Hey there! I hope that you guys have all been doing okay. I ended up catching COVID which was as fun as it sounds. My poor lungs have now just about recovered. As usual, I had hoped to update sooner, but real life and all that jazz. Thank you so much for the amazing reception on the last chapter though! I had been so sure that it was really bad, but a lot of you seemed to love it! Thank you so much for voicing your support in comments/reviews. For those reading on FFN, thank you for over 100 followers, and for those reading on AO3, thank you for over 300 kudos! That just blows my mind! Anyway, on with the next chapter...
11: I Dare You
Seras Victoria was in a jungle. The heat of the air was smothering, making it hard for her to breathe. Trees and vines surrounded her from all directions, entangling her limbs, and keeping her from moving very far from her spot. A layer of sweat coated her skin, rising off her in puffs of steam as it evaporated into the already overly moist air. The sky could not be seen through the thick canopy of leaves. She was powerless to move. Any tiny flinch made her muscles ache in protest. It was as if the environment was sapping her of all of her energy.
A new sensation rubbed across the exposed skin of her arms, and Seras looked up from the insect infested ground to see two small snakes slithering along her arms. Their eyes were sharp and locked directly onto her neck. Their tongues flicked out, tasting the air. They trapped her arms within their coils, and all Seras could do was freeze in fear. Oh god... just what was going on? Maybe if she stayed still, they would leave her alone? Or did that only just work with bees and wasps? The skin they slithered across became almost feverish, making it even harder for the young vampire to stay still. Their mouths remained closed, hiding their deadly fangs from view, but Seras knew that they were there. Red tongues flicked out again, tasting the skin of her neck.
All Seras had to do was wince. That was when they struck.
"Ahhh!" Seras cried out as two sets of fangs pierced her skin at either side of her throat.
They were as sharp as needles as they sunk into her flesh, draining her of what little blood she had in her system. She never knew that snakes drank blood. But her hazy mind couldn't linger on the thought too long as her energy was drained from her as well. Soon, Seras was hanging limply from the vines like a rag doll, her eyes slowly closing on their own as if they were suddenly made out of lead. She could no longer fight the darkness of exhausted unconsciousness as it seeped in from the corners of her vision, consuming her...
The draculina's eyes snapped open before instantly closing again as she hissed at the light of the setting sun that managed to break through a gap in the blinds. The ray of light landed directly across her face, and despite every joint and muscle in her body aching, Seras turned away and finally managed to slowly open her eyes again. A plain white ceiling greeted her before she sat up in panic. However, she soon winced and rubbed her neck, still feeling the ghost of the fangs of the snakes that had attacked her in her dream. It was just a dream. She wasn't in a jungle. She was... she was... Where was she?
Before the panic could fully set in, the memories returned, causing Seras to sigh and hunch over. That's right. The hotel. The unfamiliar ceiling was the first giveaway. Second was the comfy bed that she had been sprawled across. The muffled sounds of a TV could be heard, as well as the soft breathing of the two other occupants of the room. Seras glanced down to see that Luna was fast asleep, half buried between the pillows and her mother's side. Lily, however, was awake and sat on the plush carpet, her attention on the TV that appeared to be on some children's channel. Some song about a blue cow was playing, but the draculina didn't pay too much more attention to it.
Instead, Seras rubbed her sore neck and yawned. Her joints clicked as she stretched out, secretly feeling a little relieved that she had managed to spend the night in a comfy bed rather than the dark, enclosed space of her coffin. Her stomach was burning with hunger, but she ignored it. She had lasted longer without blood before and she could do it again. This time, she would have no donated bags on tap. She now ran the real risk of hurting someone, she thought to herself miserably. If ever there was a time to exude perfect self-control, it was now.
"Good evening, mummy," Lily's gentle voice interrupted Seras' thoughts.
"Morning, Lily." Seras yawned again. Her vision finally cleared some more to look down at the smaller blonde vampire, whose red eyes kept darting between the draculina and the telly.
Seras then frowned as she got a better look at the little vampire. Was it just Seras' imagination or did Lily look... sick? No, not sick, but... definitely there in that neighbourhood. She seemed alert and bouncy enough like usual, but there were dark circles under the little girl's eyes as if she hadn't had a decent night's sleep in days. It was such a drastic change from the day before that it instantly alarmed her.
"L-Lily? Are you feeling alright?"
Lily furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, making the shadows look even darker "Yes?"
Seras only frowned even more, heaving her heavy body off the bed so that she could crouch down in front of the girl. She placed a hand against her forehead, and her heart faltered when she realised just how warm Lily felt under her touch. However, for now at least, Lily didn't seem too bothered by it.
"Are you sure?" Seras asked, trying not to choke on her own panic. Could vampires get sick? What was she supposed to do if they did?!
Lily nodded before offering her a smile and turning back to the telly.
Okay, Seras, calm down, she tried to reassure herself. Maybe she was imagining things. Maybe it was just because she was now running low on blood. Perhaps at some point tonight, she would have to try and find a way to steal a small supply from a hospital or something. Guilt at the mere thought began to eat away at her, knowing that those supplies were for humans who were in need of it. But at the same time, she had Lily and Luna to think about. She couldn't stand the thought of them being hungry, and the thought of them losing control and hurting someone caused a shiver to run down her spine. She had to be responsible now. Lily and Luna were depending on her until she could get them to some place safe.
But what if something happened along the way? What if Lily got sicker? What if Hellsing caught up to them?
No...
Seras would sort out any threat that got in their way. The draculina could feel her claws and fangs elongating at the mere thought. No one would dare get in their way. She would rip them apart. Their bodies would be split in two before they were even aware that they were near them. She would squeeze their hearts and crush them between her fingers, watching with glee as they turned to dust.
"Where's daddy?" Lily's voice snapped Seras out of her thoughts again.
"Hmm?"
"Where's daddy? Is he still coming to get us?" Lily began looking worried.
"I... ummm..." Seras fumbled for something to say.
What could she say?
Every day, the twins kept asking more and more questions. Seras could barely get her head around any of this herself, so how were two toddlers going to be able to? The draculina didn't even know what she was doing. She was a complete slave to her instincts right now, and all her instincts were screaming at her was for them to get out of there right now; to keep the girls safe and away from everything. The idea of Alucard getting hold of them was terrifying. So terrifying that Seras unknowingly began to tremble.
What would he do to them? Seras didn't doubt that he had returned to Hellsing headquarters by now. Had Integra filled him in on everything? Was he furious with her? Stupid question. Of course he was! He was probably plotting all the different slow and torturous ways that he could punish her right this very second! Then he would no doubt sterilise her and throw her out... that is if he didn't kill her...
Seras gulped. This was bad... very bad...
"Mummy?"
"We're... we're still playing a game..." Seras wanted to smack herself. Is that the best that she could come up with? Nonetheless, she had to go along with it now. "We're playing a very long game of hide and seek."
Lily folded her arms and huffed. "We've never played hide and seek like this before."
"Errr..."
"Has something happened to daddy?" Lily suddenly gasped, looking on the verge of tears.
"What? No no no no!" Seras tried protesting.
But it was too late. Lily's small body was already shaking, and tears were cascading down her cheeks. "He's never been away from us for this long before..."
Without a second thought, Seras scooped the small blonde girl into her arms and squeezed her to her chest. She wrapped her arms tightly around her in an attempt to shield her from the world. Soothingly, she stroked her pale hair and fought back her own tears. Seras had never been really too good at expressing affection; probably as a result of spending most of her life in an orphanage. So Seras tried to remember, no matter how much it pained her, how her own mother comforted her when she was little. She too would stroke her hair and hold her close. Sometimes, she would even sing to her...
"Why do birds,
suddenly appear,
every time,
you are near?
Just like me,
they long to be
close to you."
It was the first song that came to Seras' head, and she felt absolutely daft. However, that feeling was soon replaced with slight relief when Lily's shaking began to calm down.
"Why do stars
fall down from the sky,
every time
you walk by?
Just like me,
they long to be
close to you."
Lily sniffed and buried her face even more into Seras' chest. The draculina smiled as she continued stroking her soft locks of hair. She pressed her lips against the little girl's temple before she carried on singing.
"On the day that you were born
the angels got together
and decided to create a dream come true.
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold,
and starlight in your eyes of blue."
"You remembered the song..." Lily whispered before Seras could sing another verse.
"Hmm?"
Lily pulled back slightly to look up at the fledgling vampire. Tears were no longer falling down her cheeks, but her eyes were still glossy with their moisture. She looked almost melancholy as she stared into Seras' eyes. Seras found herself unable to look away, feeling a wave of love and protectiveness wash over her. It wasn't a violent wave, though. It was if she was laying on a tropical beach somewhere and the warm ocean had washed over her. Her heart had swollen to ten times its normal size, and almost radiated out the intense emotions that were now being pumped through her veins. What was this feeling? Was this the love that a mother felt for their child? Seras had never experienced anything like it before. But she never wanted that feeling to go away. She wanted those waves to wash over her over and over again. She wanted to drown in it.
"The song that you always sing to me when I'm sad." A smile tugged at the corner of Lily's pink lips. "But... you're the past version of mummy... How did you know?"
"I... I just... sang it. It was the first song that popped into my head." Seras explained. It had come on the radio sometimes when she sat alone in her dungeon, waiting for a moment where she might be useful and sent out on a mission. There wasn't really anything special about it... well... until now that is...
Lily finally smiled fully and cuddled into Seras once again. The draculina could barely contain her sigh of relief now that the little girl had stopped crying. Being a parent was hard. She never knew if what she was doing was right or wrong. Seeing Lily's tears had cut her up inside, like she had been slashed over and over again by a sharp knife. All of Seras' own pains had been forgotten about the moment she had seen Lily in distress.
"We're not playing a game, are we mummy?" Lily spoke up again.
Seras sighed. She should have known that one of them would figure it out eventually. It was easy to forget that kids weren't stupid. She needed to come up with a more concrete plan and explain it to them as best as she could.
"We're not," Seras admitted, her arms tightening her embrace ever so slightly.
"Then what's going on?"
"We're... we're... we're on the run." The draculina continued to scramble through her brain for the best way to explain things.
Obviously she couldn't tell them the whole truth. But she still had to be careful of what she said; they were only little after all. In the hopes of calming herself down, Seras pressed her nose against Lily's blonde hair, breathing in her scent. Something within her purred at having the small vampire safely in her arms. "We've got to find a way to get you back home before you get hurt."
"Home? Back to the nest?"
"Yes," Seras answered, stroking her fingers through the girl's pale blonde locks. "So if you can remember anything, anything at all, it will definitely help." She glanced at Luna who was still fast asleep on the bed before looking back down at Lily, pulling back slightly so that she could watch her facial expressions.
"Well," Lily began, "you and daddy had been called away, and Mircea was told to watch us. We didn't know that something was wrong."
"Luna! Wait up!" Lily cried out as she chased after her sister down the long stone corridors. This game was getting tiresome, especially since they had been instructed to stay in their room. The last thing that Lily wanted to do was get into trouble, but as usual, Luna just had to rebel. Her dark haired twin had insisted that everything was fine and that they should go exploring. It had been too easy to give Mircea the slip with distracted as he had been with his reading.
The youngest vampire had a bad feeling about this. It was so rare that her mummy and daddy left them at the same time. At least one of them was always with them. The lack of their presence was making her nervous and uneasy. What if something bad was happening? Were they in danger?
"Ugh, Lily, you're so slow!" Luna moaned from way ahead.
"No I'm not!" Lily yelled back. "You cheated by taking off before giving me a chance! Mummy said to stay in our room!"
"Mum's not here," Luna teased.
"Why do you have to always get us in trouble?"
Luna rolled her eyes but slowed to a stop as the corridors began to grow emptier and emptier. Her blonde twin finally managed to catch up, clutching her doll to her chest as her red eyes darted around nervously. It had grown darker, and the twins needed to strain their eyes in order to see just a few feet in front of them. Despite her anger, Lily couldn't help but step closer to her sister, as the unfamiliarity of the area dawned on her. The only sounds was their breathing. A far cry from the safety of their nest where colours and sounds were always a comfort. The air had now grown cold, and Lily wanted nothing more than to dart back. Every instinct inside her was screaming at her to do so. They would be in such huge trouble if they were caught so far out here.
"You worry too much," Luna's voice snapped her sister out of her panicked thoughts. Though outwardly braver than Lily, there was even the hint of an apprehensive edge to Luna's own voice.
"Where are we?"
Luna placed her hands on her hips before smirking. "We must be reaching the outskirts of the nest."
"WHAT?!" Lily shrieked, her voice echoing down the long, seemingly endless corridor.
"Ssshhhh!"
Lily lowered her voice to a harsh whisper. "We really should go back. We're going to get into so much trouble."
Luna took a few steps forward, making Lily feel even more uncomfortable as she became torn between turning back and staying with her sister. She so desperately wanted to run back the way they came, but she also didn't want to be on her own. Plus, if she left Luna on her own, who knows the amount of extra trouble that she could get herself into. Part of her hoped that their mummy and daddy would find them here and take them back. It would almost be worth getting into trouble if it meant that she could feel safe again.
"Come on, we should at least see what the edge looks like." Luna turned back to Lily with a manic grin. "It'll be a hundred years before we can ever do anything like this again. Aren't you in the least bit curious?"
"No!" Lily hissed back immediately.
"Scaredy-cat." With a roll of her eyes, Luna continued on her way.
"Luna, wait! Don't leave me alone!"
The black haired vampire ignored her and kept walking, though much more cautiously this time.
Lily hopped on the spot, her dress swaying back and forth as she looked down both ends of the corridor. One led to safety, the other into the unknown. The little vampire couldn't deny that there was indeed a small hint of curiosity there, but it felt so forbidden. They were supposed to stay put. Lily wanted to stay put. The nest was familiar and safe. But... she wouldn't technically be leaving it, would she? Luna had said that she just wanted to see the edge. Technically, that wasn't breaking the rules. She clutched her doll even tighter to her chest as she remained conflicted. Meanwhile, Luna's form was beginning to vanish in the darkness.
With a groan, Lily stomped her foot before running after her sister again. Luna didn't say anything as she was joined again, both of them keeping their eyes straight ahead as they pressed on. Nothing but stone surrounded them, and the corridor felt like an endless tunnel that went on forever. They could both feel the pull in their chest as every instinct in their body screamed at them to turn back, like what they were doing was a forbidden taboo. And it was. It was as if elastic had been wrapped around them, and the further away they got from the centre of the nest, the more taunt and intense the pull became.
Still, they could hear no noises apart from their own breathing and footsteps. Not a single source of life or un-life to be seen or heard anywhere. The sensation was unsettling. The hum of emptiness vibrated their little bones and constricted their chests within the coils of fear. On and on it went, and their pace began to slow. Though also nervous, Luna also remained excited. Her red eyes were wide and sparkling at the idea of their new adventure. This was almost too easy. They could be there and back before anybody would even notice they were gone. Just a peek at the world beyond wouldn't hurt. She had heard so much about it in the stories her mother and father would tell her. She longed to see it, if only for a moment.
Luna suddenly came to a stop, causing Lily to bump into her from behind. They both blinked as a set of stairs appeared in front of them, leading up into the pitch blackness above. There were torches hanging on the wall at either side, but all of them were unlit. A cold breeze wafted down from above, and both girls shivered, unsure what to think. The intense pull in their chests told them that this was the very edge of the nest. So up those stairs must be the outside world.
Lily backed away slightly while Luna stared in awe.
"I wonder what it's like up there?" she pondered.
"Okay, we've seen the edge, now can we please go back now?" Lily begged, already envisioning the thump to the heads they would get if Mircea had realised they had disappeared. Would Sofia tell on them? Would their brother and sister blackmail them? This idea was growing more and more stupid by the second. Why had Lily agreed to go along with this? She could smack herself for allowing Luna to talk her into something dangerous – again!
"One second," Luna hissed back, "I want to see if I can hear or see anything."
"You said we were just going to take a look!"
"Ssssh, stop being so loud!"
"You shush." Lily backed away some more. "If mamă and tată find us here, we're dead meat."
Luna giggled. "I'll get us back before anyone even realises that we're gone. I just want to get a better look."
"Why?"
"Aren't you at least a little bit curious?"
Lily huffed. "A little, but we really shouldn't be here. Can we please leave? We'll go back and play another game."
"Okay, let's play truth or dare!" Luna smirked.
The blonde girl's face lit up slightly, relieved that her sister was going along with it. "Yeah?"
Luna's grin widened even more, almost splitting her face in half as she flashed her pearly white baby fangs. Lily knew that look. She should have known better than to assume that Luna would just easily let this all go.
"I dare you to go up there," Luna purred, folding her little arms across her chest.
"Don't be so stupid!" Lily protested, her eyes darting worriedly to the stairs before looking back at her twin.
"It's too late, you already agreed to play," Luna sang as she skipped in a circle around her.
"Because I thought we were going to head back and then play!"
"Then you should have paid better attention. Daddy says to always know all the information before agreeing to anything, and even then, don't."
Lily stiffened as she struggled to protest coherently.
"All you have to do is just make it to the top of the stairs. It'll be easy. Just dash up there and dash back down again. I promise not to tell." Luna made a cross motion over her chest. But Lily made sure to watch her other hand to make sure she didn't hide them behind her back and cross her fingers. Lily had fallen for that one too many times. But her sister's other pale hand remained in place, her fingers uncrossed. Well... if there was any credit that Lily could give her sister, it's that she was rarely, if ever, a grass.
But this was going way too far. Maybe Lily could just drag Luna back? However, there was no way that the dark haired girl would come quietly, and Lily would never hear the end of it. Luna would fight her the whole way back and probably get them into even more trouble. At that thought, her red eyes drifted back up into the darkness the stairs led into. The shadows appeared to dance as her imagination ran wild. All sorts of monsters could be lurking up there. They could be watching her right now, licking their lips and just waiting for the opportunity to strike.
"I... I can't..." Lily's lip quivered.
Luna scoffed, "You can't back out of a dare."
"Well I am this time!"
"Fine," Luna sighed out before staring down at her nails, pretending to inspect them. "It'll just be a shame when you wake up to find Dolly's head missing..."
Lily gasped and her eyes widened. She clutched her precious stuffed doll against her chest, wrapping her arms around it in an attempt to shield it from her sister.
"You wouldn't..."
Luna's only response was to make a snipping motion with her fingers, making Lily's eyes widen even more in pure horror. She would. With that thought, Lily glanced down at her doll as it smiled back up at her. This doll was her favourite, and she couldn't sleep without it. The poor thing had already been broken and battered many times, and Lily refused to let her sister get her evil hands on it.
Just a quick run up and back down again. That was all it would take.
"You promise we'll go straight back afterwards?"
"If you live to tell the tale, sure," Luna continued to tease before laughing as Lily appeared to be on the verge of tears.
However, Lily managed to fight them back. With her doll in hand, Lily glared up at the darkness above. She was Princess Lily Stefania Drăculea! Daughter of the King and Queen of vampires. She could take on anything! She could do this! She would prove to Luna that she wasn't a scaredy-cat! She could be just as brave and fierce as her parents and siblings. The monsters in the dark should be scared or her, not the other way around! Lily was their princess! And they would bow down to her in respect and fear!
With a high pitched shriek, Lily darted up the stairs as fast as she could, leaving a shocked Luna behind. All Luna could do was stare at the spot her sister disappeared from with wide, fearful eyes. Her teasing expression transformed into one of uncertainty as her red eyes darted up to the darkness where her sister had just vanished. Uh oh... She should have known that Lily would be stupid enough to believe her...
"Lily, wait! I was joking!" Luna shouted up after her, her tiny feet coming to rest at the bottom of the stairs as if an invisible barrier was preventing her from going any further. Great, now Luna would get into extra trouble for this, all because her stupid sister couldn't take a joke! Her breathing became more laboured as she waited for any sign of her sister's return.
One second... two seconds... three seconds... ten seconds went by.
Nothing.
"Lily?" Luna called, wondering if this was some sort of prank to get back at her. "Come on, Lily, this isn't funny. I'm sorry for threatening your doll. There; are you happy now? Get back here! Now you're the one who's going to get us in trouble!"
No answer.
Luna took a few steps up hesitantly. The darkness swarmed around her like it was alive. She had never felt more alone and vulnerable. Should she go up after her? No, this was probably all part of some joke. Lily wanted revenge on her and was now hiding, just waiting to jump out at her. Luna refused to fall for it. Her sister could rot up there for all she cared. She was going to head back to the nest and it would be Lily's own fault if she got into trouble.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" A scream echoed down from above.
"LILY!" Luna screamed back, sprinting up the stairs without any hesitation this time. Her little legs leapt up them three at a time, the child barely controlling her powers as she defied gravity in her desperate attempt to reach her sister. The stairs spiralled up and up, seemingly never ending. Panic had taken complete control over her, and she barely registered the glow of the torch light above her as she finally made it to a flat surface again, only to freeze once again.
Lily was being held in the air by the front of her dress within the grasp of an old, dried out, skeletal hand. The rest of the looming figure was shrouded in shadow and a dark cloak. Lily whimpered within the creature's grasp, tears trailing down her cheeks. She thrashed about in the creature's grip but it was to no avail. Angered and frightened, Luna yelled out and charged towards them, fangs and claws bared.
The creature appeared startled at first, especially when Luna tried to leap on it. However, it easily caught the other girl as well before a sinister laughter filled the air.
"After thousands of years, I have finally found you..." a withered voice purred from the cloak. "I will have my revenge for what happened in Pendle all those years ago..."
Both girls froze and glanced at each other in confusion. They didn't ponder it too long, however, as they began thrashing about again a few seconds later. The creature merely chuckled at their attempts at escape, its hands glowing green. Lily and Luna panicked even more as they began to feel their energy being sapped out of them, their struggles growing weaker and weaker, before finally, everything went black.
The only item left behind as a sign of their presence, was a small stuffed toy, smiling up at the ceiling with black, unblinking eyes.
I had to split this chapter in half, otherwise it would have ended up too long. I'm not completely happy with it, but this is the best that I can get it. If you got that blue cow reference, you can have a gold star, lol. Also, I do not own the song 'Close To You'. The Mirrormask version of the song has always been something that helped inspire this story. You can find it on my playlist on my blog (and I'll also be uploading more detailed and accurate story playlists onto my Spotify: tauruspixie). Something about that whole scene in that movie always gave me chills. My aim is to try and update this story at least every two weeks now. As long as my shifts still work in my favour that is. Thank you so much for reading! Don't forget to take care of yourselves!
News: I have a new poll on my profile on whether or not you want to see a collection of short stories based off Lily and Luna. It'll be set in their present time, and of course, future Alucard and Seras will be a feature. Is that something you would be interested in reading? Let me know!
