The Vampire of Lavendar Town
By Ree-chan Peekster, Dugtrio16, and Dessa
Chapter 13
Dessa did not know where she was. She was in her own clothes, and it was cold. She saw a light, and walked toward it, hoping that it would be warmer. When she reached there, she saw an open doorway. She tried to enter it, but from her side, it was locked. All of a sudden, she saw Victor on the other side of the door, and he began to come in. She backed away from him, right into a cage. He shut the door on the cage, and began to laugh.
"Now I have you trapped, and you will no longer cause me problems." Dessa sunk down and shivered in the cage, as Victor began to light the place up, and she saw herself, in the dress. She appeared as a marionette, with Victor controlling the strings. She was a real life Pinocchio, before freeing herself from the cage at the theater. She vowed to be free, as she slipped into unconsciousness, realizing that this was what was happening in her mind.
*******
Chan groaned as he opened his eyes. The room was spinning. He was still on the floor. He laid there a while before attempting to get to his feet. Surprisingly his legs supported his weight. Dizzily he walked towards the door and tried to open it. Locked.
"Jeez," Chan muttered as he staggered back to the bed. He sat down and laid back. He was trying to get his head to stop hurting. He was incredibly hungry. It would be awhile before he would get his fill though. He knew that Victor was still mad at him.
Dessa... he called to her weakly. He sensed something disturbing. Dessa was no longer in control of herself. She was trapped inside her own body. Victor could do whatever he wanted now. And there was little Chan could do about it. He was locked in his chambers and he was also very weak. Chan remembered that Dessa had said something about never allowing herself to be held captive again. He wondered what she was going to do when she managed to get free.
*******
"My master wishes to see you," the servant called from the doorway. Chan sat up groggily. He had dozed off.
"Why?" Chan asked fearfully.
"He wouldn't say. If you feel to weak, he'll come in here," the servant replied. Chan fell back against the pillows.
"I can't stop him," he said quietly. The servant nodded and left. A few minutes later, Victor appeared.
"I brought you something, young one," he said entering the room. He held a rather large cup in his hands. He handed it to Chan, who quickly drank the contents down. The hunger subsided finally.
"What do you want with Dessa and me?" Chan asked when he finished.
"You'll find that out soon enough, young one. In the meantime I don't expect you to try rebelling again. Unless of course you want to get another dose of psychic power."
Chan backed up a little. "No thanks." Victor smirked and left the room, locking it behind him.
Chan dropped his head in his hands and sat there, close to tears. The attack had greatly diminished Chan's self confidence. He was now afraid of confronting things that he knew was wrong. He had lost his freedom and his self image, how he viewed himself. He wished there was a way for him to break free of the barriers that held him back, but he was afraid and weak. He wasn't sure if he'd ever have the courage to fight back again. But he didn't blame Dessa. He blamed Victor and himself. If he had listened to Joy's warnings, he wouldn't have gotten himself into this mess, Brandon and the others wouldn't be trying to get him back, and Dessa would still have her freedom. "Why didn't I listen? I had too much pride. I thought that nothing could touch me... I'll never be like that again if I ever get out of this mess," he promised himself.
*******
And on the island south of Cinnabar, Brandon heard the promise loud and clear. "What ever is going on with him, it isn't good," Brandon told David. They had stopped to rest. They were just outside the opening of the cave. The flowers hadn't bloomed yet.
"Yeah," David said. "I just wish I knew what this terrible feeling was."
"We'll find out... once we get back to Lavender Town," Brandon commented. David nodded. He looked beyond the edge of the cliff and into the starry night and prayed that there was still hope for Chan.
Suddenly, Ben gasped. "Look!" he whispered, pointing to the flowers. They were starting to unfold. Everybody stared intently as one, then another, then the rest bloomed to their full glory.
"Wow," Sarah said, "they are beautiful." Even Nishu had to agree. They were huge blossoms. The petals were long and were light lavender in color. They had small, multi-colored speckles on them as well. David broke the silence that had ensued, "Well, we'd better pick one and take it to the tower." He moved to one of the flowers.
"Wait!" shouted Brandon. David stopped with one foot in the air.
"What?"
"The flowers are covered with millions of tiny thorns. They're so small, that they will even penetrate the skin with the lightest touch."
"So," David replied, "I can take a little pain."
"That's not all," Brandon continued. "They are poisonous. It's lethal to humans."
David backed away. "So how are we going to get one?" he asked.
"Anybody have any tongs?" Nishu said. Everybody looked at him as if he were mad. "No really," he continued. "If we picked one with some tongs, we wouldn't get pricked."
"Who in their right mind would carry around a pair of tongs in their backpack?" Sarah said.
Ben cleared his throat and looked at the ground. Everyone looked at him. "Um," he stammered, "I do." He picked up his bag and took out a long pair of tongs. "I use them when I barbecue something," he explained. Everybody laughed.
David took the tongs from Ben and pulled one of the flowers from the ground. Ben wrapped a washcloth around the stem so he could hold it. "Let's go," he said as he clutched the flower. Nishu, David, and Brandon teleported the whole group out of the cave, then back to the Tower.
"Let's go in," Sarah said.
"Wait," Brandon said suddenly, holding Sarah back. "Victor made it a point to warn us about Chan for when we returned. Perhaps we should teleport straight to Safe Zone?" The others agreed, and when they got there, they scared away all of the Cubones who were huddled there.
"I wonder what scared them into the Safe Zone?" David asked.
"Do we really want to know?" Ben replied.
"One didn't run away!" Sarah exclaimed, running to it. "It looks hurt!" The Cubone in question was looking very pale, and was clutching something in its hands.
"That's my sandwich!!!" David yelled.
"Good job," Nishu said sarcastically. "Now there's no question to whether or not Victor knows we're here."
"Chan did this," Brandon said quietly, pointing out the teeth-marks. Then he straightened, recognizing a familiar presence. A split-second later, David did the same.
"Did you bring the flower?" The voice was cold and unfeeling, and sounded almost like Victor's, but with a more feminine touch. Turning around, they saw Dessa, her hair flowing, and they could feel Victor through her.
"Don't tell me," Ben said, "That's..."
"Dessa," Brandon finished.
Nishu swallowed hard. He had a very uneasy feeling about this. The Cubone hid behind David suddenly. It started eating his sandwich.
"That's mine," David told it.
"You want it back?" came a weak reply. "It's been sitting there since you dropped it."
"Chan?" Brandon asked.
"Yeah..." Dessa turned threateningly to where Chan was. Chan backed up several paces in fear.
"You didn't answer my question," Dessa said turning back to the group.
Ben held up the flower. "It's right here."
Chan looked like he was about to say something but decided against it. Brandon knew that something had happened to him. There was only fear in his eyes. The confidence that he had before was gone completely.
"Looks like Victor got mad at him," David whispered. Brandon nodded.
"Follow me," Dessa said before anything else could be said. Chan backed up more. He intended on going in front of the group. His hunger was almost out of control by now.
"Can't you take the flower to him?" Sarah asked.
Dessa's eyes narrowed. "If he were going to do anything to you, he would have done it the first time you came into the tower like he did to Chan." Turning to Chan she added, "I hope you're wise enough by now to know not to interfere with his wishes." Chan nodded without speaking. He then turned and walked towards the stairs. Dessa followed him, with Brandon, Ben, David, Sarah, and Nishu, in that order, behind her.
*******
Victor was waiting for them when they reached the seventh floor. Chan crept away from him, but Dessa walked straight to his side. Brandon thought it looked creepy.
"You have the flower?" Victor asked. Brandon held it out for him to inspect. "Beautiful, just like I remember it. Don't you agree, little Goddess?" Dessa nodded, and stared at the floor.
"What's the second task?" Ben demanded.
"Ah, the second task." Victor was speaking in a detached manner, either to stall, or because he was remembering. "When I first became a vampire, I did not have anyone there to help me with the transition. But I did have a girlfriend, from before I was changed. She was beautiful, almost as much as my little Goddess here." With that he kissed her on the head, and Brandon wanted to throw up. "We were to be wed, but since I was poor and could not afford an engagement ring, I gave her a family heirloom of mine, a beautiful gold medallion with a fire stone in the center."
"What happened to her?" Sarah asked softly.
"I was hungry, and I drank of her blood. I killed her, and became a vampire forever." There was no remorse in his voice, but Chan looked sick. Dessa had no emotion in her face at all. "Bring me that medallion. And remember, you only have a week and a half yet. It is in Stone Town, but you must find where yourself, because I no longer know where it has been placed."
"We'll bring it back," Brandon said firmly.
"Good. Although, it's not like you have any choice, either. Dessa, lead them to the door. And return this." He tossed her a package as she was leaving. Dessa handed it to Brandon, who found that it was his backpack. She led them down the stairs, and as they were walking, Brandon was sure he heard Dessa call out in his mind, but he could not tell from the look on her face. When they got to the door, they left, taking one last look at Dessa. After they were out the door, Dessa shut and locked it from the inside.
*******
Original # of parts: 6
Chapter 13
Dessa did not know where she was. She was in her own clothes, and it was cold. She saw a light, and walked toward it, hoping that it would be warmer. When she reached there, she saw an open doorway. She tried to enter it, but from her side, it was locked. All of a sudden, she saw Victor on the other side of the door, and he began to come in. She backed away from him, right into a cage. He shut the door on the cage, and began to laugh.
"Now I have you trapped, and you will no longer cause me problems." Dessa sunk down and shivered in the cage, as Victor began to light the place up, and she saw herself, in the dress. She appeared as a marionette, with Victor controlling the strings. She was a real life Pinocchio, before freeing herself from the cage at the theater. She vowed to be free, as she slipped into unconsciousness, realizing that this was what was happening in her mind.
*******
Chan groaned as he opened his eyes. The room was spinning. He was still on the floor. He laid there a while before attempting to get to his feet. Surprisingly his legs supported his weight. Dizzily he walked towards the door and tried to open it. Locked.
"Jeez," Chan muttered as he staggered back to the bed. He sat down and laid back. He was trying to get his head to stop hurting. He was incredibly hungry. It would be awhile before he would get his fill though. He knew that Victor was still mad at him.
Dessa... he called to her weakly. He sensed something disturbing. Dessa was no longer in control of herself. She was trapped inside her own body. Victor could do whatever he wanted now. And there was little Chan could do about it. He was locked in his chambers and he was also very weak. Chan remembered that Dessa had said something about never allowing herself to be held captive again. He wondered what she was going to do when she managed to get free.
*******
"My master wishes to see you," the servant called from the doorway. Chan sat up groggily. He had dozed off.
"Why?" Chan asked fearfully.
"He wouldn't say. If you feel to weak, he'll come in here," the servant replied. Chan fell back against the pillows.
"I can't stop him," he said quietly. The servant nodded and left. A few minutes later, Victor appeared.
"I brought you something, young one," he said entering the room. He held a rather large cup in his hands. He handed it to Chan, who quickly drank the contents down. The hunger subsided finally.
"What do you want with Dessa and me?" Chan asked when he finished.
"You'll find that out soon enough, young one. In the meantime I don't expect you to try rebelling again. Unless of course you want to get another dose of psychic power."
Chan backed up a little. "No thanks." Victor smirked and left the room, locking it behind him.
Chan dropped his head in his hands and sat there, close to tears. The attack had greatly diminished Chan's self confidence. He was now afraid of confronting things that he knew was wrong. He had lost his freedom and his self image, how he viewed himself. He wished there was a way for him to break free of the barriers that held him back, but he was afraid and weak. He wasn't sure if he'd ever have the courage to fight back again. But he didn't blame Dessa. He blamed Victor and himself. If he had listened to Joy's warnings, he wouldn't have gotten himself into this mess, Brandon and the others wouldn't be trying to get him back, and Dessa would still have her freedom. "Why didn't I listen? I had too much pride. I thought that nothing could touch me... I'll never be like that again if I ever get out of this mess," he promised himself.
*******
And on the island south of Cinnabar, Brandon heard the promise loud and clear. "What ever is going on with him, it isn't good," Brandon told David. They had stopped to rest. They were just outside the opening of the cave. The flowers hadn't bloomed yet.
"Yeah," David said. "I just wish I knew what this terrible feeling was."
"We'll find out... once we get back to Lavender Town," Brandon commented. David nodded. He looked beyond the edge of the cliff and into the starry night and prayed that there was still hope for Chan.
Suddenly, Ben gasped. "Look!" he whispered, pointing to the flowers. They were starting to unfold. Everybody stared intently as one, then another, then the rest bloomed to their full glory.
"Wow," Sarah said, "they are beautiful." Even Nishu had to agree. They were huge blossoms. The petals were long and were light lavender in color. They had small, multi-colored speckles on them as well. David broke the silence that had ensued, "Well, we'd better pick one and take it to the tower." He moved to one of the flowers.
"Wait!" shouted Brandon. David stopped with one foot in the air.
"What?"
"The flowers are covered with millions of tiny thorns. They're so small, that they will even penetrate the skin with the lightest touch."
"So," David replied, "I can take a little pain."
"That's not all," Brandon continued. "They are poisonous. It's lethal to humans."
David backed away. "So how are we going to get one?" he asked.
"Anybody have any tongs?" Nishu said. Everybody looked at him as if he were mad. "No really," he continued. "If we picked one with some tongs, we wouldn't get pricked."
"Who in their right mind would carry around a pair of tongs in their backpack?" Sarah said.
Ben cleared his throat and looked at the ground. Everyone looked at him. "Um," he stammered, "I do." He picked up his bag and took out a long pair of tongs. "I use them when I barbecue something," he explained. Everybody laughed.
David took the tongs from Ben and pulled one of the flowers from the ground. Ben wrapped a washcloth around the stem so he could hold it. "Let's go," he said as he clutched the flower. Nishu, David, and Brandon teleported the whole group out of the cave, then back to the Tower.
"Let's go in," Sarah said.
"Wait," Brandon said suddenly, holding Sarah back. "Victor made it a point to warn us about Chan for when we returned. Perhaps we should teleport straight to Safe Zone?" The others agreed, and when they got there, they scared away all of the Cubones who were huddled there.
"I wonder what scared them into the Safe Zone?" David asked.
"Do we really want to know?" Ben replied.
"One didn't run away!" Sarah exclaimed, running to it. "It looks hurt!" The Cubone in question was looking very pale, and was clutching something in its hands.
"That's my sandwich!!!" David yelled.
"Good job," Nishu said sarcastically. "Now there's no question to whether or not Victor knows we're here."
"Chan did this," Brandon said quietly, pointing out the teeth-marks. Then he straightened, recognizing a familiar presence. A split-second later, David did the same.
"Did you bring the flower?" The voice was cold and unfeeling, and sounded almost like Victor's, but with a more feminine touch. Turning around, they saw Dessa, her hair flowing, and they could feel Victor through her.
"Don't tell me," Ben said, "That's..."
"Dessa," Brandon finished.
Nishu swallowed hard. He had a very uneasy feeling about this. The Cubone hid behind David suddenly. It started eating his sandwich.
"That's mine," David told it.
"You want it back?" came a weak reply. "It's been sitting there since you dropped it."
"Chan?" Brandon asked.
"Yeah..." Dessa turned threateningly to where Chan was. Chan backed up several paces in fear.
"You didn't answer my question," Dessa said turning back to the group.
Ben held up the flower. "It's right here."
Chan looked like he was about to say something but decided against it. Brandon knew that something had happened to him. There was only fear in his eyes. The confidence that he had before was gone completely.
"Looks like Victor got mad at him," David whispered. Brandon nodded.
"Follow me," Dessa said before anything else could be said. Chan backed up more. He intended on going in front of the group. His hunger was almost out of control by now.
"Can't you take the flower to him?" Sarah asked.
Dessa's eyes narrowed. "If he were going to do anything to you, he would have done it the first time you came into the tower like he did to Chan." Turning to Chan she added, "I hope you're wise enough by now to know not to interfere with his wishes." Chan nodded without speaking. He then turned and walked towards the stairs. Dessa followed him, with Brandon, Ben, David, Sarah, and Nishu, in that order, behind her.
*******
Victor was waiting for them when they reached the seventh floor. Chan crept away from him, but Dessa walked straight to his side. Brandon thought it looked creepy.
"You have the flower?" Victor asked. Brandon held it out for him to inspect. "Beautiful, just like I remember it. Don't you agree, little Goddess?" Dessa nodded, and stared at the floor.
"What's the second task?" Ben demanded.
"Ah, the second task." Victor was speaking in a detached manner, either to stall, or because he was remembering. "When I first became a vampire, I did not have anyone there to help me with the transition. But I did have a girlfriend, from before I was changed. She was beautiful, almost as much as my little Goddess here." With that he kissed her on the head, and Brandon wanted to throw up. "We were to be wed, but since I was poor and could not afford an engagement ring, I gave her a family heirloom of mine, a beautiful gold medallion with a fire stone in the center."
"What happened to her?" Sarah asked softly.
"I was hungry, and I drank of her blood. I killed her, and became a vampire forever." There was no remorse in his voice, but Chan looked sick. Dessa had no emotion in her face at all. "Bring me that medallion. And remember, you only have a week and a half yet. It is in Stone Town, but you must find where yourself, because I no longer know where it has been placed."
"We'll bring it back," Brandon said firmly.
"Good. Although, it's not like you have any choice, either. Dessa, lead them to the door. And return this." He tossed her a package as she was leaving. Dessa handed it to Brandon, who found that it was his backpack. She led them down the stairs, and as they were walking, Brandon was sure he heard Dessa call out in his mind, but he could not tell from the look on her face. When they got to the door, they left, taking one last look at Dessa. After they were out the door, Dessa shut and locked it from the inside.
*******
Original # of parts: 6