Mina's POV
What is time? Here, in the land between the other side and earth, time is of no importance, as are all earthly worries.
In my perspective we have been here for about a week, but Dracula and his oldest companion Erzsebet, the only ones who have been here before, have explained to the rest of us that in this place time is perceived differently than on the mortal plane.
When the moment came to go back, The dark prince received a visit from a girl, her name is Elizabeta and she is almost identical to me. He often spoke to us about her and how much I reminded him of her, not just my face but also my personality.
She looked at us all, a bright smile on her face, and said "Heaven is waiting for all of you…all you have to do is grab my hand and come with me."
She extended her hand to Dracula, who looked at her with longing.
"My beloved…twice have you offered me this choice"
I asked with confusion "B..but how can we can go into heaven without receiving true death?"
Elizabeta laughed softly and answered "You are all dead already. Only by the use of ancient alchemy have you accomplished to cheat the natural laws God gave to the universe…And only by your own free will you will truly die"
Dracula answered "You know very well why I did it. When you were taken away from me, I took an oath to protect my people, in life or death, and I felt one lifetime was not enough to carry my work….Besides I wanted to see the different ages of the world, see how humanity would advance"
Elizabeta looked at him with pity and reached out to caress his face "I know that my love, but I think it's time to come home…all your loved ones have been waiting for far to long"
Dracula seemed doubtful for a moment; he looked back at us and smiled
He was about to answer but I interrupted him, calling him by his real name
"Vlad…You have earned the eternal rest….I..I don't know how, but I feel It's my duty to carry on with your legacy" I looked at them all and continued "Perhaps that's why you gave me your own blood"
It seemed to be so. Of his five children, only I drank from his own blood. I was the youngest but only I had his powers of controlling the elements and wild animals.
"This existence goes against the natural laws of the universe, but somehow I know this is the will of God" I said turning to Elizabeta.
Dracula stared at me with surprise
"Go with her" I said
He approached me and gave me a ring "This ring is the symbol of my authority…my only worry is that you are still young and have much to learn"
At that, Anastasia approached us and said "Don't worry…I'm not tired yet of the world and I feel my time has not come yet…I will teach her the ways of our kind"
Lucy smiled and said "We are sisters forever… I will go with you".
Erzsebet and Laura also decided to stay with me.
"I have passed all my powers and my authority to you" Dracula said to me. "When you wake up, you must perform the same ceremony I did to bring your sisters back. Do you remember how it was done?"
I recited to him the magic formula and he smiled in satisfaction.
He hugged each of us, and finally looked at his oldest companion "We have been together for centuries" he said, tears on his face "Are you sure you don't want to come with us? I'm sure many people are waiting for you"
Erzsebeth smiled and said "Just give them my love"
With that he turned and joined his mortal love, the one that has been taken away by the turks when he was alive.
"Remember…when you feel that you are ready to come home, just call my name" Elizabeta said before they disappeared in a bright light"
Now, as I prepare to say the words and go back to the world, I look at my sisters. "I am a little nervous" I confess to them "I don't know what I will find when I wake up".
Erzsebet smiled at me and said reassuringly "Don't worry Mina…I have done this two times. I'm sure Vlad's men will be waiting for our return"
I stared at them all and then the words came out of my mouth.
Just as I said the words my vision became blurry and then there was only darkness.
Voices… I can hear voices.
I open my eyes, and I found myself laying on my coffin. There are many voices coming from outside
As I slowly open my coffin, I could heard someone gasping in fright
"What madness is this?" I heard a woman screaming in perfect English
"I am an American citizen" I heard another voice, a man "I'm sure there will be people looking for us".
When finally I sat on my coffin and took a look at my surroundings, I heard someone screaming in terror.
"My God" a Man said
There were 7 people in the room, six of them were tied down in some chairs and the other, a man who had some resemblance to the chief of Vlad's men, perhaps he is a descendant.
He approached me, confusion on his face. He bowed his head in sign of respect, and said in Romanian "My lady, where is lord Vlad?"
I showed him the ring on my hand and said "The dark prince will not come back"
His surprise grew, but he bowed again "We have prepared everything for your arrival my lady" he said as he looked at the people tied to the chairs. "I take my leave now" he said and then left the room
Once I was alone, I stared at them and I could see their terror and confusion
"What were you saying? Do any of you speak in English?" one of them said
"What are you going to do with us" another said
I can feel the thirst coming to me as I leave the coffin and stand in front of them.
I look at each of them, noticing the strange clothing they all wear, and that makes me wonder how long I was asleep. One of them is a man who looks to be in his mid 40's, the others, two girls and three boys look, like they are in their late teens.
There will be time for introductions, for now I prepare myself to wake up my sisters.
I turn to look at the coffins and recite the words. Soon a powerful wind enters the room and I could hear the "guests" screaming in panic.
As I finish the ritual, I approached the coffins as they begin to open
Soon, each of my sisters leaves their coffins and join me
After a small talk, Lucy is the first to notice our guests "well well Mina" she said playfully "You had time to prepare for our arrival"
Since she spoke in English, the oldest of the group said with a nervous voice
"Young miss…I heard you speak in English"
Lucy gave him a bright smile "Americans. I can recognize the accent"
The man said "I think this joke has gone to far…I have been to Hollywood before, and I have seen far better effects and makeup. Where are the hidden cameras? Is this the idea of a tv joke in Romania? Your version of scare tactics?"
"umm, what?" Erzsebet said in her accented English. She stared at me and asked "Did you understand what he just said?"
I stared at her, and my own confusion gave her the answer.
"Oh, come on" said the man again "This vampire joke has gone too far"
"What?" I asked with surprise "How do you know of our kind?" I knew very well that very few people ever heard of our existence. People like Van Helsing, who was an expert on the occult.
Anastasia approached him, astonishment on her face "Your words are strange, but I'm afraid this is not a joke". She then turned into mist and reappeared right next to his chair
At that moment, one of the girls, one with blond hair and blue eyes, began to sob. Laura kneeled in front of her, and said softly "You have no reason to be afraid of us, we are not going to kill you"
For a moment there was a silence, and I noticed my sisters were staring at me, as if waiting for me to do something. Understanding I stared at Erzsebet
"You are the oldest" I said "You should be the first"
Erzsebet smiled at me, and then approached the blond girl that Laura was trying to calm
"Please don't" the girl said with panic
"My God, you are so beautiful" she said softly, as she gently touched the girl's face with her hands.
The poor girl trembled as tears began to fall from her eyes
"Shhh Baby don't cry. ..My sister has told you already that we are not going to kill you. All I need is just a little blood"
She brought her mouth to the girl's neck and bit her. After a while, she stopped drinking and then broke the ropes that were tying the girl.
The girl was so weak by the blood loss that she would have fallen to the ground, but Erzsebet caught her in her arms
"See, that wasn't so bad" Batory said as a mother would her child.
Anastasia and Lucy were next. they drank from two boys that wore strange blue jackets that had written the words "SPARTANS" on the front.
I saw Laura approach the other girl. I was a little curious to see her face, for all this time she had her head lowered, and a long green hair covered her face.
Laura put her hand on the girl's chin and raised her head.
"My God" Lucy said.
At first I found odd that someone would dye her hair green, but I didn't give that much thought. Now, as I see her face, I have to wonder what has happened when we were away. She had earrings on her nose, lips and eyebrows. She had black lipstick and a face paler than a vampire's.
The oddest thing was that she was smiling, she didn't show any fear and even put her head aside, as if inviting Laura to bite her.
Laura's eyes were wide open with surprise, and she seemed doubtful for a moment.
When Laura finally bit the girl, the boy that hasn't been bitten said with disdain "Goth freak. I bet she is enjoying all this"
Despite having a vampire drinking on her, the girl turned and said "I rather be a freak than a brainless jock"
Finally I decided it was my time. My eyes were set on the older man and I saw his face getting paler as I approached him. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I kneeled and looked at his eyes.
"Don't be afraid" I said softly, trying to calm him down "This won't cause you any pain, I promise I'll be gentle"
The man stared at me in panic and said "Please… just let us go"
I touched his face and he flinched by my cold touch "I am afraid I can't do that…yet"
Then I bit him on his neck and drank his blood, paying little attention to his desperate attempts to break free from the bonds that tied him to the chair. Soon his struggles grew weaker as I drank more
"Please" he whispered
I stopped drinking and stared at his face
"I'm sorry I took that much, but I was starving" I said as I released him from the ropes and took him in my arms.