Chapter five; Surviving and attack

Natasha had no idea of where she actually was. She believed that she was somewhat near the Romanian town that her and sisters had moved to. Instead, she was actually near the Hungarian city; Budapest. It's a rich and glorious city, where the most lavished parties are held such as All Hallows Eve.

The Madison girl walked alongside the road that, was about an hour or two away from the city. The hard ground and large trees were fully-covered in snow and she was absolutely freezing. The snow had soaked her coat and made it damp, which made her weak to the cold atmosphere. Her brown hair clung to her head and had pieces of frozen snow stuck to her skin. Her lips were slightly and faintly tinted blue. She had stared coughing and sneezing, halfway on her journey. She had been saving food for the last few days before her escape, incase. Two large pieces of bread, a few red and green-grapes and a piece of roasted chicken wrapped in tissue. She made sure to make the food last her through her journey.

She stopped herself and held her hand to her mouth as another violent cough caught her. If she didn't hurry, she could die from this peunomia. The cough lasted few minutes and afterwards for some reason, she raised her head and could see the distant Budapest city in vast miles. A smile rose on her lips, despite her troubled breathing. She wasn't near home, it didn't matter as long as she made it to shelter wherever.

"Budapest. Just a few more miles," she whispered to herself before forcing herself to move despite being ill, hungry and exhausted.

. . .

Doctor Pemble had just finished feeding upon an homeless woman. He had been on his way to the prison where he could choose to feed on some of the prisoners, without being caught and then during the walk he met her. The homeless woman had a hard life, living on the streets from a young age and victim of domestic abuse. She had begged the vampire doctor and he agreed. Afterwards he made it look like suicide, of course, so that he couldn't cast suspiction upon his kind.

Doctor Pemble was on his way back to the hospital when something caught his eye. He used his heightened senses and saw it was a human girl. His eyes widened at his inspection 'It's the Count's runaway.' he thought.

Natasha was leaned against the wall and in terrible condition. Her lips and skin were tinted blue, and her clothes soaked. Her breathing was rough and ragged. 'She must have travelled through this weather, against her better knowledge!' he thought before she caught his attention, violently coughing again.

He approached her and slid his arms around her back, and under her knees; lifting her bridal style. He kept a firm grip on her and made his way to the Count's estate. A message had been sent out by the Hungarian servants of Natasha's description and in case, she barely made it. She's to be brought to the estate.

He made it to the estate's entrance and knocked to which a vampire servant answered. Her facial expression was noting at first and then, it was filled with shock upon noticing the human runaway. The servant stepped aside as he entered, "My name is Doctor Pemble. This woman is the Count's runaway and is is terribly ill. She needs my urgent care."

"Of course, Doctor." the servant responded. "Follow me," she lead the vampire medical doctor to the COunt'sstudy, ordered by Dracula himself and as the doctor placed the girl on the big-sized settee which had been moved towards the fireplace, he turned to the servant and spoke. "I need some blankets, a cup and kettle with boiled water. I also need the fireplace stoked to it's highest point... if not, we will not be able to sweat the fever out of her and she could die." the servant nodded and did as the man reguested. She met with the other few servants of the estate and two of them gathered the items needed while the other three entered the study room to which they changed the girl into cleaner and fresher clothes (without the doctor there, of course, for her diginity).

The Doctor checked her pulse on her bare wrist, proving to be very strong and then boiled the kettle and poured the boiled water into a cup that was filled with a small amount of tea leaves that would help bring her fever and coughing down, and help her sleep better as well. As he prepared the medical tea, Natasha began to stir and turned her weakly head to the side. "Where am I?"

He caught her question and sat on the bed, near her. He gently took her hand in his, to comfort her. "My name is Doctor Hector Pemble. I found you in the streets of Budapest, my dear. I need you to tell me where it hurts?" he asked her, politely.

"My head... my throat, my chest and everywhere." she suffered another violent cough. He nodded and spoke again. "Okay, I am going to ask you not to speak because that is why you are coughing badly. I am going to give you something to drink that will help your cough, and of course, help you sleep. You are going to be alright, I promise."

Natasha nodded and leaned herself upwards slightly as he brought the tea over and placed it to her lips. She took small sips before leaning back, resting her head onto the soft thick pillow, on the settee's arm. She closed her sapphire eyes and in seconds, she was sound asleep. Her breathing was recovering slightly as the tea worked it's miracle in her system.

. . .

Two days after she had be found. Dracula and his two Brides landed in the summer palace estate and the Count was taken aside by a servant who told him the urgent news. His reaction was happy and grateful, but he didn't let Alina know. Instead, he told her that he had work and he wasn't to be interrupted.

He slipped away on his way to his study and, secretly, was lead to Natasha. He approached the study's door, grabbed the doorknob and opened the door to see the sight before him. Natasha was laid on the settee with a few pillows resting under her head and with extra blankets covering most of her. Her right hand rested over her blanket-covered stomach, with her left hand hidden under the blankets. Her clothes had been changed to a long-sleeved green top, white vest underneath and dark skinny trousers. Dracula approached her side, making sure not to awake her, and sat himself on the edge with his eyes not leaving her.

"Doctor Pemble was the one who found her, my lord. He brought her here and we've looked after her ever since." the servant who told him the news, stood by the doorway.

"Thank you. You may go now." the servant bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Dracula raised himself from the settee and leaned over Natasha's sleeping form, lowering his head and pressing his lips against her soft forehead. "I am glad you're safe, my child." he whispered.

The next few days were extremely eventful. Chloe was bringing her master some blood in a goblet after he refused to leave Natasha's side but the only time he did leave was during the daylight hours to which he would sleep and then return to the girl's side in his study. During the few days Alina had discovered that the girl had survived and was pissed off in ways that no-human would be safe around her at all.

One day, Dracula left the room and when he returned, he came upon his Bride leaning over the woman and the vampiresse's fangs barely touching the soft column of her exposed throat. He forced his Bride from the room by bodily force and commanded that she'd not enter ever again. She didn't ever try to go after the girl ever again.

. . .

Natasha was dreaming, she knew it. She was looking back through her memories from when she was six and had moved to England, after her mother's passing. It was a day after her mother cremation and she had been introduced to Sister Caterina. The nun had come over from England and told the young Madison girl that she knew Caitlyn, Natasha's Transylvanian barmaid mother..

Sister Caterina lead the orphan girl into her home. In the hall, stood two girls; one had blonde hair and the other had orange hair. The blonde-haired four-year old girl wore a white jumper with a two-strapped dress on top. Even as a young child, the youngest had her hair pinned back with hairclips. The orange-haired eight-year old girl wore a short-sleeved shirt and skinny trousers with ankle boots.

Natasha wore a black blazered-jacket and a long-sleeved black dress underneath. Her brown bangs was splitted from the rest of her long hair by a hairband. Sister Caterina, wearing her casual nun's attire, spoke. "Girls... this is Natasha. She is going to be staying with us. Natasha, this is Clare," she pointed to the ginger-haired girl. "And this is Sophanne," she then pointed to the blonde-haired girl.

Sophanne raised her hand and waved. She was quite timid, unlike her older sister and approached the Madison orphan. She grabbed her big hand with her small one and smiled timidly. Clare crossed her arms and turned on her heel, facing her back to the trio and walked off. "Don't worry, Tasha. Clare is still getting used to being an orphan like you." the nun said as she looked at Natasha and Sophanne.

She nodded and looked after Clare with sad eyes.

After meeting her new 'sisters', Natasha tried to bond with Clare but she wasn't having any of it. Until one day which changed between them.

Clare was on her way home from school, her younger sister had been inflicted with the modern tummy bug and had stayed off with their guardian looking after her. She was coming around the corner when she bumped into someone. She felt onto her bottom and bruised her skin slightly from the impact. She looked up and saw it was the school bully, Thomas.

He was slightly fat and his clothes were too tight on him. He looked down at Clare and smiled evilly. "Hello, Clare." he said deeply. His dark eyes scowled over her. "It's so nice to see you. I've been waiting for you."

"Leave me alone, Thomas." she told him. He just smiled further. She tried to get back up but Thomas prevented her by using his foot against her chest and forcing her onto her bottom. "No,"

"Hey, you." the thirteen year old school bully turned around and met Natasha. She had her hands on her hips and had an angry face. "Leave my sister, alone."

"Or what?"

"Well, today is the day that a girl is going to touch you in his special place." with that, Natasha took her leg and swung it forward into the private area of Thomas with hard force. The hit was painful, causing him to grab his privates with his hands and land onto his knees with his face entirely red. "That is for bullying everyone at school, as well."

"Yes," he said defeatedly. His skin colour was turning green slightly as if he was aboutto vomit.

Truthfully, Thomas was weak and bullied everyone so he could have 'friends'. Natasha turned her attention to her elder sister. She came to her and kneeled down, grabbing her sister's head and checking her for injuries. Clare didn't understand, she had been mean to the Madison girl and yet, she defeated the school bully.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because we are sisters," she replied.

Ever since that day, Clare and Natasha's relationship as sisters improved and became stronger as the years went by.

. . .

Natasha awoke. She opened her eyes and sat up, finding herself in an expensive-looking room. She was laid on a satin-covered settee that was red in colour and thick pillows, along with a extra blankets that hung over the side, barely touching the carpet ground. Behind the settee, there was a small table with an goblet and large glass jug and a large double window at the back. On her left, there was a door to the hall, with the fireplace in front of her and the settee. Far behind the settee's arm was Dracula's desk, chair and private bookcase.

What Natasha noticed instantly that she felt better, no violent coughing nor shivering. She saw a small circular mirror on her right and upon looking at it, her skin was back to it's normal fair colour. She swung her legs from under the covers and placed her feet firmly on the ground as she stood. It had been about a week and an half, and yet it felt weird standing on her feet.

As the Madison human stood on her feet, a knock was heard upon her door and she replied. "Enter," she didn't know that it was the same word used by the Count. The servant opened the door and moved her head in as if to check that she was up. She used her upper arm to open the door further and walked into the warm-lit room with her hands holding a silver-tray. The silver-tray had a plate of chicken, sliced chipped potato and salad, with a glass of red juice.

The servant placed the tray onto Natasha's lap and bowed, "I will let the master know that you're awake." she said before leaving the room, closing the door gently behind her.

At first, Natasha's head was filled with thoughts of what Dracula might say and was worried about what if he turned her as punishment for running away. 'I am in so much trouble now, and I don't know the worse kind of punishment that he will deliver to me.' she thought in her head before the scent of hot dinner and her grumbling stomach caught her attention. She picked up the knife and fork into her hands, and began to eat, careful of not eating too fast which could make her sick.

As Natasha ate her dinner, on the other side of the Hungarian palace. Chloe sat in the library, in her usual chair which was placed in front of the window that over-looked Budapest. Many thoughts were going through her mind about her master and the girl she had kidnapped nearly a month ago. There was something about the girl that reminded her of a certain woman she once met those years ago.

X X X

Natasha survived the snowy weather and made it to Budapest. Yay! She must be tough to survive that, of course.

Find out in chapter six. Trust me, it will be worth the wait.