"This is the place," Mieko murmured.
"Yep. The residence of Genevieve Bellevue, a woman who is said to be from Victorian-era England and consumes the souls of innocent young girls to maintain her beauty and immortality," I added, "People have been calling her the Vampire of London for decades, and rumor has it, she loves the attention. Though, in fear of being caught by the so-called 'vampire hunters' that try to track her down, she almost never leaves her estate."
Mieko, Ryoko, and I stood outside of the giant estate that lie just outside of London, our heads tilted back as we studied its enormity from afar. Though the mansion was old, it was extravagant on the outside. Tall, slightly rusted wrought iron gates encased a huge garden with a mossy fountain in the center. Wide, granite stairs led up to the rustic wooden front doors. The garden just below the staircase was overgrown, as were the trees surrounding the isolated house, impairing the view of the city that it seemed to reign over. The windows of the mansion were dirty and some were even broken in certain areas.
"This place is huge," Mieko murmured, "Why would they send us alone to a place like this on our first mission? It's bound to be dangerous since we're newbies."
"I don't know...maybe it's a test. We could get lost if we're not careful," I replied, "Stick by my side. Don't run off thinking you can find the kishin and fight it without me."
He and his brother nodded solemnly and I gestured with a motion of my head for them to follow me. I cautiously crept up the stairs that led to the front door with my demon weapons only a few steps behind. I reached out to push open the door and drew back, expecting the kishin to come flying out of the building. The only noise to be heard was the creaking of the decrepit door as it swung open, leading us into the foyer.
"It's even bigger on the inside," commented Ryoko.
I shot a glare back at him, mentally reprimanding him for opening his mouth. Two spiraling staircases on either side of the room led up to a platform with a painting on the wall and a broken chandelier hanging from above. The stairs were constructed of white marble, stained with age and layered in dust. Various hallways branched off the foyer on the lower level, and the platform at the top of the stairs led up to yet another set of spiraling stairs. The mansion was like an expansive maze, and regrettably, I knew it would take time to cover every inch of the area.
"Guys, transform. I need to be ready if something attacks," I whispered, "And besides, one set of footsteps is quieter than three." Immediately, Ryoko and Mieko transformed into dual club maces and I gripped onto their handles tightly.
I cautiously set my foot onto the staircase, my gaze darting warily around. As I trekked up the eerie stairs, my heartbeat seemed to quicken with every step. I nervously bit my bottom lip so hard that the metallic taste of blood bathed my tongue. I set foot on the first platform and glanced up at the large painting hanging on the wall, studying the old, dusty relic with interest.
In the golden frame was a portrait of a woman with her arms resting just below her bust. Her hair was gathered atop her head in a formal bun, her skin was flawlessly pale, and she was dressed in royal Victorian garb. As beautiful as the woman was, her eyes were unsettling. They were overdone with painted makeup, obviously made to be the central point in the portrait. Her irises were so dark they seemed almost like black holes one could get lost in and her pupils were virtually invisible.
"Keep moving, Crys. It'll take hours to get through here if you go on a scenic tour like you're in a museum or something," Ryoko muttered.
I grumbled at my weapon partner, but I knew he was right. I wrenched my eyes away from the old portrait on the wall and started up the second flight of stairs, which led to the second floor. The second floor was much darker than the first, with no more open front door or windows left ajar to provide light. Blood red curtains with golden ties blocked out the sun from the hallway. I took a deep breath to try and steady my nerves, but instead my nostrils were met with the sickening smell of death. I gagged and leaned against the wall, covering my mouth and nose to try and stop myself from retching.
The door beside me flung open and light from inside the room flooded out into the hallway. My breath hitched in my throat and I sank to the floor in hopes that whoever or whatever was standing behind that door wouldn't sense my presence. I squeezed my eyes shut and stopped breathing entirely, hoping I would hear the door creaking shut and see the hallway once again plunged into darkness.
When I cracked open my eyes, two bottomless onyx orbs bore into my own. I gasped and tried to back up, but my head collided with the wall. I felt talon-like fingernails and a cold hand grip my face, causing my breaths to become shallow and unsteady. The voice from the woman's lips was dripping with poisonous honey and a British lilt.
"Don't fret, my dear. You're with Genevieve now."
"Your soul looks quite tasty, princess," Genevieve hissed, running her clawed fingers down my cheek.
I caught her wrist in my hand and the woman stiffened, locking eyes with me. "You're not getting your hands anywhere near my soul," I snarled.
"What are you going to do to stop me, you insignificant child?! I am immortal!" she screeched.
She backed away from me at lightning speed and retreated into the room she had emerged from. I got up from the floor and followed her through the open doors, readying my dual weapons at my side. The room she had entered was a bedroom with an antique wooden bed in the center of the room. Rustic furniture decorated the space, all made of dark wood and covered in a layer of dust. Genevieve stood in the far corner of the room, fussing with the latch on a small box. Her head snapped up when she heard my footsteps approaching, and when her eyes met mine, her actions became more frantic.
"Why do you kill humans, Genevieve?" I asked. I approached her slowly, dragging my maces on the ground noisily, just to remind her that they were at the ready. I came to a stop and studied her curiously, "I heard that it keeps you young and pretty. Without consuming human souls, you would be old and shriveled up in the ground right now, am I right?"
Genevieve spun around quickly, a bladed fan now in her clutches. She leapt for me with a wild look in her eyes, screeching as she lunged for my throat with her weapon. I easily dodged her attack and swung one of my maces in her direction, which missed her arm by only a few centimeters. "You wouldn't understand what it feels like to be old and fear death! What do you know, you insolent child?!" she screamed.
She recklessly threw herself towards me again, lashing out with her bladed fans once more. She pushed down on my shoulder, sending both her and I crashing to the ground. I hurriedly got to my feet and darted away from the woman. I brought my hand to my face, cursing when I took it away to find it covered in blood. She cut my cheek, but only minimally. I ran for her, swinging both my maces around and smashing them violently into both sides of her head. She screeched and crumpled to the floor in agony, holding her bloodied temples with bulging eyes.
After five long minutes of her lying motionless on the floor, she rose from the ground, launched herself at me, and pulled me down with her. She held her bladed fan to my throat, snarling unintelligible threats in my ear. Her beautiful face was no more; it was now replaced by the countenance of a decrepit old demon with sagging gray skin, sallow cheeks, and white hair. Her eerie obsidian eyes remained the same.
"I will end you," she rasped.
I kicked her off of me and pinned her to the ground. I stood up from the floor and stepped on her stomach, grinning as her lightless eyes screamed for mercy. I twirled my maces around and, with slight movement and a flick of the wrist, slammed them into her head. The spikes of one of the maces dug into her eye socket and I watched with satisfaction as her blood bubbled up and seeped out onto the wooden floor. Within moments, her body was whipped up into black ribbons, leaving behind only her glowing pinkish-red kishin egg soul.
"I guess you're not so immortal after all, bitch."
I trudged in through the large wooden door of Class Crescent Moon, trailing tiredly behind Mieko and Ryoko. We had returned from our assignment very early in the morning, which resulted in none of us getting any sleep before class. I flopped down into a seat towards the middle of the classroom beside my partners and leaned my head on the desk with my eyelids lowered. Mieko whipped out a thick, hardcover book from his bag and began reading intently. I could never understand how he could find the time and interest to read books so large they were practically textbooks. I closed my eyes and prepared to take a nap before Professor Stein arrived when a voice interrupted my peace and quiet.
"Rough first assignment, huh?"
I cracked open one eye and saw Soul sitting beside me, one arm casually propped up on the desk supporting his chin. Maka sat on the opposite side of him with a book open on the desk, like Mieko. I shrugged and sat up, stretching my limbs to hopefully shake off my exhaustion.
"We defeated the kishin. The assignment was in London though, so the trip back was brutal. We didn't get any sleep last night," I replied.
"That sucks," he remarked, clicking his tongue, "Do you want to sneak off to Deathbucks with me to pick up some coffee before Professor Stein gets here? No one will care if we skip."
I glanced over at Mieko intently reading and Ryoko peacefully napping, and decided that they would be fine without me. I agreed to go get coffee with Soul and, after assuring Mieko I would be back soon, slipped out of the classroom. The sun was shining brightly overhead and the air was pleasantly warm. When we reached Deathbucks, it was completely vacant aside from the workers. I ordered a coffee and sat down at a table by the window that looked out on the street.
"My assignment only lasted a couple of days and it was all the way in London. Where's our other teammate? It's been almost two weeks, shouldn't he be back by now?" I asked.
Soul shrugged and stirred sugar into his coffee. His crimson eyes flickered out onto the street, studying the people that passed the shop. "He probably took on some super hard assignment and hasn't finished yet; Kid's a bit of an overachiever. He's Lord Death's son, after all," he hummed.
"Whoa, really?" I replied, my eyes widening, "He must be a shinigami too then...he's probably really powerful. That's so cool."
"Eh. He's a bit of a prestigious snob," Soul snorted.
A thick silence settled between us, and I could feel his gaze upon me. I glanced over at him and we locked eyes for a few seconds until I looked away. I stared down into my coffee cup, concentrating on the swirling of the foam at the surface instead of on the boy sitting next to me. The sparks of tension between us were so electrifying they were practically visible. We had only just met, but I knew he was attracted to me – and I couldn't deny I was to him as well.
"You should come over sometime. We could all get to know each other a little better," he suggested. I nodded and smirked as I noticed his eyes ravishing my figure. It was nice to be getting attention from someone other than my weapons. He flashed me a grin, showing off his sharp pearly whites that I wanted to feel grazing across my skin. As I imagined the sensation, I shivered and shook my head sharply.
What am I thinking? I need to pull myself together! I can't have him distracting me from my training.
