Chapter 10
TEN CHAPTERS IN AND I STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE MEAT OF THE STORY! ….probably because I'm flying by the seat of my skirt here. Haha. I mentioned before I never actually made a cohesive story for this right? Haha I made little shorts based on whatever episode I was watching. Only now is a story actually started to bare fruits. I'm still trying to tweek out the kinks in it though. Be patient. It might not be until several chapters before I finally get to the damned point. Hope you enjoy the slight slice of life story until then...please be patient...ONWARD TO THE BATTLE FIELD!
Vlad reappeared later within his study, the book he'd stolen from Lolita's bedroom in hand. Closing the door behind him he moved toward his desk and began pouring through the tome. Most of it he didn't understand, as they were in a language that he didn't recognize—which was rare as he had studied many languages in his quest for power—yet even so he knew what the spells were. The ingredients he was very familiar with. Things like; mandrake roots, white sage, night shade, and even Blood Blossom. The last one every ghost was familiar with, a charm to ward away spectral creatures. He could only imagine what a skilled witch could do with it. Lucky for him, his niece was no such witch.
He flipped through the pages of the book for hours, but couldn't find anything of use. He looked up at the clock, was past 4 o'clock, and hour past time for Lolita to be home. He wondered briefly where she was, but was thankful nonetheless that she wasn't home yet. More than likely she was off with Danny and his friends. It annoyed him that she did as she pleased, and ignored his telling her to stay away from them. She was going to get hurt, and in turn would spell the end of what little human life Vlad had left. Her father would surely murder him if his precious daughter was harmed or worse. Suddenly the door to his study flew open, Vlad looked up and glared. Was someone in his house? Who would dare? He looked about the room only to see nothing, though he knew better of it. Even if he couldn't see his intruder, it didn't mean they weren't there. His eyes turned crimson as he searched.
"If anyone is here, show yourself now. You'll only make it worse for yourself if I have to find you." He warned, his back to the opened door. He let out a sigh, having decided nothing was there and went to the opened door and closed it again. When he turned her jumped in surprise and—to his own embarrassment—let out a shout of surprise. Sitting on his desk was a figure with a slender feminine physic. Its body was dark inky blue with what seemed like moving shadows around on it. Vlad stared, was it a ghost? If it was it wasn't anyone he was familiar with. He watched as it sat on his desk looking down at the book he'd taken from Lolita's bed room. Suddenly it turned to face him, it's face, though just as dark as the rest of it's body, held human features with the outline of a face. Though it didn't have eyes Vlad had the sinking feeling it was glaring at him.
"Stealing from your own kin. Is there no end to your depravity?" It asked, the voice sounded familiar. Like the voice that had haunted his dreams the night before. It had a woman's tone, and as it spoke echos of whispers followed it. Vlad stood up straight and smoothed out his hair as he began to smile.
"You're the shadow from last night. Nedea. Why don't you show yourself to me and give me what I want?" he said with a smug grin. The figure simply stared at him.
"What a bold little half ghost you are...I wonder...how long it will take you to die?" she said slowly. She crossed her legs as she leaned back on the desk. Vlad scowled as he watched what he assumed to be the fallen Goddess. Then suddenly she disappeared, and he felt a sudden feeling of dread as his study disappeared and he was met with darkness. He looked around seeing nothing but black. He went to change forms only to have nothing happen. He glared and tried again, only for no change to occur, he was trapped. Trapped in his human skin. At the realization of this he heard a low feminine chuckle bounce around him in the darkness.
"Little half ghost." it laughed, "There is nothing you can do here. You're in my world..."
Vlad turned quickly, looking around him to see if he could pinpoint the location of the voice. It laughed at his struggle. Suddenly within the darkness was a light; small, dim, and far away. Vlad decided to run towards it. He didn't know why, but he felt compelled to, felt as though if he stayed in the darkness something would attack him in his vulnerable state. He felt like a child as he ran away toward the light, he recalled his younger days of being afraid of the dark. Those days when he'd run away from it, afraid an imaginary monster was lurking there ready to gobble him up. Faster and faster he ran, until the light grew larger and brighter to the point of blinding him. He ran until he was completely engulfed in it.
Vlad was relieved as he stood in the blinding light. Though it blinded him he still took comfort in it. That is...until it began to dull and his eyes could see. His eyes widened with terror and he could hear the chilling laughter of the figure as he looked upon what he could only assume to be his own worst nightmare...
Vlad let out a scream as he sat up in his chair. He looked around and found that he was back in his study, the book from Lolita's room still on his desk. He let out a sigh as he tried to steady his breathing as well as his drumming heart beat. It was only a nightmare, but that only begged the question; at what point had he fallen asleep? He didn't recall ever laying his head down, nor feeling tired. So at what point had he succumbed to sleep? He shivered as he heard the echos of whispers so close to his ear.
'You...will never escape this...waking nightmare.' they said, 'So long...as you hold...the Amulet of our mother...'
Standing up quickly, Vlad plunged his hand into his pocket where he could feel the smooth stoned surface of the amulet. He bit his lip as he thought, maybe it was best not to keep this on his person.
~0~
"Is it so hard to believe I merely asked them to leave the poor boy alone?" Lolita asked in response to Danny asking the question that was on all their minds. The trio shook their heads, even Sam had to admit she was skeptical of the witch-girl's actions. Lita pursed her lips, "Very well. I will tell you the truth."
"I knew it!" Tucker shouted. Lita cut her eyes.
"I really did ask them." She said ignoring Tucker's outburst. Danny was about to point out how that didn't make sense when Lita spoke again, "However that is not the only thing I did."
"So what did you do to them" Danny asked as he bit into his nasty burger. Lita smiled as she propped her elbows onto the table, and rested her chin on her interlaced fingers. She said nothing at first, only gazed at him with her large cosmic blue eyes. Danny swallowed hard as he became uneasy, her eyes seemed transfixed on him as if she was staring not at him but into him.
"Uh...Lita...you can stop that anytime now..please." He said. Lita blinked and giggled as the trio of friends looked at each other with confusion. Lolita stayed in her position and laughed.
"Tell me something Danny," She began without moving, "Does my gaze put you off?"
"...Uh a little bit." He admitted, much to Lolita's delight. She smiled and held up her pointer finger.
"Then you have your answer." She said. The trio scowled, not entirely sure what she meant by that.
"Explain." Tucker grumbled with a scowl. Lita's expression didn't waver as her smile stayed in place.
"I have this knack for scaring people. Being it with a look, or with words." she explained vaguely. "I have a talent for seeking out that one thing that unnerves people."
"Is that due to a spell?" Sam asked with curious puppy eyes. The idea of magic aiding and abiding her day to day activities, especially if it meant she could freak out the cheerleaders that snubbed their noses at her. The thought of scaring those jerks was appealing. Lolita giggled, leaning back in her seat and shrugged.
"I could not begin to tell you!" she said, her voice brimming with blissful ignorance and joy. She began to laugh as the trio looked at her with disbelief.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Danny asked, "Shouldn't you know about something you can do?"
"Perhaps, however, I have not come across any such spell or magical occurrence in any of mine nor my father's books. So I am not sure if it is magic, or something that happened naturally." She said with a grin. "Or perhaps I am simply just the creepy girl Paulina said I am. I do not know."
"Maybe I can find something about?" Sam offered. Lita stopped laughing and gave the goth teen a sideways smile.
"I would not if I were you. There is nothing to be found. I have exhausted enough time and research in this. There is no need for you to do so." she said sweetly, however Tucker couldn't help but hear a slight edge to her voice. It bugged him.
"So that's what you did? You scared him into submission?" Danny asked though he didn't believe it. Lita nodded.
"I would not put it so plainly, but you are correct." She said placing her head back atop her interlaced fingers. "If you are skeptical, I could always demonstrate."
Lita then trained her eyes on Danny and tucker, as they sat across from her. That same smiling expression ever present on her face as she stared, unblinking. It took a moment before Danny spoke up.
"No, we believe you, we're good." He said holding up his hand in defense. Lita blinked and tilted her head to the side.
"I do not blame you." She said sweetly. "Now, Danial, if you do not mind, I would like to know more about you and three as well."
"Uh, sure. Yeah. Ask anything you want." He said, "It's Danny, by the way."
"Of, course." Said Lita with a smile as she asked about the origin of his powers. He explained to her the accident that caused his powers, and how he was still learning to control them. He's also explained how his parents were also ghost hunters and that it was their equipment that the group used to capture ghosts, and how his older sister on the other hand, wasn't into the idea of ghosts until she found out about his powers. She was also warned to stay away from Jaz for a while, as magical powers might set her over the edge considering she was a woman of science. He told her how his parents knew nothing about his powers and that he wasn't sure how they'd respond to having a son with ghost powers. That bit of info seemed to strike Lita a bit hard.
"I must admit, Danial, I do not know how you can bare to feel that way." She said honestly, "I know I could not live with the idea of fearing what my father would say to me were I in your place."
"Well, yeah...it sorta sucks." He mumbled, "But hey, you don't have to worry about that. Right? Your dad knows the same things you do. Your uncle too right?"
"Oh...well...yes to some degree." Se said vaguely as her eyes went distant for a second.
"Speaking of parents." Tucker said, snapping Lita back from whatever fantasy was playing in her head, "What DOES your dad do?"
"My, my Foley, whatever has made you so curious about my family and their business?" She said snidely while smiling, her ever piercing blue eyes transfixed on the glasses wearing boy. Tucker stared back at her, determined not to back down.
"I'm just curious is all. That a problem Lolita?" He asked. Lita gave an annoyed yet amused smirk as she shook her head.
"Of course not, Foley. Though I do not believe you will find it of much interest." She said, "My father is a very powerful warlock. As for what he does, I could not tell you everything. What I do know is that he well respected in the world of magic. Though very reclusive, and protective. As I have mentioned before, he would not permit me to leave the house on my own."
"What about your mom?" Sam asked. "You talk about your dad, but I haven't heard you talk about her much. What's she like?"
"Oh I could not tell you." Lita said with a smile, "My mother was killed when I was an infant."
"Oh..." Sam mumbled, regretting that she had asked, "Sorry, I...didn't know."
"It is quite alright. As I said I was a baby, so I do not have any memory of her." Lita said sweetly, as she attempted to lift the air of awkwardness from the group. Tucker then asked, carefully.
"How'd she...I mean if you don't mind me asking." He stuttered, though he was trying to be delicate, he had an ulterior motive. If he could find out how Lita's mother died, he might have been able to find something about Lita by searching up any sort of accidents, or hospital entries. Or something. Lita looked at him, as if she were trying to read his mind and figure out what it was he was up to, but having failed to do so shook her head.
"My father has made many enemies in becoming the warlock he is today." She said, "From what I know...from what my mother's familiar has told me, someone my father once deemed an uncle figure, killed her."
Silence settled over the group of friends for a while. Feeling the sudden downfall in mood Lita spoke again, "Oh dear, I seemed to have brought down the mood. I am sorry. There is no need to feel bad. I have no feelings of sadness, nor animosity toward the demon who killed her."
"How can you say something like that? Don't you miss her?" Danny asked, Lita shook her head.
"I cannot miss that which I never had." She said coming off a bit cold. "Besides, it is not as though I do not have any family at all. I have my father, my familiars, as well as my uncle."
"I...guess." Danny mumbled, "Still though..."
"There is no reason for you to feel this way, any of you. I am perfectly happy with the way my life is." She said. However, Sam, Danny, and Tucker had a feeling that wasn't completely true, but decided to leave it be. After all, it wasn't any of their business.
After a while the group left the Nasty Burger and were walking the streets, killing time and boredom. The trio showed Lita the places they went to hang out, the DVD and CD stores, Sam's favorite book store and cafe where she performed Gothic poetry slams. Each one catching Lita's interest in the slightest way. She was so excited and curious about everything they showed her, as everything was new. Though that innocent curiousness seemed to garner some odd looks from the people around them. Lita didn't seem to notice however, as she was lost in her own world of curiosities. Hours past and the group split ways, with Tucker and Danny going home to play some online video game, thus leaving the two girls on their own.
"So, Lita about those books you lent me earlier." Sam began once the duo was gone. Lita tilted her head to the side.
"Yes? What of them?" She asked. Sam bit her lip.
"I looked over them during class, and I noticed some of them are in a foreign language." She said, "I don't exactly know how to read them."
"Oh!" Lita exclaimed as her face heated up with a purple tint to her cheeks, "Do forgive me. I assumed to much, I should have asked you if you were familiar with these languages. I am sorry."
"It's cool. Really, but, would you come over to my place and help me with them?" Sam asked. Lita blushed purple, this time for a different reason and nodded.
"O-of course." She stuttered then cleared her throat, "Yes, not a problem. This will also help as I teach you about the basics. Shall we then?"