Chapter Four: A Lonely Dance
For an event hosted by the most evil being on earth, the ball was stunning.
Anna gasped as she entered on the arm of the count. There were lavish decorations, flame throwers, acrobats, singers, musicians, and hundreds of extravagant ballroom dancers that spun endlessly around the room. Anna assumed they were the aristocrats of Transylvania, the likes of which had nothing to do with gypsies such as herself.
When the huge doors were opened to reveal Count Dracula and his partner, all action in the ballroom ceased. Acrobats and singers stopped performing, and all the guests stopped dancing to all look over at their host. Then, everyone in the chamber bowed low to Dracula at the same time, a wordless sea of masked faces. The count smiled and inclined his head slightly in greeting, and Anna, feeling all eyes on her, found herself doing the same.
At once, noise and dancing resumed and the doors closed again. Anna was left standing next to Dracula, who looked down at her through the mask and smiled. "Come, my Anna. Let us...dance."
Dance they did.
Anna was mildly shocked to find herself spinning a complicated waltz, performing moves she never heard of, let alone seen or carried out. As Dracula's thrall took a deeper hold on her, she gradually stopped thinking and slipped away into a world of music and dancing that never, ever, stopped. The count's icy grip never relaxed, and she began not to mind.
Then the dance changed, and for a moment the dancing halted. Anna was barely aware of unrecognizable faces moving past her, staring, talking among themselves, and then Dracula reached up and gently removed her mask, letting it fall to the floor. This unexpected movement jolted Anna momentarily out of her stupefied state, and she gazed up at Dracula in anger. Before she could say anything, the hypnotic dance began once more, and off they went, twirling and spinning across the dance floor.
During a lull in the music, the count leaned slowly in, opening his mouth and forcing Anna closer. Horrified, she struggled, but felt her mouth meeting his and soon she was locked in a 'passionate' kiss. Being entwined with Dracula's body and having his tongue inside her mouth made her sick and furious. She let out a groan and managed to jerk away. He laughed softly and forced her back so that he was leaning over her. "How does it feel to be a puppet on my string?" he asked mockingly before Anna was lifted up and the dance continued.
With a jolt of reality, Anna remembered their conversation on the stairs right before the ball. Do not fear, Anna. he had said to her. Your dear Gabriel shall be at the dance also, with the monster. You, for a monster. A good trade, no?
With a sick feeling, she realized now what he was talking about. He had managed to lure Van Helsing here, no doubt under the promise that he would return Anna if Gabriel handed over the Creature. Noཀ She would not let it happen. If Dracula had the monster his children would be ressurected and vampires would rule the world. The fate of the world was more important than her fate, or even that of her family. It was a hard decision, but she knew it was the right one.
Anna could feel herself getting drawn into the thrall once more, and she said weakly, "I won't let you trade me, Countཀ"
Her partner looked down at her, somewhat surprised, before saying laughingly, "I have no intention of trading you. And if I know Van Helsing, which I do, he does not plan on making a trade either." With that, he spun her around so fast that Anna was dizzy.
Her mind barely registered this new information before she was entrapped in Dracula's spell and the dance once more. The count said then, almost to himself, "Neither of us has ever settled for half."
Soon, they stopped again and Dracula was behind her now, fingering her arms and touching her neck lightly with his lips.
Thoroughly disgusted, Anna growled, "You make my skin crawlཀ"
"That's not all I could do with your skin," came the reply. Anna shivered as she felt his hands and mouth come into contact with her body. When he abruptly took off again, and she once more felt her feet performing a waltz, she was almost grateful.
Suddenly he stopped and forced Anna to lean far back, held up only by his arm. Stunned, she looked up at him, saw where he was looking, and turned.
It was the most shocking thing she had seen all night, and she gasped in fear. There, in a huge full length mirror, was her reflection...but only hers. There she was, bent over backwards by an unseen force, holding on to thin air. In the mirror, the room was empty but for a lone girl in a bright red dress. There were no dancers, no singers, no acrobats. There was no Count Dracula. She was alone, and of course it could only mean one thing.
"Oh. My. God." It was all she could say.
There was a trace of—bitterness? resignment?—in Dracula's voice as he yanked her up again, saying, "Don't we make a lovely couple?" Anna could not reply.
Dracula pressed Anna against him and she saw her hand moving up over his chest, to where his heart should be. It was silent. "You have no heartbeat!" she gasped, half in fear and half in wonderment.
"Perhaps," said Dracula as he forced her down, down, so he was looming over her like a dark shadow, "it just needs to be rekindled..." She shivered as he caressed her bare skin, moving up to her neck and flicking a stray hair away. Anna was looking right into his eyes now, and she watched in horrified, frozen fascination as they turned blue and his teeth elongated into sharp fangs.
Feeling weak, dazed, and more than a little confused, she leaned her head back and waited for the sting as those sharp teeth moved closer to her exposed neck.
A/N: Hi! Hope you like this chapter, it was fun to write, lol. I know I didn't change it much, but that's kinda the point. I want to simply elaborate on the scene (my favorite in the movie) and explain things a little more. So if you were expecting me to alter it a little, sorry! Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed, much appreciated. I love seeing what people think about my stories!
the Widow Dracula: I really like your reviews, long and informative! Thanks. Yes, I thought about breaking off from Anna's POV but decided not to because I just want it to be about Anna, not anyone else...yet. In Chapter 5 and so on I will. But thanks!
Ally: Sorry, no Anna x Dracula...at least in this story! I'm writing another one that is.
Clove and punk rock princess: Thank you! More to come...very soon.