IV

The peace of the night is such that cannot be broken. It is that peace for which men crave when darkness falls over their lives. It is that peace which comes only through the fires of torment and death, one way or another. In her soul, Mina Harker was dead, while her body lived on against her will. In the daylight Mina felt like another person, she felt wrongfully free of the shackles in her mind. But as night fell the solitude she had grown accustomed to would not be denied. And so she walked the halls of her father's house in the dark, alone.

Nights had always been the hardest time for Mina, even before her parents died. She would lie awake for hours, listening to the sounds of the night; the crickets, the wind, the occasional mouse skittering in the attic. What sleep she did get was mostly plagued with nightmares. Throughout her childhood and into her teen years they had been a regular occurrence. She had always relied on Jonathan to help her through them, to hold her until she fell asleep. And now he was gone.

Mina stooped to pick up an old stuffed bear from the floor. Tears that refused to fall glistened in her dark eyes as she lovingly wrapped a stray thread around one of the loose button-eyes. When she had finished she held the bear close to her chest, burying her face into the piling material of its head. Slowly she sank onto her brother's bed and curled into a tight ball, still clutching the bear to her.

Diary Entry - Dr. Seward 17 September (voice recording)

(continued from earlier) More problems with Renfield. Aides noted behavioural improvement during the daylight hours. Participated in all scheduled activities from the time I spoke with him (just after 10AM) until sundown. Ate both lunch and dinner with extra helpings. Problems reported to have begun at sundown. Irritable mood, unnatural tension observed. Patient confined himself to the quiet room where he remains. Our appointment was for 9 o'clock this evening as I had business to take care of today. Renfield refused to leave the quiet room. I went to him and asked why, but he would not look at me. Slammed the door shut when I opened it, had to communicate through the window. He kept repeating the phrase, 'he's here,' as he had done this morning. I will think about this more later. Right now I'm headed to my room to get some rest.

Message: Professor Van Helsing to Dr. Seward 18 September (voice recording)

Good morning, friend John! I assume you are to be busy with your patients today, so I will not keep you long. Before you absorb yourself in work tomorrow, I propose meeting for breakfast. I'm not taking no. It's been too long, and we have much to speak of.

Diary Entry - Arthur Holmwood 18 September

Lucy, bless her heart, is all in a flurry planning this party for Mina. She came home in a daze last night, but this morning she has talked of nothing else. She left very early, before ten o'clock. She said she had invitations to deliver and decorations to buy. She makes me laugh sometimes. I expect she'll be gone most of the day.

It's good to see her so excited about something. I only hope Mina does not respond negatively to such an intrusion. Though I suppose many of my concerns are regarding my relationship with Mina. I have only just begun to forgive myself for what happened, and I cannot assume that all will be well with Mina and me when we meet again. I haven't seen her since the night Jonathan died. Honestly, I haven't made more than the barest effort. I don't know why. Perhaps it's because I still feel guilty. Lucy continuously reminds me that it was all an accident. But Jonathan was my friend, and I let him die. If I were Mina, I wouldn't want me to come near my house.

But in order to reconcile with Mina, if she will accept me, and for Lucy's sake, if nothing else, I'll go tomorrow. Who knows, perhaps it will be the thing I need to be rid of my guilt.

Diary Entry - Lucy Westenra 18 September

Oh, I'm exhausted! It's been such a busy day. Fun, but exhausting. I do so love the fall weather here. It puts you in the perfect mood to get things done; not nearly as hot as summer, which makes one tired and irritable, and not quite as cold as winter, which freezes the joints and makes outside activities shorter in duration.

I have walked all over this campus today a thousand times, I swear it! Into town, through most of the shops, in the dorm buildings, and even to the old mansion just off the University's property. (I refuse to let Mr. Hawkins know, however. That old vulture can amuse himself in other ways, away from poor Mina) Everything is all set for tomorrow, but now I'm bursting to write about my visit to Carfax (I finally learned its name!).

Well, as I said yesterday, since Count Dracula is a friend of Mina's, I decided to invite him to the party. He's newly moved in so I didn't bother trying to call him, I just went to the front door and knocked. (Ooh, Arthur would scold me for that one. He makes me laugh.) Anyway, it took a moment for me to get any response, in fact, I was almost ready to leave and come back later when the door finally opened. (Funny, looking back, I didn't see anyone actually open the door...) The Count was there at the door and invited me in with a smile. He looked much better in the daylight, though still very pale. But, Arthur will be happy about this part, I was more interested in the house than in him. All my life I've wanted to get in and explore that old place. It must have shown on my face because something made him laugh and he offered to show me the main level.

It was so dusty in there! One of the first things he said was 'Pardon the dust.' Anyway, it's enormous. And I thought father's house is big. It was all very creepy in a way, like walking through a haunted house where you're waiting for zombies and vampires to jump out at you. But it was exciting. Anyway, after the tour I got to the point and explained about the surprise party and asked if he would like to come. I hardly remember any of the details of the conversation, but he said he would be there. He said something about an appointment and not being able to get there on time, so I told him when Mina and I would be arriving so he could come after that.

I'm so excited! I really do hope Mina has a good time. I can almost picture the house now, filled with people who care about her and are celebrating with her. She'll just have to feel loved, I know it.

Diary Entry - Dr Seward 18 September (voice recording)

I was finally able to sit and speak with Renfield today. I'm more interested now then ever about his illness. Initially diagnosed as reactive Paranoid Schizophrenia, I cannot believe that is all there is to the patient's madness. This new behaviour, while characteristic of his diagnosis, seems to have more depth to it than traditional schizophrenics. He came to today's appointment promptly at noon and was nearly bursting with excitement on a new discovery. I will add the recorded conversation here:

Seward: Good afternoon Mr. Renfield. Did you sleep well? (note: aides noted the same restless anxiety as the previous night)

Renfield: Fine, fine. I feel wonderful. Recording? Marvelous. It's all in the blood, remember that. Record that.

Seward: Record what?

Renfield: The blood.

Seward: What blood?

Renfield: The lifeblood. Don't you see? It's why he's here!

Seward: Is this the same man you referred to yesterday?

Renfield: Not a man.

Seward: What then?

(note: At this point patient remained silent, looking confused, then seemed to forget what he was speaking of.)

Seward: What is in the blood?

Renfield: What blood?

Seward: What have you discovered?

Renfield: His secret.

Seward: Who's secret?

Renfield: The master -

After this point in our conversation the patient silenced himself and would speak no more of the matter. In fact he claimed to have forgotten the entire thing. This is the same result I have found each time I bring up the subject of his trip to Rumania. Total silence and a claim that he either doesn't remember or it never happened. How does a Harvard educated lawyer of a highly respected firm return from abroad in this condition?

A/N: I added onto what was initially posted for Chapter IV as the material just didn't quite fit in Chapter V. Anyway, glad you're all reading this. I don't think it takes much brains to figure out that I'm only loosely following Stoker's concept for this story. It's a rewrite and I'm doing it how I want to, so your suggestions LOTR Genius, while I appreciate them, don't serve me very well. I hope you'll understand the purpose of this story as it continues to progress. My apologies for the delay in updates.