Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon...
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Hey... Long time, no see... Heh...
I am more sorry than you can ever know for my long hiatus from this story. I NEVER intent to abandon this story completely, and I promise that even if it takes me fifty years, I WILL finish it. But I'm sure it won't take that long, even if it has been nearly a year since I last updated...
A lot has been happening in my life and I kinda lost inspiration, but finally I have become once more inspired, and I know exactly where this story is going. I've even written out a few later scenes which I know you'll enjoy reading when we get to them :D
Also, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO LEFT ME REVIEWS FOR LAST CHAPTER! I can't remember if I replied to all of them or not, and I'm really sorry if I didn't (keeping up to date with reviewers is another thing I really need to work on - it's going to be one of my New Year's Resolutions!) but I appreciate all reviews I get so much, they honestly make my day. Your support all means so much to me, and it definitely inspires me to keep writing, so thank you, all!
I'm also going to wish you all a late Merry Christmas, because I meant to post this chapter Christmas day as a nice surprise, but instead I had to read over previous chapters and do some editing to remind myself of what I've written so far (and get rid of typos, which I'm sure this chapter is riddled with because I haven't edited it yet; I just wanted to get it posted). So, Merry Christmas!
I don't know of any of my old readers are still with this story (I wouldn't blame anyone for abandoning it because of the lone update wait) but just in case, I'll do a short reminder of what happened before this chapter, and then, on with the story!
Enjoy.
Previously...
Drew paid May a visit in her room when she was upset because Grace told her off for being late to a meeting.
Rudy's younger sister, Mahri, arrived at base but was kidnapped by Gary and Ash because they want to use her in their plan (which Drew explained in a previous chapter, to do with drinking Slayer's blood to gain complete immortality - it will be explained again at some point in the future though, it's not especially important at the moment).
White, Black, Misty, and Rudy were sent to rescue Mahri from the castle; Dawn and Lucas infiltrated the castle to search for information; Leaf, Red, Brendan, Conway, and Trevor are setting up booby-traps outside base from protection against Vampires, and May is still in her room.
Chapter Ten
~ The Mystery of the Vampire with the Long Green Hair and Palest Blue Eyes ~
When Drew returned to the castle, he was taken aback by the chaos that greeted him. From the moment he stepped inside the front door, dozens of different arguments assaulted his ears from all over the building and graceful Vampire feet pounded floors above his head.
His eyes narrowed. The castle was never this busy. Something was clearly going on – something he had not been told about.
Two Newly-Turned Vampires entered the hall in that moment, dragging their feet and muttering about not being slaves.
Drew was in front of them in a flash. His speed caused them to both jump two feet in the air.
"Don't do that," one of them snapped, running a hand though green hair a shade darker than Drew's own as he tried to settle his nerves.
The other glared at Drew with red eyes. With a faint tinge of surprise, Drew saw that this was a female. "You're one of them, aren't you?" she growled. "I want to know when I'll get the blood I was promised."
Drew raised an eyebrow, unfazed but slightly annoyed by their lack of respect for a Senior Vampire. "You won't get any respect with attitudes like that," he responded casually. "What are your names?"
"Butch," muttered the first.
"Cassidy," stated the female, placing her hands on her hips. "You're Drew, aren't you? I've heard a lot – like, you favour the old-fashioned ways, if you know what I mean…"
Drew did know what she meant. Cassidy had a lot of nerve to speak so boldly on such a controversial topic in front of him when he could dispatch her with a movement too fast for her eye to detect. But, he reflected, her brashness was refreshing; most Newly-Turneds took years to learn the confidence she was so easily portraying.
"Oh, yeah. You're the one who wants to wipe out the weaklings who prefer blood bags to humans," Butch added. Unfortunately for the male Newly-Turned, this was one comment too far.
In the blink of an eye Drew had grabbed Butch by the neck and shoved him against a wall, holding him just high enough that his feet were dangling uselessly a centimetre from the floor. "That's enough. Bill, isn't it? What do you know?" he snapped, purposefully getting the Newly-Turned's name wrong.
Cassidy only raised an eyebrow at her friend's predicament. "Not much. There are whispers, though… especially since Mars just shipped in a whole new group of graduates. We want to know why so many of us are needed here."
"It's Butch," Butch muttered resentfully as Drew let him fall to the floor, but the Senior Vampire paid him no mind. Drew's focus was back on Cassidy.
"You're not Newly-Turneds…"
Cassidy flipped her bright gold hair over her shoulder. "Nope. Mars called us in a couple of weeks ago – we've been waiting with the Newly-Turneds, though."
Drew refrained from groaning. He was tired of not being told anything, and having to find out from mere Vamplets. Although Butch and Cassidy weren't Newly-Turneds, they still weren't on the same level as Senior Vampires. Having attended the Vampademy – Vampire Academy – they were a step above Newly-Turneds, but still quite young. The Vampademy may have taught them the skills an older Vampire would have accumulated in many years in less time, but Vamplets still didn't have the experience to be the deadly killers that Drew and his friends were.
"Just – just tell me what's going on right now. What's all this commotion about?" Drew asked, resolving to have a word with Mars later.
Cassidy smiled brightly. "Gary and Ash captured a girl with Slayer's blood – everyone's preparing her for the ceremony."
Drew's eyes narrowed. "That should have been the first thing you told me."
Before either Cassidy or Butch could respond, Drew had disappeared, whipping up the stairs and out of sight.
"Well, that was interesting," Butch remarked after he was sure Drew was gone.
Cassidy glanced at him slyly. "It was... and very informative. Come on, we have work to do."
White's POV
Black and I exchanged glances. We were perched in the air vent above the entrance hall in the Vampire castle, in the same place Leaf had been when she had fallen through. It was after her escapade that we realised we could put the air vents in the castle to our own use, as they were big enough for us to crawl through. Provided we were careful, they were the perfect way to move about the castle. Vampires didn't seem able to detect us and they went everywhere – the only downside was that we didn't have a map and so we were essentially crawling blind.
"That was informative," Black quietly agreed with Cassidy. "It seems the Vampires don't operate as smoothly as we thought."
"Not that!" I exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "They're holding Mahri somewhere in the castle because they want to perform some kind of ceremony on her – I dread to think what kind of sick things they plan on doing to her." I shuddered as I spoke, but now was not the time for second-thoughts.
"Oh." Black nodded. "Do you want to message Rudy, or shall I?"
"You do it. I'm going to crawl along a bit further and see if I can find any other Vampires. We still don't have a clue where Mahri's actually being held."
Black grabbed her hand before she could crawl away. "We shouldn't separate – it's bad enough that Misty and Rudy went off on their own after Grace told the four of us to stick together."
I inhaled deeply, and regretted it – the air in the vent was musty, and made me what to cough. "I'll be fine. I won't leave the vent, and you can catch up to me when you're sure nothing else interesting is going to happen down there." I indicated the entrance hall through the grate.
Black clicked his tongue. "Fine – but alert me at the first sign of danger, okay?"
The alerts were a new add-on to our watches that Conway had created – if one of us was in trouble we could alert our partner or the nearest Slayer with the press of a button.
"Okay," I agreed, and began my journey through the vent.
I hadn't been crawling for very long before a conversation caught my attention. It was muffled and unclear, but I caught the words 'girl' and 'ceremony' and knew it was a conversation I needed to hear. A grate was coming up shortly; I could see the candlelight spilling into the vent. When I reached it, I paused to check the coast was clear before removing the vent.
Then I stopped. I had told Black I wouldn't leave the vent. But I might be missing vital information by staying in here, I argued with myself.
I climbed out of the vent.
This particular vent fortunately ran along the wall instead of the ceiling, so it was easy to replace the grate and conceal any evidence of intrusion. The Vampires would never suspect a thing.
The corridor I found myself in was long and drafty, lit only by candles placed at regular intervals. There was only one door in sight, a few metres from where I was standing, and so I assumed this was where I had heard the voices coming from.
I tiptoed towards the door, hyper-aware that there could be a Vampire listening to my every move and preparing to pounce at any moment.
However, at the moment all was quiet – too quiet. I pressed my ear to the door to try and hear what was being said inside, but was met with deadening silence.
Maybe the voices I had heard had drifted into the vent from somewhere else in the castle, and the room was empty. Or maybe the Vampires had heard me and were being quiet in an attempt to lure me in so that they could ambush me if I opened the door.
This was quite a dilemma. Either I walked away, got back into the vent, and re-joined Black and just hoped that he had had more success, or I risked it and opened the door.
I was aware of the blood rushing in my veins under the surface of my skin, and the loudness of my heart as I debated what to do.
We had a treaty with the Vampires… even if they were hiding behind the door, they weren't allowed to bite me. Unless they decided that the intrusion into their home was already a breach of the treaty…
I lifted my chin and withdrew my stake from its sheath. I couldn't just stand there all day; it was a waste of time and a Vampire could happen upon me at any moment. I had to make a decision.
I chose to face my fear. Listening at the door once more, to be as sure as I could be that there was nothing waiting inside, I gripped the brass handle and turned it, pushing the door open as slowly and quietly as I could.
It was dark inside. Light from the corridor spilled in, but the flickering candlelight created more shadows than it provided visibility.
The illuminated sight that met my eyes was that of a large oaken table, a couple of oaken chairs, and a small fireplace at the back.
I took a cautious step forward. I couldn't see anyone, but that didn't mean there was no-one there. I decided I would just check out the room – and see if there were any important papers or anything lying around – before going back to Black, as there was no point in me inhabiting an empty room.
As I inched further into the room, I could just make out a chest of drawers and a few cupboards. On top of the table were some pieces of parchment, and that was what I headed for.
I had to strain my eyes to read the words on the parchment in the bad light, but eventually I managed to make out a few words. "Newly-Turneds must be initiated through the following steps, etcetera, etcetera… The latest Vampademy batch are worse than useless; they have received training of the highest level, etcetera… The kitchen needs to be stocked with mustard, brown sauce, and coconut milk…" I mumbled, reading the first lines on each parchment aloud to myself. "These are household lists!" I realised, unsure whether to laugh or become annoyed. They were mostly useless, with the first one detailing information we already knew, the second one being some kind of complaint letter, and the third a mere shopping list.
I was about to leave when some voices drifted towards me through the open door. I stiffened, and then darted over to the door. The voices were definitely getting louder; they were coming my way. I wouldn't have time to reach the air vent – I would have to hide.
Thinking quickly, I closed the door as quietly as I could (fortunately, it wasn't a squeaker) and scanned the room. There weren't many good hiding places – the cupboards weren't big enough for me to squeeze into, and there was no air vent in this room. But by the fireplace there was a sofa and an armchair…
I dashed to the sofa and threw myself behind it, lying flat on the ground to make sure I was completely hidden.
I could barely breathe as I listened to the voices get closer, but I forced myself to breathe normally and silently because the less I breathed now, the harder it would become to breath and the more noisily I would start to breathe. I wasn't sure if I wanted the Vampires to enter the room or not. On the one hand, if they just passed by then I would definitely be safe. On the other hand, if they came inside I would be able to listen to their conversation and I might hear some useful information.
I didn't have long to internally debate the conundrum. It was solved for me when the door swung open, and I could see two pairs of feet enter the room from pressing my eyes to the gap between the sofa and the floor.
"They're almost ready – why are you stopping?" one voice was saying.
The other Vampire, whom I noticed was wearing green trainers at odds with traditional Vampire attire, moved towards the table, where I presumed he was sifting through parchment. "The checklist… We do not have all of the items."
The other Vampire scoffed. "Don't tell me you believe in that mumbo jumbo. Not even Newly-Turneds are that stupid."
"You should show more respect… I am your superior, whatever the task Mars has assigned to you."
There were a few seconds of silence then, and White fought to regulate her breathing. It was much easier to breathe when they were talking, and she didn't have to fear being heard quite so much.
"The checklist isn't here," the Vampire with green trainers concluded, a hint of exasperation colouring his tone. "You'll have to inform Paul."
"Me?" I was almost certain I heard a stammer in the other Vampire's voice. "I don't know where he is," the Vampire said quickly. Even I could tell it was a weak excuse.
I watched N's feet carry him to the other end of the table.
"The girl is being held in the basement, and that is where Paul will be."
The basement… Carefully, I shuffled my left arm in front of me so I could see the screen of my watch, and began typing a silent message to Black.
"But I don't have the keys."
N's feet moved towards the sofa. I froze, desperately hoping he wouldn't come any closer.
"You won't need them. It will be open; two guards have been posted."
The other Vampire seemed to have run out of arguments. "Alright, I'll tell Paul we don't have everything. Are you coming?"
I sent the message – at least if I was discovered now, Black would know where Mahri was and get Misty and Rudy to save her.
"No," N said simply. "There is something I must do first."
I watched the other Vampire leave with trepidation crawling under my skin. The checklist N was looking for wasn't here, so why wasn't N leaving too?
My question was answered a second later.
"Violating the treaty so soon?" asked a smooth voice form behind me.
An electric pulse of shock passed through me, and I rolled over slowly to see N standing directly in front of the fireplace, drawn up to his full height but with his head tilted down towards me. His pale blue eyes appeared curious rather than angry, but his statement caused a shiver to run through me. If he considered this a violation of the treaty, then there was no telling what he might do next.
"You kidnapped someone dear to us," I replied, and tried to get to my feet in the most dignified way possible. In my haste and nervousness, I stumbled and almost fell back down, but just managed to keep my balance.
N's expression didn't change as he apprised me, although I was sure the spectacle I had just made of myself was amusing. "Do you remember the last thing I said to you?"
I nodded reluctantly. It was when Black and I had approached the Vampires for a peace treaty, and we had managed to rescue Leaf and Red as well. "You said that if we entered your home again you won't show any mercy."
"And yet you don't seem scared."
I almost laughed incredulously. "I thought a Vampire would be able to hear the excessively fast pace of my heart," I replied, wondering what N was getting at. Why was he bothering with talking?
N raised an eyebrow. "How do you think I knew you were here in the first place?"
I could have kicked myself. All that time I had been worried about my breathing, when it was the beating of my heart I should have been concerned about. "So, what are we going to do, then? We appear to be at an impasse."
"Indeed," N replied slowly. "Except for the fact that I could snap your neck before you even see me move towards you."
Yeah… his super speed does pose a bit of a problem.
"You forget; I have Slayer reflexes," I boasted, sounding more confident than I felt.
"Of course, you do… Because you are a Slayer," N mused.
I would have given anything to know what he was thinking. He was clearly getting at something, and there must have been a reason as to why I was still alive. His mysteriousness would kill me before his fangs could, at the rate he was going.
"Yes, I am… And I think I'll just be going, if there's nothing else to say," I decided, slowly edging towards the door.
N instantly moved to block my path. "You're more useful alive than dead," he said at last, staring down at me with those piercing blue eyes that saw so much but revealed so little.
I slipped my left arm behind my back and pressed the alarm button on my watch, which sent out a signal to Black that not only told him I was in troubke but also where I was. "What does that mean?" I questioned.
"We needed Mahri for an experiment… She has Slayer blood, so we were fairly sure it would work… but she is not a Slayer. However, you fill all the requirements. If you take her place, we will set her free, unharmed."
N's offer sent a shudder through my body. I didn't want to think about the kinds of experiments he might be talking about.
"Why are you giving me the choice?" I asked, instead of giving an immediate reply. "If I fill all the criteria but Mahri doesn't, why not just force me?"
A thin smile adorned N's lips. "I know you will make the right choice. You are a woman of honour… You will not let an innocent girl suffer this fate. And if you come willingly, it makes my job easier."
His logic was sound. I found that I couldn't argue with it. He was right; I would willingly sacrifice myself if it meant saving an innocent girl's life. But if it was possible that both Mahri and I could leave the castle unscathed, then I would try. I had already told Black that they were holding Mahri in the basement, so I just needed to play for time.
"You make this assumption about me, but you have no evidence. I might be more selfish than you assume."
"My assumptions are based on observations of your behaviour; you hold tightly to your morals," N replied without missing a beat.
My eyes narrowed. "So, you've been stalking me?"
That made N start. I smiled to myself at his startled expression. "No, no. We have had a few encounters… I merely notice the details and store the information to analyse at a later date," he said defensively.
I grinned openly now. I had found a weak spot. "You still sound like a stalker to me."
N frowned. "You assume that all Vampires are the same immoral beings that some of my friends make us out to be. We may not have souls, but we still have feelings – we are just able to choose whether we listen to them or not."
That revelation was unexpected. I was unsure how to respond. Leaf had told us about Vampires being intelligent, but she hadn't mentioned anything about them having emotions just like humans. "I'm sorry," I said at last, "I didn't mean to offend you?" My voice lifted at the end in a question because I wasn't sure why I was apologising to a Vampire – a blood-sucking monster. But, I thought to myself, that's exactly what N is saying. That they're not all evil murderers.
"Thank you." N sounded so serious that I felt slightly uncomfortable.
"A Vampire with manners – I never thought I would see such a creature," I commented lightly, feeling weird about the whole conversation and wishing Black would hurry up and find me.
N smiled, his eyes softening as he gazed down at me. I felt even more awkward now. "And I never thought I would see the day a Slayer would refrain from staking me when she had every chance in the world."
I blinked. The thought of dusting N had completely left my mind, and I realised that he was right. I was still clutching my stake in my right hand; all it would have taken was for me to wait until N wasn't looking at me to plunge it into his heart, and he wouldn't even see it coming.
"I suppose everyone deserves a chance. You've never harmed me, and I've never seen you hurt anyone else," I explained, more for my own benefit than his. I wasn't sure why I hadn't tried to stake him yet – why I hadn't even debated the possibility – but something about this conversation we were having was too… too human for me to want to kill N, even if he was a Vampire.
"Has it struck you as how weird this is?" I asked him suddenly, gesturing between the two of us. "We're mortal enemies, and yet here we are, having a civil conversation."
N tilted his head curiously. "I don't believe in killing for the sake of it. There is no reason to kill you, so I won't. Besides, I find your company entertaining in a way the company of my fellow Vampires is not."
Coming from anyone else, that would have sounded creepy. But from N, it was almost a compliment. He spoke in a different manner to everyone else – as if he was from a different world, not just a different century, and although he had caught up on the modern way of speaking, old habits still remained.
"You are definitely not what I expected of a Vampire," I admitted, glancing up at him through my eyelashes. He was by far the tallest Vampire I had ever see, with bushy, pale green hair tied back in a long ponytail reaching his waist, but I wasn't too far off his height even if he was a head taller than me.
N's eyes sharpened unexpectedly, and he moved his head as if looking over my shoulder, but his gaze wasn't focusing on anything. "It is time for you to come with me," he said after a pause.
I stiffened. I'd almost forgotten his earlier proposition. This reminder also brought with it all of my hatred of Vampires. "Let Mahri go first," I demanded, tightening my grip on my stake. "You might be the most civil Vampire I have ever met, but I am not a fool."
Something had brought about a change in N; he was a different person to the one I had been talking to a moment ago. Now, he tensed up, his eyes widening so much that I could see the whites around his clear blue pupils.
"You…" N murmured, his gaze flicking back to me. "You tricked me."
I blinked, my eyebrows shooting upwards. "I don't understand," I began in confusion, until I heard a familiar voice coming from behind the Vampire.
"Let White go, or this stake will plunge into your heart."
It was Black. I peered around N, who stood perfectly still, to see my partner with his stake tip pressed against the Vampire's back, right where his heart was. My own heart sped up, and a cloud of nerves descended on me. This wasn't supposed to happen, I wanted to tell N. Yes, I messaged Black for help, but I didn't want him to stake you! I just wanted him as backup in case you tried to kill me…
By the dark look on N's face, I knew that even if I tried to explain myself, he wouldn't believe me. Why would he? I was just a Slayer – his enemy, after all.
"If you stake me, your young friend will die," N hissed. I could see he was trying to keep calm, but the fact that he couldn't see his enemy, just feel the stake at his back, was putting him on edge. Fear clamped my heart. If N was scared, he wasn't going to think rationally. He might lunge towards me and hover his fangs over my neck to use me as a hostage so that Black let him go.
After my conversation with N, I didn't want to hurt him. He hadn't kidnapped Mahri himself, and he had been surprisingly nice to me. But I couldn't forget that he was still a Vampire, and Vampires were unpredictable creatures.
Reluctantly, I raised my own stake to be level with N's heart. I didn't want to – but I needed a defence, just in case N turned on me. "I'm sorry," I muttered under my breath, knowing N's Vampire hearing would pick up the apology but Black wouldn't hear a thing.
N's angry eyes alighted on me, narrowing to slits as Black said: "You're in no position to be making threats. Release White, or-"
N interrupted him, targeting his next words at me. "I see that you don't accept my proposition – you were right, and I was wrong. You have no more honour than a ferret," he said scornfully.
I looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
"What proposition?" Black questioned sharply.
"It doesn't matter now," I said with a shake of my head. The opportunity had come along for both Mahri and I to go free – so why did I feel so bad about knowing what I had to do next? "N, you need to go and stand on the other side of the room," I ordered with as much authority as I could muster.
N's brow creased just as Black seemed to pick up on what I was doing. "No," N replied with a hint of a growl in his voice.
Black must have dug his stake in a little, for N suddenly jumped forward with a little cry of pain. "Do as she says, or next time this stake goes in all the way."
N's face took on a look of pure betrayal as he pleaded with me silently, his blue eyes shining with innocence. My heart tightened inside my chest. I couldn't afford to feel sorry for him now – he was a Vampire; even if he himself had never hurt anyone, he was still part of whatever horrible plan was being carried out in the castle. I couldn't let myself forget that.
"Go," I said softly, stepping to the side.
As it finally sunk into N's head that I meant what I said, he shot one parting remark over his shoulder as he slowly complied with our demand.
"I thought you were different, as pure as your name suggests, but you should know that I shall never forgive you for this. You took advantage of me, and I shall always remember in the future that all Slayers are exactly the same heartless creatures that they paint Vampires to be."
He was by the wall now with his back to us, and Black and I backed carefully out of the room, our stakes raised defensively in case N tried to surprise us with his speed.
Once outside, Black shut the door and rummaged in his bag for a Tymup. A Tymup was a device Conway had developed that was essentially a portable lock (a 'tie-'em-up') which could lock a door, fasten rope, seal a chest, etcetera. He placed it on the door just above the handle, and there was a grinding sound as the metal square went to work, sending its feelers to carve a path through the inside of the door to the wall, and then securing the two together. It wasn't completely Vampire-proof, but it would hold for a while – long enough for Black and I to get away, at least.
We went straight to the air vent and climbed inside, pulling the grate back on and shuffling along the vent until we were satisfied we had travelled a suitable distance.
"That was close," Black muttered at last, coming to a stop.
"It was, but you came through – thank you," I replied, settling into an awkward sitting position. There was a funny feeling twisting in my stomach that I couldn't quite pin down – it could have been regret, or sorrow, or just anxiety because we weren't quite out of danger yet – but I didn't mention this to Black. The best thing to do would be to just pretend everything was fine, or as fine as it could be.
"No problem. We can't rest for too long though. I told Rudy about your basement tip – good work on that, by the way – so we should make our way down there in case they need help."
I nodded, even though black wouldn't be able to see the movement in the darkness. "Good idea. Let's go."
Black began to lead the way once again, but then he paused. "Don't think I've forgotten that you left the vent when you were supposed to just stay inside – you may have gotten away with it today, but next time, you might not be so lucky," he warned, his voice echoing slightly, giving it an eerie effect.
Despite the seriousness in his tone, I grinned to myself. "Of course," I replied, but I couldn't help not regretting my decision to disobey orders. If I hadn't left the vent, I wouldn't have overheard where Mahri was, and I wouldn't have met N… N might hate me now, but he had shown me a different side to Vampires that I hadn't seen before. If nothing else, it was something to think about. What else might there be about Vampires that we didn't know?
As I followed Black down the vent, I ran back over my encounter with N in my mind. N was nothing like I had expected… and a part of me longed to see him again, to try to get to the bottom of the mystery of the Vampire with the long green hair and palest blue eyes.
Author's Note: I didn't plan on ending the chapter here, I wanted to include a bit from Dawn's POV, but White's run in with N was getting quite long so I thought it would be an appropriate place to finish, and it was quite an important scene. (Yay, FerrisWheelShipping!)
Next chapter will start with Dawn's POV, and to give you guys a little taste of what's coming up... she has a little run-in with our favourite purple-haired Vampire... ;)
Thanks for reading, and please review if you have time!
~Jay ~
