At first, everything around me was absolutely artic. Then everything when black before it obtained an orange and yellow glow to it and my surroundings became comfortably warm. A scene appeared, a laboratory and a blacksmith shop, full of sooty monks, rabbis, priests, etc. They all seemed too busy to notice that two people had just walked through the wall.
'Wow,' I gasped, 'this is awesome.'
My eyes wandered form table to table, each laden with strange apparatus, most of which, I'm definite could be used as a type of weapon.
'Yes, yes, quite so,' said Carl quickly from behind me. 'Here, put this on.'
I turned to see that he held out a floor length coat not unlike Van Helsing's.
'I'm not cold,' I replied.
'Either put the coat on or you will change into an itchy friar's robe.' I frowned and grabbed the coat, shoving my arms into it. I buttoned a few of the top ones and looked at Carl for approval.
'Better?'
'Much,' he nodded.
'Miss Townsend, I presume,' said a heavily accented voice from behind me. I turned to see the cardinal (whose name always seems to escape me.)
'Call me Erica,' I automatically corrected him.
'Miss Townsend,' he insisted, ignoring my request, 'is it safe to assume that Friar Carl filled you in?' Definitely didn't like this guy.
'Yes, although, I feel as though some details had been excluded.'
'And you want questions answered, yes?'
'Yes.' He nodded and gestured for me to follow him. He walked past me and I noticed a bit of pastel color flicker in this dark setting before disappearing as soon as it had appeared. I frowned.
'Cardinal, could I have a moment?' And before he could answer, I walked off to the wall where Carl and I had walked though just moments before.
There was nothing out of place around me until I looked down and saw the tip of a silver shoe under a lab table.
'You can come out now, Kait,' I said as I took a step backwards. She crawled out and stood. As she brushed off her pastel blue skirt, she said, 'you better come out too.'
I watched as Marie and Courtney crawled out as well.
'What are you guys doing here?' I demanded.
'We followed you here,' replied Kait.
'You followed me? I cannot believe this. You have got to go back.' I took Kait's arm and began to drag her back to the wall.
'Why?' asked Courtney as Kait yanked her arm out of my grasp.
'Why? It's too dangerous.'
'Then you are coming too,' replied Marie.
'I can't.'
'Is there a problem?' asked the Cardinal as he approached us.
'No. They were just leaving.'
'They can't,' said Carl. I turned to him.
'Why can't they leave?'
'The portal already closed.'
'The open another.'
'I have no more potion,' he replied. 'And no more ingredients. Even if I did, it would take me at least a week to acquire the correct mixture.'
'So, we are stuck here for a week?' came a voice behind me.
'Derek? James?' I said with a mixture of fury and surprise as I turned around. 'So much for privacy in the girl's locker room.'
'Hey, we were worried,' said Derek.
'So we followed,' added James. I walked to the wall and pressed my hand against it, just to make sure that the portal had, in fact, closed.
'Cardinal, my friends need a place to stay in the meantime, while I'm in London,' I said.
'What?' chorused six voices. I expected the first five by the final one, the one from the Cardinal, surprised me. I turned to him.
'Where do you expect me to house women dressed as harlots and these gentlemen?' he explained.
'These, Cardinal,' I replied, feeling anger rise in me, 'are my friends and sister. You will treat all of them with the respect you show me or you will forget about my help. Got it?'
'Of course,' he replied hastily, 'but where do I house them?'
'Give them robes of the convent and monasteries and house them with Nuns and Monks.'
'But, are they not accompanying you?'
'No. They stay here,' I looked at my friends and added, 'end of discussion.'
'Friar Carl,' said the Cardinal, 'escort Miss Townsend's friends to the three rooms in corridor six, next to Miss Townsend's room. Also, acquire some more modest clothing for them.' Carl nodded at the Cardinal's orders.
'Come along,' he said as he began to shuffle away. My friends followed him and when Kait passed me, she whispered to me, 'we'll talk asap, 'kay?'
'Yeah.' I watched them as they headed up a staircase on the opposite end of the room before the Cardinal said, 'follow me, Miss Townsend.'
'It's Erica,' I replied but followed him nonetheless. We headed up a pair of separate stairs halfway across the room. After he led me up three flights of stairs, through four hallways, as well as many twists and turns, we finally arrived at an office.
There was a long oval table with a dozen or so chairs surrounding it inside. The walls were covered with elaborately carved, dark oak shelves, and were filled with books. He took a seat and motioned for me to do the same.
'Your friends presence presents a problem,' he began as he leaned back.
'They will stay in their rooms.'
'That is not what I am worried about. What concerns me is that I have already bent multiple rules by allowing you here. But your friends accompanying you may have broken more rules than anticipated. With their presence, things can change for the worst.'
'Or, for the better,' I added, optimistically.
'Any minor change at this time could cause a drastic change in your time.'
'Nothing will change, Cardinal,' I assured him. 'Now, what about Van Helsing? I need to know everything.'
'As soon as Van Helsing had returned from that fiasco in Transylvania…'
'It wasn't a fiasco,' I interrupted.
'Would you like an answer to your question or not?' he snapped. I shut my mouth and he proceeded, 'after that fiasco in Transylvania, Van Helsing seemed changed. He was quiet, more than usual, and he only consulted in Friar Carl. When the high members of the order approached him with the issue of Frankenstein's monster, he grew anger and began to rant about what should and should be killed. We argued about what actually determines good and evil, virtue and sin. The first mission that arose, he accepted and left.'
'What mission is that?'
'He was to go to London to seek out and kill the creatures preying the citizens. He had corresponded with us every few days up until a week ago.'
'What kind of creatures was he to hunt?'
'We suspect werewolves,' he replied. The image of Van Helsing howling at the moon, holding Anna's limp body came to mind. I shuddered.
'I must leave as soon as possible,' I said.
'Our thoughts exactly. But, it may take a week for your training.'
'A week? Van Helsing could be dead by then,' I snapped. 'Is there any quicker way?'
'The voyage itself is a week.'
'Is that the fastest you have?' I asked, my voice rising a little higher than normal. 'Is there anything quicker?'
'Not currently.' He stood and said in a calm but commanding voice, 'you are tired, Miss Townsend. Edvard will escort you to your room'
He pulled on a tassel near the door and a few seconds later the door opened.
A little boy stepped in and the Cardinal spoke in rapid Latin to him (the only type of Latin I know is Pig Latin). The boy signaled for me to follow him and I stood and followed him out the door and down the hall. He, too, led me through several halls, down a flight of stairs, and through two most halls before he opened my door.
'Here, you room,' he spoke in broken English, 'companion next door.' He waved his tan hand towards the four other doors down the hall.
'Thank you,' I replied and headed into my room and closed the door. I glanced around the room and found my settings fairly elegant, but then again, I was in the Vatican in Rome. The furniture in there included a large bed, nightstand, dresser, two plush chairs, a wash pan with pitcher and cloth, and a fairly large mirror. On the bed were two gowns and a hunting costume.
I washed off my makeup and dressed into the hunting costume. This consisted of a pair of small black breeches, a dark long sleeved shirt, a tight leather vest (similar to a bodice) and knee-high boots which I tucked my pants into. I undid my hair, rinsed it, and let it hang loose to dry, not really caring if it turned into a frizz ball or not.
The Truth Revealed
I was about to head out when someone knocked at the door. I opened it to see Kait, Courtney, Marie, James, and Derek. I welcomed them in and noticed that each of them wore robes from either the nuns or friars.
'Why does she get to wear pants?' complained James, motioning to his current attire. I almost laughed.
'What's all going on, Erica,' asked Marie.
'Do you really want to know?'
'Of course,' said Kait. I sighed.
'Fine. Last Halloween, when we were in the park before the dance and I jumped out of the swing, I landed in the Van Helsing movie. At first I thought it was a dream or hallucination…' I quickly explained what had happened before going into what Carl and the Cardinal had told me.
'You got sucked into Van Helsing?' asked James. I nodded. 'That friggin awesome.'
'I thought that you seemed different that night,' said Kait, 'and I thought that I recognized that ring too.'
'So…' said Courtney, looking at everyone. 'When are we going to London?'
'"We"? What "we"?' I asked. 'I thought that I had made it perfectly clear that this was an entirely solo thing.'
'And we decided that you aren't going alone,' replied Marie.
'It's way too dangerous.'
'Not if we all stick together,' she added.
'We will stick out like a sore thumb.' There was a knock at my door. I crossed the room quickly and opened the door to see Carl. I invited him in and quickly said, 'Carl, tell them that it's too dangerous for them to go.'
'Well…' he began and looked away.
I cannot believe this, he is agreeing with them!
'Carl thinks that we should go,' insisted Courtney. 'The more of us, the easier it will be to find Van Helsing.'
'And for those creatures to find us, we stick out! How can six teenagers from the 21st century blend in in 19th century London?'
'Easily,' replied Carl, 'you just dress with the times and keep your mouths shut.'
'Thanks Carl,' I replied sarcastically.
'You are welcome,' he replied. I rolled my eyes.
'You are all staying here,' I said, walking to the door, 'end of discussion.' I exited the room before another word was said and was halfway down the hall…
'Wait,' called Derek as he jogged after me.
Derek? Wait, Derek. I thought that it would be Kait or Courtney or even Marie. But Derek?
I paused and he caught up with me.
'Come one, let's go to mine and James' room for a moment. I would really like to talk.' He gestured to the door on my right. He opened it and we went in. He closed it behind us and sat on the bed, patting the spot next to him. I sat next to him.
'What did you want to talk about?' I asked after a moment of silence?
'Everything. I just don't know where to start.'
'How about at the beginning?' I suggested.
'Why did you freak out during the dance?' Why did he have to start with that one?
'Ever since Dracula attempted to make me into his immortal bride, I have had these nightmares about him. And I'll occasionally see him during normal activities if my guard is let down. When we were dancing, the couples surrounding us became the vampires from Dracula's ball and you became Dracula. I kinda freaked out.'
'How do we know that this, all this, isn't a dream?' he asked.
'The same exact way I figured it out.' I pulled my hair over my other shoulder and showed him the two marks on my neck, 'this still remains from my previous visit. As well as this ring,' I held up my finger with the ring, 'and a coat, clothes, and jewelry.'
'Then that settles everything.'
'What settles what?'
'We all go to London or none.'
'Wait, what?' I really didn't understand where that had come from.
'It is dangerous here. And someone can get injured or even killed. Who knows how long we will be together or even here. Plus, you can't protect yourself.'
'I can too!'
'Can you fire a pistol?' Uh…
'Not really.'
'Sword fight?' Crap
'No.'
'Do martial arts?' Got me there.
'Um…no.' I paused, 'can you?'
'I go hunting all the time with my dad and I have a black belt in Karate.'
'But, still…'
'No buts. We all go, whether you like it or not. That's final.' He then smirked and added, 'end of discussion.'
I attempted to hide my smile but it didn't work.
'Fine,' I replied, 'But you have to train me with everything that you know.' I stood to leave, thinking that the discussion was finished. Derek stood as well and said, 'when are you telling everyone?'
'At supper,' I replied simply with a smirk, 'they can wait, you think?'
I opened his door and walked out into the hall as Carl hurried towards me.
'Erica, the Cardinal requests your immediate presence.' He then turned and began to lead the way. Without a look at Derek, I hurried to catch up with him.
'For what? Why?' I asked.
'He wouldn't tell me without you.'
I almost stopped as an image of Van Helsing's cold, lifeless body came to mind. Was he dead?
I quickened my pace and soon began to run. Carl followed behind me at a slower pace. When I arrived at the door, I knocked and waited for the Cardinal to call for me to enter. Carl arrived just as the Cardinal did so and we both went in.
'Miss Townsend, Friar Carl, please come in,' said the Cardinal. Carl and I went in, closing the door behind us. The Cardinal motioned for us to sit and we did.
'I have received word that a vessel bound for London leaves tonight. It is a speed craft and the voyage will only take two days. The only flaw is that there is only room for two passengers.'
'Well,' I began hesitantly, 'we need seven.'
'I knew that would be your decision, so I arranged for five spots on the vessel departing in the morning. It will take a week to arrive.'
'I assume that Carl is to accompany me?'
'Wait,' interrupted Carl, 'Van Helsing was a friend to me, better than many, but you cannot expect me to go to London. I'm not a field man.'
The Cardinal opened his mouth to reply, but I beat him to it.
'It is all right. I will get a friend to accompany me. That way, you can get everything together tonight for the trip in the morning.'
'I can't,' said Carl.
'But you will,' replied the Cardinal. 'I now leave this expedition in the capable hands of Miss Townsend. You will obey her orders, understood?'
'Yes, Cardinal,' replied Carl in a submissive voice.
'What time do I leave?' I queried.
'Your carriage leaves in fifty minutes. I expect for your clothing to be packed, as well as your traveling companion's. Carl, on the other hand, will assist you by gathering supplies for you to hunt with.' He waved his hand in a manner that I took as a dismissal. Carl and I stood and left. Once we were out of the conference room, I pulled Carl off to the side and said, 'I didn't mean to pull you into this, Carl. But I really do need your help.'
'I know,' he replied, 'but I won't be much help in the field.'
'I'll get the muscles covered, I just need the brain to tell them what to do.' I offered him a smile and added, 'now get going, gather daggers, pistols, silver bullets, and a few stakes for tonight's bag. Bring anything else you can think of on your voyage tomorrow.'
'Who are you taking with you tonight?' he asked as I turned to leave. The answer popped into my head quickly.
'Derek.' I froze as this left my lips. Why had I said him? Why not Marie or Kait or Courtney?
'You best hurry then. I'll see if I can gather some gentlemen's clothing, shall I?'
And with this, he hurried in the opposite direction.
My first stop from there was to Derek's room. He answered quickly and I asked to come in. He welcomed me in and I was surprised to see James in there.
'Um, may I have a quick word, in private? Out here, maybe?' he nodded and followed me out, closing the door behind me.
'In about 45 minutes, a fast ship will be leaving for London, getting there in two days. There are only two spots open and I'm taking one. I was wondering if..' my voice trailed off.
'If I would like to come too?' finished Derek. I nodded. He smirked, 'of course. But what of the rest.'
'They will be going in the morning, and the voyage will be a week in length. Carl will go with them, but he is now gathering basic weapons for us. And clothing for you.'
'Real clothing, no robes?' he asked. I nodded. He smiled, 'thank goodness. But why isn't Carl going with you?'
'Because he is not a field man. He is an observer not a doer. And I may need help with weaponry. Who better than you, right?'
'I suppose,' he shrugged.
'Anyway, I had better go and pack, and you should too,' I then opened the door.
'Wait, pack what?' he asked.
'Carl ought to be bringing you some clothes.' I turned and walked down the hall to my room. I carefully put the dresses into a trunk that was provided, along with a brush, combs, etc. It took me ten minutes to pack, so I headed to Derek's room to see how the packing was going for him. I knocked on the door and it opened. I looked past James and saw that everyone was in there. So, I headed inside and began to say my goodbyes to everyone.
Kait, Marie, Courtney and I were off in one corner as I explained everything that I could to them.
'You are taking Derek?' asked Courtney.
'Yea, why?' I asked. They looked at each other.
'I sense something between them,' added Kait.
'And that would be nothing,' I stood. 'Anyway, I oughta go and check on Carl, to see what he as accomplished in packing.'
I opened the door and saw Carl's fist poised to knock.
'Hello, Carl,' I said. He looked at me and I saw a bit of relief wash over his face.
'Good, I finally found you. Have you packed?'
'Yeah, why?'
'You leave in five minutes, that's why.'
'Five minutes!' I paused, 'it's already been fifty minutes?'
'Yes, those minutes are gone. Now, quickly, say your farewells.' I nodded and turned.
'Derek, time to go!' I called.
My friends, sister, James, and Derek all jumped to their feet at once and we began to say our goodbyes. After this finished, we followed Carl down to the carriage with our belongings. And just as we were about to close the door, Carl shoved a duffel bag sized pack onto the floor and said, 'you may need these.'
'Thank you, Carl. And see you in a week,' I said.
'Safe voyage, Erica and Derek,' he called back, closing the door. The carriage took off from its underground loading station and within a few minutes we were at a dock. From there, Derek and I unloaded our few bags into a small stay room, with two beds, aboard the minuscule speed boat that was filled with some somewhat perishable items. The ship pulled its anchor and then we set sail.