Chapter 6, Historical hints
A drop of blood hit my cheek, she was crying. Her bottom lip was shaking, and she held onto me tightly, not wanting to let go.
-"I'm... not..." I found that I couldn't quite speak, it hurt too much..
-"No..." She whispered thoughtfully. "We were going to be together forever. I promised you..." Her voice trailed off as she broke into sobs, more tears falling from her eyes.
-"I didn't... plan to..."
-"Sssch." She silenced me by placing a finger over my lips. "Don't worry. We'll be together again. I promised you that I would be yours forever, didn't I?" She tried to smile. "I'll wait for you to be reincarnated, even if that means that I'll have to wait forever." I tried my best to smile back at her, but didn't quite manage. "I don't want to lose you."
-"You won't." I managed to whisper. "I'm not... leaving you..." She reached up and pulled off my pendant, the bloodstone. She looked at it for a second, clasped her hand around it and held her hand over her chest, by her heart.
-"I will keep you in here..." She sobbed, her eyes fixed on the stake in my chest.
-"Wait..." I whispered. "I'm not..."
-"I love you!" She threw herself at me, hugging me tightly. I felt an intense pain, and then things went black.
I stirr and open my eyes slowly. That dream... An other memory? Yes. So that's what happened to the bloodstone. She has it. Or well, at least she had it. If she's alive today, I wonder if she still has the bloodstone? If she does, that might help me find her. Somehow... Maybe... I wonder whose blood it contains...
Today is Wednesday. Almost a week has passed since I first met Mistress, and she still hasn't contacted me again. She probably won't. It wouldn't surprise me if she's deliberately keeping away from me. Perhaps she didn't intend to ever contact me again? Perhaps she just suggested that we made a deal so that I would trust her, and she would have a chance to escape? No. She had tons of chances to escape. I didn't ever say that she had to follow me, but she did anyway. Followed me to the club, and followed me halfway back to the appartment. But then what's taking her so long?
I get out of the bed, intending to put on some clothes, but I just end up standing in front of the large mirror hanging on the wall, next to the closet. I don't look much like a vampire, do I? At least not while I'm forcing my blood to flow through my veins. But if I stop... I become pale as death.
By now, most of my powers and abilities have returned to me. Vague memories of me using them have started to come back as well. That's why I had managed to kill Sammy. Although, when he charged at me the last time, instincts took over. My nails... They became.. claws? How did I do it? I close my eyes, and try to think about changing my nails like that again, but it doesn't seem to work. I open my eyes again, look down at my nails and imagine them changing. The image of how they looked that time still lingers in my mind, and I project the image onto them now. Growing... Harder... Longer... Black. It works. All I had to do was to imagine it happen. To think about it happening, and to concentrate.
I look up into the mirror, allowing my nails to turn back as they were. It seems most of my abilities are so deeply rooted somewhere in my subconciousness, that I don't know how to use them, but simply can anyway. As when I managed to see through the cloak of shadows Mistress used when she tried to escape. I just sharpened my eyes, focused on spotting her, and I did. I should be able to move with the shadows like that as well. I should be able to do lots of things...
I vaguely remember being able to move things with my mind, but I can't remember how to do it. I walk into the kitchen and take a glass out from a cupboard. I sit down by the table and put the glass in front of me. I picture the glass moving, hovering above the table, but the glass remains still. I bite my lip slightly, trying my best to focus on the glass. As I create a strong image of the glass in the middle of the air, it starts to shake a bit. I smirk slightly. Progress.
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Since Vivian is at work, I have all day to practice my skills. I finally manage to move the glass, and make it hover above the table. Content, I put the glass back at the shelf where I took it, before heading towards the door, grabbing my jacket, keys, the cellphone Vivian bought for me, and stepping into my shoes.
For once, I feel like I have tons and tons of energy, so I take the stairs instead of the elevator, running down them quickly. I exit the white appartmentbuilding and walk off at a quick pace, not really having a particular destination in mind. I just walk where ever my feet seem to take me.
I soon end up in a bit more trashy neighbourhood. Compared to the clean, finer neighbourhood where Vivian lives, this place is very filthy. The buildings are dull, grey or brown, and there's cracks in the walls of some buildings. It's starting to get a bit dark, and the streets are very poorly lit, the distance between the streetlamps fairly great. There's not that many people out now, and there's lots of dark allys, creating the perfect area for me to kill someone.
I walk down the street, trying to find a suitable victim, but soon realize that I'm being followed. I turn my head slowly and spot a man behind me, dressed in a large, brown coat. His hands are in his pockets, holding on to what seems to be a knife or something. I smirk slightly to mysef as the man quickens his pace, heading for me. I don't make any attempt to escape, but continue at the same pace, waiting patiently for the man to reach me. Once he does, he pulls up the knife I had already suspected he had, and forces me into an ally with him. He says something in finish, which I don't understand.
-"I'm guessing you're here to rob me." I speak, my voice calm and quiet. "You're making a big mistake though. The mistake of a lifetime."
-"Shut up! Give me your wallet or die!"
-"You shut up. Lower the knife or die." I smirk. The mans eyes glimmer with anger.
-"You're giving me no choice!" Before I get a chance to react, he throws himself at me, stabbing me with the knife in my stomach. I look from the knife, up to the mans face. He seems a bit surprised at his own actions, his determination faltering. I flash him a cold smile.
-"That barely even hurts." His eyes widen, and he lets go of the knife, taking a step backwards. Before he gets the chance to escape, I grab him by his shoulder, pulling the knife out from my stomach and pressing it into his instead. He lets out a cry of fear and pain, and tries to get my hand off of him. I growl, plunging my fangs into his neck, not paying any attention to the mans kicking and punching. After a short while, the man stops struggling, and I let go of him, letting him fall to the ground. I realize that I'm still bleeding from the wound created by the knife, so I focus on closing the wound before exiting the ally and making my way back to the appartment again.
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I press down the handle and enter the appartment, taking my jacket off and tossing it at a chair. My sweater is bloodstained, so I pull it off on my way to the bathroom.
-"Randy?" Fuck. Vivian comes out from the kitchen and sees the blood on my hands and clothes. "Shit! Are you okay?" He hurries after me into the bathroom and watches me wash the blood away from my hands.
-"I'm fine."
-"Then whose blood is that?" He questions, his face losing its colour.
-"Someone elses." I'm done with washing the blood from my hands off, and I take a towel and wipe the blood on my stomach away. Vivian remains silent, but I can tell that he's shocked, afraid and confused.
-"What happened?"
-"Someone threatened me with a knife, and tried to rob me." Vivians eyes widen. "Unfortunately, for him at least, I'm fairly good at fighting, and I know how to disarm someone. You can figure the rest out for yourself." I lie, but Vivian seems to believe me, not having any reason not to, really.
-"Did you call the police?" He questions. I look at him.
-"Yeah, sure." I roll my eyes. "A foreigner, with no money, no belongings, a fake passport and no friends calls the police, saying he's killed someone in selfdefence. I'm sure they'd believe me." I finish sarcastically. Vivian looks down, realizing I'm right.
-"Did anyone see you?"
-"No. The street was empty. No one saw it happen, no one saw me leave, and no one saw the blood on my hands. Except for you, that is." Vivian seems very troubled, probably worrying that the police will knock at the door any second now. "Look. Relax, okay." I put a hand at his shoulder. "I'm fine, he's not. It's his fault. No one was there to witness it, so no one can say for sure that I did it. Besides, he was pretty much a bum anyway, so no one will probably even realize he's missing."
Vivian is spaced out and shaky for the rest of the evening.
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It's Friday and I've just finished feeding. As I exit the ally, I feel a pair of eyes on me. I don't have to look to figure out who it is.
-"What took you so long?" My voice is calm and slightly unintrested, mirroriong the opposite of my actual feelings.
-"You try to explain to your packleader why your partner is dead, without getting her mad! I've had to do all kinds of shitty jobs, all week, because of you."
-"He attacked me first." I defend myself as I start to make my way back to the appartment, not wanting to be late and make Vivian worry. He's been all on edge after what happened the other day.
-"Look, I've asked around, but no one seems to have heard or seen the girl you're looking for. Sorry."
-"I didn't expect anyone to have, anyway." I explain. "If she's still alive, she probably has my pendant." I add.
-"Oh?"
-"It's a bloodstone. A vessel filled with blood. About the size of your thumb. Pendants like that were very rare when I had it, I'm not sure if they're as rare today though, but maybe that can be of help."
-"Yes, maybe. I've never seen a pendant like that. Never heard of one either I think, so they can't be that common." Mistress answers. I nod slowly.
-"There's something else you can do for me, though." I say as a thought begins to shape itself in my head. "I need help to figure out how long I've been gone. Do you think you can help me with that?"
-"Well, you were from Egypt, right? I don't know anything about Egypt, but I might know someone who does. Maybe he can help you?"
-"Maybe. Who is he?"
-"He's was an archeologist, and a historian in life. Nowadays, he's a noddist."
-"A noddist?"
-"Yes, a scholar, studying the Book of Nod. He specializes in the history of vampires, but he knows a lot about the history of mankind, as well as ancient egyptian history. I'm not sure how much he knows, but I can't think of anyone else. He might be worth a try at least."
-"I guess. Can you set up a meeting for me with him?"
-"I'll see what I can do." She replies. "But... after this, you owe me one." She adds before blowing me a kiss and walking off. I guess I do owe you one. If I find out for sure how long I've been gone, it migth be worth it though.
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-"If I'm not completely mistaken..." Mistress friend, the scholar that I learn is called Niilo, begins. "most of the events you've told me about took place in the early 12:th century. The Foruth Crusade however, which you mentioned, took place around year 1204. We might as well guess that you entered torpor in the early 13:th century then..." His voice trails off as he looks up at me, a hint of worry showing on his face. "How old were you before you were staked?"
-"I don't know."
-"You don't have any idea at all? Not even the slightest memory of something you did or experienced that can give us any clues as to how long you've been a Cainite?"
-"No."
-"Nothing you remember for certain before Adrainople fell? Is that the first strong memory you have? For sure?"
-"I don't know." I snap, getting quite annoyed. "I want to know how old I am, just as much as you do, but I can't remember. I do know that I had been alone for quite a long time before Serenity came along though."
-"Quite a long time before the 12:th century..." Niilo mumbles to himself.
-"Then you could be..." Mistress starts, but her voice trails off, as if she doesn't want to finish the sentence.
-"Pretty much ancient." Niilo finishes, his voice almost trembling a bit. "Either way, you're old. We know that for a fact." He continues after a while.
-"But if you're like, ancient, that means..." Mistress starts, but Niilo cuts her off.
-"We don't know anything for sure, so let's not jump into conclusions now." He says, his voice firm. "Which clan do you belong to, by the way?"
-"None." I reply, recalling a vague memory from long ago. They both look at me, asking something, but their voices fade away.
-"So which clan do you belong to?" She asked, a puzzled look upon her face.
-"None." I answered. "When I was created there were no such things as clans, and I tend not to associate with any of them."
-"Hello? Are you with us?" Mistress is waving a hand in front of my face.
-"When were the different clans created?" I ask Niilo, who looks a bit surprised at my question.
-"Well, I don't know any exact dates, it was such a long time ago, and it varies from clan to clan. Why do you ask?" His face grows a bit suspicious.
-"Nevermind." I say, not wanting to reveal the information I just obtained through my memory to the other two. Seeing Mistress shocked and troubled face when Niilo called me 'ancient' keeps me from letting them in on my suspicions of my age. "Mistress, if I really am that old, what would it mean?" I ask, inquiring her to finish what she was saying.
-"That would mean that you're dangerous." She answers, her voice quiet and shaky, and her face showing a hint of worry. Her face soon lights up though. "Wow, you migt prove even more useful than I first thought! If you're really that old, you must be quite powerful!"
-"Such a pity that you're a Caitiff." Niilo comments.
-"Caitiff?" I ask.
-"Most clanless vampires call themselves Caitiffs. The Camarilla despises them, but they are accepted as a clan by the Sabbat."
-"Why is that 'such a pity' then?"
-"Because if you were a member of a clan, I might have been able to ask around, do some research and such. Most clans keep a rather good record of their members. If I could get a hold of any old records like that... Look, I really want to figure out who you are, but if you're clanless, it will most likely prove a lot more difficult."
-"I'd like to know who you are as well." Mistress adds.
-"So would I." I whisper.
Well look at that, I managed to pull some history into the story as well.
WoD/VtM is owned by White Wolf, not me. I'm following their history, not making anything up on my own. (Yet.)