The Tale of a Vampiress

Chapter 3:

Anna's P.O.V

I woke up feeling groggy, I was in a room by myself and it took me a few moments to figure out exactly where I was. When I realised that I was in the hospital I sat up in my bed, I had IV drips attached to my hands and several machines around me were beeping constantly. When a nurse walked into my room I asked her what had happened to me.

"You were rushed into intensive care a few days ago by ambulance, you have suffered a severe allergic reaction to an insect bite, we stabilised you and then last night you started to breathe by yourself so we took you off the ventilator," the nurse explained.

"I feel weak, however I think I can manage some food, can I eat?" I asked her.

"I'll have to check with the doctor, but it shouldn't be a problem." the nurse replied as she left my room. I sat up and I tried to make sense of things, then my memory began to return. Things weren't adding up in my head no matter how hard I tried to make sense of them, Sarah came to visit me, she stayed with me for ages and we talked about all kinds of stuff.

"What exactly happened to me?" I finally asked her.

"That is a long story but I have to tell you the truth. Madam Octa the spider was under your bed, when you put your hand down there to pick up the paperwork she bit you. I have since returned her to Mr Crepsley," Sarah began to explain slowly.

"Madam Octa's bite is deadly, how can I be alive?" I queried.

"Well you see that is the other thing I have to tell you, when I went back to the cinema to return Madam Octa to Mr Crepsley I told him about the accident. I asked him to help me save your life. He agreed to give you the antidote and that is why you're recovering, however I had to make a deal with him. The deal was that if he saved your life then both of us would become his assistants and travel with him. The Cirque Du Freak is the proper name for the freak show that we watched. There is something else that you have to know and I'm not sure how to tell you this part, Mr Crepsley is a vampire and he has turned me into one too, when you're well enough you will also become a vampiress. This is the price that I've paid to save your life." she revealed in detail.

"You did that to save me?" I was surprised that Sarah would go to such extreme lengths, I didn't know that she cared about me that much.

"You're my best friend, if not for me acting like an idiot none of this would have happened. I had to save you, I couldn't let you die." she countered, I was happy to be alive.

"Sarah you are nuts but thanks for saving my life, I owe you one." I replied smiling.

"It was my mess to clean up and that's what I've tried to do," she remarked, "can you believe that vampires actually exist? I was dumbfounded when Mr Crepsley dropped that bombshell, I didn't know how to react."

"I'm still trying to get my head around it too." it took a bit of time for all of this information to sink in, was I really going to become a vampiress?

"I am sorry, I didn't know what else to do." she sighed. "It was either agree to the deal or lose you for good."

"I understand perfectly, I probably would have done the same thing if the roles had been reversed." my admission made Sarah smile a little.

"Then you're not mad at me?" she queried.

"No, of course I'm not mad at you. I'm alive because of you." I answered happily. At that moment one of the doctors came into the room and checked how I was doing. I asked about eating something as I was really hungry.

"You can eat, you need to build up your strength." the doctor answered before he left to see his other patients. The doctor wrote on my notes that I was to receive regular meals. Pretty soon after the doctor left another, much older nurse came in and she asked me what I wanted to have for my lunch. I ordered tomato soup with fresh bread and a milkshake followed by rice pudding. I really was starving and I ate everything that I had ordered.

Sarah stayed with me until she had to return to college for her last lecture of the day, I had to stay in hospital for observation as a precautionary measure. I was in awe when Sarah showed me the ten scars that were now running across her fingertips, they were not big at all. Unless you looked closely you'd barely notice them.

I was still trying to understand the whole scenario that had taken place. My best friend was a vampiress and now I was expected to become one too, I was a little bit nervous, but who wouldn't be? I would have to leave all of my friends and family behind, I couldn't attend college any longer if I were a vampiress and I'd be living with a bunch of circus freaks. It sounded like a real adventure, it would be dangerous but exciting at the same time.

I stopped worrying because I didn't want to get stressed out over something that I had no control over, Sarah had made the deal to save my life so I guess that as ironic as it sounds I'd just have to live with it. I was happy to be recovering, but if the roles been reversed I would have tried to strike a better deal with Mr Crepsley. I had to give Mr Crepsley his dues though, after all he didn't have to make a deal with Sarah so that I would live, he could have left me to die, but he didn't. Mr Crepsley didn't have to stay in the cinema either, he could have moved to a new location with the rest of the Cirque Du Freak performers. For some reason Mr Crepsley had chosen to remain in the city, I figured out that he didn't want to leave the city until he had his spider back and that was fair enough, he couldn't perform the show without her of course. It would have been pointless for him to travel with the performers to their next location and leave her behind in the city, he would have had to come back for her otherwise.

A few more days went by and then it was time to leave the hospital, I had to get back to college because I needed to pack up my belongings. I left the hospital and I took a taxi back to the college, it was quicker than standing in the rain and waiting for the bus. I still didn't know how I was going to explain the situation to everybody and that included the college Principal, I had to tell them all that I had decided to leave college in order to take a gap year, I also explained that my friend would be joining me, I revealed that both of us had been asked to take part in a working holiday around Europe, I couldn't think of a more plausible explanation. It wasn't uncommon for students to drop out and take gap years after all, we were both old enough to go out into the world and do our own thing. It was just easier this way, I knew that I'd have to make a few sacrifices, but it was better than being six feet under. I was also looking forward to starting the next chapter of my life, at the same time I was nervous because the idea of becoming a vampiress scared me. At least I would not be on my own, having my best friend there would make it not so bad. I'd have somebody to confide in and somebody to share these new experiences with.

I was packing my bags and emptying out my units, I had lots of stuff to take with me. I wasn't going anywhere without my laptop, it had my digital diary programmed into it and my mobile phone was an essential item too.

"How are you getting on?" Sarah asked me as she helped me to pack some of my clothing into my suitcase.

"I am nearly done with the packing, but we still have to speak to the Principal," I reminded Sarah.

"I have already spoken to him, he understands the situation and he wished us all the best." she replied. Sarah was busy folding my clothes up whilst I decided what I was keeping and what I was giving to the charity shop. I couldn't take everything with me, I had one small suitcase on wheels and a backpack, when they were full up there would be no more room. I hoped that Mr Crepsley didn't mind me packing and taking my belongings with me, he hadn't said anything against it so I thought it would be OK. Sarah was already packed and ready to leave, her new enhanced speed meant that she could do everything in half the time that it took me to do it. Watching Sarah test out her vampiric powers was really cool, I wondered if I would be like her when I too was blooded.

The only thing we had to do now was wait for Mr Crepsley to come and collect us, I was so nervous I could not stand up without shaking. When Sarah heard the bathroom window opening I knew that it was time to go so I stood up, wheeled my suitcase out of the dormitory and down the stairs of the apartment building. I waited for Sarah to join me, we exited our apartment and then we walked together into the night...