Chapter 22: Disguise
Meredith wished that Derek was there to keep her company, but he was out hunting. He hadn't eaten all week, and it showed. Meredith finally persuaded him to eat something. Thatcher had gone home after a long visit. Mark was asleep for school the next day, as were the rest of her friends. She didn't want to impose on the other Shepherds, though she somehow figured Rosalie might come to keep her company. In any case, she was alone that night. As she wandered out of her room, glad she did not have to stick to the IV any longer, she saw a few others in the lobby area. Spying a small snack counter, she figured that if she was there, she might as well get something to snack on. She hadn't had a good sugar item in a while. She moved over to it and asked for a chocolate bar. She took it and was just about to unwrap the thing when she felt a tug on her gown. Looking over, she saw a little boy, crying against his wrist and gripping her hospital dress. She set the bar aside and put a hand on his head of ginger hair.
"What's wrong?" she asked kindly, her heart panging at the sight. He simpered and looked up with two huge, brown eyes.
"I l-lost my m-mommy!" he wailed, tears streaking his red face. "I'm sc-scared!" He thrust himself onto Meredith's thigh, sobbing. Meredith shifted and then knelt beside him, taking him in her arms and hugging him.
"Shh… shh… it's ok…" Why wouldn't the hospital tenets see him? He looked about five years of age. Surely someone would have noticed a sobbing boy wander about. Meredith stood up and took his tiny hand. She grabbed the chocolate bar and showed it to him. "Would you like some?" He shook his head, continuing to sniffle and ask for his mother. Meredith looked around and spotted a nurse. After speaking with her for a moment, and the boy describing his mom, the nurse explained that she hadn't seen a woman of his description. She knelt down and smiled kindly.
"Would you like me to help find your mommy?" She held out her hand. The boy pulled back and clung to Meredith's leg. He shook his head frantically, shivering. The nurse sighed and stood up. "Would you mind watching him until we find his mom?" She said she didn't. "Alright… We're gonna find your mommy, ok, little guy?" He nodded, but still kept to Meredith's leg.
After that, the nurse left, and Meredith led the boy to her room and sat him on the bed, sitting beside him. He latched himself to her side. Meredith realized just how cold this boy was. She rubbed his arms and put a blanket on him. "Were you outside in the snow?" He nodded, gripping the blanket. "Ooh… poor thing." She pet his hair. "Don't worry. We'll find her. What's your name?"
"Vinny," he said, his face pushed into her side.
"Vinny…. That's a nice name, Vinny. My name's Meredith."
"Hi," he said softly.
"Hi," said Meredith with a small smile. "How old are you?" He held up four fingers. "Wow. You're old, huh?" She poked his side and he let out a reluctant giggle. "So why are you and your mommy hear?"
"I dunno," said Vinny with a shrug. He looked to her. "She said that she's gotta do something here."
"What something?"
"I dunno…"
There was a pause and Meredith pulled up a remote. "Do you want to watch TV?" she asked. "There might be some cartoons on."
Vinny shook his head. "I'm hungry."
"Oh?" Meredith took her candy bar and unwrapped it. "Here… have some." Vinny stared at it for a minute. He moved his tiny hands to her arm and held it down so that he could look at it better. He stared at it for the longest time. Slowly, he moved his mouth forward as if to bite it. Meredith began to feel pressure on her wrist. She frowned and tried to wriggle her hand away. Vinny only held tighter. "Let go… come on Vinny, you're hurting me." She tried to wrench it away, but by God that kid had a grip. She began to grow frantic. What was going on? She yanked and pulled, but the iron grasp that clung to her skin would not let her lose. "Stop it!" she demanded, trying to pull away. "Let me go! Let me go right now! Vinny!" Suddenly, his head jerked forward. Meredith felt two sharp pains enter her wrist. She gasped and turned her wrist suddenly, causing herself to fall to the bed. Vinny let her go and she scrambled to the other side of the room. Her legs were wobbly and weak, but she did her best to stand, the walker having been knocked over in the process of her falling. Vinny slipped from the bed; his mouth covered in shimmering blood. He smiled, his eyes now demonic and his teeth a bright, unnatural shade of white. Two sharp fangs protruded from his gums.
"You are so pathetically predictable," came a spiteful voice. It came from him, and was still in his tenor, yet the way he spoke did not match his body. His hands began to form into blade like things. Meredith instantly knew who she was dealing with.
"V-Victoria!" she managed to call out. A snort came from the boy's mouth.
"No shit, bitch!" He – or rather, she – let his arm fly forward, extending as though it were made of rubber. Meredith dodged just in time, falling to the ground. She crawled quickly over to her night stand, seeing the bell. This was defiantly an emergency. She leapt for it, but something caught her ankles. With a lurch, she was yanked back and thrown to the ground. He pinned her by her neck, laughing. "You know… I could just kill you right now. But this is too much fun… huh…?" He looked down and realized that she was still wearing her silver cross. His skin was slowly starting to sizzle – as though it was on a frying pan.
"Agh!" He flailed backwards, his hand smoking and red. Meredith didn't get a chance to breathe. Instead, she moved as quick as possible to the bed stand, her legs nearly giving out beneath her, and grabbed the bell. She shook it with all her might. The vampire before her screamed, pushing his hands to his ears and falling to his knees. "Enough! Enough! Stop that!"
Meredith heard a thump at her window. Derek clung to the side, eyes furious in a blue blaze. "You can come in!" said Meredith quickly. Derek punched his hand through the glass and dove in, tackling Victoria to the ground and pushing her disguised body to it roughly. He began to tighten his hold on the neck. But stopped when one of Victoria's dagger arms sliced Derek across the face. Now back to her original form, Victoria moved to the window. But Derek slammed her up against the wall, his cut slowly starting to heal. Derek's hand gripped her throat tightly, his face absolutely livid. So angry, in fact, that it scared Meredith a bit. A smile curled along Victoria's lips.
"Well…? Aren't you going to kill me? Go ahead…" Her eyes blazed up, like a cat playing with a mouse. "Cut off my head. Burn my body. Scatter my ashes at a crossroad. Otherwise I'll be back. And I'll make sure to kill her this time. So will the others." Derek seethed, but did nothing, his leer kept on her face. She choked out a laugh. "You can't, can you? You can't kill me… You want to… Oh how you want to. But you won't…" She narrowed her eyes, a larger laugh coming this time. In a sudden movement, she twisted Derek's arm and bounded off the wall, soaring through the night. There was a moment of silence between the two. Derek stared at the spot where he just had her. Meredith didn't know what to say – or do. Slowly, he turned to her, an incredulous look of bewilderment on his face.
"Why couldn't I kill her?"
Meredith jumped as heavy knocks were heard from her door. "Miss Grey!" came the voice of one of the nurses. "What's going on in there? Are you alright?! Please open this door, Miss Grey!" Meredith turned to Derek as the pounding continued. He looked away from her and went to the window.
"Derek…" He paused. Only for a second. After that, he left the way he came. Her shoulders slumped and she looked to the door. Grabbing her walker and avoiding the glass, she went over to the door and opened it up for the nurse.
It was remarkable what a disguise could accomplish.
