Adrian wakes, curled in a little ball, on cold, damp-feeling stone, every
muscle in her body throbbing in pain. She manages to open her eyes only to
have to wait for them to adjust to the darkness. Four dirty stonewalls with
clumps of green moss in the cracks surround her, and there is a bar door
leading out to a hall on the other side of the room. She feels weight
around her wrists and hears the jingle of chains against stone as she
attempts to move. Wrapping her fingers around one chain she heaves herself
into a sitting position and follows the chain to a spot on the wall where
it is securely attached. Adrian lets out a tired sigh and she leans her
aching back against the cool stone, closing her eyes to rest. Something
brushes past her causing her eyes to fly open. She looks to her side and
seeing no one scans the darkness of the room she is chained to. Something
passes by her again and instinct forces her to stand but she stumbles to
her knees as every muscle and joint reject the sudden movement.
"I'm glade you think you still have the strength to fight." A voice says suddenly. Adrian turns and looks at a corner of the room to see the outline of Dracula standing on the ceiling. She makes another shaky attempt to stand and succeeds by leaning against the wall. He laughs, "It does not seem like your body agrees with your mind."
Adrian slides back to the floor and tries to act normally. She looks at her chained wrists and pulls at them until they hold fast. Messing with one of her shackles, she looks back at Dracula, "I know I fought well but are these really necessary?"
He began walking toward her, still on the ceiling. "Its only until I can assure that you are not going to attack me again."
"Ah, yes. How did the cuts heal?" she asks smugly.
He jumps to the ground in front of her and unbuttons his shirt, showing perfect skin. "I think they are doing better then yours." He keeps his shirt open and sits on the ground facing her. "So tell me. Was that your first change? I'm guessing it was, for when I tasted your blood it convinced even me that you were mortal."
She pulls her gaze away from his pale chest and looks into his emotionless eyes, "Sorry that you're loosing you touch. Yea it was my first change, but I was avoiding it pretty well until you ruined it." She looks at her hands in confusion. "Why aren't I furry now?"
"The rain clouds have taken care of that."
She gives him an evil look, "It can't rain forever."
Dracula stands and begins buttoning his shirt, "Correct. Out there in town, it cannot rain all of the time. But, we are no longer at the good Dr. Frankenstein's castle, we are at mine and here there are always clouds covering the sky."
He takes a step back as Adrian lunges at him, held back by the chains. "Damn you! You fuckin' coward!" She breathes heavily and tries to talk little calmer. "Tell me, why is a vampire who considers himself so high and mighty keep a new werewolf chained in his basement?"
Dracula pushes backwards hard with one hand and watches as her back hits the wall and she dizzily sits down. He turns away and opens the door, "I'll be back in around two days. Try not to chew your own hand off." He shuts the door behind himself and Adrian is left listening to the echo of his footsteps down the hall.
For the first few hours, Adrian rubs her hurting joints and relaxes, taking deep breaths and staying still until she was pretty sure she could stand and walk on her own. Then for a few more hours she paced the floor as far as she could reach and walked in circles around her cage. As her feet began to hurt, she lay on her stomach and plucked at the moss and examined her chains and shackles closer. The chains both met the same spot on the wall where they were seemingly welded to a thick piece of metal that was looped like a U and buried deep in the stone. Adrian found out rather painfully that it was impossible to pull the metal from the wall with her hands because of it being made of strong silver and yanking on the chains did nothing. Each shackle had a small keyhole where the chain met the steel, but her clothes had been ripped again when she shape-shifted and anything that she was carrying was now gone. She sat very quiet for a long time trying to think of any way of escaping. A faint sound came to her ears. Someone was coming. It wasn't a vampire because it made to much noise and it wasn't Igor because it walked normal. Then she heard humming, it was a servant coming down the hall. She needed to use this to her advantage what could she say? Adrian stood up and walked as far towards the door as she could. Then when the servant was close she called out in her sweetest voice, "Is someone there?"
The footsteps stopped for a moment then very slowly walked into view. It was an older woman, possibly in her 40s and looked very jumpy. "Are you a new prisoner?" she asked carefully, "The Master didn't tell me that you were here."
This might just work out after all. She thought back to what Marishka had talked to her about before Dracula came. "My Master doesn't know I am down here." She forced tears to form in her eyes and looked down. "I am to be his next bride but Verona locked me in here hoping that our Master wouldn't find me. I've been down here for days."
The servant was buying it. "Poor Mistress. I can go and inform the Master for you."
"Oh no please. If you do that, then Verona will kill you. I am not as cold as she is and cannot see that happen."
"Then what would you like me to do?"
"Where is Marishka? Is it possible to tell her with out Verona knowing?"
"Marishka is still at castle Frankenstein and I am not permitted to leave this castle."
Adrian sinks to the floor and begins to sob, hoping to belief and pity from the woman. "My Master must be worried about me. What if he thinks I have left him and is angry with me?"
"I can help you Mistress." The servant says, and then Adrian hears the door open. She continues crying so as not to ruin the act. She puts a hand on Adrian's shoulder sympathetically. Adrian looks up at the servant as she removes a key from her pocket and bends down, unlocking the shackles.
Adrian stands slowly and looks at the woman, feeling a little sorry for her when Dracula would find out about this. "I'm still afraid if my Master is mad at me. Has he seemed angry to you?"
"No Mistress, although he hides his emotions well." They walk out of the cell together.
Adrian thanked the servant saying, "I promise you that Verona will not know how I was freed from the cell she put me in." The servant smiled and she turned to leave but Adrian reached out and touched her shoulder. "I know this may sound odd but how do I leave the basement? I have only been in castle Frankenstein and his bedroom in this castle."
The servant looked at her confused and Adrian hoped she hadn't blown it. "Walk down the hall then take a right. Up the stairs then left through the doors. To get to his room, just walk down the corridor and the third hall on your right. Up the flight of stairs and it's the last door at the end of the hallway. He should be in his room now unless he is at castle Frankenstein. Please be careful of Verona."
"Thank you." they both turned and went their different ways.
"I'm glade you think you still have the strength to fight." A voice says suddenly. Adrian turns and looks at a corner of the room to see the outline of Dracula standing on the ceiling. She makes another shaky attempt to stand and succeeds by leaning against the wall. He laughs, "It does not seem like your body agrees with your mind."
Adrian slides back to the floor and tries to act normally. She looks at her chained wrists and pulls at them until they hold fast. Messing with one of her shackles, she looks back at Dracula, "I know I fought well but are these really necessary?"
He began walking toward her, still on the ceiling. "Its only until I can assure that you are not going to attack me again."
"Ah, yes. How did the cuts heal?" she asks smugly.
He jumps to the ground in front of her and unbuttons his shirt, showing perfect skin. "I think they are doing better then yours." He keeps his shirt open and sits on the ground facing her. "So tell me. Was that your first change? I'm guessing it was, for when I tasted your blood it convinced even me that you were mortal."
She pulls her gaze away from his pale chest and looks into his emotionless eyes, "Sorry that you're loosing you touch. Yea it was my first change, but I was avoiding it pretty well until you ruined it." She looks at her hands in confusion. "Why aren't I furry now?"
"The rain clouds have taken care of that."
She gives him an evil look, "It can't rain forever."
Dracula stands and begins buttoning his shirt, "Correct. Out there in town, it cannot rain all of the time. But, we are no longer at the good Dr. Frankenstein's castle, we are at mine and here there are always clouds covering the sky."
He takes a step back as Adrian lunges at him, held back by the chains. "Damn you! You fuckin' coward!" She breathes heavily and tries to talk little calmer. "Tell me, why is a vampire who considers himself so high and mighty keep a new werewolf chained in his basement?"
Dracula pushes backwards hard with one hand and watches as her back hits the wall and she dizzily sits down. He turns away and opens the door, "I'll be back in around two days. Try not to chew your own hand off." He shuts the door behind himself and Adrian is left listening to the echo of his footsteps down the hall.
For the first few hours, Adrian rubs her hurting joints and relaxes, taking deep breaths and staying still until she was pretty sure she could stand and walk on her own. Then for a few more hours she paced the floor as far as she could reach and walked in circles around her cage. As her feet began to hurt, she lay on her stomach and plucked at the moss and examined her chains and shackles closer. The chains both met the same spot on the wall where they were seemingly welded to a thick piece of metal that was looped like a U and buried deep in the stone. Adrian found out rather painfully that it was impossible to pull the metal from the wall with her hands because of it being made of strong silver and yanking on the chains did nothing. Each shackle had a small keyhole where the chain met the steel, but her clothes had been ripped again when she shape-shifted and anything that she was carrying was now gone. She sat very quiet for a long time trying to think of any way of escaping. A faint sound came to her ears. Someone was coming. It wasn't a vampire because it made to much noise and it wasn't Igor because it walked normal. Then she heard humming, it was a servant coming down the hall. She needed to use this to her advantage what could she say? Adrian stood up and walked as far towards the door as she could. Then when the servant was close she called out in her sweetest voice, "Is someone there?"
The footsteps stopped for a moment then very slowly walked into view. It was an older woman, possibly in her 40s and looked very jumpy. "Are you a new prisoner?" she asked carefully, "The Master didn't tell me that you were here."
This might just work out after all. She thought back to what Marishka had talked to her about before Dracula came. "My Master doesn't know I am down here." She forced tears to form in her eyes and looked down. "I am to be his next bride but Verona locked me in here hoping that our Master wouldn't find me. I've been down here for days."
The servant was buying it. "Poor Mistress. I can go and inform the Master for you."
"Oh no please. If you do that, then Verona will kill you. I am not as cold as she is and cannot see that happen."
"Then what would you like me to do?"
"Where is Marishka? Is it possible to tell her with out Verona knowing?"
"Marishka is still at castle Frankenstein and I am not permitted to leave this castle."
Adrian sinks to the floor and begins to sob, hoping to belief and pity from the woman. "My Master must be worried about me. What if he thinks I have left him and is angry with me?"
"I can help you Mistress." The servant says, and then Adrian hears the door open. She continues crying so as not to ruin the act. She puts a hand on Adrian's shoulder sympathetically. Adrian looks up at the servant as she removes a key from her pocket and bends down, unlocking the shackles.
Adrian stands slowly and looks at the woman, feeling a little sorry for her when Dracula would find out about this. "I'm still afraid if my Master is mad at me. Has he seemed angry to you?"
"No Mistress, although he hides his emotions well." They walk out of the cell together.
Adrian thanked the servant saying, "I promise you that Verona will not know how I was freed from the cell she put me in." The servant smiled and she turned to leave but Adrian reached out and touched her shoulder. "I know this may sound odd but how do I leave the basement? I have only been in castle Frankenstein and his bedroom in this castle."
The servant looked at her confused and Adrian hoped she hadn't blown it. "Walk down the hall then take a right. Up the stairs then left through the doors. To get to his room, just walk down the corridor and the third hall on your right. Up the flight of stairs and it's the last door at the end of the hallway. He should be in his room now unless he is at castle Frankenstein. Please be careful of Verona."
"Thank you." they both turned and went their different ways.