Chapter 1
AdoptionA sharp crack of lightning stung the air as Adrianna awoke upright in her bed. The rain assaulted the window in torrents of beads and sounded much like the beating of the drums in the dream she had been drawn from. Her nightgown was sticking to her skin unpleasantly. She kept both eyes trained on the window, as if waiting for the shadow of some great monster to appear there. Another flash of lightning lit up the sky in a ghostly white shade. But this time, she didn't shrink away into the sheet because of the sudden light, but because of the scream that accompanied it. A sharp, high-pitched shriek was cut short somewhere. Somewhere close. It's only a dream. She told herself, pulling the comforter tightly around her neck as she lie back down reluctantly. Don't be a child. It's only a storm. You're hearing things. She scolded herself once again. Why was she so frightened of these storms? Ever since she was a child she had feared the lightning and thunder that came with the rain. She couldn't remember a time when she hadn't. Another scream from somewhere near sounded out. It sounded like it came from inside the house. Possibly downstairs. Adrianna clamped her eyes shut. You're dreaming Adri. Wake up and stop being so afraid all the time.
She forced her eyes open, and, against the will of every muscle in her body, she sat and let her feet hang over the edge of the bed. She took a deep breath before placing them on the ground and standing. She was light on her feet and skitterish, and could scarcely hold the flashlight without it shaking viciously. The tile floors were cold under her feet as she took her first few steps toward he door. Her knuckles were white around the light in her hand, while the other gripped at her gown tightly. She wanted so much to return to her bed and hide her face among the pillows, but she had to check on her sister Kai. She had always, like Adrianna, been afraid of the heavy storms that swelled at Port Hart, and was sure to be afraid. Adrianna cracked open the door of her room slowly, letting the light of the flashlight send a slim ray of yellow into the dark hallway. She pushed it the rest of the way open, and sent the light out before her. There was nothing there. She kicked herself for being so frightened of something that was sure not to exist. She walked a bit more confidently to her sister's room don the hall. She stalled to compose her face before she entered her room. As she peered inside, she could see her sister lying there, turned towards the window, eyes shut tight and shivering.
"Kai." She whispered, coming in and closing the door silently behind her as she approached the bed. The small girl did not answer and merely contracted into an even tighter ball when she felt the bed shift from someone else's weight. "Kai. It's me, Adrianna." She prodded sweetly, seeming very brave to the girl. The small child at once leaped up from the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around Adrianna's waist and buried her face in her chest. She shook pitifully but didn't make a sound. "It's all right mime." She said, setting down the flashlight on the dresser next to the bed and wrapping her arms around her sister's back and stroking her long red hair with the other.
Even though Adrianna was not physically related to the girl, she had felt a strong bond the moment they had met. But, there was something odd about the girl. Ever since they had known her, she had never said a word. Not even a noise. A scream. A sob. Nothing. But they loved her the same and it always seemed that the two of them could understand one another. Adrianna felt much braver there with her, it seemed as though she was no longer acting, was truly unafraid of the vicious storm raging outside. Maybe it was because of her sister's horrible fear, but she could never really be sure. She always felt braver and stronger around Kai. She always made her feel happier and gave her courage. Adrianna hugged her tightly.
"It's alright Kai. I'm here to protect you. The storm can't get you here." She comforted, braiding her long red hair behind her back so that it wasn't sticking to her face. The young girl brought her face back to look at her sister. Kai looked incredibly frightened, but more comforted than she had when Adrianna had arrived.
"There's my pretty girl." Adrianna cooed, rubbing her cheek and smiling at her.
"See. There's no need to be afraid of the storm." She assured.
"Unless the storm drags in some strays." A voice coped from behind Kai. Adrianna looked up and could see two dark shadows standing in the corner of the room. This had to be a dream.
"Who are you?" she asked, standing up at the edge of the bed shielding Kai from view.
"We're the big bad, pet." The man said again. Adrianna could tell he was English by his accent.
"As big as the stars in the sky." Added a dazed and soft sing-song voice near him. A woman stepped out from the shadows with long raven hair and skin so pale that they contrasted strongly. A blonde man a bit taller than herself stepped in suit with her and wrapped his arms around the woman's thin waist. She was a loon.
"That's right Dru. And now we're about to have some dessert." He said, moving his hands along her figure and kissing her neck. Adrianna was confused and scared. She glanced back at Kai. She was huddling under the covers as she had been when she had come in the room earlier. She turned back around to face the odd couple, only to find the shadows were empty. Where had they gone? Adrianna looked around frantically.
"Dad!" she screamed loudly, knowing he would hear and surely come with his pistol. "Dad!" Her screams were suddenly cut short as a hand gripped her neck tightly. The air hesitated in her throat as she choked. She pried at the fingers with her own, but could not force them to release their hold. She felt a body pressed against her own from behind and the man's voice whispered in her ear.
"Don't worry Love. He's already dead." He said with a laughter in his voice that sent an icy chill streaking down her spine. His grip released and sent her body slumping to the floor. Adrianna tried to plead, but she could only cough for air. She tried to get up and run, but her legs wouldn't work. She tried frantically to move, but her body was frozen.
"Don't be afraid though. You'll be joining them soon enough." He smiled. But as she looked at him, she could see his face was not the face she had seen moments before. There were vicious feral ridges creasing his features.
"Kai…" she gasped, feeling her throat scream in pain as she did so.
"Oh. So that's the little bit's name. Well, not to worry about her. We'll take right good care of her, won't we Dru." He said, talking over his shoulder to the other woman, who seemed to be dazed as she stared at the shaking sheets where her sister hid under.
"Like the kittens in the river Spike." She replied dreamily without looking at him, leaning her head to one side as if trying to figure something out, and staring at the bed.
"Right." He said humoringly, rolling his eyes and turning his full attention back to Adrianna. "Now. Back to your death." He said, bending down faster than she could imagine and gripping her shoulders. Adrianna's eyes shut tight, afraid as she had been of the ravaging storm outside the window. Maybe if she shut her eyes and opened them again it would all be over. Maybe it was all just an awful dream. But she never found out. She never opened her eyes again.
Spike let the girl's body drop to the ground, some last drops of blood oozing from her neck. He stumbled al little as he stood, a bit dizzy.
"That was pure. Haven't had a bite like that in months." He said, regaining his balance and smiling wickedly, fangs peering from beneath his lips. When he turned around, he saw Drusilla, standing just as she was before, staring curiously at the shivering pile of sheets.
"What's wrong Love? Not hungry?" he inquired, stalking towards her and stroking her cheek gently with the tips of his fingers. He glanced at the sheets, pondering what it was she felt.
"There's something beneath the sheets." She cooed, rocking her head back and forth, but never taking her eyes from the bed.
"Yeah. That'd be the girl Dru." Spike replied dully. Most of the time he was completely infatuated with her madness, but lately, her act was burning his patience from the inside out.
"No. There's someone with her." She answered, pointing as if it were far away or hard to see. Spike was beyond confusion now and had resigned to just eat the girl himself. He wasn't really hungry, but he never knew when he'd get the chance at something so young and so scared again. He whipped the sheets back forcefully, exposing the small girl in her white nightgown. She had her hands clapped over her ears and her eyes shut impossibly tight. She wasn't crying or making any noise. She just lay there in a ball and shook. It was calming and he wasn't sure why.
"There's no one with her Dru. She's all by her lonesome. Are you hungry or not?" he prompted, ready to leave the house. It reminded him of his home when he was alive, and he wished nothing more than to leave the place behind.
"No." Drusilla said piteously, letting her hand drop back to her side. She sat next to the girl on the bed. "She's so warm. Like puppies in the fire." She smiled wickedly, and placed a hand on the girl's hand. There was a sharp intake of breath and the girl squeezed herself tighter into nonexistence.
"I thought you said you weren't hungry." Spike mocked, flipping out his lighter from his pocket and sticking a cigarette into his mouth. He lit it and took a drag.
"I want her." He heard Drusilla moan, wrapping her frail arms around the girl's head which now lay in her lap in terror. She looked on the verge or tears, but clutched Drusilla's waist tightly for safety. Spike nearly dropped his cigarette.
"What?" he said, examining the scene before him. He knew she liked children, but normally she just played with them a bit before eating them. Now she wanted to turn one?
"I want her to be mine forever. Like the sun." she cooed, stroking the braid still tied tightly into the girl's hair and rubbing her cheek lovingly.
"Dru, you can't even go out in the sun without turning into buttered toast, and you can't turn her. She isn't old enough." He said, recovering his cigarette and moving towards her, with an outstretched hand. "If you don't want to eat her I will." He said.
"No Spike. You're being very naughty. I want to keep her like a pet. The way she is." She said, seeming ferocious one moment and loving the next. Spike was more than confused and not inclined to argue with the nut so he gave in.
"Fine. But you're to keep her not me. She's not my responsibility. And if she dies it's your fault." He warned, scolding her much like a mother would her child about a puppy, figuring that she'd probably be tired of the girl in a week of two anyway and eat her then. Either that or she'd get killed on one of their little escapades. It didn't sway his bleeding heart either way, so he walked out of the room, stopping only at the back door of the house to wait for her. She came to him silently, holding the girl as if she were her own, whose eyes were still shut tight, and stroking her hair lovingly. It was an odd sight to say the least and Spike was still debating the levels of her insanity. They left the house, and made their way to the train station as if nothing had happened.