My mind is exhausted. Who would have thought plotting a murder would be so tiring? This is all because of Bill; if he had just died everything would have been much simpler.
Watching my parents murdered by that creature, and I was going to allow him to continue living; I had been blinded by my own selfish desires. Not anymore, not until Bill the vampire no longer walked this Earth.
"I suppose I should ask how you feel." Eric sighs, pushing the sheets of paper around and placing his feet on his desk; his fingers entwined as he leans back in his chair. "How do you feel?"
How did I feel? I felt empty, angry and confused. "I don't understand what happened." The woman and Sophie, who were they? The woman looked nothing like my Mother, my mother who was drained of life by Bill and where had I been when it all happened?
"Anna I am tired, I want more answers than that." He stifles a yawn; though vampires didn't yawn I'm sure he was doing it for emphasis. In the end, I broke down and shared my experience with Eric as we lay side by side in his coffin, he never complained, only listened until night fell.
"I think I need to find out who the first woman was...the one with the baby."
"Are you sure it wasn't your mother?"
I shake my head, "they looked so different." They couldn't be the same person.
"The only information you have is a shape-shifting baby, a woman and her partner named Brad." You can see the impatience on his face, how could you gather any information on the family with such little detail? "Well as agreed you have reported your lacking information to me as has Pam, only hers was more...concrete. There is something you must see but first I believe your body needs restoring after two days playing the dead girl." He removes himself from his desk, sinking his fangs into his wrist as he heads towards me.
"Eric if I kill Bill what will happen to me?"
"If you did survive and manage to kill the vampire, as Sheriff it would be my duty to report the attack, however if you prove useful to myself and remain in my service then I could provide an escape route." The blood oozes from his wrist, a temptation I cannot refuse; his blood would restore me.
"What do you want from me anyway?"
"I thought that much would be obvious considering the clothes you are wearing. You will work at Fangtasia and any other service I may require from you. Now drink before the wound closes." I don't need any more encouragement than that and immediately I feel the rush as his blood once again fills my body.
Energy and an invincibility; his blood assured me of this. His blood would bring me power.
"Now I believe its time you are reacquainted with a friend, he's waiting for you in the basement." He provides no more detail and ushers me to a room I am well acquainted with. The basement.
"Oh she's alive." Pam greets us with arms folded.
Behind her I see movement. A body sags against the walls with a chain attached around his neck. That neck belonging to Lafayette. "What are you doing to him?" Immediately I rush to his side, crouching down to find him conscious but almost lifeless.
His eyes show nothing but torture. "Last time I do you any favour." He says croaking out the words.
"Pam was merely trying to find out what magic he used on you." Eric says calmly yet coldly.
"You didn't have to chain him up!" My fingers reach for the silver collar around his neck but Lafayette pulls away, groaning as the chain digs in.
"Don't touch me." He utters angrily.
"I protect my employees remember." Eric stalks over, his eyes resting on Lafayette. "Just like old times, wouldn't you agree Lafayette?"
"Only this time I didn't do anything." He replies, coughing.
"Tell the girl." Pam intervenes, "tell her what you told me."
Lafayette closes his eyes, almost shaking as he relieves the memories in his mind. "...that woman. Yeah that witch friend of yours, when she took my body...the bitch, well she shared some memories. She's evil; I could feel it inside of me."
"What memories?" I ask softly, sympathy rising inside of me.
"This couple gave her a baby for some reason or another...then she killed em. Stabbed them both in the heart with the baby still in the witches' arms. She cooked their hearts and fed it to it. Made the baby eat its own parents." You can see it in his eyes, reliving it all; he shakes his head with disgust and sadness before raising his voice at me. "Look I did what you asked, all I know is I blacked out for a while and the next thing I know you are passed out. Now I'm back in here for helping. Ne-uh!"
"Eric they're here" Pam suddenly states.
"You children play nice." Eric says before he and his assistant disappear up the stairs in an instant, leaving me with Lafayette.
X-X-X-X-
"Report" Eric states almost immediately as he takes his place on the throne.
Two vampires stand before him, dressed in dull black suits. "You must forgive us as the information gathered has proved rather useless and ridiculous." The plump man starts, his eyes wonder across the empty club. "On our arrival into the United Kingdom we began our search for Anne the Magnificent. Fortunately there were not too many recently dead Anne's and our search narrowed to a city known as Birmingham. We raided the household belonging to this cheap trickster of a witch and were met with her furious daughter. We did however obtain information we believe you may find relevant." He steps forward slowly, holding out a large folder.
"I'll hold this." Pam grabs hold of them quickly before returning to Eric's side.
The other man begins to talk; sarcasm seems to drip from every word he says. "Within those folders we were able to trace a Bradley Best and Jessica Best who lived within a two hour drive. Owned a small field, we were informed that these two had disappeared, told by the new owner of this so-called field."
"And?" Eric asks, clearly waiting for any actual valuable information.
They both hesitate, unsure of what to say before the plump man answers. "Roger Phillips, refusing to sell his land off as he believes it is holy. He told us of a story involving two dragons destroying each other." He pauses, "Sir, he insisted that dragons had risen up from a shed, and fought until they burnt each other to ash. A ridiculous story."
"Are there any other witness accounts?"
"No, just that crazy man. The most useful information can be found within the folder." The two wait silently, with their story concluded.
"Thank you for your work, you shall be rewarded." With a wave of his hand the two nod before disappearing out the door.
"Well that was more than useless." Pam sighs, still gripping the folders.
"Maybe not."
"Eric all this effort for one girl, this is just another Sookie situation and one I do not care to repeat. Just turn her already and she will be yours to control. We need her under control fast, you heard the authority."
"We cannot be sure of the outcome, turning a shape shifter. Oh...she's angry." Eric's eyes gaze towards the basement door, feeling Anna's emotions as she storms through the room.
"A blood addict!" Anna shouts with fury painting her face.
Pam and Eric watch as she storms through the exit with fists clenched.
X-X-X-X
"Give me a reason not to kill you." I can feel my hands shaking, an uncontrollable urge to destroy everything. I feel betrayed, betrayed by people who were not my friends and yet it fuelled the anger inside of me. I know the truth; I have no friends and no home. If I died no-one would mourn for me and no one would care or notice. It's a sad truth and yet for some unknown reason I need an excuse to not kill.
He stands there calmly, in the middle of Sookie's kitchen, the same one where I had murdered the werewolf. His hands raised in the air calmly in a non-threatening manner. "Don't do this. You only need leave Bon Temps and this can all be forgotten." He states calmly and for some reason his tranquillity only angers me more.
My whole body is shaking, the fire engulfing me; all I see is hate. The betrayal of Eric who planned only to train me to be his blood-addicted pet, my own Mother attacking me with a saucepan and giving me away to a witch. The same witch I treated as a Mother who would then feed me my parents' hearts as a baby and leave me alone in this world. All my life the people I loved and missed had used me.
"Sookie is in the shower, why don't we continue this outside." Bill requests and for some reason I comply, even in this state of mind.
Then something snaps inside me, I can't explain it but I feel it.
My skin begins to crackle, it starts from my fingertips and I watch helplessly as my hand is covered in a brownish metal liquid quickly spreading further up my arm and around my body. It's heavy. Forcing me to the ground as I scream as it melts my skin, and then it becomes solid. Crouching in the grass I prod my hand and feel the warm armour-plated skin that was once my flesh. It's hard and heavy. My shoulders are in agony as if swords were stabbing me from within, then the metal cloaks my eyes and everything is black. I hear myself screaming and I realise what is happening; I'm transforming.
I can see again! Bill is dwarfed by me, my hands replaced with large sharp claws cloaked in scales, I hear everything clearly. Sookie singing in the shower in her house to the flies buzzing around a dead rabbit nearby; I can smell the rabbit. Wings rest against my long scaled back, a tail swinging furiously behind me. I'm a dragon.
Bill's face is a mixture of fear and wonderment but he reacts quick enough, shouting for Sookie to hide as he darts around wildly. I charge.
I'm a bit sceptical about this chapter, so your thoughts on this would be appreciated, and thank you for reading so far.