A nudge startled him, "Barnabas, are you listening?"
"I'm sorry I was, well I am rather…distracted." He said softly as he adjusted the blanket about the human in his arms bringing her in close to shield her from the cold. "What were you saying?" He said, raising his head as they drew nearer to the Old House.
She went on about how wonderful things were turning out, what a glorious life they would live, and how happy she was. That was all that mattered to him; she was happy with her choice, the choice to be with him for all eternity, even at the cost her once human life. But the swelling of his heart at her beaming smile was all too soon replaced with dread, because despite the life they were planning there was one glaring problem. He looked back down at the baby and a shiver of nervousness overtook him.
The creaking of the front door focused his attention again as his wife went inside and he followed close behind. The house was in complete ruin; it hadn't been touched in decades, left to decay on the property much to the dismay of Josette who looked around as if she hardly recognized it. "Notre maison…oh, Barnabas what have they done to it?"
"Not much, I'm afraid." He replied as he carefully sidestepped a rotten beam.
"It appears our family excels at being negligent." She said, brushing off cobwebs from the banister as she proceeded to go upstairs.
"I was thinking I could turn the room beside ours into a Nursery, so that the baby is nearby." She bit her lower lip, "Oh, but what if we can't hear her? Perhaps she should stay in our room…"
"Josette—"
"…And what if she fell out of her crib? Oh God, I don't think I could forgive myself if that happened!"
"Josette, listen to me!"
She turned on the stairs, "What's the matter, darling?"
"There is a serious matter we must consider while there's still time."
She frowned, "We've all the time in the world to re-build the house—"
"No, I'm referring to this child…" He looked down at the girl who sighed in her sleep, gently stroking the side of her face with his thumb. "We are vampires, Josette…but she is not."
His wife came closer to him at the bottom of the stairs, "We are not getting rid of her."
"I'm not suggesting that; we can care for her at night, but what about during the day? Both parents in coffins simply won't do."
She ran a hand through her curls as she sat on the bottom step, "Oh…oh Barnabas, I hadn't even thought of that!"
A caring hand gently took her own, "I know; you were simply…caught in the moment. Fret not my love; I have a solution."
She looked up at him, "What will you do?"
He sat down beside her, "There's still a few more hours until dawn; I believe there is someone at Collinwood worthy enough of the responsibility, someone young, with morals and good intentions. And, more importantly, someone we can trust."
She looked up at him thoughtfully, "Samantha…yes, she would fulfill the purpose nicely I think."
"I shall go to the New House, and bring her to you, but what happens if she refuses?"
"We will simply find someone else; I'll do it myself if I have to."
"Why go through such an effort? You could easily-"
"No." Her eyes became dark then; black and angry as she spoke in a low voice. "I will not turn anyone into a slave; if Samantha, or anyone, is to take this on it must be willingly. There must be a trust formed between us, not merely a blood bond with which I abuse the human."
Barnabas's eyes narrowed, "You are a most stubborn vampire." He said, tilting his head as he grinned at her, "I rather admire that."
She sighed, rising with his support, "Yes, I know you do."
He went toward the door, lacing his fingers together in thought, "Tomorrow evening, we shall find more suitable attire, and then introduce ourselves to the family. Then, I shall find someone knowledgeable to fix our home; just the way it was." He looked at her with a grin, "We will have the life that we were denied."
She smiled, "Yes, we shall. But before you start on those marvelous plans, perhaps you should tend to that errand you spoke of. We will be alright here; I shall tour the rooms to see what necessary repairs are required, and hopefully be able to gain some idea of where everything will go."
He nodded, "If that is what you wish. I shall leave at once, and return within the hour." He then faced the front door, and morphed into a bat taking wing to the chilled night air.
Samantha Trask's eyes opened; it was still dark inside her room at Collinwood, and the small clock by her bedside softly chimed five times. She closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but found herself once again unable to. She crossed the room, and sat by the still open window. The ocean waves crashed against the rocks and shoreline, making the sea glitter with each turn of the tide under the moonlight. How could such a beautiful night have held disaster for her only a few hours ago? If her father were there, he would have told her it was punishment for some wrongdoing she'd committed in her twenty-three years of existence. Being the daughter of a local reverend was not an easy thing to live with. She was constantly berated for dressing 'inappropriately' (even though she didn't), the occasional swear, going out with friends, working at the Blue Whale as a waitress, and worst of all listening to that hell-spawned thing called 'rock music'.
Thank God, she mused, she lived on her own away from her father although she could never avoid running into him on the street for a good lecture on how important going to Church was to save her soul. Good thing she had the option of unplugging her telephone; she was spared the at home version of the same lecture. You would think that if she hadn't burst into flames at this point, she wasn't going to anytime soon, but her father was adamant.
Her mother had died giving birth to her, but Samantha took after her in so many ways: same spirit, same mouth, same wavy golden-brown hair, and bright hazel eyes. Perhaps that was why her father was the way he was, she thought: she was literally all he had left.
She went to close the window when cold hands grasped at her, and though she tried to fight the person holding her, it was no use. A muffled scream was issued as she felt the pin-pricks of fangs puncture the side of her neck, and she began to go limp before the hands lifted and began to carry her. All she could remember for the longest time was the bouncing sensation as she was taken along in the darkness like a twig floating downstream. The trip seemed to last for hours when she heard a woman's voice above her.
"Barnabas, I told you, I did not want—"
"There was no time, Josette. The sun will be rising soon…"
The voices faded away in the darkness; minutes later, she opened her eyes to find herself in unfamiliar territory: a rundown house of some kind that reeked of dirt, decay, and old wood. She carefully rose from the small cot she had been placed on, and jumped squeaking aloud as a rat scurried out from under it. She made straight for the doorway, but was startled backward when she ran into someone already standing there: a woman in a wedding dress holding what appeared to be a baby.
Josette made a sympathetic face as she gently reached out, "Mes pauvres, enfant effrayé. Don't be alarmed; no one wants to harm you."
Samantha flinched, and backed away as she asked, "Where am I?"
"The Old House on the Collinwood Estate."
Samantha frowned, "Why am I here?"
Cold hands rested upon her bare shoulders as Barnabas materialized from the dark corner behind her, and she let out a shriek backing away from him. "Because we need you." He said in a quiet voice, and when his eyes locked with hers she became frozen against the wall she had so desperately backed herself up against. Her stomach turned into knots as he drew nearer, palms began to sweat profusely, but still she could not break her gaze from his as he stood over her merely inches from her face.
"You will stay here for the day, and watch over the child; by nightfall you will have no recollection of what has transpired here. Do you understand?" She tried to reply, but could not find her voice; the Vampire became impatient. "Do you understand?" He asked forcefully, causing her to jump.
Josette edged forward in protest, "Barnabas-"
She began, but Samantha answered very calmly, "Y-Yes, sir. I understand."
He nodded, "Excellent; we shall leave you to your required task and return at dusk. Do not leave this house; we will be looking for you when we arrive." The vampires then left her, and made their way back to the Collins Crypt where they climbed into their coffins just before sunrise. With the promise of a new life now laid before them, they happily dreamt for the first time in years.
Josette's French Translations:
*Our Home
*My poor, frightened child