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Entry tags:
Sophie, part 4
Title: 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.
When Sophie came to again, her first thought was that she was cold, the next one that she was still alive. She curled up with her arms around her legs, adamantly keeping her eyes shut. She was back in the cellar again, she could tell from the mattress she was laying on, but this time therere was no fur coat to keep her warm. She was feeling very unwell, her neck ached worse than before, and now her head hurt as well and she was feeling drowsy and very thirsty. She lay very still to keep the pounding headache at bay and went through what had happened the night before. The most frightening part had not been Dracula's anger, but how much he had enjoyed hurting Clara and then making herself beg him to drink her blood again. And not even that had been as scary as the awful need she had felt to comply with him, despite being so sure he would kill her. That led to another thought, what would happen to her when he did? She tried to remember everything she had ever known about vampires, but knowledge gathered from movies and novels were hardly to be trusted, especially as it sometimes contradicted itself. She had only seen Clara at night, so that part must be true and the silver cross was clearly harmful, but how did you become a vampire? Was it enough to have been just bitten by another vampire or was there anything else needed?
Eventually the cold and the thirst became too much for Sophie, so she reluctantly sat up, only to have a shock. She wasn't alone in the cellar this time; Clara's body was lying on the floor, her limbs flung carelessly about as if she had been thrown in. Sophie scrambled to Clara's side, frantically turning her on her back. The cross was gone, but the burn marks remained and now Clara's hands were badly burned as well. Had Dracula lied then, when he said that he didn't want to hurt Clara permanently? Sophie stared down at Clara in despair. Her mouth was open and the gums drawn back, showing the long sharp teeth. Her eyes were open as well and Sophie realized that there was life in them, life and pain, though Clara's body remained motionless. Not dead then and Sophie remembered that Dracula had said that Clara would heal when she had fed. That must be what was wrong with her, she hasn't been allowed to eat and she was still in pain.
Sophie blinked back tears and shook her head. Her thoughts felt sluggish and slow, but an idea started to form. If Clara drank blood, she would heal; the question was if her immobility was due to her wounds or if it was because it was daytime outside. Sophie had no way to tell, but it was clear that Clara was still hurting. Sophie looked at Clara's teeth and then at her own arm where she could see the blue veins running under the skin. If she was to die, wouldn't it be better to die helping Clara than being killed by Dracula? She nodded to herself, anything would be better than Dracula. She took a deep breath and placed her arm against Clara's teeth, as close to the artery as she could. Then she took a deep breath and pushed her arm hard against the sharp teeth.
They went in surprisingly easy, a sharp pain radiating through her arm, making Sophie gasp. Then Clara's mouth clamped down harder and she started to swallow and the pain ebbed away. The effect on Clara's burned skin was immediate; the marks faded and started to heal. Sophie began to feel very dizzy, but before she fainted Clara's eyes opened and she tore Sophie's arm out of her mouth just as Sophie started to slump and caught her before she fell.
"Oh sweetest, why did you do that?" Sophie leaned against Clara's shoulder, black spots flickered in front of her eyes and for a moment or two she feared that she was going to lose consciousness completely, but then the world stopped spinning and she sat up straighter so she could look at Clara.
"I wanted to help you."
Clara smiled. "Thank you. But you shouldn't have done it, you are much too weak already and I was not in any real danger."
"Does it matter? I'm going to die soon anyway, won't I?"
The smile on Clara's face vanished and she looked away.
"Yes. At least I hope so. For your sake, I really hope so."
"Will I become like you then?" "If he feeds from you one more time, you will, but I don't wish that to happen to you."
She helped Sophie to lie on the mattress again and then she removed her robe, revealing an undergown that was almost as ornate as the robe, to wrap around Sophie. There was no food or drink left this time, but the discarded cutlery from the night before were still there and Clara filled the empty thermos with water and gave to Sophie to drink. Then she sat down on the mattress and placed Sophie's head in her lap. Though she still felt sick and exhausted the velvet robe provided some kind of warmth and Sophie gradually stopped shivering.
"Clara, I'm so afraid. Will you stay with me?"
Clara stroked Sophie's hair. "If I can."
They were both silent for a while before Sophie asked a question she had tried to formulate since the night in the car. "Why are you not evil?"
"I'm not good, Sophie, I have done awful things."
"Yes, you are, don't say you're not. You tried to help me. You are not like him."
"I know what you are thinking. I thought so too, I thought I would turn into something without a conscience, without a personality, but that is not so. I have found that being changed doesn't really affect the persons we were when we were alive. I am still me. I was just a librarian; I was going to get married and live an ordinary life. I never wished harm on anyone and I try not to, we don't have to kill when we feed. . He, he was very different. He did things when he lived that were so horrible that they aren't forgotten even now and it was hundreds of years ago. And most of the people he chooses to turn are like him, people who relish in the pain and suffering of others. They don't change either; really, they were real monster before they turned."
"How can you stand being here, with him?"
"Stand?" Clara looked down at her and smiled a little. "I wouldn't be able to stand not being with him. You can't understand, I know, but he made me and I am his, forever. He is a fair master, he keeps his promises, for good and bad. I have not been unhappy, for the longest time I even thought I was very happy and I didn't know how lonely I had been, not until I found you."
"I saw you first"
Clara's smile grew. "No, you didn't. I am just much better than you are at watching someone unnoticed."
Despite the fear Sophie suddenly felt a burst of happiness and she smiled back up at Clara. "You care for me; you really do care for me?"
"Oh yes, very much." Then Clara grew serious again. "That makes it all my fault that you are here now, you do understand that? And I can't help you anymore. The only reason I could before was because he hadn't actually forbidden me, but now he has and I can't go against his orders."
She fell silent and this time the no one spoke. Sophie knew she ought to feel more upset? but now when she was warmer and not so dizzy, a strange lethargy came creeping. Probably because of the blood loss, she had a rather dim view on how much blood a human actually had in her body, but she must have lost a lot of it by now. Clara continued to stroke her hair and for quite some time Sophie drifted in and out of sleep, feeling if not safe, at least not alone.
It all ended abruptly when the door opened and Dracula emerged. Clara carefully removed Sophie's head from her lap and stood up and as he saw her almost healed skin his eyes flashed in anger.
"Do you defy me yet again, Clara?"
Sophie scrambled up on her knees, for a moment forgetting how scared she was of him in her hurry to defend Clara and stretched her arm toward him. "No, no, she didn't do anything, I made her drink."
"You?" He strode forward and grabbed Sophie's arm, pulling it painfully toward him so he could see the bite marks clearly. "Is that true, Clara?"
"Yes, my lord. I stopped her as soon as I could."
"I see." He looked straight at Sophie. "You surprise me; you have more courage than I thought."
He let go of her and turned to leave. "Come with me, Clara."
Before she left, Clara gave Sophie a small smile behind Dracula's back before she hurried after him. Alone again Sophie curled up, not having anything else to do than to wait until the door would open again.
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.
When Sophie came to again, her first thought was that she was cold, the next one that she was still alive. She curled up with her arms around her legs, adamantly keeping her eyes shut. She was back in the cellar again, she could tell from the mattress she was laying on, but this time therere was no fur coat to keep her warm. She was feeling very unwell, her neck ached worse than before, and now her head hurt as well and she was feeling drowsy and very thirsty. She lay very still to keep the pounding headache at bay and went through what had happened the night before. The most frightening part had not been Dracula's anger, but how much he had enjoyed hurting Clara and then making herself beg him to drink her blood again. And not even that had been as scary as the awful need she had felt to comply with him, despite being so sure he would kill her. That led to another thought, what would happen to her when he did? She tried to remember everything she had ever known about vampires, but knowledge gathered from movies and novels were hardly to be trusted, especially as it sometimes contradicted itself. She had only seen Clara at night, so that part must be true and the silver cross was clearly harmful, but how did you become a vampire? Was it enough to have been just bitten by another vampire or was there anything else needed?
Eventually the cold and the thirst became too much for Sophie, so she reluctantly sat up, only to have a shock. She wasn't alone in the cellar this time; Clara's body was lying on the floor, her limbs flung carelessly about as if she had been thrown in. Sophie scrambled to Clara's side, frantically turning her on her back. The cross was gone, but the burn marks remained and now Clara's hands were badly burned as well. Had Dracula lied then, when he said that he didn't want to hurt Clara permanently? Sophie stared down at Clara in despair. Her mouth was open and the gums drawn back, showing the long sharp teeth. Her eyes were open as well and Sophie realized that there was life in them, life and pain, though Clara's body remained motionless. Not dead then and Sophie remembered that Dracula had said that Clara would heal when she had fed. That must be what was wrong with her, she hasn't been allowed to eat and she was still in pain.
Sophie blinked back tears and shook her head. Her thoughts felt sluggish and slow, but an idea started to form. If Clara drank blood, she would heal; the question was if her immobility was due to her wounds or if it was because it was daytime outside. Sophie had no way to tell, but it was clear that Clara was still hurting. Sophie looked at Clara's teeth and then at her own arm where she could see the blue veins running under the skin. If she was to die, wouldn't it be better to die helping Clara than being killed by Dracula? She nodded to herself, anything would be better than Dracula. She took a deep breath and placed her arm against Clara's teeth, as close to the artery as she could. Then she took a deep breath and pushed her arm hard against the sharp teeth.
They went in surprisingly easy, a sharp pain radiating through her arm, making Sophie gasp. Then Clara's mouth clamped down harder and she started to swallow and the pain ebbed away. The effect on Clara's burned skin was immediate; the marks faded and started to heal. Sophie began to feel very dizzy, but before she fainted Clara's eyes opened and she tore Sophie's arm out of her mouth just as Sophie started to slump and caught her before she fell.
"Oh sweetest, why did you do that?" Sophie leaned against Clara's shoulder, black spots flickered in front of her eyes and for a moment or two she feared that she was going to lose consciousness completely, but then the world stopped spinning and she sat up straighter so she could look at Clara.
"I wanted to help you."
Clara smiled. "Thank you. But you shouldn't have done it, you are much too weak already and I was not in any real danger."
"Does it matter? I'm going to die soon anyway, won't I?"
The smile on Clara's face vanished and she looked away.
"Yes. At least I hope so. For your sake, I really hope so."
"Will I become like you then?" "If he feeds from you one more time, you will, but I don't wish that to happen to you."
She helped Sophie to lie on the mattress again and then she removed her robe, revealing an undergown that was almost as ornate as the robe, to wrap around Sophie. There was no food or drink left this time, but the discarded cutlery from the night before were still there and Clara filled the empty thermos with water and gave to Sophie to drink. Then she sat down on the mattress and placed Sophie's head in her lap. Though she still felt sick and exhausted the velvet robe provided some kind of warmth and Sophie gradually stopped shivering.
"Clara, I'm so afraid. Will you stay with me?"
Clara stroked Sophie's hair. "If I can."
They were both silent for a while before Sophie asked a question she had tried to formulate since the night in the car. "Why are you not evil?"
"I'm not good, Sophie, I have done awful things."
"Yes, you are, don't say you're not. You tried to help me. You are not like him."
"I know what you are thinking. I thought so too, I thought I would turn into something without a conscience, without a personality, but that is not so. I have found that being changed doesn't really affect the persons we were when we were alive. I am still me. I was just a librarian; I was going to get married and live an ordinary life. I never wished harm on anyone and I try not to, we don't have to kill when we feed. . He, he was very different. He did things when he lived that were so horrible that they aren't forgotten even now and it was hundreds of years ago. And most of the people he chooses to turn are like him, people who relish in the pain and suffering of others. They don't change either; really, they were real monster before they turned."
"How can you stand being here, with him?"
"Stand?" Clara looked down at her and smiled a little. "I wouldn't be able to stand not being with him. You can't understand, I know, but he made me and I am his, forever. He is a fair master, he keeps his promises, for good and bad. I have not been unhappy, for the longest time I even thought I was very happy and I didn't know how lonely I had been, not until I found you."
"I saw you first"
Clara's smile grew. "No, you didn't. I am just much better than you are at watching someone unnoticed."
Despite the fear Sophie suddenly felt a burst of happiness and she smiled back up at Clara. "You care for me; you really do care for me?"
"Oh yes, very much." Then Clara grew serious again. "That makes it all my fault that you are here now, you do understand that? And I can't help you anymore. The only reason I could before was because he hadn't actually forbidden me, but now he has and I can't go against his orders."
She fell silent and this time the no one spoke. Sophie knew she ought to feel more upset? but now when she was warmer and not so dizzy, a strange lethargy came creeping. Probably because of the blood loss, she had a rather dim view on how much blood a human actually had in her body, but she must have lost a lot of it by now. Clara continued to stroke her hair and for quite some time Sophie drifted in and out of sleep, feeling if not safe, at least not alone.
It all ended abruptly when the door opened and Dracula emerged. Clara carefully removed Sophie's head from her lap and stood up and as he saw her almost healed skin his eyes flashed in anger.
"Do you defy me yet again, Clara?"
Sophie scrambled up on her knees, for a moment forgetting how scared she was of him in her hurry to defend Clara and stretched her arm toward him. "No, no, she didn't do anything, I made her drink."
"You?" He strode forward and grabbed Sophie's arm, pulling it painfully toward him so he could see the bite marks clearly. "Is that true, Clara?"
"Yes, my lord. I stopped her as soon as I could."
"I see." He looked straight at Sophie. "You surprise me; you have more courage than I thought."
He let go of her and turned to leave. "Come with me, Clara."
Before she left, Clara gave Sophie a small smile behind Dracula's back before she hurried after him. Alone again Sophie curled up, not having anything else to do than to wait until the door would open again.