What was going on? Where was she now?
The girl tried to look around, but found she simply lacked the energy. Too much time running, swimming… it had taken a lot out of her. Adrenaline had kept her going, but now that she was being carried in someone's arms, it was like her body suddenly realized 'Oh, yeah, that's right, I'm exhausted' and had given up. She felt like she should be more wary, maybe even scared, but for the time being, she just. Couldn't bring herself to.
The fact that she was still wrapped snugly in her coat probably had something to do with it.
She stared, half-awake and resting on something warm and solid, as people talked over her head, occasionally glancing down at her face.
"What's - Ericka - Where did you find her?" a too-tall, very pointy man was saying.
"In the lake. Just now. She swam out to me, I couldn't just-"
"Hey, what's going - whoooaaa my god, is that what I think it is?" a new voice gasped.
"Don't crowd her, honey!" said another.
"I'm taking her upstairs right now - she's freezing," the voice directly above her said, dragging her off the desk she'd been sitting on. "Mavis, hon, can you-"
"I'll get a bath going." There was a fast, subtle noise, and then one of the voices was gone.
And then she was being held closer, the hands supporting her moving somewhat to better hold her. "Come on, honey…" she heard, soft and gentle. "You'll be okay."
She briefly got a view of her surroundings as the woman turned around; a huge room, two men behind a desk staring at her, all sorts of other creatures whispering and staring. And then she was being carried into a smaller room that ding ed as the doors opened, and taken away.
It occurred to Ericka, halfway up the elevator, that Mavis hadn't actually said which bathroom she was going into. She looked down at the pale little face against her shoulder, briefly wondering how much time she could afford to spend looking. She could run through the all if she had to, but she really didn't want to jostle the poor girl more than she had-
-but then it turned out she didn't even need to worry. As the elevator doors opened again, she heard Mavis's voice call out, carrying supernaturally well. "I'm in our bathroom! The water's almost done!"
Mavis's family's bathroom. Yeah, that made the most sense. There were bath toys, bubbles, soap for sensitive skin, and tear-free shampoo in there. Ericka doubted the girl would get much use out of bath toys at the moment, but the children's soap would be good for her.
When she walked the girl into the bathroom, she found that the tub had been filled already, a thick layer of bubbles over top of it. Mavis had her arm in the water to test the temperature - she herself was always colder than her human family, but years of drawing baths for Dennis had taught her what was safe and what was too hot. Ericka's nose caught the scent of the bubbles - lavender.
'Good for relaxing, helps him sleep,' Mavis had said once. She'd really thought of everything tonight.
The girl sneezed.
"I added the bubbles without thinking, sorry. I'm used to-"
"It's okay. This'll be fine." Ericka got down on her knees, maneuvering the girl to stand in front of her. "Help me?" she asked her stepdaughter.
The girl watched the huge tub warily as she was set down between the two women. She didn't like the steam coming from it. Or the smell. It was a nice smell, floral, and it made her feel soothed, but the hot water... This had to be some kind of soup, or a potion. Why else would there be a huge basin of steaming water in the middle of this room?
The women over her head were talking to each other, but she barely paid attention.
Until she realized the one who carried her in was taking off her coat.
The girl snapped her head up to look at her - a mistake, as the sudden movement made the room spin and blur, and she stumbled sideways before the other woman caught her shoulders. "Oh - Ericka, her shoulders..."
What about her shoulders?
"-get her in, hurry."
And just like that, she was undressed and being lowered into the hot water, too quickly for her to process until her feet were dipped in. She cried out - as best as her raw throat would allow, at least - and tried to scramble back out.
"No, no it's okay-!"
They were going to cook her! Just like the stories, they were going to boil her in a soup and cook her!
"It's okay! See?"
She screamed again as she was set fully into the water, the bubbles rising up to her chin.
And then she stopped.
The water was warm, but... it wasn't as hot as she'd thought it was. It made her fingertips tingle a bit, and the bubbles felt strange when they popped against her skin and made her nose tickle... But it was fine. There weren't any vegetables or meat or anything to suggest a soup.
But maybe that would come later.
She tried once more to escape the tub, only to slip back down. And then she was too tired and warm to try again. Especially when the taller woman was pouring something in her hands and rubbing it into her hair, and the smells suddenly became even more flowery than ever. The other woman left the room at some point, but the girl barely noticed. She was too busy focusing on the soap being rubbed into her hair and then gently rinsed out with a large cup of water; on the puffy thing washing her arms, legs, and shoulders that made even more bubbles. It stung a little, especially when the woman found a stubborn spot of dirt and scrubbed even harder, but the woman apologized each time and kept touching her face as she spoke, as if to soothe her.
And so, despite the unfamiliarity of her surroundings, and the lingering adrenaline in her veins, the girl just sat there until, finally, she was lifted back out.
Ericka had lifted the girl out of the bathtub and had her wrapped in a too-big, too-thick towel when Mavis returned. "I found some of my old nightgowns," she explained, handing one over. "They're pretty old-fashioned, but-"
"They'll still work." Ericka held up the one she'd grabbed, allowing it to unfurl and hang from her hand. It was going to be a bit big on the girl, she could already tell. It looked to be ankle-length, with short puffy sleeves with lace trim, a high collar, and ruffles around the chest and shoulders. And the color…
"All I have is black, sorry."
"That's fine. We'll just get her some new ones later." Neither woman commented on the unspoken implications of that. "Alright, arms up…"
The girl was dressed quickly, neither of them wanting her to be cold. As Ericka thought, the nightgown hung too loosely on her, but it would have to work for now. They'd get some proper measurements and try to alter some of the clothes later. "Is there a room ready?"
"Yeah, I thought she could go in one just off of yours." Mavis bent to pick the girl up, the girl looked into her face…
...and then took a tiny step back, eyes going wide and shinier, her lips quivering as she brought her hands towards her chin. No, her neck. A tiny little noise escaped her, and she sniffled.
"Ohhh, no, sweetie, don't cry…" Mavis said, but drew her hands back anyway. She looked at Ericka almost frantically.
"Here, shh-sh," Ericka took charge, scooping the girl up and bundling her into her arms. The girl squawked and tried to push herself away, but Ericka was stronger. "You're safe, I promise. Come on."
She carried her out of the room and a bit further down the hall, Mavis trailing behind her. The girl had been calm for a bit, but upon realizing she was with a vampire , she seemed to have gotten a bit more adrenaline. She kept trying to squirm away, making strange noises as if she wanted to speak but her throat wasn't allowing her.
(Mavis made a note to get a doctor to look at her as soon as possible.)
But that was a good thing. It meant she had some fight in her, and it also meant she'd tire herself out and sleep. Ericka would have preferred to have her on some food first, but sleep was good too.
Their new guest had clearly been on the move, and for a long time. Sleep would be just as good.
The girl barely resisted when they reached the room Mavis had picked, a smaller room with a bed, bureau, and nightstand that was built just off of her parents' room. Ericka glanced down as they approached the bed; she was already half-unconscious.
The two of them pulled the covers back, carefully set the girl down and covered her up to her shoulders. Ericka looked at Mavis. "Could you get your dad-"
"I'm already here."
