Chapter 4
It's Not All Fangs and Murder
It slammed at me like a nightmare. I couldn't feel a thing. I didn't even notice as my knees smashed into the floor. I couldn't hear a thing. I closed my eyes. The world was disappearing.
"No," A voice hissed beyond consciousness. The sound burnt my ears, coarse against silence. Another sound permeated the air, a slower, languid dripping sound. Coming from below my ear. I tried to open my eyes. I tried to feel again. I could have been dead. I heard shifting, fabrics scraping against each other, and realized I was being lifted. Someone was moving me, but I couldn't feel it. Perhaps I was cursed to live like this. The blade hadn't killed me, but paralysed me. Fingers pried my eyelids open, and I stared into Alexis Lochet's face. I wanted to speak, I wanted to cry. I wanted to take the dagger from him and kill him, or myself. "Hm." He sighed, inspecting me. He glanced away to the left, behind me, his gaze hardening. "You knew this was happening, don't act so disgusted." He snapped. "She's fine, see for yourself," He moved away from me quickly, or maybe I moved away from him. I jolted to a stop, and turned so I was looking at Will. His eyes blazed into my own, looking for life. I moved my mouth, and was surprised when a small croak erupted from my throat. Great. I was cursed with the vocal abilities of a frog. I tried again, knowing I was crying, though I couldn't feel anything.
"I-I can't ta-talk and… I can't feel anything and wha-what did you do to me? How come- how come I'm not dead?" I whimpered, my voice shocking me into silence.
Will's sympathetic smile worried me, especially when he looked past me to where I assumed Alexis stood. "Do you want to sit down?" He asked, supporting my full weight in his gangly arms.
"I don't know…" I mumbled, glancing around weakly. Many of the guests were standing around, watching disinterestedly. Will bent over, and put an arm behind my knees, picking me up. He carried my limp form over to the chairs we had sat however long ago. He set me down gently, sitting beside me and taking my hand.
"Been at this job for just under a week, and already I've been to one of the worst parties ever," I sighed, attempting a smile. It obviously didn't work, as he didn't return it. I lifted my arm, trying to touch my neck. How could I still live, with a gaping hole in my veins? Moving my arm was agony. It felt like lava rolled through me, rather than blood. It sizzled up my arm, making me wince and drop my arm again. "Will?" I croaked. "What happened?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he looked to Mr. Lochet, his expression unfathomable to me. "Tell her. You seem to know best," He told Will, folding his arms over his chest, and raising a sarcastic eyebrow.
Will's mouth quirked, and he sighed, looking between the two of us. "I can't – I'm sorry, Imshi." He glanced at Mr. Lochet again, and his eyes lowered, showing reluctant respect.
"I see." Alexis Lochet said smugly, before drifting toward us. By now, most of the guests had lost interest entirely; something that seemed very odd to me. Perhaps this was a regular occurrence? He sat on the chair beside me, the other side of Will, yet still towered over me. Roughly, he grabbed my hands, and raised my arms. The motion was painful, and the hot lava feeling returned sharply. I jerked away, but his strong hands kept a solid grip. He dropped them briskly, and reached out to my neck before I could attempt to stop him. My last memories of him showed him plunging a dagger into my throat – obviously, I was terrified.
"Don't! Please-" I choked out, before he even touched me. He blinked, and his arm dropped slightly, before he disregarded my pleas, and pressed icy cold fingers to my neck, in the same spot the blade had touched. He moved away quickly, his fingers covered in a thin layer of blood. He stared at it, like he could see through it, before surprisingly; he put the stained fingers in his mouth, grazing them on a surprisingly pointy tooth. I have to say, I recoiled. Stories and suspicions twisted in my head, but I let them pass.
He turned to Will, all signs of resentment fading from his face. "Almost there. She's handling it well, but there will probably be a stronger change overnight." He told Will clinically, like a doctor talking about a patient. "Of course, it will be harder for her, considering it was a blood exchange with me, rather than any… lesser being." Blood exchange? The words made my blood chill – if it were my own; if I had any left. "Imshi," He turned back to me, blinking tiredly. "Has your Mother told you stories about me?" I thought back, though I knew she hadn't even told me his name. I shook my head slightly, as much as I could without the pain flaring up. He sighed again, appearing harrowed.
Will was more than unsettled. Leaning forward, he blurted, "Alexis, I don't think that-"
"We're vampires, Imshi. All of us." He swept his arm out, indicating the whole room. "Every being here. Me. Will. Everyone." He paused, and I stared at the people in the room. "Now, you."
Slowly, I closed my eyes, and opened them again. I was so tired. Getting stabbed really took the energy from me. "Mr. Lochet… why did you stab me?" I asked, my head muddling.
"To make you mine," He said simply, though his voice sounded distorted, like I was underwater. "I need an heir, a companion, and you are already connected to my family. I owed your Mother a favour… but that is of no consequence at the moment. What matters is that stabbing you was a more official way to begin. To make you my blood daughter." He pulled back his sleeves, and there I saw two large gores on each wrist. Like he'd taken a knife to his flesh and twisted.
"I see…" I didn't. "But I have to ask, boss…" I froze, my mind working. "Wait. Did you, by any chance, say vampires?" I choked. He rolled his eyes. "Honestly. Vampires? You used that word?" He didn't answer. I looked at Will. He lowered his gaze. "You're part of a cult? …You are a cult. You tried to sacrifice me. I raised one arm tentatively, ignoring the pain. There was rough skin, and a light, filmy layer of blood, but there was no gore. "You didn't really stab me," I said accusingly, though I should have been relieved… sort of. He hadn't actually killed me.
I tried to stand up, but my knees gave out from under me, and I slumped back on the chair. My whole body was pulsing with heat. I couldn't stand up. I couldn't think straight. My boss had taken me away from home and tried to stab me, before trying to initiate me into some cult, calling me his daughter. I wanted to leave. I wanted this to stop.
Hot tears filled my eyes. "Can you let me go home please?" I mumbled, not looking at any of them.
"Imshi." Will knelt in front of me, looking at my face. "He's not-"
"Stop." I interrupted. "You're here. I've been here for under a week. Why should I trust you? You talked to me, but it doesn't mean I can believe you." I sighed, my voice once again becoming weak. "Please, just take me home…" I wheezed.
Mr. Lochet stared at me for a long second. "Would you like me to explain? I can tell you it all – my debt to your Mother, my choice of you, what happened… what you are?" I didn't answer, but rather, I tried to stand again. Once again, my legs failed me.
Sitting on the floor, with my back against the chair, I stared up at him. "I want out of here. I don't want to know any more concerning you."
His silver eyes burned into my own with such anger, I thought he would stab me again. And this time, I wouldn't wake up. He thrust a hand into his blazer, and though I cringed back, he only drew out a jingling set of keys. He tossed them at Will, and stood up briskly. "You can't mean to… Seriously?" Will spluttered, his eyes darting between the retreating figure and the set of keys.
"Take her home." He growled in response.
"But- but… we can't! She needs to be told, and cared for-"
"She won't listen. She doesn't want my hospitality. She has stated her wish to leave. Let her leave." He walked away, joining the rest of his party. That was another thing that struck me as unusual: why had he created such drama at his own event? Will stood up, and offered me his hand, his long, nimble fingers clenching into a fist. He was furious, I could tell, but he was taking me home. I gripped his wrist, and tried to pull myself to standing. As I straightened, a burning agony seared through my muscles and veins. I collapsed into Wills arms, almost blacking out from the pain.
"I'm afraid that's going to stay for a couple of days," He muttered, noticing my physical anguish. I resisted the urge to ask why; I didn't want anything more to do with it. "Here," He picked me up again, and reluctantly carried me out of the hall.
The car was magnificent, but I barely saw it. It was a sleek black panther of a car, ferocious as it roared through the road. Will drove it like he was scared of the power. While we raced down the long winding road it had taken me almost a day to walk, I began to feel dizzy. The burning in my veins had never really left me, but now it was travelling. Every heartbeat, flames sizzled within my heart. "Will," I said, curiosity finally winning over. "Why am I in so much pain? What did he do… what did he do to me?" I said, as another bout of fire clutched at my heart.
"You're dead." He said simply, his voice thick with remorse. "Everything Alexis said was true."
"It can't be." I shuddered. "This sort of thing doesn't happen. A kindly, rich vampire decides to take me in, and then within 4 days, decides I should… join him?"
"Vampires can get lonely," He mumbled. I just raised an eyebrow, when it hit me. Will was a vampire too. Everyone in that room, they were vampires… apparently. I thought as fast as my mind could, wondering whether it was true. Was I in danger? "Ok. The whole story," He sighed, slowing the car down slightly. The night seemed to close in more. "Alexis, as you may or may not know, was one of the three first vampires. None but he, and the other two know how they arose in the first place; it is their secret to keep. Nonetheless, power comes with age, and he is one of the oldest. The oldest, the most powerful, the most feared, the richest. What he said was true, everyone in the room was part of a family – his family. He created all those vampires. They are… what is known as a coven.
"Every now and again, vampires – Alexis, we are concentrating on – will create another, in anticipation of death, or because of loneliness, or really, just to add to numbers. The last time he created a new vampire, things did not go well. He took in a young man, around the same age as you, who had come to his door, selling newspapers. The boy, having heard tales of the creature in the house, became afraid and ran away after knocking. Of course, not one to be slighted, the boy was caught, and taken in as his newest addition. Alexis waited months before turning him, telling him tales about vampires, and what he was to become. He treated the young vampire to be greatly, allowing him to use the car to drive to the village below. The night he changed the boy, he had a luxurious party, inviting all the coven members to welcome him. That was the night your Mother appeared."
The car was almost crawling now, but my mind was racing furiously. As was my heart. I didn't dare admit to my excitement in hearing about my Mother's past, but I was, and he probably knew it.
"She was pregnant, and demanded to see Alexis's new coven member. Every time he had ventured down to the village, he had been visiting her. She stood on their doorstep crying, telling him she had been abandoned by her parents, and was homeless with the child. Obviously, you can see the problem. A new vampire could not be a Father. He could not have a mortal family. She demanded to live in the house with the child's Father, and Alexis was furious. He cast the new vampire out of the house with his lover, and told them never to come back." Finished, Will drew a deep breath, and the car sped up once more.
"Me?" I breathed. "My Father is a vampire…?" I whispered, shivering. "And now, Alexis… Mr. Lochet took his… apprentice's daughter… me, in, and changed me too?" I stared at him until he nodded. "…Who?"
"I don't know." His voice was tight. "We're almost there. Are you sure you want to go back?"
"What happened while I was unconscious?" I disregarded his question, needing all the answers I could get. Something had changed, and vampire or not, he was going to tell me all of it.
"Alexis stabbed you with a blade, stained with his own blood. This wasn't just dramatic choice, it needs the blood of a vampire to pierce the skin, to establish the connection."
"Couldn't he have just… injected me? Or told me?"
"No. Well. Maybe the blade was theatrics, but it was your own party, he wanted to make it something special. He still feels it his fault you were born into such poverty."
"Or born at all," I muttered.
"Anyway. After the stabbing, he… er. Alexis drank your blood. From the wound in your neck. And then he cut his own wrists, one for you to drink his blood, and one to drip directly into your wound. The reason for the burning sensation is your blood changing, and your body reacting to the new blood."
I gaped at him. I hadn't drunk blood. And I certainly hadn't been drank from. "I don't know if I believe you."
He stopped the car, and I looked around, bewildered. We were outside my house. The lights were all out, but it looked inhabited. Father's shoes stood by the door, and the rattling, wooden old gate still had mine and my siblings initials scratched on. There were no curtains in the windows, except the living room window, but that was a blanket. It looked miserable, compared to what I had seen up at the house on the hill. But I wanted to be back. I could trust the sleeping people within. And I knew they loved me as much as I loved them.
"Imshi." Will said, and I turned back to look at him. "Look." With a sombre face, he opened his mouth wide, revealing one sharp tooth on each side. I leapt back, jolting my spine against the car door. The pain didn't matter, I had to get away. I had to get out. I reached to the side, fumbling for the handle. I wished then, that I had been in a car more often. Finally, I found it, and without thinking, jerked it open, flying out of the car, onto the paving outside. Will was kneeling beside me within seconds. "I didn't hurt you before, why would I now?" He growled, sliding a hand under my back and carefully lifting me back into the car.
"I want out." I said, trying to move past him. I wasn't sure if my legs were working yet, but I was willing to chance it.
"Look at that, you've ruined your dress," He sighed, kneeling before me on the damp ground.
"Please. I really just want to be home, away from this." I whimpered, scared, tired and in pain.
"You can't, Imshi," He said tenderly. "I promise you, that as long as I, or Alexis live, either of us will lie to you, or hurt you," He said urgently.
"He has already. And I'm guessing you have, too." I said weakly. I wanted him to leave me, before I passed out.
He laughed tightly, without humour. "Yes, I suppose he did. And… I may have, too. He reached into his long jacket, and pulled out a small silver blade, much like the dagger Alexis had. I wondered if they all had one. Once again, as if the teeth weren't enough, I moved away from him, as far as I could in the limited car space. Instead of using it on me, he handed it to me. Before I could turn it on him, and stab him in the neck, he spoke. "I'm giving you this in the hope that you will not use it on me, but to make us equal. You don't yet have the strength or the fangs, but you have a knife. If it will give you enough piece of mind to come back, you can keep it." He said, putting his palms up un defeat.
"Seriously, I just want to be back with my family-"
"They're not your family. Not anymore. You need to go back, you need to understand this new life. Let Alexis talk to you, and if he fails to soothe your fears, you can just get rid of him," He smiled slightly, trying to reassure me. It struck me that I didn't really have a choice. He wasn't going to let me go home anyway. I turned, and put my legs back in the car, and he closed the door, appearing beside me a second later. "It's not all fangs and murder," He said lightly, starting up the car again. But he didn't drive away. Instead, he looked out the window, his expression pained. I followed his gaze, and saw a stark, pale figure standing in the window of my house. My Mother. Will watched her for a while, and she stared back, unmoving, unsmiling. Finally, we drove off. Illuminated by the car's lights, I could see tears shining on her cheeks.
Well. That was quite a long chapter. Sorry I'm late posting it. And sorry if it's nonsense, I came back to it a lot, and I have no idea what I wrote. I hope I've answered some questions. If not, just ask by PM, or review :D
Ah yes, reviewing. Please review? Thanks to jaceshadowhunter, xXDaniStarXx, and Raised With Fangs :))
If you're reviewing anyway, or even if not, tell me what you think - do you think Imshi should have went home, or stayed with the vampires? I know what I say, but what say you, good people? :D
Thanks guys xxx