Nothing is faster than the speed of light, right? Wrong. Darkness arrived first. It has been there for aeons and still sits and waits for darkness to catch up. When the light finally arrives, it tends to take a step back but it is still there, patiently waiting, and when the light disappears, it takes over again. Rose was amongst the darkness now. Light was on its way, she was sure. The sun had released it for the day and it was free to go wherever it wanted, provided it was back by sunset of course, however the sunlight seemed to have evaded the Vampaneze's lair. Perhaps there are some places so evil, the light won't visit. Rose had heard that if you turn to face the sun, then the shadows would fall behind you but what if there was no sun. There was no light this far underground. The only dim glow came from the candles which somehow seemed to exist, against reason, with no oxygen. However, it wouldn't be practical to go around blind in such a cavern with such difficult terrain and so light was necessary. After all, logic is one thing but common sense is another. Anyone could apply logic to a situation, thought Rose, but common sense - despite its' name - was quite uncommon.
And so, in spite of all logic, the candles burned down to stubs around her whilst Rose sat crossed legged in an empty chamber. The scene was familiar and it tugged at old memories. She had sat in a similar position feeling just as lonely before. It seemed like a lifetime ago since she had sat in her old room in her children's Home wondering where Steve was.
In the same position, Rose unhooked herself from the memory's grips and reminded herself that the situation was not the same. Now she knew Steve's secret, she just wished she didn't. No, she mentally shook herself, she was glad that she knew and was part of it. That was why she had become a Vampaneze. Scared of losing Steve forever, she had taken the most extreme measures to be with him. Staring around the vast empty chamber, she wondered where Steve was now. He had gone to see Mr Tiny over an hour ago.
Furnishing was not a priority in the Vampaneze's lair. Shelves, stools, tables... There was a rumor that some Vampaneze towards the top of the hierarchy had golden furniture, but if they did, it was hidden well. The room was a severe cave with ominous corners full of scuttling bugs however it was a deliberate poverty. It was just another room to gather in, to plot in and alone in it, Rose felt vulnerable.
She wiped her face and stood up. She hated being in the dark room alone. Although it was an enormous chamber it had a strange claustrophobic quality. The stale dusty smell reminded her of being in a coffin - something she was used to - but this smell prompted the memory of the first time she entered a coffin. With the smell of dead, damp earth around her, she felt trapped and alone.
Now, out of the coffin, Rose still felt trapped and was still wondering where the hell her friend was. She had let him persuade her to come back to the Vampaneze's lair under the cover of darkness and, still half asleep, had followed him blindly through the night to the underground cave. She was beginning to see a pattern emerging. Bad things happened when she followed that boy into the unknown! But it was too late to turn back now. She had left the Cirque for good, confident that after choosing Steve over Darren, she could never return. She had picked her side.
The candles around the stone room suddenly flickered as though they had been disturbed by a soft gust of wind. She raised her head to see a figure silhouetted in the doorway.
"At last," she said, feigning impatience but really Rose just felt relieved to see Steve back again. But the shadow framed in the doorway did not move.
"Steve?" said Rose uncertainly taking a step forward. Narrowing her eyes and squinting through the gloom, she suddenly felt afraid. The more she looked at the figure, the less it looked like her friend. It was built more solidly, with hunched shoulders and stocky legs. It seemed to lean towards her and then away again. Rose retreated into the shadows until her pupils were only quivering red dots in the darkness.