Disclaimer: I do not own Little Vampire or The Craft (the universe of my OC) and all depictions done are out of love for their respective franchises.
Author Note: I hope some of ya'll out there are enjoying this story :D! And if you haven't caught on yet to the origins of Nancy's character, she's borrowed from a movie titled The Craft, and she's created around Fairuza Balk's Nancy in that movie. I borrow some stuff from that universe but her personality and many other aspects of her story have been changed so that's why I don't consider it a crossover. But yup! Just thought I'd include that little snipet in case anyone was curious.
- O -
The shattered splinters of the mirror beamed her scattered reflection back at her. With some mighty frustration, Nancy scooted herself closer to the cracks in order to properly apply the dark gunk equally to each of her eyelids. Anna swirled around her in wonderment at the spectacle she was making.
"Why do you do such a thing?" she asked in childish curiosity.
Nancy gave a shrug and didn't stop her face painting. "I don't know, it just sort of became a habit after I turned fourteen."
Anna blinked wildly at that admittance. "Oh my! Will I begin the same odd rituals when I reach the age of fourteen?" she began to worriedly grasp at her pale hair.
Nancy loudly laughed at Anna's plight. "Anna, if I may be so bold; aren't you well over the age of fourteen?"
Anna stopped her hair tugging to consider that.
"Oh goodness, you're right, what ever shall I do?"
Nancy gave a snort. "Nothing, you're fine just the way you are."
The child still looked troubled. "But-But I must be like that of a normal mortal child, I'll want to be able to fit in once you locate the stone and we become human once more."
Nancy's reflection winced back at her. 'That's right, I've got to find this stone. Dangerous or not. Little Anna's counting on me.' Nancy forced a grin down to the fitful girl, "Anna, you will encounter no problems, I assure you."
Anna looked back up at Nancy in absolute belief. "If the great Nancy says it's so, then it must be." She nodded to herself happily.
Nancy rolled her eyes at the great praise, long finished applying her dark eyeliner and moving forward to choose a lipstick color for the day. She turned to regard Anna once more. "What do you think, black or red?" She held the two options out for scrutiny.
Anna looked baffled. "For what?"
"Lipstick of course."
Anna's face gave no show of recognition.
Nancy laughed. "Here, I'll show you," ultimately favoring the deep red colored stick. Nancy smacked her lips, satisfied with her look. She looked to the child for approval.
The young girl gave a shrill squeal. "How fascinating!"
Nancy chuckled to herself and regarded her appearance with some feeling of achievement.
"Nancy you are positively romantic," Anna gushed. "I heartily disagree with Gregory's harsh opinion of you!"
The Witch quirked her brow in complete curiosity. "Harsh opinion?"
"Yes," Anna bobbed her head in agreement. "Just yesterday I overhead him tell my mother, quite brutishly, what an absolute oddity you are."
Nancy smirked. "Yeah well, he should speak for himself."
Anna giggled in agreement. "Indeed, Gregory is an older brother of most peculiar qualities."
Nancy nodded in wholehearted accordance. Before Nancy could comment on his strange outward list of attributes, Anna continued.
"But he is a good brother. Mother says Gregory's done well for the plight that he's been given."
The Witch perked up at this news. Her curiosity peaked. She knelt down to the child's level. Boy did she feel like a gossiping old woman.
Anna looked Nancy in the eye. "I have always overhead Mother say that to be trapped eternally in the stages of puberty is a fate she would not wish upon her worst enemy."
Nancy attempted to hold her composure at Anna's very serious admittance. But lost her control and laughed quite boisterously in the girl's face.
A look of confusion filled Anna's face.
Nancy calmed herself, for Anna's sake. "It's true Anna, I agree with your Mother."
"Then why do you laugh?" Anna's head tilted to the side.
"Well," she started. "You'll understand when you get there yourself someday." She gave the Vampire child a slow smile.
Anna suddenly gave a shudder. "I'm not so certain I want to."
The two females erupted into a fit of giggles. As the two girls laughing hysteria neared its end, Nancy stood back up to her full height.
She gave a small inhalation to calm herself before smiling widely down at Anna.
Anna returned the gesture.
"Speaking of your Mother, have you seen her around this evening?" Nancy inquired, intending to investigate some personal business.
Anna gave a slow shake of her head, "I'm afraid not, I last saw her with my brother Rudolf, but its been many hours past." She sent a look of sincere apology to Nancy.
Nancy shook her head, brushing off the news. "That's alright," she spoke confidently. "I'll find her." She pat the child squarely on her flaxen blonde head. A devious smile lit her features. "You're welcome to stay in my room while I'm gone?" she offered, knowing the bright eyed child would never refuse such an opportunity.
As predicted, Anna gave a wide eyed ecstatic nod.
The Witch gave a small cackle as she strode down the corridor past the starry eyed little girl, all the while chanting a few fun spells under her breath for Anna to enjoy in her absence.
- O -
Traipsing from corridor to corridor Nancy eventually found herself in a small but cavernous pathway. Following the muffled speech she had been tracking. She distinctly heard the familiar sound of Freda's grand voice bouncing off the ceiling. As she neared the end of her pathway she found herself squeezing through a tight crevice in order to pass into the room Freda was inhabiting. Pebbles cascaded down the sides of her person and her sputtering dusty form emerged to find a scene of the tall form of Freda and the more garish form of Gregory staring back at her.
"Woah, hey there," she tweeted nervously into the silence of the stares she was receiving. Her body was covered in a film of dark grey dust and filth.
Gregory stared blankly back at her ridiculous figure.
Freda gave her a large tense smile. "What brings you to us now Nancy?" Politely ignoring Nancy's suddenly pauper looking appearance.
Nancy fiddled with the beads at her throat, suddenly feeling nervous in the woman's company. How was she supposed to ask this? "Well, to be frank, I came to ask a favor."
Freda looked intrigued.
While Gregory appeared to cross his arms in indifference.
Nancy cleared her throat in discomfort. "You see, it appears I've lost my athame." At the lack of understanding in Freda's eyes, Nancy clarified. "It's a ritualistic dagger, I always keep it on my person."
Freda breathed deeply out of her nostrils.
The Vampire boy's face sparked in remembrance. The little Witch had threatened to stake him with that particular belonging of hers. He knew exactly where it still lay in the grass above.
"That sounds a bit dangerous for a young lady to carry," Freda's face shone with disapproval.
Nancy began to panic. She needed that dagger. She had been searching restlessly on the above ground for it for days now. There had to be a way to get Freda's help. "Umm, it's quite harmless." She lied blatantly.
Gregory's eyes narrowed.
"I need it to help me call forth more information on the comet of Attamon." She hoped she was being convincing. From the looks of it, Gregory certainly wasn't buying it.
Freda seemed to consider this for a few moments before turning her head to regard Gregory. "Gregory dearest," she acknowledged. "Would you be so kind as to help Ms. Nancy find her artifact?"
Nancy held her breath as the snarling boy suspiciously eyed her. 'Why the fuck did I have to go and tease him the other day!'
He opened his mouth to speak.
She gave him a nervous pleading grin.
His mouth closed.
Curiosity outweighing his suspicion. He nodded to his mother in affirmation.
She nodded back to him and gestured towards Nancy. Unnoticed by his mother, his eyes rolled before he very brusquely bumped into Nancy's shoulder on his way past her.
Nancy gave a mighty huff before looking to Freda in confusion.
"He will lead you," Freda stated simply.
She gave a quick startled nod before stalking after the grumpy Vampire boy.
- O -
Nancy soon found herself barreling after the Vampire menace. He was not going to make this easy for her, was he? She skidded her elbow painfully on a jutting rock as she made a sharp left turn to keep up with him. "Ahhh," she hissed, stopping to inspect the damage. "Jiminy cricket!" the childish curse slipped from her mouth.
A few feet in front of her, a few rocks tumbled to the floor of the cave.
The view of combat boots appeared at her vision of the ground. Her eyes rose to the dirty yellow and black stripes of his shirt and remained. She refused to look the jerk in his face.
"You're pitiful," she heard him sneer at her.
Nancy tried very hard to keep her face absent of agitation.
His irritation grew at her lack of defense. "Why do you not use your magic? Are you so pathetic?"
Nancy tilted her head to inspect the dripping cave walls at that comment.
Gregory felt the pressure of his pride being stepped on.
"That's not how magic works," she spoke before he lost control.
He not so patiently waited for her to continue.
She flashed her blue eyes to his irate face for a moment. "I can't just use it at my will. It's sort of a...well...it's like a karma thing." She gestured in a circular motion with her free hand, her other still cradling her scraped elbow.
Gregory didn't understand, but he pretended to. He bobbed his head once.
Nancy exhaled loudly. With some amusement, she noticed that she could see her own breath. "Are you really going to take me to find my dagger?"
The Vampire boy gave her a look of mistrust. "Are you going to tell me what you truly need it for?"
'Ooooooh, I should have expected that,' she thought with a shake of her head. She smiled widely at him. "To tell you the truth," she lowered her voice and leaned her body just a bit closer to his taller one. "I don't really need it for anything."
The barest hint of a smile twitched at Gregory's mouth, but he repressed it. Instead choosing to lift a quizzical eyebrow.
Nancy chuckled humorlessly. "I just like to have it near me."
Gregory shot her a look.
She cleared her throat, "For protection, and...it's a...family heirloom...actually." She swallowed rapidly at that reluctant admittance.
Gregory considered her for a moment. Sensing no obvious deceit in her reasoning, he turned to stride the rest of the way out of the tunnel.
Nancy watched his back sorrowfully.
"Hurry," he clipped. "I don't have all night."
Nancy shook her head in relieved disbelief.
- O -
Nancy winced as she hoisted her body up to the surface. She lay in the earth motionless for a few minutes to regain her muscle strength, before pushing herself to stand upright at Gregory's side. Her hand immediately went to grab hold of her injured elbow.
Gregory eyed her form cautiously before lifting his feet and leading the way through the graveyard.
Nancy easily kept up with his slower strides and weaved comfortably with him through the various headstones in their path. Their legs kicked up the billowing grey mist as they navigated past a rather crooked looking tree stump.
Nancy gasped aloud when she spied the ivy encased gate she had hopped.
Gregory ignored her enthusiasm and strode his way down from the top of the hill. The moon gleamed overhead as Nancy's smaller figure jolted after him.
Her feet worked hard to keep herself upright as she slid down the muddy hillside. With a loud 'slosh' she had made it. Rejoicing at her sudden grace, she hurried herself forward to keep up with Gregory.
She nearly collided with the undead boy in her haste, at his sudden halt, but caught herself a few inches from his back. She took an eager step backwards.
"It's here," she heard him grumble, before he took a step to the side to allow her to see the object at his foot.
With a grateful gasp, she fell to her knees and fondled her much missed shining silver blade.
Gregory watched her warily.
Her black curls shook as she turned her head to him. "Thank you."
She looked so sincere. Gregory was surprised. "Don't thank me."
Her hands lowered the small knife to her lap. "...Why not?" she asked, suddenly felling snotty, his brusque attitude was really starting to put her on edge.
Gregory's face twitched in annoyance.
"I would have killed you here," he said easily.
Nancy's face filled with shock. Her fists tightened into balls. She felt the tickle of anger starting to blaze, "Cut that shit out, Rudolf told me your family doesn't kill humans!"
"...Not normally no, we've stopped," he paused to bend down to her eye level. "But sometimes that doesn't stop me," his mouth smirked cruelly at her.
Nancy gulped rapidly. Her gut instinct to fear him coming back full throttle. Her fingers squeezed the dagger.
Satisfied. Gregory's blue eyes trailed from her face to her left ear. His face snarled. "If you had not been wearin' those bloody earrings that night, I would have drained your body of life."
Nancy's white knuckled hand rose to grab hold of one of the offending dangling cross shaped earrings. She had wondered about that flesh burning smell. It had all happened so fast, she had no idea a pair of earrings had actually saved her miserable life that night. She wanted to laugh at the insanity of it. Without realizing it, Nancy began to laugh nervously.
Gregory's face shone with confusion.
Her face dipped down to the ground and her body shook with more of the strange laughter. She caught the sound of Gregory's shoe taking a step away from her. She smirked.
Her body finally ceasing its convulsing. She turned her face back up, and brought her gaze directly into Gregory's pupils. "Do you even want to become human?"
The Vampire boy was shocked by her forwardness. She just wouldn't ever react as he would expect her to. That's probably what unnerved him the most about her.
He paused a moment to observe her crouched figure. "No. I do not mind being a Vampire," he admitted to her with a shrug.
Nancy's defensive posture loosened. She considered his lax features for a while before she nodded. "...I suppose that's fair," she said at last. She could comfort in the fact that Gregory hadn't actually killed her that night and that he would probably refrain from doing so since she had dealings with his family. But that still didn't stop her from sort of freaking out about it.
She'd put on a brave face, she wouldn't let this information give him power over her.
Gregory eyed the rapidly changing facial expressions on Nancy's face with a great deal of fascination. "Come on," he ultimately decided to interrupt her. "I must return."
A bit startled, Nancy jerkily nodded her head before again following the boy's lithe body through the misty graveyard.
- O -
As Nancy's body slid back down through the rabbit hole after Gregory she heard the boom of echoing voices. Infinitely curious, she stalked her way towards the chatter and hid her frame in a nearby alcove, once she was at a proper eavesdropping distance. She listened in mischief as the family greeted Gregory upon his return.
"Gregory dearest," Freda moved to embrace her eldest.
Gregory jerked his body back at the unanticipated gesture. "Mother what are yo-"
She smothered his form in her large gown. "Thank the heavens you are unharmed."
He blinked at this news. "Did something happen?" he demanded as his mother withdrew from her clutch on him.
She shook her head solemnly and looked to the side.
Gregory's eyes followed her trial to the sight of his father's dark form sprawled across the floor. His eyes widened in disbelief, he took in the crumpled figures of a weeping Anna and somber Rudolf at his father's arms.
"Who did this?" he seethed.
Rudolf answered him, "It was Rookery."
"Rookery," Gregory repeated. He felt himself freeze. He needed to calm himself before he rushed out to drain the wretched man's throat.
Freda placed a firm hand on her boy's shoulder. "He will survive, Gregory," she assured him, attempting to ease some of her firecracker son's rage. "Go to him."
Gregory numbly joined Anna and Rudolf on the floor.
Frederick weakly regarded him. "Son, you have returned."
Gregory could do nothing but nod.
"All of my children are well then," he looked satisfied, and allowed his head to drop to the floor.
"How did this happen?" Gregory commanded stiffly.
Frederick glanced warily at his son's pained face, "Rookery has a most powerful new ally, they've provided him with enhanced equipment." Frederick's eyebrows sank in contemplation. "I was no match."
After a moment of silence he continued.
"I spied him speaking to a man and a woman, wearing what appeared to be long white coats, they were most peculiar."
Nancy's heart rose up into her throat. She literally couldn't breathe. They were closer than she initially thought. Feeling the burn of pained gasps trying to escape from her throat, she forced her body to hobble back to her cavern.
- O -
Collapsing to the blue glow of the floor, her body lolled effortlessly into the fetal position. Having absolutely no sense of control over her emotions and feeling the pulsing agitated push of the magic around her she fell quickly into hiccuping sobs. Her body curled ever more tightly in on itself as her wailing reached its peak and she felt herself shriek. In complete reflex, she almost lashed out to strike the hand that had touched her back.
Her red face took in the concerned looking child Vampire.
"R-Rudolf," her breath hitched. Absolute vulnerability ruling her senses she thoughtlessly grasped forward to envelop the child.
His eyes widened at her near choking pressure on his body but didn't move nor make a sound to stop her.
She knew she was drenching his lavish Victorian clothing in her snotty crying. But she just couldn't make herself stop. She was hysterical.
Rudolf tried to remain unperturbed at her behavior but couldn't stop the prickling sense of discomfort in his belly. His small hand lifted from his side to pat the unstable girl on the back.
He had heard her howling cries on his way back to his sleeping quarters, unlike the rest of his family, he had chosen to get some much needed rest while they tended to his father's needs. There just wasn't much he knew that would help his father at this point. He had already risked the night out to feed, and he sure wasn't heading out there again with a powered up Rookery on the loose was such a grand idea. Now, on his way to get some rest he happened upon an emotional Nancy. Just what devilry was amok this night?
Nancy whimpered as her grip loosened a fraction from Rudolf's middle. "I'm so sorry," she croaked. Over and over again she repeated those words.
While Rudolf did his best to hush her and comfort her crumbling form.
Gregory pushed himself up off the wall he was leaning against. The blue glow cast a ghastly grey shade against his skin. He had seen enough.
Was the Witch somehow connected to what had happened to his father?
A few pebbles overturned at his departure.