Danny walked up the spiraling staircase once again, absently sliding his hand along the dust free rail. It had been a surprise the first time he'd peeked behind the heavy wooden door, expecting to find just another worthless closet full of useless riches. But the tall staircase, leading tiringly up and up and up, had opened to an amazing surprise.
He reached the top of the stairs, proud that he wasn't gasping and panting like he had that first time, and pushed the intricately painted door aside. His bare feet were chilled by the tile flooring, and he shivered. This seemed to be the only room in the mansion not fully drenched in magic and for some reason Danny was glad for it. It made him feel less like a bird in an extravagant cage and more like an explorer, finding hidden treasures that actually meant something to him.
No stranger to heights, having helped his parents secure the Ops Center to the top of their house years and years ago, Danny unlatched one of the many windows in the circular room, leaning out to brush away the snowdrifts that caught on the sill. He wasn't sure if there was so much snow because of the constant string of storms the past week, or if it was due to the fact that he was at the highest point in the tallest tower of the castle. A cold wind gusted through the room, buffeting off the rest of the closed windows, and Danny shivered, thinking of Vlad.
It seemed as though the ghost were being distant, almost. It sounded odd, but that was as close as Danny could think of to describe him. He barely spoke at dinner, refusing to say anything to Danny and only asking that oddly strained question before vanishing immediately after. Danny had tried to speak to the invisible servant about it, but the cool breeze wouldn't, or couldn't, respond and the burning heat had yet to reappear at any point after he'd been attacked by the Snare Weed.
Danny glanced at his arm, seeing the long, thick scab that ran from the side of his wrist in a spiral around his arm almost to his elbow. Vlad had been so kind to care for his wound, despite his initial roughness, and it was healing nicely into what would be a long scar. Why, then, was he avoiding Danny?
He pulled open a second window, knocking the snow away and listening to it tumble down to the far away ground. Was Vlad really avoiding him? It hadn't felt that way when he'd first been trapped here. He wandered the castle during the day, saw Vlad at dinner time, and then he went to his room to sleep. In fact, Danny hadn't wanted to see Vlad. He was glad that the ghost was staying away. But it made him all the more curious now. Where did Vlad go during the day? Danny had explored the castle from top to bottom by now and had yet to find anything that would resemble Vlad's private room.
"You are free to roam the castle as you see fit. There is nowhere off limits to you aside the places that the living can not reach."
Danny watched the sun set from his vantage point, the last bits of natural warmth descending beyond the horizon. Was that where Vlad went? To "places the living can not reach"? He shivered from something that wasn't a cold wind. For all that Vlad was polite and almost kind, he was still a ghost. Magic still permeated the air he breathed and everything he touched and ate. If Danny did go looking for Vlad, and if he managed to find the ghost, what would that mean for him?
He grabbed the old telescope from where he'd propped it against the wall last time. He'd ruined another shirt a few nights ago, using the soft cloth to wipe away all the dust and grime and buildup from years of nonuse. To see such a beautiful instrument left to go to waste broke Danny's heart, and he was determined to bring it out of disrepair.
The legs squealed on rusted hinges as he adjusted the tripod, sticking the tube out the open window by several inches. He looked through the finderscope, wishing he had oil to smooth out the sticky base as he jerked the telescope into position. The stars weren't that different in Wisconsin as compared to Amity Park, and the thought made him feel at home. He even began to hum, rather tunelessly, under his breath.
"Let me sing forever more...
Soon enough, the sun vanished completely, leaving Danny draped in a deep purple velvet with the only sparkling gems he'd ever wanted.
Vlad scowled, tapping his fingertips on the table. His full wine glass had gone untouched, the food on the table cooling quickly. Beside him, Dorathea tittered about nervously. She had tried to call Danny down from the astronomy tower for dinner, and he had waved her off with an absent "in a moment."
She now realized she should have been far more persistent in dragging him down from the clouds.
"Where. Is. He," Vlad breathed, each word a terrifying hiss.
Dorathea fought the urge to flinch, knowing it would only draw attention to herself. Though Vlad had never struck her, she had learned to fear men from an early age. She licked her lips and tried to speak, but she couldn't even squeak.
With a deceptively calm movement, Vlad grabbed a silver fork. He turned it back and forth in his palm, as though he hadn't memorized every minuscule scratch and every invisible dent in the polished utensil. He ran his thumb over each prong, counting them once and then again. Then, with a snarl, his hand became engulfed with pink flames. His grip melted the silver, distorting it and rendering it into a useless mangle of expensive junk. He slammed his hands to the table and stood, chair flying out behind him.
"Where is that little brat?!" Vlad screamed, eyes blazing and filling the room with a crimson glow. His cape billowed out with a wave of ice cold power and he floated above the stone floor, boot tips barely scraping the golden floor. He turned on his servant, snarling and baring sharp fangs with an enraged hiss.
Dorathea huddled away, sobbing as she covered herself with her arms. She could hear her brother bones crunching, hear the hiss of shifting scales. She would be lucky to escape with a new set of scars to cover underneath long sleeves and billowing skirts.
Vlad's rage faltered for just a brief moment at Dorathea's fear. He allowed himself to drop back to the floor, and tried to fight back the glow of his eyes. He squared his shoulders and crossed his arms behind his back, fingertips digging into his arms with bruising strength. He tilted his head to look down his nose and spoke in sharp, clipped words.
"Mistress Spectra has proven that she can not keep her eye on the boy to protect him. I placed him specifically in your care, Princess. Where is he?"
Thick tears left pearlescent tracks down her cheeks, and she shivered under his horrible gaze. Her lips trembled and she gaped a few times before she could find her words. "I, I called for him, sir. He said he would be down right away and told me to go ahead. I know I should have stayed, but I didn't believe he could come to any harm within your walls, and -"
"Where did you leave him?" Vlad growled, cutting off the distraught woman. He could feel guilty about her tears later. After he found the boy.
"I-in the astronomy tower..."
Ice washed over Dorathea as Vlad vanished and she collapsed in a shaking heap. Please, she thought, bowing her head. Please don't ruin this...
"In other words... please, be true..."
Danny was amazed at how bright the stars were above Vlad's castle. So far removed from any other human, the only light pollution was the crescent of the moon hanging in the sky. Despite its age, the telescope was powerful, drowning him in the endless sky.
Oh, how he missed his room. He missed his bookshelf full of DVDs, his PlayStation and computer and all his multiplayer games he stayed up all night playing. He'd ordered a new NASA poster, and it was supposed to have arrived a few days ago. He couldn't remember if he'd brought his laundry up from the dryer, or if he'd packed his backpack for the new semester. Jazz had tried to leave him a few college brochures on his pillow, but he'd thrown them in the trash. Were they still in there? Or had his mother finally cleaned all traces of him out of the house.
The viewer fogged up suddenly and Danny pulled away, scrubbing roughly at his eyes and clenching his teeth. Stop that, he told himself. He didn't have the luxury to miss his modern comforts. He had no time anymore to wonder about his friends or his family. He was here now, with Vlad, and...
"Vlad!" Danny jerked away from the telescope. He'd completely forgotten to go back downstairs for dinner! He'd waved off the invisible servant without even realizing the time. Maybe, if he was lucky, it wouldn't be as late as it appeared and he'd be able to sneak down to the dining room.
He turned, ready to bolt down the spiral staircase, when he was suddenly knocked over by a cold blast. He fell hard with a yelp, gagging and coughing on the burst of pink mist that enveloped him.
Danny waved away the smoke to hide the quivering in his limbs, but he couldn't raise his gaze past the boots that floated inches off the ground. Vlad was glowing, his freezing aura pulsating with an enraged heartbeat. His cape was lashing out behind him, making the ghost appear larger than he was. His eyes were glowing, highlighting the sharp angles of his face as he snarled down at the boy.
"Have I mistreated you so terribly?" Vlad growled, voice bouncing off the tower's windows and spilling out into the courtyard. "I have given you freedom, I have allowed you to roam my home, to fill your pockets with my treasures -"
"I haven't taken anything!" Danny snapped, glaring up directly into Vlad's eyes. But the ghost continued to speak over him.
"- given you everything you could ever want, and all I have asked for in return is one thing. One simple request, that you join me nightly for dinner. And tonight you have shown your true self as a vow-breaking brat."
"Hold on, one damn minute!" Danny scrambled to his feet, jabbing his finger into Vlad's chest. He glowered at the ghost's surprised blink. "I forgot about dinner, ok? I'll admit that. I got distracted and I forgot. But there's no way you're going to stand there and accuse me of being a thief and a brat and whatever else you're going to call me. The only thing I've taken is the clothing that you've offered me.
"All your gold and your diamonds and junk – I don't care about any of that! I don't want your stuff any more than, than you want me to be here! I stayed because I promised I would stay, but you've done nothing to make me want to stay. If you want me gone so bad, then why are you keeping me here?!"
"You are here because you are mine!" Vlad roared. Danny grit his teeth, refusing to flinch away. "You were called here and you will remain here until you are replaced!"
"What... what are you talking about?" Danny flung his arms out wide, pleading and begging. "I only see you for, like, an hour a day, and all you do is say this cryptic, creepy shit! How was I 'called'? Who or what is going to 'replace' me?!"
"It's nothing you need to concern your-"
"Don't tell me that again!" He grabbed at his hair and pulled until he saw white. "It is my concern because it's somehow about me! Tell me! Tell me, please!"
Vlad looked down at the fearless boy who was glaring directly at him. All the other women had been docile little things, following his every word and would never think of speaking back, let alone argue and yell. He was unsure, and a little unsettled.
Then, his body jerked. The ice of his aura pulled into him, freezing his lungs and throat. His vision filled with red, and he dropped to his knees. His words stuck to his lips, choking him and he reached up to grab at his jaw, digging his fingers into his own flesh. He bit at his tongue, curling into himself. Every word the curse wrenched from him felt like a knife, slicing through his throat as he ground out, "Will you stay with me forever?"
The curse held him tight, causing his muscles to tremble and his insides to ache while he awaited Danny's response.
The boy heaved a dry sob, confusion rendering him unable to even cry. He crouched and reached out for the agonized form, huddled on the ground before him. The anger was gone, but not forgotten, and all he wanted were answers.
"Why do you keep asking me that every night? What else do you want me to say? I'm already here..."
Vlad released a deep, shaky breath as he felt Danny's warm hand gently touch his shoulder. The curse drained from his body, leaving his limbs feeling heavy and useless. He looked up, focusing on a point just above Danny's head. "It is far too late for dinner now. Go back to your room, or go to the kitchen if you are hungry. I will see you tomorrow evening."
"Wait!" Danny cried, but it was too late. Vlad vanished in a swirl of pink mist, leaving Danny completely alone.
A/N: Early chapter for you guys this week since I'm going out of town. Enjoy!