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Chapter 2

Paris was hot and muggy and I hated it. I liked the cool breeze in my hair, really I liked flying and I no longer had a broom stick nor the ability to acquire one. I probably wouldn't get one for as long as this delusion lasted. I was going into flying withdrawal. This was the longest I had ever been since the end of the second war.

Maybe it was the heat, the flying withdrawal, the crazy world I found myself in, or the Pretentious French people that would turn their noses up in disgust of my apparel, I was not having a good time in Paris.

I did learn one good thing in Paris. I make an excellent pickpocket. I had been getting tired of all the stares I got for my bare feet, too big jeans, and pink frilly blouse, so I decided to take from the rich French and give to the poor and possibly insane British.

I got a brown paper bag from a grocery store and walked into a crowded elevator in one of the many skyscrapers. One by one I summoned all the wallets and put them in the bag. I felt slightly remorseful, until one of the people in the elevator openly laughed at me as I exited. Stupid French.

I was now the proud owner of tour books for almost every county, a nice wardrobe, plenty of food, and a huge backpack to carry it all in.

Currently I was giving the finger to all of Paris as I bathed nude in a fountain. Quartier Mouffetard, or something like that. I had a nice crowed gathered by the time I finished and still the authorities had not arrived. I also made fifteen dollars from the tourist. If people were going to think that I was crazy might as well give them a valid reason.

It had been roughly three months since Paris and I was now touring Italy. I had picked up an old guitar along the way as an attempt to make an honest living while traveling. Somewhere between Madrid and Morocco I realized I didn't know how to play. It was fun trying to learn and kept me from thinking of depressing subjects.

Three months and I was starting to wonder if I would ever see my friends again. I figured that I would wake up from my comma by now. That got me to thinking that perhaps I wasn't in a comma. Not a pleasant thought. No it was much better to try to teach myself how to play on an out of tune guitar.

I had also started a collection of fiction novels. That was how I decided to move on to another city. Once I had finished the book I would leave it in some out of the way place and move on. To another city and another book. It was like leaving my mark on a place. Someday, if I was still around I would go around the world and see which books had been moved.

I had also picked up the habit of talking to myself. Not really the best way to get rid of the crazy image, but when you're alone for most of the day it gets kind of lonely. I had also picked up the habit of washing myself nude in a public fountain where the people had pissed me off. I just hoped I wasn't building a reputation. Thus far the only cities to suffer my nudity were Paris, Nantes, Dijon, and Barcelona.

Italy had yet to suffer and I was already halfway through. I was stopping by a small city on my way to Firenze. The only reason was because today the city would be having a big celebration and the tour books had all suggested it. Something about a saint driving all the vampires away.

Volterra was small, very small. I was approaching the entrance, dressed in a red shirt as the tour books suggested when I came upon the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had long mahogany hair, violet eyes, and her skin was paler than a newborn babie. She wore a revealing black dress that made her pale skin stand out more by comparison.

I was wary of her. I had lived in the magical world long enough to know that beautiful meant dangerous. But this was not the magical world. This was a perfectly normal muggle world. No matter how long I looked for signs of magic I found nothing. As I approached her and saw she was giving tours of a castle, my need for proof of magic decided for me.

I was one of the last people to join the tour so I got to stand in the back as the rest of the party proceeded. The castle we were going towards didn't speak to me like Hogwarts did, but there was something there. Not quite magic, but something similar. I didn't like the way it felt, but this was the closest I came to magic since I got to this crazy world. There was no way I was turning back.

The castle wasn't the oldest or the grandest I had seen in my travels, but it was the creepiest. We all crammed into an elevator and descended three or four floors. The receptionist that greeted us was as plain as our tour guide was beautiful. I didn't like all of this modern technology in a castle. It was the same with many others and each time I saw it I felt like destroying it. A true castle wasn't meant to support technology. Then again I also missed the moving staircases and talking pictures.

The group was lead down a long stone hallway and I was last in line with the tour guide directly behind me.

"Welcome guests!" I heard through the door in the middle of the hallway. I entered the room and the door shut behind me with an ominous 'boom'. The screaming had already begun when I realized we were not alone in the large circular room. Creatures, that was the best word I could come up with at the moment, were descending on the tourist. Clouds of red spray sprung up from those up front. All I could see of them were red eyes, gleaming teeth, and pale skin, but I understood. Vampires. We were surrounded by vampires with no hope of escape.

I used all my strength to put up a physical shield between us. What would have been a beautiful gold shield in my world was invisible in this one, but I knew I had it up because the vampires could not pass.

I had one trying to get threw my shield to the left. He was large with short black hair and a darker yet still pale complexion. I kept the shield up with my left had shot a stunning spell at him with the right. Again no familiar red light came out of my hand, but I knew it worked because he fell backwards unconscious.

The tour guide came up from behind me and again I shot her down with a stunner. I felt so weak that I knew I would be drained in minutes if I had to keep this up. Another vampire male who looked much like the first only thinner and with longer wavy hair was almost threw my shield. Again I shot him down, but that was it. I was done.

I realized that most of the other vampires had been watching the last two exchanges and after a pause a wave of gray descended on me.

"Stop!" commanded on of the three black cloaked figures that stood in the back of the circular stone room. He had long black hair and burgundy eyes like the rest, but it had a milky film over it. As if he were a blind man.

The wave of gray retreated to the edges of the room and I could see three grand chairs that I had been unable to see during the fight. Two of the black robed figures went back to sit in the chairs, but the one who spoke came closer and with him a smaller group of gray robed figures.

"Now aren't you interesting," the black robed vampire began, "already so powerful as a human. Took down three of my guard all by yourself."

He was only about a yard from me now and I was having trouble staying on my feet and my eyes open. I was still tensed to fight even tough I new there was nothing more I could do. My only chance was if they let me go and that was extremely unlikely.

The Black haired vampire took one more step towards me, but I held my ground. He leaned forward and sniffed the air around my neck like I was a delicacy. I guess I probably was.

"Such a delicious smell," he continued, "no wonder my guard could not resist you. If you could please touch my hand for a moment."

He held his hand out palm up and I knew I was in no condition to argue no matter how odd the request sounded. I placed my hand in his and I literally saw my life flashing before my eyes. It dawned on me that the vampire was doing some form of mind legilimency. It was too bad I had never figured out Occlumency. The minutes passed and my life finally came to a close.

He drew back and gave me an odd look. Like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. Probably the same puzzle that I had been trying to figure out since I got here. Which was the real world?

"Insane asylum then?" he asked, but it was more like a statement. Probably for the benefit of those who could not see what had happened in the exchange.

"That is what I heard," I replied.

"A gift such as yours should not be locked up in such a manner. Nor should it be wasted. I give you a choice. Either join my immortal friends or you become my next feast."

"Not much of choice is it?"

"No, but I can have you telling people about what you saw today."

"Who would believe the words of an escaped mental patient?"

"I am sorry, but either way the only way you will leave this place is when your heart stops beating."

I considered my options. Not really an option, but I still considered it. I had never had anything against the creatures in my world and chances are that if I returned to my world I would not still be a vampire. But still, I didn't want to live with these monsters. Bringing tourist in to feed on them was wrong no matter which way you sliced it.

"Would I be able to leave here if I was immortal?"

The vampire considered it for a moment, but it was plain that he did not like the idea of someone with such gifts leaving him.

"Once you could control yourself around humans and were able to keep our secrets, then yes, you could leave."

"Well, I am pretty sure that you would change me no matter what I said. So I guess it doesn't matter. It will be interesting being a vampire."

"Excellent," the vampire clapped his hands together as if he hadn't heard the first part of what I said. "prepare yourself for the three most painful days of your life."

He was so fast that I didn't notice I had been bitten until I felt lightheaded and a strange burning sensation around my neck.