, this is mad, like, seriously mad...
Before I can stop myself, I find myself answering him, "Okay," I breathe, I will miss my family, but Will is my life, he was my life and I can't let him go, I won't let him go, ever again. "I will, I love you, so much." I kiss him again, and he takes my hand.
"I love you too, Ingrid," He hugs me close, "ready?" He asks, linking his hand with mine again.
"Always." I say, and we step into our new life together, away from all that is evil, it's just me and him forever now.
Just the way I like it.
I kiss him again, and we are there, our new life.
I smile.
I'm going to like it here.
