My eyes were suddenly open. Candle light was dancing on the walls of my dungeon room. I was lying down under the covers of my bed. Alucard was still sitting in the chair next to me, but he had a bag of medical blood with him. He grinned at me and lifted his other hand, holding another bag of blood.
I sat up and rubbed my eye with the palm of my hand. Taking the bag, I flung my legs over the side of the bed. I punctured the bag with a small plastic straw and cautiously took a sip of it. Alucard was right-- blood really did taste better when you were a vampire.
When I swallowed, my tongue rubbed against one of my canine teeth. I was pretty sure it was bleeding. My teeth were sharp before, but that was nothing compared to these daggers I had now. It didn't really hurt, but I'd have to get used to it.
"Is there anything different about me that I don't know yet?" I asked.
"Well, you basically don't have to worry about any human things anymore," he answered. "except for socializing, if you so choose."
"But I can still take showers, right?"
"Just as long as it's not in holy water," Alucard said, smirking.
"Hah, don't worry," I chuckled. "I'm pretty sure the showers here are safe."
Alucard left my room and I got changed. I nearly ripped the doors off of my dresser-- I wasn't quite accustomed to the excess strength I had acquired yet…
Since I was now pretty much dead, there was hardly anything I had to do maintenance-wise to get ready for the day. I left my room and made my way to the stairs. No longer being human, I figured I could make it up the stairs myself. And I did it.
Sprinting, I eliminated the last set of stairs and skidded myself to a halt before Alucard who just happened to be standing outside Integra's office.
"Enjoying yourself?" Alucard asked, smirking. I nodded and grinned. "Integra would like to see you."
Passing him, I strolled into the office and sat in front of Integra's desk. I hadn't noticed until then that she wasn't behind it. I heard a clanking and turned my head to see her carrying a small handgun while Walter was struggling behind her with an assortment of other weapons.
"What's this?" I asked, running over to Walter to help him. There were swords, guns of every size, and some other unrecognizable things.
"If you're going to slay the undead," Integra began, sounding the slightest bit sarcastic. "you need something to do it with."
"True, true," I said, taking a few pounds off of Walter's load and carrying them over to a table I had never noticed before.
"So I'm letting you decide what you're most comfortable with," she continued. I knew nothing about weapons, and didn't like to choose things. I'd much prefer to work with whatever I'm given…
"Uhm…" I stalled. She said I'd be fighting, but I never thought of what I'd be fighting with. "Well I'm not very fond of guns, no matter how much more efficient they are…and I just can't see me using one."
"Would you be more comfortable with a sword of some sort?" Alucard asked me, leaning back in a lounge chair next to the table.
"I don't know…" I began. "That's pretty much my only other choice, isn't it?"
"Try it," Integra said. "You might find that it works well for you. If it doesn't, you can always try something else."
I nodded and reached for the nearest sword. It was thick, very sharp, and had a plain, but beautiful handle. Earlier, I saw Walter laboring to carry this specific weapon, but it wasn't that heavy to me. Then I remembered the extra strength I now had and mentally laughed at myself.
"Just be sure not to touch the blade-- it's made of silver," Integra informed. "I'm sure you wouldn't touch it either way, but just be especially careful."
"I will," I replied, still scrutinizing the gleaming sword.
"You'll have a chance to test it out very soon," she continued. "I received a call earlier this morning from America. There was a report of a vampire sighting near your hometown. Your family's blood most likely isn't as strong as yours, but it's the same. The vampire is probably targeting them."
I stood, bewildered at what I was hearing, and nearly dropped the gleaming cutlass I so recently acquired. Tightening my grip on the handle, I calmed myself down and tried not to focus so much on the fact that my family was in grave danger.
"It's completely up to you," she pulled me out of my haze. "If you don't want to take this assignment, you can stay here. I'm very sure that Alucard can handle it, and will keep your family safe."
"No," I decided. "I'm going."
"Very well," she said. "You'll be leaving for the airport tomorrow morning at 8:00 sharp."
Alucard stood beside me and put his hand on my shoulder, leading me out of the room. I wanted to see my family again, but not like this. I was hoping it would be a calmer situation in which lives weren't in jeopardy.
"Would you like me to help you prepare yourself?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"Oh…yes, please," I answered, gloomily.
"Hey," he began, stopping and turning me toward him by my shoulders. "Everything will be fine. I'm sure it's an amateur, new-born vampire that just caught the scent of delicious blood and can't resist-- just like 5 years ago. Together, we'll destroy him like nothing. Don't get so down."
I smiled awkwardly at him, my lip twitching. No, I wasn't going to cry. He said everything would be fine, and he knows a lot more about this stuff than I do. Thinking that did no good. I broke down.
Alucard jerked backwards, startled by my sudden embrace. I buried my face in his chest, tears streaming down. I shook as I sobbed, and suddenly I felt his arms around me, holding me loosely. He stroked my hair, attempting to soothe me.
"W-what if s-something bad ha-appens before we ge-et there?" I asked, stuttering due to my ceaseless crying.
"Don't worry," he insisted. "I'm sure everything will be just fine."
How ironic.
