Chapter 15: Gillian

Darren slept much longer than he had wanted. When he awoke it was already late afternoon and the sun sprinkled bright spots on the floor in front of his hammock. There was no sign of Evra, and Darren cursed that he had slept so long. He swung his legs out of bed, and felt dizzy for a moment. He was still tired, and his stomach grumbled.
But first he wanted to see, if Gillian had returned.
Still in the same clothes he'd worn the day before, Darren ran past the cage of the wolfman towards the tent of the vampire. When he walked in, his heart sank.
No sign of Gillian.
He realized, that there was nothing he could do about it right now, and set out, in order to get some breakfast.
After he had eaten a chicken sandwich, which Rhamus Twobellies gave him with a friendly smile, and drank a cup of coffee, he felt a little better.
But the fear and the feeling that he had screwed up everything remained.
He decided to make himself at least a bit useful, and went back to master Crepsleys tent, for cleaning up.
Armed with a dustpan and a broom, he kneeled down to pick up the pieces of crystal glass.
When he was down on all fours on the flimsy old carpet and gathering up small pieces of glass, sliding around with pointed fingers to make sure not to cut himself, the tent entrance was pushed open and someone slipped inside.
Darren squinted against the sunlight, and could at first only see a black shadow, as the plane flipped back to the entrance and Darren realized who had entered.
"Gillian!" Darren exclaimed.
"Hi, Darren," she said and walked past him.
"Gillian, where have you been? I was worried. Crepsley has not returned and I ... "
"He is not here?" She looked down at him.
"He's not in his coffin."
Gillian sighed. Then she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm tired. I`ll lay down for a while. Wake me in two hours. "
"What? But Crepsley, what if he ... "
"You're worried? Keep cool. It is up to him, if he wants to spend the day somewhere else. And since he has not told you where he`s gone, it`s not your business. The Master has many hiding places. Wake me in two hours. "
Darren nodded and watched as she climbed into the coffin and closed the lid. He did not even bother about Gillian's harsh way to speak to him in orders, he had become accustomed with it.
Actually, he was glad that she was back.

Two hours later, Darren timidly knocked on the wooden coffin, and when nothing happened, he knocked again, this time a little louder. Should he open the lid?
But the coffin went open and Gillian looked at him in with sleepy eyes.
"You ... uh, you wanted me to wake you. But if you want to sleep on ... "
"No, it`s ok. We have much to do. "
Gillian rose.
"Will Mr Crepsley come back tonight?"
"I don`t know, but if he comes, then everything should be prepared for him, don`t you think?"
Darren nodded, and together the vampire's assistant and his student cleaned up the tent, and prepared everything for the arrival of their master.
She showed him where they kept blood in storage, and taught him how to mix it, so it does not coagulate.
"Today, you can serve him. Don`t talk with him before he does not allow you. He is a little grumpy when he wakes up, and wants to be left in peace for a while. "
Darren wondered a bit why Gillian was so kind to him, but if it seemed strange to him, then not enough, that he drew the right conclusions from it. He was too happy that she was back, and that she had apparently forgiven him, that he had put her in danger. If now Larten Crepsley comes back, everything would be fine again.

As the sun went slowly down, and the tent filled with shadows, Darren felt more and more excited.
Gillian had changed clothes and brushed her hair and looked actually very pretty.
Suddenly, she cocked her head and closed her eyes as she would sniff a smell or listened to a faint melody.
"You can light the candles, he`s coming."
The vampire came back? How did she know that? With trembling fingers Darren took a match out of the box.
He needed a second match, because he broke the first, and just as he had lit the candle, and lightened up the tent, the candle nearly went out again, as a breeze did flare it up...
Someone had entered the tent.
Darren looked up and smiled as he saw the orange-red hair of his vampire master.
Larten Crepsley walked with quick steps into the tent and went to his chair. Under his arm he carried a package.
He held out the package to Gillian: "Here. For you. "
Astonished, she looked up at him and took the package from his hands.
She pulled on the ribbon that was wrapped around it, and rustling through layers of silky paper she found a pair of new shiny leather boots.
"Oh," Gillian's lips formed into a puzzled expression. "These boots ..." she looked up at Larten Crepsley. "But how did you know?".
The vampire put a hand under her chin and smiled. "I know you well, Gillian."
"Thanks," she breathed, and Darren saw that she was close to tears.
Crepsley seemed pleased with himself and Darren helped him out of his mantle.
"Try them on," the vampire said, because Gillian still pressed the shoes against her chest, and made no move to put them on.
She shook her head.
Crepsley frowned and Darren hastened to pour him blood from the carafe. "Here," he said nervously, holding out the glass, and hoped that would attract the attention of the vampire. But Crepsley took the glass without looking at him, his attention was still on the student.
Gillian hesitated, but then she said: "If you know me so well, then you know what I wish most of all ..."
"Gillian ..." Larten Crepsley groaned, and Darren could not blame him. Does she has to start that again?
Gillian squared her shoulders. "Darren. Would you please leave us alone for a moment? "
Darren looked at Crepsley, who nodded with resignation, and he left to the next room.
He sat down at Madam Octas cage and listened tensely, what Gillian did next behind the thin curtain.
She put the boots carefully back into the paper and gathered all her courage.
"Master Larten ..."
The vampire had sunk into his chair and placed his fingertips to his forehead.
"... I ask you again. When do you intend to make me one of your kind? "
"Gillian, I beg you ... do not do this to me ..."
Darren was shocked at the almost pleading tone in the voice of the vampire.
"I must ...", she whispered. "You stay to your decision?"
"I will transform you, Gillian. But not now, not yet ... ".
Gillian winced.
The vampire became even more softly: "Please understand ... I can`t ..."
"I thought so." Gillian nodded sadly. "And therefore I have made up my decision."
She reached behind a curtain and grabbed a packed luggage.
Darren's heart began to throb.
"Yesterday I have spoken with Gavner Purl. I`ll go with him. He will finish what you have started. It's better this way."
Gillian seemed quite calm and ready for anything, but Darren thought he knew, that a storm was raging hidden inside her.
"It's all arranged. He is waiting outside for me." Her voice broke. She turned away abruptly, and wanted to leave.
Larten Crepsley had jumped from the chair, so quickly that Darren's eye could not follow him.
He had just sat with his head down in his chair, suddenly he stood next by the student and held her gently by the arm. "You do not need to do that," he whispered in her ear.
Gillian looked straight into the vampire's eyes: "I have to. There is no room for me here anymore. "
And Lartens heart sunk, when he saw, how hell-bent she was.
Weakly, he lowered his arm.
Gillian walked past him.
When she was at the exit, the vampire called after her: "Gillian?"
She turned around one more.
"Can you forgive an old vampire his weak heart?"
Gillian smiled. "It is this weak heart that I love about the old vampire."
Then she turned away and was gone.

Larten stood there for a long time with drooping shoulders and looked after her.
When the old master vampire turned around after what seemed like an eternity, Darren could see his face.
He shocked.
From Larten Crepslyes eyes a bloody tear welled up and rolled down his cheek, soaking his collar and cloak with blood-red sorrow.

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... To be continued

The Vampires student Part II: "Friends and Fiends of the Night"

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