The Vampires of Venice - Part Three

Before riding in a gondola up to the house of Calvierri, before even changing into period clothes, the Doctor went back to the TARDIS to get a second sheet of Psychic Paper.

"I always knew I had a spare hanging around somewhere," he said, tossing both wallets to Rory and Thomas, "Nicked it off Captain Jack a few years ago. He never really had a use for it anyway."

"Yeah, with a face like that, you'd be hard pressed not to give him access anywhere," I said, snickering as I glanced at the blank sheet of paper in Thomas's hands.

After that, the four of us changed into some clothes the Doctor had brought with him from the Wardrobe. Our getups had a sense of nobility about them, probably because of the fabric used in the bodices and skirts. And don't even get me started on the corsets. Amy had to get Rory's help as she tried to lace mine up for me. The sooner I got changed into one of those nightdresses, the better off I'd be.

From there, we all departed in Guido's gondola with hardly any traffic on the canals at this time of night. Once we reached the dock of the House of Calvierri, Thomas offered me his arm. I looked up at him with confusion.

"We're engaged, remember? The act needs to be believable," he said.

"Oh, right," I said, taking his arm and following Amy and Rory through the large wooden doors to the house, "Sorry about my lack of experience."

"Oh no, it's fine. Truth be told, I haven't had any, er, experience either. I've only had roles in which I was in a relationship. Nothing more."

"You're kidding me. You don't have a girlfriend?"

"Nope."

"But you're an actor with a good taste in music!"

I would have continued, but I was shushed by the lackey who was leading us into the throne room. I suddenly became really nervous and clung to Thomas's arm like it was a life raft. The four of us were lined up before a beautiful golden throne on which Signora Calvierri was seated. She seemed to carry herself as a woman whom many would both fear and respect at the same time. Standing next to her was the same vampire who bit the flow girl earlier. He was looking directly at Amy in a way I could only describe as hungrily. It sent chills down my spine.

"What business do you have here at this hour? Explain yourselves." Signora Calvierri demanded.

Thomas stepped forward, "We are deeply sorry for the time of our arrival, Signora, but we simply could not wait any longer. You see, my brother and I have only just gotten word of the school you run for young women and the prospects it offers to the city. We sailed from Britain herself, both ours and our fiancees' families to observe Venice's growing prosperity with our own eyes, but as tragedy took hold, the four of us were very suddenly orphaned with no inheritance or way to return home."

Dang, he's really milking this whole desperate thing, isn't he? I thought.

Thomas continued, "Signora, we only want the best for the women we love. And your school seems to be the only option available at the present time. If you would be as accepting as word in Britain portrays you to be, we would be most grateful."

I wanted to applaud him as he stepped back in line next to me. If that was only his talent with ad-libbing, then seeing him with actual lines must've been worthy of a Tony Award.

There was a moment's silence in which the Signora appeared to be contemplating our fate. Then, she looked up curiously.

"You have the appearance of nobility, yet you claim to be orphaned?"

"A child of any class can be stricken without parents, Signora," I piped up, causing the vampire next to her throne to now stare at me instead of Amy.

"You make a fair point, dear girl. A point which has left me in a rather merciful nature. What say you, Francesco? Do you like them?"

The vampire, Francesco, waltzed right up to me, smirked, and repeated the same routine with Amy.

"Oh, I do, mother. I do," he said, his tone of voice giving me chills yet again. And not in a good way.

"Well then, that settles it. Young man, we would be delighted to accept both yours and your brother's fiancees. I would, however, like to see some form of identification before you say goodbye."

Rory stepped forward and handed the Signora his psychic paper. I knew she knew what it was, and it took every bit of my willpower not to admit it, but soon enough she returned it to him.

"Very well. Say goodbye to your lovers, good Sirs," she said.

I looked up to Thomas, "Tell Lord Smith we have been accepted. He will know what to do from there."

For the life of me, I could not have predicted what happened next to have actually happened. I'm still not even sure it did happen, to be honest.

In what I could only assume to be a way to keep the act up, Thomas took me by my waist and planted a long, but not intense kiss right onto my trembling lips. I'm so glad there wasn't any tongue involved. He managed to keep the stunt going for so long, that a steward had to break us apart. When he did, I was too much in shock to move, let alone talk. Amy actually had to escort me out of the room and down the stairway.

"We'll be fine!" she called back before the door slammed shut on both Rory's and Thomas's shocked faces.

"Follow me, please," the steward said.

I had now fortunately regained control of my extremities. Maybe not so much my train of thought, but at least I could walk without being guided around like a blind person.

Holy mother of Gallifrey. He kissed me. HE. FREAKING. KISSED. ME. Is this real life still?

Before I knew it, we were standing in a gaudily domed dormitory area. The only other person there besides myself, Amy, and the steward, was a dark-skinned young woman who looked no older than me. Isabella. She was sitting on one of the beds in an off-white nightdress, staring at the ground.

"The clothes are on the bed. Get changed and wait here," the steward said, then left the room.

"Blimey. This is private education, then?" Amy mused, staring up at the dome.

"No kidding," I said, taking a laid out nightdress from a bed and going behind a curtain to change.

Unlacing the corset was as liberating as taking off a pair of skin-tight jeans and putting on sweatpants after a long day. The only difference being the corset left actual bruises in some places on my chest. No wonder these ladies always seemed out of breath when they spoke. I changed into the nightdress quickly and sat on the floor, catching my breath for a few moments and trying still to wrap my head around what went down in the throne room.

I was beginning to suspect just how friendly Thomas wanted to get with me, when I recalled what he told me back at Guido's house. I had to remember he was only acting, no matter what he did.

And yet he hasn't got a girlfriend. I thought.

How could that punk-rock loving actor not have a girlfriend? It just doesn't make any kind of sense!

"Ginny, are you okay? You've been back there for quite some time," Amy said. I stepped out from behind the curtain and nodded.

"Yeah. Just got lost in thought is all," I said.

"Any kind of thought in particular?" there was a flirtatious tone in the Scot's voice. I turned pink instantly and dashed out from behind the curtain over to a chest of drawers.

"He told me before that it was all an act, Amy! We're just friends!"

"If you say so..."

"What on earth are you two talking about?" Isabella asked, "I thought you were here to help me escape."

"We are, Isabella," I said, "It's just that Little Miss Matchmaker has just found her OTP."

"OTP?" the partial vampiress asked.

"Never mind. Do you have any cloaks?"

"They should be in the chest by the other door. Why?"

I ran over to the back door and whipped out a thick woolen cape before tossing it to Amy.

"Just in case this escape plan goes into daylight. We don't want you getting burned."

"That is very wise of you."

I smirked, "I suppose it is. Anyways, Amy will keep you out of sight from the other girls and the guards. I'll go unlatch the trapdoor to let the boys up. We meet in the courtyard in half an hour."

Amy tied the cape securely around Isabella and pulled the hood over her hair.

"What if one of us gets in trouble and half an hour has passed?" she asked.

Oh, right.

"Um... Just try to find the Doctor and stick to him like velcro," I said. If I go missing, get one of the boys to come find me."

"Anyone of them in particular?" Amy winked.

"Oh, just surprise me!" And with that, I stormed out of the dormitory, screwdriver in hand and determination in heart.

I made it into the large, circular courtyard in a matter of minutes. The stone trapdoor was barred shut and protruded in the middle of the yard. Glancing around carefully, I tiptoed towards the center and used my screwdriver on the trapdoor, unlocking it instantly.

"This is too easy," I thought aloud, "There should be someone on guard out here."

"Clever girl," the chilling voice of Francesco said behind me, "Far too clever for this time and place, I would say."

"And wouldn't you know all about different times and places, Brother of the Water?" I asked, facing the Saturnynian in disguise.

"I know only what my mother has told me, but somehow I think you know even more."

"Well you aren't wrong, I'll tell you that. But I won't tell you anything else."

Francesco began circling me menacingly.

"Oh Virginia," he laughed, "won't you?"

Before I could react, a hand was over my mouth and another had my arm pinned behind my back. In the capture, I ended up dropping my screwdriver, but luckily neither Francesco nor the steward noticed.

"You know where to take her, Carlo. Make sure she cooperates," Francesco ordered, flourishing his cape and vanishing behind a stone wall.

Like hell I'll cooperate! What does he think he's dealing with, a rock?! I screamed in my head.

As I was forced down a stone staircase, I flailed like a maniac. I even managed to bite Carlo's hand and thus make a shout for help. There wasn't any sort of specific wording to it; my thoughts were just to be heard for a wide distance.

"Control yourself, child!" Carlo ordered, pushing me down the last few steps.

"I'd like to see how you'd handle being faced with the possibility of a blood draining!" I retorted.

"I must say all the other girls were much calmer, actually," the Signora said, right as a bright green light engulfed the room. The rest of the Calvierri girls had formed a semicircle around me, as well as a wooden chair with leather straps.

"Your gentleman friend was very convincing, but the Psychic Paper was your downfall. Did you really think that would work on me?"

"No, I didn't, but I was too caught up in the act to tell him. He is rather wonderful with acting, don't you think?" I asked. My calm facade was a gossamer veil over a panicked young woman.

"Yes, he is. Now, where are you really from, my dear? Did you fall through the Chasm?"

"I did. It was only a few days ago."

"How interesting. And what are you doing in my school?"

Two of the girls were hanging a drip bag filled with what I could only guess was Saturnyne blood onto a hook. The veil ripped; my act was up. I began shaking like a leaf in a windstorm.

"I-I wanted t-to get a good e-education?" I could no longer play a sarcastic young woman who laughed in the face of death. Death, after all, was right in front of me.

The Signora gave an exaggerated cackle, "Put her in the chair!"

The girls began to shove me rather forcefully down onto the wooden seat of torment. I was no match for them. For every kick and punch I threw, it seemed like another set of hands went to hold me down. I had not the collectiveness for words, being reduced to screaming like a banshee in hope of an out-of-the-blue rescue. I could even feel a few hot tears streaming down my cheeks and onto the dirtied nightdress.

"Oh, make sport of me, will you? Tease me as if I were your dog? Well, this dog has a bite, girl."

I had my eyes screwed shut this whole time because I dared not look my attacker in her face. I would not give her the pleasure of viewing the anxiety in my eyes, but I sure as heck would murder her ears with my bloodcurdling shrieks.

Then, everything was very calm. I could feel the Signora's fangs sinking into my neck, but I didn't care. Why didn't I care?! I dared crack open my eyes to be greeted by a heavily blurred green mass. Blinking seemed to clear things up a little bit, but it did nothing for the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion inside me. Even the Signora seemed a bit worn out, as if my blood had put up a fight against her and won. Either that or she seemed to be high on my circulations. My head lolled to its side, resting on the back of the chair.

"Mother, when you drink from her, may we share?" Francesco asked, "I'm so thirsty."

"Then get a glass of water, freak," another man's voice said, followed by a whack and a thud.

I was losing the battle for consciousness this whole time; I even blacked out for a bit. One minute I was shackled to the chair, and the next I was being carried up a flight of stairs by a handsome, dark haired, young man.

"Hey, Thomas," I mumbled, "How's it going?"

"Thank God, you're awake," he said, "I was worried you had already been converted."

"And I thought I was the panicky one. Hey, when all this rescue mission crap is over with, can we break for a nap? I could use a nap."

Thomas laughed. "Whatever you want, Ginny. Just try to stay awake for now, okay?"

"Okay."

Well, suffice to say that I couldn't stay true to my word for long. I slipped off again and before I knew it, the whole gang was together again, and what were we running from? Vampires. A whole fleet of them were gaining on us in their white nightdresses, chasing us down a corridor.

I was out again. When I woke up this time, we were all in a gondola on the canal. I cracked my eyes open and found myself staring right at the sun. Not realizing the context of the situation, I hissed. Of course, this sent everyone into a panic and ended up with me getting covered by a veil.

"I'm fine! I'm not growing fangs or anything!" I wailed, and hesitantly, the veil was lifted.

"I think she's fine, but she looks a bit pale," Rory said.

"I'm always pale. Could you be more specific?" I asked.

"Yep, she's okay. She wouldn't be this sarcastic if she wasn't," Amy said.

Wait, shouldn't they all be more serious? We just lost Isabella. I thought, but thought wrong.

Just up at the front of the gondola, standing next to her father, was a cloaked, petite, figure.