April of 1924. Sicily, Italy.
It was early in April when Benedict Rosselini left for a party. Kissing Karina on one pink cheek, he explains it's a special party for just the adults of the family. He's unbothered by his wife's disinterest, and promises to return to his daughter hastily. In the three months after his disappearance, twelve year old Karina is forced into a premature self reliance. Her mother pays no mind to the girl, and Vincenzo seems to be absent more often than not. Keeping to the confines of her room, she watches her mother's suitors come and go. As each month passes, she loses hope that her beloved father will return.
Karina awakens in the dead of night, alerted to the sound of someones approach. The footsteps are quiet, yet purposeful and she fears it's one of her mother's men, perhaps seeking to sate more than his eye's hunger. Her door creaks open, and a figure is silhouetted in the dim hallway light. Karina recognizes the stance and shape and leaps off the bed with a shout. "Papa!"
Benedict holds out a silencing hand, ear pointed towards the hallway. "Is your mother home?"
The young girl shakes her head. "Mama left early in the afternoon. She'll be lost in her boozing and wayward whoring most of the night."
Benedict closes the bedroom door and smiles at his daughter. "Such language from my angel, has so much changed in my absence?" The moonlight seems to glint brightly off his teeth.
Karina rushes forward into his embrace, and her words are muffled as she buries her face in his coat. "You came back, I knew you would! I knew you wouldn't leave me."
Her father's lips press to her forehead, and he sets his hands on the young girl's shoulders. "No, I would never desert you, my little love."
Goosebumps raise on the skin under Karina's thin night dress. "Your hands are freezing, what have you been doing? Where have you been?"
Benedict shakes his head, dismissing his daughter's queries. "All that matters is that I came back for you." His cold hands wrap around the girl's waist, leading her back to sit upon the ruffled bedspread. "I want to share a gift with you, my love. Would you like to stay with your Papa forever?"
A crease forms in between the girl's brows, she seems perplexed by his tone. "Of course I want to stay with you, Papa. But, what..." She trails off at the sight of his wide grin. His teeth appear unusually sharp. With a curious expression, Karina reaches towards his face, pressing a thumb against on the his canines. It pierces her skin with ease, drawing a tiny drop of blood.
Her father inhales briskly, and his eyes flash with urgency. He takes her hands in his, stealing away their warmth. Benedict leans forward, bringing his face close to his daughter's. "You must be quiet for me, Karina." His lips brush her neck as he speaks.
She pulls back a fraction of an inch. "That tickles." Her words are cut off with a gasp as she feels the moist confines of his mouth on her skin. The gasp turns to a whimper as his teeth penetrate the scant flesh of the girl's throat. Trickles of blood cut crimson trails down her neck, saturating the fabric of her night gown. Suddenly wracked with overwhelming pain, Karina hitches in a breath to scream. Her father tightens his grip on her, clamping one hand around her mouth to muffle the shriek. She struggles against the agony, but her father's strength conquers her own. He continues to feed at his daughter's throat, even as she grays out from the pain.
A short amount of time later, Benedict gently shakes Karina's shoulders. "Karina, darling. Wake up, little love." Weak and pale from blood loss, the young girl can do little than force her eyes open and peer at her father, helplessly. "Here, my darling. Drink this. Drink from Papa. It will revive you." He presses the cold skin of his exposed wrist to the girl's mouth. A drop of warm liquid seeps between her lips, and her tongue creeps out of it's own accord. The taste seems to illicit a response from the debilitated young girls, and her lips part to allow access to her open mouth. She swallows as the metallic tang of blood permeates the air. After a few pulls from the wound, Karina has the strength to sit up. She clings to her father's arm, eyes now focused on the look of bliss upon the man's face. Her grip tightens, and Benedict grunts in discomfort. "Enough, Karina." She grabs tighter, greedily trying to prevent him from removing his hand. He pulls away and the young girl hisses angrily, stray rivulets of blood dropping down her chin. Seeming to be shocked by her own reaction, Karina covers her mouth, feeling the moisture and frantically wiping it from her skin. Her father seems undisturbed by her reaction. She watches the wound on his wrist knit itself together without comment, but turns her silently inquisitive gaze to his face. He appears overjoyed, and pulls Karina in for a deep kiss. Tasting her own blood in his mouth, she shudders and pulls back, parting her lips to question him. "Not now, my love. I must tie up loose ends before we're truly together. I will return for you, my darling Karina." He seems almost giddy as he quickly disappears from the room, leaving Karina bewildered and unable to comprehend what happened.
Disoriented, Karina waits in her room. She pulls her blanket over her legs and sits there for an indeterminate amount of time. Through the haze, she hears a slightly slurred voice from the hallway. "There you are, bambina."
Not reacting to the voice, Karina still appears dazed. She turns to the door slowly, seeming confused when it isn't her father returning for her. She vaguely recognizes the man in the doorway. "Go away, Sergio." The stench of whiskey reaches her, and she shakes her head a bit. He's stumbling drunk, perhaps why he doesn't take notice of her blood spattered night gown. "My mother is likely downstairs, why don't you go find her." She rises to shut the door on the man, but he pushes into her room.
"No, no bambina. I was looking for you. I hear Bene' ran out on you and your mother. Pity..."
He smirks and strokes a hand against the girl's face before Karina slaps it away, angrily. She backs up a few steps, a furious look on her face. "Get the hell out of my room." she growls.
The smile seems to melt off of Sergio's lips. "Che cazzo hai detto tu stronzetto?" he spits out.
"I said get the hell out of my room, suino."
A strong, calloused hand clamps on Karina's shoulder and the man pushes her against her vanity. He snatches at the hem of her nightgown as she struggles in his grasp. "Wassamatter, bambina? Too good to fuck anyone but Daddy?" With a wordless shriek, she slashes her nails across his face, drawing five perfect lines of blood. "Piccola cagna!" He reaches for Karina's throat, before being flung across the room. The smell of blood becomes heady as some barely visible entity begins attacking Sergio. Eyes focusing, Karina sees her father, blood smeared across his features, eviscerating her assailant. Despite the hunger the smell brings to her awareness, Karina darts from the room in near terror.
Searching desperately for Vincenzo, Karina instead finds her mother exiting the servant's quarters, tucking what looks like a wad of money into her purse. She spares barely a glance to her daughter, despite the young girl's obvious distress. "Mother..." she cries to the woman's retreating form. Marietta enters her own bedroom, where several suitcases lay open on the bed. "Mama, please!" Karina grabs at her mother's arm. "Something horrible has happened. Papa..."
Her mother pulls from her grasp. "Papa has left you, and now so am I. Where is Sergio? I sent him to pack my valuables."
Overwhelmed by the night's events and her mother's utter disregard for her, Karina sinks to her knees. "Sergio came to my room...he tried to hurt me. I'm so confused, Mama."
Instead of pity, rage seems to burn in Marietta's eyes. "What have you done now? What did you do to Sergio?" Her eyes survey her young daughter, taking in the bloodstained and now torn nightgown. Her expression is not unlike a scorned woman, setting eyes upon her lover's mistress. "You little whore!"
"What? Mama, no!"
Marietta kicks out at her cowering daughter. "You've stolen away yet another one of my men! Since the day you were born, you've been nothing but a thorn in my side! Disgustoso!" Karina shakes her head wildly, pressing her hands to her ears unable to submit to her mother's accusations. The older woman crouches down, pulling the young girl's hands away and glaring into her eyes. "He was my man. My husband. You took him from me, you whore. He was supposed to be loving me, and he wanted you. A child. My man was supposed to be taking care of me and making love to me, instead he was fucking my daughter." With those words, Marietta sucks in a gasp of air before spitting squarely in her daughter's face.
Something seems to ignite in Karina. A ravenous anger, too strong for the paltry restraint of a child. Her small hands twist around to reverse her mother's grasp. She clenches, and the woman gives a sharp yelp of pain. The child is on her in a heartbeat and Marietta has less time than that to hitch in a breath before Karina's small and inexperienced fangs are deep in her throat. Small ripping sounds are heard as Karina quenches her hunger, satiating herself in many manners. She's oblivious to her mother's passing, and just as blind to her father's presence as he watches his Childe drink his wife's life away. His smug and slightly lascivious expression linger until both attentions are brought to the servant's entrance. Vincenzo shouts an expletive, and Karina releases her mother with a gasp, placing her hands to her bloody lips. Uncomprehending, Karina's deep blue eyes flit between both gentleman. Vincenzo looks at the scene in front of him, before turning to the elder Rosselini in disgust. "Benedict, what the hell are you thinking?!" the servant barks at his master, Rosselini and the old man shout back and forth, as Karina recoils into herself. Benedict makes as if to approach his daughter, and is pulled back by Vincenzo. The old man pushes Benedict away, speaking Italian briskly, directing him down the stairs. Karina's father rests eyes on her longingly. Vincenzo speaks in the man's ear quietly. "If you don't want Karina and yourself to both be destroyed, do as I say!" With a disgruntled grimace, Benedict retreats.
Vincenzo stares down at the child, pressing a hand to his wrinkled forehead wearily. She's silent, radiating unease and still immobile on the carpet. He approaches slowly, speaking with respect and reverence. "Miss Karina?"
She looks up at him, cautious but not tearful. "What happened to our family?" she asks in a broken voice.
Empathy is rampant on Vincenzo's expression as he gently lifts the young girl to her feet. His hands rest on her shoulders, and she stares up into the old, wise eyes. "I'll tell you of your family, Karina. I will tell you everything."
