CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Bethany heard the door to the Manor open and then swing shut again. Anna and Van Helsing were back. She jumped up off her bed and ran to the entry way. When she rounded the corner to the foyer, her heart sank. They were alone. Only Jen and Carl stood beside them.
"No sign?" Beth asked hopefully.
"None." Anna replied, her face solemn as the grave.
"A week, an entire week." Jen whispered as she fell into a chair, shock written all over her features. Beth bit her lower lip and turned around, both of her hands grasping the back of a chair causing her knuckles to turn white. She had her eyes closed to keep from crying. How dare Dracula toy with her emotions this way. She thought she was past this. Apparently she wasn't. Oh why did it have to be Mori? Beth alone out of all of her companions fully understood the danger she was in. If Dracula found out that Mori was…she couldn't even think about it without shuddering.
"She's dead. She has to be. I mean, and entire week with Dracula." Jen said looking at Anna.
"Stop it. She's alive. Mori has to be." Beth said.
"Beth, there is no way…"
"Yes there is." Beth said turning to Jen.
"She's dead…" Jen said standing as she tried to put logic in Beth, who quickly cut her off.
"Stop saying that!"
"It's the truth." Jen told her, a tear rolling down her creamy cheek.
"No it's not. I refuse to accept that fact, Jen."
"Mori is dead."
"Do you have any proof!" Beth raised her voice, losing her control again. The dam she had built to hold back her emotions had broken and now it was all coming out. "This is Mori we are talking about. She's alive! And I'm going to find her."
Without another word, Beth turned on her heel and headed to the armory. Before anyone could catch up with her, she had loaded up on weapons and vanished into the mirror.
In front of her stood Castle Dracula. Mori had to be here, she just had to be. Van Helsing and Anna had looked everywhere else. Beth walked up to the gigantic closed doors that led into that horrible manor. No one in their right mind would want to enter that godforsaken place, no one except Beth, and that was only under the correct conditions.
Beth fired her grappling gun and the hook embedded itself above the window that rested above the massive doors. The girl hit a switch and the chord went taunt. As it continued to recoil, Beth was pulled off the ground and closer to the window. When she got to the top, she just flung herself down into the foyer. Beth landed and collapsed so as not to hurt her joints. She rolled a few feet before stopping and standing back up.
"Hello Bethany."
The girl whirled around to see Dracula. He was smirking at her.
"Dracula," Beth said slightly nodding in his general direction. "let's get to business shall we? One: where is Mori? Two: how do you know my full name?"
"Forward, aren't you?" Dracula said. "Young Mori is fine. She is under my control, which is the sole reason she is still alive."
"Why did you take her?" Beth demanded as she fingered the revolver in her pocket.
"All in good time." Dracula replied. "Now, if you follow me, I shall take you to Mori."
Beth had to fight not to faint. That was it? No battle, no insults, no struggle, and no playing with her emotions? It was just to easy. The girl cocked an eyebrow.
"Why are you actually doing what I told you too?" she inquired. "What are you getting at?"
"All in good time dear Bethany, now do you want to see your friend or not?" Dracula asked.
"Fine, but we aren't friends. We are acquaintances." Beth said glaring at him, expecting him to spring his trap at any moment. What she had said about her and Mori was a lie. They were best friends, but in this business it was dangerous to have them. For that reason, friends were known as acquaintances.
Dracula led Beth down many dark corridors, each lit with torches on each side. Beth had a bad feeling about this. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. There was no way Dracula would just hand Mori back on a silver platter. There had to be a catch. What if he had done something to Mori? What if the only reason he was doing this was just so he could see the look on Beth's face when she saw Mori's dead body? Oh yes, this was definitely a trap.
Dracula finally stopped in front of a door and pulled a ring of keys out from under his cloak. He unlocked the door and then turned to Beth.
"After you my dear." he said smirking at Beth. She had to repress the shiver that threatened to shoot down her spine. "Oh, and Mori is in a fragile state, so you will have to leave your weapons with me."
"You are kidding right?" Beth asked him, one eyebrow raised.
"No, I am not. If you don't give up that small arsenal that I am positive you carry with you at all times in that coat of yours, you will not be able to see dear Mori." Dracula said, his eyes glittering in triumph. He had her trapped.
Beth sighed and pulled out her two revolvers, three daggers, sword, rifle and her tojo blades. She then set them just outside the door in a rather large pile. Beth didn't think this was a good idea at all, but Mori was more important.
"Alright, can we go now?" Beth said moving toward the door.
"The others, Miss Beth." Dracula said.
Beth rolled her eyes and handed him two more daggers. Beth then moved toward the door again.
"And the other one."
Would he ever shut up? Nevertheless, Beth sighed heavily and handed him a silver revolver. Hopefully he would be satisfied with that.
Dracula smirked and then pushed the door open. He motioned for Beth to enter first, but she was to smart to do something like that when she was almost weaponless. Thankfully, she still had the dagger hidden in her boot.
"After you, my dear."
"Oh no. By all means, after you." Beth replied. Since this was a trap, she wouldn't fall into it without being difficult first.
"As you wish." Dracula replied and then entered the room. Bethany followed him. She couldn't believe what she saw. There was Mori in the middle of the incredibly bare room. She had her back them, but she seemed as alive and well as ever.
"Mori? Mori, it's me; Bethany."
Beth ran around to face her. Mori's eyes were closed and she showed no response to Beth's words.
"Mori?" Beth asked confused shaking the girl's shoulders. Nothing.
"She cannot hear you, Bethany. I control her mind, her every move. She is mine." Dracula said smirking at Beth.
"What?" Beth asked, her green orbs growing wide.
"Over the past few weeks I have slowly been slipping into her mind. For a while, she was able to resist me. It took most of her concentration and gave her frightful headaches in order to remain in control of course. It didn't take too long before she cracked, however. Now, I control her every move, her every thought, even every memory. She is nothing more than a puppet on my string." Dracula explained.
"You don't really think that you can control her forever." Beth said backing up to put distance between her, Dracula and Mori. This was not going to go well for Beth.
"On the contrary, my dear. I can. I must only be in command of her till you are out of the way and I may bite her." Dracula said as he slowly moved toward Bethany. He looked like a hungry cat going after a trapped mouse. The mouse was doing her best not to loose her composure. Things were not looking up for the mouse.
"Mori serves two purposes for me." Dracula continued. "She is bait for you, which has obviously worked, and is another member to be put into my service."
"Why do you want me gone?" Beth demanded. He heart sunk when she felt the cold stone wall hit her back. That was as far as she was going to go.
"You are how Mori holds onto her sanity as her contact to the human world. After you and Miss Jennifer are eliminated, her mind will be mine for the taking." Dracula told her as he smiled slightly. He was enjoying this a little too much for Beth's taste.
"Mori, my dear," he began. "take care of Miss Bethany for me." With that, he turned on his heel and left the room.
Mori's eyes snapped open and her icy gaze fell on Beth. Mori began to stalk toward her. The girl pressed her back against the wall. She had never seen Mori give her that look before. The look consisted of hatred, anger and loathing. Dracula really was controlling her. Mori really was going to kill her. When this finally sunk in, a strange feeling surfaced inside Beth. Her chest had tightened, her heart beat faster and her mouth became dry. Beth knew what the feeling was. She was scared.
"Mori." Beth started. She had to break her out of this bond. She knew the real Mori was in there somewhere. "Mori, I don't want to fight you. Please remember me. It's Bethany. Mori, you can fight him, I know you can!"
Mori's fist then collided with Beth's stomach. The wind was knocked out of the young monster hunter and she fell to the ground gasping for breath. Not even a second later, Mori pulled Beth to her feet and tried to hit her again. Beth dodged her fist and flung her wrist up Mori's nose. The made her nose bleed for a moment, but it quickly healed over. Without even thinking, Beth jammed her elbow in Mori's stomaching, causing her to double over in pain and gasp to regain the air that Beth knocked from her. Beth tried to make a break for it, but Mori tripped her. Beth fell to the floor with a thud, but quickly recovered and bolted toward the door.
Mori suddenly appeared before her and tried to punch Beth. She quickly dodged it by ducking under the swing. Mori's fist ran into the wall behind Beth which chipped off some of the stone. Mori's fist, unlike the wall, remained completely unscratched. Beth quickly tackled her opponent to the ground. The two rolled around on the floor exchanging blows. It was more like Beth was catching the blows and Mori was throwing them. Finally, Beth kicked Mori off of her.
Beth tied to get up, but Mori tripped her again and rose to her feet half a second before Beth. Mori used her half second advantage to punch Beth in the stomach once again. The girl fought not to double over and recovered by kicking Mori in the face. The more blows that were exchanged, the weaker Beth became. Out of the blue, Mori pinned Beth against the wall by her neck. Beth quickly pulled out her last defense, the dagger she had hidden in her boot. She tried to cut Mori's hand with it, but Mori grabbed her wrist and squeezed down on it. Beth groaned in pain and the dagger fell though her fingers. Mori quickly picked up the blade in her own hand. She smiled evilly right before she mercilessly shoved the blade into Beth's left shoulder. Beth screamed as the white hot pain surged though her body. She could feel the trail of warm blood trickle down her arm. Beth bit her lower lip to try and send the pain away without any success.
Mori pulled the dagger out and flung it across the room. The bladed landed with a loud clatter on the floor. Mori then grabbed the back collar of Beth's coat and flung her though the wooden door. Beth screamed again as pain shot through every single bone in her body. She landed hard on the cold stone floor on her injured shoulder. Beth swallowed her moan of pain. She had to concentrate on something other than the fire that surged through her. Beth shook her head in an attempt to clear her foggy vision and it actually helped a little, but that voice had to come though loud and clear.
"Well, you lasted longer than I thought you would. You must be a very stubborn girl."
Beth looked up to see Dracula towering above her. The girl, thinking of nothing she could say to him, spit on him before she wiped away the fresh blood oozing from her lower lip as she slowly sat up. Mori then came up behind her and pinned the teen against the wall. She held Beth up so her feet weren't touching the floor. Beth could scarcely breathe. She couldn't concentrate on the blood that was seeping from the cuts on her cheek, forehead, and temple or her bleeding nose and lip. She knew this was it. Beth was going to die and Mori would be the one to kill her.
"So Miss Bethany, is there anything you'd like to say to your friend before you die?" Dracula asked her.
What would Mori want Beth to do in this situation?….Be sarcastic and annoy the crud out of everyone.
Beth smiled slightly as she looked Mori straight in the eyes. The eyes!…Beth almost forgot to breathe. Mori's ice blue eyes were holding back a storm of emotion, just as they had been in Beth's dream from so long ago. This was what it had meant. Now she finally knew.
Mori's hand closed down on Beth's throat, cutting off what little air flow she had. That was it. She had to get though to Mori. She just had too. Beth couldn't let herself die this way, not without trying to save Mori.
"Mori…" Beth choked out in a desperate attempt to reach her. She coughed before she blurted it out.
"Morianalynn!"
Mori immediately dropped Beth, who began gasping for breath. Beth looked up at Mori in hope that her full name had brought her out of Dracula's spell, but the same blank looked remained on her features. Beth's heart fell. It hadn't worked.
"What did you call her?" came Dracula's voice, breaking Beth out of her thoughts of despair.
Without any hesitation whatsoever, Beth jumped up and ran away. She had accomplished one thing. She had found Mori, but she would need help to bring her back. The teen ran through the hallways and corridors trying to find her way out. Beth's entire body was throbbing in protest at running, but it had to be done. She could hear the other pair of footsteps in the hallway. Dracula was following her.
Beth dashed around the corner to catch her breath, which was still low from when Mori had almost suffocated her. Suddenly, someone grabbed Beth's arm and pulled her into a dark alcove. Beth tried to struggle against her captor, but the person pushed against her injured shoulder. Beth moaned in pain. However, a hand flew out of the darkness to cover her mouth.
"Shut up Bethany, or he'll hear us."
Beth's eyes widened in shock. The person who had saved her was none other than Mori! The two stayed there a moment, Beth unable to move because of Mori's grip on her shoulder. Footsteps slowly came toward them. There was no doubt in either girls' minds who they belonged to. The closer the steps got, the less either teenager breathed. Then, the footsteps died into silence. After a moment of waiting, Mori let go of Beth.
"Alright." Mori said as she walked out of the alcove with Beth limping behind her. Mori took a deep breath and began.
"One: where am I? Two: how did I get here? Three: how did you get like that? Four: how come I can't remember anything from the past week? Five: how did you know my real name and why did you think I'd let you live after you used it!"
Beth just stood there with her mouth open as she looked at Mori.
"What?" Mori roared.
Suddenly, Beth was hugging Mori tightly. Mori immediately went stiff and glared at Bethany.
"You're touching me."
"Sorry!" Beth replied as she quickly pulled away. Mori was back to her normal self. Oh, life was good. Beth could have cried, but didn't have the strength to be emotional at the moment. A few minuets more of this and she would just collapse.
"Bethany, what the heck happened to me? What happened to you?" Mori asked, much calmer now.
"I'll tell you later."
The girls made it back to the manor as quickly as they could, Mori unharmed and Beth receiving no more injuries than she already had. When they arrived, they found that the manor was empty. Well, that was a huge bonus. Beth could rest and bandage herself up before Van Helsing had the chance to shout at her. Every bone and muscle in her body was sore. After shattering a thick oak door, anyone would be.
When Beth made it to her room, the first thing she did was bandage her shoulder and clean all the dried blood off her face. The hot water stung the cuts, but it felt wonderful to get all the dust, dirt and whatever else was there off her face. When she caught her reflection in the mirror, Beth almost cringed. Sure her face was clean, but everything else was a mess. Her hair was frizzy and tangled and her clothes (with the exception of her coat and boots) were frayed and torn beyond repair. Beth put on a fresh black shirt and black pants with a tight black vest along with her coat and boots.
Bethany lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She was exhausted. Beth didn't want to admit it aloud to herself, but if Mori wanted to kill her, she could do so very easily. That's what scared her the most. She was just glad that Mori used her powers for good, that she was born with a soul. Lord knows what she would do if she was evil.
The girl breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, but only for a moment. She needed to calm down…a lot.