Author's Note: Greetings readers! Before you read this chapter, you should know that unfortunately my life has NOT evened out over the past few days. In fact, I appear to be suffering from some unknown allergic reaction. Being covered in itchy hives makes it incredibly difficult for me to write, so until I get this under control any further chapters will be delayed. I'm still going to attempt to release a chapter every 2 – 3 days as usual, but no promises. I apologize for the inconvenience! Now that that is out of the way, I do hope you continue to enjoy this story. Also, please remember to drop off any feedback that you might have.
At Sasha Naruto: Thank you again for your dedicated reviews, they are greatly appreciated! As for the last chapter, I left it up to the reader to decide if that specific taxi driver was Caine or not. When it comes to Katrina, she may play a few minor parts here and there, but I haven't decided how well of a friendship Val and Kat will have. Hope that answers your questions!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own original characters.
Chapter 9 Nefarious Nightmares
Nearly two weeks had passed since Valeska had first received her orders from Prince LaCroix and needless to say, she was at her wits end. The job that had at first appeared absurdly easy had turned out to be anything but a walk in the park. She had attempted every trick in the book that she knew, but nothing had worked. All the ports that most networks usually forgot about or kept open had been either closed or heavily encrypted. There were no wireless access points in the network that she could exploit, and so therefore her usual method of using an SQL injection (tricking the system to give her information) couldn't be done. The security was just too tough for her to crack. With each day that passed, it was literally taking all her willpower to prevent herself from foolishly bludgeoning into the system which would probably result in her being locked out permanently.
What was worse was that Valeska had grown almost obsessed with getting inside the database. Part of her fixation was partially due to her own pride as she didn't want to have to admit that she was a complete and utter failure at hacking. A majority of it though was because of the fear she had with what LaCroix would do if she returned empty handed. It wasn't like the punishment frightened her and for all she cared her boss could whip her until she bled. What she did care about was that if she didn't get any money, not only herself, but her grandma would be hurting bad for cash. She had yet to write to her grandma either about these issues, but Valeska just couldn't risk putting her only living relative in harm's way when she had no doubt she was being observed from afar. Luckily, despite her own rent was a week past due, her landlord had yet to complain. However that was about the only good thing she had going for her currently.
Due to her obsession though, Valeska's health had slowly started to slip as her eating patterns and sleeping schedule had been thrown off. Her eating habits were already bad enough before, but now they were just horrible. During her first few days working on the database things hadn't been too unusual, but by the second week it was clear that something was wrong. When she did actually remember to consume something, she was barely able to get much of anything down without wanting to throw it back up. Food just held little appeal and even the most scrumptious of snacks tasted bitter on her tongue. In the back of her mind she craved something sweet and specific, but she couldn't figure out what it was and nothing seemed to satisfy her.
When it came to her sleeping patterns, she was already used to staying up into the wee hours of the morning. Usually she would look up to see that it was five in the morning, and would quickly jump into bed while mentally promising to go to bed earlier the next day. Of course it never turned out to be that easy, but more or less she normally had a schedule she followed. Now that she had nowhere she had to be though, she had become a complete shut in only venturing out to purchase groceries or check her mailbox. She had a surplus of energy that she wasn't cashing in so she found herself rarely feeling drowsy. Whenever she did manage to feel tired, she often found herself lying in bed with a mind that refused to fall silent. A million and one thoughts overwhelmed her exhausted mind, and eventually she would just give up on sleeping so that she could get back to work.
On the rare occasion that she did manage to fall asleep, she suffered from violent nightmares. If it wasn't a flashback from Venture Tower with the Sabbat vampires, it was something that involved LaCroix. The dreams of the Prince varied in nature from being sexual which disturbed her greatly or his life being in danger which for some reason upset her. When she was awake it was obvious that she hated her boss, but as soon as she drifted off, her subconscious made sure to unleash its full potential.
Unfortunately her dreams had made Valeska develop a slight fear of sleeping, and because she wasn't getting much shut eye, her normally calm emotional state was a chaotic tornado of turmoil. She found herself breaking down in tears often and other times she was literally throwing whatever she could get her hands on out of frustration. She was confused, frustrated, and beyond depressed as her already shaky confidence had been shattered almost completely.
Mercurio had stopped by here and there to teach her more about vampires, but despite this she was still very lonely. At most he stayed for maybe thirty minutes which she understood as he had a heavy workload. Still, if she just had one person she could trust to be around more often then that alone would have done wonders for her mood. Instead she had turned to movies to keep her company.
Currently she was attempting to relax with one of her favorite films from the 40's: Tap Hotel. The dramatic yet humorous black and white musical stood out to her mostly because of the leading actor, Gary Golden. Gorgeous Gary as he had been called back in the day, was at the top of her favorite performers list not only because of his exceptional ability to entertain, but because he truly was a gorgeous individual. Although physical appearance didn't normally affect her too heavily, it seemed that every character he played was well-spoken and intelligent which added to her attraction to him.
Whether his role was major or minor, she possessed almost every film he had been in. Additionally many of her posters were either of his movies or of the very actor himself. She absolutely adored the man who had long since passed on, and she only wished she had been born decades ago so that she would have had the chance to meet him in person. Oh well, c'est la vie.
Valeska watched as the actors in Tap Hotel danced skillfully around the stage. It was this exact scene that had inspired her to take a dance class when she was in high school. There was nothing more inspiring as well as terrifying than the moment the curtains pulled back to reveal a cheering crowd eagerly awaiting your performance. In the end though, she believed that dancing was more of a personal hobby rather than something she would want to follow through as a career. Now when she looked at the energetic performers in the movie, she felt reassured with this decision as such a physically demanding job would not have worked out for her. Feeling sleepy for the first time in days, she leaned back and shut her eyes. With the heavenly singing voice of Gary to rock her to sleep, she soon drifted off.
As soon as she opened her eyes, Valeska knew she was dreaming. Normally when she became aware of something like this, she immediately woke up. Now however it was as if something was forcibly preventing her from doing so. Being surrounded by a thick fog she wasn't entirely sure where she was, but a sensation of dread hung all around that made her feel like she might suffocate from the pressure. Suddenly the mist vanished to reveal a small, almost claustrophobic hallway with a path of dark crimson liquid leading to a closed door.
Wondering what was behind the door, Valeska slowly made her way down the hall that seemed to stretch on to infinity in order to satisfy her curiosity. With each step she took her legs got heavier and heavier, zapping what little energy she had. Fumbling around her for support, she grasped at the shadowy walls in an attempt to push onward. By the time she got to the door though, she was literally on her hands and knees out of fatigue. Lethargically she reached up to turn the knob, but stopped short when she realized with a level of unease that more of the red fluid was steadily leaking from underneath the door.
What was this stuff? Her mind was so scrambled that she couldn't quite remember the exact word for it. Carefully she dipped her finger into the large puddle and brought it to her nose. The familiar scent of the fluid was so intense that she found herself unexpectedly sucking it off her finger entirely. All the words in the world couldn't be used to describe how delicious the mysterious ruby red liquid was. All Valeska knew was that she desperately wanted more. No, she needed more. Bringing her face down to the murky pool, she greedily began to lap at it like some kind of frenzied animal. Surprisingly, the more she consumed, the more her lost energy was being restored.
As she drank, an idea crept its way into her clouded mind. This fluid had to be coming from somewhere, and if the flavor was amazing in its current form, how wondrous would it taste coming from the direct source? Excitement overcame Valeska with these newfound thoughts, and she stood to open the door. Turning the handle, the door opened ever so slowly with an eerie creak.
What lay on the other side was not what Valeska had been expecting. Lying on the floor was a severely injured Prince LaCroix, with his clothes torn almost to shreds and his face twisted in a permanent expression of agony. She also saw that some pale scaly skinned creature was holding him in its arms. Slowly the disturbing being with its tangled mess of hair and gangly limbs turned to reveal its face. She then realized with horror that this disgusting monster, was herself.
The monstrous thing before her growled lowly, baring its teeth that were dripping with what Valeska now knew to be blood. Crawling on all fours the wicked version of herself made its way to her. She was beyond terrified, but found that she was glued to the spot unable to run or even scream. Closing her eyes she tried to force herself awake, but the same feeling from before kept her from doing so.
Reopening her eyes she was shocked to see that the Prince, despite having his throat torn open, was somehow still alive. She knew then that she had to help him. There was just no way around this decision, for if she didn't save him, who would? He had no one that cared as deeply for him as she did, nor did he have anyone who would be willing to sacrifice part of themselves to save his life.
Right as the sickly beast was about to chomp down on her leg, Valeska took up a defensive stance and kicked it hard in the face. Yowling in pain, the creature flew angrily at its enemy, forcing her down to the damp ground in an effort to counter attack. A furious struggle ensued with the fiend biting and scratching at poor Valeska who was scrambling to get the upper hand. Finally by some unintended fluke, she managed to tightly pin the monster. With a difficult twist of its head, a sickening crack sounded signaling a successful break of the neck.
Breathing heavily, Valeska moved back from the lifeless creature. She didn't have time to examine the corpse out of curiosity or even contemplate the obvious symbolism behind this scene. She needed to save the Prince before it was too late. Quickly she rushed over to LaCroix, whose body was still steadily seeping blood. Kneeling besides him she saw that his eyes were closed.
"Sebastian?" she asked, shaking him gently. His eyes remained closed and he did not stir. "Oh god…Sebastian, please wake up!"
She continued to shake him, each time more roughly than the last, but no matter how hard she tried she was powerless to wake him. There was absolutely nothing she could do for the deceased Prince; she had failed. Her eyes welled with tears as she threw her arms around his bloody neck.
"I'm so, so sorry, my love," she sobbed while hugging him tightly. "Please forgive me…" Releasing her death grip on LaCroix, she ran her hair softly through his sandy blonde hair. Then to close her final farewell, she leaned in and kissed his cold pale lips.
Valeska awoke abruptly with a jolt that felt like electricity had just shot through her veins. She was drenched in sweat and her breathing was as heavy as it had been after her imaginary fight with the demonic version of herself. In her eyes were the same tears she had shed in her dream though, and in her heart was an emotion that could only be described as the most severe case of despair she had ever experienced. Bringing her knees to her chest, she quietly began to cry.
"What's happening to me?" she softly asked no one. An unexpected knock at the door made her jump. Sniffling, she stood up. "Who is it?"
"Landlord, open up," a gruff male voice responded. Oh great, an alcoholic landlord was probably the last thing she needed right now.
Rushing to her mirror to make sure she at least looked decent, she was shocked at the ghastly picture that stared back. Her glossy red eyes appeared as though they were sunken in and beneath them were bags that matched those she had only experienced during her school final's week. Her skin in general was also looked very unhealthy, probably due to either lack of food or severe exhaustion. After smoothing down her frizzy hair the best she could, Valeska went to the front door.
"Yes?" she inquired upon opening the door. There before her stood her middle-aged, overweight landlord who looked like he hadn't showered in weeks. By the smell of him, that wouldn't have been a bad theory either. He was dressed in his usual greasy white tank top, patched up blue jeans, and upon his balding scalp was a red baseball cap.
"Yer been cryin' or somethin'?" he questioned bluntly, scratching his scraggly black beard. As he spoke, his rancid breath reached her nostrils revealing that he had probably been drinking for the past few hours.
"Death in the family," Valeska lied with a weak smile. It was an attempt to elicit sympathy that probably wasn't going to work, but it was worth a try.
"Sucks," he said shrugging before coughing violently into his arm. Despite his policies against smoking, it was common knowledge that he indulged in cigarettes daily. Due to both his chain smoking and drinking habits, his beady black eyes were often bloodshot, which made him appear even more of a dirty rat.
"Did you need something sir?" she asked courteously.
"Uh yeah, yer forget what day it is Latimer?" he questioned rudely, his speech somewhat slurred.
"No, I've just been caught up with school," she responded. She knew if she had said work he would have outright asked for the cash right there and then.
"I don't care if yer've been meetin' with the president each night, I want this month's rent," he demanded while holding his hand out. Nope, even when she obviously lacked the money, he was still going to ask for it.
"Look," she began, "I have a job lined up that will have a huge payoff. Just give me some time and you'll get your money plus some."
"I don't have time to play these games with yer," he said angrily. "I want my money!"
"Well what do you want me to do about it?" she asked, unable to keep her own growing frustration out of her words. "I have absolutely nothing I can give you." Her landlord stood there for a moment, arms over his chest and his head cocked to the side. His eyes blatantly traveled up her body and stopped dead center on her chest.
"Heh, I'm sure we can come to some mutual arrangement…" he answered with a suggestive smirk. Valeska's eyes widened with astonishment at her landlord's bold proposal. Even if he weren't clearly intoxicated and lacking in moral judgment, she would never sleep with a man like him, ever.
"I'd rather live on the streets," she said with a low tone and a glare to match. His smirk vanished almost instantly.
"Guess ina few days yer'll have yer wish," he grunted. "I woul-". Not waiting to hear the rest of his sentence, she slammed the door in his face. It was a rude thing to do, but she was beyond pissed and didn't much care about the consequences. True he was just doing his job, but what had her so upset was what he had hinted at, which was both a horrible and unprofessional thing to do as a landlord.
Continuing to pound on her front door, her landlord began to demand in a heavily slurred voice that she open up. If she at any point had overlooked it before, it was now clear that he was quite drunk. Fortunately for that, Valeska knew she could breathe easy seeing as how he would probably remember next to nothing about this when he sobered up. Eventually he stopped beating up her door and after looking through the peephole, she saw the inebriated man stagger away from her apartment. Mentally she was reminded of why she tended to dislike most people as they always seemed to lack in either decent manners or intelligence. Sighing she glanced toward her television that still had the handsome Gary Golden performing one of his more favorite scenes.
"The world would be a better place if there were more people like you Gary…" she announced sadly knowing that would never happen.
"I just happen to agree with you," an unknown male voice stated aloud.
Author's Note: Ok so I know in the last chapter I said Gary would be in this chapter, but technically he was. :P No, but really I just wanted to get a new chapter published to update you all with the possibility of a delay. The next chapter will most definitely have the mischievous Nosferatu, but will Val's expectations be destroyed or will she still have some respect for him? Find out in the next chapter, and remember to drop a review if you can! I shall grant you a plate of cookies and/or an odious chalice!
