Chapter 4

Michelle woke up. The bed was unfamiliar to her. It's one of the downstairs beds. She rolled over and saw Catherine, fully asleep. Why were they there? Where was Amelia? She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The sun was shining brightly through the window, it was already late morning. Michelle wondered if the past night had actually happened, or if it was just a dream. She got up, her weight on the wooden floor made it creak, breaking the silence. Her mouth was dry, She needed a glass of water, but the well was outside. She pondered whether or not this was a good idea. But she took the risk anyway. She made it to the other side of the room, where the door was closed. She opened it and poked her head out the other side. The hall was empty. She heard the creaking of the front door, comforting her. The front door was opened and a gust of wind was coming in, hitting her face.

She left the room, closing the door silently behind her. She didn't want to wake up Catherine, she knew from experience how much her sister hated being awakened. Michelle tiptoed down the hall, looking from side to side into the rooms surrounding her. In one of the last rooms she saw a window, and the sun drifting behind a cloud, making it darker within the house. She turned around, staring down the blank hall. Then there was silence, for too long. She could still feel the wind on her back and it was making her hair blow wildly around her face. The door wasn't creaking. Fear struck her, now a common feeling for her. She didn't want to turn around, for fear of someone there, someone unwelcome. But she had to turn. She didn't just turn her head, her whole body shifted around too. Her eyes met the door, and once again it was creaking back and forth.

This didn't reassure Michelle all that much, for now she had the feeling something was watching her.

Then it grabbed her, by the mouth first, so that she couldn't scream. It was a grey hand, nails long and unclean. The skin was as rough as sandpaper, it made her lips bleed. Then it dropped down in front of her from above. It was a woman, or at least it had the shape of one and the brown hair of one too. Her skin was a blue grey. Her eyes were white, with black rings around them. She bared her teeth, fangs dropping down. This frightened her. She began to struggle, trying to get free, but the monster was dragging her down the hall, toward the back door now. When they reached it Michelle stuck her hands out and held on to the door frame. The monster had now spread it's two wings. It was in the air, pulling on Michelle's ankles, trying to pull her free fro the door frame. The door frame broke, splinters of wood going everywhere. Michelle wanted to scream but nothing was coming out. She was being carried away upside down by her ankles. Her and the winged person were gone before the sun came out from behind the cloud.

Amelia heard a commotion downstairs. She had been packing her belongings, well, some of them, she couldn't take everything with her. She turned around and ran out her room, and looked over the railing to downstairs, she saw the door creaking open and shut. Maybe it was just Michelle and Catherine waking up.

Amelia hadn't bothered waking them up this morning. She was afraid it would be too soon, after what happened last night. She had gone through terrible pain. There was no turning into a werewolf, thank goodness. But it had scared her. She has a month to go until her next full moon, when her transformation would be complete. Until then she would slowly become more monster, and less human. Her hand started shaking again just thinking about it. She looked down at it, this morning when her pain had finally stopped, she had wrapped a cloth tightly around it. The bleeding was over, but the throbbing remained. She could feel her heart pulsing through the veins in her hand.

"Michelle?" it was Catherine. She was calling from downstairs. Amelia turned back toward the banister and looked over. She saw Catherine in her same maroon coloured night gown. She was looking frantically from side to side.

"Catherine, what's going on?" Amelia called to her from upstairs. Catherine whipped around and looked up, pulling a silver stake out at the same time. Where had she gotten that?

"Michelle's missing." was all she said. She lowered the stake to her side and turned away.

Amelia returned to her room, tightening the straps on her pack. She hoisted it onto her back and left the room. She had a sword at her hip, daggers in her boots, a pistol in it's hilt, and a box of bullets in her pack. Her other weapons she would have to leave behind. If she had the chance she would come back for them later.

She came running down the stairs. Catherine was opening and closing doors down the left and right hall. Michelle was in none of them.

"Perhaps she's outside." Amelia stated. She didn't appear all that worried. Michelle disappeared a lot now and then, it was no surprise that she's doing it again today. Amelia was getting annoyed though. She had planned to be at the stables in an hour, and Catherine and Michelle weren't even packed yet.

"Catherine, go pack your bags, and Michelle's too. I'll find her." Amelia had still not mentioned where they were going, or why. Catherine was not happy about this.

"Where are we going?" Catherine stopped the search for Michelle and came up to Amelia. Before there was any reply though there was a knock at the front door and it swung open. Van Helsing stood at the doorway.

"Sorry to bother you. Just came to see if you were ready to go." He entered the house and approached. Now Catherine was annoyed. Apparently he was coming with them, to wherever they were going.

"Fine, I'll pack. Find Michelle though. And tell me what's going on later, please." Catherine took a last glance at Van Helsing and raced up the oak stairs to her bedroom. Amelia followed her with her eyes until she was out of sight. Now she had to find Michelle. She started toward the back door, Van Helsing following.

"Having some trouble? I see you haven't yet told them where we're going." He spoke as he talked. Amelia continued walking too. When she reached the back door she turned and looked at him then glanced out the door into the overgrown lawn.

"I had a bit of a distraction last night and didn't get the chance. Now Michelle's missing. It shouldn't be anything to worry about. But after last night, I'm worried." She turned back around to see Van Helsing inspecting the side of the door, where the door frame should have been. When they looked along the floor at their feet they saw little splinters of wood every where.

"This wasn't like this before." Amelia looked up at Van Helsing. Something had been in the house, and ruined the door on it's way out. Panic struck Amelia. She turned round and ran outside, calling Michelle's name out frantically. There was no response.