Chapter Two
Expect the Unexpected. Part One.
I decided the moment she was handed over to me that we should become nomads. It would be easier to keep a low profile and hide away from any vampire that might know her or that knows something about her. Not that I am aware of that information myself, just the gossip that I was able to hear, from the brief moment that I was in Volterra after my last mission, which honestly is hard to believe.
Ten years for a human would be a long time, for us vampires is just a small breath of our long existence. I would have thought that being cut off from any vampire relation would have been impossible, but just being here with her has made it bearable, which doesn´t mean it has been easy, considering that she hasn't woken up since that day.
I would make sure she would get some sun and that no dust fossilized on her, I have seen the effect that would do in a vampire skin and eyes and I didn't want that for her.
The hardest part was getting to feed her, I was expecting that her own instinct would have awaken her once the thirst became unbearable, so I kept her unfed and started bringing some humans that would help me wash her and clothe her, but nothing she was still in that state of unconsciousness.
I actually started to worry after one accidentally cut her finger and she didn't even respond to the smell of blood, unfortunately for the victim, I did.
How could she not respond to it? I went to the extreme; even wander near a war area to see if all that blood would actually knock some sense to her… but nothing, sleeping beauty did not wake up.
Almost a year went by and she did not feed, I was pulling my hair by then. I knew that a vampire would not die of starvation….or at least I never heard about it. Was she the first one to achieve it?
I was beginning to consider the idea of going back to Volterra and ask the Master what was wrong with her. But that would have meant giving up and failing, nothing good would come out of it.
Finally during one of our trips we came across a wounded deer, as soon as its scent came across us; I noticed that her breathing started to increase and her stand became tense, different from what I had already grown used, the closer I started to get to the animal the more rigid she became.
The animal was so weak, it didn't even put up a fight when I picked it up and brought it near her, as soon as the animal neck was near her mouth she started feeding on it, EUREKA!!! But my happiness was soon shattered when I realize that she did not wake up, but at least I knew how to feed her.
“Sir?” a voice breaks my thoughts and brings me back to the present “Mr. Harper?”
“Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts” I turned to look at the female human that is attending the counter of the brothel house where I currently am.
“We were wondering what exactly happened to her?” I hear the concern on the female’s voice. Once again, I am going to tell the story that I've been telling for the last five years.
“I found her out in the woods, all by herself” she looks at me taken aback, but I know that is something they can believe considering that is winter time “I ran as fast as I could, I didn't want her to die”
“Going to a physician would have been a better idea” the usual response.
“I am from out of town, I don't know where the physician lives. But from where I come, is common knowledge that the sooner you warm up the chances to live are better, what better than a warm bath, right?” the length I have to go for her to get a bath without them getting suspicious of her cold skin.
“She was lucky you found her” her eyes are finally showing kindness “unfortunately Edna just told me that she hasn't woken up”, who is Edna?
“Edna?” she smiles at this.
“Well actually her boy was the one that came and inform me of her current state.” she points down and I can see a human boy probably around 5 years old looking inquisitively at me. “We can ask Jonas to fetch the physician, right Jonas?” the boy looks excited about this probable new task….but I am not, I know I can fool some women with very little knowledge on a medical condition…but not a physician.
“It’s too cold out there, I wouldn't want Jonas to get sick” my answer takes her by surprise “Once she is warmed up I can take her over there, if you are kind enough to point me to the right way” I smile at her and see a small flush in her face.
Don't overdo it. I just fed but the speeding of her heart is making me lose my self control.
“I could go and later you can pay me back” her heartbeat is speeding up, oh no! I need to stop this conversation.
“My resources are limited and I believe the doctor would expect payment, as Edna” her face doesn't even falter.
“You can always pay me in….” a loud scream interrupts her, my head snaps to the second floor where it came from. A loud bang follows it and after a few seconds later a set of footsteps.
“Ruby!!!” I recognize Edna’s voice. Ruby, which I now know is the name of the human female I was talking with, starts running up the stairs and I follow her, pacing myself to a human speed. My mind however is having a hard time processing what I think it might be happening.
“She woke up” Edna´s face is full of terror “and she… she… she”, I don’t wait for Edna to finish her sentence, I run towards the room where I saw Edna take her in when we arrived. I get a hold of the door knob and push the door finding some resistance on it, but nothing that an extra force from my vampire skills can’t handle.
As soon as I open the door, I realize that the resistance was due to a dresser that was blocking the door.
I push a little harder moving the dresser out of the way and I am able to see the room, which is rather small and ugly, but what was I expecting….I am in a brothel. There is an unmade bed in one corner of the room, at the other side of the room a small tub near the fireplace, with water splash all around it. A closed window at the opposite wall from where I am standing.
I venture inside and stay near the door, I look at my right towards where the bed is and see a mirror hanging from the wall, to my left the dresser is blocking my view, I move forward cautiously and that is where I see her.
Her back is towards me and she is not aware of my presence, she has a chemise already on which is soaked at different areas, leaving little to my imagination of what is behind it and the water that is dripping from her hair not really helping to get it dry. By the looks of her, she is having some kind of a fight with another piece of clothing, moving too fast for a human.
I had pictured this moment in my mind hundreds of times; she would be lying on a bed in a beautiful room or in a forest. Her eyes would open revealing that strange and beautiful amber color that they have; they would move from one side to the other, her mind looking for a logical explanation of where she was. She would then sit down looking at the whole room or forest not recognizing a single thing.
I would be by her side like a knight in shining armor rescuing her from the torment that her mind was probably in, explaining to her calmly and to the best of my ability what she was and the rules of our specie. After I would give her some time to think and to process what I just told her, she would then accept it without any major questioning and we will keep on living until the Master decides to call us back to Volterra.
Seems that the beautiful setting that my mind always pictured was obviously not going to happen, considering the present situation. However, I need to move forward according to plan so I step forward closing the door behind me and gaining my courage to introduce myself.
“Hmm.” I clear my throat so that she is aware that I am there.
She stops moving and I can see her back straighten up, she slowly turns, the piece of cloth that she was having the fight with close to her chest. I am finally able to see her face, her golden eyes locking with mine; any thought about how I would introduced myself completely forgotten, and replaced by her beautiful face and the recognition in her eyes. I'm frozen in place, she looks expectantly at me.
“Uhmm….I…” the words can’t seem to form in my mouth.
Her face changes from recognition to anger in a single second.
“GET OUT!!!!!” considering the numb feeling in my mind, her scream takes me off guard. I quickly turn and make my way back to the door and shut it behind me. Edna and Ruby outside the room looking at me, I can see amusement in their faces.
“I believe there is not going to be a need for a physician now.” I am finally able to think something relatively coherent.
I can see them holding back laughter.
“Should we go inside and help her out.” Edna composes herself and generously offers.
She doesn't know what she is therefore she will behave like a vampire, moving fast, missing breaths. I just saw inside how fast she was moving fighting to get dressed.
“Uh, no thank you….I´ll take care of it.” Edna and Ruby share a look that does not make me feel comfortable at all, but I don't have much of a choice.
“She is probably in shock. I will try to explain to her where I found her, but I am not sure how she might react.” considering how things have gone so far, the image that I've pictured sounds more like a fairy tale each time “so there could be some screaming…”
“You don't need to explain anything to us.” Ruby steps forward “discretion is a key item in our line of work”
WHAT??? They probably think the worst of me.
They both make their way down the hall and disappear when they reach the stairs, but I distinctly hear the laughter that they were holding back in my presence. I am about to follow them and try to soften things out, but the noise coming from inside the room makes me realize that my priorities have changed, she is no longer in a state of unconsciousness and the noise that was coming from the room couldn't be anything other than the window being opened.
I rush inside, pushing whatever new piece of furniture, she now put in to block the door, and I am just in time to pull her by her legs back into the room. Obviously, she is not taking it too nicely.
“GET IN HERE!!!.” I pull her in, but she is putting up a fight… or at least she is trying.
“LET ME GO!!!” Her voice is at the top of her lungs. She tries to get a hold of the window frame but she can´t considering the lack of hands.
“You can't go out into the sunlight.” I throw her to the bed that is next to the window and I quickly shut the window.
When I turn around, she is already getting off the bed and running towards the door. I reach the door before she is even halfway there.
She stops running when she sees me; her face is full of surprise, but not shock.
“You are fast!!” she starts backing away, her eyes never leaving my face.
If she wants to state the obvious….
“And you are slow” I start walking towards her and she backs away until she bumps into the bed.
“Let me go!!!!” her voice is full of anger, but at least this time she is not screaming.
“No” I look down and keep up her stare.
“Am I your prisoner?” she finally stops the staring contest and sits on the bed.
Seems that we are starting off on the wrong foot, if I tell her that she is, things might get more complicated than they currently are. I don't want to lie to her, but I don't want to tell her the truth, so I just keep quiet.
“What have you done to me?” she lifts the sleeves from the dress that she managed to put on while I was outside with Edna and Ruby, revealing the fact that she has no hands.
“I didn't do anything to you” I answer coldly.
“Then who did it?” she puts her arms down, letting the dress cover the missing part of her.
Again, I stay silent. She stays silent for a while not moving. I move backwards and push the furniture back to the arrangement that she made before I entered, making sure that no one can come in, and she can't go out.
When I turned around she had already stood up and is now looking at her reflection in the mirror. She stays frozen there, analyzing her reflection. I go and stand a couple of feet from where she is. Her petite frame manages to reach three quarters of the length of the mirror, I always calculate her height a little less than 5 feet, which is small compared to my 6 feet 3 inches tall. Her jet-black hair is very long reaching her lower back, with a few curls here and there, twisting the tips of it.
I start to study her face once again, like I've done hundreds of time during all those endless hours, I have already memorize her long lashes that define her almond shaped eyes, her dark and thin eyebrows so well defined framing together with her high cheekbones, her eyes. Her straight delicate nose that ends with a small tip upwards; But I love the shape of her lips, her lower lip being fuller than the upper one, I was sometimes tempted to kiss her hoping that she would wake up, but restrained myself.
Stop it William, I shouldn't be thinking like this. I start kicking myself back to reality, I close my eyes and regain my consciousness once again.
Ten years for a human would be a long time, for us vampires is just a small breath of our long existence. I would have thought that being cut off from any vampire relation would have been impossible, but just being here with her has made it bearable, which doesn´t mean it has been easy, considering that she hasn't woken up since that day.
I would make sure she would get some sun and that no dust fossilized on her, I have seen the effect that would do in a vampire skin and eyes and I didn't want that for her.
The hardest part was getting to feed her, I was expecting that her own instinct would have awaken her once the thirst became unbearable, so I kept her unfed and started bringing some humans that would help me wash her and clothe her, but nothing she was still in that state of unconsciousness.
I actually started to worry after one accidentally cut her finger and she didn't even respond to the smell of blood, unfortunately for the victim, I did.
How could she not respond to it? I went to the extreme; even wander near a war area to see if all that blood would actually knock some sense to her… but nothing, sleeping beauty did not wake up.
Almost a year went by and she did not feed, I was pulling my hair by then. I knew that a vampire would not die of starvation….or at least I never heard about it. Was she the first one to achieve it?
I was beginning to consider the idea of going back to Volterra and ask the Master what was wrong with her. But that would have meant giving up and failing, nothing good would come out of it.
Finally during one of our trips we came across a wounded deer, as soon as its scent came across us; I noticed that her breathing started to increase and her stand became tense, different from what I had already grown used, the closer I started to get to the animal the more rigid she became.
The animal was so weak, it didn't even put up a fight when I picked it up and brought it near her, as soon as the animal neck was near her mouth she started feeding on it, EUREKA!!! But my happiness was soon shattered when I realize that she did not wake up, but at least I knew how to feed her.
“Sir?” a voice breaks my thoughts and brings me back to the present “Mr. Harper?”
“Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts” I turned to look at the female human that is attending the counter of the brothel house where I currently am.
“We were wondering what exactly happened to her?” I hear the concern on the female’s voice. Once again, I am going to tell the story that I've been telling for the last five years.
“I found her out in the woods, all by herself” she looks at me taken aback, but I know that is something they can believe considering that is winter time “I ran as fast as I could, I didn't want her to die”
“Going to a physician would have been a better idea” the usual response.
“I am from out of town, I don't know where the physician lives. But from where I come, is common knowledge that the sooner you warm up the chances to live are better, what better than a warm bath, right?” the length I have to go for her to get a bath without them getting suspicious of her cold skin.
“She was lucky you found her” her eyes are finally showing kindness “unfortunately Edna just told me that she hasn't woken up”, who is Edna?
“Edna?” she smiles at this.
“Well actually her boy was the one that came and inform me of her current state.” she points down and I can see a human boy probably around 5 years old looking inquisitively at me. “We can ask Jonas to fetch the physician, right Jonas?” the boy looks excited about this probable new task….but I am not, I know I can fool some women with very little knowledge on a medical condition…but not a physician.
“It’s too cold out there, I wouldn't want Jonas to get sick” my answer takes her by surprise “Once she is warmed up I can take her over there, if you are kind enough to point me to the right way” I smile at her and see a small flush in her face.
Don't overdo it. I just fed but the speeding of her heart is making me lose my self control.
“I could go and later you can pay me back” her heartbeat is speeding up, oh no! I need to stop this conversation.
“My resources are limited and I believe the doctor would expect payment, as Edna” her face doesn't even falter.
“You can always pay me in….” a loud scream interrupts her, my head snaps to the second floor where it came from. A loud bang follows it and after a few seconds later a set of footsteps.
“Ruby!!!” I recognize Edna’s voice. Ruby, which I now know is the name of the human female I was talking with, starts running up the stairs and I follow her, pacing myself to a human speed. My mind however is having a hard time processing what I think it might be happening.
“She woke up” Edna´s face is full of terror “and she… she… she”, I don’t wait for Edna to finish her sentence, I run towards the room where I saw Edna take her in when we arrived. I get a hold of the door knob and push the door finding some resistance on it, but nothing that an extra force from my vampire skills can’t handle.
As soon as I open the door, I realize that the resistance was due to a dresser that was blocking the door.
I push a little harder moving the dresser out of the way and I am able to see the room, which is rather small and ugly, but what was I expecting….I am in a brothel. There is an unmade bed in one corner of the room, at the other side of the room a small tub near the fireplace, with water splash all around it. A closed window at the opposite wall from where I am standing.
I venture inside and stay near the door, I look at my right towards where the bed is and see a mirror hanging from the wall, to my left the dresser is blocking my view, I move forward cautiously and that is where I see her.
Her back is towards me and she is not aware of my presence, she has a chemise already on which is soaked at different areas, leaving little to my imagination of what is behind it and the water that is dripping from her hair not really helping to get it dry. By the looks of her, she is having some kind of a fight with another piece of clothing, moving too fast for a human.
I had pictured this moment in my mind hundreds of times; she would be lying on a bed in a beautiful room or in a forest. Her eyes would open revealing that strange and beautiful amber color that they have; they would move from one side to the other, her mind looking for a logical explanation of where she was. She would then sit down looking at the whole room or forest not recognizing a single thing.
I would be by her side like a knight in shining armor rescuing her from the torment that her mind was probably in, explaining to her calmly and to the best of my ability what she was and the rules of our specie. After I would give her some time to think and to process what I just told her, she would then accept it without any major questioning and we will keep on living until the Master decides to call us back to Volterra.
Seems that the beautiful setting that my mind always pictured was obviously not going to happen, considering the present situation. However, I need to move forward according to plan so I step forward closing the door behind me and gaining my courage to introduce myself.
“Hmm.” I clear my throat so that she is aware that I am there.
She stops moving and I can see her back straighten up, she slowly turns, the piece of cloth that she was having the fight with close to her chest. I am finally able to see her face, her golden eyes locking with mine; any thought about how I would introduced myself completely forgotten, and replaced by her beautiful face and the recognition in her eyes. I'm frozen in place, she looks expectantly at me.
“Uhmm….I…” the words can’t seem to form in my mouth.
Her face changes from recognition to anger in a single second.
“GET OUT!!!!!” considering the numb feeling in my mind, her scream takes me off guard. I quickly turn and make my way back to the door and shut it behind me. Edna and Ruby outside the room looking at me, I can see amusement in their faces.
“I believe there is not going to be a need for a physician now.” I am finally able to think something relatively coherent.
I can see them holding back laughter.
“Should we go inside and help her out.” Edna composes herself and generously offers.
She doesn't know what she is therefore she will behave like a vampire, moving fast, missing breaths. I just saw inside how fast she was moving fighting to get dressed.
“Uh, no thank you….I´ll take care of it.” Edna and Ruby share a look that does not make me feel comfortable at all, but I don't have much of a choice.
“She is probably in shock. I will try to explain to her where I found her, but I am not sure how she might react.” considering how things have gone so far, the image that I've pictured sounds more like a fairy tale each time “so there could be some screaming…”
“You don't need to explain anything to us.” Ruby steps forward “discretion is a key item in our line of work”
WHAT??? They probably think the worst of me.
They both make their way down the hall and disappear when they reach the stairs, but I distinctly hear the laughter that they were holding back in my presence. I am about to follow them and try to soften things out, but the noise coming from inside the room makes me realize that my priorities have changed, she is no longer in a state of unconsciousness and the noise that was coming from the room couldn't be anything other than the window being opened.
I rush inside, pushing whatever new piece of furniture, she now put in to block the door, and I am just in time to pull her by her legs back into the room. Obviously, she is not taking it too nicely.
“GET IN HERE!!!.” I pull her in, but she is putting up a fight… or at least she is trying.
“LET ME GO!!!” Her voice is at the top of her lungs. She tries to get a hold of the window frame but she can´t considering the lack of hands.
“You can't go out into the sunlight.” I throw her to the bed that is next to the window and I quickly shut the window.
When I turn around, she is already getting off the bed and running towards the door. I reach the door before she is even halfway there.
She stops running when she sees me; her face is full of surprise, but not shock.
“You are fast!!” she starts backing away, her eyes never leaving my face.
If she wants to state the obvious….
“And you are slow” I start walking towards her and she backs away until she bumps into the bed.
“Let me go!!!!” her voice is full of anger, but at least this time she is not screaming.
“No” I look down and keep up her stare.
“Am I your prisoner?” she finally stops the staring contest and sits on the bed.
Seems that we are starting off on the wrong foot, if I tell her that she is, things might get more complicated than they currently are. I don't want to lie to her, but I don't want to tell her the truth, so I just keep quiet.
“What have you done to me?” she lifts the sleeves from the dress that she managed to put on while I was outside with Edna and Ruby, revealing the fact that she has no hands.
“I didn't do anything to you” I answer coldly.
“Then who did it?” she puts her arms down, letting the dress cover the missing part of her.
Again, I stay silent. She stays silent for a while not moving. I move backwards and push the furniture back to the arrangement that she made before I entered, making sure that no one can come in, and she can't go out.
When I turned around she had already stood up and is now looking at her reflection in the mirror. She stays frozen there, analyzing her reflection. I go and stand a couple of feet from where she is. Her petite frame manages to reach three quarters of the length of the mirror, I always calculate her height a little less than 5 feet, which is small compared to my 6 feet 3 inches tall. Her jet-black hair is very long reaching her lower back, with a few curls here and there, twisting the tips of it.
I start to study her face once again, like I've done hundreds of time during all those endless hours, I have already memorize her long lashes that define her almond shaped eyes, her dark and thin eyebrows so well defined framing together with her high cheekbones, her eyes. Her straight delicate nose that ends with a small tip upwards; But I love the shape of her lips, her lower lip being fuller than the upper one, I was sometimes tempted to kiss her hoping that she would wake up, but restrained myself.
Stop it William, I shouldn't be thinking like this. I start kicking myself back to reality, I close my eyes and regain my consciousness once again.
![Picture](/uploads/8/9/0/2/8902195/1373231696.jpg)
A Photo of Maya