To Cry Ophelia
Part five
A little over two hundred years had passed since Lillie had ever considered pain. She had never bled or faced any serious injury in over two centuries. Now she stood in the door of a hospital room and looked at the face of suffering. With her dark hair fanned out from the bandages it seemed slightly like a soap opera. There should have been music playing, some kind of haunting song as the vampire watched the girl. Indeed there was music, it came from the monitors at her bedside. A single light glowed to her left, illuminating the stitches that closed up the deep gash on her cheek. Her right was also cut and stitched back together. There were thick white coverings on her wrists and under the sheets there were more. From where Lillie stood she watched the pale face of the girl from her club. Her name was Ophelia and she had just moved here from a small town in the Eastern United States. Her sister Regan was in the hospital too but on another floor. This one was reserved for critical patients. From what the doctors had told her she was in danger of never waking up, ever again.
Lillie drew in a breath taking one step then another, at her back was Sonny who was watching the hall. Even though it was past midnight, one could never tell when someone might show up. Sitting down next to the constant beeping machine, the vampire let out a rush of air and reached a white hand toward the sheets. Touching the rough woven cloth the vampire felt the hand underneath it. Cold and still. Reaching with more then her hands Lillie called on the girl's mind to respond. Give some sign that she was still in there.
The first stirrings of consciousness came like soft little fingers. Touching like a child and tickling her senses. Ophelia knew she was still alive and Carl had been stopped by someone. That was all she knew. Still there was something pulling at her, asking for her to wake up. It was difficult to open her eyes and they fought her. She tried to wiggle her toes and fingers, they didn't respond. It was then that she realized just what the damage could be. Fear was warm as it rolled up from her gut and into her blood. It flooded her with strength and she opened her eyes. She jerked her arms and forced her hands to move, her toes to curl and her body to function. At first she thought it was a ghost who was next to her, but slowly the memory shoved it's way up and she found it was someone real.
"What the hell?" She asked and found her throat hurt.
Her hands couldn't move well enough to touch her neck, so she turned her head and found thick padding was against her skin. That meant that the nightmare about being choked wasn't a dream. It had been very real. She wondered just what else had been real. Her mind didn't allow her to think that far back, instead it focused on the woman beside her.
"Hello Ophelia." She said gently and smiled a little. " I am glad you heard me."
Looking from the woman to the dark shadow at the door. " What is going on?"
"I friend of mine found you a few blocks from my club. They brought you here." Lillie said gently as the girl stared at her with little understanding. " You were at the Haven, remember?"
Ophelia did now that she mentioned it. "I do now and Carl was waiting for me."
"Is that the guy's name?" The shadow asked.
"Yeah. He's Regan's boyfriend and he was waiting for me outside. Something about..." Her brain stopped her from remembering and she glared at the sheets. " I guess he did a bang up job if I can't remember anything."
Lillie blinked and sat forward. " You can't remember anything?"
'Not a thing. Just that I was at this club and there was woman with glowing blue eyes." Ophelia looked up and stared at Lillie. " I guess that was you." She sighed and found her neck was hurting even more. " Sorry to involve you in this."
The vampire smiled a little. " Doesn't matter, just tell me something."
The girls watched her and shrugged, it hurt but she managed. " Sure."
" Can I take a look at your neck?"
Ophelia arched a brow and smiled slightly and that hurt too. " You aren't going to bite me or anything?"
Lillie blinked at her, " Why would I do that?"
"People don't look as white as you or have the eyes that you do without having fangs." Ophelia shrugged again. " I read about it. Go ahead and look."
Reaching up the vampire gently removed the bandages and found what she had feared. A cut was on her neck and had nothing to do with her bruises or any other injury. But it did fit with the memory loss and the pale skin. Gently she reapplied the padding and sat back.
"Thanks."
"Find anything?" Ophelia asked as she watched the woman stand up and shook her head. "I still don't know your name."
Lillie paused and gazed at her, " Lillie Langtry."
"Nice to meet you, Ophelia Shaw." The girl smiled but didn't offer a hand.
Lillie left the room with Sonny at her side and glanced at the police officer. " Did you see the mark?"
He gave a slight nod. " Call this a wild guess, but I think I know who attacked Sasha as well as Ms. Shaw."
"You think it was this Carl person?" Lillie asked as they stopped at the elevators as he nodded slowly. "He hunted on my grounds Sonny and nearly killed a human not two blocks from my haven. Then attacking Sasha like that, in Cameron's haven, it's clear this man is a danger to all of us."
He nodded. " I'll talk to Julian about it. Just keep your guard up until then."
"What about the girl Sonny?"
The Ventrue shrugged, " So far she doesn't suspect anything. But I'll have someone keep any eye on her.
Lillie wasn't satisfied. "Sonny, she was trying to find safety in my haven. I feel this is my fault."
"She told you that? About finding safety?" He asked and was a dark question.
"Ophelia said that when she was at the club, it was an escape from her life. That she felt as though she could belong." Lillie stared at the glossy metal doors of the elevator. " He was hunting her Sonny and she was hurt on my grounds."
The cop sighed and put a hand on her arm only to remove it a second later. " We'll get him Lillie."
She tried to smile and look reassured. " I'll see you at Julian's place."
The arrival of the elevator broke the conversation and she disappeared as the doors closed. Sonny rubbed his neck and shook his head. Just as he turned he saw Frank and closed his eyes as he realized how long the night was going to be.
Part five
A little over two hundred years had passed since Lillie had ever considered pain. She had never bled or faced any serious injury in over two centuries. Now she stood in the door of a hospital room and looked at the face of suffering. With her dark hair fanned out from the bandages it seemed slightly like a soap opera. There should have been music playing, some kind of haunting song as the vampire watched the girl. Indeed there was music, it came from the monitors at her bedside. A single light glowed to her left, illuminating the stitches that closed up the deep gash on her cheek. Her right was also cut and stitched back together. There were thick white coverings on her wrists and under the sheets there were more. From where Lillie stood she watched the pale face of the girl from her club. Her name was Ophelia and she had just moved here from a small town in the Eastern United States. Her sister Regan was in the hospital too but on another floor. This one was reserved for critical patients. From what the doctors had told her she was in danger of never waking up, ever again.
Lillie drew in a breath taking one step then another, at her back was Sonny who was watching the hall. Even though it was past midnight, one could never tell when someone might show up. Sitting down next to the constant beeping machine, the vampire let out a rush of air and reached a white hand toward the sheets. Touching the rough woven cloth the vampire felt the hand underneath it. Cold and still. Reaching with more then her hands Lillie called on the girl's mind to respond. Give some sign that she was still in there.
The first stirrings of consciousness came like soft little fingers. Touching like a child and tickling her senses. Ophelia knew she was still alive and Carl had been stopped by someone. That was all she knew. Still there was something pulling at her, asking for her to wake up. It was difficult to open her eyes and they fought her. She tried to wiggle her toes and fingers, they didn't respond. It was then that she realized just what the damage could be. Fear was warm as it rolled up from her gut and into her blood. It flooded her with strength and she opened her eyes. She jerked her arms and forced her hands to move, her toes to curl and her body to function. At first she thought it was a ghost who was next to her, but slowly the memory shoved it's way up and she found it was someone real.
"What the hell?" She asked and found her throat hurt.
Her hands couldn't move well enough to touch her neck, so she turned her head and found thick padding was against her skin. That meant that the nightmare about being choked wasn't a dream. It had been very real. She wondered just what else had been real. Her mind didn't allow her to think that far back, instead it focused on the woman beside her.
"Hello Ophelia." She said gently and smiled a little. " I am glad you heard me."
Looking from the woman to the dark shadow at the door. " What is going on?"
"I friend of mine found you a few blocks from my club. They brought you here." Lillie said gently as the girl stared at her with little understanding. " You were at the Haven, remember?"
Ophelia did now that she mentioned it. "I do now and Carl was waiting for me."
"Is that the guy's name?" The shadow asked.
"Yeah. He's Regan's boyfriend and he was waiting for me outside. Something about..." Her brain stopped her from remembering and she glared at the sheets. " I guess he did a bang up job if I can't remember anything."
Lillie blinked and sat forward. " You can't remember anything?"
'Not a thing. Just that I was at this club and there was woman with glowing blue eyes." Ophelia looked up and stared at Lillie. " I guess that was you." She sighed and found her neck was hurting even more. " Sorry to involve you in this."
The vampire smiled a little. " Doesn't matter, just tell me something."
The girls watched her and shrugged, it hurt but she managed. " Sure."
" Can I take a look at your neck?"
Ophelia arched a brow and smiled slightly and that hurt too. " You aren't going to bite me or anything?"
Lillie blinked at her, " Why would I do that?"
"People don't look as white as you or have the eyes that you do without having fangs." Ophelia shrugged again. " I read about it. Go ahead and look."
Reaching up the vampire gently removed the bandages and found what she had feared. A cut was on her neck and had nothing to do with her bruises or any other injury. But it did fit with the memory loss and the pale skin. Gently she reapplied the padding and sat back.
"Thanks."
"Find anything?" Ophelia asked as she watched the woman stand up and shook her head. "I still don't know your name."
Lillie paused and gazed at her, " Lillie Langtry."
"Nice to meet you, Ophelia Shaw." The girl smiled but didn't offer a hand.
Lillie left the room with Sonny at her side and glanced at the police officer. " Did you see the mark?"
He gave a slight nod. " Call this a wild guess, but I think I know who attacked Sasha as well as Ms. Shaw."
"You think it was this Carl person?" Lillie asked as they stopped at the elevators as he nodded slowly. "He hunted on my grounds Sonny and nearly killed a human not two blocks from my haven. Then attacking Sasha like that, in Cameron's haven, it's clear this man is a danger to all of us."
He nodded. " I'll talk to Julian about it. Just keep your guard up until then."
"What about the girl Sonny?"
The Ventrue shrugged, " So far she doesn't suspect anything. But I'll have someone keep any eye on her.
Lillie wasn't satisfied. "Sonny, she was trying to find safety in my haven. I feel this is my fault."
"She told you that? About finding safety?" He asked and was a dark question.
"Ophelia said that when she was at the club, it was an escape from her life. That she felt as though she could belong." Lillie stared at the glossy metal doors of the elevator. " He was hunting her Sonny and she was hurt on my grounds."
The cop sighed and put a hand on her arm only to remove it a second later. " We'll get him Lillie."
She tried to smile and look reassured. " I'll see you at Julian's place."
The arrival of the elevator broke the conversation and she disappeared as the doors closed. Sonny rubbed his neck and shook his head. Just as he turned he saw Frank and closed his eyes as he realized how long the night was going to be.