Tugging harshly on my jacket's collar with both hands, I scowled angrily at Alcina and flexed my left fist: trying to shake off the phantom feeling of her mouth on me as she fucking tasted me. Sparing me a…charming smile, I glared at her as she raised her gloved hands and clapped them twice: the dull sound of leather-on-leather echoing through the parlor in a wordless command. "Daughters! Come here at once!" she called to the empty room: sparing me five seconds of peace, before another sound accompanied the 'crackling' of the roaring fireplace.
'Are those what I think they are?' I wondered, just as the piercing 'buzzing' of what had to be millions of bugs accumulated right outside the oak door. With the 'buzzing', came the 'giggling': resonating, feminine laughter that promised nothing but pain and torture as the owners of the voices either delivered or watched in glee. Watching the massive swarm of large, black flies: each the size of my thumb, swarm and move in tandem as they appeared from under the crack at the bottom of the door: causing me to raise an eyebrow as the swarm suddenly split into thirds, hovering in separate masses for several seconds before coming together and taking the forms of the same beautiful young women I'd seen in the painting. 'Your 'daughters'…are bugs?' I thought, glancing at Alcina: who gazed at the girls with a warm, welcoming expression on her face: giving me all the answers I needed, despite the confusion that I should've been used to by now.
"Ah, prompt as always: now, as you can see, we have a Guest." Alcina greeted, cueing the faces of the girls to switch from attentive and adoring, to menacing and predatory in milliseconds: making my shoulders puff up as I gritted my teeth at the audacity of these fucking bugs, and their sycophant 'mother'. 'Try it, and I'll introduce each and every single one of you to a match and a can of hairspray.' I thought grimly, mildly entertaining the thought of how they would react to a homemade flamethrower. "A gift for us? Delicious!" "So pretty! So fair! What fun she'll be to play with!" "I haven't had a good hunt in ages! Can I bleed her, Mother? Please?!" the girls cried in near-unison: the bloodthirsty excitement wafting off each of them nearly suffocated my senses: like fresh blood to a school of piranhas.
"Now now, daughters: she is not that sort of Guest. She is a new member of 'Mother Miranda's Court', same as I am: and has been tasked with staying with each of us until she learns her place, and learn it, she will. Sister, these are my beloved daughters: Bela." she gestured to the brunette: who wiggled her fingers with a flirtatious smile full of teeth. "Cassandra." the blonde waved, looking me up and down with a hungry gaze that spoke volumes of her intentions. "And Daniela." the redhead giggled, holding her tongue between her teeth as she sent a playful 'wink' from under her veil: which I had just noticed that were also made of bugs: identical to her sisters. Taking in their appearances, I noted they were dressed the exact same: with matching black dresses and gloves up to their elbows, tiaras baring the same Coat-of-Arms as the painting around their foreheads, and intricate necklaces, with the only difference being different gemstones: emeralds, rubies and sapphires, respectively.
"A new 'Auntie'?" 'Bela' asked, confusion adorning her face as Alcina heaved a heavy 'sigh' that looked borderline painful due to her physique. "It is Mother Miranda's wish, now: do be generous and show her the Grounds, I have a few errands to attend to and request not to be disturbed: and will reconvene with you in time for dinner." she said, sounding regretful at not only the fact that she finally figured out that she was just as stuck in this shitty situation as I was, but also that she had to deny her daughters from attacking me: which was incredibly fortunate for them, little do they know. Turning my attention back to the daughters, I forced myself to refrain from snapping or growling as they looked between themselves before turning their attention to me with wicked smiles on their faces and eyes alight with dangerous mischief.
"Shall I give you the tour, 'Auntie'?" Cassandra cooed, stalking her way to my left side, while Daniela mirrored her on my right. "Yes, let us make you feel…right at home." Daniela continued, drawing out the word 'home' as if it were a venomous toxin: sounding nice on the surface, but ready to melt someone from the inside out if they weren't careful. "Right this way, I know we're going to be the best of friends!" Bela finished, cueing the bugs to return to their swarming state: swarming and covering me like a swarm of locusts: shoving me through the door with the echoing sound of their laughter reverberating in my ears like nails on a chalkboard.
However, as much as I could clearly tell that they desperately wanted to follow their predatory drive and try to tear me to shreds, I could tell that they also highly valued the demands of their 'Mother', and obeyed her without question: despite the violent urge to do the opposite. True to their 'word', they really did give me the 'tour' of the place: which was a dizzying dance through the maze of rooms, hallways and staircases in the most confusing way possible: it'd be a miracle if I didn't get turned around and get myself lost at this point, luckily for me that I had a sort of…'internal compass' that prevented me from losing my sense of direction.
Curiously though, as much as the laughing girls delighted in shoving me around and took great pleasure in showing me the different sections of the Castle with pride: I noticed that they did everything in their power to avoid going outside, even going so far as showing me the Courtyard from behind the wire-framed glass windows and opting to take the long route to get to the rest of the Castle. 'Apparently, the insect species that makes them isn't a fan of the cold. Interesting notion, considering the climate: at least now I have a sure-fire way to get them off my ass if they piss me off.' I thought, only half-listening to Cassandra and Bela bicker over which section to show me next: as we had already covered the 'Great Hall', 'Dining Room', 'Wine Room', a few different parlors, and the largest of the bathrooms: which was more of a shallow, indoor pool that was surrounded by the statues of a distinguished man on a horse, three men dressed in rags while begging, a finely-dressed woman wearing a large hat that reminded me of Alcina, and a meek-expressioned girl in a shy pose.
If the statues didn't put me off, the nearly overwhelming, coppery scent of blood definitely did: apparently the infected of the Castle were allergic to water or some shit. Now, the debate consisted of showing me the 'Library' and 'Opera Room', or the 'Game Room': whatever the fuck that was, let alone what that even entailed. Keeping watch on the girls, I noticed Daniella trying to be subtle and sneak around behind me: only to send me a playful grin as soon as I whirled around to glare at her. "So jumpy…I like it. But if it makes you feel better, you have a loose thread on your back." she stated, not even paying attention to her sisters as they bickered and argued in a near perfect mirror-image of Heisenberg and Alcina.
"I'm sure I do. That why the maids spent the better part of an hour making me spotless?" I questioned back, my sarcasm apparently catching her off guard and throwing off her apparent first impression of me. "Ugh, alright fine! I was trying to see how that 'tail' and 'wings' of yours were attached. We don't get visitors wearing such…unconventional costumes, you're the only one we've ever seen dressed this way: can't blame a girl for being curious about the Outsider's peculiar choice in fashion." she replied, sneering at me with an annoyed expression at being caught: but I couldn't give a shit less about that, not when she could've easily tried to sneak a bite while my back was turned. "Its not a costume, its just as much a part of me as your flies are to you: and isn't a fashion choice amongst the people where I come from, either." I explained, which only fueled her curiosity as she moved to reach forward to touch the undamaged fabric wing: only for the other girls to 'growl' in annoyance and laugh in triumph respectively.
"That settles it! To the 'Library' it is!" Bela said, smugness radiating off her and apparently taking great pleasure in the triumph she held over her sister. "Ugh, really? You and your stupid books! Why can't you find an actual hobby, like stringing something up and watching them squeal as you bleed them dry? Or cutting a leg and watching them try to escape, only to follow the trail back to them?" Cassandra whined, describing my previous conquest in a disturbing amount of detail: especially when I know she didn't witness it. "Because I have more finesse than you! And the things you can learn from a book make it all the more fun if you find the right genre! Isn't that right, Auntie?" Bela cooed, leaning uncomfortably close with a wicked smile full of teeth: paying no attention to her defeated sister as she tried to sneak a peek under my hood.
"Depending, yeah. Having an imagination works too, I suppose." I said slowly, not entirely sure how to feel about their topic of conversation, especially when they could just as easily turn the tables around on me if they decided to ignore Alcina's demands. With another bout of feminine laughter from the girls, I was once again swarmed by the flies and shoved through several more corridors until we ended up at the base of another mahogany staircase, with a small auditorium to my right with a stage and large, red velvet curtains, comfortable-looking seating and a large, expensive as fuck baby-grand piano that had been made from several different kinds of hardwood and decorated with the same, golden filigree as everywhere else.
Noticing my stare, Bela paused and followed my gaze: before turning back to me with a curious expression on her face, as if she discovered something about me that she hadn't seen before. "Do you play?" she asked, causing Daniella to watch me curiously, while Cassandra looked bored out of her skull: looking every bit the pouting child, despite looking as if she were in her early twenties. "I can, but I haven't in years: didn't exactly have the luxury while I was busy with traveling." I replied, keeping it vague and with good reason: but that still didn't stop Bela and Daniela having their faces light up like a pair of demented Christmas trees, making me feel uncomfortable as they shared a secretive smile that only they understood.
"That settles it, once we show you the Library: you get to play something for us! We have plenty of time before dinner, so you get to entertain us until then!" Daniela said, making an unamused scowl stretch across my face: not at all impressed with the thought of being forced to 'entertain' these girls like some kind of circus act, and fought very hard against the virus' sudden demand to teach them some 'proper' manners. Baring a fang, I resisted the urge to hiss as they shoved me up the stairs and through a door to the right: exposing a rather small and sparse library: with a large skylight illuminating the room in warm, golden light from the afternoon sun.
Separating myself from them, I kept an ear turned in their direction as I ran my glove over the leather and cloth spines: finding mostly Shakespearean work, poems and other sources of fiction: which was interesting because most, if not all the books were written before the eighteenth century. 'Guess Miranda doesn't want them knowing about the current state of the world.' I thought, paying the girls no mind as I pulled a thick and heavy tome out from one of the most neglected corners of the library: finding that it was an old storybook and contained mostly Scottish folklore, interestingly enough. "You sure she can even read?" Cassandra questioned rudely, not even bothering to keep her voice down: taking pleasure in my annoyance as my nostrils flared, before straightening my spine and closing the book and returned it to its shelf with an unnecessarily loud 'snap'.
"Yes, Cassandra: I can. In sixty different languages and can speak each of them fluently. I can also solve the hardest puzzles in record time, defeat the strongest of opponents with the bare-minimum effort, and run enough laps to exhaust even the fastest of Heisenberg's Lycans without breaking a sweat and still meet Alcina in time for tea! Anything else you'd like to know so I can sate your snide, curious little mind, 'Dear Niece'? Or shall I explain to you all the fine, graphic details that lie within pesticides and the effects they have on annoying, little insects? No? Then I strongly suggest you keep your opinions to yourself, before I give every single one of your bugs a reason to fear the word 'Orkin'." I snarled, squaring my shoulders as I glared dangerously at her from under my hood with bared teeth and orange-tinted eyes: causing the temperature to drop twenty degrees as the girls apparently realized the error of their mistakes, or the bugs were smart enough to recognize a predator in their presence and were reacting accordingly: judging by the wide, fearful gazes, pale faces and stammered apologies that went unheard as I shoved my way through them and back down the staircase.
Stomping down the stairs, I ignored all further conversation from the girls as I stormed my way into the 'Opera Room' and circled the piano: subconsciously running a hand along its smooth, polished surface before taking a seat on the velvety, cushioned stool. Flexing my hands, I glanced at the sheet music and let out a miniscule 'huff' of amusement at the irony of the song that had been exposed on the open pages. ''Someday, My Prince Will Come', too bad that's not how the world works.' I thought, suddenly feeling an old bitterness start to make its presence known, only for me to crush it before it formed as the sounds of the girls making their way down the stairs snapped me out of that particular sting of reality.
"You're so dense! Why would you say that?! If Mother heard you-" "Would you be quiet?! You're not the one she glared at! How was I supposed to know it would make her that angry?!" "You're lucky that was all she did, we don't know anything about her! What if she'd been like 'Uncle Heisenberg'?! She could've turned violent and made you pay for insulting in her in blood, Cassandra! For all we know, she can do things that can actually harm us, you can't just run your mouth! She's not like the rest of our family, even you had to have felt that when she glared at us! Our new Aunt: she's dangerous! Use your head and think before you speak next time, or she might take it upon herself to use you as an example for insulting her!" "What a loss that would be." "Daniella!" the three voices hissed amongst themselves as the girls made their way down, hiding in the hallway and clearly debated on whether or not to get any closer, animal instinct taking control of their human illusions: oblivious to the fact that my sensitive hearing was able to pick up every word, no matter how quiet they were trying to be.
'As satisfying as this is…' I thought, relieved that it didn't take much to get the point across with these girls before deciding that having Alcina pissed at me for threatening her daughters outweighed the bitter satisfaction. "I'm not a rabid dog, get in here." I called, rolling my eyes hard enough to give myself a headache as the voices hushed themselves for several, long minutes: until Bela steeled herself and swarmed in the room to join me, followed by Daniela and reluctantly: Cassandra. "Auntie-" Bela started, only to silence herself as I tilted my hood down and got ready to rest my hands into position above the black and ivory keys. "Save it, Bela. The point was made, it's done. Let that be your warning not to provoke me or insult my intelligence again: because that's the only one you're getting. Now. What song do you want to hear? I'm no 'Beethoven' or 'Mozart', but I know my way around a set of keys." I questioned, unable to keep the snappish tone from my voice, but it didn't seem to deter the girls: especially once they realized that I had no interest in continuing to threaten them.
"Ooo! Play something from 'The Outside'! Show us what an Outsider can do! Play us something that we've never heard before!" Daniela chirped excitedly, swarming in masse before reforming herself in a seated position on top of the piano. "Yes! Mother hasn't gotten new sheet music in ages! Play us something new!" Bela joined in, taking a seat of her own in a chair close by: while Cassandra 'groaned' in the same, bored tone as before: crossing her arms and glaring at the wall. "At least make it a good song, before my ears start bleeding or I die of boredom." she snarked, before swarming off to find a place of her own: opting to sprawl along a velvety loveseat closer to the wall and further away from the rest of us. 'Really? Pouting?' I thought, rolling my eyes at how much of a child she was being, before turning my attention to the keys: flexing and stretching my fingers as I thought about which song to introduce them to, before finally deciding on one of the ones I was fond of playing when I actually had enough free time that allowed me to get my hands on a piano.
Tapping my fingers on a few spare notes, I made sure the instrument was in tune out of habit, despite knowing for a fact that Alcina expected nothing but perfection: including the tuning of her piano. "I'll play you one, and if it satisfies your interest: I'll introduce you to a few more, if only to pass the time. This one's called 'I See Fire'." I said, finding laughable irony in that particular choice and fought to keep the wiry smile off my face as I rested my hands into position as Bela and Daniela leaned in closer, while Cassandra lounged in her spot and pretended to be asleep: though I could tell she was listening. 'Let's see how you girls like a bit of 'Tolkien's' work to darken your day.' I thought, feeling lighter at the silent 'fuck you' to Miranda by introducing Alcina's daughters to some music from some of the classics of the Adventure/Fantasy genre: feeling especially happy once I imagined the look on her face if she ever found out where it was from.
With that in mind, I let my fingers glide across the keys in the familiar dance: near instantly catching the attention of the girls at the strange, unfamiliar tune, but grew mesmerized at the quick notes and how I hit them without missing a single one: or even reading any sheet music to follow, it was all muscle memory at this point. Keeping pace with the tune, I matched the low and high notes, the quick pace and the slow: all the while watching the girls lean in closer as they watched my gloved hands glide across the keys with a practiced ease that they clearly didn't expect from someone like me. Even though they had no idea what the song's story was or even the lyrics to it, I could tell the girls were highly interested in it: especially Bela, as she made it clear that she was 'The Bookworm' out of the three, and would have a higher understanding about the fantasy aspect, or even just the story in general.
As the song came to a close, I felt a 'smirk' stretch across my face as Daniela pouted once she and Bela realized that it wasn't going to continue as soon as I hit the last notes. "What kind of song was that?" Daniela asked, apparently asking the question for both her and her sister: as Bela's mouth clamped shut as soon as the question made itself known. "Its from a book, actually: a fantasy novel, but one filled from cover-to-cover with conflict, war, magic and torment. With an all matter of nightmarish creatures that thoroughly enjoy tearing whatever they can get their hands on limb from limb." I explained, causing the girls to share a look of excitement at the thought of a book containing all of that and was clearly appealing to their bloodthirsty nature. "Mother doesn't allow such things, and forbids such barbaric texts from the Castle. Prevents us from getting…'ideas', she says." Cassandra called from her spot, causing the other two to roll their eyes at the unwanted tidbit of information that attempted to spoil their enjoyment.
"Well…in that case, I shouldn't continue then?" "NO!" came a duo of shouts, making a smug grin full of teeth stretch across my face: which eventually came out as a bark of laughter as they realized that I had said that on purpose. 'Gotcha.' I thought, straightening my position as smugness filled me to my soul as the girls pouted and glared at me with murder in their eyes. "What? I thought you didn't want any more." I said innocently, while internally laughing my ass off at the outraged looks on their faces: apparently, they've never been pranked before, how tragic. "I have a better idea, how about you tell us how you hunt? Do you cut things open and watch them bleed, like we do? Or do you devour them with no tact, manners or finesse like 'Uncle Moreau'?" Cassandra spoke up from her spot on the loveseat, changing the atmosphere of the room from tolerable: to frigid and unwelcoming. "Excuse me?" I questioned hotly, focusing on the most bloodthirsty sister as she sat up and looked directly into my hood with a wide, predatory grin.
"Oh, so modest! How delightful! No need to play coy with us, the maids may have cleaned you and made you spotless on the outside: but you positively reek with the stench of blood and death! Quite frankly, I'm jealous: having all that delicious prey at your mercy, covering yourself in their blood as you tear them apart, it just sounds so…exhilarating!" she said, practically bouncing with excitement as whatever demented visual image came to her mind and fueled her apparent need to tear something apart for the hell of it. "I don't kill for fun, if that's what you're asking. All of those that I have removed from this Earth have deserved everything they got: I suppose you could say I keep the world clean of filth by getting dirty." I replied, not liking how I had the undivided attention of all three girls at this point.
"But that sounds so boring! And doesn't explain anything! Give us details! Surely, as an Outsider: you know the best ways to make their blood extra sweet? And what do you do with them after? Do you eat them? Or do you have them hung up as trophies?" Daniela chimed in, making me wish they had picked a better topic of conversation: but since these bugs were clearly carnivorous and sentient: it made a disturbing amount of sense for them to question a predator higher up in the food chain how they performed their methods so they could learn and improve their own.
"I can kill a man a thousand different ways, depending on how painful of a death they deserve: I can make it last seconds, or I can make it last months: and if someone's been especially…naughty, they'll continue to suffer even after they're dead. As for eating them: no, but the only evidence will be a fresh coating of blood in the area where they used to be, and that's if I'm feeling generous. Otherwise, there'll be no evidence." I explained, not liking how the girls sat on the edge of their seats: as if I were telling them their favorite ghost story and was about to leave them on a cliffhanger as an ending.
"That still doesn't explain how! How do you do it?! Do you stalk them and shred them from the shadows, or do you face them directly: so you can take pleasure in watching the life drain from their face?!" Bela demanded, joining in the conversation and was adamant on learning my secrets just as badly as her sisters. "Now Bela…where's the fun in telling?" I questioned back, keeping up the charade of sharing their enjoyment in flaying someone alive with that snide little comment: complete with a devious 'smirk' with an exposed fang shining in the candlelight. Holding back a 'snort' at the trio of outraged, disappointed noises: I cleared my throat and opted to get back to the previous choice of entertainment, especially before any of the girls got too 'excited' and decided to try to test their skills on me or some shit. "Now, back to this: still up for another tune from 'The Outside': as you put it?" I asked, trying to get them to focus on music instead of…whatever the fuck that was.
"I could listen to another, if only to listen to something different: Mother's taste is nice, but there must be more than what she provides us." Daniela said, joined in agreement by Bela: who sent a 'nod' of agreement: despite the fact that she clearly wanted to return to the previous conversation. "I'm interested in one more, these tunes are fascinating!" she said, looking genuinely interested, despite not knowing the lyrics to the songs themselves, which further proved that Miranda was maintaining control by limiting their knowledge of the outside world and the state of it: what a clever bitch, that overgrown bird was.
"Alright fine, one more." I said, trying to ignore the twin grins full of teeth as I shifted positions and rested my hands above the keys again. "I've never learned this one's name, not sure if it even had one." I continued, watching their yellow eyes flash in confusion as I started pressing the keys: letting the music from the piano take over all other forms of conversation as the room went quiet. Tapping away at the keys, I ignored the shrieking screams and howls between my ears as I focused on playing the duet from 'Corpse Bride': figuring the girls would instantly take to 'Tim Burton's' work, all things considered.
As soon as it became apparent that this particular song was supposed to be a duet, I caught Bela and Daniela sharing a look out of the corner of my eye as soon as 'Victor's' quick, higher notes started making their presence known. Even without a partner, it didn't matter: I learned to be fast enough and was able to spread my fingers to reach the more difficult keys and was able to pull it off alone. Quickening the pace, I raced across the keys as I managed to hit the notes of both Victor and 'Emily's' parts with a practiced ease that made it seem as if there were two people playing instead of one: drawing even Cassandra out of her pout as she came over to investigate. Slowing back down, I glanced from under my hood and saw that the girls were watching my hands with a disturbing intent: as if they were cats that just discovered what a feather toy was.
Speeding back up, I finished the final verse and brought the song to a close: much to the disappointment of the girls. "That song, it was a duet: wasn't it?" Bela asked, making me pause in my fidgeting as I busied myself with idle preening: trying to ignore the three pairs of yellow eyes burning holes in the side of my head. "It was." I said, having a sinking feeling that I knew where this conversation was going: and I honestly wasn't looking forward to it. "I thought you usually needed a partner for those, and you're the only Outsider here. Did you have a partner to learn from, or something?" she continued, making me grit my teeth as a very unwanted and very familiar feeling started tickling the back of my throat: regardless of how much I tried to make it go away. "Something like that." I said shortly, wishing they would stop with the questions: unfortunately, they either didn't notice, or didn't care about the effect their questions were starting to have.
"Where are they? They sound like fun! Especially if they were as good with their hands as you!" Daniela purred, not realizing that that particular question made my eyeballs burn and stole my voice for several, long minutes: drawing the curious gazes of the girls as soon as they noticed that I stopped moving. "Auntie?" Bela asked, trying to sneak a peek under my hood: only to lean back as I quickly rose from my seat and struggled to get ahold of myself. "I think that's enough music for today." I said, not paying the girls any further attention as I quickly took my leave through the nearby oak door and made an immediate left through a pair of metal ones: stepping out into the crisp air and let the wind turn the stubborn, leaking tears to ice.
Wiping them away with a 'snarl', I kicked myself in the ass for letting my emotions get the better of me: because now they had something to use against me, which will make its way to Miranda the first chance it got. Great. 'Of all the fucking questions!' I internally raged, trying to refrain from punching the closest wall and putting a hole in it for Alcina to bitch at me for. "Fucks sake." I snarled, forcing myself not to blame them for their horrendously-timed question: but I was hoping that I would be able to avoid storming out like a child once I realized that the effects weren't going to change, guess I assumed wrong. Heaving one of the heaviest 'sighs' I've had in a long while, I gave my head a hard 'shake' and steeled my emotions again: chilling my boiling blood and managed to ignore all of my previous…'inconveniences' to the point where it would look as if they had never made an appearance in the first place.
Grateful for the distraction of the returning 'grumbling' of my stomach, I tilted my hood up and inhaled a passing breeze: feeling my guts twist themselves into knots at the multiple scents of freshly made, hot meals on the wind. Glad my watering mouth didn't escape my jaws: I glanced beyond the gazebo and spotted a large pair of metal door at the top of a short flight of stairs to the left: and the maids setting the dining table in preparation for dinner through the wire-framed windows. 'To hell with it.' I thought, opting to ignore any and all potential complaints from Alcina if she found out that I had walked out on her daughters, striding through the Courtyard and the dying gardens in favor of following my nose to the source of the delicious smells.
And while I was patient enough to wait, I couldn't help but feel slightly apprehensive as a sudden, unwanted thought jumped to the forefront of my mind. Considering the nature of the other infected and their…nature: what did 'dinner' consist of, exactly? And more importantly: I hoped that I wasn't about to walk into a 'Hannibal' situation, because if they decided to try and add me to the 'menu'…well, Castle Dimitrescu was about to become quite vacant, and not in a way that would go in their favor. Either way, I was not about to go another day without food or sleep: because if I did, then someone was going to get a very intimate lesson on my methods in removing someone from the equation, Miranda's orders be damned. With that in mind, I pressed my hands to the chilly metal door: ready to either fill my stomach with the obvious, upcoming feast, or paint every viable surface in the blood of the residents: whichever came first.
Luckily for me, and everyone else within the Castle walls: dinner looked to be in the final stages of preparation: judging from the smells, which meant that I was a few minutes away from entering a food coma that I fully intended to sleep off for the next week: and God help anyone who tried to get in the way.