TW: Abuse briefly mentioned.
Chapter 9
For the first time, in a long time, Carmilla woke up with a smile on her face, possibly because when she woke up, she didn't have a mother screaming in her face, maybe because she knew that Will wouldn't be coming back for a long time, or perhaps it was because she had dreamt of Laura. She smoothly got out of bed and pulled a blanket around her, checking her appearance and then walking up the stairs and was about to enter the girls room when she heard music being played from inside. She slowly peaked her head around the door, and a smile crept on her face as she watched Laura and the girls dancing around the room, singing and hopping from bed to bed. If it was a week ago, Carmilla would have stormed in there, grabbed her record player and screamed at them for stealing but instead she leant her head against the door and watched the beauty of what was inside. Alice stood on the bed and Laura held her arms out, catching her and spinning her around, making her uncontrollably giggle. Rosemary announced that she was next and instead of spinning her around, Laura put her on her shoulders, running around the room before dropping her on the bed, and tickling her stomach. The feelings Carmilla was going through, were completely foreign and new, every time she saw Laura smile, her stone heart began to crumble and bounce around the whole of her body. Carmilla knew Laura would never return these feelings for her, as she had treated Laura so awfully in the past and who could love a moody teenager who stayed in their room all day and night. Laura was a bundle of sunshine and Carmilla was a dark monster, these opposites could not attract.
"Carmilla" She heard a sharp voice behind her and jumped around immediately "Tell the girls to keep the music down, and stop jumping around, I can hear every creak from my office"
"Yes mother" Carmilla nodded and entered the room once her mother had walked away "Sorry to ruin the fun, but the music has to go, mothers orders" Carmilla rolled her eyes and the girls whined in harmony as Laura stopped the record.
"It's okay! We can go outside into the gardens and listen to it, want me to ask Perry to make a picnic?" Laura suggested and all the girls nodded "Are you coming with us Carmilla?"
"Yes, if...that's okay?" She responded quickly and Laura grinned
"Of course! I'll go get Perry to sort the food out" Laura said but Carmilla stopped her
"I'll go, you get the girls sorted" She smiled and Laura looked pleasantly surprised, watching as Carmilla hurried out the door. As Carmilla waltzed downstairs, she made a sharp yell as her mother came out from a doorway and into her path.
"A gentleman from last night has requested to see you today, so after you have been out with your sisters, I will expect you to be back here and waiting for your suitor" She instructed and Carmilla's insides twisted and turned, dreading the prospect of meeting the man again
"Yes mother" Carmilla nodded
"And Carmilla, if I were you, I would stay away from our work staff, they will be no good for you" As quick as she had arrived, she had disappeared and left her daughter to be frozen to the spot until she realised Laura was waiting for her and then rushed into the kitchen.
-In the gardens-
It was around 1pm and as Laura promised, the records softly played from the record player and the two girls danced in circles around it, giggling and singing along. Both Laura and Carmilla were resting against a tree, Carmilla reading from one of her books as Laura listened, fascinated not by the story but how beautiful it was to hear Carmilla speak.
"Laura, if it had not been for you" Alice panted as she sat down beside Laura and Carmilla, forcing Carmilla to close the book "We would have still had Mrs Stupid"
"Mrs Stupid?" Laura glanced at Carmilla who was smirking
"Mrs Cupid was our last carer, she was the dullest and most ignorant woman we had ever met" Carmilla groaned
"No music, no singing, no dancing, even when we laughed she looked at us horrid" Rosemary piped in, taking a seat by Carmilla's feet
"She sounds the worst, good job you've got me" Laura grinned and the three girls nodded in agreement "If you don't mind me asking, why does your mother insist on such an ancient way of living anyway, why the house and the party and the marriage, it's hard to understand"
"Mother doesn't understand that times are changing" Carmilla spoke quietly, choosing carefully the words she said "The Karnstein's have always been outcasts, living away from modern civilian life"
"I wish we did live somewhere nice, in a neighbourhood with lots of other children to play with, and a place to go shopping and a place to dance at" Alice sighed "I read in a newspaper of girls going out and partying with boys and I wish we could do that"
"Laura, this can't get back to mother, you have to promise me" Carmilla looked deep into Laura's eyes and Laura held out her little finger
"Pinky promise" Laura smiled and Carmilla eyes rolled as they joined their fingers, shaking on it.
"I plan on running away with the girls, soon, not yet, but soon" Carmilla whispered and Laura's eyes widened
"Where are you going to go?"
"Anywhere, somewhere where our mother can't find us! And I don't have to marry anyone, and I can do what I like, and I can use my own money to buy my own clothes and the girls can go to school for real, and make real friends and, well a life without mother is a much better life"
"That sound's like a brilliant idea" Laura smiled "How long have you been planning this?"
"Longer than I can remember, I can't remember not wanting to move away! I've been slowly saving up money, taking it from mother whenever I can, not like she notices, but when I have enough to last us, and I know how to get there and where to go, I plan to run" Carmilla's eyes had panned away from Laura and were staring into the distance, like she was picturing her life to come.
"Tell them what were going to do when we get there Carmilla!" Alice grinned
"When we get there, we are going to get a kitten, and name it...Sprinkles" Carmilla blushed and Alice cheered, wrapping her arms around Carmilla
"Good plan! But for now you, Carmilla have a gentlemen to meet with, and I believe he has planned to take you out for a stroll in the park" Laura smirked and Carmilla rolled her eyes, and flopped to the floor, rolling her tongue out and shutting her eyes
"I've died, I can't go" Carmilla whispered and Laura laughed, kneeling beside Carmilla and gesturing the two girls to go either side of her and at the count of three, they all began to jump on Carmilla, tickling her until she begged for it to stop. Laura however, did not and Carmilla had to tackle her to the ground, ending up on top of Laura, as soon as they realised that their faces were dangerously close to each other, the laughing stopped and Laura dropped her hands to her side, looking up at Carmilla. "This just gives me more of a reason to stay" She spoke, before realising her sisters were behind her and then jumped up, wiping herself to get rid of the grass. Once Laura had composed herself, they all packed their things and walked inside, putting it all in the girls room and then leaving Rosemary and Alice with Lafontaine as it was time for their schooling.
"I'm sorry Carmilla, but you have to go, no excuses" Laura linked her arm with Carmilla's as they walked "And I'm going home at ten tonight, but in the morning, you can tell me all about it"
"I wont tell you anything about it because I'm not going" Carmilla pouted, folding her arms together
"Stop being a child!" Laura giggled and Carmilla stayed silent until she suddenly turned to face Laura and picked her up, throwing her across her shoulder and barged into the nearest room while Laura kicked and tried to get down "Carmilla! Put me down!" Laura was then thrown into darkness and Carmilla quickly followed, closing a door behind them and locking it from the inside
"I'm sorry I had to do that, but were staying in here and I'm not letting us out until I know it's over" Laura could see Carmilla's grin through the darkness and as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she realised that there were clothes hanging above her and shoe boxes around her in the enclosed space, making Carmilla and Laura's bodies squashed together.
"You've trapped me in a wardrobe because you don't want to go on a stupid date?" Laura rolled her eyes as Carmilla nodded "Unbelievable, and you've chosen the smallest wardrobe in existence and who the hell has a wardrobe that locks from the inside?!"
"It's a long story" Carmilla's face suddenly went vacant and she took a deep breath "But, I suppose we have a long time! Okay, my mother was once married to an awful man from somewhere in Europe, after living with us for many years, he started to abuse me, almost every day and as much as I tried to fight him off, there was only so much strength I had. So, I would hide in here so he couldn't find me, after a while, the maid caught him one night when he had paid a visit to my room and she told our mother who chased him away and then called me a whore, I'm pretty sure she's had it in for me ever since. When I need some time on my own, with no one to find me, I come here"
A silence filled the small space between them and Laura's eyes began to tear up, not knowing how anyone could possibly do that to Carmilla, she tried to speak but only a squeak came out so she just wrapped her arms around her. "Your mother is wrong, and it's most definitely not your fault" Laura mumbled into Carmilla's dark hair
"I know and don't cry, I've had a long time to get over it" Carmilla smiled as she looked up at Laura, brushing a tear of her cheek "I will go downstairs, if you promise to stay over tonight, you can sleep in my bed, I'll take the floor"
"Now, what would your mother think if she knew you were giving your bed up for staff?" Laura smirked, holding on to Carmilla's hand that rested on her cheek
"I stopped wondering what mother thought of me a long time ago" Carmilla was now close to a whisper as their faces grew closer and closer, her eyes and her mind were on Laura's lips. It was not until they both heard the door swing open that Laura opened her eyes wide and Carmilla brought her hand to her mouth, pressing gently against it. A humming then began, and they both let out a silent sigh of relief to the fact that it was just Perry, probably cleaning out the room, and it wasn't until they felt the wardrobe doors trying to be opened and then the sound of keys being brought out that they started to panic and in the midst of all the panic, Laura, who was the worst under pressure blurted out.
"Hello Perry!" Followed by a groan from Carmilla and a scream from the unsuspecting Perry
"Laura?! What are you doing in the wardrobe?!" She exclaimed and Carmilla unlocked the doors, making them both tumble out on the floor by Perry's feet
"We were...trying to find, Carmilla's hat" Laura smiled innocently up at her and she just shook her head
"Carmilla, your...date has been here for the past twenty minutes, I think you should go downstairs before your mother bites your head off" Perry instructed and Carmilla put her head down and left the room, following Perry's words more than she's ever listened to what her mother has said to her
"Please forget what's just happened, I don't even know myself" Laura groaned, pulling her hand to her head
"You never told me something was going on between you two!" Perry grinned, bending down to Laura "Me and Lafontaine are totally accepting and we will love you no matter what"
"No, no! It's, it's not that! Definitely not, we are good friends!" Laura protested
Perry giggled "Very good friends"
