Order 7: Crossing Paths
" Mommy, when's Daddy coming home?"
" He should be home soon, dear. Do not worry! He cannot resist our homebaked sweet bread. Not even overtime can keep him."
The sun shone so bright on the vineyards, on the broken down stone house. The little girl laughed innocently, tugging on the dress's hem of her mom. She had brown hair the length to her mid-back. The blue eyes were so adorably innocent as a child's eyes always are. The mother had her hair done up in a bun, the effects of old age showing with bags under her dull green eyes. They were dirt poor but they always made the best of their situation. The girl was only about four, but at four...it's when memories are first able to be remembered even after long periods of time. The laughter faded into screams and crying then to inky blackness...
Skey opened her eyes. Maxwell was gone, possibly to the bathroom. Anderson was reading his newspaper now, such a tired expression in those emerald eyes. Skey could feel something warm and wet running down her cheek. When she raised her fingers to touch it, she knew now she was crying. Quickly she wiped her eyes on her coat sleeve. There was a rustle of paper as Anderson turned to the next page.
" It's ok tae cry, Skey...Ah know it's yer memories catching up wi' ye. Dinna worry...Ah still think yer ae strong lassie."
Skey looked at him with a blank face, then turned away facing the back of the seat sadly. What made her mad at him now was he didn't even understand the depths of her sorrow. How could he know anything? He knew not how her life was when she was young, when all the troubles in the world you could think of had all been at her feet to experience. Skey fought down the lump in her throat, repeating to herself over and over that she wouldn't cry again. She didn't, finally sobering up her feelings. Anderson only glanced at her and hated to see her in such a mess. There had been countless times he'd seen her this way. Was it really so hard to talk to him about what was going on? She always acted so happy, prideful and innocent. It was only a simple mask though. Deep down, there was a lost child. No one could reach her and Anderson grew afraid that now, even Skey herself couldn't reach the child lost inside her. Skey couldn't be described with just one justified feeling for they changed faster than the seasons. She was...an enigma.
London Airport. 11:30 A.M.
The three arrived in London without a problem. They wouldn't be staying long, in fact they had wished to be out of England by tonight on a flight back. Skey retrieved her katana cases in baggage claim just as Anderson retrieved his bayonets. You didn't think a plane would let them bring those things on board, did you? They found their way out of the airport and grabbed a taxi. Again Skey got stuck between both men. She wondered why God put her in such predictaments.
" The Imperial War Museum."
The taxi man nodded and off they went. The sun was shining without a cloud in the sky here in England. It was more inviting than the storm Rome had yesterday. There was a sense of relaxing peace here where you didn't have to watch your back. Maxwell kept to himself which made Skey happy. Cars of all kinds of colors passed them or were heading the other way to whatever location. Then Skey saw one of the double decker buses that guy Jake was telling her about. She smiled and she vowed to ride one before she left England. She had never been out of the country of Italy until now. And like a kid lost in a candy shop, her eyes couldn't stop feasting on the shops, the cafes and the apartment buildings and old age homes. Maxwell and Anderson didn't see anything too great here. Both were blind to the excitement and interesting customs of England's art and way of life. To them, this place was nothing more than a 'diseased country'.
The Imperial War Museum. 12: 45 P.M.
Skey was feeling rather mischievious. when Maxwell and Anderson weren't looking, she snuck off to the other parts of the museum. People of course were here and looking around. She took a turn into a room and found the Holocaust display. There were pictures of Jewish people grown thin and starved, models of a train which held thousands of Jewish people the Germans were taking to extermination camps. Skey bit on her bottom lip and left the room. She hated war and she knew about every one from Anderson's teachings. She didn't want to see more of it. The halls were long and had large hanging paintings of war scenes and battle scenes. Skey kept strolling, gazing at all the paintings and losing sense of where she was walking. Then all of a sudden...SLAM! She collided with someone else and both fell to the ground. People continued to walk and not offering help, passing the two girls up. The other girl had been running and not looking where she was going. Her senses had told her nothing else was ahead but as you see, she had sensed wrong. Both had collided heads and both now had red marks on their foreheads. The blonde girl looked at who she slammed into and saw the girl rubbing her forehead. She became frightened to see her wearing an Iscariot trench coat! At her sides were two katana swords sheathed in beautiful scabbards. The blonde girl scrambled to stand up. As Skey looked up to the blonde clad in a blue outfit, the dress a bit too short and those red eyes... She knew what she was.
" Vampire!"
" Eeek!"
Seras didn't hesitate to start running. The girl had gotten up with ease and gave chase. The last Seras looked back that Iscariot girl was close on her coattails. Seras ran through a maze of hallways and through different rooms, stirring commotion amongst the tourists. Well she didn't care for them. All she cared about was running for her life! The girls darted between people, in front of people, and even around people. Skey didn't want to give up the chase. She knew the girl was a vampire and any vampire found needed to be exterminated. Skey's eyes were locked on the girl as she dodged and leapt in the air to avoid people and even artifacts on stands in the middle of the rooms. Their boots made little noise on the tile floor as they ran so fast, one to get away one to catch its prey. Seras quickly found a dim hallway and dashed down it. She could hear the Iscariot girl not too far behind. This girl was fast! Before the girl turned down the hallway, the light from the previous room shining in, Seras could see the white reflection off the katana blade! It only goaded her to run faster.
" Must find! Master! Alucard!"
Ahead was the bright light of another room. As Seras peered at it, she could see it vacant. She now put all her strength into her legs and ran at the fastest speed she could. Seras zoomed through lines of caution tape that was to prevent anyone from entering the room. Seras came to a screeching halt and saw statues, glass cases and so on all covered with white clothes to prevent dust from collecting. All the other hallways were crossed off for now and the only way to go was through an open door ahead. So without any other options, Seras ran for the open door when she could hear the running echos of her predator. Much to Seras's dismay, the room was only a small meeting room! There were no other doors out of the room besides the one she came in! She was trapped...and that Iscariot girl was only seconds from bursting in and finding her. Sure enough, once Seras turned to maybe have a sliver of hope granted to her to escape, that woman had skidded in, slamming into the partially open wood door. There was a look of rage on her fave then a large grin!
" Found you! You're dead!"
Seras couldn't move but once that sword came down in a frantic swing at her, Seras rolled and sprung up. She knew she didn't have her weapons with her but the least she could do is dodge and hope to come in closer range as to grab the girl's arm and stop her. Skey knew better. Once Seras hopped to one side to avoid the attack, the angle of her feet, the direction her eyes were focused, she knew the girl was looking for an opening to directly attack her. The wide table didn't stop them as both hopped up on it and fought. Seras growled and grabbed the katana blade, stopping its swing. But it BURNT! Seras pulled back yelling as her hand sizzled. The glove was burned and her skin bled profusely. The damned blade had been blessed! And the girl was smiling because of it.
" You play with fire when you fight me, vampire!"
Seras didn't know what to do but she dodged Skey's sword attacks only by the width of a hair. Everytime Seras thought she had an opening to reach in and grab control of the girl's wrist, she evaded by leaping back and bringing down the other sword! Both were working their way towards the end of the table. Skey knew she had this vampiress done for. It would be only the matter of minutes before the girl realized it. Then just as Skey was going in for the final attack...the door slammed open, that damned Irish accent startling the hell out of her. Skey slipped on the table and fell off. She laid on her back and her head felt like it was spinning.
" Skey! There ye are! Whit's gaun on-"
Skey glared up at Anderson with crossed arms and a pouted face. Anderson then looked to the frightened vampire staring at him in fear. It was Hellsing'a female vampire, Seras. And now Anderson knew what was going on. Skey probably mistook the vampiress as a target or rogue vampiress that had to be killed. He could see Seras holding her hand, it bleeding badly. Inside he laughed cause he knew the girl tried grabbing Skey's sword.
" Skey! Whit ye think yer daun! Thas yin O' Hellsing's freaks! We widnae want tae piss off the director O' Hellsing richt noo."
Skey got up without a word and retrieved the swords. A small white hankerchief was tugged out of the coat's inner pocket. Skey glided the fabric down each sword and cvleaning them of any blood. Seras just sat at the end of the table still stunned. Anderson left the room without another word as Skey sheathed the twin katanas. After brushing herself off, Skey looked to Seras with a nervous smile and held her hand out.
" Eh, sorry about that...I didn't know you were with Hellsing. I wouldn't have chased you down otherwise."
Seras went grim faced and shook Skey's hand. Skey became cheerful and innocent in the face which scared Seras. This woman was just a second ago a raging, wide eyed, crazed killer and now! She is this timid and polite young girl. She then ran out of the room to catch up with Anderson. Seras sat at the end of the table with her legs dangling over the side as she looked at her hand which now was slowing in bleeding. Then that eloquent but very haunting and chilling voice.
" Why didn't you fight with all your strength, police girl? Was she really that frightening to you?"
Seras's head snapped up and she saw her master sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. He sipped a bag of medical blood so slowly and calmly. How long had he been watching them fight? Seras lowered her bleeding hand and her head in shame. She always tried so hard to impress her master but nothing ever seemed to be good enough for him.
" No, but..."
" But nothing. Next time, you should try harder. The girl wasn't playing around."
Seras nodded. Alucard grinned and disappeared into the wall. He wound up in a darker area of the museum and there he sat and gave in to his thoughts. He thought it weird for Anderson to have 'adopted' a student to learn from him. Anderson just didn't seem like the kind of guy to do such things. Then again, Alucard knew he himself was not the guy to do such things either but he still picked up Seras and took her in under his wing. And from what he ha seen, Anderson couldn't have been too bad of a teacher. The girl never left an opening of weakness to Seras and she struck not just with the strength of her arms, but with the whole physical strength of he body's momentum. Th girl could have been considered an expert. Alucard chuckled in the dim lit room of dusty sheets of fabrics covering artifacts and cases of possible old war weapons like guns and swords. Alucard took his own gun out, the stealthly painted Jackal and thought as he gazed up the barrel. I wonder...who would have won that fight...if the Iscariot girl had really pushed Seras any further.
