Coming Alive
Something was chasing her away from the security of the bushes in the Château of Anet gardens. She didn't have the heart to look around to see what it was but she could hear its feet hit the ground with such a force that it made her stumble. She realized that she was running out of street and was well aware she was heading towards a dead-end. What was she going to do?
Ana looked at her entrance and heard the creature take a long breath. She had a feeling that the only way she was going to escape was to go up, but the only question was how. No one was here to protect her and wouldn't be until the sun set that evening. She looked up and saw vines weaving themselves up the stone wall. Her hand grasped the vine and she winced when a thorn made a small line across her thumb, deep enough to draw blood.
The dress she was wearing hindered her descent and when she looked down to see if had gotten caught, she met the brown eyes of a man dressed in the same color as his eyes. Had that been the thing that had been following her? It couldn't have been for this man was human. They held each other's gaze for the longest time, until the man averted his attention from her and towards the creature above her.
Ana looked up but didn't scream. Something inside the creature's eyes said, 'Don't fear me. I am a servant of Dracula's. Go on up, I shall protect you.'
She smiled and continued up, only to feel something strong tug her skirt and pull her down. She realized that the man had killed Dracula's servant and it had torn her dress when it fell. She looked down and saw a defenseless man lying next to the murderer and saw the torn skirt in his hand. She climbed back down quickly and stared at the man who had once been the creature, before hitting on the murderer.
"You murderer!" she yelled.
The man cocked an eyebrow. "You're not from around here, are ye?"
Ana knelt besides the man and moved his hair out of his face. She guessed he had to be at least twenty years old or at least close to twenty, not much older than she is. She ignored the question that the man had asked, knowing that he would guess because of his accent.
"I wouldn't touch him," he said, all of a sudden. "He was a werewolf and well on his way to killing you for food."
Ana shrugged and softly touched the man's eyelids, closing them and whispering a soft prayer. She didn't know who he was but she added, "I will see you again."
She headed back towards the vine that laced up the wall and kissed her wounded thumb, before heading up again. It was much easier this time because she didn't have the long skirt to hinder her, but she looked down and noticed that the murderer was not there. When she looked back up, he was hanging from a grappling gun. Who had those in the 15th century?
"I'm Gabriel Van Helsing," he said, holding his hand out.
Ana did not take it and when he said his name, she wanted to fall on the ground. This was the man who had murdered her master, before he was given wings by the Devil. She was looking at his murderer. Her heartbeat faster as she tried to climb faster, but this man was insistent on talking to her. Couldn't he take the hint that she wanted nothing to do with him at the moment?
"Do you speak any English? Any French?" he asked, once she had pulled herself up on the roof.
"Why did you have to kill him?" Ana whispered, before turning and trying to find a way back down on the other side.
Van Helsing looked at her with a weird expression. Her voice sounded very familiar, as if he had heard her before, and she looked familiar too. He cursed the fact that he could not remember anything about his past and he followed her, wanting to know what she was talking about.
"You do speak English? What's your name?" he asked, hoping to start a conversation.
'I don't want to speak to you,' she said in her native tongue, which made her smile when Van Helsing gave her a weird look.
Van Helsing grabbed her arm and spun her around. They stared at each other before Van Helsing kissed her on the lips. Ana's eyes widened and pushed the man off of her with such force that he flew off the roof. She could have sworn he had fallen to his death but she noticed the hook on the edge of the stone roof. What was this man thinking when he did that? Did he not know that Dracula would have his head if he knew?
"I'm sorry!" Van Helsing called. He knew that the woman would have been on the other side of the wall and running, but he had to give it a shot.
He couldn't resist her beauty and something had drawn her to him. He had to take the risk. He wondered what the woman's name was, and soon, he would find out.
Ana wiped her mouth several times, trying to get Gabriel Van Helsing's taste off of her mouth. The only taste she wanted on her mouth was Dracula's taste. Now she couldn't even remember what that tasted like, the only taste now was the murderer's taste. He didn't realize that he had killed a faithful servant of her Master. She just couldn't understand why he could murder so many innocent people.
The sun was now at its highest peak, its warmth beating down on all of Paris. She didn't dare go into the main streets of one of the wealthiest places on earth in the tattered dress she was wearing. She stayed in the dark corners of the city, where all the prostitutes sold their bodies to men who had no female company. She stood at a corner and collected her thoughts, when a drunken old man came up flashing money in her face.
"Come on, then," he sneered in her face. She turned away and grimaced at the smell of his breath. "Do you wanna give ol' Etienne some fun?"
Ana balled her hand into a fist and punched him in the face, the man falling to the ground. His money flew out of his hand and she grasped it, and whatever she could find in his pants, and ran off. She counted the coins to be about 250 francs and smiled. It was just enough to buy a new dress and some food. She entered the busy streets of Paris and saw everyone look at her skeptically. She wondered what they were thinking and she then realized that the label of 'prostitute' was given to her just by their looks.
She gave a shy smile and headed down to the kiosks and saw a dress that she fell in love with. It was almost similar to the one she had before it was torn, and she noticed that it had a corset. She hated corsets but she needed a dress.
"How much?" she asked, pointing to the dress.
The man looked behind him and replied, "For that one? It's about sixty francs. Can ye afford that one?"
Ana nodded, picking the coins that would equal sixty francs, and handed it to the man. He smiled and handed her the dress, which made Ana smile. She nodded her thanks and walked off, running her hands across the fabric. For a moment, Dracula had not been in her mind. The only thing that was in her mind was the dress and Gabriel Van Helsing.
"Gabriel Van Helsing!" Ana yelled, stopping abruptly.
She looked around and noticed that the sun was now setting. Where had the day gone? Last she checked, it was at its highest point and now it was on its way to the lowest point. She wanted Dracula to now come and take her home. She had missed her Master that it hurt, but she had not thought about him since her encounter with his servant. Would he be mad?
'No,' she thought walking into another dark alley. 'Don't think like that. He let you come here and you need to be a little more independent. You didn't need him when you met Van Helsing, did you?'
Ana shook her head and moved the blonde hair out of her face. She did need Dracula like she needed air, but she had never had to rely on someone as much as she did with him. She didn't mind though, because she knew he'd be there to catch her if she fell. She loved him and that was all that matters.
She got into a dark part of an alley and looked to make sure no one was watching her undress. She then proceeded to undress when she heard someone's boots click against the cobblestone. Who was coming this way? She shielded herself before looking around the corner. Nothing was there and she sighed. Her imagination was getting the best of her. She grasped the dress and slowly put it on, before turning around again so that her back was against the stone building. She heard someone's shallow breathing and shivered.
"My Ana."
Ana's heart leapt and began to beat faster. She smiled and said, "You've come back!"
Dracula's lithe form came out of the shadows of the alley and it made Ana want to jump all over him, and smother him with kisses. Dracula smiled and cradled his bonded human's head in his hands. He kissed her and noticed the dress besides her. It was Verona's masterpiece and yet, she threw it on the ground. Dracula diverted his attention from Ana's sweet tasting lips and picked up the dress. It was torn, and he wondered if his servant had gotten to her.
"Did it bite you?" Dracula asked, touching the fabric.
Ana looked at the dress and then at him. "No."
"What happened?"
Ana looked away, tears forming in her eyes. Dracula noticed and dropped the dress. He wiped her tears away with his finger and searched her brain. There was a death and there was a man. He couldn't tell who had died, or who the man was.
"The creature was killed," she choked. "He was above me as I tried to get away and when he was killed, he took part of my skirt with him. Then-"
"Then what, my love? Don't be afraid to tell me," he said, softly, kissing her on the lips. "Please."
"The man who killed the creature was the same man who killed you," she whispered. "Gabriel Van Helsing. He, uh, kissed me because I would not speak with him."
Something happened inside Dracula that frightened Ana. There was fire in his eyes and he let his anger out on her. He backhanded her down further into the alley. If she had not been bonded to him, she would have died that minute. She began to sob harder, but quietly, as she felt blood trickle down from the wound on her head. She had hit the ground hard and she could feel blood in her mouth.
Dracula smelled blood and realized what had happened. He rushed over to Ana and wiped the blood off of her wounds. He licked his fingers clean, thankful to have Ana's taste back in his mouth. She was crying and he had caused it. He bundled her in his arms, but she was reluctant to lean into the embrace.
"I'm so sorry, my love," he whispered. "I won't let you be hurt again. I promise you."
Ana let the tears flow freely now as she cried on his black shirt. Dracula knew that her wounds would heal naturally. If it had been he or his brides, it would've healed in seconds, but Ana was still human and the only thing that he had given her was immortality and supernatural strength. That was all she needed to survive with Dracula.
"Let's go home."
Dracula stood up, Ana still in his arms, and he shut his eyes, willing them to be back at Castle Dracula. Verona was there to meet them and she instantly knew what had happened. Her eyes met Dracula's and she knew to go get the bed ready for her. He had a feeling that she was not going to sleep with him until she felt safe enough.
Something was chasing her away from the security of the bushes in the Château of Anet gardens. She didn't have the heart to look around to see what it was but she could hear its feet hit the ground with such a force that it made her stumble. She realized that she was running out of street and was well aware she was heading towards a dead-end. What was she going to do?
Ana looked at her entrance and heard the creature take a long breath. She had a feeling that the only way she was going to escape was to go up, but the only question was how. No one was here to protect her and wouldn't be until the sun set that evening. She looked up and saw vines weaving themselves up the stone wall. Her hand grasped the vine and she winced when a thorn made a small line across her thumb, deep enough to draw blood.
The dress she was wearing hindered her descent and when she looked down to see if had gotten caught, she met the brown eyes of a man dressed in the same color as his eyes. Had that been the thing that had been following her? It couldn't have been for this man was human. They held each other's gaze for the longest time, until the man averted his attention from her and towards the creature above her.
Ana looked up but didn't scream. Something inside the creature's eyes said, 'Don't fear me. I am a servant of Dracula's. Go on up, I shall protect you.'
She smiled and continued up, only to feel something strong tug her skirt and pull her down. She realized that the man had killed Dracula's servant and it had torn her dress when it fell. She looked down and saw a defenseless man lying next to the murderer and saw the torn skirt in his hand. She climbed back down quickly and stared at the man who had once been the creature, before hitting on the murderer.
"You murderer!" she yelled.
The man cocked an eyebrow. "You're not from around here, are ye?"
Ana knelt besides the man and moved his hair out of his face. She guessed he had to be at least twenty years old or at least close to twenty, not much older than she is. She ignored the question that the man had asked, knowing that he would guess because of his accent.
"I wouldn't touch him," he said, all of a sudden. "He was a werewolf and well on his way to killing you for food."
Ana shrugged and softly touched the man's eyelids, closing them and whispering a soft prayer. She didn't know who he was but she added, "I will see you again."
She headed back towards the vine that laced up the wall and kissed her wounded thumb, before heading up again. It was much easier this time because she didn't have the long skirt to hinder her, but she looked down and noticed that the murderer was not there. When she looked back up, he was hanging from a grappling gun. Who had those in the 15th century?
"I'm Gabriel Van Helsing," he said, holding his hand out.
Ana did not take it and when he said his name, she wanted to fall on the ground. This was the man who had murdered her master, before he was given wings by the Devil. She was looking at his murderer. Her heartbeat faster as she tried to climb faster, but this man was insistent on talking to her. Couldn't he take the hint that she wanted nothing to do with him at the moment?
"Do you speak any English? Any French?" he asked, once she had pulled herself up on the roof.
"Why did you have to kill him?" Ana whispered, before turning and trying to find a way back down on the other side.
Van Helsing looked at her with a weird expression. Her voice sounded very familiar, as if he had heard her before, and she looked familiar too. He cursed the fact that he could not remember anything about his past and he followed her, wanting to know what she was talking about.
"You do speak English? What's your name?" he asked, hoping to start a conversation.
'I don't want to speak to you,' she said in her native tongue, which made her smile when Van Helsing gave her a weird look.
Van Helsing grabbed her arm and spun her around. They stared at each other before Van Helsing kissed her on the lips. Ana's eyes widened and pushed the man off of her with such force that he flew off the roof. She could have sworn he had fallen to his death but she noticed the hook on the edge of the stone roof. What was this man thinking when he did that? Did he not know that Dracula would have his head if he knew?
"I'm sorry!" Van Helsing called. He knew that the woman would have been on the other side of the wall and running, but he had to give it a shot.
He couldn't resist her beauty and something had drawn her to him. He had to take the risk. He wondered what the woman's name was, and soon, he would find out.
Ana wiped her mouth several times, trying to get Gabriel Van Helsing's taste off of her mouth. The only taste she wanted on her mouth was Dracula's taste. Now she couldn't even remember what that tasted like, the only taste now was the murderer's taste. He didn't realize that he had killed a faithful servant of her Master. She just couldn't understand why he could murder so many innocent people.
The sun was now at its highest peak, its warmth beating down on all of Paris. She didn't dare go into the main streets of one of the wealthiest places on earth in the tattered dress she was wearing. She stayed in the dark corners of the city, where all the prostitutes sold their bodies to men who had no female company. She stood at a corner and collected her thoughts, when a drunken old man came up flashing money in her face.
"Come on, then," he sneered in her face. She turned away and grimaced at the smell of his breath. "Do you wanna give ol' Etienne some fun?"
Ana balled her hand into a fist and punched him in the face, the man falling to the ground. His money flew out of his hand and she grasped it, and whatever she could find in his pants, and ran off. She counted the coins to be about 250 francs and smiled. It was just enough to buy a new dress and some food. She entered the busy streets of Paris and saw everyone look at her skeptically. She wondered what they were thinking and she then realized that the label of 'prostitute' was given to her just by their looks.
She gave a shy smile and headed down to the kiosks and saw a dress that she fell in love with. It was almost similar to the one she had before it was torn, and she noticed that it had a corset. She hated corsets but she needed a dress.
"How much?" she asked, pointing to the dress.
The man looked behind him and replied, "For that one? It's about sixty francs. Can ye afford that one?"
Ana nodded, picking the coins that would equal sixty francs, and handed it to the man. He smiled and handed her the dress, which made Ana smile. She nodded her thanks and walked off, running her hands across the fabric. For a moment, Dracula had not been in her mind. The only thing that was in her mind was the dress and Gabriel Van Helsing.
"Gabriel Van Helsing!" Ana yelled, stopping abruptly.
She looked around and noticed that the sun was now setting. Where had the day gone? Last she checked, it was at its highest point and now it was on its way to the lowest point. She wanted Dracula to now come and take her home. She had missed her Master that it hurt, but she had not thought about him since her encounter with his servant. Would he be mad?
'No,' she thought walking into another dark alley. 'Don't think like that. He let you come here and you need to be a little more independent. You didn't need him when you met Van Helsing, did you?'
Ana shook her head and moved the blonde hair out of her face. She did need Dracula like she needed air, but she had never had to rely on someone as much as she did with him. She didn't mind though, because she knew he'd be there to catch her if she fell. She loved him and that was all that matters.
She got into a dark part of an alley and looked to make sure no one was watching her undress. She then proceeded to undress when she heard someone's boots click against the cobblestone. Who was coming this way? She shielded herself before looking around the corner. Nothing was there and she sighed. Her imagination was getting the best of her. She grasped the dress and slowly put it on, before turning around again so that her back was against the stone building. She heard someone's shallow breathing and shivered.
"My Ana."
Ana's heart leapt and began to beat faster. She smiled and said, "You've come back!"
Dracula's lithe form came out of the shadows of the alley and it made Ana want to jump all over him, and smother him with kisses. Dracula smiled and cradled his bonded human's head in his hands. He kissed her and noticed the dress besides her. It was Verona's masterpiece and yet, she threw it on the ground. Dracula diverted his attention from Ana's sweet tasting lips and picked up the dress. It was torn, and he wondered if his servant had gotten to her.
"Did it bite you?" Dracula asked, touching the fabric.
Ana looked at the dress and then at him. "No."
"What happened?"
Ana looked away, tears forming in her eyes. Dracula noticed and dropped the dress. He wiped her tears away with his finger and searched her brain. There was a death and there was a man. He couldn't tell who had died, or who the man was.
"The creature was killed," she choked. "He was above me as I tried to get away and when he was killed, he took part of my skirt with him. Then-"
"Then what, my love? Don't be afraid to tell me," he said, softly, kissing her on the lips. "Please."
"The man who killed the creature was the same man who killed you," she whispered. "Gabriel Van Helsing. He, uh, kissed me because I would not speak with him."
Something happened inside Dracula that frightened Ana. There was fire in his eyes and he let his anger out on her. He backhanded her down further into the alley. If she had not been bonded to him, she would have died that minute. She began to sob harder, but quietly, as she felt blood trickle down from the wound on her head. She had hit the ground hard and she could feel blood in her mouth.
Dracula smelled blood and realized what had happened. He rushed over to Ana and wiped the blood off of her wounds. He licked his fingers clean, thankful to have Ana's taste back in his mouth. She was crying and he had caused it. He bundled her in his arms, but she was reluctant to lean into the embrace.
"I'm so sorry, my love," he whispered. "I won't let you be hurt again. I promise you."
Ana let the tears flow freely now as she cried on his black shirt. Dracula knew that her wounds would heal naturally. If it had been he or his brides, it would've healed in seconds, but Ana was still human and the only thing that he had given her was immortality and supernatural strength. That was all she needed to survive with Dracula.
"Let's go home."
Dracula stood up, Ana still in his arms, and he shut his eyes, willing them to be back at Castle Dracula. Verona was there to meet them and she instantly knew what had happened. Her eyes met Dracula's and she knew to go get the bed ready for her. He had a feeling that she was not going to sleep with him until she felt safe enough.