CHAPTER 15 - Like a dream

The full moon was shining in the sky with the reflection shinning in the wide open eyes of the girl with a bloody face who suddenly woke up gasping in pain; she had never felt a pain so strong before.

"So this is hell... maybe I deserve to suffer even after death..."

Mavis turned to the side and curled up clutching her hands to her chest, as if she wanted to stop the bleeding of a wound that she did not have. She could not breathe, but then, the pain began to subside. A strong heat began to burn her pelvis becoming more and more painful.

The vampiress moved a hand to it, but she touched something which burned her hand, worried, she spun around to see what it was, it was the Simon's silver arrow.

"I know I'm dying... and I also know that you have done all you can... Cough, Cough, Cough..." Jonathan's exhausted voice broke the silence.

"But, tell me... what did you discuss with your father, after the party?"

Mavis was too stunned, like déjà vu, everything she had lived a week earlier was happening again.

The vampiress dragged herself to the boy and hugged him.

"Jonathan!" The vampiress wanted to tell him more than what a million words could say, but the emotions she felt at that moment closed her throat.

The boy smiled.

"Mavis... this is the first time you called me by my full name."

The girl reciprocated by smiling back at him.

"I'm dreaming? All those days... the death of Jonny... my suicide... was it reality or were they dreams?"

Then Mavis said to the boy to prove that it was not her imagination:

"I like athletic shoes with stiletto heels"

"I'm dying, but you're delirious!... They're horrible!" Jonny said in a faint voice.

"Just my Johnny could answer so funny in a difficult situation like this!"

Mavis' eyes began to cry, but after so many tears shed for the physical and psychological pain finally she cried due to excitement and happiness.

"We were talking about your future with me, I should ask you if you wanted to become a vampire to live forever with me, but I did not have the courage. I was afraid of your rejection and having to resign to see you grow old and die..."

"Bite me..." Jonathan murmured.

Mavis brought her lips to the boy's to give him a kiss, she felt the taste of his blood in her mouth

It was sufficient to reinvigorate her and she felt that damned voice inside her again:

"Devour him or you will die..."

"Fuck you!" She replied furiously gritting her teeth.

The vampire leaned to her own instincts and with a speed worthy of a cobra she unsheathed her fangs and penetrated into the skin of Jonathan between the shoulder and neck.

The boy grimaced, then, despite being more dead than alive, made a terrible scream of pain wriggling to try to free himself. He felt as if something was tearing his guts from his body and get them out from the girl's bite, who instead continued to suck blood indifferent to the suffering of the boy.

Her unrecognizable gaze made her look more like a ravenous rabid dog compared to the sweet vampiress who she usually was.

"Mavis... I... love... you..." These were the last words, but more similar to wheezes, that the young man was able to say before collapsing.

Jonathan's already slow heartbeat became more and more feeble until Mavis could no longer feel it. She awoke as from a trance like state and loosened her bite, the boy was now motionless, and his dull and lifeless eyes remained open.

The girl was still hungry, but she had to return to her father as soon as possible, so she picked up Jonny and began to running as fast as she ever had in her life.

The blood had made her stronger than ever before, but the silver arrow continued to weigh a ton.

She reached the cliff above the bridge and jumped without stopping, her momentum was so strong that she landed over half way across the bridge.

Mavis finally reached the revolving door of the Hotel, which she entered through with difficulty and then dropped to her knees at the entrance of the hall.

The guests around her noticed the girl and looked with startled gazes, as the other monsters turned to look; the shaking shout of Mavis broke the silence:

"Dad!"

Dracula pricked up his ears, he was on the landing of the stairs in the lobby and was discussing with his friends how to organize the "welcome back" party for Mavis to forgive him.

He turned towards the entrance and saw his daughter and Jonathan dripping with blood, the goblet of Similsan slipping from his hands. Before it shattered on the ground, the vampire jumped in front of the two with such speed as to crack the tiles under his feet and crush the glass of the front door.

"What happened?! " Dracula shouted desperately to Mavis who had her head down and did not answer for a moment.

"And this..." Continued the vampire in a lower tone of voice, but still rough, referring to the arrow stuck in the side of his daughter as he gingerly touched it, but quickly withdrew his hand after he was burned by it.

"Ouch! A silver arrow... Dr. Jekyll!" He shouted.

"WHO DID THAT?"

"He attacked us..." Mavis said with a whisper.

"He hit Jonathan by mistake, then we started a furious fight and hurt me badly..." Continued the girl still without looking up.

Dracula took Jonathan in his arms.

"Jonathan... no..." He whispered desperately, then seeing blood drip from the tip of the girl's nose, he gently took her chin and lifted her head, for Dracula it was a blow to his heart to see the gash and the black eye on his daughter's face:

"Honey-claws, your pretty face... and... no... your... eyes..." Dracula continued with tears.

His gaze became even more worried, so much so that he could not even speak, but Mavis did not understand what her father was thinking, who after recovering from the shock continued:

"Your eyes are red, who did you devour?!"

Then he looked at Jonathan's neck and noticed the bite mark, the vampire fell down so he could hold his head, he had his eyes closed and was breathing heavily.

He seemed about to faint, and his daughter was more and more confused about why her father was worried more for the bite than what had happened to her.

Finally came Dr. Jekyll accompanied by four nursemummys who were carrying two stretchers where they laid the two injured.

"Take care of my daughter and close the boy in solitary confinement... The wounds were inflicted with silver weapons, do what you can." Dracula said to the doctor.

"Silver Arrows? That is barbarism." Said the doctor.

Then the Count turned to Mavis:

"As soon as he has finished I will have to talk to you."

"Security! Find out who was the responsible for the ambush and where they are!" The vampire Ordered to armor suits who were standing at attention:

"Yes, sir!"

At the request of her father, even if not directed at her, Mavis said:

"Simon Van Helsing... You must kill him; otherwise I'll do it myself"

Dracula was shocked. His daughter seemed serious and determined, and it frightened him. The extreme feeling of revenge that she expressed was not typical of the Mavis he knew.

Meanwhile these words startled everyone present who broke the silence and began to whisper and comment among themselves, but Dracula was more shocked and could not utter a word. Then the stretchers disappeared behind to the floor which had closed after their passage.

Wayne approached the Count with caution and said:

"Van Helsing, the famous hunter, this Simon will be a descendant of Abraham?"

"Don't you dare mention that name in my presence!" Dracula roared, then continued, "I do not care who he is, I mended the mistakes I committed in the past. This time I will kill Van Helsing, they have already taken away Martha, and now they have almost done the same thing to my daughter. I cannot allow other attacks."

Having said this, he retired to his room, he was too angry, so he preferred to stay away from the other monsters; he knew that in this state was a danger to everyone.

He went into his coffin and locked himself inside it, he wanted to rest, but he had too many thoughts on his mind, in addition, despite being in the attic and the infirmary in the dungeons, he could hear the desperate cries of pain of his daughter while they removed the arrow, as if they were in the same room.

Dracula felt those screams as if they were swords piercing his heart, he would rather die than hear his beloved Mavis suffer in this way.

He tried to close his eyes and cover his ears, but it was all in vain, he began to scream and writhe to vent anger and disappointment he felt in himself for failing to keep his promise to his beloved wife.

"Martha, I have failed. I hope you can forgive me, because I'll not do it..."

This torture lasted for several hours before silence returned to the Hotel.

Oh, oh, oh...I'm a prankster writer... oh, oh, oh!

I hope you are happy that the story is not over yet. In Italian I wrote up to chapter 21

I dedicate this fanfiction to my girlfriend and all my readers, reviewers and beta reader wallaceb.