Chapter 9: Live and Let Learn
Ceridwen drew in a deep breath as Dwight stood motionless in front of her. She didn't look saddened or upset by him; she looked very angry, as if trying to hold back a swelling of fury. Dwight stepped backwards slightly, feeling instinctively afraid that she would unleash said fury on him if given the opportunity. While Dwight was immensely powerful, he remembered that Jeremiah had said something about Ceridwen's virus being stronger than his and that her powers matched the difference. That alone was enough to make even the primal entity that took him when he fed tremble with fear. Adding to that was the fact that he had just recently seen her unload pent up frustration in the form of a lycanthropic attack. She seemed to examine him wordlessly for several moments; not to see if he was alright, but to see whether or not he felt too terrified by her now. He frowned and looked back into her eyes with more resolve, trying to hide the trembling that wanted to surface in this human form and the rage that would have taken him in vampiric form.
"Good evening, Mr. Wrenn," Ceridwen said with the kind of tact that had to be learned and forced on an individual in an uncomfortable circumstance. He narrowed his eyes at her nearly glaring. "I have some texts for you to glance over before I start my first lecture tomorrow."
"Whatever you plan on saying tomorrow will hardly be your first lecture, Ceridwen," he countered. Her lips curled upward for a moment, her eyes flashing an unnatural yellow tint as a soft growl left her throat. Dwight smiled. "I take it then that your illness is just as controlled as mine for the time being."
"Please be ready to ask any questions you have about the first section," she replied cooly. He opened the cover for a second, glancing over the words without really taking them in. He snorted and tossed the book to the side, watching Ceridwen's expression as it thudded to the floor with sadistic enjoyment. She breathed deeply, clearly hiding the emotion she truly wanted to express. He smirked and watched as she reached down and slipped her hand under the book, effortlessly tossing it from just above the floor to the surface of his desk. He lifted one brow in admiration. Ceridwen seemed to be a well of surprises and all of them quite amusing. "If you have nothing else to ask, then I'll see you tomorrow. Jeremiah is in charge of your medical and nutritional needs, but you should already know that. By the morning I will want at least the first chapter. . . "
"Why?" Dwight asked casually. He moved to the desk and pulled the chair from beneath the table top to where it faced Ceridwen. Sitting in one fluid movement, he could have sworn he saw fire flare from Ceridwen's hair and light the atmosphere around her.
"Because the more that you know of the illness and its history then the more. . . " she began. He waved a hand to silence her. He was beginning to more than enjoy the power he seemed to hold over this young human, or whatever she claimed to be. He crossed his arms and leaned forward.
"Why here? Why is your bureau, or what have you, not insisting that I be kept at some facility while you endoctrinate me?" he asked, hissing a few of the words for emphasis. Ceridwen let out a soft growl and stepped to the side, loathing his arrogance in the face of her obvious calm. "You were kept at a facility before Stephen took you home with him," he mused as he looked casually to one side. Ceridwen's louder growl told him that he was definitely touching on something that was sensitive, something that he was controlling. Perhaps if he could get her to lose her temper once again, he could take some of her willpower. "Did the bureau suggest this? If so, why? If not, why on earth would an inexperienced reformist with such a grievous malady, like yourself, insist on such an informal and unsafe environment? Why take such a great risk just to prove a few wild notions to a school of old men who really will not give much of an ear to a young woman with an illness herself? What is it really that you wanted to achieve?"
"Normalcy!" Ceridwen screamed at him. Her voice had raised to such a height within her lungs that Dwight felt himself thrown back a few feet by it. His eyes widened with both curiosity and shock at the reply. She turned and grasped both sides of her head, grunting in pain and frustration. The desire to stand just to be at the ready to defend himself moved through Dwight, but he was frozen with the other thoughts and fears racing through his mind. A strange sensation washed over him and he felt his blood turn warm with realization. There was no pain at the base of his head, no reprisal from that horrible device even in the slightest. He smiled. Jeremy must have forgotten to turn the thing back on! This was too good to be true. He would have to be silent about it and feign whatever was necessary until he could confirm it. Ceridwen's arms dropped slowly back to her sides and she breathed deeply. "I was being realistic when I called you ungrateful, Dwight. I chose this place as my station because it would be far easier for you to heal if you felt at home, something I have struggled with since my youth."
Guilt found its way into a dormant part of Dwight's conscience, but not for more than a fleeting second. Ceridwen walked out of the room and turned to walk back towards her own. Dwight stared out into the hallway, frowning once again at the figure that now stood waiting in the doorway.
"I really think that you are some kind of inhuman catalyst for premenstrual syndrome," Jeremy laughed. "Not that she's hormonal in that sense. You have a gift for peeving her to no end, you know that right? Why she hasn't given up and just let them kill you is still a mystery."
"Only to you, Jeremiah," Dwight muttered. "I am quite sure that in your intimate moments she has revealed to you why she is so relentless and yet so. . . complacent. Why is she choosing now to start with the academia?"
Jeremy shrugged and looked down at the book that lay on the desk. He watched Dwight move over to the enormous window and lean agains the darkened panes, peering out into the crimson void. He shook his head and opened the cover, staring down at the title and other information.
"The Beginner's Guide to Preternatural Disorders Sixth Edition. Vampiricism: The Ultimate Anemia," Jeremiah read aloud. "Not very inventive with the titles, are they?" he jested as he turned and stared at Dwight once again. Dwight hadn't moved, but his expression now appeared to be pensive, lost in deep thought. Jeremiah sighed and flipped through a few more pages. "You know, it isn't a secret to the rest of us that you don't want to be here. Why don't you just off everyone and leave? Well, everyone human; I think it's a little obvious by now that you can't do much to my sister other than totally cheese her off." Jeremy turned to glance at the young vampire once again. He frowned, disappointed that nothing he was saying seemed to be registering with the man. He sighed heavily and slammed the book shut. He turned, crossing his arms and leaned against the desk as he faced the window as well. "Or are you still afraid of what I will do to you?"
Dwight turned, finally having enough nonsense. He allowed his eyes to change slightly for the first time in months, letting out a small roar. Jeremy's expression was not fearful, but irritated. Dwight thought for a moment, glad that his thoughts seemed to move more quickly than the boy's, with reflexes to match. Without another word or expression, Dwight grabbed his head and pretended to cry out in pain for a few moments. Jeremy seemed to now be taken by relief. Fool, Dwight thought to himself. Since when have I ever been that slow to register pain? He turned back to the window, deciding it best not to let the wretch's presence be too much of a bother to him any longer. He knew that Ceridwen would be intent from this point forward at being as cordial as possible, but that this would be the best time to gather any information that he needed seeing as she was willing to offer it to him in both books and audibly. He glanced at the book behind Jeremiah for a moment, still amused that someone had written in earnest about the illness and, apparently, others as well. Jeremy set the book back onto the table and sighed heavily.
"You need to eat something; Ceridwen says you're going to need to be feeding regularly from now on if you want to think and feel normally," he said. Dwight narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Why on earth did normalcy matter to that girl so much? He had experienced what most called 'normalcy' in his childhood; two loving parents, a stable home and income, education, and despite his illness had been able to interact well among others. Normalcy was nothing impressive or enjoyable. Jeremy walked towards him for a moment. "I'll bring it to you again. Ceridwen wants you to read that now. Maybe you'll think about things a little differently if you know exactly what it is that posesses you."
"I am not posessed, Jeremiah," Dwight hissed with hatred beginning to burn in his eyes. Jeremy stared at him with curiosity. The young vampire had heard countless times from his victims the cries that he was a servant of the devil, posessed by a demon or by Lucifer himself. He hated to hear such things and hated even more to think that people exsisted that still thought this way. Just because someone was traversing a different path did not make them evil or possessed, no matter what they needed to survive. He sighed and grasped the side of the window pensively. "I am consumed. Understanding the illness, as you and your pedantic little sister call it, is the only reason I am still here. Ceridwen will grow weary of me after a few weeks; she cannot possibly keep this nonsense of trying to reform me, or for that matter any others like myself. I cannot fathom anyone else conforming to such a lifestyle for any other reason than being forced into it."
"That's because you have the brain of a small rodent. For your information, Dracula, there have been a little over a hundred fully reformed vampiric cases since the process began," Jeremy said proudly as he turned to leave the room. "Granted that's not alot considering the process has been going on for more than fifty years, but it's something for people like Ceri to keep busy with," he muttered under his breath as he slipped out of the room. Dwight snorted at him. Jeremiah was more of an annoyance than Ceridwen. Compared to the boy, Ceridwen was a delight. At thinking this, his shoulder began to ache terribly. He grunted and gripped his arm tightly, willing the pain to subside as firmly as possible. How on earth had she been able to do that much damage to him? He was a far more experienced and far more vicious creature than she would ever be. He furrowed his brow and picked up the book out of curiosity once again. Perhaps once he had all of the answers he needed from texts, he could slip away and never have to associate himself with people like them any further than getting a meal. He opened the cover and flipped a few pages past the introduction, staring cautiously at the words. The first page explained the name and nature of the disease and read:
Vladislaus Cel Mircea Syndrome VCMS (vla'disl-ow-s che-l meer-chi-ah): a condition that is quintessentially a disease of the endocrine, autonomic nervous, immune/lymph, and cardiovascular systems. The condition was named for the Wallachian nobleman Vlad Basarab of the house of Mircea (otherwise known as Vlad Dracula or Vlad Tepes, the Impaler). Each of the five branches of this disease vary in strength and length from case to case and from strain to strain of the illness. In the long run, the patient will need to ingest blood on a bi-daily basis, avoid triggers to other types of trauma (sunlight, emotional upsets, overheating, dehydration, etc...), and recieve lacking nutrients. Most commonly given to victims are vitamins D, E, B12, and iron. The five diseases that create this illness are as follows:
1. cytopenic anemia : condition of blood marked by defficiencies in erhythrocytes (red blood cells), leukocytes (white blood cells), and thrombocytes (platelets) as well as plasma fluids; caused by damage to lymph nodes, marrow, veins, and organs from severe toxic trauma.
2. polyadenopathy : a number of malfunctions in the endocrine system marked by insufficient secretions of hormones, changes in hormones secreted, and the destruction of certain glands entirely.
3. photophobia : the inability to be in sunlight without severe damage to eyes or other parts of the body.
4. dysautonomia : improper functioning of the autonomic nervous system; can be hyperactive at times or non-exsistant at others.
5. anatrophic genostenosis : the lack of growth or nutrition to cell matter in the body stops the process of aging or development for a period of time (usually between 500 to 700 years) depending on the nature of the infection.
His eyes grew wide as he found himself now interested in what all of these terms meant and how they all connected in the body. Had Ceridwen been a student of medicine as well? That would have taken years and she certainly didn't look like she could have completed medical and preternatural training in her short life. He turned a few more pages looking at the vocabulary section of the chapter review. These terms were still defined without explanation as to what part of the phrase meant what. He frowned. He had hoped that a few days of being explained history and mythology would be all that the education included. It seemed that he would be schooled in medicine by the end of all of this. Still, to think that he had knowledge that his victims would not seemed enough reason to stay. He read carefully and took in every word, wondering aloud about the pronounciations and usages. This would have been somewhat interesting even had he not been a vampire.
Vocabulary to Remember:
erhythrocytopenia (deficient red blood cells/haem/hemoglobin)
leukocytopenia (deficient white blood cells/lymph)
thrombocytopenia (deficient platelets/clotting factor)
hydropenia (dehydration/ deficiency of water)
erhythrotonin (produced instead of melatonin)
albinin (produced instead of melanin)
adrenalectomy : risky and edgy proceedure in which the adrenal cortex is removed to prevent violent outbursts; outlawed in 1974 due to ineffectiveness and cruelty laws.
lobotomy : proceedure in which a portion of the brain is cut into to take away symptoms of rage, depression, psychosis, or neurosis; still legal in extreme cases where reformation has failed and the government still desires the life of the victim to remain intact.
adenoectomy : useless glands are removed after irreparable damage has been done.
plasma exchange/blood transfusion : in cases where the victim is less than 24 hours past initial infection, a transfusion, or exchange of fluids, has been proven to extend the possibility of recieving the cure.
hemophagia : the process of feeding a victim doses of blood.
A small piece of paper had been slipped in between the last page of the chapter review and the first page of the second chapter. He reached down and took it casually, unfolding it and reading what must have been a forgotten personal note from the last reader. He froze and stared at the writing carefully. The last user might not have been doing research at the very time they had written this note, at least not about vampiricism. He held on to the paper as he carefully set the open book back on the desk. The writing was not at all familiar to him, but it might become familiar over the next few days. His expression changed from fully agitated to resolute and pleased as he re-read the writing.
Dwight,
You were right about my credentials, soI will do my own research if you will do the same. Read this and take in all you can. Perhaps when I understand more of what I can become, then you will believe in what you can become.
Sincerity,
Ceridwen
He smiled slightly. He had been able to manipulate Ceridwen's moods and thinking in a small way over the past few months, but she had also seemed to be able to do the same. It infuriated and fascinated him that both of them, being both taken by similarly powerful illnesses, had the ability to twist the other's ideas or feelings with words or looks. He set the paper down and looked through the three small drawers on the desk. He had never really explored what had been in them to begin with, but he theorized that Ceridwen would have left him some sort of writing utensil and paper as well. He smiled as he saw a neatly arranged row of gel-ink pens. He had seen these in passing at some of the airfields; they were usually carried by artists or intellectuals from what he could smell and see of them. He quickly took one of the pens and turned the paper over, writing his own note quickly. He turned towards the hallway and breahted deeply. Ceridwen's room was usually unattended by anyone else and it seemed at the moment that not even Jeremiah was near her. Given the recent outburst, he would have expected someone to be with her tending to her the way that she had tended to him upon first arriving and after the incident at the warehouse. He frowned and began to walk towards the library/bedroom that Ceridwen had claimed as her own. Silently, he knelt and folded the paper quickly before slipping it under her door. He tapped the door twice calmly before striding carefully into the rest of the mansion. He wanted to see a little more of his home now that others had taken over its care, which he had been unable or unwilling to do for some time since his arrival. As his form disappeared down the hallway, Ceridwen rose from the chair where she sat and looked at the door, listening carefully to determine whether or not Dwight was in the mood for pleasant conversation. She furrowed her brow in confusion at hearing him leave as quickly as he had arrived. Her bright green eyes suddenly caught sight of the small paper lying on the floor. She moved forward, kneeling and sweeping it up in one motion. As she unfolded the paper, a grin spread from ear to ear. This was what she had been hoping to see in person during the lecture, but it excited her to see it on paper for now. There was only one word written, but it gave her more satisfaction than any lengthy note describing his sorrow and wish to cooperate would have;
Agreed.
