Sorry for making all of you wait so long for me to post this next chapter. Life has been incredibly busy for me. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

-Arilith

Sorry again. The spellcheck seems to have done some real weird stuff to my documents. I've rechecked it. So please excuse anymore odd words you find.

-Arilith

Chapter Eleven: One Night Can Change Everything

Near the vacant wagons that were once called home to the traveling troupe of Undead, four glittering blue eyes glowed in the shifts of moonlight that poured down through the forest canopy above. One pair was darkened with rage; the other held a deep look of knowing.

"We cannot travel that way anymore." An elderly woman dressed in colorful tattered shawls and skirts emerged from the edge of the forest and made her way to the circle of wagons. A smaller form glided behind her as if her shadow.

"We have no home, grandmother."

The old woman paused and gazed upon the ashes of what had been her caretakers. She looked back upon the white porcelain round face of her granddaughter. An old withered hand reached out and wiped away a tear of rage that was upon the child's cheek. She regretted having turned the child into a creature like herself. She hadn't been strong enough to bear the girl dying of typhoid while a woman as old as she was to live forever. Now, the girl would forever be young, and forever would her body be that of a child. Teenage youth now glowed from the eyes of a ten-year old, something very dangerous indeed.

"Home is in the east, my child. There was safety in numbers. That is why we left." She paused. "Our Master is alive, my dear. I feel it in my bones. His last bride was my Maker, and he was her Maker. We must return to Budapest. Our Master had died once, and Van Helsing has not." She turned her gaze upon the clouded sky above. "He does not know this yet."

This year's Festival of the Fools would be her first. Her first one to be at publicly, that is. Van Helsing and she were sniffing out the different noble houses that were supposedly housing several vampire lords that had been terrorizing Venice for awhile. The festival was perhaps the best excuse she had for not to conceal herself so much. Everyone wore fantastic masks and costumes. She fit in just nicely with her old-fashioned Arabic clothing and black feathered mask. Her hair was wrapped up neatly under black gauze, a few strands dangling neatly here and there. Her gauzy outfit billowed darkly against her white diaphanous skin. Helsing disproved of her ears, but just as long as they were hidden beneath the mask's feathers, she would be fine.

Gabriel and she glided across the ballroom floor of the Ghirlandajo Manor, outside of Venice, in the countryside. Neither really paid close attention to each other's faces as they danced. They were busy looking for the palest looking guests, other than her, of course.

"We've been to a total of six parties so far, you know. Don't you think it's about time..." Praepondero whispered to him and she felt a distinct tap on her left shoulder as the waltz ended. She was tired of having all the men dance her dizzy, but it was the best way to keep a lookout.

Helsing let go of her quickly. His face was calm as he handed her over to the man that had bowed politely and asked for her. Her pupils, however, went small as they took in the man. He was incredibly tall with the palest blonde hair that she had ever seen on a human. It was his skin and grace that gave him away though. It was prenatural in how it seemed to almost glow in the soft candlelight.

His voice was smooth. "May I have the next dance, my lady?"

She nodded and took his hand. She felt engulfed by his sheer size as they seem to float across the dance floor. Helsing was not too far, watching the both of them.

"You keep looking back at him," the vampire noted. "Does he mean anything to you?"

She felt herself blush regardless of the fact that there was indeed only friendship between her and Gabriel. "He is like a brother to me, sir. I am merely not use to being in a stranger's presence."

The creature smiled. "I see." He tightened his grip around her waist as he dipped her fashionably and then pulled her back up. "Might I comment upon how unique your appearance is comparison to other women's tonight?"

She pulled her eyes away from his gaze. "I do?"

"You shine like a rare opal, my lady."

"You flatter me with your sweet talk, sir." She hid her face behind a lace fan as the song ended. A long white silken strand of hair fell out from underneath the head-wrap and flopped in front of her eyes. The vampire quickly brushed the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

She swallowed lightly. His face showed no surprise at all when he had swept the hair behind one of her ears, underneath all the feathers.

The vampire straightened his dark sixteenth century jacket collar and smiled, holding out his hand. "Would it be too much of me to ask for you to join me for a stroll?"

Uh-oh. Gabriel had better be watching them extra close now. She peered over his should to find Van Helsing busy with a pair of flocking women, very pale ones at that too. Behind a very sweet smile and nod, Praepondero was very worried. This all seemed more and more like a plot to her. Those wenches had to also be Undead.

The vampire led her out to the vast balcony on the west side of the manor. Other couples were out there, quietly chatting amongst themselves. However, most of the couples quickly filtered back inside for the next dance. He took her hand and began to lead her in the very same waltz out on the balcony.

"I do hope you hope you remain gentleman-like, sir," she gave him a quick glare.

His quiet laughter rang like a soft bell. He bent down and brought his lips next to her ear and whispered, "Why are you so convinced we are any different from mortals?"

She stiffened. "We? Mortals? Have you had too much wine tonight?" She pulled away, looking at the dancing crowd inside. She had to make her move, and quickly, before he could make his. She innocently reached up to pat the back of her hair, making it look as lady-like as possible. The hairpin was in there somewhere...

Something cold and hard as iron clamped down upon her wrist. He had pulled her back to him and was twirling her in the rhythm of the dance toward the other end of the balcony, the vacant end. "No surprises, my dear," he whispered as they came to a halt.

"Unhand me now!" She squirmed angrily in his grip. But before she could make enough noise to get someone's attention, he leapt off the balcony with her in hold.

He landed gently upon the earth below and released one of her wrists to place a large hand over her mouth. He bent near. "At first I thought you were one of us. Skin so pale, hair so light. But as the night progressed," he breathed in her scent as if confirming her mortality. "Your heartbeat became easier to distinguish amongst the others. It was so calm, even with all the dancing." He smiled. "Though now it beats like that of a hummingbird."

He led her farther away from the main building and into the maze gardens to the north lawn of the manor. It was fresh and very western in appearance, out-of-place in her opinion. She thought herself stupid to think such a thing while in danger.

"You hunt my kind." He swung her around and pointed to one of the neatly cut squares cut in a row of hedges. "Why don't you see how different you and I really are?"

She gave him a puzzled stare. "I still don't..." She was cut off short as he shoved her into its direction. Her ears picked up two soft voices ahead.

"Why not, Nicholas? I am dying. There is nothing wrong in saving a life." It was a woman's voice.

Praepondero peered in on the scene, finding that her guess was correct. A small brazier nearby gave light to the scene. It was a brown-haired, elegant and lean man with a young woman, perhaps no older than seventeen. She was dressed in rich volumous folds of purple silk, and her delicate face was hidden beneath a gold beaded mask.

"This is not life, my love. I always must remain in the shadows. I feed of the life force of your people. Do you not realize that I am a monster?" His hand was stroking the dark curls surrounding the girl's face.

The girl's face was wet with tears. She looked ashen. "But we feel the same, don't we? We both still bleed, don't we? The doctor says I haven't but a few weeks to live. If you take me now, they will only assume I have run away to die alone."

"To rob you of mortality would rob me of the few refuges of humanity that remain in me. I would be giving you a curse. You would never be able to live again."

"But I would be with you. What more could I need?"

Praepondero pulled away from the scene, understanding exactly what the couple had been discussing. She had quietly pulled a small dagger that was sheathed in the end of her fan while listening to the conversation. It was her last hope of escape. She had to push aside the sentiments that the vampire had tried to impose upon her.

She whirled around to face the light-haired vampire, dagger raised. But she had been too obvious. He swatted it away as if it were an annoying fly and pounced upon her. She managed to drop and roll away, out of his reach, but only to find herself in the clutches of another vampire. It was the elegant man that had been with the woman on the other side of the hedges. He had her completely pinned with her own weapon at her throat.

The blonde vampire chuckled approvingly at her speed. "I knew you weren't normal."

A long-fingered hand tore away her mask. "You should prey on something easier, Lafel." It was the brown-haired creature.

Lafel stroked the side of her face and traced a finger around one of her ears. "Master would love to see this creature."

Praepondero was thoroughly outraged by his behavior after trying to convince her of another story. She jabbed an elbow back into the ribs of the vampire holding her, and she did it with all her strength. Relief filled her as she felt him left go and fall backwards. Her arm throbbed with pain at hitting something that could be compared to a bronze stature. She rolled forward on the ground, the other vampire leaping out of her way, and matched the vampires in speed as she twisted her wrist in just the right angle to throw a hairpin behind her, catching the brown-haired vampire in the arm.

"Pope's blessings," she grunted as the creature crumbled into ash.

Lafel roared in outrage and captured her with just one arm, encircling her shoulders and arms. Before she could struggle, she felt the cool of his lips against her neck...and then pain. He was drawing life from her, she could feel each drop that was leaving her. Her body was going numb, and she felt herself go limp in his arms.

He pulled away, leaving enough life fluid for her heart to continue beating and living. He licked the blood that continued trickling down her collarbone. "So different..."

She felt the air glide over the bare of her skin as she fell from his arms. She saw the glisten of his eyes as she fell to the grass. They were cobalt blue. Her arm throbbed even more as she fell upon it. Then, all she could see was the white of the paving stones nearby. She heard his voice, which faded as he fled from the scene of his crime. "Now let us see how you hunt..."