Translyvanian Angel
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original Van Helsing characters, but however, I DO own Chesshika Guirescu. Any use of her, any of my original
ideas, or any plagiarism will be retorted with a rolling of the heads.
Thank you!
Chesshika Guirescu
A Van Helsing Fan-Fic
By Mischief1689
Deep in the dense woods in Translyvania, a lone rider galloped hard. Pale hands guided the snorting horse in-between the low hanging branches that reached out to grab them. Through the trees above them, the rider glimpsed a sliver of moonlight. Urged on, the horse snorted once, twice, and charged forward, trying to evade its hell-bent rider. A scream cut the night air, and the rider tumbled off the horse. "Noooooooooooo!"
Chapter One:
Van Helsing' and Anna's heads shot up at the first knock on the great doors below them. Carl looked up from a book he was pouring over. "I think you have company." Van Helsing pushed himself away from the desk he sat at, and walked over to the tower's windows. He glanced down, and turned back to Anna. "It looks like half the village is down there." Anna sighed. "What now?"
The manor's doors were wrenched open, and the gathered villagers trickled in. Supported on a stretcher between a few of the men lay a striking young woman, her head lolled to the side, lips parted slightly. Anna's eyes widened. "Where did you find her? What happened?"
One of the men stepped forward, hands clasped on his hat in front of him. "She was...she was in the forest. The horse came back alone. We found her this morning. She was near...the abyss. She had fallen off about half a mile from where he died."
Anna put her fingers up to her temples. "Is she...?"
"No."
"And was she...?"
"Yes."
"Where? How much was taken?"
The men holding the stretcher put it down carefully, and one pulled down the handkerchief that was loosely tied around the girl's neck and pointed. "There, miss. Just a bit. We think he was playing with her, cat- and-mouse like." Two small red marks were punctured into the girl's pale skin. Van Helsing hissed in a breath behind Anna. Carl scuttled over to the girl's side and probed her neck carefully. "It's not bad at all. Didn't take much blood. Just marked her. She'll be fine once she wakes. Not enough to kill her. Didn't turn her either." Van Helsing looked at Anna. "Why would he do this? Who is she?" Anna looked down at the girl. "Her name is Chesshika Guirescu. He has always been after her. Since she came here...he's always hunting her. This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. It's always the same. Just takes a bit of blood, and leaves her. He used to do it to taunt Velkan, but he has always had an obsession with her. And she was my brother's fiancée." "Why her?" Anna pulled the handkerchief farther down, and rolled Chesshika's head upright. At the front of her white neck, there was a small reddish mark. "She is marked. She's not normal." Van Helsing shook his head. "I still don't understand." Carl stepped forward. "I know about those. Red marks denote the fated. Specific placement means a specific fate. Hers on her neck means that it has something to do with her life. Ah, and death. Probably." Van Helsing shook his head, hair flying. "That's ridiculous. It's just a flaw in her skin pigment. She was probably born with it." Anna's eyes blazed. "Don't come here and criticize our beliefs, Van Helsing, even if they are only superstitions. Besides, how would you explain this?" Anna pulled down the girl's lip with her finger. Then villagers turned away and crossed themselves. Carl gasped, and Van Helsing stared. The girl's canines on the left side of her mouth were long and pointed. The right side of her mouth was completely normal. Carl stepped back from the girl's body. "What IS she?" Anna let go of Chesshika's lip and stood up. "That, I was hoping you could tell me."
Chesshika's eyes snapped open, and she bolted upright. Moonlight drifted in through her bedroom window, pooling on the floor and her bed. "Uhnh," she moaned as she put her head in her hands. What had happened? She remembered riding out alone, near midnight. She remembered galloping through the woods, going to the abyss. She remembered...wings. She clamped her eyes shut again, and drew her hands down to her neck, untying the silk handkerchief someone had tied around it. She threw it to the floor, her fingers already examining the two raised bumps on the side of her neck, evenly spaced and perfectly round. Her fingers flew off her neck, and she looked down at them in loathing. Again. It had happened again. Laying back, she stared at the high stone ceiling. Why her? She already had enough against her, without his attention. She already was despised for her strange appearance. In a village of dark farmers, her fair hair, ice-green eyes and pale skin brought enough unwanted attention. Not to mention the mark on her neck, or her malformed teeth. Thinking made her restless. She thrashed around the wide bed, cold. It used to be that Velkan would wake up at the slightest movement from her. It used to him that kept her warm. 'It also used to be,' she thought to herself, 'that he was alive.' Awash in thoughts of regret and anger, she fell back into a troubled sleep. In her dreams, wing flaps followed her.
Van Helsing looked across the courtyard, to the backs of toiling farmers. His eyes were particularly focused on a blonde figure, carrying rocks away from the field. She was easy to spot, being a head shorter than most of the men and women working, and with her hair like a banner, whipping above her head. Anna quietly walked up beside him. She smiled grimly. "She still works out in the fields. Even after she and Velkan became engaged, she continued to work with the villagers. Velkan hated it. About once a month they had a tremendous fight over it. My brother always thought she was 'working below her status'. Chesshika reminded him that before, she had been even lower then most of the farmers. She was alone, strange, in a remote village. She's been shunned for most of her life. Then Velkan found her. Fell in love with her. Never was apart from her. Gradually, the people accepted it. Stranger things have happened up here. He showered her with affection. Nothing was too good for her. He bought her a horse, clothing, jewels. My father let it all pass. He said it was up to Velkan. Now, she's just apart from us all again." "How do you mean, apart? "You can see it in her eyes. She's somewhere else. She may live here and work here. She may be tied to this land by her heritage and my brother's death, but she's always connected deeper." "Do you like her?" "I love her. She's my sister by my brother's intentions. Chesshika, she's a good person. Intelligent, courageous, loyal. But at the same time, I can never tell if she's human. Something about her, it seems evil. Wrong. It's not her personality, but every so often, you touch on something in her that seems unnatural." Van Helsing looked out at the girl, then back at Anna. "Would you like me to talk to her?" Anna looked back at him. "If you want."
Chesshika sat down on the well's edge in the village square. She kicked her boots off, and rolled her loose pant legs up. From beside her, she lifted up a bucket of water and poured it over her head. She tilted her head back, letting the water run down the back of her neck and down her back. "Better?" a deep voice asked from behind her. She spun around, bucket still in hand. A tall man stood near her, a stranger to her. "Yes," she replied. "And you are?" "Van Helsing. I'm here to...take care of something." "Dracula." "Yes. How could you guess?" "We have a few that come in every few years. Your clothing is enough in it's self. Black long jacket? Wide-brimmed hat? It screams monster hunter. I hope you fare better then the rest of them." "What happens to them?" Chesshika tilted her head up to look at him. "They don't come back," she told him flatly. Van Helsing looked seriously at her. "Can I talk with you for a few minutes?" Chesshika considered. "Yes," she said finally. "Let's go back to the manor." "You live there." It wasn't a question. Van Helsing stated it. Chesshika looked at him closely. "Yes, I do now." "You didn't always." Another statement. "No. I lived as a common villager here before, but I suppose you already know that." "Yes." Van Helsing answered. As they walked toward the manor, he noticed that he was having trouble keeping up with the girl, even though she was at least a foot and a half shorter. Chesshika moved with a sort of unnatural grace, moving easily in her own skin in a way that reminded Van Helsing of a cat. A dangerous one.
Chesshika took him up to the tower. He was slightly surprised, but then realized that Chesshika knew exactly what was going on. With one voyager, there was usually another. The door opened with Carl sitting at a large table, looking at a map in a book, and she wasn't let down. "Well, well, well. Who have we here?" she asked. Carl looked up. His mouth made a silent 'O', and Chesshika stood feet planted wide, hands on her hips. Finally, words fell out of his mouth. "You're the girl they brought in last night! With the red mark! The one that Dracula's after!" A faint smile turned up the corners of Chesshika's mouth. "Correct. And you are?" Van Helsing stepped in front of her. "His name is Carl. He's a friar." "Friend of yours?" "Yes." "Doing the reading on the subject?" "Yes." Chesshika cut her eyes to Carl. "Put the books and scrolls away. You don't need them." Carl looked confused, eyebrows furrowed. "What?" Chesshika repeated herself. "Put the books away." Carl closed the cover of the book in his hand, and placed it on the table. "But why?" Chesshika smiled humorlessly. "Well, you have me here now, don't you?" She gracefully sank into a nearby chair, gesturing at two others for Van Helsing and Carl to sit in. "Well, I said we could talk. Talk." Van Helsing leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on his knees. "Where did you come from?" "Translyvanian bred and born." "And your parents?" "I have no idea. I never knew them." "How did they die?" "I don't know." "Why?" "I've always been an orphan. For as long as I've known I've been on my own," Chesshika said in a steely voice. "Fine. Anna says you were engaged to her brother, Velkan." "I was." "How did you meet him?" "In this village." "How long have you known each other?" "How long DID we know each other. He's dead now." "I'm aware of that. I'm sorry. How long DID you know each other for?" "Years. Since I was seventeen." "And how old are you now?" "Twenty." "How long were you engaged?" "Three years. Since the year we became close." "Long time. What happened to him?" "I know you know that." "I do, but I'd like to hear it from you." "Being the first born son; the boyar, or lord or prince; and second to last member of the Valerious family of boyars, he and Anna are the only ones left standing between Dracula and his true immortality. So Dracula captured him. Let a werewolf loose on him. Something went wrong with the plan to save him. He went over the abyss's edge trying to save Anna. With the werewolf." "How long ago was this?" "Two months." "And how long have you been hunted by Dracula?" "Since I was sixteen. Six years." "Since before Velkan knew you." "...slightly." "What do you mean, slightly?" Van Helsing asked, raising an eyebrow. "When you said knew, I thought you meant knew well. I'd known Velkan since I was fourteen." Chesshika yawned at the end of her sentence, covering her mouth with a slender hand. She caught Carl staring at her mouth and smiled widely, showing her large fangs and the normal canines in a clashing smile. He looked away quickly. She turned back to Van Helsing, who was frowning. "I've gotten used to the looks."she stated. "So Dracula started stalking you after you knew Velkan." "Yes." "Why do you suppose?" Chesshika rose swiftly and fluidly. "I have no idea. How am I supposed to fathom the way he thinks?" Van Helsing rose as well, and gestured back to her seat. "Please, sit down. I didn't mean to insult you." Chesshika sat again, eyes hard. "So do you think he started to stalk you to torment Velkan?" "No. Not at first. But maybe after." "Why do you say that?" Chesshika leaned back in her chair and narrowed her eyes. Van Helsing looked closely, observing that her eyes narrowed into slits like a feline's. Odd.
"The first time he definitely didn't give a shyte about me. I was just going to be a meal." She closed her eyes, in thought. Inside her mind, she played the scene back, narrating for Van Helsing' and Carl's benefit.
"It was late. I was stupid, going out into the fields late after dark. I wanted to look at the stars. It was a clear night out. That was why he found me.
I had fallen asleep. I didn't wake up until he was right next to me. I threw my arm out to try to stop him." She gestured the movement, throwing her left arm out with her palm flat. "He grabbed my hand and laughed. I screamed. He covered my mouth and bent my head back." She paused.
"Then what?" Carl asked eagerly. Chesshika glared at him, and he was struck by the feeling of scorn. "Sorry."
"Then he...stopped. He had seen the mark in the moonlight. He took his hand off my mouth and looked at me hard. It made my skin crawl. He looked at me and said, "That would make killing you a shame." I didn't say anything. I couldn't. Before I knew what he was doing, he bit me in the neck, here." She pointed to the left side of her neck. "He only took a swallow. Then he let go of my head, licked my neck where I was still bleeding, and kissed it." Then she smiled in her narration, as if recalling a fond memory. "I scratched him then. He growled, and I slid backward. Then he laughed. He said I had spirit, and that he'd be back for me again. Then he turned into a giant bat and flew away, leaving me there. I passed out. They found me in the morning."
"That was the first time?" Van Helsing asked, riveted by the story.
"Yes."
"And how many more times has this happened?"
Chesshika grimaced. "Numerous. I can't count them all. Somewhere around twenty times now. Maybe more."
"That's a lot. You should be more careful."
Chesshika's eyes sparked. "That's what Velkan told me. I can take care of myself."
"Velkan told you that? Why didn't you listen to him?"
She locked eyes with him. "Have you ever tried not being bitten by a vampire?" she asked him in a dangerous voice, soft yet full of malice.
"No. I don't suppose it's easy."
"You've never been bitten."
"No, I haven't."
"Hope that you aren't. It's not pleasant if you struggle. If you let them, it can be quite satisfying though."
"What do you mean?"
"The rhythm of having your blood sucked out of you can be quite seductive. They can transfix you with their eyes, hold you under their spell. After awhile, you get used to it."
"What did Velkan do about this?"
"What could Velkan do about it? He tried everything. Trying to find Dracula, trying to bargain with him, locking me in my room. I hated that one. He knew I did too, and couldn't stand to hold me in there. Nothing worked. Velkan was weak. He was trying to save me. Sooner or later, he would have lost me to one of the sides."
"What do you mean?"
"One, Dracula is hunting me. That alone is enough to send the villagers after me. If you knew that there was some chance that someone would be killing your family, wouldn't you kill them before they got the chance? There's no lost love between them and I, but I know what they mean."
"The villagers?"
"Yes."
"And the other?"
"Look at me."
"You stand out too much."
"Rumor travels fast."
"You're different."
"And difference is a dangerous thing here. The same looks that attracted Velkan and Dracula to me are a curse for me in the village, in this country. We're steeped in superstition and fear here. My abnormalities only help to distance that gap."
"Why do you stay?"
"Why could I leave?" she shot back.
"Did you love him?"
"Velkan?"
"Yes."
"Of course I loved him. He was my friend, my protector, my confidante, my lover."
There was a soft knock on the door, and all three turned to look. It opened, and Anna stepped in. "I thought you would be here." She looked at Chesshika and smiled. "How are you?" Chesshika gave her a genuine smile back. "Fine. And you?"
"The same."
"Good." Chesshika directed her pale ice-green eyes back at Van Helsing and Carl. "If you are through with me..." she said, letting the ending hang for room of answer. "No, we're not. I have something that I want to try with you." Carl interrupted. Chesshika looked interested. "And that would be...?"
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original Van Helsing characters, but however, I DO own Chesshika Guirescu. Any use of her, any of my original
ideas, or any plagiarism will be retorted with a rolling of the heads.
Thank you!
Chesshika Guirescu
A Van Helsing Fan-Fic
By Mischief1689
Deep in the dense woods in Translyvania, a lone rider galloped hard. Pale hands guided the snorting horse in-between the low hanging branches that reached out to grab them. Through the trees above them, the rider glimpsed a sliver of moonlight. Urged on, the horse snorted once, twice, and charged forward, trying to evade its hell-bent rider. A scream cut the night air, and the rider tumbled off the horse. "Noooooooooooo!"
Chapter One:
Van Helsing' and Anna's heads shot up at the first knock on the great doors below them. Carl looked up from a book he was pouring over. "I think you have company." Van Helsing pushed himself away from the desk he sat at, and walked over to the tower's windows. He glanced down, and turned back to Anna. "It looks like half the village is down there." Anna sighed. "What now?"
The manor's doors were wrenched open, and the gathered villagers trickled in. Supported on a stretcher between a few of the men lay a striking young woman, her head lolled to the side, lips parted slightly. Anna's eyes widened. "Where did you find her? What happened?"
One of the men stepped forward, hands clasped on his hat in front of him. "She was...she was in the forest. The horse came back alone. We found her this morning. She was near...the abyss. She had fallen off about half a mile from where he died."
Anna put her fingers up to her temples. "Is she...?"
"No."
"And was she...?"
"Yes."
"Where? How much was taken?"
The men holding the stretcher put it down carefully, and one pulled down the handkerchief that was loosely tied around the girl's neck and pointed. "There, miss. Just a bit. We think he was playing with her, cat- and-mouse like." Two small red marks were punctured into the girl's pale skin. Van Helsing hissed in a breath behind Anna. Carl scuttled over to the girl's side and probed her neck carefully. "It's not bad at all. Didn't take much blood. Just marked her. She'll be fine once she wakes. Not enough to kill her. Didn't turn her either." Van Helsing looked at Anna. "Why would he do this? Who is she?" Anna looked down at the girl. "Her name is Chesshika Guirescu. He has always been after her. Since she came here...he's always hunting her. This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. It's always the same. Just takes a bit of blood, and leaves her. He used to do it to taunt Velkan, but he has always had an obsession with her. And she was my brother's fiancée." "Why her?" Anna pulled the handkerchief farther down, and rolled Chesshika's head upright. At the front of her white neck, there was a small reddish mark. "She is marked. She's not normal." Van Helsing shook his head. "I still don't understand." Carl stepped forward. "I know about those. Red marks denote the fated. Specific placement means a specific fate. Hers on her neck means that it has something to do with her life. Ah, and death. Probably." Van Helsing shook his head, hair flying. "That's ridiculous. It's just a flaw in her skin pigment. She was probably born with it." Anna's eyes blazed. "Don't come here and criticize our beliefs, Van Helsing, even if they are only superstitions. Besides, how would you explain this?" Anna pulled down the girl's lip with her finger. Then villagers turned away and crossed themselves. Carl gasped, and Van Helsing stared. The girl's canines on the left side of her mouth were long and pointed. The right side of her mouth was completely normal. Carl stepped back from the girl's body. "What IS she?" Anna let go of Chesshika's lip and stood up. "That, I was hoping you could tell me."
Chesshika's eyes snapped open, and she bolted upright. Moonlight drifted in through her bedroom window, pooling on the floor and her bed. "Uhnh," she moaned as she put her head in her hands. What had happened? She remembered riding out alone, near midnight. She remembered galloping through the woods, going to the abyss. She remembered...wings. She clamped her eyes shut again, and drew her hands down to her neck, untying the silk handkerchief someone had tied around it. She threw it to the floor, her fingers already examining the two raised bumps on the side of her neck, evenly spaced and perfectly round. Her fingers flew off her neck, and she looked down at them in loathing. Again. It had happened again. Laying back, she stared at the high stone ceiling. Why her? She already had enough against her, without his attention. She already was despised for her strange appearance. In a village of dark farmers, her fair hair, ice-green eyes and pale skin brought enough unwanted attention. Not to mention the mark on her neck, or her malformed teeth. Thinking made her restless. She thrashed around the wide bed, cold. It used to be that Velkan would wake up at the slightest movement from her. It used to him that kept her warm. 'It also used to be,' she thought to herself, 'that he was alive.' Awash in thoughts of regret and anger, she fell back into a troubled sleep. In her dreams, wing flaps followed her.
Van Helsing looked across the courtyard, to the backs of toiling farmers. His eyes were particularly focused on a blonde figure, carrying rocks away from the field. She was easy to spot, being a head shorter than most of the men and women working, and with her hair like a banner, whipping above her head. Anna quietly walked up beside him. She smiled grimly. "She still works out in the fields. Even after she and Velkan became engaged, she continued to work with the villagers. Velkan hated it. About once a month they had a tremendous fight over it. My brother always thought she was 'working below her status'. Chesshika reminded him that before, she had been even lower then most of the farmers. She was alone, strange, in a remote village. She's been shunned for most of her life. Then Velkan found her. Fell in love with her. Never was apart from her. Gradually, the people accepted it. Stranger things have happened up here. He showered her with affection. Nothing was too good for her. He bought her a horse, clothing, jewels. My father let it all pass. He said it was up to Velkan. Now, she's just apart from us all again." "How do you mean, apart? "You can see it in her eyes. She's somewhere else. She may live here and work here. She may be tied to this land by her heritage and my brother's death, but she's always connected deeper." "Do you like her?" "I love her. She's my sister by my brother's intentions. Chesshika, she's a good person. Intelligent, courageous, loyal. But at the same time, I can never tell if she's human. Something about her, it seems evil. Wrong. It's not her personality, but every so often, you touch on something in her that seems unnatural." Van Helsing looked out at the girl, then back at Anna. "Would you like me to talk to her?" Anna looked back at him. "If you want."
Chesshika sat down on the well's edge in the village square. She kicked her boots off, and rolled her loose pant legs up. From beside her, she lifted up a bucket of water and poured it over her head. She tilted her head back, letting the water run down the back of her neck and down her back. "Better?" a deep voice asked from behind her. She spun around, bucket still in hand. A tall man stood near her, a stranger to her. "Yes," she replied. "And you are?" "Van Helsing. I'm here to...take care of something." "Dracula." "Yes. How could you guess?" "We have a few that come in every few years. Your clothing is enough in it's self. Black long jacket? Wide-brimmed hat? It screams monster hunter. I hope you fare better then the rest of them." "What happens to them?" Chesshika tilted her head up to look at him. "They don't come back," she told him flatly. Van Helsing looked seriously at her. "Can I talk with you for a few minutes?" Chesshika considered. "Yes," she said finally. "Let's go back to the manor." "You live there." It wasn't a question. Van Helsing stated it. Chesshika looked at him closely. "Yes, I do now." "You didn't always." Another statement. "No. I lived as a common villager here before, but I suppose you already know that." "Yes." Van Helsing answered. As they walked toward the manor, he noticed that he was having trouble keeping up with the girl, even though she was at least a foot and a half shorter. Chesshika moved with a sort of unnatural grace, moving easily in her own skin in a way that reminded Van Helsing of a cat. A dangerous one.
Chesshika took him up to the tower. He was slightly surprised, but then realized that Chesshika knew exactly what was going on. With one voyager, there was usually another. The door opened with Carl sitting at a large table, looking at a map in a book, and she wasn't let down. "Well, well, well. Who have we here?" she asked. Carl looked up. His mouth made a silent 'O', and Chesshika stood feet planted wide, hands on her hips. Finally, words fell out of his mouth. "You're the girl they brought in last night! With the red mark! The one that Dracula's after!" A faint smile turned up the corners of Chesshika's mouth. "Correct. And you are?" Van Helsing stepped in front of her. "His name is Carl. He's a friar." "Friend of yours?" "Yes." "Doing the reading on the subject?" "Yes." Chesshika cut her eyes to Carl. "Put the books and scrolls away. You don't need them." Carl looked confused, eyebrows furrowed. "What?" Chesshika repeated herself. "Put the books away." Carl closed the cover of the book in his hand, and placed it on the table. "But why?" Chesshika smiled humorlessly. "Well, you have me here now, don't you?" She gracefully sank into a nearby chair, gesturing at two others for Van Helsing and Carl to sit in. "Well, I said we could talk. Talk." Van Helsing leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on his knees. "Where did you come from?" "Translyvanian bred and born." "And your parents?" "I have no idea. I never knew them." "How did they die?" "I don't know." "Why?" "I've always been an orphan. For as long as I've known I've been on my own," Chesshika said in a steely voice. "Fine. Anna says you were engaged to her brother, Velkan." "I was." "How did you meet him?" "In this village." "How long have you known each other?" "How long DID we know each other. He's dead now." "I'm aware of that. I'm sorry. How long DID you know each other for?" "Years. Since I was seventeen." "And how old are you now?" "Twenty." "How long were you engaged?" "Three years. Since the year we became close." "Long time. What happened to him?" "I know you know that." "I do, but I'd like to hear it from you." "Being the first born son; the boyar, or lord or prince; and second to last member of the Valerious family of boyars, he and Anna are the only ones left standing between Dracula and his true immortality. So Dracula captured him. Let a werewolf loose on him. Something went wrong with the plan to save him. He went over the abyss's edge trying to save Anna. With the werewolf." "How long ago was this?" "Two months." "And how long have you been hunted by Dracula?" "Since I was sixteen. Six years." "Since before Velkan knew you." "...slightly." "What do you mean, slightly?" Van Helsing asked, raising an eyebrow. "When you said knew, I thought you meant knew well. I'd known Velkan since I was fourteen." Chesshika yawned at the end of her sentence, covering her mouth with a slender hand. She caught Carl staring at her mouth and smiled widely, showing her large fangs and the normal canines in a clashing smile. He looked away quickly. She turned back to Van Helsing, who was frowning. "I've gotten used to the looks."she stated. "So Dracula started stalking you after you knew Velkan." "Yes." "Why do you suppose?" Chesshika rose swiftly and fluidly. "I have no idea. How am I supposed to fathom the way he thinks?" Van Helsing rose as well, and gestured back to her seat. "Please, sit down. I didn't mean to insult you." Chesshika sat again, eyes hard. "So do you think he started to stalk you to torment Velkan?" "No. Not at first. But maybe after." "Why do you say that?" Chesshika leaned back in her chair and narrowed her eyes. Van Helsing looked closely, observing that her eyes narrowed into slits like a feline's. Odd.
"The first time he definitely didn't give a shyte about me. I was just going to be a meal." She closed her eyes, in thought. Inside her mind, she played the scene back, narrating for Van Helsing' and Carl's benefit.
"It was late. I was stupid, going out into the fields late after dark. I wanted to look at the stars. It was a clear night out. That was why he found me.
I had fallen asleep. I didn't wake up until he was right next to me. I threw my arm out to try to stop him." She gestured the movement, throwing her left arm out with her palm flat. "He grabbed my hand and laughed. I screamed. He covered my mouth and bent my head back." She paused.
"Then what?" Carl asked eagerly. Chesshika glared at him, and he was struck by the feeling of scorn. "Sorry."
"Then he...stopped. He had seen the mark in the moonlight. He took his hand off my mouth and looked at me hard. It made my skin crawl. He looked at me and said, "That would make killing you a shame." I didn't say anything. I couldn't. Before I knew what he was doing, he bit me in the neck, here." She pointed to the left side of her neck. "He only took a swallow. Then he let go of my head, licked my neck where I was still bleeding, and kissed it." Then she smiled in her narration, as if recalling a fond memory. "I scratched him then. He growled, and I slid backward. Then he laughed. He said I had spirit, and that he'd be back for me again. Then he turned into a giant bat and flew away, leaving me there. I passed out. They found me in the morning."
"That was the first time?" Van Helsing asked, riveted by the story.
"Yes."
"And how many more times has this happened?"
Chesshika grimaced. "Numerous. I can't count them all. Somewhere around twenty times now. Maybe more."
"That's a lot. You should be more careful."
Chesshika's eyes sparked. "That's what Velkan told me. I can take care of myself."
"Velkan told you that? Why didn't you listen to him?"
She locked eyes with him. "Have you ever tried not being bitten by a vampire?" she asked him in a dangerous voice, soft yet full of malice.
"No. I don't suppose it's easy."
"You've never been bitten."
"No, I haven't."
"Hope that you aren't. It's not pleasant if you struggle. If you let them, it can be quite satisfying though."
"What do you mean?"
"The rhythm of having your blood sucked out of you can be quite seductive. They can transfix you with their eyes, hold you under their spell. After awhile, you get used to it."
"What did Velkan do about this?"
"What could Velkan do about it? He tried everything. Trying to find Dracula, trying to bargain with him, locking me in my room. I hated that one. He knew I did too, and couldn't stand to hold me in there. Nothing worked. Velkan was weak. He was trying to save me. Sooner or later, he would have lost me to one of the sides."
"What do you mean?"
"One, Dracula is hunting me. That alone is enough to send the villagers after me. If you knew that there was some chance that someone would be killing your family, wouldn't you kill them before they got the chance? There's no lost love between them and I, but I know what they mean."
"The villagers?"
"Yes."
"And the other?"
"Look at me."
"You stand out too much."
"Rumor travels fast."
"You're different."
"And difference is a dangerous thing here. The same looks that attracted Velkan and Dracula to me are a curse for me in the village, in this country. We're steeped in superstition and fear here. My abnormalities only help to distance that gap."
"Why do you stay?"
"Why could I leave?" she shot back.
"Did you love him?"
"Velkan?"
"Yes."
"Of course I loved him. He was my friend, my protector, my confidante, my lover."
There was a soft knock on the door, and all three turned to look. It opened, and Anna stepped in. "I thought you would be here." She looked at Chesshika and smiled. "How are you?" Chesshika gave her a genuine smile back. "Fine. And you?"
"The same."
"Good." Chesshika directed her pale ice-green eyes back at Van Helsing and Carl. "If you are through with me..." she said, letting the ending hang for room of answer. "No, we're not. I have something that I want to try with you." Carl interrupted. Chesshika looked interested. "And that would be...?"