"I'm OK," she whispered as he reached her. "I just feel tired."
"It's a miracle," he declared in awe as he ran a hand through her hair.
Arene looked across to where Nicola was leaning over Dracula. "Are they OK?" she asked with concern.
Just then Dracula sat up and stared around him. Van Helsing helped Arene stand and they hurried over.
Arene and Van Helsing hurried over to the fallen Count and his bride. Dracula and Nicola looked at them as they approached. Van Helsing kept Arene close to him at all times, but once they reached them she broke away and ran to her friend.
"Nicola," she whispered, "are you okay?" She placed a hand on her friends shoulder.
"Yes," Nicola nodded, before embracing the younger girl tightly. "Thank you."
Arene smiled and quietly laughed nervously. "I don't even know what I did."
The Count looked at the three people close to him, until his eyes rested on Arene. There was something about him now.... he was not what he used to be. Very slowly, he reached out and touched Arene's hand. Van Helsing reacted at once, reaching for his weapon, but Dracula shook his head.
"I don't want to hurt her." He lifted the girl's hand and gently placed it on his heart. Arene let her hand remain there for a moment, before she screamed and backed away from all of them. She was breathing very quickly.
"Oh my god......he's human," she whispered.
Nicola turned to Dracula with happiness in her eyes, not daring to believe what she had just heard. He smiled at her and nodded before the two embraced, tears flowing down their cheeks. Even Van Helsing could feel a tear come to his eye.
"I don't understand," Nicola said after a moment, looking at Van Helsing. "How did this miracle come to pass?"
"It was that light," Dracula whispered. "Once it touched my heart, I felt all the traces of being undead erased."
Arene stood off a good way away. She knew she should have been happy, but she was shaking and frightened. What had she done? What was the magic inside her? Had she even been able to control it or was it controlling her? But.... if it was.... why had she felt so happy and loved? She stared at them and then bolted from the room, running down the hallway.