Hello all! I got two more reviews after my last chapter. I would like to thank Hammertone for answering some of my questions and giving some good advice. I appreciate it. Whoever "guest" is, thanks for your kind words. I'm glad you have liked it so far. One suggested thing I am going to work on is making these a little longer. I pretty confident that I can do that without anything getting too complicated or confusing. So here goes chapter 4. As always, I do not own anything but my OC, Serenity. Enjoy.
Chapter 4: Liquid Candy
I threw my head back and let out a long sigh as I lowered myself into the ridiculously oversized bathtub that my bathroom contained. If you thought vampires had no need for such things as baths, you were wrong. At least for me anyways. I loved relaxing in scalding hot water. With bubbles. After all, my backside was a little tender due to the two too many encounters it had with the ground today. I certainly hope Ferid wasn't expecting me to hurry when he told me to freshen up. I let a giggle escape my lips. I would be here until the water was cold if I had my way about it. I lowered myself further down in the water until my nose was just above the water line. A few strands of hair had come out of the messy bun I had threw my long locks up into and were getting wet, but I couldn't be bothered. I blew air out of my mouth to make bubbles as I reflected on the success of my mission. It was a lot easier than I suspected. It was that fact that made me very suspicious of the whole thing. The fact that I was able to back Ferid into a corner that quickly seemed rather odd, considering he attacked first. If I was understanding what Krul told me correctly, Ferid was of much higher strength than what he had displayed. I was far from weak myself, but I am no trained soldier, and a klutz to boot. I frowned. He didn't let me win….. did he? I closed my eyes and felt one brow twitching in irritation. That bastard. He was toying with me! It seemed fitting though, from what I've seen of his personality. He was sneaky. At least Krul laid her cards right out on the table. I had the potential to be very useful to her, probably the only reason she accepted my presence so quickly. To an extent, Ferid must have thought the same thing. Having him backing me in front of Krul definitely helped my case. I only wonder what he will end up wanting in return. If there is anything I have learned in the short few hours that I have been around the vampires, it is that they only care for things that are useful to them. Or entertaining it would seem. At least in Ferids case. I glanced around the bath until I came across a bar of soap. Giving it a sniff, only to realize it was unscented, I sighed and began washing quickly. Steam was no longer rising from the water and it had become lukewarm. I was ready to get out. Once I rinsed, I kneeled back down into the water and started feeling around for the drain. Once I found it, I pulled the plug and watched as the mini whirlpool formed while the water drained. Just as I had when I was a child I stuck my finger in the middle of the small whirlpool, careful to not let it touch the sides. I remained this way until the water was gone. I stood up and clambered out of the large tub, being careful not to trip. I grabbed a towel and dried off quickly before making my way back into my room. Walking over to the bed, I examined the clothes Ferid had left for me there. There were a pair of stretchy white pants with a black pinstripe down the side. They almost had the feel of horse riding pants. I would be able to easily pull my black boots over them. The top was a white and black corset imitation shirt with thick tank straps and white lace around the edges. The bottom of the shirt flared out just little, in a few loose pleats. I realized the length of the shirt was to cover my butt, if just barely. At least I would have pants on, despite their tightness. The top was paired with a set or removable off the shoulder long sleeves that stayed on via small black leather straps and connected both around neck, giving me a cute short collar, and across my chest. One sleeve was white, and the other was black. I was not used to being in so much white, but whoever had designed it had done a great job at making it look balanced. Just enough black in it to make it not so dull. With the clothing came a long white coat which I chose to hang up in the closet. I didn't really feel I needed it at the moment. I went to the vanity to look at myself and smoothed back some of the smaller strands that had fallen out of my messy bun, and fixed my long bangs.
Satisfied with my appearance, I left my room and started meandering through the halls of the Bathory mansion. I made my way down the stairs, careful not to trip over my own feet. I kept one hand on the banister for good measure. Once I arrived at the first floor, I began checking doors to find which one was the den. To be honest, I had completely spaced out in my admiration of the house while Ferid was giving me the quick tour. I really did need to pay better attention. My ears caught on to the sound of a fire. The occasional crackle and pop of burning wood led me to a large entranceway. Lounged back in a large leather chair placed near the fire was Ferid. He had his head propped up by one hand and the other held a book. Upon my entering, the book snapped shut and his eyes swept over me.
"Well, that certainly took you long enough. Though I must say, those clothes look darling on you," he smirked at me as I sat down in the chair opposite of him. I smiled genuinely in return.
"They are very beautiful Ferid, again, I thank you." I snuggled down further into the oversized plush chair, and curled my legs up underneath me. "What are your plans for tonight?" I asked, trying to make conversation.
"Well it shouldn't be much longer until young Mikaela arrives. I was hoping you would be joining us for dinner," Ferid murmured pleasantly. Dammit, I was hoping he was only joking earlier, I thought sourly. I knew my only choice was to agree.
"It would be my pleasure," I replied in a stiffer tone than I meant. Ferid chuckled. Before he could respond there was a soft knock on the wood of the entranceway. In it stood one of Ferids servants with the little blonde boy from earlier standing nervously at his side, his brilliant blue eyes observing us with mixed emotion. He seem unsettled by my presence. That just wouldn't do. I nodded my head at him and gave him softest smile that I could muster. It seemed to ease his tension, if only a little.
"Ah, Mika!" Ferid exclaimed, "I am so glad you have finally joined us! How are you faring this evening?" Mika smiled up at Ferid and my nonexistent heart melted. He was such a pretty little boy, with his messy blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. They reminded me so much of the sea on a calm breezy day, before the world went to hell. His voice was soft when he responded.
"I'm ok, Lord Ferid. I'm sorry about my family member from earlier today. Yuu didn't mean to cause any trouble," he said, "I hope you aren't mad." I assumed he was taking about the little dark haired boy with the determined green eyes from the scuffle this afternoon. Lord Ferid smiled and shook his head back and forth.
"No, I'm not mad Mika, don't worry your pretty little head about it at all," was his response. He stood and waved his hand in my direction. "Mika, I would like you to meet Serenity. She is a new friend of mine and is staying here as a guest for a little while. If it is ok with you, I would like her to join us this evening." Mika looked over at me. I smiled gently at him once more. Internally, I sighed. I love the way both Ferid and Krul ask things of others, when they damn well know there is no other answer they will be receiving other than yes. He has no choice but to be alright with it.
"Of course, Lord Ferid," Mika responded.
"Excellent, now if you would both follow me, we are going to run into the library. Serenity, I have some things I would like to show you and discuss with you quickly," Ferid said and made for the door. I scrambled out of my chair to follow, and Mika fell into step with me. I glanced down at him as we walked side by side behind Ferid. I would have to drink blood from this young human boy soon. I didn't much care for the idea, but I knew I had no choice. I looked at Ferids back and glared. Bastard. What I had missed in my distraction during my angry musings was Mika, looking up at me with curiosity burning in his eyes when he caught the way I was looking at Ferids back. The look I was giving Ferid passed quickly, but the image was burned into Mikas mind. When we stepping into the library, Mika and I both seemed to share an equal amount of curiosity and observed the large area. There were various odds and ends here and there. The book collection was vast. I took note that it seemed Ferid was a collector of human weaponry. There were various rifles mounted on the wall as well as swords, spears, pistols, and vast number of other types of weaponry. We reached a large study table that had piles of paper, scrolls and other pieces of parchment strewn and piled on it. Ferid shuffled through some of the paperwork until he found what he was looking for, and motioned at me to come to him. I obliged curiously as he unfolded a piece of parchment. I observed it when he laid it out in front of me.
"This is a map of the city, Serenity. This is where we are," he pointed at his mansion on the map, "and this is where you will need to go to visit the queen tomorrow." I quickly memorized the map and smiled at him.
"Thank you very much, Ferid," I said. "I'm sure there is no way I will get lost now." He smiled at me and folded the map back up, tossing it back onto the cluttered table.
"Mika, why don't you head into the dining room, and Serenity and I will go to the kitchens to have them prepare your supper?" Ferid asked as he headed towards the door. I quickly took off after him.
"Ok, Lord Ferid!" I heard as we left the room. Ferid was moving hastily along the hall and I had to work my short legs double time to keep up with him. When we found ourselves in the kitchens, Ferid started giving orders to his chef. I was stunned at the size of the kitchens. What in the hell do vampires need such large kitchens for? None of his direct servants seem to be human, I mused. He turned to me and smiled.
"Serenity, go ahead to the dining room. It's down the hall, third door on your right. I have to make some extra preparations for food to be sent to Mikas little family. I'll be with you both in a bit," he stated. I nodded and left the kitchens. When I reached the dining room, I was once again baffled at the need for such size. It held the longest table I had ever seen, and two chandeliers hung from the ceiling, setting a soft glow over the table. It, like most everything else, was white. A black table runner with gold tassels accented it. I looked toward the other end of the room and saw Mika waiting patiently, feet swinging in childlike innocence in an oversized dinner chair. I made my way over to him and he must have been worlds away, for when I pulled out the chair next to him to take a seat, he jumped a mile upwards and almost fell out of his seat. I couldn't help myself and let a giggle fall out of my mouth. He glanced over at me and looked at me strangely. I cocked my head to the side and gave him a questioning look. Mika looked unsure of himself, but there was obviously something he wanted to say. I decided to break the tension.
"It's very nice to meet you," I started off, "Ferid refers to you as Mika most generally, but I heard him call you Mikaela once today. May I call you by your full name instead? I'm rather fond of it. It is a very unusual name, and I like unusual." I smiled softly at him. He seemed a bit taken aback. Still a little unsure of me, he stuttered when he first started speaking.
"Y-you can call me whatever you like. Almost everyone calls me Mika, but I don't mind if you call me by my first name," he said quickly. He was taking in the features of my face and inspecting me closer. When he actually realized my eyes were not a shade of red, he gasped. When my eyes met with his, his cheeks lit up and he quickly looked away. "I-I'm sorry! It's rude to stare!" he said. I reached forward and hesitated for a moment when I realized I was about to do one of the very things I hated having done to myself. I made up my mind and reached the rest of the way to ruffle his hair gently. His eyes met mine once more. It would appear he had worked up enough courage to let the thoughts on his mind slide off his tongue. "Are you not a vampire?" He asked curiously. It would seem the possibility of me not being such a creature helped with his courage. I frowned as I thought of how to answer. Glancing around the room to make sure no one was with us, I decided on the truth. At least partially. I felt like I could trust this young human child not to repeat anything I said. I didn't hear footsteps approaching so I deemed it safe to speak on the topic. Smiling once more in a manner so that he could see my canines, I retracted and extended them while he watched. He gasped again. I put my finger to my lips in a shushing manner and began to speak.
"Yes Mikaela. I am a vampire, I'm just a little different than the rest. For one thing, I am not from around here. I simply came looking for other vampires so that I may get to know some of my kind. Secondly, I truly do not desire to drink your blood tonight, but I must, to make Ferid happy. I am sure you understand doing things that you don't really want to do in order to survive?" His eyes widened slightly and looked at me with an understanding that made me sad. He was so young to be put in the position he was currently in. Mika was one of those rare souls in a human that I have fallen in love with so many times during my long life. His soul was one that I choose to believe represents what humans were all truly capable of. Despite his turmoil and hardships, Mika was one who continued to smile, and give those he loves all of himself. He was uniquely kind in the face of hate and anger. He was one who would not give up on others easily. I continued speaking quietly. "I do not dislike humans, nor do I consider them simply livestock. Unfortunately, it would seem that I would be at odds with the others if I openly spoke my mind. On top of that, based off of how your family member acted earlier today, most humans are not fond of vampires. I doubt they would be so accepting of me either." I frowned and pondered for a second on just how lonely I might end up being in the long run, with things as they were now before I continued. I leaned closer to Mika, so that our noses almost touched and whispered, "I would greatly appreciate it if you would keep everything I just said a secret between us. Pretty please with sugar on top?" I added. He smiled at me and nodded vigorously. To seal our little deal, I held up my pinky to him. He looked dumbfounded and gave me an 'are you serious right now?' look. I jutted out my lower lip in a pout and he laughed and wrapped his pinky around mine. "Pinky promise?" I added.
"Pinky promise," he muttered in disbelief of my childlike behavior. I let out another round of giggles and he gave me another strange look. I pouted again.
"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" I grumbled. I started feeling a little self-conscious due to being looked at like an oddball by a child.
"It's nothing bad," he quickly reassured me, "it's just…. I don't think I have ever heard a vampire genuinely laugh like that. It sounds pretty. Sort of like bells, or wind chimes," he explained. His cute little cheeks took on a pink hue when he got done speaking. I was taken aback by his compliment. No one in all my years had ever said such a thing. "Ferid laughs, but most of the time his sound cruel, or fake," he added. I nodded at him. I could definitely agree with that.
"That's very sweet of you to say, Mikaela! And I agree, Ferid can be an ass, and I've not even known him for long at all!" I said. His mouth dropped open at my last comment. I ruffled his hair again and pulled him in for a hug. I was going to really like hanging out with this human child. He was adorable! If he was uncomfortable having his face smothered by my bosom, he didn't bother to say anything. That, or he was unable. At that moment, I couldn't care less. It was shortly after that Ferid walked in, followed by a servant carrying a large silver tray filled with food. Mika had started squirming in an attempt to free himself from my clutches. Ferid let out a bark of laughter.
"Serenity dear, do try to keep from strangling our guests," he said in mock horror. I smirked at him. This was a perfect time to play in this little game of his.
"Oh Ferid, this little human child is simply darling! He is the sweetest thing. I truly adore him already!" I gushed enthusiastically. I released Mika so that he may sit back in his chair as dinner his was placed in front of him. Ferid smirked at me and I felt a sense of dread hit me before his next statement even fell from his lips. I was fairly certain I knew what he was going to say.
"His blood is equally as sweet, my dear," he said and motioned towards the blonde headed boy, "go ahead and taste for yourself." I bit my tongue and forced my previous smile to stay on myself. Without hesitation, I turned towards Mika, trying my best to convey apology in my eyes to the best of my ability when his eyes met mine. This had to be done. There was no other way around it. Ferid was testing me, and I needed to pass. In one fluid motion, I pulled Mika into my lap haphazardly and tangled my fingers in his soft golden locks, using them to pull his head back and give me better access to his neck. I felt the hand that he was letting rest in my lap clench in anticipation for my bite. I opened my mouth as my face descended towards his throat and gently sank my fangs into his external jugular vein. There were plenty of other places I could have drank from, but I chose the neck for a more convincing show. It was the easiest way to kill a human if you weren't careful and I needed to display a carefree attitude towards drinking from this boy. As I took slow draws of his blood into my mouth I looked up at Ferid, whom was watching with curiosity. His eyes widened slightly as he observed me. He was seeing my eyes change as I fed. My pupils had contracted, making their odd color even more noticeable, and streaks of crimson were bleeding into and taking over my purple irises. I closed my eyes and focused on taking as little blood as possible without it being obvious. I'm loathe to admit it, but Ferid was not lying. Mikas blood was oddly sweet. I'd never had a humans blood that tasted quite like this before. Not only was it sweet, but smooth with a hint of creaminess. The flavor was very subtle though, like vanilla. How odd. I was perplexed at this. I felt Mika relax slightly and I decided to stop. I'm sure Ferid would be wanting a drink as well. I withdrew my fangs and licked the point of entry once so that the puncture wounds would heal. Mikas eyes were closed peacefully, when I glanced down at him. Shortly after they fluttered open. Ferid had approached me and I looked up at him again. I felt a little dribble of blood start to slide down from the corner of my lip. He reached towards me and wiped it with his thumb, then proceeded to lick the digit clean. He was staring into my fully crimson colored eyes.
"I take it you were not disappointed?" He asked sounding almost bored. He must have been expecting a different reaction out of me. My obedience had clearly disappointed him. I smiled.
"No, it was just as you said. He is quite the sweet treat, thank you," I said as I gently slid Mika off my lap and pushed him towards Ferid. "I made sure to save you some." Ferid wasted no time in feeding off of Mika. Careful to keep my expression blank, I watched as the poor boys face screwed into one of pain. Ferid was not being gentle. I felt a little bit of guilt wash over me. I knew I was part of the reason he was being a jerk with this feeding. Vampires are perfectly capable of controlling how their meal felt as they were feeding from them. That is something my father insisted I learned, for the times when I had to drink directly from a human. There was no reason to be cruel. When he was finished, Mika all but stumbled back to his seat.
"You may eat your fill now, Mika," Ferid murmured. Then he looked at me and said, "When Mika is done, why you don't make sure he gets home Serenity. It is past curfew after all. I have some business to attend to. Enjoy your plans with Krul tomorrow." And with that, he left Mika and me alone in the dining room. I turned to Mika as he dug into his plate like a ravaged beast. Between the loss of blood, and the way this place was ran in general, I could only assume the poor boy was practically starving. I rested my chin in the palm of my hand as I watched him scarf down his food. Once his pace had slowed some, I spoke.
"Mikaela, if you don't mind me asking, why do you let Ferid drink your blood from you directly?" Surely he knew it was against the rules for vampires to drink directly from humans. He quickly chewed and swallowed his current mouthful to answer me.
"Lord Ferid and I have a deal. I let him drink my blood, and he gives me whatever I want," he said simply and shrugged, "plus, I can get extra food for my family," he added with a smile. I returned his smile with as much enthusiasm as I could. I hated this for him. I felt terrible for the humans, but he rushed to convince me that it really wasn't all that bad. He was simply glad to be with his family. I envied him. I had no family, not yet anyways. I was still unsure if Ferid and the others were going to end up accepting me and even so, I'm not sure if I even wanted them to. I was starting to get the idea that Ferid only kept what was useful to him. I wonder how long I would prove to be useful? For the remainder of the meal, I listened as Mika told me about his little family, and about their troubled past. He spoke a lot of the dark haired boy, Yuichiro, and how angry he was when they first met. He also told me that Yuichiro was mad at him for the deal he had made with Ferid. I told him not to worry, his friend would come to understand eventually. It bothered me that it had him so down. Once Mika was done eating, we decided to head out. I was a little worried that we would get stopped, but it seems enough of the guards had seen me with Ferid today to know to leave me be. I assumed that the white clothing helped. Ferid must have chosen to dress me in noble clothing for this reason. They wouldn't bother me if I was dressed to look like someone higher ranking than themselves. He certainly liked to think ahead. Mika chatted happily the whole way home. The only interruption we had was when I stubbed my toe on a raised cobblestone, busted my knee on the ground as I caught myself, and let out a string of expletives the likes of which Mika had never heard. My face was beet red in annoyance once Mika recovered from the shock of my secretly vulgar vocabulary, because he thought it was the funniest thing to have observed for as long as he could remember and laughed until tears were streaming down his face. Once again, I found myself pouting.
"Mikaela, you're mean!" I whined and flicked him in the forehead. I may have accidently hit him a little harder than intended because his head snapped back pretty hard. "Ah, shit! I'm so sorry little one!" I yelped as I began to run his head vigorously trying to get the little red mark to go away. He must have been fine, because he started giggling at me again and shooing my hands away.
"I'm fine Serenity! Stop over reacting," he gasped between laughs. I gave the little red welt one more swipe with my hand for good measure and we continued on our way. When we reached the doorstep of their little home, he asked if I would like to come in. I politely declined and told him perhaps next time. I wasn't sure if meeting his family was a good idea just yet. He should give Yuichiro a little more time to adjust to everything before he brings a vampire home with him. I wiggled my eyebrows at him, but the implication went right over his head. Bidding Mika goodnight, I began my trip back to Ferids mansion. I was so happy that I had finally made a genuine friend, even if he was only a child. I get attached to things rather easily, but Mika was just such a cutie, and kind to boot. I stretched my arms up in the air and let out a loud yawn as I continued walking. Exhaustion was slowly ebbing into my bones. Vampires were not required to sleep, (though they can if they would like to) but I am not a normal vampire. While the need for me to sleep is not very often, I still needed to do so occasionally. It had been a few months since I had last slept, and I was pushing it now. Even having recently fed, I was still feeling tired. I returned to the mansion as quickly as I could. Ferid was nowhere to be found, so I made my way up to my room. When I arrived at my door, I glanced around wearily before entering. Shutting the door quickly behind me, I decided it would be best to lock it. While I knew that Ferid or any of his servants could easily barge in if they truly wanted to, it made me feel just a little safer. Eyelids heavy, I quickly stripped off my clothes and tossed them over the backing of the chair closest to my bed. Crawling onto my oversized mattress like a lazy cat, I burrowed myself into my covers and let unconsciousness take me.
Alright! So there is it, chapter 4. Serenity meets Mika. I have a pretty solid idea on where I am going to go in the next chapter, but I highly doubt I will be updating until next week. One of my family members has a birthday this weekend and we are going camping, starting tomorrow. So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave me your thoughts if you wish! And everyone have a great weekend!