Sophie, part 1
Apr. 22nd, 2014 08:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scripsiTitle: Sophie
Disclaimer: The character of Dracula is free, but what I have borrowed from Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian" is hers.
Rating: PG13
Category: Angst/horror
Summary: Two women meet in a library, but one of them isn't quite who she seems. And Dracula does not take kindly to perceived competition. A sequel to "Clara". The Historian fandom but can be read by anyone who enjoys vampire stories.
AN: AN: This is a sequel to a story I wrote called Clara. I do think it can be read anyway, but perhaps you will enjoy it more if you read Clara first. This is a vampire story and though it fits into the fandom of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, the myth of Dracula is so universal that you don’t have to read that book to enjoy this story. The characteristics of Kostova’s Dracula are making the myth Dracula the same as the real Dracula, a singularly unpleasant Wallachian prince named Vlad Tepes in the late 15th century. That is an idea that has been touted before Kostova wrote her excellent book. More unique is making her Dracula a lover of history and scholarly research. And these things are what I have borrowed for my fanfic.
Special thanks to my dear friend M who reads, comments and cheers me on
To fall for someone you had only watched from across a large room was incredibly stupid, but that was just what Sophie did. She had started to use the university’s library in the evenings as that made it far more unlikely that she would meet a tutor or a fellow student, who could ask unwelcome questions, like how her thesis was coming along, which it wasn’t, not one bit. She still dutifully went to the library, trying to read and focus her thoughts, but mostly playing stupid games on her laptop. And then, when she spotted the loveliest creature she had ever seen on a table opposite hers, her heart stopped and after that she worked even less, though her appearance at the library in the evenings became spotless.
She was perhaps a little older than Sophie, a dark woman who worked studiously at her table with her books. She didn’t look quite real to Sophie, more like an old-time movie star playing the role of a student, with her hair perfectly swept up in a chignon at the back of her head and, of all things to wear in a library, a grey suit that must have come from a better kind of second-hand store. There were other retro girls at the university, but this woman looked far more put together than anyone else Sophie has ever seen and then she was so beautiful. Her face a serene oval with pale and perfect skin, high cheekbones and features that harmonized with each other to make something outstanding and Sophie was smitten and lost before she had even said a word to her.
Sophie wasn’t shy and after watching the woman for a few evenings she went up to her and said “Hi, I’m Sophie!”
The woman looked up and frowned a little over the intrusion, then she gave Sophie a small close-lipped smile, formally stretched out her hand and said, “Hello. My name is Clara.”
Her voice was rather deep and her accent clearly not local and her grip was strong and quick and felt somewhat odd because in the hot library Clara’s hand were much cooler than Sophie’s. She suddenly felt a bit self-concious over intruding on Clara like that, but now that she was here, Sophie felt she had nothing to loose, and went on.
“I was wondering, I mean, I have seen you work here night after night, and you never go on breaks. You know, you really ought to. Makes you think better after and so on. And I was just having a cup of coffee; I thought perhaps you would like one too?”
Clara shook her head. “I don’t drink coffee.”
“Tea then? Or just some water? Hot chocolate?” Sophie could hear herself babbling and inwardly she thought she sounded so stupid. Clara didn’t know her and clearly didn’t want to take a break with her and she ought to stop pushing her, but to her surprise Clara nodded.
“Well, perhaps, a short one. It has been some time since I did something like that.”
Clara didn’t seem entirely at ease in the coffee shop outside the library. The plastic chairs and the strong light made her seem very out of place, much more than in the library. She wrapped her hands around her teacup and inhaled, remaking that she had always enjoyed the scent of tea. She didn’t say much else, leaving it to Sophie to keep up the conversation. And Sophie, nervous and happy over actually sitting at the same table as the Clara, did talk. It didn’t take her long to tell Clara her misgivings about her studies and how unsure she was if that was really what she wanted to do. Clara listened and then came with a few intelligent questions that quite made Sophie look at her subject a bit differently and then Clara put down her barely touched tea and said she had to return to her work.
It quickly became a habit of Sophie asking Clara to go on a short break and though they never lasted as long as Sophie would have wanted, Clara always came. For Sophie those moments became the most important time of the day, those few minutes in Clara’s company something she thought about as soon as she woke up every morning. Once she suggested that they should do something else, have dinner or take a walk, but Clara made clear that she was much too busy to have time for any other kind of socializing. Clara didn’t speak much about herself, but Sophie eventually learned that she wasn’t a student at the university and that she was just staying in the city temporarily. She was a researcher, which meant travelling a lot and spending short, busy time periods in various important libraries, looking up subject that her employers wished for her to look into. It all sounded quite exotic to Sophie, especially when she learned that this also included travels abroad.
Though Sophie never dared to ask outright, she did manage to figure out that Clara was involved with someone, but when it came to her private life she was so evasive that it made Sophie uneasy, though she couldn’t quite say why. She just had a growing feeling that Clara was unhappy, even if she clearly loved her work and the few times she came to be close to talkative it was always on the subject of her research. Clara was a good listener though, and Sophie soon found that she had poured out the whole story of her life, all her dreams and hopes. She often wondered how Clara could enjoy these near monologues, but comforted herself that Clara would stop going to the coffee shop, her if she got bored with her, and Clara always came.
Even if Sophie had known that Clara’s time at the university was limited, she still felt completely devastated when Clara told her that her research was coming to an end and that she would leave very soon.
“I am sorry to see the end of our breaks together”, Clara told her. “It has been a very long time since I made friends with anyone and I have enjoyed this more than I can tell.”
Even so, she seemed a bit nervous, which jarred with her usual calm self and she cut the break quicker than she usually did and returned to her books. Sophie finished her coffee slowly, thinking of everything she wanted to say to Clara that she would probably never have the opportunity to say now. Somehow she felt that Clara leaving was something definite, there would be no Facebook and no e-mails to keep in touch, even though she also felt that Clara had meant what she had said, that, for some inexplicable reason, talking with Sophie had been important for her.
When Sophie returned to her own books she saw to her surprise that Clara was not alone. She had always worked in solitude and as far as Sophie knew she had never interacted with anyone at the library, except for the librarians and herself. Now a man in a dark suit was leaning over Clara’s shoulders, and not only that, one of his hands were resting on her neck in a gesture of ownership that made Sophie’s throat constrict in a sudden feeling of despair.
Was this Clara’s employer then? Or the man she was involved in, which, Sophie realized, could be the same man. Of course it was, that was how it must be. She crept back to her seat and tried to concentrate on her books, but she kept sneaking glances at Clara and the man. He looked; well, strange, to Sophie, strange in the same way Clara did, dressed a bit at odds with how everyone else dressed. He looked very formal in the dark suit and an impeccable tie, but his black hair was long and curly and drawn back into a ponytail, which looked strange both with the clothes and his age, he looked to be in his 40’s, and most men in that age and that kind of clothes did not wear their hair long. Though he was looking down on Clara, Sophie could see that he had strong and rather handsome features, clean-shaven except from a large black mustache, which made him, look even stranger.
As Sophie watched him, he raised his head and looked directly at her and her uneasiness grew abruptly. He looked at her steadily for a few seconds before he looked down on Clara again and said something to her. Clara looked up, looking at Sophie for a moment and then looked away as if she didn’t know her and said something to the man that made him look up again sharply, before leaning even closer over Clara. Sophie’s uneasiness grew even so and she rose and collected her things without even thinking of why until she was out of the library, almost running toward her bus stop. For no reason whatsoever she felt almost afraid, and on her way home she kept checking over her shoulder, unable to shake the feeling that she was being followed.
Disclaimer: The character of Dracula is free, but what I have borrowed from Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian" is hers.
Rating: PG13
Category: Angst/horror
Summary: Two women meet in a library, but one of them isn't quite who she seems. And Dracula does not take kindly to perceived competition. A sequel to "Clara". The Historian fandom but can be read by anyone who enjoys vampire stories.
AN: AN: This is a sequel to a story I wrote called Clara. I do think it can be read anyway, but perhaps you will enjoy it more if you read Clara first. This is a vampire story and though it fits into the fandom of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, the myth of Dracula is so universal that you don’t have to read that book to enjoy this story. The characteristics of Kostova’s Dracula are making the myth Dracula the same as the real Dracula, a singularly unpleasant Wallachian prince named Vlad Tepes in the late 15th century. That is an idea that has been touted before Kostova wrote her excellent book. More unique is making her Dracula a lover of history and scholarly research. And these things are what I have borrowed for my fanfic.
Special thanks to my dear friend M who reads, comments and cheers me on
To fall for someone you had only watched from across a large room was incredibly stupid, but that was just what Sophie did. She had started to use the university’s library in the evenings as that made it far more unlikely that she would meet a tutor or a fellow student, who could ask unwelcome questions, like how her thesis was coming along, which it wasn’t, not one bit. She still dutifully went to the library, trying to read and focus her thoughts, but mostly playing stupid games on her laptop. And then, when she spotted the loveliest creature she had ever seen on a table opposite hers, her heart stopped and after that she worked even less, though her appearance at the library in the evenings became spotless.
She was perhaps a little older than Sophie, a dark woman who worked studiously at her table with her books. She didn’t look quite real to Sophie, more like an old-time movie star playing the role of a student, with her hair perfectly swept up in a chignon at the back of her head and, of all things to wear in a library, a grey suit that must have come from a better kind of second-hand store. There were other retro girls at the university, but this woman looked far more put together than anyone else Sophie has ever seen and then she was so beautiful. Her face a serene oval with pale and perfect skin, high cheekbones and features that harmonized with each other to make something outstanding and Sophie was smitten and lost before she had even said a word to her.
Sophie wasn’t shy and after watching the woman for a few evenings she went up to her and said “Hi, I’m Sophie!”
The woman looked up and frowned a little over the intrusion, then she gave Sophie a small close-lipped smile, formally stretched out her hand and said, “Hello. My name is Clara.”
Her voice was rather deep and her accent clearly not local and her grip was strong and quick and felt somewhat odd because in the hot library Clara’s hand were much cooler than Sophie’s. She suddenly felt a bit self-concious over intruding on Clara like that, but now that she was here, Sophie felt she had nothing to loose, and went on.
“I was wondering, I mean, I have seen you work here night after night, and you never go on breaks. You know, you really ought to. Makes you think better after and so on. And I was just having a cup of coffee; I thought perhaps you would like one too?”
Clara shook her head. “I don’t drink coffee.”
“Tea then? Or just some water? Hot chocolate?” Sophie could hear herself babbling and inwardly she thought she sounded so stupid. Clara didn’t know her and clearly didn’t want to take a break with her and she ought to stop pushing her, but to her surprise Clara nodded.
“Well, perhaps, a short one. It has been some time since I did something like that.”
Clara didn’t seem entirely at ease in the coffee shop outside the library. The plastic chairs and the strong light made her seem very out of place, much more than in the library. She wrapped her hands around her teacup and inhaled, remaking that she had always enjoyed the scent of tea. She didn’t say much else, leaving it to Sophie to keep up the conversation. And Sophie, nervous and happy over actually sitting at the same table as the Clara, did talk. It didn’t take her long to tell Clara her misgivings about her studies and how unsure she was if that was really what she wanted to do. Clara listened and then came with a few intelligent questions that quite made Sophie look at her subject a bit differently and then Clara put down her barely touched tea and said she had to return to her work.
It quickly became a habit of Sophie asking Clara to go on a short break and though they never lasted as long as Sophie would have wanted, Clara always came. For Sophie those moments became the most important time of the day, those few minutes in Clara’s company something she thought about as soon as she woke up every morning. Once she suggested that they should do something else, have dinner or take a walk, but Clara made clear that she was much too busy to have time for any other kind of socializing. Clara didn’t speak much about herself, but Sophie eventually learned that she wasn’t a student at the university and that she was just staying in the city temporarily. She was a researcher, which meant travelling a lot and spending short, busy time periods in various important libraries, looking up subject that her employers wished for her to look into. It all sounded quite exotic to Sophie, especially when she learned that this also included travels abroad.
Though Sophie never dared to ask outright, she did manage to figure out that Clara was involved with someone, but when it came to her private life she was so evasive that it made Sophie uneasy, though she couldn’t quite say why. She just had a growing feeling that Clara was unhappy, even if she clearly loved her work and the few times she came to be close to talkative it was always on the subject of her research. Clara was a good listener though, and Sophie soon found that she had poured out the whole story of her life, all her dreams and hopes. She often wondered how Clara could enjoy these near monologues, but comforted herself that Clara would stop going to the coffee shop, her if she got bored with her, and Clara always came.
Even if Sophie had known that Clara’s time at the university was limited, she still felt completely devastated when Clara told her that her research was coming to an end and that she would leave very soon.
“I am sorry to see the end of our breaks together”, Clara told her. “It has been a very long time since I made friends with anyone and I have enjoyed this more than I can tell.”
Even so, she seemed a bit nervous, which jarred with her usual calm self and she cut the break quicker than she usually did and returned to her books. Sophie finished her coffee slowly, thinking of everything she wanted to say to Clara that she would probably never have the opportunity to say now. Somehow she felt that Clara leaving was something definite, there would be no Facebook and no e-mails to keep in touch, even though she also felt that Clara had meant what she had said, that, for some inexplicable reason, talking with Sophie had been important for her.
When Sophie returned to her own books she saw to her surprise that Clara was not alone. She had always worked in solitude and as far as Sophie knew she had never interacted with anyone at the library, except for the librarians and herself. Now a man in a dark suit was leaning over Clara’s shoulders, and not only that, one of his hands were resting on her neck in a gesture of ownership that made Sophie’s throat constrict in a sudden feeling of despair.
Was this Clara’s employer then? Or the man she was involved in, which, Sophie realized, could be the same man. Of course it was, that was how it must be. She crept back to her seat and tried to concentrate on her books, but she kept sneaking glances at Clara and the man. He looked; well, strange, to Sophie, strange in the same way Clara did, dressed a bit at odds with how everyone else dressed. He looked very formal in the dark suit and an impeccable tie, but his black hair was long and curly and drawn back into a ponytail, which looked strange both with the clothes and his age, he looked to be in his 40’s, and most men in that age and that kind of clothes did not wear their hair long. Though he was looking down on Clara, Sophie could see that he had strong and rather handsome features, clean-shaven except from a large black mustache, which made him, look even stranger.
As Sophie watched him, he raised his head and looked directly at her and her uneasiness grew abruptly. He looked at her steadily for a few seconds before he looked down on Clara again and said something to her. Clara looked up, looking at Sophie for a moment and then looked away as if she didn’t know her and said something to the man that made him look up again sharply, before leaning even closer over Clara. Sophie’s uneasiness grew even so and she rose and collected her things without even thinking of why until she was out of the library, almost running toward her bus stop. For no reason whatsoever she felt almost afraid, and on her way home she kept checking over her shoulder, unable to shake the feeling that she was being followed.
