17. Pretty
Alexis bolted for the only place she knew was reasonably safe. She felt pain, but it was distant and strange, as if it didn't belong to her. The world felt strange and everything was upside down. She stopped for a second to watch the house burn. It was so pretty!
But that imperative exerted itself on her foggy mind again. "Run, Alexis!" So she turned and ran again, laughing as she dodged trees and leaped fallen logs. It was thrilling, exciting, and slightly terrifying.
When she got to the mineshaft, she dropped into it, then her befuddled mind found it confusing that she couldn't run anymore. So she did the next best thing. She burrowed. The worry and fear in Eric's voice surely meant she was in some sort of danger. What was a vampire to do when she was in danger and she felt like she'd been burned on every inch of her body—which she had been.
She crawled into the ground and let it envelop her. It felt comforting and cozy as if it were the sweetest thing in the world. She lay quiescent and still, the sensation of pain flowing together with the strange sensations of the Earth.
She felt an earthworm move around her, and almost smiled. It seemed to sense her like a stone, and ignored her, burrowing alongside her skin and she found it sweet and dear. She still tasted blood on her tongue and it was intoxicating.
A strange tugging sensation came over her, but she knew that Eric would know to find her where she was, so she lay still and quiet, waiting to hear him land above her. She had no idea how much time had passed when she climbed from her impromptu grave.
But she did know that she was starving and it was night and time to feed. She felt there was something she was supposed to be doing. She climbed out and stood stock still with uncertainty. What was she doing?
It dawned on her slowly. She was hungry. That must have been the important thing. She climbed easily up the walls of the mineshaft and stood staring at the moon for a moment. It was pretty. She smelled food. Tasty, delicious food. Creatures were milling around with machines and equipment, trying to fix a house.
She remembered that they were called 'men' but what really mattered was that they were food. She grabbed the first one and flitted into the woods with him. She knew full well that the others could be dangerous. She remembered burns and fire and pain.
But they were food, and she was so hungry. So very, very hungry.
She dropped the first one and grabbed another. He was so hot, so alive, and so deliciously terrified. He smelled sweet and succulent and tasted even better. She dropped him on top of the first one, smearing blood across her face with her forearm.
So hungry. She squatted down and watched again. She waited until one came looking for the other two, and drank until he was limp. She sucked until nothing more came, and then growled. She had to have more.
For three nights, she went back to the same place, until she saw someone familiar. She didn't know why he was familiar, but he was. He sat on a device with wheels that she thought she should recognize, too. She shrugged, uncaring.
It would not help him escape. She tracked him and followed his every move for four hours, until they left him alone. Just for a minute.
A few seconds were all she needed. She grabbed him and found him stuck to the contraption. So she just pushed it as the other men did.
"Alexis, please!" the thing said, begging.
She liked that.
She smiled at him, giggling slightly. "I'm going to eat you," she told him. "I'm so hungry."
"Please, don't. I'll give you anything you want."
The air was filled with the fragrance of terror. She ripped him loose from the contraption with some effort. He smelled so good. Delicious. Like roses. Or something. She couldn't quite remember.
Throwing him over her shoulder, she dodged trees and jumped over logs and leaped down into her home. It was familiar. Someone had been there once. Someone important. But that wasn't important now. Her home would smell like this broken man. She shook him and he made pleasing noises so she shook him again.
Gleeful, she danced with him, giggling with all the blood she had drunk that night.
Then she felt the strange tugging sensation. Someone was calling her. Someone important. Someone... someone pink. She frowned. The pretty pink one, she almost remembered.
But the scent overpowered the tugging and the memory and she sniffed him. He was talking. She should understand what he was saying, but it was something boring about money and power. She poked him and he made more pleasant screaming noises.
She burrowed into the ground when morning came. He yelled for a long time, but she ignored him.
The next night he smelled bad under the fear and she was irritated with him. She dragged him to the top and threw him in the stream that ran nearby. It took her a moment to realize he was dying so she grabbed him by the hair and held him up.
He kept calling her by name and pleading with her to have pity on him because he was her father. She dragged him back down. She left him there and climbed out to eat. She found her usual hunting spot abandoned so she went somewhere else and ate four of the man-creatures.
When she was done drinking, she took a bite out of one of them. "Drink only," a remembered voice said in her head and she spat and grumbled, but obeyed. She always obeyed that voice, even though it wasn't real and it was only in her head.
She thought there must be something wrong with hearing it, but she stood sniffing the breeze and felt that strange, urgent call again. Pink and cold. But nice. It was pink, and it was cold, and it was somehow familiar. It went with the voice, except the pink didn't talk.
Slinking home, she crept down into the mine shaft. The man was sleeping and he didn't smell good. She knelt beside him and yelled, "Boo!"
He woke making pleasing noises and she laughed with delight. She patted him on the face and sniffed him as he exuded terror again.
"Pretty!" she cackled, patting him. She picked him up and danced with him, laughing as he flopped around her body.
"I'm starving!" he told her.
She understood that word. She would bring him something to eat. She climbed out and searched. Finally, she found some small, bushy, sleeping creature and brought it to him. She ripped it apart and handed pieces to him while it made noises that should have been pleasing, but weren't. He refused them all, and she shrugged.
She burrowed into the ground and slept.
A week later, he wouldn't respond to her and he didn't smell sweet anymore, even after she washed him in the stream. So she dragged him out and ripped him apart, putting him back where he came from. It was disappointing, but she didn't mind too much.
One toy was as good as another. If she wanted to, she'd just find something else to play with.
But she didn't. She had grown bored with him and it had been a lot of work, trying to get him to eat and dunking him in the water every night. Plus her mine still stunk of his body fluids. Disgusting.
Eventually, she figured out that she could cover it up and it didn't stink anymore.
The tugging sensation came again, and she almost decided to follow it, but she wasn't sure how. It came again the next night and she flitted towards it, stopping here and there to eat. She ate more while she was on the move, with new and exciting places and even more terrified man-creatures.
She burrowed at dawn and crawled out in the night. Now that she was following the strange tugging sensation, it seemed to grow more and more insistent.
It was early when she finally reached the source of the calling. It was a man-building. Strange sounds came out of it, and it smelled of peculiar odors and the stink of the man-creatures.
But it smelled of the Pink, too.
She crept towards it. Then the tugging became urgent and she flitted inside, past the startled, slow-witted like-me creature at the door. She saw the strange flat things and squatted on one of them, looking for the Pink like-me creature.
"Oh shit, what the fuck?" one of the man-creatures cried as she knocked over the foul-smelling liquid onto him.
She hissed at him, and jumped, knocking him to the floor. The sweet smell rose from him and she laughed.
Then the like-me creature beside him grabbed her and she spun, snarling. "Mine," she grunted. "Food."
"Leave him alone," the like-me creature said. "You're young, I don't want to hurt you."
She had fed already that night, several times. She was not afraid, though she was still hungry—as she was always hungry, no matter how often she ate.
She lunged at the like-me creature and his eyes widened in surprise. She overpowered him easily, growling and pushing him down, her hands around his throat.
"Alexis, stop!"
It was The Voice. She let go instantly, jumping off of the like-me creature. She turned to look at The Voice. He stood in the doorway into the back of the stinking man-building. Still squatting, she scuttled to the man-thing. "My food," she said, snarling.
"No. Leave him be," The Voice said.
The door slammed open and Alexis turned, angry to be denied her meal. She hissed, then realized it was the Pink.
She scuttled slightly forward. "Pink," she said. She smelled her. She smelled Pink.
"Were you calling her?" The Voice asked.
Alexis looked at him. He was... familiar. He was always with the Pink.
Alexis sensed the discomfort of the Pink one and snarled at the other one.
"Yes. I know you thought she was dead, but I-"
"You were right," The Voice said. "But she's wild."
"I will retrain her," the Pink one said.
The Voice flashed across the room and Alexis calculated at speeds too great for any human mind. She stepped between him and the Pink one, recognizing the attack for what it was.
She had fed multiple times, and the Pink one was Important.
He ran into her and she felt bone-crushing agony. She hissed, writhing in pain. He stepped over her and she grabbed him, groaning as misery screamed through her from the motion of broken bones.
To her surprise, he knelt beside her. "You will meet the True Death, and you will be free."
"No hurt the Pink," she told him, fangs snapping out. She didn't care about death.
He looked up at the Pink one. "No wild vampire has ever been salvaged."
"She stopped when you told her to. She remembers."
"Remembers what? Pink? It's a color."
"It's something."
He grunted. "It would be far less cruel to simply kill her now," he said. "No one should have to live like this."
Alexis touched his lips. "Run, Alexis," she said. "Run home, but no Pink. Waiting and waiting and waiting, but no Pink." She watched her finger and realized it was dirty. "Run, Alexis."
He picked her up and she fought him. He handed her to the Pink and she subsided. She would protect. The tugging was gone, but she would protect anyway.
She was taken into a box and it closed over her. She screamed and fought but it hurt and she finally gave up. She woke up ravenous but couldn't get out.
After what seemed like forever, the box opened. She jumped out and squatted on the floor, glaring.
"Alexis doesn't like box," she snapped at the Pink one.
"Yeah, yeah. Come on."
She snarled and hissed and was dragged up the stairs and out a back door. She was shoved into another box, this one moved and was one of the man-machine-things.
She looked around it, touching the strange variation of textures.
"Eric thinks you're a lost cause," the Pink one said.
"Run, Alexis," she answered. That was what the Voice always said.
"Ugh. Maybe he's right."
She was dragged up more stairs and then the Pink one started taking her clothes away. She objected and tried to get them back.
The pink one shoved her into another box and got in with her. She was naked, too.
Rain poured down on her and Alexis shrieked. She didn't like the rain.
"It's just a shower," the Pink one said.
"No shower, Pink!" Alexis objected. "Rain! No rain!"
"Pam. My name is Pam."
"Pink," Alexis corrected her.
The Pink one slapped her hard and Alexis struck the wall.
"Pam," the Pink one said again.
"Okay," Alexis said, petulant and unhappy.
"What's my name?"
"Pin—Pam!" Alexis corrected when she raised her hand again. She raised both hands to ward off the potential blow and cowered. She did not want the Pam to be angry with her.
"Turn around," the Pam told her. She turned.
Her hair was pulled out of the matted, snarled braid and she was turned again.
"God, you are so fucking gorgeous. I have no idea how you hid yourself for so long." The Pam pressed her lips against Alexis's, and Alexis thought to pull away. But the Pam liked it, so it was okay. The other woman sighed. "It really does nothing for you, does it? You're just not into women."
"Woman-thing good to eat. Man thing best. Smell nice."
"Yeah, whatever. I wasn't talking about eating anyway."
"Man-food good. The Pam eats woman-food?"
"Just Pam."
"Just Pam eats woman-food?"
"Just call me Pam."
"Okay."
"There is no way in hell I can do this. You're worse than a child and I hate children. And all I want to do is fuck you." She stepped out of the water-box. "Come on."
Alexis was dried and then given new clothes. Pam had to help her put them on.
"Oh, you look hot. I would eat you up."
"You eat the like-me ones?"
"What are you babbling about?"
Alexis stared at her. She hadn't seemed that stupid a few minutes ago. "Like-me," she said, and pointed at the Pam. "Not like them. Not-food like-me."
"Vampire, Alexis. You're a vampire. We're vampires."
"The Voice is a vampire. The Eric."
"Just Eric."
"Just Eric is a vampire. Not-food. The Eric was going to hurt Pin—Pam."
"You're giving me a headache," Pam told her. "Just don't speak."
"Okay," Alexis said. She said nothing more as Pam took her down to the moving machine-box and they went back to the smelly place.
They went into a smaller room and she looked at all of the things on the wall and the small square thing.
"Don't touch that," Pam told her. A few minutes later, "Leave that be." A second or so after that, "God damn it, stop touching everything! What the fuck?"
"Pretty," Alexis explained.
The door opened. "Finally!" Pam said. She sounded happy, and unhappy.
Alexis looked at the man who had walked into the room. Another man walked in behind him, shorter and with dark hair.
"Like-me!" Alexis announced. Pam gave her an angry stare. "Vampire," she amended.
"Eric," Alexis said, walking up to him and reaching up to touch his lips.
He grabbed her hand and hissed at her, his fangs snapping out. So she used her other hand. He grabbed that one, too. "Stop that."
"I've never seen a wild vampire before," the other vampire said.
The Voice dropped her hands, "Alexis, do you remember Bill? He is your King."
She reached out to touch his lips, too. Eric grabbed her hand again. "No. That's not polite."
"Pretty," she said, as it seemed something was expected of her.
"That's pretty much all she says unless you ask her something. That or 'Run, Alexis'. If you ask her questions, she just spews gibberish that usually ends with 'pretty' or 'run, Alexis'." Pam was unhappy with her.
"Pink," Alexis said, pointing at Pam's dress.
"Do you really think she can be saved? If she speaks nonsense, and-"
"She's my Progeny. Would you put your Progeny down if you found her wandering around confused?"
The King stood staring at her. "Maybe Sookie can help."
Alexis remembered what a Sookie was. "Ponytail!" she announced, feeling herself very clever.
He exchanged a dubious look with the Voice and turned around.
She looked at Pam. Surely she would understand. "Sookie. Ponytail."
"Shut up, Alexis."
Inexplicably saddened, Alexis sat down on the sofa.
Two hours later, a blond food-woman walked in, smelling even sweeter than the man-pet had smelled. Alexis walked toward her, her fangs snapping out. The Voice grabbed her before she made it.
"Woman-food."
Eric's face drew close to hers, and for a moment, something unfamiliar stirred in her. Her fangs snapped back in and she stared at him. Familiar. Important. She reached for his lips again and he stopped her.
"Ponytail," he told her.
She turned and looked at the food-woman again. "Sookie!" she announced. Her fangs snapped back out. "Hungry."
"I can't hear her thoughts," Sookie said. "I don't think I can be any use to you. But I think she recognizes you, Eric. Did you see the look on her face? Like a little lost puppy for a few seconds before you stopped her from touching you."
Alexis clicked her fangs away. Probably not food.
"Hungry," she informed Pam, then turned back to looking at the walls.
"Don't touch that." This time it was Eric.
"Take her back to her grandmother's house," Sookie said, then left with Bill a few minutes later.
"Will you stop it?" Eric said, stopping her from touching a flat, two-dimensional image of him.
"Pretty," she told him.
"It's a picture of me," he said, scowling at her.
"Pretty."
"I think he's offended that you're calling him pretty," Pam told her. "Try sexy."
"Pretty pink, sexy Voice," Alexis offered.
"I've changed my mind," Pam said. "Give her the True Death. I don't think I can stand to hear 'pretty' or 'pink' again. Ever."
"Why does she keep saying it?"
"I don't know. Ask her."
Eric gripped her upper arm and turned her away from the wall. "Why do you keep saying 'pink'?"
Alexis pointed at Pam. "Pam pink. Went to find pink Pam and waited. No pink. So hungry. Waiting and waiting and so hungry."
"Why were you waiting for Pam?"
"Run, Alexis!"
He looked at her strangely. She reached up and this time he let her touch his lips. "Pretty."
"Do you think she remembers me telling her to run from the fire?" he asked Pam over her head, swatting her hand away so he could talk.
"I doubt it. She's about as wild as they come."
"What if she was at the mine? What if she burrowed?"
"She couldn't burrow, she was drunk."
"Eric. Mormor." Alexis said. Then, because she liked the sound of the word, she began to dance around the small room. "Mor-mor. Mor-mor. Mor-mor."
"Do you remember Mormor?" Eric asked her, stopping her again.
"Dance, Alexis, dance. Mormor," Alexis said with perfect confidence. She danced around the room again.
"Take her to her house, maybe Sookie's right."
"I'll stop by my place and pick up some things and stay with her," Eric said. "I don't think she can be left alone. Do you think you can take care of the bar?"
"Of course. Better the bar than her. I think I'll 'accidentally' skewer her."
"She is your Progeny, Pam."
"She's fucking annoying."
Alexis found herself in a new moving box and touched buttons, making a piece of glass go up and down.
"Okay, okay, that's enough."
"Pretty," she smiled at him.
He looked away. They arrived at another man-building and got into another moving box. When they went inside another room, she stood and looked around.
Then she stopped and stared. She knew that object. Chair.
She walked up and touched the clear glass around it.
"Don't touch that," Eric said.
She smiled. "Prince Ehrik, son of Ulfrick, son of Gorlon. The legend says that someday he will return to reclaim the throne of the King and avenge their deaths. This chair is over a thousand years old and has been in our family for generations." She patted the glass. "Pretty."
Then she started dancing again, ignoring him and humming softly to herself.