It was two nights later that Lucy was able to return. She was as excited as a hyperactive pup, having hoped that she would go the night before, but drowsiness blew her off her feet. Tonight would do just fine though.
According to Florence, she was starting to mumble things in her sleep. Lucy could only guess that she had far too much on her mind after her visit to Forbodium Castle. She had met a supernatural creature there after all, and so many questions were swarming her brain, buzzing for answers she needed to know.
One curious little thing that began occurring throughout her day while she was in her classes, she noticed, was soft whispers in her mind. At first, she thought it was her imagination, from having all these thoughts in her head. Hours later, while she was in her last class of the day, she thought it was someone calling her. That was it. It was someone, just not in reality. She could guess these voices had something to do with Alfendi.
She could even hear them whispering now, as she laid in her bed, studying.
"Lucy. Lucy. Lucy."
She suddenly realized that she was asleep now, the voice no longer in her head. It was Florence, shaking her awake and calling out her name. "Lucy. Wake up. You fell asleep studying, wake up!"
Aware now of her situation, her nerves began to restart and feeling returned to her legs. She groaned and sat up, her textbook falling to the floor as she shifted. "Wot? Florence?" She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and blinked, "Wot time is it?"
"Evenin' 'ours, lass. Ya 'ave summat important 'appenin' tonight?" Asked Dustin as he and Sniffer walked in. He smirked, his hands stuffed in his jean pockets, the sleeves of his forest plaid button down shirt being forced up past his wrists.
In a snap, Lucy was out of bed and pulling her hat over her brunette hair. "Ack! I'm late!" She hastily put on her shoes and sped out the room without another word, not even a 'bye'.
Sniffer chucked. "We got a winner, don't we?" He questioned Florence. A spark in his eyes ignited as he flopped onto her bed.
Dustin bounced onto Lucy's bed, replying, "Seems like. Wot do ya think t' boss will 'ave us do now? Plan 'er funeral or 'er weddin'? I mean, we've been playin' matchmaker wi' Al for a while now. Why not just do t' rest?" He scratched the side of his head nonchalantly, waiting for an answer.
"Why don't you shut up and ask him yourself, idiot mutt? The boss'll tell us what he wants us to do when he needs to. We don't just go up to him and ask!" Florence asserted, grabbing his ear and yelling right into it. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Questioning the boss's orders and-
"You want to just go up to him and ask?" Sniffer suggested, jumping off the bed.
"Yeah. Let's go." She forced Dustin off of Lucy's bed then sauntered out the door right behind Sniffer, who was cackling evilly as he left.
The trio's forms began to alter themselves as they made their way to the city hall. As they crept around every corner, jumped over every fence and eventually up the small steps to the building, they began to change. Florence was floating and looked a bit more pale that she usually was. Sniffer sprouted two red devil horns and a tail. Dustin had his own wolf tail and his ears were pointed, fine orange hairs growing on his arms as well.
They easily marched right into the office of the Mayor Justin Lawson, the tough and intimidating leader of the city, who was quietly filling out some work when the three walked in. He grunted and cleared his throat. "You three get the job done?" He sat up from his seat and moved to the side of his desk, a grave look on his face that told them he was not in the mood to joke around.
"Lickity split." Was Sniffer's response, along with a taunting smirk.
Normally, Justin would glare at that smirk, since every time it appeared before, it was a constant upbringing of failure after failure. To finally have a word of great news, news Justin had been waiting for fifteen long years to hear, he smiled and laughed. Finally, his plan was getting close to the climax and he could almost feel victory on the horizon.
Smiles went all around and the trio high-fived each other, knowing they did something right. "Wot do we do now then, boss?" Dustin asked, his tail eagerly wagging behind him.
The trinkets and objects on the desk rattled when Justin suddenly slammed his large hands on it. The trio jumped and yelped simultaneously. "Simple!" He barked, still in high spirits, "While I call up the witch, you three have to get Al to turn this… Girl into a vampire. Who is she anyway?"
"Lucy Baker. She's a student at the university. Wants to get a job at Scotland Yard from what I can tell." Florence describes for him.
The Mayor nodded in understanding. His mind began to formulate the next phase of the plan, and any safety procedures to ensure nothing failed in it. "Good. Have her turned before Hilda comes sometime within the next month, if I work this right. If you don't, you three won't get your pay."
Dustin's throat made a gruff sound, hating the thought.
"Yes, sir! Of course! The spell will go just as you planned." Sniffer declared. He was bouncing up and down restlessly, thrilled for the next part of this mad plot.
Obviously, Dustin and Florence rolled their eyes. Their friend was always a kiss-up. Not that it mattered. They would get the job done, one way or another.
After this quick briefing, the trio was strolling towards the castle.
The werewolf of the group jumped up onto the wall of the castle as he became more dog and less human. "Come on, slackers! Let's get this over with!" He roared, scampering right onto the property. Florence passed through the wall without a second thought. Sniffer on the other hand, stopped in his tracks.
"Wait! Wait!" He called, bringing the duo back to the stone wall. "Look." The demon pointed to the end of the sidewalk, where their human subject was pacing.
She appeared nervous, and a bit upset, about something. Her head turned to look past the corner and her frown worsened.
Florence went over to the gates to check something, then came back with a groan. "Meekins is actually doing his job for once. Why on earth is he-?" Dustin and Sniffer both put their hands over her mouth as Lucy peered over in their general direction. Thankfully, she didn't notice them.
Despite the guard problem, Lucy decided to go over to the gate. There were howling sounds coming from the other side and she was curious to see if Alfendi had anything to do with it.
Meekins was smiling as he pointed the flashlight to the gate. This was the third time he was watching for trespassers this week, and the third time he heard something at the gate. Was it the wolf again? The animal was searching for something again, it seemed. Right at the gate, it sat, with its muzzle out between the bars. The guard flicked the switch of the flashlight off. It ran away last time when he held the beam close to it. "H-Hey there. How are you d-doing, Wolfie?"
'Wolfie' didn't seem fond of its nickname because it began growling and baring its sharp teeth at the officer. "Calm down! I'm sorry!" Meekins apologized, stepping away a little. The wolf stood up on his hind legs now, placing its paws on the horizontal bars of the gate. Its large claws threatened to scratch through Meekins. It was strange, but the dog's fur seemed to change from a drabbish purple to a bright red-brown and its eyes glowed an intimidating, sharp yellow color. The fur on the wild beast stood on end almost and its teeth were poised to kill.
"No! Don't be mad! Please!" The wolf roared out and went to try grabbing him. Normal reflex action for Meekins? Scream and run, fast and without looking back. He didn't even know where he was going.
Started a bit, Lucy cautiously moved to the gate. These golden eyes were quite familiar. "Alfendi?" She whispered, taking one of the wolf's paws in her hand. Suddenly, it was as if a shadow passed over it. Now it was him.
"Lucy! You came back!" He exclaimed, a small smile on his face at the sight of her familiar presence.
"Aye! I said I would, didn't I?" She turned her head a little to look behind her. "Can't say t' same for poor Meekins though. By 'eck, Al! You scared t' lad right out of 'is wits!" Lucy said jokingly.
As she began to climb the gate, at his suggestion, he began to wonder what actually compelled her to come back. Alfendi knew she was curious. He just never thought that such curiosity would bring her back to the castle, especially so soon. Why did she return for him? He wasn't anything important to her, not after what he did. She should have been avoiding him, never wanting to see him ever again. What was the point of her return?
When she dropped down next to him, she sighed. "Never thought I'd be back 'ere." She took his hand in hers again, giggling a bit at the awkward look he had. "Let's go then!"
About a few minutes after entering the castle, Alfendi's mind got the better of him. "Why are you here, Lucy?" He didn't mean to sound brash, he knew he did, but such a rare occurrence deserved explanation.
She leaned towards him and smiled. "To talk with you. Wot else? Can't a girl be curious?"
"Haven't you heard of the phrase 'Curiosity killed the cat'? It does imply that something bad will happen to you." He was taken aback as she scoffed.
Lucy put her hands on her hips as she did so. It wasn't like the shows, where everything took a turn for the worst right when someone mentioned something like that. "I can 'andle myself, ta very much. Not like I'll act like some damsel in distress if I get attacked."
Alfendi didn't deny she could take care of herself, and he told her that, but he just couldn't help worrying. This was a human meeting with a two thousand year old creature of the night, with a bit of a mental problem to boot. He could feel his other personality telling him he felt the same way.
Snapping him out of his thoughts was Lucy's voice, originating from the stairs. "So last time I were 'ere, you said summat about not being able to leave. Wot were that about anyway?" She looked to him from the top of said stairs, interested in any details she got out of this.
Reacting only out of his own natural instinct, Alfendi avoided the question. He wasn't one to dwell on the past, and he would not be going through such disorienting mental madness ever again. "Is that what I said? That's not important. How about we talk about something else?"
Rather than continue insisting, Lucy decided to try in a different direction. "Alright then. 'ow about wot you can do? Can you turn into a bat?" The former subject was apparently opening some closed wounds for him. Despite wondering why, it was better for Lucy to ask when she could tell he felt comfortable.
"No. Not at all. I can, on the other hand, change into a wolf form, as you have seen."
"Can you fly?"
It took the vampire a moment to answer, and he was still unsure. "Not exactly." He walked up the steps as he explained, "When I use my ability to transform myself into mist, I can float to a certain height before the altitude forces my body to turn back." His hands were jammed in his deep lab coat pockets.
A tiny bubbling thought formed in her brain, but Lucy kept quiet about it. "Can you burn int' sunlight?" When he replied with a 'yes', the blossoming idea grew.
Alfendi added to the answer, "I can't really stand other kinds of light. Dull rays, I can take. Anything too bright, like a powerful flashlight, burns. Sunlight turns me into ash the moment I'm exposed to it. No second thought."
"Wot about stakes and whatnot?"
They began strolling through Forbodium Castle as Lucy continued flooding him with questions.
Three groans rang through the foyer. "Of course it's not easy! Because if it was easy, it wouldn't be a mission!" Complained Sniffer, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"The girl's too curious for her own good. That's why. We need to do something about this." Florence began pacing from one end of the bottom of the steps to the other, deep in thought.
One idea come to mind and Dustin thought of it. He grinned, his pointed ears perking up slightly. "'ow 'bout we just possess t' lass? You can do that, can't ya, Florence?"
The ghost and demon gaped at him, shocked that they hadn't thought of that themselves.
"It's genius! Dustin, you're the most amazing, intelligent mutt I've ever known! Thank you for being so smart!" Sniffer shoved Florence up the stairs. His enthusiasm radiated to her and she laughed, floating up and into the wall. The demon cackled excitedly. He was smiling and bouncing around, impatiently waiting for a scream, disaster or anything that signified the mission's success.
Proud of his intellectual achievement, Dustin relished the fuzzy feeling in his stomach with the toothiest of smiles on his face.
Meanwhile, Florence was following behind the vampire and his new little human friend. Whatever they were on the subject of had both of them quietly musing. With the silence, the ghost girl took the chance and rushed right into Lucy.
A gasp left her lips and she shivered, feeling her mind lose to a strange power. When Lucy's red eyes regained focus, she was watching her moving body freeze on the spot.
Alfendi, having sensed her stop and heard her gasp, stopped as well, turning his head to her. Strange. Her composure was different.
She shook her head and laughed nervously. "Sorry. Just felt a cold wind, is all."
Her voice sounded off too. The glint in her eyes was all wrong, the brave flare becoming something unusual, and her accent was a slopping mess.
Or maybe you're just being a tad too analytical for your own good?
It was his own voice that time, his own thought, not the other. What his other side said was quite different.
That's not Baker, you dimwit.
Of course it was her. She hadn't suddenly become a different person, like what he did. He might have at least detected such-
You did, you fool.
"You know, how about we go back to the entrance? Maybe go outside and take a stroll down the hill?" This foreign, new Lucy asked him, putting on the most innocent of looks as she could. She took hold of his wrist, not his hand, and was tugging him towards the direction of said entrance.
And like the gullible dolt you are, you just go and follow her. Why are you doing this, idiot? That's not Baker!
He denied the statement. Maybe she was just not in the mood to stay in this castle, not like he was either.
Keep telling yourself that, yes, but let me have control so I can expose this imposter already!
Lucy giggled evilly as she ran down and to the doors.
That isn't right.
Finally, you're thinking straight. Now…
Alfendi stood perfectly still atop the steps, his now free hand paling as he clenched it tightly at his side.
"Come on, Alfendi!"
It's my turn.
Lucy frowned. "Are you all-?"
"Enough!" The red haired monster screeched, "I've had enough of whatever joke you thought I'd fall for. If you thought I would simply continue on with this little charade, you're sadly mistaken. Release Lucy from whatever hold you have on her, you ignorant, arrogant swine. Unless you prefer the nice lull of death." He sped down the stairs only to be grabbed by two familiar souls. "Oh, of course! Well if it isn't the Three Stooges. Figures you three would be causing trouble." With ease, he took both boys and picked them up, effectively flinging them towards the possessed lass. "You think you have a chance of enacting this stupid plan of yours?" He let out a single defiant laugh as he lifted his hands.
The wild look in his eyes and the crazed expression frightened the real Lucy, who was watching things occur out of her own body almost. It was strange. No one could see or hear her, yet she could see and hear everything happening. She knew what was happening too, she just couldn't believe it.
Dustin scrambled onto all fours, snarling. Sniffer's nails grew into claws that scratched at the marble floor. Florence, still controlling Lucy, glared and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're too observant for your own good, Al." She commented with a pout.
Sneering was his only response. He was far too superior compared to these three, both in power and in intelligence. He would wipe the floor with them, maybe clean up the place with their lifeless bodies, yes.
Possessed Lucy was floating now, shocking Alfendi for a second. "Don't you realize I can still use my powers even when I've taken over someone's body?" Florence asked mockingly, circling the air above the hot headed male. She then moved above the stairs, keeping a large enough distance away from him to not get hurt. "And you thought you were smart."
The demon and werewolf charged him on both sides. Sniffer successfully hanging on to Alfendi's back while Dustin bit into his left arm.
Loathing the idea of being defeated, especially by these termites, Alfendi struggled through their hold. "You better keep winning out of your stupid brains because this battle is mine." He pounded his free fist into Dustin's muzzle, feeling the dog's teeth release his forearm. To get rid of Sniffer, he took the devil's claws and pulled them off his neck. Keeping hold of his right claw, he grabbed as much of Sniffer's curly orange hair and flipped the hellion off his back and onto the floor. For good measure, he snapped the devil's wrist as he fell. Topping it all off, Alfendi hauled the whining demon up with ease, touching one of the pointed horns on his head to test out a thought. Then he knocked Dustin down and jammed both of the horns on Sniffer's head straight into the wolf's chest.
The vampire could tell, one of these two pierced a lung, the other barely scraping the heart, which made Alfendi smile. He loved when he did more damage than what was necessary. Overkill, if that was the right term for it.
"Now for you." He said, his voice filled with deep, unheard-of malice. A low growl came along with it, and suddenly, not-Lucy flinched back.
Florence's only response was a fearful fake laugh, trying to appear confident. "You wouldn't hurt Lucy. Not a chance. And even if you did, Al, we'd still win." Through Lucy's vision, she saw his amber eyes widen. "You don't even know of our plan, do you, mister detective extraordinaire? No, please, do bite me. It'll only do Lucy harm. It's not my body. You're just angry that no matter what, you'll lose this fight."
The ghost's taunts only made Al smile again. Oh, she was so wrong about that. He felt his weaker side warn him not to do it, but he had no choice. Alfendi Layton was not a loser, not a quitter. He was an overly intelligent creature of the night, and like hell was he going to lose this useless fight. "It's funny you'd think that seeing as I've already won."
Sorry Lucy.
Effortlessly did Alfendi launch himself towards Lucy, fangs elongated, mind set on the kill. He bit into the neck of this poor lass and they fell fast to the floor as gravity took over the situation once more. He could taste that thick satisfying drink flooding down his throat again. It was healing the wolf bite and the cuts on his neck slowly. There was a bit of an aftertaste circling through and by the screams, the bloodsucker could tell his plan had worked.
He released Lucy from his bite, but felt something else take hold.
Florence was scrambling to get away, pushing at Alfendi's chest for him to let go. The pain was horrible before, but to feel the agonizing pain continue after being exorcised from the body was so much worse.
No matter how much she struggled though, she wasn't going to be free until Alfendi felt she was punished enough. Torturing her was easy, but it wasn't what Al was known for. He wanted more out of this and even his other side agreed. Florence deserved more torment. Something in his mind clicked. She needed to suffer.
Grabbing as many locks of Florence's hair as possible, he dragged her toward her sniveling friends. They were still stuck together, and now they get a new addition. He lifted the ghost up, then forced her to possess Sniffer.
The demon stopped squirming for a moment. Seconds after, he started yelling out the loudest most inhuman screech. He wriggled and fought for a way to get it all to stop. Florence felt it all too, but why was it all so painful?
To shut them up, Alfendi kicked both boys toward the door. This freed all three of them from each other, letting them get up and run off.
Rushes of superiority and power boosted Alfendi's ego a lot. He couldn't help but embrace it. "Yes! Run! Come back and see what happens, fools! I'm not weak! I'm no imbecile! Get back here and fight for real!" His howls of rage burst through the castle.
Lucy jolted up and grabbed her neck, wincing from the dull pain."P-Prof?" She saw him flaring up almost, angered beyond belief it seemed. Grabbing her hat off the floor next to her, Lucy stood up. "Prof!" She ran to him and turned him to see her. That's when she saw it. The bloodlust and desire in his eyes, like a rabid monster who was just warming up in the heat of battle.
"What? Surprised? Not happy with what you see? Well tough! This is the real me and I-" He stopped yelling completely, his entire body relaxing in seconds. Alfendi stared at her for a moment, trying to recollect what he just did. "I… Hurt you."
Actually glad to hear the change from rude and cruel to placid and gentle. She smiled. "It's okay, Prof. You 'ad to do that."
"No! I didn't have to, but I did." He put a hand on his head, the pressure of both his personalities clashing as they began to argue. "I could've avoided biting you. I had to, there was no avoiding it! There was! No!" His mind was so confused. "I could've killed you!"
Knowing things would only get worse, Lucy decided to silence him. Calmly, she placed a hand over his mouth. "It's okay, Prof. You were smart enough to pay attention to t' problem, not t' blood." She moved her hand away.
"You're not afraid that I can kill you?"
"No, Prof. I guess…. If you're going to be t' death of me, that's 'ow I want to go."
