I opened my eyes for what seemed like the millionth time in the past couple of hours. Why they had to keep knocking me out, I didn't know. All I knew was I wished they'd stop doing it. Above me was a huge beautiful chandelier, of which I had seen before. I slowly turned my head to the side and saw a huge double winding staircase and walls filled with statues, busts, shields, spears, cutlasses, axes, swords, and other weapons. By this time I was fully awake. I jolted up and looked around me more. It couldn't be, but it was. I started to get up, grabbing hold of my backpack as I did so. Never once did I take my eyes off the walls around me. I looked down at the floor and followed the designs on up to the huge 'M' in the middle.
I was in the Merovingian's chateau!
"But how...?" I softly whispered.
"I can tell you how."
I turned my eyes up to the top of the stairs to see the Merovingian leaning on the banister, Cain and Abel at his side.
"But you'd probably laugh at me like you did before."
I'm telling you, this man was really starting to irritate me. My nose flared a little as I softly sighed a sigh to ease my irritation that was building up inside. I smiled and crossed my arms.
"Let me guess, this is some sort of sick joke. You knocked me out, set up this marvelous stage prop and placed me in the middle to make me think I'm in your chateau. Am I correct?"
"No." The Mero frowned.
"Aw, don't tell me you got this off EBay."
"Come now, don't be ridiculous." The Mero almost laughed.
"Could it be one of those candid camera flings? We'll all have a big laugh after all of this is over with." I smirked.
"Wrong again, Miss Merryweather." The Mero said in his utterly classy voice (come on give me a break). I rolled my eyes and kept my cool as the Merovingian made his way down the stairs and up to me. "Actually, Miss Merryweather, you are in the Matrix itself!"
"Welcome to the Matrix." Cain grinned as he approached us.
"How can it be?" I dropped my arms to my sides and stared at the Mero. "I have no..." I automatically reached behind my head.
The Mero chuckled.
"Aw come on, you're all pulling my leg here. The Matrix isn't even real." I looked at Cain and Abel. "It's a movie! Science fiction! Make believe, even."
Cain, at that moment, grabbed onto my arm and twisted it, sending a shooting pain through it. I gasped and looked into his face.
"Is this science fiction?" He smiled, then turned me loose.
"We are in fact, in the Matrix, and that pain you just felt is indeed real, Miss Merryweather."
For awhile I stood, stunned, and stared at the Mero. He grinned evilly at me.
"What do you want from me?" I finally said, barely above a whisper. Much to my discomfort, the Merovingian pushed himself up in my face and sneered.
"Revenge!" He said through his teeth.
"Well you don't have to shout." I said, sarcastically.
"You think this is funny don't you? You think all of zis is a big joke and any moment the punch line will be revealed. Well let me tell you this, Miss Merryweather, it is no joke. It is completely real whether if you like it or not. You ruined my plans for world domination the last time, and believe me this time you will not win." The Mero turned to walk away. "Oh! That reminds me, there is no punch line, Miss Merryweather."
With that last comment, the Mero tipped his head and walked out of the foyer.
"Just what do you expect to do with me now that you have me?" I shouted to the Mero. A few minutes passed and the Mero returned with his hands behind his back.
"What will I do with you? You are mine now. There's no going back to your world. You will remain here forever until you die. And in that time I will see to it that your stay is most uncomfortable." The Mero smiled.
"You are a sick and twisted man!" I shouted back to him.
He only chuckled to himself before leaving again. Cain and Abel turned and followed him.
"What? You're going to leave your prisoner unguarded?"
"Why not? There's no way out of here." Abel laughed before slamming the door shut.
Great! Here I was alone in a sicko's mansion with goodness knows what running loose. The Merovingian had vampire henchmen. What was I to do if I came upon them? At that moment I started to feel lonely and afraid. The Merovingian also had ghost henchmen, or at least he did. The Twins were still in my world and had no idea what was going on. I knew they'd try and find me though. Two wouldn't give up on me. Not knowing what else to do, I started to sing to myself. My voice (that everyone I knew said was so beautiful) echoed through the huge cold foyer like an angel's voice. I sung louder and louder. Every time I did, it'd make me happy.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, something fell down in front of me and made me stop my singing.
"What is that noise?" The thing in front of me said in a gritty and hissy voice. It took me a moment to make out what it was, and then it stood up straight and peered at me. It was one of the vampires! He was tall and wore black, tight fitting clothes that had a silver bat and other designs embroidered in places. His face was pale and he had snow white hair that stuck up in spikes. It continued to stare at me while baring its fangs.
"I said, what is that noise?"
"I-it was me singing." I answered in a low voice.
"Singing?!" The vampire tilted its head a little. "Don't you know that the master doesn't like that type of singing?"
"No I didn't. Why doesn't he like that type of singing?"
"Too joyful, too beautiful, too... heavenly." The vampire sneered and hissed the words through his fangs like a snake. His voice sounded more impish than a vampire.
I looked at him in a puzzled way, almost having to fight back a laugh at the creature.
"Ah! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Vampueslome. And what is your name?"
"None of your business."
The vampire snorted then slunk around me, looking me over. A couple of times he sniffed at me like a dog would.
"What are you doing?" I asked while watching the creature with great interest.
"Trying to decide whether to eat you," The vampire once again smiled. "Or play with you for awhile."
I rolled my eyes and sighed. Already this 'thing' was making me sick.
"Go away." I said.
"Why? I live here don't I?" The vampire ran and jumped up on the banister and perched himself there.
"You're only a prisoner and I live here, so you go away."
"I'll go when I'm ready."
Before I knew what had happened, the vampire suddenly leapt from the banister and onto me, knocking me back onto the floor. It pushed its deadly pale face close to mine and hissed through its teeth.
"Don't you like Vampueslome?" It sneered.
"No! And please get off me!" I struggled to get out from under the vampire, but he wasn't going to let me up.
"Hey, what's this?" the vampire said while fingering a shiny chain that was strung around my neck and tucked down in my shirt.
"Go ahead and pull it out if you want to know." I smirked. The vampire stopped and stared at my face for a few minutes then looked back at the chain. For a moment the creature almost looked paler than he actually was. "I don't mind, go ahead and pull it out."
Vampueslome let the chain slowly slip out from between his fingers.
"I'm not that curious." He softly said, before rolling off me. After getting on my feet again and brushing the dirt off, I looked at the vampire and sighed.
"Aren't you a little bit attracted to me?" He asked in a bewildered tone.
"No!" I snapped.
Vampueslome lowered his head in a sulky mood.
"Ah! I know what it is. You've got a boyfriend already!"
I slowly turned my head to the vampire.
"Am I correct?" he grinned a toothy grin which showed his needle-like fangs. One thing I had to say for him is that he was a rather unusual vampire. His teeth looked more like needles than they did normal vampire fangs. And were his eyes purple?
"Yes, you are correct." I sighed.
"Thought so!" Vampueslome chuckled. "Come on, tell me who it is."
I gave Vampueslome a stern stare.
"Please?" Vampueslome smiled. "Is he a better looking vampire than I am?"
"He's not a vampire, he..."
Vampueslome's head perked.
"He's a ghost."
"Oooo... a ghost! Master used to have a couple of ghosts, but they aren't apart of us anymore."
"You don't say?" I said under my breath.
Vampueslome suddenly took a jolt toward me without any warning at all and wrapped his arms around me.
"What on earth are you doing?!" I shouted while trying to pry his arms loose of me.
"Give me a hug!!"
"Not on your life! Now I'll thank you to turn me loose!"
It was clear that Vampueslome wasn't going to let me go. I struggled with him for a few minutes, but he was determined to keep himself latched onto me. Finally I resulted to the next best thing, which was slapping him upside the face. The vampire quickly turned loose of my body and slunk away.
"You don't like Vampueslome." He sniveled. Vampueslome stood there a few minutes, then fell to the floor and started bawling like a child. I stood there, eyes wide, and stared at the unbelievable tantrum throwing vampire. I didn't think too much about it at the time. I figured it was just another trick to get me to feel sorry for him enough for him to flirt with me some more. The tantrum went on for a good two minutes or more with loud crying and unusual noises I had never heard before, some of which sent chills down my back.
Then he stopped.
Somehow I felt we weren't alone now and, looking up, I saw a bunch of vampires coming out of every crevice and door that was around the foyer, vampires of every shape and size imaginable. They all came out into the open and circled around me and Vampueslome.
"Eh, boy." I whispered to myself while looking around at all the gruesome faces of the vamps. I then turned back to Vampueslome.
"You'll be sorry now!" he said, rubbing his cheek where I had slapped him.
Author's Note: Vampueslome is my own character that I created and made at the last minute around 2 in the morning. So he's not part of the original 'official' Matrix cast, for anyone who may not know. Like Angel, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't use him in your own stories without my permission. And here is the way you pronounce his name correctly: vam-pew- slum.