Chapter 2: Fever
"It's a mercy she didn't die from the cold and damp." The bossy voice comes thick and slurred through my mind, still numb. I think I've heard it before, it's...
"I'm sure she will be fine." It's a deep voice, low, fatherly....
"You're leaving, sir?" so familiar.....
"I have important matters to see to." And he is gone. And that was the closest I ever got to my father. He came, now when I could neither recognize, see or speak to him.
A chill sweeps my body and I shudder, eyes fluttering open. My head feels ready to split, and I am both hot and cold at once. Great spasms of pain sear across my body, and I ache, as though I was beaten in a butter churn.
The room is empty, my room. In the fire place is a blaze, who's heat I cannot feel. They left me. I want to cry out, to have someone there. But I know they don't care enough, not enough to hold my hand through feverish dreams, just enough to make sure I survive, in body.
The door opens again, and in bustles Martha, the good natured, and motherly servant who runs the house. That is, aside from Nathan, my father's butler and steward. She has always been kind to me, but knows it is against my family's customs for me to talk to her. But right now, I want to hug her, to have her squeeze back, and to sob into her shoulder about the injustice of it all.
"Ah, Miss, awake-don't try to move, you'll be in bed at least a week. That's a glorious fever you caught." She comes over, feeling my forehead, tucking blankets. "I thought you knew better than to get caught out in the rain." She chides good naturedly.
"I didn't." I mumble, but either she doesn't hear or take notice.
She pulls a dark blue bottle from her apron pocket. Taking a goblet from the bedside table she fills it with a dark red liquid. The potion steams ominously, as I take it in shaking hands. It's fiery flavour and feel make me reel with the pungency.
"There, there." Martha says soothingly, patting my back and checking to make sure I drank all of the vile substance.
Immediately I begin to feel drowsy. I sink back into the large pillows of my bed, dimly aware of Martha leaving, but it's all so nebulous.
The door opens again, it's my sister. I'm up out of bed in a minute, filled with joy.
"Follow me." She says.
It is unlike her not to respond, but my pleasure is to strong, I follow her into the hall and out onto the landing of the stairs. The light of the fire in the parlour fills the front hall with a warm glow, but aside from that all else is dark. The two of us move, wraith like, down the stairs and into the parlour. The corners of the room are black in shadow. My sister stops at the center of the room, and turns to face me. Behind her the shadows move. A shadow thicker than the rest detaches itself and glides towards her. I try to scream out, but I am to late. The shadow is on top of her, smothering her. I stand transfixed and horrified as her flesh seems to melt away. Her bones gleam white, but quickly turn black. Her face comes out of the shadow, melting to reveal a hideous monster. Red eyes glaring and gleaming teeth bared. It tires to reach out it's hand, for me. It tries to move....
I sit up in bed screaming, screaming.
"It got her!" I sob, crying and screaming. I do not realize Martha's hands are around my shoulders.
"Narcissa, Narcissa, I'm sorry." I sob into her shoulder. It's my fault, I didn't warn her it was behind her.
Martha tries to comfort me "Shh, shh, calm down, breath, it was only a nightmare, Bellatrix"
"It's a mercy she didn't die from the cold and damp." The bossy voice comes thick and slurred through my mind, still numb. I think I've heard it before, it's...
"I'm sure she will be fine." It's a deep voice, low, fatherly....
"You're leaving, sir?" so familiar.....
"I have important matters to see to." And he is gone. And that was the closest I ever got to my father. He came, now when I could neither recognize, see or speak to him.
A chill sweeps my body and I shudder, eyes fluttering open. My head feels ready to split, and I am both hot and cold at once. Great spasms of pain sear across my body, and I ache, as though I was beaten in a butter churn.
The room is empty, my room. In the fire place is a blaze, who's heat I cannot feel. They left me. I want to cry out, to have someone there. But I know they don't care enough, not enough to hold my hand through feverish dreams, just enough to make sure I survive, in body.
The door opens again, and in bustles Martha, the good natured, and motherly servant who runs the house. That is, aside from Nathan, my father's butler and steward. She has always been kind to me, but knows it is against my family's customs for me to talk to her. But right now, I want to hug her, to have her squeeze back, and to sob into her shoulder about the injustice of it all.
"Ah, Miss, awake-don't try to move, you'll be in bed at least a week. That's a glorious fever you caught." She comes over, feeling my forehead, tucking blankets. "I thought you knew better than to get caught out in the rain." She chides good naturedly.
"I didn't." I mumble, but either she doesn't hear or take notice.
She pulls a dark blue bottle from her apron pocket. Taking a goblet from the bedside table she fills it with a dark red liquid. The potion steams ominously, as I take it in shaking hands. It's fiery flavour and feel make me reel with the pungency.
"There, there." Martha says soothingly, patting my back and checking to make sure I drank all of the vile substance.
Immediately I begin to feel drowsy. I sink back into the large pillows of my bed, dimly aware of Martha leaving, but it's all so nebulous.
The door opens again, it's my sister. I'm up out of bed in a minute, filled with joy.
"Follow me." She says.
It is unlike her not to respond, but my pleasure is to strong, I follow her into the hall and out onto the landing of the stairs. The light of the fire in the parlour fills the front hall with a warm glow, but aside from that all else is dark. The two of us move, wraith like, down the stairs and into the parlour. The corners of the room are black in shadow. My sister stops at the center of the room, and turns to face me. Behind her the shadows move. A shadow thicker than the rest detaches itself and glides towards her. I try to scream out, but I am to late. The shadow is on top of her, smothering her. I stand transfixed and horrified as her flesh seems to melt away. Her bones gleam white, but quickly turn black. Her face comes out of the shadow, melting to reveal a hideous monster. Red eyes glaring and gleaming teeth bared. It tires to reach out it's hand, for me. It tries to move....
I sit up in bed screaming, screaming.
"It got her!" I sob, crying and screaming. I do not realize Martha's hands are around my shoulders.
"Narcissa, Narcissa, I'm sorry." I sob into her shoulder. It's my fault, I didn't warn her it was behind her.
Martha tries to comfort me "Shh, shh, calm down, breath, it was only a nightmare, Bellatrix"