SORRY FOR THE WAIT FOR THIS CHAPTER. I was busy... Uh... *glances nervously at where I have the Young Dracula cast tied up and gagged* Totally not kidnapping people in a sinister black van...I kid you, my Lovelies! (Maybe...). I don't really have much else to say except that I forgot to add a disclaimer on chapter one sooooooooo:

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YOUNG DRACULA OR ANYTHING ACCOSIARED WITH IT. (I do own Emarni, Seraphina, Anna, Grayson and Katherine, which I am very happy about.)

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

It was hard for Anna to sleep when the window panes kept rattling in the storm. She wasn't sure whether it was night or day anymore. Time seemed to disappear in this place, vanishing just as quickly as any kind of sanity. Emarni was crazy, of that Anna was sure. Who else would have monitors to stalk people that she was thinking of killing? That was definitely a sign of craziness. It worried Anna that her father might go crazy too, influenced by the blonde girl's ideas and schemes.

And whilst Anna had never been afraid of monsters living under her coffin, she couldn't shift the feeling that there was something there. Living under the peculiar invention that was called a bed- she had never slept in one before in her life, as her father had given her only the best of the best- was a creature of some sort. A living, breathing thing. If she dared get out of bed, she was sure that it would snatch at her foot and pull her under. But she couldn't stay here forever.
"I want my father." Anna said quietly to nobody but herself. A tear slid down her pale cheek- she scarcely cried, especially for a child of her age. But her father was downstairs. Downstairs with Emarni. Slowly, Anna edged towards the edge of her bed. She peered over the side; nothing. She put one hand on the ground tentatively and waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing grabbed her and tried to drag her into the underworld. She put her other down on the floor. The floorboards creaked underneath the weight of her small hands. She rolled off the bed, pushing on her hands and landing on her knees. It didn't hurt her.
"Okay." Anna let out a small sigh of relief. No monsters, but just in case, she crawled as quickly as she could out of the room- she wasn't going to risk her chances with the monster under the bed. The floorboards sounded louder than drums, squeaking and creaking, even though she weighed barely anything. She turned the door handle, cringing as it squeaked. She pushed the door open gently and heard the murmur of distance voices from downstairs. She knew her father's voice and she heard the slightly higher tone that must belong to Emarni.
"I was a ghost." the girl was saying, "And now I am a vampire again. Pray, De Fortunesa, explain this to me."
"I do not understand it myself, Miss Vaccaria." Anna's father replied, "The demons have lifted the veil between death and life. I was once dead too but I returned a while ago." Anna gasped. He had been dead? Her father had been dead? Then, she remembered that she wasn't meant to be listening and slapped both hands over her mouth. She hoped that they had not heard her; she had a feeling that Emarni would not take kindly to eavesdropping.
"It is a bizarre feeling, is it not?" Emarni sighed and Anna dared to edge out of her room. She crept over to the top of the stairs and listened intently.
"Why would the demons lift the veil anyway?" Emarni said, "I thought they wanted people to die?"
"Let me explain this to you in a way that your girlish brain will understand." The man said patronisingly. And there was a slap, as Emarni hit Anna's father. Anna let out a small gasp. She crept further down the stairs until she could see the shadows of the figures. Emarni was standing with her hands on her hips and Anna's father was standing with his hands in his pockets. He didn't look hurt but it was hard to tell from just looking at his shadows.
"The Council don't want everyone to die. They don't want to bring back dead people." Bertrand said, "They want to be in control of death. We were just a few harmless experiments." Demons? Experiments? It was all beyond Anna. She was only a young girl; roughly three and three quarters.
"I am an experiment?" Emarni sounded disgusted; and quite rightly too, Anna thought, "A test subject for their dark plans?"
"I suppose you were easier to bring back." Bertrand said, "Because the demons killed you. Since they were the ones that caused your death, it was easier for them to reverse it. Do you understand, Miss Vaccaria?"
"A little." Emarni replied. There was a sigh from the girl and her shadow shifted a little as she turned away from Anna's father. Maybe she didn't want him to see her expression?
"Why do they want control of death?" Emarni asked, "Why? I thought The Council were above caring for such frivolous matters."
"If the demons gain control of death, I fear for us all." Bertrand said, "Especially us. Once they're done experimenting, they'll toss us aside like rag dolls and Seraphina will be lost forever." At the thought of her father dying, Anna whimpered a little. Her father had always reassured her that they were safe from harm, that nothing was going to get either of them. That they would lead happy and careful unlives. A stair creaked beneath her foot and Anna caught her breath.
"What was that?" Her father said and his shadow shifted as he turned around. He stepped towards the staircase. His daughter held her breath, trying not to move.
"Everything creaks in this old house." Emarni said, "I would not worry." She seemed reluctant to believe that mastering death could be achieved- especially by demons. Anna's father turned away from the stairs and Anna sighed in relief.
"Death cannot be mastered." Emarni scoffed, "You are an imbecile, De Fortunesa. I imagine it is genetic?" There was a swift movement and Emarni let out a small gasp. Anna's father had grabbed her and slammed her body against the wall.
"You dare to say something against the De Fortunesa's?" Anna's father snarled, showing his fangs. Anna ran down the stairs, thumpety-thump, until she reached the bottom. Her father and Emarni were standing incredibly close together, the girl struggling against his grip.

"Stop it!" Anna cried, "Stop it, just stop!" Both vampires looked at her in surprise. Then, Emarni regained her composure and offered the girl a scowl.
"Little brat!" Emarni snapped.
"Anna." Anna's father dropped the other vampire and backed away from her, "What are you doing up?"
"I was scared." Anna said. The older girl looked at her in disgust like it was her own fault that she was scared.
"What were you scared of?" Her father asked, kneeling down to her height.
"Monsters under the bed." Anna said, looking down at the ground.
"Oh, grow up!" Emarni growled, rolling her eyes. But there was different expression in her glass green eyes. A sort of sadness like she was remembering something that she would rather forget.
"Come on, Anna." Her father took her by the hand, leading the girl back up the stairs. Glancing back over her shoulder, Anna saw that the other vampire was glaring after her. She wondered why Emarni was so unhappy all the time.
"Don't stare, Anna. It's impolite." Anna's father steered her back into her bedroom. Hesitantly, the girl crossed the room and climbed back into the giant bed. The covers were heavy and it felt like they were there to strap her to the bed. Anna missed her coffin.
"Why is Miss Emarni so upset?" Anna asked. The bed sighed as her father sat on her bed. A wisp of Anna's brown hair had escaped from her tight braid; her father pushed it back behind her ear.
"She's not upset. She's confused." Anna's father said. He had a tired expression on his face like he had been suffering a great deal.
"About what?" Anna frowned, lying back on her pillows. They were too soft and she sank into them, cushions blocking her vision.
"The demons are playing with her mind." Anna's father said, "Putting ideas in her head."
"Why doesn't she fight them?" Anna asked, "I thought she was a Dracula." She rolled her r's to a perfection. She knew all about the legendary Draculas.

There was Vladimir Dracula, the Chosen One. He was currently away at a boarding school, hidden away by his father to keep him from harm. Anna's father had once known him personally, though Anna was not sure how. Then, there was Vladimir's older sister Ingrid. She was one of the most beautiful and powerful vampiresses in all of the lands. She was the mother of the long missing Princess Seraphina. The father of Seraphina was Malik Vaccaria. Who Anna's father had described as being: "a tall, annoying idiot with a motorcycle". Then, there was The Count. His title spoke for itself, the Prince of Darkness, Count Dracula himself. There were various other close friends and relatives that Anna's father had taught to the small girl; Chloe Branaugh, Georgina Giles, Grayson, Mina Van Helsing, etc.

Emarni Vaccaria was tall and willowy with thick blonde curls. And she was the second oldest of the Draculas, the aunt to the missing princess. Though Seraphina wasn't technically a Princess, everybody said that she was. They called her the Princess Seraphina and everybody had been looking for her for years. She was supposed to be one of the loveliest, most beautiful-ist Princess ever. Anna had been hoping to meet her one day; she thought that they could be good friends. For some reason, Bertrand had insisted that Anna pretend to know Seraphina.
"It's the only way to get close to Emarni." Bertrand had said to her, "Promise that you'll play along."
"Of course, Father." Anna had replied. So, they had got in with Emarni.

"Maybe she's too scared." Her father said, "Or maybe she doesn't know how."
"Is it scary having demons in your head?" Anna asked. Her father just smiled sadly at her and touched her cheek lightly, before leaving the room. Anna didn't want to be left alone in the dark. Definitely not when demons were poking into people's brain and monsters were under beds.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

She had tracked them down to a minimum of twenty seven different places. She had been judging by the speed of how quickly it took them to get to the scene of the crime. She knew that they had to be nearby, at least close to Liverpool.
"What are you doing?" Bertrand asked, looking up from his book. Glancing at the title, Emarni felt a little insulted, ("The Dark Arts and The Insane That Dabble in Them")- she dabbled in the dark arts and certainly was not insane.
"Working." Emarni said, "I wonder if I could use witchcraft..." She began to murmur under her breath, examining the map that was pinned to the wall. She was being watched with mild concern by Bertrand, who put his book down. After a few minutes, the blonde girl was approached by one of her servants.
"Miss Emarni? Anything I can do to help?" the girl curtseyed nervously, tugging at the hem of her mistress's shirt. When she got no response, she poked Emarni in the arm. The older girl slapped her across the face and knocked the small girl over.
"Miss Emarni?" The girl popped back up, "Anything I can do? Anything at all?"
"No!" Emarni growled, "Get lost, you pathetic imbecile!" The smaller girl darted out of the room, a look of fear behind her masked eyes.
"Who are you looking for?" Bertrand wandered over to where Emarni was standing, studying the map that was pinned to the wall. Locations had been pinpointed with notes scrawled beside them in handwriting- and spelling- that resembled a five year old's. Bertrand was tempted to comment on the fact that the girl couldn't spell the simplest words.
"Nobody." Emarni said.
"Your brother?" Bertrand made a guess and was rewarded by a glare from the younger vampire. She put her hands on her hips, giving Bertrand a look filled with hatred and filth.
"Why would I care about him?" Emarni said, "He is an imbecile."
"Ah, yes, Malik Vaccaria. I remember him well. The idiot with the motorcycle and the stupid jacket with the fringing." Bertrand said. That was his official name for him. He didn't notice the girl cringe slightly at his words.
"If you don't care about him, why are you looking for him?" Bertrand demanded, but he had pushed her too far.
"I took you and your little brat in." Emarni snarled, "Do you want to stay or not?" Bertrand didn't have a reply for that so he just sat down and resumed his book.

Once he was sure that Emarni was in a good enough mood again, Bertrand sprung his plan on her. She was knelt on the floor beside the lit fireplace, staring into the flames with an odd look in her eyes. A small smile was on her face as if she were thinking of something that amused her. He stood behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jolted at the sudden contract and looked up at him, frowning in confusion.
"You startled me, De Fortunesa." Emarni said in a dreamy voice. She sounded as if she were in a trance.
"My apologies, Miss Vaccaria." Bertrand said.
"So, what can I help you with?" Emarni said, snapping out of her trance. She looked up at him with her big eyes and long elegant eyelashes. She really did have very beautiful eyes. But she really wasn't Bertrand's type.
"I've got a plan." Bertrand said.
"Your plan?" Emarni asked, kneeling up a little. She loved a good plan. It was always good to have a plan.
"I used to tutor Vlad. I was his friend." Bertrand said. He waited for the shocked gasp but only received a nod. Like she had already figured that out. Or maybe she had done a background check on Bertrand.
"Your point?" Emarni raised an eyebrow. She was unsure of where the plan was going.
"I could get close to them." Bertrand said, "And I could take Anna. That way: you find your brother and we can destroy the Draculas."
"Get close to them?" Emarni offered him a grin, "De Fortunesa, maybe you are not a complete idiot." He ignored that comment.
"I shall write to The Count." Bertrand said, "Ask him if I might see Vlad." The girl nodded, before turning back to face the fireplace. Her hand crept towards the fireplace, her fingers tapping against the cobbled floor. The tips of her fingers touched the glowing flames.
"Are you crazy?" Bertrand said and was firmly shushed. The girl gradually forced the rest of her hand into the flames. The flesh began to crisp slowly. The older man was forced to pull the younger girl away from the flames, a firm look in his eyes.
"What has got into you today?" Bertrand said, "
"I... My mind was elsewhere." Emarni said, shaking her head. Her curls, which had been loosely tied up, fell around her shoulders. She looked sad, her hair blocking her eyes.
"What were you thinking about?" Bertrand wondered curiously. She was certainly an intriguing character. Bertrand thought that she would be more like her mother from what he had heard; but the girl was entirely her own person.
"That is none of your business. Just get writing with that letter." The girl instructed, offering him a dark look. She wasn't going to discuss the matter further, sweeping out of the room and slamming the door behind her.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Emarni's older brother was standing in the hallway of his newest home. The Draculas had moved around a lot to stop the Nightmaster closing in on them, never staying the same place twice; the Count was terrified of being killed. He would always say:
"I don't want that assassin murdering me, though I do approve of his methods and flawless execution." Then, he would flick somebody's forehead with his hand. The Nightmaster certainly was a threat to the Draculas- as were the Council of Elders. In fact, everyone was out to get the Draculas.
"What're you thinking about?" Chloe asked, walking down the stairs and up to Malik. He was staring at the doors, his eyes glazed over.
"It's been over three years." he said, not taking his gaze off the door, "Should we give up?"
"On Seraphina?" Chloe said.
"Well, her too. Obviously. She's my daughter. But I meant Emarni. Ever coming back." Malik said, "Do you miss her?" He didn't want to admit to missing his sister first. The girl looked at him and without even thinking about it, nodded.
"But she's not coming back." Chloe said, "She hates us now, remember?"
"I think the demons brainwashed her." Malik said, "Either that or she's even more like Mum than I thought."
"She's nothing like your mother." Chloe said, who had been told everyone about Elisabetta. She had been studying psychopaths in an attempt to find the Nightmaster and obviously Emarni's mother was top of the list. After finding out about what her mother did to her, Chloe felt even worse for her ex-girlfriend.
"You'd be surprised." Malik said, "I've seen the two of them together."
"They can't be that alike. Emarni's too nice." Chloe said.
"She's just scared. You know that? Emarni is scared." Malik said, "And probably dying in a gutter." They both stood for a little while longer, thinking to themselves. Then, Chloe went upstairs to her room.

She had always kept Emarni's stuff, normally in a box in the back of her wardrobe, moving it whenever they moved house- well, mansions. The Count wouldn't settle for anything smaller than a mansion. Now, Chloe reached for the box and pulled it out of her wardrobe. She placed it on the floor in the middle of the room and lifted the lid off the box. The fresh scent of Emarni hit Chloe hard. Cinnamon and strawberries, all her belongings folded neatly in the box.
"Emarni..." Chloe sighed. There were a pair of Emarni's many converse sneakers- dark purple- and her scuffed jeans with holes torn in them. There were various shirts, long tops, dresses and t-shirts folded up next to the shoes. Then, there was Emarni's shower gel and her shampoo and conditioner. Chloe sniffed them and sighed wistfully.
"Oh my god, please tell me that this is a joke." Ingrid said, from the doorway. Slamming the lid back on the box, Chloe turned to glare at her.
"Ever heard of knocking?" she snapped.
"Ooh, touchy!" Ingrid said, "And the door was left wide open. Don't tell me that you're still hooked on Emarni?" She had her arms crossed and was looking rather amused.
"She's your sister. You must miss her." Chloe growled, "And what about your daughter? You could at least pretend to miss Seraphina?" The other girl cringed a little at the name but stood her ground.
"They're probably dead." Ingrid snapped, "There's no chance of finding them now. Why don't you just give up? I have!" Slowly, Chloe rose to her feet, pushing the box aside with her foot. Her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into the palms of her hand.
"Emarni's not dead. She's smart enough to keep herself alive." Chloe snapped. She took a step closer to the girl, her fangs showing.
"She's not smart enough for anything." Ingrid smirked, "She's an airheaded, whimsical little idiot. She's long gone and you're just scared to admit it."
"Shut up, Ingrid!" Chloe snarled, "Stop acting like you don't care! Your sister and your daughter could be dead right now!"
"I've given up!" Ingrid said, "Can't you see that? There's nothing I can do so I've stopped trying! Why can't you stop lying to yourself, Chloe?"
"Maybe I have hope!" Chloe yelled, slamming the door shut. Tears of anger sprung to her eyes as she slid the box back into a wardrobe and climbed into her coffin- oh yeah, she had a coffin now. She wiped the tears from her face furiously. She'd show that Ingrid. She'd find Emarni and Seraphina first.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

"They will be your downfall, they will be your downfall..." Emarni kept muttering to herself as she stared out at the moonlight street. The stars shone brightly in the sky that night, making the street light up. She wondered about Bertrand and why he had been killed and by whom. He hadn't wanted to say, which meant that it was someone that Emarni knew. She wondered about the Little Brat and how she knew Seraphina. The girl still had not mentioned that, not even speaking of Seraphina as a friend but more of an enemy. But no matter what Emarni wondered, her mind always went back to one thing. Malik.
"How does Bertrand know Malik? I know how he knows Vladimir but how does he know Malik?" Emarni asked the night. There was no reply from the sky of stars.
"Stupid world! Answer my questions!" Emarni yelled, throwing a book at the sky. It fell to the ground with a dull thump and there was still no answer. She growled.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid world. No wonder Mother shut you out." Emarni muttered. She was sitting on the window seat, her feet tucked beneath her. Anna stood in the doorway and watched her, perfectly still.
"Mother was right." Emarni said, "She was right about everything." Her hand instinctively went to where her locket used to hang around her neck. Then, she remembered. She had thrown it away.
"Miss Emarni?" Anna said gently, "Are you okay?" She regretted speaking the minute Emarni spun around to face her, her eyes flaming.
"Get out, you little brat!" Emarni yelled, "I am perfectly fine!" The smaller girl whimpered but didn't move an inch.
"Why are you so sad?" Anna asked, "Why must you keep torturing yourself?"
"How old are you child?" Emarni sighed.
"Seven." Anna said. The older girl looked her up and down doubtfully. It was true, Anna spoke as if she was very old, almost like an adult. But she was a little thing with scared brown eyes, her hands trembling. She could not be any more than four if that.
"Then maybe, just maybe, I can explain to you." Emarni said, without softening her tone, "Come here." Nervously, Anna stumbled over to where the older girl was sitting and stood beside her.
"When I was your age, I only had my mother to care for me, much like how you only have your father to care for you." Emarni explained to her; the small child nodded and waited for further explanation.
"My mother was intent on killing my father and family. At the time, I thought that it was wrong to kill family. But when I was captured by demons last year, they showed me the truth." Emarni said, "My mother was always right."
"It is wrong to kill your family." Anna insisted. She was pushed away by the other girl.
"I knew that you would not understand." Emarni sighed, "Nobody does."
"Just because you're scared, it doesn't mean that you have to kill anyone!" Anna cried, "Killing innocent people is an awful thing to do."
"Sometimes." Emarni said, "You have no other choice. Now, run and cry to your Daddy, you little brat."

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Please read and review, my Lovelies. (Note to self: find better name for readers)

- Angels xox