Chapter Two – A World Crumbling

In the light shapes moved. Karlijn's eyelids fluttered, fighting hard to stay awake. Someone had come for her. She wasn't alone anymore…

Relief began to wash over her, and she hoped that maybe somehow they'd let her out of here and just let her eat. Voices murmured around her but she struggled to make out any words; her mind was too hazy and clouded. She felt her strength draining just with the effort of trying to concentrate on what was going on, and she almost wanted to just close her eyes and go to sleep…but then she smelt it.

The sharp metallic scent like rusted iron, faint but present in the air all around her. As it filled her nostrils she felt a sudden burst of fresh strength, and she jerked upright and strained against the bonds around her wrists, filled with a burning need to finds its source.

Her eyes were still unfocussed. She could barely see or hear what was going on, the only thing filling her senses being the fierce bite of hunger and the rich scent of blood. It was in her reach now, but still somehow so far away… She needed it, but still couldn't get it. Her insides burned and she thought she might die from starvation, but then she felt something being pressed to her lips and a cool, salty fluid flooded into her mouth. There was a strange underlying flavour to it that made it taste chemical and sterile, but at the same time the concoction of organic compounds and ferrous molecules was so, so welcome. She gulped it down ravenously, not stopping until she'd drained the first container and then cried out for another one, which was quickly provided.

As she drank the hunger slowly abated and the fuzziness clouding her mind gradually disappeared. She began to become more aware of her surroundings, and as she calmed down she felt someone undo the straps around her wrists to allow her to hold the container for herself. Grateful that she could once again move, she took hold of the cup that was being offered to her and drank from it eagerly. Just as she was finishing the third dose she noticed there were two mediwitches on either side of her and her Uncle Laurens was sat beside her bed. Her brow creased in concentration for a moment as she tried to work out what was happening, and then she remembered the procedure for when they would feed her every few hours. Now that the fresh blood was in her system she was much more lucid and capable of understanding. She was also able to remember everything in much more vivid detail.

Uninvited, an image of razor sharp canines and a leering red-eyed face flashed suddenly across her mind, and she quickly tried to force it out. "Hello Uncle," she muttered, trying to distract herself.

He gave her a comforting smile and reached out to rest a hand on her knee. "Hi Lijnie, how are you feeling?"

She smiled back at him weakly. "Awful."

Laurens sighed sadly, looking at her with a sympathetic – almost pitying – expression. "I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry you have to go through this."

"Me too," she muttered, swallowing the last drops from the cup she was holding and handing it back to the mediwitch, who quickly passed her another one. "How long have I been here, Uncle? It's getting hard to keep track of time," she asked, partly wanting to know, and partly just glad to be talking to somebody whatever the topic of conversation.

"Almost a week," he answered, and she looked shocked.

"Just a week?"

He nodded. "Yes, sweetheart."

Karlijn didn't speak and instead forced herself to swallow the next mouthful of clinical-grade haemoglobin, taking a moment to process that information. Just a week. It felt like so much longer, what with all the time she'd been left in here on her own, unable to tell how much time had passed. As she realised exactly what that meant she felt herself wanting to cry again, and stifled a sob into her cup as she gulped down the next mouthful. Her parents had been dead almost a whole week. Just seven days in which she hadn't seen them, or spoken to them or hugged them…but there were going to be hundreds more in which she would never get to do any of those things again.

Unable to hold it in any longer, a sob wracked her body and she let out of whimper, spitting out blood as she was unable to prevent herself from crying.

Laurens reached out to rub her arm soothingly, making soft shushing noises.

She looked up at him with bleary eyes. "I want mum," she said, her voice cracking, and as Laurens looked at her he felt himself wanting to cry too. It wasn't fair everything that had been done to her. A surge of anger coursed through him as he thought of the monster that had brutally torn his brother and sister-in-law from him and that had turned his smiling, bubbly, niece into the traumatised wreck in front of him. He wanted so badly to do something to help her, but yet he was helpless to make everything right. That thought pained him. It ate away at him so much that he wanted to lash out in frustration, but he forced himself to hold it together. He had to. For Karlijn's sake. She'd lost enough already without watching him break down as well.

Breathing deeply, Laurens tried to comfort her as best he could. "I know you do," he said softly, wishing to God that somehow Johanna was still with them so that she could be there for her daughter and make everything okay. But he knew that wasn't ever going to happen.

Through tear filled eyes Karlijn stared round at the darkened room and seemed to grow even more panicked. "Is this what it's always going to be like from now on, Uncle?" she choked out between sobs. "I'm never going to get any older. Never going to be able to see daylight again. Never do things with my friends. Never eat real food…"

She was looking at him with an expression that seemed almost pleading and he wished he could give her the answer she wanted to hear. "I know it seems bad now, Lijnie, but we'll find a way to make this work. The healers say there's a potion to help manage your condition."

At that Karlijn's eyes lit up as she latched on to what felt like the only ray of hope in the world right now. "What's that?" she asked, trying to calm herself down.

Laurens tried to explain it as bed he could, hoping he could put her more at ease. "Well, it has its side-effects, but the healers say it will help make life more normal for you. It's dangerous to take it too early after the transformation, but they've said in a few weeks they can start you on Draught of Sangwort. You should be able to go out in some levels of daylight, and it'll manage the hunger pangs so that they don't become unbearable. The aging process will continue, just at a slower rate. You'll be able to eat at least some kinds of real food, and the healers say that if you combine that with carefully managed doses of synthetic blood then you should be able to lead an almost normal lifestyle."

Karlijn had stopped crying now and was instead listening intently, feeling so relieved to be hearing this. "So I will be able to see my friends again then?" she said hopefully, "And I can go back to school?"

Seeing the hopeful expression on her face, Laurens felt his heart sink as he anticipated what he was about to tell her. This was one topic he wished hadn't come up quite so soon, but he was going to have to tell her the truth at some point. Better to be honest with her now than have to crush her expectations all over again later. "Ah. Well, I've already had to speak with Madame D'Alembert to explain why you won't be returning to Beauxbatons after Easter break," he began, and noticing his sombre tone Karlijn immediately began to look worried again. "And she's said that while she has every sympathy with your situation, the school won't be able to accept a vampire."

As his words sank in Karlijn's expression grew increasingly mortified. "But I've been going to that school for three years!" she cried out desperately, "All my friends are there!"

At her sudden outburst one of the mediwitches took the half-empty cup off her and patted her shoulder, saying softly, "Try and relax, dear. Getting upset won't do you any good."

Karlijn didn't react to her at all and instead just continued to stare pleadingly at her uncle, who looked back at her with a pained expression.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Laurens replied, hating that he had to tell her this, "But she says it's in the best interests of…"

Karlijn suddenly spoke over him again, the pitch of her voice rising as she became even more upset. "But you said this potion will make me normal, so why can't I go back? Tell her I can go back, Uncle!"

Laurens just shook his head sadly. "I've tried to convince her, Lijnie, but there's nothing I can do. You'll get to complete your education though, I'll make sure of that. I can make inquiries to Wievens in Holland, or Hogwarts in the UK…"

Karlijn looked mortified by that last suggestion. "I don't want to go to Britain, Uncle! I want to stay with my friends. If I'm not ever going to see Mum or Dad again then why can't I at least see Marianne and Emmy…" She'd broken down into tears again at that point, and Laurens leaned in to put an arm around her and press a kiss to her forehead.

"I know, and I'm so, so sorry," he muttered in her ear, "But the thing is Lijnie, no matter how much we want to, we can't ever go back to the way things were before. It's going to be difficult, I know, but things are going to have to change. I wish they didn't, sweetheart, really, but I promise I am going to do everything I can to make this work out as well as possible for you."

Karlijn wasn't able to say anything in response to that, but instead just turned to bury her face in his shoulder and continued to cry. Several more sobs wracked her skinny body as she wondered what the hell was going to happen to her now.