CHAPTER NINE: White Dove to Black Raven

His eyes were bright red, crimson; the color of blood. A hungry look appeared on his face and he dove in for the kill. In a short glance I saw his tongue curl back and two razor sharp fangs appeared. They sunk into the skin of my neck, and his black gloved hands were firmly holding my shoulders.

"Nngh… N…no!" I cried out, my voice hoarse and clutching his shirt tightly in an attempt to try and push him away. My energy was draining as he sucked the blood out of my body like nectar to a hummingbird. I grew cold, despite the ice around us, and frail. My hands fell from him and I lost all weight of keeping myself propped up. I laid on the ground, excess blood trailing from my neck, and saw the man rise and wipe his mouth with his sleeve.

"Well? Will you join me?" Was the last thing I heard before my eyes slid into a blackout…

"Father? Is that you?" I ran to the silhouette of Feidhelm O'Flaherty and he turned, smiling and garbed in a glowing white robe. I embraced him.

"My daughter," he said, pulling me away and looking into my eyes.

"I must be dead, Father. Is this the Place Where Souls Depart?" I am so happy that tears are flowing out of my eyes. Father shakes his head and I laugh aloud.

"Oh, it is a miracle!" I grasp his hands in mine, despite their hollow feeling. "We shall return to Ireland together!" I calm myself, but can't stop smiling. "Catriona and Norienne will be overjoyed. I cannot even imagine Mother's face."

My father just blinks and smiles.

"You are… so happy that you are speechless?" I let out a feigned laugh.

He does nothing.

"Father…?"

I hear the deafening yowl of a banshee and gasp, covering my ears. I am aware of the Irish folklore concerning banshees. My father's figure is blown away, like ashes in the wind. "No!" I cry, but all that is left is his white robe. I collapse upon it, and as I am down on the floor with it, I see the feet of a woman standing before me. I look up and immediately recognize the color of her blonde hair.

"Amelie?"

When she turns around she smiles, but all that remains of her eyes are scratched out sockets with black tears streaming out of them. She laughs and twirls over in my direction, unsheathing a nasty pair of iron scissors, looking so sharp that they could pierce skin. Instead of a tool for making, it looked like a weapon for kill.

She picks up the glowing white garb and wraps it around me tightly while letting out a cold laugh, like a snake coiling up and suffocating a mouse. "How darling you look!" She screeches with a dry voice. "Ahahahahaha!" I tried to struggle from her chrysalis of white fabric, but it seemed that the more I struggled the tighter it became.

"Just a few snips!" Amelie jabbed at me with her sharp scissors. I cried. "White is the color of deceit, lies, and insanity," she sang, then backed away from me, examining her work. A maniacal laugh escapes her blue lips, more of those black tears running down her cheeks and staining her teeth. A cage came down upon her, and she wailed, soon disappearing.

I tried to escape my white clothes but found my arms strapped to my chest. In my struggle my hair became loose, emerald colored strands blinding my vision, but once I realized my freedom was futile I looked up and saw that my surroundings had changed: around me were padded white walls and an iron door with countless locks. I stumbled over and looked through its small bar window, seeing a hallway with other people in their rooms climbing and banging on their doors like primates. An asylum.

I heard the squeaking of wheel over all of the chaotic screaming to the sound of a cart rolling down a hall. The man with the cart stopped at my door, holding a bottle filled with contents that I knew was foul. He opened the door and leapt upon me. This man was evidently Auguste unmasked! My; how handsome he looked… dark wavy hair, soft amber eyes… He put the bottle of Foul Contents to my mouth. I screamed.

"Swallow," he instructed. I flailed my legs, attempting to kick him but failing. "SWALLOW," he repeated.

Déjà vu.

I did as I was told and he left my cell. "Lights out!" Some other doctor in the hallway yelled. Darkness surrounded me instead of the bright padded walls. I felt a tingling in my neck, probably just a spasm from the medicine. I heard and irritating squeaking.

"Stop it, Jacqueline," I mumbled, my voice uneven. They did not cease. I began to hit my head on the wall. "Shut up…shut up, shut up…" I wiggled violently and my straps finally became loose. I pulled at my hair with my newly freed arms, but soon a burning sensation arose in my eyes.

A-agh! Cursed medicine… Next a toothache. What a horrible one at that! It was right in the middle, too; the teeth I use most. It felt like I had taken stone to my teeth…

Marienbard.

Who was that? The voice sounded familiar. Speak again, please, sir.

Marienbard, are you listening?

It is a phantom! I should not mess with it… But then – my stomach begins to sting! The agony!

I can help you, Marienbard.

Never trust a demon, they only lead you into despair… yet again, I am growing cold and numb… what is happening?

I can ease your pain.

Silence! Do not speak to me any longer… Leave me alone – alas! The poisoning medicine! It is crushing me!

Will you lend me your open mind?

Yes! I mean, whatever you can do to release this misery! Just tell me what's wrong…

You are hungry.

Hunger? What a pathetic cause for all this. I knew better than to trust you.

It is not a hunger for bread or food, Marienbard.

Then what is it? Freedom? A hunger for equality?

Not exactly. The rats, Marienbard. Cannot you sense the energy within them?

Yes… yes, I do, sir… It-it smells something like iron…

It's their blood, Marienbard! Feel their blood boil!

Yes! That was it! Their blood… I longed for it; and I feasted upon it. Oh—how full of energy I felt! Thank you, sir. You have saved me… you are my master; I am loyal to you, my master…

"Master Sorel!"

My eyes flew open and I bolted upright, cool sweat lying on my skin. My breathing was heavy and my cold and numb body was trembling all over. I sat for a moment, my thoughts tumbling over themselves on what my dream just was, and I could not get a grip upon them. My father, Amelie, Auguste and some hints of Jacqueline… They were all people I loved. So why had the voice of the Sorel gentleman appeared…?

It was all a nightmare, then.

Around me were dingy and dirty walls giving off a horrible stench of rot and corpse. The grime dirtied my white silk clothing, which disappointed me, but at the moment I knew that just merely surviving in what had happened hours earlier with the duel was much more important. I look at Auguste and Jacqueline who also look tired and ragged.

"A dungeon?" I say. Auguste nods.

"Not a pleasant place to be, huh?" He smacks away a spider that had crawled up his arm. I blinked and remembered my dream, turning to Jacqueline.

"Do you…?"

She answered by feigning a smile, revealing her sharp new fangs. I felt my own with my tongue, almost cutting myself with them. My gaze fell upon her again.

"Jacqueline… tell me what color my eyes are."

"They are yellow, like mine."

I let out a shaky breath of shock, then put my finger to my skin. It feels ice cold and empty.

"He's… He's malfested us…" I said, my voice faint and dry. "We're… creatures of the night–"

"Vampires," Auguste finishes.