Note: ok this is gonna be a very angsty chapter so be warned.
Disclaimer: I own my friends that's all. (Friends glare) ok ….. maybe not.
Chapter 58
Bob drove them as far into the woods as Van Helsing would allow before stopping on the edge of a large lake, a rock formation nearby hiding the coach in its deep shadows.
Van Helsing prepared a campfire to warm Anna who was shaking badly.
"Thank you" she said gratefully as he handed her a bottle of Absinthe.
He shrugged and sat opposite her beside the fire "Always helps me to feel better." He commented prompting a brief smile from the girl before she took a deep swig of the liquid and passed the bottle over to him, he mimicked her and sighed happily as the fiery substance burnt its way towards his stomach.
Jory settled himself next to the hunter "Can I try some?" he asked reaching for the bottle.
Van Helsing grinned "Think you can handle it?"
Bob appeared "You're talking to the boy who drank shampoo one time…" Van Helsing and Anna gave him a puzzled look. "He can handle it," he confirmed taking a seat.
Jory gleefully took the bottle and held it to his lips.
"Don't let it touch your tongue." Anna instructed too late as Jory took a huge mouthful, gasping and choking violently as it burnt his tongue.
Van Helsing hit him on the back to ease his spluttering, laughing as he did so.
Anna laughed "I told you, that stuff will knock you on your ass." She said grinning.
By the time the rest of the group had settled around the fire Jory was completely pissed.
Amie settled herself next to him, prompting him to turn and regard her with a goofy grin.
"Hi Jory" she said sweetly.
"My face is numb!" he announced grinning. "I can't feel my nose!" he erupted into high-pitched giggles. Van Helsing and Anna laughed at the look of confusion on Amie's face.
"He's drunk," whispered Bob helpfully.
"From this." Added Marston. He passed her the bottle of strong smelling blue liquid. Her eyes grew wide as she read the label.
"You gave him Absinthe! That's like pure alcohol!"
"Not pure, more like 90" grinned Chris.
Jory promptly lent over and hugged him, Chris blinked and awkwardly patted his back.
"I love you Murray." Jory said seriously. Everyone laughed as Chris forcefully pushed him away.
Marston patted his arm "I've only had a sip so I just think you're nice." He assured him.
Anna smiled at Van Helsing who found himself returning it, he watched her become more like the Anna he knew. Ever since they had left the palace she had been unusually silent staring into space for most of the ride.
It had been his concern for her, which had prompted him to find a safe spot to rest briefly before continuing back to the manor. That… and his concern for another member of his charges, he looked over and saw Sarah sitting alone by the edge of the lake.
The rest of the group all looked to where the small figure sat, still dressed in the flowing white ball gown, her hair in an elegant plait down her bare back.
"I'll be right back," Amie whispered to Bob getting up and walking to where her friend sat.
The water of the lake lapped gently over her bare feet, a light breeze played with a few loose strands of hair that had escaped her braid. Sarah closed her eyes and lost herself in the sensations, digging her toes as far into the sand as they would go.
She was half listening to the conversation going on between the group and smiled as she heard Jory try the Absinthe, he was never one to back away from a drink like that she mussed remembering the bizarre mixtures of beer and whiskey he would lovingly down whenever they went clubbing.
She shivered slightly, registering that her dress was still soaking from their abrupt escape from the palace, she would change it in a while, but right now the cold keep her grounded the chill biting slightly at the still healing flesh wound on her breast.
Footsteps sounded behind her and Amie's unique scent floated to her across the breeze.
"Hey" she said not looking up.
Amie studied her with concern. "Are you ok?" Sarah smiled dryly.
"Ask me again sometime." She answered quietly.
Amie sat carefully beside her "How come your all the way over here?" she asked gently.
Sarah shrugged "I like it here; I don't bother anybody over here." She answered sadly.
"Why would you bother anyone?" Amie asked confused.
Sarah sighed and glanced over at the group around the fire. "He blames me for what happened to Anna."
Amie followed her gaze to where Van Helsing was placing his hat on the princess's head, much to the amusement of the rest of the gathering.
Amie shook her head, "He doesn't blame you, and you shouldn't blame yourself. It was going to happen sooner or later, we may have altered a few things but in the end you can't change fate."
Sarah turned back to glare at the dark water. "Yeah, but I didn't even think … I have these big plans of how to help them get through this…how I would stop that kidnapping from happening." She hung her head sadly rolling a smooth stone between her fingers. "But I didn't stop it. I caused it. I should have never left the manor."
Amie frowned "You did it to save Carl."
Sarah angrily flung the stone out across the water, watching as it disappeared into the darkness, heading for the opposite bank of the lake, at least five miles over.
"If I wasn't around Carl wouldn't have needed saving… if I wasn't so weak against this thing inside of me!" She spat bitterly. "I'm just the girl who lives through her books and her films. It's time I focused on the real world."
Amie regarded her with pity reaching out and gently tucking a strand of blond hair that had come lose of Sarah's braid, back behind her ear.
"Sweetie…right now…this…is the real world." She said quietly.
Sarah turned to face her, eyes shinning with tears. "Everyone must be so disappointed in me." She whispered closing her eyes.
Amie laughed in astonishment "No-ones disappointed in you!" she said cheerfully "Worried maybe, but you faced down Dracula tonight…No one told me exactly what happened in there." She whispered lifting her hand to gently touch the burnt skin on her friend's chest. "Think I can figure it out though."
"I deserved this." Sarah whispered, sadly. "The vampire in me is getting stronger; I can't hold it back any more."
Amie lent over and hugged her tightly as she began to cry. "Anna said to me the other night that, she has never known anyone able to hold off the transformation as long as you have. Your stronger than you think you are and you'll beat it, I know you will." She pulled back.
Sarah stared at the ground "I'm not going to survive this."
"Now I know that ones a lie, you will survive. That medium lady said you're going to get married and have kids, you can't do that if you're dead," she said smiling.
Sarah eyed her suspiciously pulling back and wiping away her tears "I thought you didn't believe in that stuff?"
Amie shrugged "Just means you have to prove me wrong doesn't it."
Sarah smirked, "Er can I remind you of your little "To save time always assume I'm right" rant?" she said raising an eyebrow.
Amie laughed "And I am, I say you're going prove me wrong and I'm going to be right about it."
"I really hope that makes sense in your little world, 'because I don't have a clue what you just said." Sarah said in amusement while Amie shrugged.
They sat in silence for a while, distant laughter drifting over from their comrades who were greatly amused by Jory's drunken antics.
"What was it like…kissing him I mean?" Amie asked suddenly curious.
Sarah blinked surprised by the question. "Cold." She said simply.
Amie laughed "You've always had this weird obsession with vampires and things, especially Dracula. Real case of be careful what you wish for isn't it?"
Sarah's face contorted into a twisted smile, "Well one thing I've learnt from all this is ignorance is bliss. In every book I've read about him Dracula seemed like this really complicated tortured man, like it wasn't his fault that he was evil and he hated himself for it. But meeting him I realized that he chose all this…and he loves who and what he is."
"Which would be a demented homicidal maniac with humongous fangs?"
"Sums it up." Sarah agreed grinning. "But he is an incredibly seductive homicidal maniac, and my God does he know how to dance." She said dreamily.
Amie pulled a disgusted face and hit her friend playfully "None of that." She said scowling.
Sarah smiled briefly before her face became clouded once again and she shivered.
"You ok?" asked Amie suddenly concerned.
Sarah shook her head, "I can still feel his hands and lips on me, and it feels like oil on my skin." She shuddered again and groaned. "I'd give anything for a nice hot power shower right now. But I guess I'll have to work with what I have."
Amie frowned "and that would be?" Sarah grinned and pointed to the freezing lake water.
"Will you grab me some clothes from the coach?" she asked shyly.
Amie nodded "Yeah sure." She said standing. Sarah stood too and hugged her.
"Thanks leave them at the edge of the trees, I'm gonna go for a swim." She said grinning.
Amie laughed "Now? That water's probably freezing!" she said incredulously.
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Not really an issue." She said sarcastically. "I need to feel clean again."
Amie nodded in understanding and left to retrieve her friend's clothes. Sarah made her way to the shadow of the trees where she was sure no one could see her and stripped out of the ball gown, pulling her hair loose from its constrictive braid she enjoying the sensation of it falling freely over her shoulders.
Amie appeared arms laden with new clothes and placed them over a log. "Thanks I won't be long" Sarah promised.
She transformed and flew out to the centre of the lake, resuming her human form and diving gracefully into the icy waters.
Amie took the ball gown back to the group using it to sit on as she settled beside Bob. They all watched Sarah fly out and dive into the water.
"She needed that." Anna muttered enviously.
Van Helsing caught her eyes and touched her hand reassuringly "When we get back to the manor you can do the same." He whispered to her.
Carl watched the figure swimming in the distance eyes widening "Is she naked?" he asked shocked.
Amie laughed and Van Helsing slapped him upside the head, he grimaced "I can't see anything!" he protested, "I was just curious."
Tony raised his eyebrows "Sarah's skinny dipping?"
Amie shrugged "She needed a bath."
"I know how she feels." muttered Marston.
Sarah lay on the bottom of the lake staring at the surface far above, the moons silvery glow shinning through it.
One perk of being dead: breathing is not an issue.
It was so cool and calm down there…silent. Would it really be so bad if she just never surfaced? Just lay there forever … where no one could find her and where there was no one to hurt.
But then her thoughts drifted to her friends, they'd wait for her and that would put them in greater danger, she was not about to be the cause of that.
Reluctantly she began to swim towards the surface.
The moment her head broke the surface the distant sound of nine rapid heartbeats assaulted her senses, it took all of her remaining will power not to return to her cold refuge beneath the waves.
Fighting the primal hunger within her, she swam for the shore.
Climbing out of the water she hastily dressed into the familiar riding trousers and poet's shirt Amie had laid out for her. Walking out of the trees she came face to face with a smirking Tony.
"What's so amusing?" she asked smiling, his presence inciting the usual butterflies to invade her stomach.
"You went skinny dipping?" he asked.
She blushed making his grin widen. "Why are you so interested?" she asked teasingly, he shrugged.
"Oh come on! I'm a man, you're a woman and there was a distinct lack of clothing involved, what hot blooded male wouldn't be interested?"
Sarah laughed shaking her head and moved passed him making her way towards the coach, unable to hide the pleased grin permanently stuck on her face. Ok maybe things weren't so bad she reasoned cheering up slightly.
Bob frowned as she drew level with him "Why are you so happy?" she shrugged receiving a knowing smile from Amie as they settled into their seats ready for the long journey back to Vaseria.