AN: Hey guys! I hope you like the fast update! I felt bad for going so long, so here's another chapter right away! A couple of notes: First, I hope you are enjoying better grammar/spelling. I've been using Grammarly now to edit my stuff, which I think has helped a lot. Second, I forgot to mention what song I personally think Dani sung in the last chapter. My vision is she was singing the song 'Inner Demons' by Julia Brennan. It's a really pretty song, you should check it out!
The plot is really starting to move forward in this chapter. There is still no Godric in this chapter, and I don't think there will be in the next chapter either (unless I put in another dream sequence, which is a possibility.) but after that, there WILL be Godric. Also, I forgot to mention how I was changing the timeline. Season 3 of True Blood will still be happening, it'll just have some differences, and it's definitely happening later than it did originally in the show. I'll probably incorporate the seasons of the show until the end, but they won't play out actually the same because I don't think that's interesting or plausible when you add a new character in the mix.
Please enjoy the chapter! :)
PS. I officially hit 200 pages in my google doc. XD
Akrasia: A lack of self-control.
It was a bit concerning, when the moment we were escorted into the Queen of Louisiana's ostentatious home, we found her sucking from the thigh of a rather handsome Middle-eastern man. The vibrant redhead did not look up from her meal, did not even acknowledge our entrance whatsoever. She just continued to feed to her heart's content.
Sookie and I shared a look.
I shrugged, and took a look around the large room; it was like something out of a 1920's inspired millionaire's mansion. A large, clear pool sat in the center of the room. Crystal chandeliers hung above, bathing the room in heavy light. Everything in the room was expensive, except for the props sitting outside of fake windows, giving the illusion to sunlight and a white beach.
Sookie and I waited another minute before I grew bored and irritable.
"Excuse me!" I called. She didn't respond, her beautifully manicured hands sliding and caressing the man's thighs sensually. Sookie shifted uncomfortably. "Listen, Queen Bitch, you forced us here so the least you can do is look up from your meal and greet us." I sneered. Perhaps I was being a bit bitchy myself.
What could I say? I didn't enjoy being forced to do anything, and I wasn't exactly here of my own free will.
She didn't respond to my provocation. Fortunately, she was done half a minute later. She sat up, wiping the blood from her mouth and patting the handsome man on the cheek.
"Take a rest, sweetie, you've earned it." I rolled my eyes. She turned her piercing blue eyes to us and smiled prettily. "Welcome to my home, ladies." Her eyes scanned Sookie with something like hunger. They stayed on her for an awkward amount of time. When her eyes turned to me, the smile dropped from her red lips and her eyes narrowed to slits. "You're rather impolite,"
"Right back at ya,"
She forced a smile back on her face. "Nevermind that. I apologize for keeping you waiting." I didn't think she was sorry at all. "I'm glad you're both here. To be honest, I was only expecting Sookie. I didn't know the infamous Danielle Newlin had tagged along." I opened my mouth to unleash a fury of snark and sarcasm when Sookie put a hand on my arm and gave me a disapproving look. I shut my mouth; killjoy.
"Thank you for inviting us into your home, but we would like to know why we're here," Sookie said, politely but firmly.
"Mm," Sophie-Anne said, eyes looking Sookie over again like she wanted to eat her. I wouldn't be surprised if she did. "I like you, you're much more polite." I would've given her the finger if Sookie didn't anticipate my intentions and forcibly hold my arm down. "To be honest, you're here because I'm curious. I've heard quite a bit about both of you."
"I'm an open book," Sookie countered.
"Not me," I answered. "You can go fuck yourself." Something sinister flashed across Sophie-Anne's eyes, but it was too quick to know what it was. Probably hatred, if I'm being honest. I have that effect on people.
"You're rather cheeky for someone who was abandoned by their vampire. I heard Godric the Gaul hasn't been in Shreveport in weeks." I clenched my fists, sneering hatefully at her.
"That doesn't mean he won't rip you to shreds if you hurt me." Sookie's grip on my arm tightened further, and she shot me a panicked look. Right. I probably wasn't making this better. I sent Sophie-Anne a final, scathing look and then went to sit on the plush sofa by the pool, and crossed my arms petulantly.
"Hadley!" Sophie-Anne called.
"Hadley?" Sookie asked in surprise. A second later, a pretty, buxom blonde who looked similar to Sookie walked out of a door to the right, as if she were just waiting for her cue. She smiled small at Sookie, wringing her hands as if she were nervous. She approached to stand next to Sophie-Anne. Sophie-Anne wrapped a hand around Hadley's waist and rested her head on her shoulder.
"Hadley is mine," Sophie-Anne cooed. "She told me the most interesting story about her cousin, Sookie, who could read minds." Sookie stood up straighter, shooting an unreadable look at Hadley. Hadley gulped, looking away from Sookie's searching gaze.
"What do you want?" Sookie asked flatly, crossing her arms.
"Do you know what you are, Sookie Stackhouse?" Sophie purred. "I imagine you don't. But I do."
"What I am? I'm a waitress." I sat up straighter, grinning like a Cheshire cat. If Sookie was getting annoyed, that meant I could get away with being snarky. I glanced over at Sookie, and my expression fell. She may be annoyed, but she was curious about what Sophie meant. Sophie-Anne could see it too. The queen's look was feline.
"Haven't you always wanted to know why you could read other people's minds? Why strange things always seemed to happen to you?" I scoffed, but Sophie-Anne ignored me, her full attention on Sookie.
"Maybe, but you still haven't told me what you want." Sookie persisted. Silently, I cheered her on. Stick it to her, Sook!
"You're a rare thing, Sookie Stackhouse. If other vampires find out what you are, they will stop at nothing to have you. You'll be turned into nothing but a blood slave. Bill Compton can't protect you, but I can. Become mine, and you will have everything you will ever want." Sophie proposed.
Sookie looked at me. I raised a brow but kept quiet. She wanted to handle it, so she could handle it. Sookie turned back to look at Sophie-Anne.
"You still haven't told me what you think I am. I'm beginning to think you don't know." Sophie-Anne raised a perfect brow.
"I don't know if you'll believe me if I tell you," The queen said simply.
"Won't know till you try."
Sophie-Anne shrugged, looking over at Hadley. Hadley nodded encouragingly and then took a step forward to speak. "Sophie-Anne has lived a long time, Sook. When I mentioned about your ability, she had a hunch of what you were. When I told her about Grandpa Earl, she was certain. Sookie, our family comes from a lineage of fairies."
I shot straight up, jerking abruptly. Fairies? The Fuck?
Sookie seemed to have a similar reaction and turned to look at me with wide eyes.
Then we burst out laughing. I collapsed back onto the sofa, clutching my stomach as I giggled uncontrollably. I would believe a lot with all that I've seen, but fairies? We're going straight out of Old Gothic and into Grimm's fairy tales territory.
Although, Dr. Ludwig was said to be a dwarf...Eric had told me himself, and he was completely serious. But still...fairies? I stopped laughing, looking uneasily at Sookie. If dwarves like Dr. Ludwig were real, then what else was real? It's already clear that magic exists.
Sookie stops laughing, her mouth gaping open in shock as she stares at me.
"You can't be serious!" She shouts at me. I shrugged uneasily.
"Dr. Ludwig is a dwarf...and vampires, witches, Eric told me werewolves exist too. Are fairies that far of a stretch?"
Sookie seemed uneasy now too, the laughter having completely disappeared from her face.
"That's the first smart thing to come out of your mouth tonight," Sophie-Anne drawled. I shot her a dirty look.
"I'm not afraid to curse an evil queen." I snapped back at her. Sophie laughed.
"If you weren't such a little brat, I would find you adorable." Sophie stepped closer, her high heels clicking against the tile floor. She moved until she stood a few feet in front of me. Her eyes scanned me, different from how she scanned Sookie. It was clinical-like she was a scientist and I was a strange anomaly she couldn't figure out. "I've heard strange things about you too, Danielle. One particular rumor states you made three vampires bleed from every orifice and vomit blood until they died. Is there any truth to that?"
Danger. So much danger. How did she hear about this? The vampire that escaped must have come to her. Eric told me that vampires would see me as a threat if they heard about this, that they'd want me dead.
I swallowed heavily. "I'll admit I learned magic pretty fast, but I'm not that powerful." The lies came easily, but I could tell she didn't believe me. Her eyes watched me wordlessly for another few moments, and then she looked away abruptly and turned to approach Sookie.
"So? Will you become mine? I promise we'll have lots of fun!" Sookie shuffled side to side uncomfortably, glancing at both Hadley and me before responding.
"Thanks for the offer, but I just want to go home, work, and keep things simple and familiar. To be honest, I've had too many strange things happening lately." That was Sookie's nice way of saying, 'not a chance in hell.' Hadley looked disappointed as if she were truly hoping Sookie would say yes. Sophie-Anne merely pursed her lips. She looked displeased, but not surprised. Something about that look told me she wasn't going to give Sookie up that easily.
But instead of forcing us to stay, or perhaps trying to persuade her further, Sophie-Anne merely smiled and nodded. "Of course. Please know that this isn't a one-time offer. You can come to me at any time." She promised. She looked at me. "The Gaul has his work cut out with you."
I smirked and shrugged as my only answer.
Sophie-Anne snapped her fingers, and immediately the doors we had entered through were opened. The same vampires who had brought us here entered. "Please escort the girls back to the Quarter and make sure they are unharmed."
…
"If I ever meet that woman again, it'll be too soon," It was dark out as Sookie drove her little car down the nearly abandoned highway back towards Bon Temps. After what had happened with Sophie-Anne, she hadn't wanted to stay around the Quarter. We'd immediately got into her car and taken off back towards home. Sookie didn't say much, but I could tell she was rattled.
"Do you believe her?" Sookie asked suddenly, glancing over at me.
I chewed my lip. "Well, yeah, Godric does have his work cut out for him. I'm gonna read him the right act when he gets back-"
"No, about my being a fairy." Ah, I thought that might be what she was talking about.
"I don't know, Sook. It sounded crazy at first, but we've both seen what else exists in this world. I'm not saying she's not full of shit, I just think it's possible. We should do some research on it."
"We?" Sookie asked, her lips curving up into a smile. I nodded and smiled.
"We," I reaffirmed. "I may not have a shitting clue what's going on with me, but I can at least help you figure your stuff out." A second later, my phone started to buzz. I scowled at the name on the screen. I turned to Sookie, waving the phone at her. "Busted."
Sookie laughs. "Well, answer before he has a conniption." I rolled my eyes and swiped to answer my phone.
"Hello, Scary Viking."
…
Somehow, I managed to get roped into a group presentation with Callie on light refraction for our physics class. I normally would've been worried about having to carry all the weight, but since it was an AP course, every student in our four-person group was fairly talented at doing the work themselves. The four of us sat together at Merlotte's, eating appetizers and working on the project.
"How are your vam-friends?" Callie asked at one point, looking up from her laptop at me. The other two students in our group-two highly religious and conservative kids who didn't like me-glared at me at the mention. I shot Callie an annoyed look.
"They're fine," I answered tightly.
"Do you still...hang out with them?" She asked hesitantly. I nodded.
"Yes."
"Only a pagan heathen would hang around vampers," Rachelle, a snotty girl who was admittedly very knowledgeable about physics, said.
"Only a religious radical would be so judgemental of people she doesn't know nor understand." I shot back, not looking up from my laptop.
"I heard it was your fault your family died in that car crash," I froze. Jackson, the only boy in our group, smiled nastily at me. "You got involved with vampers, and your dad found out and forbid you from seeing them, so the vamps killed your family to get them out of the way."
"That's an awful thing to say, Jackson!" Callie sounded scandalized, but from the curious stare, I knew she was wondering if it were true. I became near hyper-aware of everything, the words Jackson said echoing in my head in a demonic whisper. I felt power singe at my fingertips, and I hid my hands to avoid anyone seeming them turn black.
I looked at Jackson, holding his arrogant stare. "If you ever talk about my family again, I'll make sure you never see yours again." Everything went quiet, my three fellow students' eyes going wide and their mouths dropping.
"Going to send your vampires after my family as you did yours?" He sneered, but there was a hint of fear in his eyes. Unwittingly, my lips formed a cold smile. I packed up my laptop and began to put it away in my backpack.
"I don't need vampires to do my dirty work."
"So you're threatening me and my family?" Jackson asked, his voice getting louder and louder with every word.
My expression was blank and cold, and it felt like all the life had left me. I thought for sure I would see the shadow creatures dancing around me in excitement, but I didn't. My new bracelet was rather effective.
"Yes, I am," I said simply, pulling my bag upon my shoulder. "So if you know what's good for you, you'll avoid talking about my family again." And I walked out.
That particular altercation earned me a visit from Sheriff Dearborn. The sheriff arrived just after school. I was walking up to Sookie's place when I saw his cop car pull up outside. I immediately knew why he was here. I glanced over, glad to see that Sookie was not home. The old sheriff stepped out of his vehicle, approaching me directly.
"Danielle Newlin?" He asked. I nodded. "I need to talk to you about some threats that were made the other day against Jackson Kent. May I come in?" He asked. I turned towards him, setting my backpack down on the ground.
"As I happen to only be seventeen at the moment, you don't have the right or authority to speak with me alone without guardian permission. Furthermore, without a warrant, I'm not expected to invite you inside of my home. Have a good day, Sheriff Dearborn." Then I picked up my bag and turned on my heel, heading inside before the shocked man could get a word in. I slammed the door shut behind me.
I might need to call Eric if this gets too out of hand.
That night I had a meeting with Eric and Dr. Ludwig. We were doing more tests to see what the fuck was wrong with me. I dressed into something a little more fitting of Fangtasia and did my hair. Sookie sat at the table eating a sandwich. She knew where I was going tonight, and subsequently sent me a disapproving look.
Sookie may have accepted that Eric Northmen was a normal thing in my life, but she wasn't fond of me spending any amount of time at Fangtasia.
"Be safe?" She asked, instead of once again voicing her disapproval.
"Always," I promised, though we both knew that was a lie. I grabbed my purse and the keys to Sookie's car. I was lucky she would let me borrow her car. I didn't particularly like Eric or Pam picking me up, nor did I particularly like taking a taxi. You never knew what kind of driver you would get.
The drive to Fangtasia was boring and long, but I avoided speeding. Sookie would never let me borrow her car again if I got a ticket or crashed her car. The parking lot of Fangtasia was nearly full, but I was allowed to park in the back where the employees parked. I headed in through the back door. Eric finally gave me another key after he changed the locks. He likely realized locking me out was a fool's venture.
In the throngs of people, I could see Eric sitting upon his throne on the raised dais. He caught my eye and nodded. I headed for his office. Inside, Dr. Ludwig was already setting up. She barely glanced up at me as I came in. She grunted acknowledgment and then returned to what she was doing.
"You do know you'll be drawing my blood in a building full of vampires, right?" I asked after I noticed the syringe and empty blood bag.
"Stop complaining and take a seat." She ordered, reaching into her giant bag and pulling out a strange contraption I had never seen before. "Do you know what this is?" She asked, holding up the strange object.
"My guess is it's either a torture device or something sexual," I retorted wryly. That earned me a smack on the knee. "Ow!" I objected, pulling my legs out of her reach.
"Normal witches aren't capable of the magic you can do. It makes me wonder just how strong you are. If we can find that out, we might be able to find out more about what's going on with you." She held the object out to me. She turned it, and I could see a bit more about it; it wasn't just some strange metal. At the center of the twisted metal that looked like a cube was a large crystal. It looked similar to a crystal ball that fortune tellers would use. "I'm gonna take some blood, and then you're going to send magic into that crystal there. As much as you can, for as long as you can. Don't worry, the crystal will absorb it."
She did just as she said she would. She took my blood, about half of a bag's worth, then placed the magic contraption in front of me. I took a deep breath, calling on that power that lay just beneath the surface inside of me. I held my palm out towards the crystal ball, and let the power shoot out from me.
"Good," Dr. Ludwig said, surveying the mix of fire and lightning shooting out from my palm and being absorbed into the crystal. "Keep at it until you can't anymore."
I did as she said, focusing the power on the crystal ball. I don't know what Dr. Ludwig was expecting, but when I passed the five-minute mark without the slightest loss of power in the magic, her eyes widened and she hurried to write things down in her notebook. Eric entered soon after that, not the least bit surprised at what we were doing.
Ten minutes in, and there was still no loss of power, but I started to feel a bit weird. There was an itch going up my arms and legs, and my hands were black, and the veins in my arms became pronounced and black as rot, all the way up to my elbows. Eric and Dr. Ludwig both stared at my arms with indiscernible looks.
When I hit the fifteen-minute mark, my magic started to lessen. The lightning disappeared entirely from the shot of magic, the fire less hot and less powerful. I also started to feel even worse. The itch that had been going through my legs and arms spread across my entire body. It felt like my heart was vibrating, and there was a fog settled over my brain.
"I don't...feel…" I couldn't get out anymore. The vibrating in my heart spread until the itch across my body turned into seizing. My hand dropped, the magic stopping abruptly as I fell to the ground.
"She's having a seizure!" Dr. Ludwig shouted, her short frame leaning over me a moment later.
"What do I do?" Eric demanded. Something wet started to drip from my mouth and nose.
"Give her your blood, vampire." I heard through the fog that now seemed to have taken over my hearing as well. They sounded like they were underwater. A moment later, a pale wrist was shoved into my mouth. Warm, copper liquid seeped down my throat, and then I was no longer seizing. I sat up, coughing violently. My body trembled, and I felt cold. Colder than I had ever felt before in my life. I pulled my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around myself and sobbed.
"Dani?" Eric asked hesitantly like he wasn't sure if I was capable of hearing him. I couldn't respond. I couldn't get a word out through the sobs.
"Give her more blood," Dr. Ludwig ordered. Immediately his wrist was back at my mouth, more of his blood falling down my throat. Slowly, the trembling and the cold settled, until the warmth came back in my blood. I spat down on the ground, clumps of dark brown blood hitting the floor.
"What was that?" Eric asked, kneeling beside me. I continued to sit with my knees pulled to my chest. I was no longer sobbing, but the tears continued to leak out of my eyes.
"I don't have a fucking clue." Dr. Ludwig snapped, and I'd never heard her sound more unsure of herself before.
"Why did the blood coming out of her look like that?"
"I don't know!"
"Then figure it out!" Eric barked.
"Where's Godric? I want Godric," I cried softly, burrowing my face into my knees. Dr. Ludwig and Eric spoke quickly and quietly, neither one responding to my request. Somehow I knew this wasn't enough to bring Godric back.
…
I didn't tell Sookie anything of what had happened, but I knew from the look on her face that night that Eric had contacted her. I curled up into my bed, my limbs heavy and aching, and pulled the blankets around me.
"Dan?" Sookie asked, poking her head into the room. Her eyes were soft and concerned, "Are you okay?
I didn't respond. I didn't have the energy to.
"I'm gonna call the school in the morning, let them know you're sick. Just rest. Everything will be okay."
No, I had a strong feeling that nothing was going to be okay.
…
Weeks went by. Then months. It was late November now. I focused on school, on my job, on magic. Eric and Sookie both didn't like it, so I hid the magic from them. I only practiced when I was alone. I didn't try to practice anything big though, like what I had done at Fangtasia. Dr. Ludwig called two weeks after that night with harrowing news.
The blood sample she had taken, the blood was breaking down. Turning rotten. It had been in the early stages, but it made sense now, why my blood had seemed so wrong when I'd had a seizure. If my blood had already been breaking down, and the magic somehow weakened and drained me, then the blood coagulating and turning dark and disgusting like it had made sense.
Blood coagulating like that...it happens in corpses.
I couldn't help but wonder if maybe Godric hadn't saved my life, but only increased it for a short while.
As Christmas drew closer, I started to feel more of that depression I had sunk into in the summer, just after my family died. It would be my first Christmas without them. It's not like Christmas was something particularly special in my house. My dad had always been busy, and we never did any of the fun stuff together like decorating the tree or making cookies. We usually just hired people to decorate for us. But still...to be without them… Bethany would've been two by now.
It was the first Friday in December. The weather was cooler now, but I still didn't need a jacket or sweaters. I dressed in a black skirt and a long-sleeved black crop top and packed my purse with all the things I would need. I needed to go visit my family, see their graves. I so desperately wanted to have some kind of Christmas with them, even if it was on the wrong day, and I could only sit with a few headstones.
Sookie was working, so I left her a note and headed out to the bus station. The bus ride was almost three hours long to Dallas, so I sat in the back of the bus by myself and put my headphones in and watched other cars as they drove by. We arrived about an hour before noon, the gruff bus driver encouraging us all to hurry and get off his vehicle.
I got straight onto another bus heading for the cemetery. I intended to stay the entire day, but I paused when the bus made a stop by a flower shop. I could see a beautiful array of flowers decorated throughout the shop, the large open windows giving me a full sight of the inside. I got off the bus and stepped into the small, brightly lit shop. A bell above the door rang as I entered, alerting a perky young girl at the counter.
"Welcome to Polly's! How can I help you?" She asked, stepping out from behind the counter to approach me. I offered a small smile.
"Just looking," I told her and then turned my attention to glance around the shop. There was a particular bouquet I had seen through the window there. It was a mixture of daisies, pink roses, and Baby's-breath. I could tell just by looking that it would be an expensive purchase, and I wasn't wrong as I brought the bouquet up to the register.
"For someone special?" She asked with a secretive smile.
"Three people," I answered simply, handing over my card. The girl asked no more questions and handed over the flowers. She wished me a good day with a smile, and I mustered up one final smile as a goodbye. I stepped out of the shop, glancing around the road. I doubted there would be another bus anytime soon, but I wasn't far from the cemetery now. I could walk without a problem.
I was only a few minutes away when a familiar face made me pause.
"Dani!" Payton called happily, racing across the street with her hand raised in the air, waving enthusiastically at me. "I didn't know you were back in town, you should've called!" She puffed out huffs out air, one hand clutching her side. Payton looked similar to the last time I'd seen her, but something was off. I surveyed her with careful eyes. She looked like she had lost some weight, and she'd grown her hair out a bit since I'd last seen her. Her hair was styled to cover her neck, and I knew why. But I said nothing.
I couldn't make Payton's choices for her, much as I may have wanted to. Plus, I didn't have any room to talk. I just hoped she was being careful.
"It's only for today," I answered simply, motioning down at the flowers. Her lips formed an 'o'.
"Have you seen Steve?" She asks hesitantly. I shake my head.
"I'd rather catch the plague than see my brother." Payton winced, her smile dropping into something sympathetic. She placed a hand on my arm, her fingers cold to the touch.
"Well, you should come to have dinner with me and Layla and Marian! We can catch up!" She enthused, all too happy to change the subject. I hesitated; there was a piece of me that wanted to catch up with my old friends, to make sure they were okay, regardless of their terrible life choices. Another part of me just wanted to go sit in the cemetery in front of my family's gravestones and let myself cry.
The latter part of me was much stronger.
I gave Payton an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but I just really need to do some stuff. But I promise to come back to Dallas again soon and hang out." Payton smiled and nodded, reaching forward to hug me.
"I'll hold you to it!" She warned, wagging a finger playfully. I smiled, waving as she ran off as quickly as she arrived. With her gone, I returned my attention to the trek, arriving at the cemetery quickly. The guard let me in with a brisk nod. I headed to the back of the cemetery, where the three headstones stood.
It was clear Steve hadn't been here in a while. The cemetery did a good job of keeping up with keeping everything clean, but there were little things that Steve and I had always done that the staff missed; the grass growing right underneath the headstones, cleaning the headstones, leaving flowers. None of those things were done now.
"Hey guys," I murmured, putting my bouquet at my mother's grave-the grave in the middle. I then used a cutting spell to cut the slightly overgrown grass and a cleaning spell on the headstones. I grabbed the small blanket out of my bag and laid it out across the top of the graves and laid down. "I've got a lot to tell you guys." I sighed and then began to tell them everything that had happened since I left Dallas.
I laid like that for hours, until the sunset and the moon rose. I cried, and I laughed, and I sang. I sang their favorite songs, the ones they'd always been excited about for church. Inevitably, I knew my visit was coming to an end. The familiar buzz of my phone let me know that either Eric or Sookie were wondering where I was or when I was going to be home. I wouldn't be able to ignore them forever.
"Looks like my visits coming to an end." I sighed, sitting up. I stared at the headstones, wishing they were the faces of my family. I cried for hours today, but I somehow had enough left in me for my eyes to water again. "I'm scared," I whispered, reaching my fingers into the grass and clutching it tightly. "I don't want to die."
"That's too bad." I froze, my blood turning to ice. I stood carefully, turning slowly. A dark-skinned male vampire stood about ten feet behind me. His muscled chest was exposed, only a black vest giving any cover over his torso. His dark hair was smoothed back in expert cornrows, the ends of his braids falling to his shoulders. His fangs were already out and nearly shining under the heavy moonlight. "I'm afraid you're life is about to come to an end, Ms. Newlin."
Before I could raise my arms before I could even think of a spell, he was upon me, his fist colliding with my gut. I gasped, the force of his hit sending me backwards into my mother's headstone. The stone bit into my back, and I tried to shriek but I couldn't catch my breath. Then he was on me again, large hands grasping my shoulders and throwing me across the cemetery.
The flight would've been similar to flying with Godric if it weren't so utterly terrifying. I wasn't fortunate enough to land on grass, my side colliding with another headstone. The pain shot through my body, rattling my bones, and this time I did get a scream out. I rolled over off of the headstone, hitting soft grass. I clutched it, struggling to get to my knees to crawl away. Just as I managed to get my legs under me, a hand grasped me by my hair, yanking me up.
I screamed, thrashing and fighting, throwing kicks and hits that never managed to hit the skin. I was turned around, but I didn't catch sight of his face. I was too focused on the knee digging into my stomach, forcing the breath out of my lungs all over again. My eyes watered, and I cried as I was thrown back to the ground.
"Look up, little miss Newlin." The vampire taunted. Against my better judgment, I did. The vampire was across the cemetery, back where I'd been laying on the blanket atop my family headstones. He smirked viciously and then swung a kick at my mother's headstone.
He demolished it in one blow.
"Stop," I gasped out, clutching my aching ribs with one hand, supporting myself on a crawl with the other. He didn't listen. He moved to my father's headstone, this time pummeling it with his fists and turning it to mere rubble and loose rock on the ground. Then, he turned to Bethany's. And that rage built up inside of me as he took a swing, taking off the right corner of her headstone. It built and built, burning my nerve endings and blocking out the pain coursing through my body. He took out the other corner, a cruel laugh escaping his mouth. It was like another punch to the gut, but not one that brought pain; it brought...darkness. Hatred. A thirst for vengeance that could only have been rivaled by my desire to kill Stan.
The edges of my vision turned dark. The only thing I could see was this man-this vampire, who had dared to ruin my family's graves. He had desecrated the last piece of them on this earth, all out of spite, out of darkness. But his darkness didn't match mine. His was turning a dark corner, the slow thrum of fear in your heart at what you might see. Mine was insidious; you could not escape it because it didn't end. I could feel it call to me, begging me to return to it, to unleash it. If it could not have me, then it would take whichever lives I fed it.
I stood on steady legs that didn't feel like mine. Everything about me felt foreign. It was like I was here, but some ghosts or demonic beings had entered my body and had one hand on the controls. And it wanted death and destruction. Craved it like a vampire craves blood.
As his foot connected with the center of Bethany's headstone and shattered it into pieces, I screamed and threw my arms out. I took all of that power inside of me, all of the magic that I had been scared to unleash in full force, and I threw it at him. The vampire barely got a chance for his eyes to widen in surprise before he was thrown backward by a dark wave of fog, his body connecting with the wrought iron gate behind him.
I advanced on him, smiling in sickening pleasure as his body started to decay. It started at his legs, the exposed skin I could see turning to rot and then peeling from his body until all that you could see was bone and blood. The vampire shrieked and shrieked his agony, and it was the sweetest song I had ever heard. So much so, I wish there had been lyrics so I could sing along. The decay traveled up his torso, those smooth muscles shrinking and rotting, his guts spilling from his stomach and then rotting too. Then his arms, then his neck, and then his head. The last thing he ever did was stare at me in pure, unadulterated terror. I would've soaked in it if I could. After that, he was nothing but a rotting corpse on the ground. He wasn't even able to explode in blood and guts like a normal vampire.
I thought the hatred, malice, and need for harm would dissipate with his death. It only seemed to grow stronger. I knew exactly who had sent this vampire after me, and I knew exactly where to find him. And I was going to burn his fancy little club to the ground.
It was just as I heard sirens in the distance that I took off. I ignored the two guards cowering away from me and ran away from the cemetery. I was faster than normal, the world blurring around me. I didn't feel the strain of movement either, or the pressure on my lungs as I tried to breathe. The night club known as Pulse was across town, but I somehow arrived in mere minutes. I ignored the bouncer and found the backdoor, casting a quick spell to break the lock on it.
The club was alive with music, dancing, and conversation. I ignored them, my focus entirely on the VIP lounge. The bouncer guarding the hallway leading to it tried to stop me, his hand reaching out to grab hold of my shoulder. I glared at him, whispering a spell and he collapsed on the ground, his eyes staring unseeingly up at the ceiling, his mouth moving but making no sounds.
The lounge was as dark as it was last time, but I didn't fear it now. I realized the dark was my home. I belonged in it. Not in the way a vampire does. Vampires need the darkness, it is their salvation, but the darkness was a part of me, as much as I was of it. We were the same.
I entered the lounge, searching the crowd for familiar faces. Situated between two vampires, Marian and Layla sat. They both looked dazed and confused, happy little smiles on their faces. And there, at the very center of the lounge, sitting upon his chaise with Payton atop his lap, was Jarod. His eyes seemed to find me as soon as I settled my gaze upon him, the smirk falling off of his face. He shoved Payton to the side, nearly causing her to fall over off of the chaise. He sped across the room, his face level with mine in a mere second.
"What are you doing here?" He snarled viciously.
"I killed your assassin," I said blankly, my voice not my own. His eyes narrowed. I reached upwards, gripping his chin in my hand. "I turned him into an ugly, disgusting corpse."
"I'll kill you myself!" He moved to grab me, to yank his face out of my hand. He could do neither. He discovered he was paralyzed in place, his eyes widening in shock.
"No, you won't. You're going to die with him." I was tempted to take my time with him like I had the vampire at the cemetery. But if I was to accomplish all of my goals tonight, I'd have to move swiftly. And then things became a blur.
Panicked screams filled the lounge. Vampires dropped into piles of blood and goo instantaneously, humans shrieking, running, hiding. I ignored the humans, even Payton. Even though she was as guilty as he was. Even though she deserved to die too. The part of me that still managed to care couldn't let this darkness touch her, even if it wanted to.
When the vampires in the lounge were all dead, I turned to leave back the way I came, heading out into the main room. People had been alerted by the screams, but no one seemed to have been smart enough to leave. They all watched me, too frozen to move towards me or away. I moved swiftly, climbing on a barstool to climb onto the bar.
And then I unleashed hell upon them.
REVIEWS:
KarmaBites: Sorry for the long wait! I hope this makes up for it! I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reviewing!
Bluerose160: It got worse...Lol. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed it!