Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Van Helsing. I only own my own characters.

Note: Please tell me if Carl and Van Helsing seem a bit out of character.

Is Vladislaus the correct spelling of Dracula's first name?

Chapter 2

Shella scuffled over to the corner, and hugged her legs. "Well... you know what I am called, my name... I have always been called Shella. I don't remember being called anything else."

"Do you remember anything about the time before you came to the Order?" Carl was very inquisitive.

"I remember... running through a forest with Maverick. We were being chased... by" Shella thought as hard as she could, sifting through all the information in her mind. Her past, as she knew it, was playing back to her via her mind's eye. "...Count Vladislaus Dracula. I remember tried to grab me, but Maverick took my place. I think I was about 6 or 7 years old."

"Why was Dracula after you and Maverick in the first place?"

Shella glanced at Carl. "You ask too many questions. I don't remember why Dracula was after us. After that, I didn't see Maverick for a while. Then, when I was about 10 years old, he came to visit me at night. I had gone to bed early that day and was awoken by a cold draft coming from the window. I got up and walked over. A werewolf howled somewhere in the forest by my house and I froze." Shella was trying really hard to remember everything. She paused after every sentence; remembering everything was starting to become a bit painful for her.

"It's okay, Shella, don't worry, we're here..." Carl placed his hand on her head. "Your past may be important for our future so please try to remember."

Shella gave Carl a look that said "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?" or "Who are you and what have you done with Carl?" She took a deep breath and continued with her story, "There was a noise behind me and I felt a shiver travel down my spine.

'Hello, Shella. I missed you.' Maverick said to me as I spun around to face him.

"I remember I almost screamed because Maverick looked so..." Shella searched for the word. "...ghostly.

'Come with me to the forest. It will be just as it was before I left.' Maverick extended his hand to me.

"I was dumb enough to grab his hand and follow him out to the forest." Shella paused and glanced at the sky. The moon was full and shone brightly; she shuddered at the sight. "The moon was full, like tonight. We shoot our bows and arrows for a few hours.

"Maverick turned to me and whispered 'Can I have some blood?' He had this pleading look on his face. His eyes were almost hypnotic. Then, when I was about to ask Maverick where he had been for the past few years, we heard a growl behind us."

Carl said while Shella paused, "A werewolf..."

She nodded, "Maverick and I were attacked by a werewolf. He shouted something to it but the werewolf didn't listen. He pounced on me, knocking me unconscious. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was the feeling of strong arms lifting me into the air. Van Helsing knows the rest. I regained my consciousness a few hours later, I think. When I opened my eyes, I saw a monstrous bat with fangs standing over me and I screamed. Van Helsing heard me and came to my rescue. I don't think I need to say anything else about that."

Van Helsing was silent during the entire tale and now he finally spoke, "That created more questions than it answered."

"Who were your parents? Where did you used to live?" Carl thought everything over. "This just doesn't make any sense."

"You're telling me..." Shella glared at Carl, "I know this doesn't make any sense. All I remember about my parents was that they lived in a castle near the forest. After Maverick disappeared, Mother went missing too. We assumed Maverick and Mother died. My father died shortly after I turned 9 years old, of a broken heart. My parents were really close. Maverick's family came to live with my family. It was a big castle, and my father tried to fill it with as many of our closest friends and family as he could. He wanted me to grow up in a loving atmosphere." She scoffed, "You both see how well his plan turned out. I haven't seen my family or Maverick's family since I came to the Knights of the Holy Order."

"Do you think any of them are still alive?" Carl asked.

"I doubt it... I..." Shella trailed off.

Carl and Van Helsing glanced at each other, yet again. Shella's past was so shrouded, not even she herself knew the full extent of it. Shella's eyes started to droop; reliving her past has drained her of her precious energy. She entered a dream-like state once again.
I'm sorry this is a short chapter, but I just wanted to leave her past separate from everything else.