Chapter Five:
Phoebe's face was contorted in shock and horror at the sight of Sibella.
"Si-Sibella?" she whispered, looking at the supposedly dead woman, "Are you really here?" She took a step towards her all the while wrapping her arms around her blue nightgown as if to prove to herself that this was real and that this was happening.
"The groundskeeper was right, Phoebe. Sibella is part of the Undead, she's a vampire," said Monty slowly. Phoebe stared at the blonde carefully, taking in her beautiful yet strange appearance. She seemed more angelic than she had been in life, more beautiful if that was even possible. There was danger behind her eyes, those eyes that Phoebe had once stared into adoringly, those eyes that she had loved to see sparkle and light up in happiness.
"Is that really you, my darling?"
Sibella nodded slowly, not wanting to overwhelm Phoebe with her story but she felt compelled to retell the entire tale all over again. When she was done, Phoebe sank into a chair, nervously tugging at her braided hair, trying to process all this.
"I understand it's a lot to take in," started Sibella, "Monty thought he was dreaming."
Phoebe came closer to the vampire, looking at her carefully. It was her Sibella, the woman she had spent countless hours kissing and being around. She was still the same woman, still beautiful and wonderful and yet there was something dangerous about her. Phoebe kept her distance but she was pleased to see her.
"It really is you," said Phoebe in a whisper at last. "I've missed you so."
Sibella gave her a small smile. "I've missed you too, darling."
"We thought you were dead, it was so terrible," Phoebe murmured, "I thought I'd never see you again."
"I'm here now, I'm alright… besides my tendency to want blood and all," Sibella's attempt at a joke failed horribly, but Phoebe still laughed just because she had simply missed the sound of her voice and wanted to hear it more.
"How long have you been back?"
"A week or so," answered Sibella softly. "I've lost track of the days."
"And… and your eating habits?"
"Nothing to be too concerned about, I can handle it." Sibella flashed her a quick smile.
"But you must be starving," interrupted Phoebe, taking a step towards her. Sibella shook her head, an obvious lie, "I'm fine."
Phoebe glanced at Sibella again, biting her lip. She got close to her and Sibella stiffened. "We need to keep your appetite satisfied. What are you eating now, darling?"
"Just livestock."
"I'll think of something but I need to do some research first," said Phoebe. Sibella nodded and she saw out of the corner of her eye that the sun was starting to pour in through the curtains.
"It's nearly morning," she remarked, "I should get going."
"Must you?" Phoebe looked disappointed.
Sibella nodded, "I'll be back tomorrow." She then slipped back outside through the window and soon disappeared into the woods back to the cemetery.
Phoebe and Monty were left in the room by themselves, both of them feeling the absence of Sibella, her scent still lingering in the air.
"Why didn't you tell me she was alive?" Phoebe asked him, turning towards him.
"I wasn't sure if she was at first, I wanted to be sure," Monty reasoned.
"I can't believe she's here, that she's alive," whispered Phoebe as she crossed her arms, absentmindedly playing with her braid.
"We need to help her though, I know she's scared and I'm worried about her." Monty bit his lip.
Phoebe nodded. She went and retrieved her book from downstairs, having an idea form in her head. She sat on the bed and flipped through it feverishly, trying to recall where it was that she had read a certain passage.
"What are you doing?" Monty asked, coming over and sitting next to her on the bed. He caught a glance of the title.
"Looking for something," she murmured as she stopped on a page and scanned it for the passage.
"Phoebe, Dracula is a fictional story, you can't trust that for information!"
"I know, but we have to start somewhere, Monty," she told him. She paused and put her finger on the start of the passage, "Here, here come look at this."
Monty leaned forward and read the passage:
"The nosferatu do not die like the bee when he sting once. He is only stronger; and being stronger, have yet more power to work evil. This vampire which is amongst us is of himself so strong in person as twenty men; he is of cunning more than mortal, for his cunning be the growth of ages; he have still the aids of necromancy, which is, as his etymology imply, the divination by the dead, and all the dead that he can come nigh to are for him at command; he is brute, and more than brute; he is devil in callous, and the heart of him is not; he can, within limitations, appear at will when, and where, and in any of the forms that are to him; he can, within his range, direct the elements; the storm, the fog, the thunder; he can command all the meaner things; the rat, and the owl, and the bat-the moth, and the fox, and the wolf; he can grow and become small; and he can at times vanish and come unknown."
"And then there's this," added Phoebe, flipping the page.
"He can do all these things, yet he is not free. Nay; he is even more prisoner than the slave of the galley, than the madman in his cell. He cannot go where he lists; he who is not of nature has yet to obey some of nature's laws-why we know not. He may not enter anywhere at the first, unless there be some one of the household who big him to come; though afterwards he can come as he please. His powers ceases, as does that of all evil things, at the coming of the day. Only at certain times can he have limited freedom. If he be not at the place whither he is bound, he can only change himself at noon or at exact sunrise or sunset. These things are we told, and in this record of ours we have proof by inference. Thus, whereas he can do as he will within his limit, when he have his earth home, his coffin-home, his hell-home, the place unhallowed, as we saw when he went to the grave of the suicide at Whitby; still at other time he can only change when the time come. It is said, too, that he can only pass running water at the slack or the flood of the tide. Then there are things which so afflict him that he has no power, as the garlic that we know of, and as now when we resolve, to them he is nothing, but in their presence he take his place far off and silent with respect. There are others, too, which I shall tell you of, lest in our seeking we may need them. The branch of wild rose on his coffin keep him that he move not from it; a sacred bullet fired into the coffin kill him so that he be true dead; and as for the stake through him, we know already of its peace; or the cut-off head that giveth rest."'
"This is a good start, but I need more information if we want to help Sibella," she murmured. She looked up at him, her eyes imploring. "Will you come with me to the library tomorrow?"
He nodded, kissing her cheek. "Of course, anything to help you and Sibella."
She smiled and held his hand tightly, "Good. Now let's get some sleep," she urged him as she yawned softly. Monty kissed her and held her as he shut off the light, falling asleep after wondering if this was all for nothing or not.
In the morning, Phoebe wondered if it was all a dream. Had Sibella really visited them last night? Was she really alive and well? All of those thoughts were floating through her head as she and Monty went to the library and checked out as many books as possible on vampires.
Monty couldn't even see her because she had so many books in her arms.
"Do you need any help?" he asked her as she came to the counter.
"No," she huffed as she set the books down, "I'm all set," she flashed him a smile. Monty shook his head, amused at her determination and will power. The librarian checked out their books and Monty helped Phoebe take them back to the car.
"You're taking this whole Sibella is back from the dead things rather well darling," Monty remarked to her on the car ride home.
Phoebe nodded absentmindedly. "I guess I am. I feel as though it was all a dream, that at any moment I'll wake up and she'll be gone…. And if that's the case then I'd want to make the most of the time I have until I wake up."
"I understand," said Monty, "But the feeling fades away. She's real, Phoebe, she's here and we need to help her."
Phoebe nodded at his words, "Yes, we do. We do need to help her."
They drove on for a bit longer.
"Does she know about Lionel?" Phoebe asked.
Monty nodded slowly, "Yes." Phoebe parted her lips to ask him another question when they pulled up to Highhurst. Phoebe decided to leave her questions for later and instead she focused her attention on the books she got, taking meticulous notes and marking pages left and right.
"I think you checked out the entire library," Monty remarked with a chuckle as he brought her a cup of tea and sat next to her in the parlor.
"Here, come help me," she demanded, handing him a stack of books with a smirk. He took them and began to go through them, taking notes like Phoebe had done.
By the end of the day, both of them were exhausted and had accomplished little to nothing. When Sibella came to the window, Phoebe was still on the bed, books surrounding her every which way. Monty opened the window for her, "Phoebe's still working, if you can't tell," he remarked as he helped her inside.
Sibella glanced at the brunette, who looked exhausted but was still working and scribbling down notes in a journal. She walked over to the bed, sitting down and removing a book out of her way.
"You don't have to work yourself to death for my sake," commented Sibella as she looked at all of the notes Phoebe and Monty had taken. Phoebe looked up at her voice and smiled at her tiredly, "I don't mind. I'm learning so much, here let me show you," she reached for a book and flipped through it quickly. She stopped suddenly and cried out, her hand having been sliced by the sharp edges of the paper. Blood began to appear at the wound as Phoebe held her hand in the air to inspect the damage. Suddenly the mood in the room changed drastically.
Before anyone could do anything or have the chance to react, Sibella was already lunging for Phoebe's hand, her eyes blood thirsty. Phoebe tried to fight her off, but Sibella was stronger. The blonde had the brunette suddenly pinned underneath her on the bed. Sibella leaned down towards the brunette's neck, the scent of her blood driving Sibella crazy. Her teeth grazed the skin of Phoebe's delicate throat before she snapped herself out of it, immediately backing away from Phoebe.
"I'm… I'm so sorry…" she stammered.
Both Monty and Phoebe seemed to be in a state of shock for neither of them said anything for a few moments. Phoebe sat up slowly as Monty came to her aid and held her injured hand. "It's okay, I know it was an accident," she said in a shaking voice. "It's fine Sibella, no harm done." But Phoebe was pale and shaking.
"I scared you, I'm a monster," Sibella cried, ready to launch herself out of the window and disappear, "I could have killed you."
"No, darling it's okay, I'm alright," Phoebe tried to comfort her, but Sibella would not be swayed. She backed herself up against the wall, afraid to be near them, "I'm leaving, I shouldn't be here, I could have killed you."
"No, darling please stay!" Phoebe begged.
Sibella shook her head, "No, I can't… I can't risk it." Without another word, she opened the window and disappeared before Phoebe or Monty could do anything about it, leaving them in a state of confusion and fear.