Hey everyone, real life got in the way as per usual. My manager and my supervisor have both fallen out with each other because apparently we're school children, and yours truly has been caught in the middle. They're currently not allowed to work together, so I've been working extra shifts again to compensate for that. Joy. Since there's not many chapters left, this story will be my main priority for now. I'm hoping I'll get a day soon where I can focus on writing the final chapters. But thank you so much for all of your reviews! I really appreciate it.
Running Away
Seras wasn't sure if she had ever felt this uncertain or scared in all her life. Her stomach felt like it had dropped all the way down to her toes, and it churned uncomfortably as she squirmed where she stood. The flashes of the blue sirens still danced across her vision, despite the ambulance having left almost an hour ago. The nun sat at Father White's desk, a foreboding silence filling the air of the room. It pressed down on the small girl, crushing her under its immense weight as if she was stood at the bottom of the ocean. Seras' chest was being compressed, her lungs struggling for air, and her heart thudding in panic.
The small girl cringed even more as Alucard's laughter also continued to echo around in her mind. Seras had wanted to fight back, but she had never wanted this to happen. She was a murderer. She was going to go to jail. Her heart began thudding more erratically. Her palms were coated in a layer of sweat. A lump had lodged itself in her throat, refusing to shift no matter how much Seras tried to swallow it down.
How could Alucard find this funny? Once the ambulance had arrived, and Seras had been shuffled away into the office, the other girl had completely disappeared. Her red eyes had watched with glee as the paramedics hovered over Sour Face, inserting all sorts of tools into her, and placing a mask over her face. Seras couldn't see too much of what was going on, their much taller bodies blocking her view. The nun had stopped convulsing and instead lay still, her body twisted into strange, unnatural angles. Seras had then watched as the paramedics gently lifted the woman onto a stretcher before wheeling her outside and into the ambulance.
Everything had sounded like it was underwater. Seras couldn't even hear what the adults around her were discussing. No doubt it was obvious what the blonde child had done. Despite everything, Seras couldn't begin to make herself regret fighting back. The only thing she did regret was that Sour Face got hurt to the extent that she did – that she had killed her. Now Seras was going to be locked away in a small cell. They would probably throw away the key and she would be left to rot. She would be trapped in that small space for the rest of her life.
Pant. Pant.
Then those men could easily find her.
The scar on her stomach twitched like it was alive. Like it was a parasite attached to her skin.
Pant. Pant.
They would come and get her, and they would kill her. Maybe they would do to her what they did to her mother. Seras didn't want that. It didn't look nice. She squeezed her legs together as if they were in the room with her right now. She could feel their eyes watching her every move, just waiting to strike. They would want revenge. One of them had a hollow hole where his eye had once been. Maybe he would do the same to her. Her eye ached at the thought.
Pant. Pant.
"SERAS!"
The girl in question gasped.
"Enough of that!"
It took Seras a few seconds to realise that she had begun to sob. The world around her seemed to tilt on a slant, making her head spin. Her vision seemed to blur around the edges, and her chest constricted even further, as if she was being squeezed by a giant snake in the middle of a jungle. No matter how much Seras tried to call out for help, the words could not escape the confines of the coils. Not that anybody was likely around to hear her anyway. She was alone. She was always alone.
"Do you understand what you have done?" The nun asked slowly, clasping her hands together before resting them on her chin. Her sharp eyes were locked on Seras' small form, making her feel even smaller. The once squirming girl now didn't dare to move a single muscle. But there was one question that escaped her lips as it boiled to the surface.
"Is she dead?"
The nun sighed through her nose. "No."
Seras let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding.
"But we have yet to receive full word on her condition. She had a nasty bump to the head. Do you understand what that means, Seras?" The nun continued to probe, or maybe even rub salt into the wounds. Seras rarely ever interacted with this particular nun, so it was hard to judge her actions.
Not trusting her voice, Seras shrugged.
The nun closed her eyes for a second as she took another deep breath before opening them again. Her blue eyes were ice cold, their sharp icicles piercing through Seras, forcing her to look down at the wooden floor. Seras just wanted all of this to be a bad dream.
"It means," the nun continued, "that she could have brain damage. The fall caused her to have a seizure."
"What's a seizure?"
The nun glowered at her even more. "It's what happens when someone has a poorly brain. They can be very dangerous. And you have placed Sister Katherine in great danger."
Seras gulped. "I'm sorry…"
"Sorry isn't good enough! What on earth were you thinking, you stupid child?! You could have killed her! Had the devil taken possession of you?!" The nun stood up and slammed her hands down against the desk, her eyes becoming even colder and sharper. "May God have mercy on Sister Katherine."
Seras furrowed her eyebrows. "Why? She was a mean, horrible person."
"You will show more respect and hold your tongue!"
The little blonde girl shrunk further back, attempting to make herself as small as possible. Seras just wanted all of this to go away. Why would God have mercy on Sour Face? Seras was also told that God punished the wicked and the evil, but why would Sour Face get a free pass? All Sour Face ever did was hurt people. She was nasty to all of the children in the orphanage – especially Seras.
"Now… I'm going to ask you what happened, and you're going to tell me the truth."
Seras remained frozen.
"Aren't you?"
Finally, Seras nodded slowly.
"And remember that God is your witness."
Seras took a deep breath. "It was So – I mean – Sister Katherine's fault. She was hitting me, and Alucard told me to hit back. I didn't mean for her to fall down that stairs. That part was an accident –"
"Hold on a second." The nun interrupted her, a confused look flashing across her face. "Who's Alucard?"
"My best friend."
"Someone from school?"
Seras frowned in frustration. "No. She lives here."
"Seras, nobody under that name lives here, now just tell the truth."
"I am telling the truth!" She began yelling.
"Seras, enough!" The nun raised her voice again, moving around the desk like an animal stalking her prey, her cold blue eyes never once leaving Seras. "This is no time to be telling tall tales!"
"But there is a girl here called Alucard!" Seras found herself practically begging. Why did nobody else ever seem to acknowledge Alucard? Was Seras going crazy? No… she couldn't be. Alucard had assured her that she wasn't nuts. Was this all just a big joke to bully Seras further? No! Alucard was real! She had to be! She was her best friend! There was no way that Seras could have imagined all of those things. It all felt too real.
"Have you sneaked a friend in from school?" the nun demanded. "You should know the rules about children from outside visiting here!"
"She's not a visitor!"
"Are you hiding her in your room?" The nun kept on glaring as she stormed past Seras and out of the office. Seras followed, struggling to keep place with the older woman's much longer legs. Her dark robes billowed out behind her as she climbed the stairs towards Seras' room. Would Alucard be there? Was she about to get herself into even more trouble? Seras just couldn't seem to catch a break lately.
The door to her bedroom was slammed open, and with little care for Seras' belongings, the nun began to search the room. Toys were thrown about everywhere as well as clothes and other personal items. Seras tried to catch some of her more treasured ones, but most of them landed in a heap on the floor. Her wardrobe and drawers were searched as well as under her bed and behind her bedroom door. No corner of her room was left untouched by the irritated nun, and all Seras could do was watch in anguish as she cuddled one of her dolls to her chest.
The nun's search grew less frantic as she came up with nothing. She sighed in annoyance a few times before finally coming to a stop, standing in the middle of all the mess. She clutched at a silver cross dangling from her neck before taking a deep breath. Where had Alucard gone? Seras wasn't sure if she should be glad that the dark haired girl wasn't in her room. On the one hand, it would prove that she wasn't crazy if she was, but then she would likely also get into trouble if it was true that Alucard wasn't supposed to be here. Then just who was Alucard? She was a vampire, but… she lived here, right? She was supposed to be Seras' friend. They were on an undercover mission together, so why would she just disappear and leave Seras all on her own after everything that had just happened?
"I suppose that it should come as no surprise that you imagine demons." The nun's voice interrupted Seras' frantic thoughts.
All Seras could do was blink in response. Words became a jumbled mess in her mind, and the lump in her throat had returned, blocking any sounds from escaping her. The confusion swallowed her up like a whirlpool, drowning her in the dizziness as the world spun around and around. She felt sick to her stomach. Just what was going on? Maybe Alucard was purposefully staying hidden? Yeah… that had to explain it. But still, Seras wanted her best friend by her side now more than ever. She needed her. She needed to be tucked up in her arms so that she was no longer alone.
The nun let out a sigh. "It's clear that this place is no longer suitable for you. You have been warned time and time again, Seras; you cannot continue with this behaviour."
Seras' eyes widened.
"Maybe it is best if you were to be transferred to a more secure unit. Somewhere the Lord and his servants can better help you. Somewhere that you can repent properly. Nobody is going to want to foster a girl like you with so much violence on your record," she continued.
"No!" Seras yelled, fresh tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
As much as she hated it here, there was no way that Seras was ever going to cope being moved to a new children's home. That would mean leaving Alucard behind! She would no longer be able to help her! She would never see her again! Not only that, but she would be bullied for being the new girl again. What if the staff gave her loads of disgusting medicine? Would she be locked in a prison cell until she was old enough to move out? Would their beatings be just as bad if not worse than the ones she received from the staff now?!
She wanted to go home. She wanted her mummy and daddy! But they were gone…
"I don't want to be taken away again!" Seras practically screamed.
"It's too late for that, child." The nun glared down at her. "This level of violent behaviour is not normal. You are too influenced by Satan himself and we can't have you influencing the other children here. We can't have you attacking our staff; holy servants of God!"
Seras saw red. "That bitch deserved it! My mummy and daddy never hurt me! So why do you guys do it?"
"Don't exaggerate, Seras. When we do use physical punishment, it's only because you brought it upon yourself. How else are you supposed to learn?" The nun began making her way back towards the bedroom door, though she never once took her narrowed eyes off Seras' trembling form. "And do not use such language, do you understand me?!"
"Go to hell!" the little girl snapped back.
The nun took a deep breath through her nose before exhaling through her mouth. She stood stiff in the doorway, one hand wrapped tightly around the doorknob. Her eyes became hard steel as she regarded Seras once again, appearing to debate on what was best to say next. Seras met her glare head on, refusing to let herself be scared anymore. These people were bad guys. Seras could clearly see that now. If her daddy knew about everything they did, he would arrest them without hesitation. If only Seras was a police woman right now, then she would do so herself. But she was still just a stupid kid. Nobody would believe her. Nobody would take her seriously. She was completely powerless.
"You will stay in here until told otherwise." The nun's command interrupted Seras' thoughts. "Father White will be returning shortly and then you will be dealt with. Until then, you better start praying for forgiveness, and praying that Sister Katherine pulls through."
With those final orders, the wooden door slammed shut, and the click of the lock echoed around the room. Seras stood frozen for a few moments, her brain struggling to process and catch up with everything that had just happened. It was like her mind was a scratched record, constantly repeating the nun's threats over and over again. However, it wasn't long before Sour Face's twitching body invaded her vision once again. The blood… The sound of the loud thump as she landed at the bottom of the stairs… The sickening crack of her skull against the bannister…
Seras shook her head, though that only served to make her feel even more dizzy. She stumbled forward slightly before managing to right herself again. Her stomach churned and spun like a washing machine. Her heart began rapidly beating in her chest, hammering away against the inside of her ribs and making her lungs feel even smaller as her breathing became shallower. Father White would be coming to deal with her soon. She would be sent somewhere else. Somewhere far away where she would be all alone and forgotten about. Somewhere that she could never escape. She might as well be back in the cupboard.
"Mummy…" Seras whimpered out before clenching her hands into tight fists.
The young blonde girl then stormed towards her school backpack and emptied its contents onto her already messy floor. Books and pens spilled everywhere, but Seras paid it no mind. Instead, she grabbed a handful of clothes and stuffed them into the bag. A few of her favourite toys came next, though her favourite doll had to be squeezed into the remaining tight space. Seras then crawled under her bed and grabbed some cookies that she had stashed away the other day after receiving them from a girl's birthday celebration at school. The cookies were squeezed in between the clothes and toys.
"What are you doing?" a familiar voice filled the quiet room, sounding slightly amused.
Seras ignored the new presence in her room, no matter how much her chest tightened and how much she longed to throw her arms around the other girl and cry her eyes out. The small girl merely continued searching through her mess of possessions on the floor, searching for anything that could be useful. Under all of the junk, she finally found her special secret box and opened it delicately, relieved to see that everything inside was still intact despite having been thrown about. There wasn't much inside the box. It was barely bigger than the palms of her hands. Inside was a small lock of her hair and some old photos. The smiling faces of her parents stared back at her, so full of love and hope. Seras wasn't sure when this picture had been taken, but it had always been her favourite.
"Police Girl?"
All Seras wanted to do right now was to be transported into the picture. She wanted to feel her parents' warm cuddles and kisses. She wanted to be wrapped up in their arms as they watched rubbish on the telly. To feel the soothing heat of her mother's hot chocolate. Feel the way her mother's fingers would stroke through her hair, and listen and giggle as her father would tell her bedtime stories, acting everything out and putting on silly voices for all of the characters. Smell their scents that always made Seras feel safe and at home.
However, Seras was awakened from her fantasies when a gloved hand plucked the photo from her grasp. The blonde girl immediately glared up at Alucard who was looking down at the photo with a slight tilt of her head before her red eyes glanced back up to meet Seras' own angry blue ones. Without a word still, Seras snatched the photo back and stuffed it into her bag before Alucard would even get the chance to take it off her again.
"Are you ignoring me, Police Girl?" Alucard giggled.
"Go away," was all Seras grumbled back.
The angry words had left Seras before she could even stop them. It was like her brain had been torn in two. One half wanted to cling to Alucard in the hopes that her magical friend could make all of this go away, but the other half was mad at her for everything that had happened. Alucard had made Seras fight back. Because of that, Seras had pushed Sour Face down the stairs. Because of that, Seras was now in huge trouble. Because of Alucard, everybody thought that she was crazy. Because of Alucard, she would now be transferred to a place for mentally disturbed children. It felt like everything that was now going wrong in her life was down to her new supposed friend.
"How rude." Alucard laughed again. "But let me tell you, little Police Girl, that the rumours about a vampire needing permission to enter a room are not true."
Seras fought back tears as she finally found a random map of London that she owned and stuffed it into her bag. She was now pretty sure that she had everything that she needed. This would be the start of a new adventure for her, just like the characters from some of her books. She looked around her room one final time before grabbing her coat and yanking it on. The backpack closely followed as she swung it around to secure it in place.
Alucard raised an eyebrow. "Going somewhere?"
"Away from here," Seras snapped as she stormed towards her window.
"Running away? Really, Police Girl?"
Seras ignored the older girl as she forced her window open. The cool night air immediately hit her, stinging her exposed skin. Thin raindrops filled the air, but Seras paid them no attention as she glanced down at the ground below. Her room was on the first floor of the building, but was still fairly high off the ground thanks to the Edwardian style of the building. With a gulp, she slid herself onto the window ledge, her freedom now within her reach.
However, the sudden grip of a hand on her arm stopped her from moving any further.
"Seras," Alucard practically growled out.
Seras glared back. "So what if I am? What do you care?"
Alucard sighed, his grip loosening slightly. "I see. I was wrong about you. You're just like the rest of them after all. You give in so easily and take the coward's way out."
"Shut up, Alucard! You know nothing!" Seras hissed back, seemingly startling Alucard slightly. "The cowardly thing to do would be to let them keep treating me this way! To let them take me away again and again! I am not giving in! My mummy always said that moving forward and onto something else isn't necessarily giving up. That some fights are worth it and some are not. She always said to daddy, 'live to fight another day.'"
Alucard's eyes widened.
"If you were really my friend, maybe you would understand why I'm leaving."
Without another word, Seras turned back around before reaching for the drain pipe next to her window. The plastic buckled slightly under her weight, but it seemed as if it was going to hold her okay. Her legs soon followed before she carefully eased herself down. Her boot slipped towards the end, and she fell gracelessly onto her bum, the wet ground seeping through her jeans slightly, but Seras didn't care. She had made it out. She was free.
Stuff Alucard. Stuff the undercover mission.
Maybe if her daddy had walked away from his last mission, he would still be alive. Alucard didn't need her help. Everybody in that place was bad and deserved to rot in hell. Why should Seras care about any of them? All they ever did was hurt her. She was nothing but a joke that was never taken seriously – especially to Alucard. Where had she been when she truly needed her? She had egged her on to fight back and then had abandoned her to the aftermath. What sort of friend does that?
Letting out a huff, Seras pushed herself up off the ground, breathing in the damp air to try and calm herself. She could feel Alucard's eyes burning holes in the top of her head as she stared down at her, but Seras ignored her. Without looking back, Seras took off, not caring about the direction or where she ended up. Anywhere would be better than that place and what they had planned for her.
However, her new sense of freedom and control did nothing to keep the tears at bay as the small blonde girl ran off into the rainy night.
Sorry if this chapter feels a little on the shorter side. I didn't want to drag it out longer than necessary and affect the quality of it. I really hope that I can update again very soon. I definitely don't want to leave it as long as I did this time. Stupid work. I haven't even had a chance to study for my exams either! Oy vey. I hope that you guys have all been doing okay, and pretty please leave me a review to let me know what you think if you're able to. It all helps out! So until next time, take care of yourselves!
Announcement: A playlist for this story can now be found on my blog (tauruspixie dot blogspot dot com), so feel free to have a look if you're curious as to what music helped inspire this story and helps me when I'm writing.