Watching Ingrid chewing on raw meat made Emarni immensely glad that she wasn't pregnant. Ingrid was picking at the meat with her perfect nails and nibbling it absentmindedly.
"Ingrid." Emarni said, "Ingrid!" The other vampire looked up at her, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.
"You're eating raw meat." Emarni told her and Ingrid looked surprised. She stared down at her blood soaked hands and frowned. Then, she licked the blood off her hands.
"What're you reading?" Ingrid asked.
"I'm reading about pregnancy cravings. It's normal to crave weird things." Emarni said, holding up her book, "And you can eat beef raw but it's not advised." She pulled the tray of meat away from Ingrid before she could eat it all. Emarni slid the tray into the oven.
"Emarni." Ingrid glanced at the girl, who was now kneeling in front of the oven.
"Mhm?" Emarni glanced up at her.
"Your mum had all sorts of medicine when she was pregnant with you, right?" Ingrid said.
"Yes." Emarni said, "Why do you ask?" Looking at Emarni, the sweet little blonde girl that had volunteered to cook lunch, Ingrid felt a little bit annoyed. Emarni was the typical daughter that The Count had always wanted and yet The Count still hated her.
"I was just wondering if Seraphina would turn out like you." Ingrid said. It took a moment to sink in. Then, Emarni smiled up at Ingrid.
"Seraphina?" she repeated.
"Me and Malik came to an agreement names wise." Ingrid told her, "A seraphim is an angelic being, associated with light and purity."
"An odd choice for a vampire child." Emarni commented.
"We wanted it to be original." Ingrid said, "Different. Seraphina Emarni Vaccaria Dracula." That earned another kind smile from Emarni- maybe even a beaming smile.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful child." Emarni told her.
"I know." Ingrid said, "My child will be the most beautiful thing to ever grace this earth. Aside from me." Emarni laughed lightly, getting to her feet.
"Want to help me?" Emarni asked, hopefully.
"No." Ingrid said, "Do I look like a kitchen skivvy?" Because, even pregnant and scared, Ingrid would always be Ingrid.
It was amazing how fast time flew when you were willing it not to- Malik had learnt this the hard way. It had been four or five weeks since Mina had admitted it to them. The medicine she had given Ingrid was going to affect Seraphina. When Mina had found out that Ingrid was pregnant, she had also found out that Seraphina was a unique child. She had genetically inherited the ability to shapeshift from Elisabetta via Malik.
"She's going to be a shapeshifter?" Ingrid had been horrified. It was all Malik's fault and he knew it. He had passed on a gene that he didn't even know he possessed.
"She's going to be a weapon." Mina had replied. The medicine that Mina had given Ingrid was building on Seraphina's power- making her stronger. Seraphina was growing incredibly quickly, as well, due to the boosters Mina had given her.
"She's a baby!" Malik had growled; Seraphina wasn't even born yet and her fate had already been sealed.
"Calm down." Grayson had gripped Malik by the arm. He had known about it all along and even assisted Mina, using his vampire knowledge. He just wanted to preserve the gift of shapeshifting.
"Get out!" Malik had yelled at Mina, "Just leave my family alone!" And she had left. Malik had been alone since then. He didn't want to talk to anyone about how he felt. He had turned Seraphina into a weapon and his daughter would never forgive him for that. He could never forgive himself. That was why Malik ignored every attempt Emarni made to talk to him, even when she tried to bribe him. And he ignored Ingrid, who begged him to come out and see her. He didn't even bother listening when George came and told him that she could read in Braille now properly and everything and would he like her to read a story to him? And he ignored all of Vlad's attempts to emphasise with him. The others were wise enough to leave him alone.
"Malik." Emarni knocked gently on his door, "Lunch." He ignored her.
"Ingrid's having an ultrasound scan this afternoon." Emarni told him, "She would love someone to come with her, even if she will not admit it."
"You go with her." Malik snapped, "Seeing as you and Ingrid are such good friends now." There was a rattle as Emarni left a plate of food outside his door, before walking away.
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It was the first time in a while that Vlad actually had a decent meal. He looked at the empty seat, where Emarni was supposedly slumped.
"Emarni, have I ever told you that I love you?" Vlad said, spooning some roast potatoes onto his plate. There was no reply, at least none that Vlad could hear.
"She's gone all embarrassed and shy." Ingrid informed him, leaning across him to reach for the parsnips. Glancing at Ingrid, her younger brother was surprised to see that she was visibly showing.
"Can you feel the baby kicking yet?" Vlad asked. His sister looked surprised like she had never thought of it.
"I... Don't know..." Ingrid shrugged.
"If only you were as good at housework as your sister, Ingrid." The Count sighed, receiving a glare from his daughter.
"Great. Now, I'm being compared to Emarni, as well?" Ingrid rolled her eyes, "I'm not hungry anymore." Ingrid threw her cutlery down and stamped out of the room.
"Can you try not to be so mean to her?" Vlad asked his father.
"If she was slaughtered, maybe." The Count replied.
"Vlad." George grinned, her hands searching the table, "Can you pass the gravy?"
"Sure, George." Vlad said, handing it to her, "How are you?"
"I'm great." George smiled, covering her food in gravy, "I've mastered reading in Braille. Chloe helped."
"I learnt it a while ago." Chloe shrugged.
"And how's your university work going, Chloe?" Grayson asked, sliding into Ingrid's empty seat. The blonde looked dismayed, as if she were hoping he wouldn't bring it up.
"I'm dropping out of Uni." Chloe said quietly, "I can't keep up with the work and I haven't turned anything in for weeks." There was silence and then Chloe's phone beeped. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the screen.
"Thanks Emarni, but I don't think-" she was cut off by another message, "That's true but-" Another message, "Alright, fine!" The only way the two blonde girls had been able to communicate was via text message since Chloe was still unable to see Emarni, no matter what they tried. As far as Vlad could tell, the pair were still in a fairly successful relationship.
"Grayson, have you figured out a way to reverse the effects of the Seraphina Experiment?" Chloe asked, still staring at her phone, "Emarni wants to know." The older vampire coughed and shook his head. Very slowly, the gravy boat was lifted off the table by a pair of invisible hands. And poured onto Grayson's head, dripping slowly down his face.
"She says... Actually, I'm not going to repeat that." Chloe smiled and slid her phone back into her pocket.
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Emarni smiled and leant over the laptop.
What are we writing?
Chloe watched the words appeared on the screen and heard the click of the keys. She looked up from her handwritten notes and tapped her fingers against the keyboard.
A short love story.
Emarni giggled and her hair flopped in her eyes. She rolled up the sleeves of her striped cardigan, leaning over the keyboard.
... About you and me?
Maybe.
It was fascinating for Ingrid to watch. Chloe couldn't even see the girl that was kneeling beside her, watching her admiringly. Every time Chloe even moved, Emarni would sigh. Ingrid laughed.
I think you should write about Malik and Ingrid. They are more complex than us and they are beautiful together.
"Hey!" Ingrid said. And both the girls spun around to stare at her, their heads bashing into each other. Emarni's curls fell neatly around her face, while Chloe's bangs had to be brushed back. Wow, they looked good together.
"No writing about me and Malik." Ingrid told them, "And do you know if we have any ice cream?"
"In the freezer." Chloe and Emarni smiled in synchronisation. Trying not to feel creeped out, Ingrid left them to it. She flung open the freezer door and began scouring it for ice cream.
"Hey Ingrid." Grayson said. The girl found the ice cream and slammed it down on the counter. She hadn't spoken to Grayson properly since he had turned her child into a weapon.
"Hello." she said, tearing the lid off the ice cream. She spooned the ice cream into the blender.
"I'm sorry." Grayson said, "About what I did." Ingrid ignored him, throwing the ice cream back into the freezer. She swung the fridge door open and grabbed a bottle of milk from inside the door. Ingrid splashed the milk into the blender and squeezed a blood bag on top.
"What are you doing?" Grayson asked curiously.
"Cravings. Weird cravings." Ingrid told him, "I think I may be going insane." She slammed the lid on top of the blender and turned it on.
"Yeah, most milkshakes don't have blood in them." Grayson said.
"That's not the weird craving. I hate ice cream." Ingrid said, turning the blender off. She poured the mixture into a glass.
"I really am sorry..." Grayson tried, as Ingrid picked up her drink and walked away.
They were still flirting when Ingrid walked back into the unliving room. Chloe was lying on her stomach, chewing on the top of her pen. And Emarni was sitting next to her, bracelets jangling on her wrists.
Admit it. You enjoy describing the scent of my hair.
Cinnamon. It's wonderful.
"Just kiss already." Ingrid snapped, looking over their shoulders. Emarni pressed her hands to Chloe's face and the girl jumped at her cold touch.
You can touch me?
Kiss me, you beautiful idiot.
And with that, the ghost touched her lips gently to the vampire's. They kissed slowly at first but then more furiously, with more passion. Quickly, Emarni began to feel her way down Chloe's neck, down her shoulders and onto her waist. But Chloe pushed her away.
I'm sorry.
What? What is it?
I can't do this. I can't be with you. The dead and the living can't be together.
You are not alive.
Well, you were the one that took care of that.
Chloe, please.
While Chloe was eager to push the girl away, Emarni wanted more. She wanted to kiss Chloe and she wanted to touch her hands to her skin and be one with her. But Chloe wasn't having it. Tears spilling from her eyes, Emarni sniffed and ran out of the room. Ingrid watched Emarni run up the stairs and heard her sister's bedroom door slam. She almost felt bad for her.
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"The hospital has been moved." The guard said simply, "You are going to have to go over to Building C." Ingrid let out a small sigh and walked away. Though she hated to admit it, she wished Malik was with her. She began down the stairs.
"Want some company?" Emarni joined her on the stairs.
"Not from you." Ingrid said, but she let Emarni come with her.
"Why did they move the hospital?" Emarni asked.
"I don't know." Ingrid shrugged, "Does it matter?"
"I was just wondering." Emarni said. They reached the bottom of the stairs and Emarni kicked open the front door. She held it open for Ingrid.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Ingrid demanded, as the door swung shut behind them.
"You are my sister." Emarni said, instantly, "Is that not enough?" She looked at Ingrid curiously. The other vampire shrugged. She supposed it was.
"Ingrid, you know about the world." Emarni said, suddenly.
"Yes." Ingrid replied.
"Why will Chloe not let me kiss her?" Emarni demanded loudly. Her eyes flashed a dark shade of red. A few slayers that were standing nearby glanced at her nervously.
"Because she can't see you?" Ingrid guessed.
"That cannot be it." Emarni sighed.
"Because... Because... I don't know, why won't Malik speak to me? Mysteries of life." Ingrid exclaimed.
"Malik blames himself for your child possessing the shapeshifter gene." Emarni told her. Her brother hadn't told her this but she had heard him muttering to himself. It sounded like he was driving himself crazy over it.
It was bizarre for Emarni to watch. She had no medical knowledge when it came to pregnancy or babies- she wasn't even entirely sure of how babies were made. Her mother had always skipped over the topic, whenever Emarni had ever brought it up.
"Is that jelly?" Emarni asked, wide eyed.
"Kind of." Mina told her, as she smeared the jelly type thing onto Ingrid's stomach. Emarni was surprised that Ingrid didn't giggle because she would've if someone was smearing jelly on her. There was a handheld device that Mina pressed to Ingrid's stomach.
"What is that?" Emarni asked, instantly.
"A transducer." Mina said, "It sends sound waves into Ingrid's body. The waves bounce off the baby, so we have the image on the screen."
"Oh..." Emarni said, thoughtfully, "Mina?"
"Yes, Emarni?" Mina glanced up at her.
"When me and Chloe make a baby, will you scan me?" Emarni asked, her head tilting to one side. The slayer glanced at Ingrid, who shrugged. Mina was wondering if Emarni was joking.
"Your mother never told you how babies are made, did she?" Mina sighed hopelessly; she really didn't want to have to be the one to explain it to Emarni.
"No." Emarni said. She was curious now, watching Ingrid's scan. While the other two were distracted by the blurry scans of Seraphina, ("That's my daughter? Mine? She's going to be beautiful, just like me."), Emarni's mind stayed on topic. She had never thought about it before but... How were babies made?
"Mina." Emarni tugged on the slayer's arm, "How are babies made? Why can me and Chloe not have any?" With a sigh, Mina walked over to a cupboard and dug a dusty old book out of it. She handed it to Emarni.
"That'll explain it all." Mina told her, ruffling the girl's curls. It was the book that her parents had given her when Mina was around thirteen, to explain everything to her. Emarni opened it and began to read, frowning intently.
"Seraphina looks healthy." Mina told Ingrid, "She's obviously bigger than a normal human baby would be at this stage. But she's developing well." Both the women exchanged happy looks, Mina pleased that her weapon was okay and Ingrid pleased that her daughter was okay.
"Ingrid." Emarni piped up, "Now, that I vaguely understand how you and Malik made the baby." She was a fair few chapters in, using vampire speed, "I am actually quite disgusted." Ingrid smirked at her older sister, who was looking disturbed.
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The books were balanced on a broken shelf, which wobbled from side to side under the weight. The boy was slumped in a chair, trying to keep up with what his mother was saying.
"And then, we'll sneak into the Dracula castle and kill your father." Elisabetta was saying. The boy slid further down in his seat, yawning a little. He wasn't enjoying this at all...
There was a gentle knock on the door and a pair of eyes peered under the door. A strand of blonde hair was visible.
"Go away, Em." Malik muttered sleepily.
"It's me." Chloe said, "I need to talk to you."
"I don't want to talk to you." Malik retorted instantly.
"Please." Chloe said, "It's about your sister."
"What's wrong with her?" Malik demanded. He was lying face down on the floor, his face buried in the carpet. Though he was awake now, he couldn't be bothered to move. The door creaked open, the sudden light making Malik wince.
"What's wrong with her?" Malik asked again.
"I..." Chloe struggled for words. She flicked the light switch on, lighting up the room. Frowning at the room, Chloe began to pick Malik's belongings off the floor.
"Stop tidying!" Malik snapped at her. She ignored him, picking his clothes up off the floor and piling them up.
"Chloe, stop it!" Malik growled, his eyes flashing red. The girl smirked at him and began to strip his bed.
"What did you want?" Malik gave up and let her tidy.
"Emarni kissed me." Chloe said, removing Malik's duvet cover and adding it to the growing pile of washing.
"I thought you wanted her to kiss you." Malik said, "You guys are girlfriends, aren't you?"
"We're not girlfriends. Officially." Chloe said, "We haven't told our parents or anything."
"Ha! I'd love to see you telling Mum and The Count." Malik said, pushing himself up on his elbows, "Wait, your parents are still alive?"
"Yeah. Why?" Chloe was puzzled.
"I just assumed that because you never mentioned them and your brother was a vampire..." Malik said.
"Robin was a vampire?" Chloe was even more puzzled, "I hope my parents are okay. I'll call them later." She frowned: what had she been saying before they were distracted?
"Why are you upset that Emarni kissed you?" Malik asked.
"I don't know." Chloe said, "I guess, I just don't want to get my hopes up, you know? I can't be in a relationship with a ghost that I can't even see." She picked up Malik's laundry and left the room, nudging the door open with her shoulder. She turned slightly as she was closing the door.
"You might want to shower and get dressed." Chloe said, "Your family need you around."
Malik did feel a lot better when he'd showered and dressed, a whole fresher and almost more alive. He was sitting on Ingrid's bed, when she came back from the hospital.
"Oh god, Malik!" Ingrid jumped a little, her hand flying to her heart. He took it as a compliment, smirking at her.
"Sit down." Malik ordered. Smiling slightly, Ingrid sat on the edge of the bed. She glanced at Malik and caught his gaze, staring into his eyes.
"You're so beautiful." Malik said, in awe, then he caught himself, "Did I say that out loud?"
"Yes." Ingrid laughed lightly, "You just complimented me out loud. It was all part of my evil plans."
"You are truly evil, Ingrid Dracula." Malik rolled the r's.
"I know." Ingrid smiled at him, "Come here." She took his hand in her own and pressed it to her stomach. They were quiet for a few moments. Then, quite faintly, Malik felt his daughter kick him gently.
"Seraphina." he grinned. He was kicked again.
"She knows." Ingrid said, "She knows that you're her daddy."
"I'm going to be a terrible father." Malik laughed, collapsing on the bed.
"You can't be any worse than mine." Ingrid smiled, glancing sideways at him.
"What does Seffy think?" Malik asked.
"Seffy? I like that."
"Seffy or maybe Fina."
"Seffy. It sounds... Different."
"Seffy Em."
"That sounds weird."
"But sweet."
"Agreed."
"Ingrid?"
"Mhm?"
"I'm sorry. That I ignored you."
"I'll make you sorry." Ingrid smirked and her lips fell onto his.
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- Angels, x.