Underestimation
Mercifully, Islene was spared from dreams that day while she slept, though she wondered if that was for better or worse. She sighed, stretched, and looked out the window to see how much time had passed. Judging by the sun's position in the sky, she estimated it was about noon, maybe a little later.
"So, what do I want to do today?" she asked aloud. "I'm good with food for another week, I'd say. So what's left?" She sighed. "I wanted an adventure, something wonderful and unreal. This isn't exactly what I meant." Biting her lip, she whispered, "I miss my family. I wish they were here with me now. I wish I had been there that night. I could have at least died with them. I want my mommy." Narrowing her eyes in sudden anger, she threw back her head and shouted, "Yes, that's right, I said I want my mommy! I do! But I can't have her, now, can I? It's not fair! She promised she'd always be there for me when I needed her. Well, I need her! So give her back! I couldn't possibly need her more than I do now!" With a roar of fury, she sent her fist slamming into the wall, bloodying her knuckles. "Do I really have to hurt myself!" she screeched, pummeling the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks. Suddenly, something hit her hand lightly and clinked to the ground. She stopped and looked down at it. Her eyes widened and she sank slowly to the ground when she saw what it was. It was a gold heart locket with two intertwined hearts and a sprig of some sort of plant engraved onto the front. Her mother's locket, which she had given to Islene. With trembling fingers, Islene picked it up and opened it and sat for a long time, staring at the pictures of her father and mother inside, crying silently. Finally she smiled and shook her head.
"Keep it together, Lee," she told herself. "You almost lost your cool, there. They're still with you, even if it's not physically. You have to win this fight for them, too." She straightened, fastened the locket around her neck with the one she had gotten from Scott, and stood. "I think I'll visit the library." So saying, she head off, sucking on her bleeding knuckles.
The church's library was enormous and covered with layers of ancient dust. Islene immediately sensed many troubled spirits lingering among the primordial tomes and manuscripts, and wondered vaguely how many others had hidden and died here before her. 'How long has this been going on?' she thought. Shrugging, she went to the nearest bookshelf and scanned the spines for a title that caught her interest. She found Faust, to her surprise, and decided to read that one. She had been meaning to anyway. She spent the entire day in the library, going from book to book to book, seemingly determined to read herself to death. She laughed inwardly at the thought. 'Not possible,' she thought dismissively. She sang as she read, something that had amazed her family members. After she grew weary of reading, for there isn't much pleasure reading material for a teenage girl to be found in a church library, she went to a desk she had stumbled across and decided to write for a time. She had always loved writing, and sharing what she wrote with her family. She began a long tale of a girl, trapped in a church and besieged by nightmares, go on to destroy all the evil and save those she loved. When she finally finished, she looked at what she had written and laughed contemptuously.
"Yeah, like that'll ever happen," she snorted derisively. "Face it, Lee, you're stuck in here forever, and you'll never be with those you love again. So just deal with it!" She snatched up the papers, with every intention of using them for kindling, then put them back again. "No point in wasting a perfectly good story," she said softly. "Maybe someone will find it someday and have a good laugh at good ol' Islene, with her high-blown ideas of saving a doomed world." She left the room and went back to her altar to make a fire. She fished out her food supply from under the altar and heated some Campbell's Soup-At-Hand by placing a grate, supported by two wooden legs, over the flames and placing the soup on top for a few minutes. It was hot to the touch when she took it off the fire, but her hands were always cold anyway so it didn't bother her too much. As she sipped the soup, burning her tongue in the process, she glanced out the window. It was sunset. The vampires would be coming soon. Well, she intended to be asleep by then, her ears sealed with wax. They would be no matter. Sipping her soup, she waited. As soon as the sun was gone from the sky (though why they waited until full darkness when they could withstand sunlight was beyond her), the vampires appeared.
"Right on schedule," she noted dryly. She reached up to the altar and grabbed a candle. This she held over the fire, allowing the melting wax to drip onto her fingers. When it was cooler, though still malleable, she plugged her ears with it and continued drinking her dinner. She could feel the dark energies emanating from the creatures outside, but she could hear nothing. Finished with her soup, she tossed the empty cup away carelessly, lay down near her fire and went to sleep.
She awoke with a start, as she had that morning, and looked outside. The yard was empty, so she removed her makeshift earplugs.
"Islene…"
Her eyes widened in delight. "Scott?" she asked softly, hurrying to the window. There he stood, smiling at her. She nearly ran out to him, as before, but then remembered that this could be a trick. She went back to the window.
"Soul…won't you come out to me? It's safe, none of the others are here," he said.
"Soul…" she whispered. Yes, it was him, it had to be! But as she turned to go to the door, she shuddered as a wave of cold, dark energy hit her like a breath of winter. Something was wrong. She returned to the window and looked at him closely. What was it? There was definitely something 'off' about him, but she couldn't quite place it…until she saw his eyes. There was something wrong with his eyes. Casually, she called, "I'd rather stay inside tonight. I'm really tired, and I don't feel so well."
"Then shall I come in to you?" he asked. Islene laughed.
"Oh, Scott, you make me smile," she said airily. "You can't come in here, even if I invite you. It's a church, remember?"
"Oh, yes," said Scott, grinding his teeth a little, which Islene did not fail to notice. "Yes, of course."
"We can talk just as easily through the window anyway," she added. "I was just thinking about our last date. The Ren faire, remember that?"
"Ah, yes," said Scott smiling. "You looked so beautiful in your gown."
"Yes, and you were so handsome in your armor," she said with a smile.
"I'm glad you liked it," he said. "Though it was kind of uncomfortable."
"What colours were my dress, do you remember? I somehow can't," she said.
"Uh, red and black," he said. "Your favourite colours."
"Yes, now I remember," she said. "Come a little closer, there's something I want you to see." Curiously, Scott edged closer. Islene ducked down, presumably to pick something up, then popped up and shoved a silver cross in his face. "Scott" shrieked and fell back, hissing at her.
"Soul, why did you...?" he began, but Islene cut him off.
"Did you really think you could fool me?" she snapped. "I don't know who you are, but Scott would never look at me with bloodlust in his eyes. And he didn't wear armor to the faire, and my dress wasn't black and red."
"I don't care if it was puce and marmalade!" snarled Aaron, the illusion evaporating almost instantly.
"Where's the real Scott, you bastard?" demanded Islene.
"Sorry, girlie, that's not my department," sneered Aaron.
"Who are you to call me 'girlie'!" shouted Islene furiously. "And I know that you do know where Scott is, and I demand that you tell me!"
"Fine then," said Aaron. "He's chained up in the deepest dungeon of the Count Von Krolock's castle."
"Liar," said Islene. "You have one more chance before I go into your twisted little brain and extract the information myself." Aaron stared at her.
"You couldn't," he said.
"I could."
"You wouldn't."
"I would."
"You won't!"
"I will!"
Islene's eyes flashed dangerously, and Aaron, fearful that she actually possessed the ability to reach into his mind, threw up his hands.
"All right, all right!" he said. "Scott's locked in his room, drifting in and out of consciousness, under the influence of a strong drug that'll keep him incapacitated for hours. It won't hurt him, just leave him feeling feverish and exhausted, his limbs too heavy to move. I must say, though, you two must have a very strong affection for each other because he's been moaning, writhing, and struggling all night, going on about how he has to reach you, how he promised he'd meet you tonight. Very touching. Or it would be, if I cared. Now, you come out of there now, or I'll-"
"You'll what?" demanded Islene. "You can't do anything! And don't even think about threatening Scott because if you do, you'll turn me into the most dangerous kind of enemy, even for a vampire: an enemy with nothing to lose."
"Jeez, you are telepathic, aren't you?" commented Aaron.
"No, just perceptive," replied Islene. "Besides, why are you so desperate to get me now? Running out of patience?"
"No, if I don't come back with you tonight, I'll probably have my ears cut off or something."
Islene was silent for a moment, then she said in feigned surprise, "Oh I'm sorry, was I supposed to care? Besides, you've got more important parts of your anatomy to be worried for."
"What do you…oh," he said grimacing. "C'mon, please?"
"No," she said coldly. "Why should I, just for you? Just because you asked me to? I don't think so. Good-night, and good luck." She turned to leave.
"You can't just walk away from me!" shouted Aaron, running up to the window. He couldn't see her. Just as he was about to leave, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and screamed as he was slashed between the legs by a silver-plated sword. He staggered back, clutching his mutilated parts as they healed.
"If that had been permanent, I would have been very upset!" he hissed between clenched teeth.
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," replied Islene, going back inside and locking the door. Outside, Aaron groaned.
"Giovanni is not going to like this," he sighed. Dejectedly, he trudged back, fully expecting to be castrated a second time once he delivered the bad news.
