Chapter 2

Darkness greeted Christabel when she finally awaked. At first, she could not tell where she was, but soon enough her eyes adjusted to the shadows. She realized she was in some kind of dungeon, and by the smell, she was clearly underground. She was not bound in any fashion, so she stood and ventured into the darkness a small distance. Her sister was nowhere to be found. She tried calling out to her, but there was no reply. Could she be unconscious? she wondered. She kneeled and gave a small prayer that her sister was safe and that God would help them escape this nightmare. Only then did the night’s events fully hit her, and the tears she had forbidden to run earlier now overflowed and streaked her face. She gave in, allowing the wracking sobs to course through her. The thought of the gory corpse of her father and the seemingly passed out figure of her mother engulfed her. What if her mother was actually dead, along with her father? What home would she and her sister have to go back to then? Would they even get out of this alive?

A creak suddenly disturbed her anguish, and Christabel spun around, afraid of what was going to happen next. There was a blinding light, and she shielded her eyes. Someone had opened the door. She crept closer and saw that there was no one there to staff it. Not wanting to waste her opportunity to escape, she scurried the rest of the way outside. I’ll come back for Eleanor later, after I have gathered the town together, she thought as she looked for an escape route. To her right, there was a path lit with lanterns, while her left remained dark. Curiosity overwhelmed her, and she reasoned that the left could only lead further underground. Therefore, she mustered her courage and began her trek along the lighted pathway.

She was in a castle of some sort, with narrow hallways and winding staircases. She followed several of both, marveling at the décor as she went. Everything was very extravagant, up to the tables and chairs that she saw periodically against the walls. Lanterns were everywhere. Most were spaced in between gorgeous paintings of people with horses or hounds.

Christabel felt compelled to stop at on particular portrait, one that seemed to be of Mathias. Of course, he was much younger in this image; he had to have been seventeen or eighteen at most. He had the same shoulder blade-length hair, only then it was completely black. There were dogs surrounding him, and he was holding on to a tan basset hound. There was something about that painting, something she could not quite place, that drew her into it. He is quite attractive… she reiterated to herself. After several more moments of staring, she finally tore herself away to continue her journey.

At length, Christabel reached the largest room she had ever seen. It seemed to be a large ballroom, with windows surrounding it. Through the distance, she could hear what sounded like soft crying. She crept towards the sound, and to her surprise, it was coming from the form of her sister.

“Eleanor?”

Eleanor turned to look at her beloved sister, and to Christabel’s horror, her face was stained with bloody tearstains.

“What’s happening to me Christabel? Mother’s… God must be punishing us! I don’t know what we have done to anger Him so, but we must have done something to deserve this! Oh, Christabel… I am constantly thirsty…so thirsty… All I can think about is…blood…”

With a small snarl, Eleanor lunged at her sister. Christabel shrieked, and backpedaled to get out of her sister’s reach. Has she become deranged? Eleanor fell to the floor, and, hissing, started to crawl towards Christabel, begging for her blood.

“That is quite enough, Eleanor,” said a voice through the gloom. Mathias appeared, dressed gracefully in velvet. Reluctantly, Eleanor sat back, whimpering slightly. She looked at her sister pleadingly, then crawled back to her corner and resumed her crying. Christabel strained to turn away from the heart-wrenching sight and to advance towards Mathias.

“What is going on? What happened to my sister?” she demanded.

Mathias grinned and replied, “I made her into a vampire, of course. However, she needed not to be a virgin first… How she squirmed,” His grin widened at the look of disgust that passed across Christabel’s face. “Come. Sit with me and we shall talk.” He gestured toward a table that had been pushed against the wall in front of one of the many windows. Christabel hesitated, but the decided that if she cooperated, maybe Mathias would allow them to leave. She could ask Father Morgan, the town’s priest, to perform an exorcism… Surely, whatever had happened to her sister was the work of a demon.

She followed Mathias and sat across from him, glancing out the window as she did so. The view was breathtaking. Far below her lay her town, though what had once seemed large now appeared tiny. Lights were on in all of the houses, and smoke was coming from the chimneys. At the edge of town, the church’s stained glass windows were lit up beautifully, illuminating the cemetery beside it. She felt a small pang when she saw that there were two new graves. She knew one had to have been for her father. Whom the other one was for, she had no idea.

Mathias’ voice snapped her back to the reality at hand, “What would you like to know, dear one?”

She started and directed her attention upon him, though this was, in turn, just as distracting. She finally looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap, and asked, “Why? Why our family?”

Mathias mimicked Christabel and folded his hands over his knee, “Well, I have been watching your town for a long time, Christabel. What a lovely name, Christabel… You’ve never seen me, but I have been in and out of your town for years- mingling, gaining connections. The others think I am just an eccentric Count of some sort.

“One day, I saw you and your sister in the marketplace, running errands for your parents. The two of you were the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen. I knew I had to have you,” He sighed, and Christabel was taken aback by the weariness that had now become his expression, “I’ve been alone for so long…without anyone to love. All I wish for is companionship. I am truly sorry for killing your father, sweet one, but it had to be done. Can’t you see that?”

Christabel was not moved, “What’s going to happen to our mother?”

A look of pure sadness etched his face now. “My dear, you’ve been unconscious for several weeks. Your mother became an outcast after going around town, saying that I, a vampire, kidnapped her children. The townspeople were saying that she was dealing with the Devil. Of course, one can only take such treatment for so long. She just hung herself a few days ago.”

This information had become too much for Christabel, to whom it became apparent that she would never go home. She allowed herself to cry in front of this man, this stranger. The tears would not stop. Each weep made her feel amazing, so she indulged in the behavior for as long as her woe would allow.

During this time, Mathias began to look slightly uncomfortable. He rummaged within the folds of his cloak and produced a small doll. Christabel immediately recognized it to be the one she had dropped at her house and marveled at the fact that he had recovered it for her. She accepted it, grasping it to her chest as the sobs died out one by one.

At long last, she dried her tears on her sleeve and gazed at him. “Why are you telling all this to me? Is it to cause me more misery that I have already endured?” she asked despairingly.

“I merely thought you would fight less when it was time for you to become a vampire as well. I changed sweet Eleanor before you mother passed, and now she seems to be slightly…mad. I don’t need that to happen again. …Besides, you had a right to now,” he murmured that last so that Christabel had to strain to hear.

She hesitated before asking, “And my doll?”

“…You had tried to take it with you when we left. I thought you would like to have it.” Mathias looked almost embarrassed as he said this. She saw him shift slightly in his seat out of awkwardness.

Christabel felt a rising warmth in her chest, but she quickly squashed it, “And what if I refuse to sell my soul to the Devil and become a ‘vampire’? I am not so weak-willed as my sister apparently is.”

Mathias grinned at the statement, baring his fangs, “You will keep your soul, dear one. There is no Devil, no God, just us Forsaken Creatures. You won’t refuse. You can’t.”

“And if I try to run away?”

Mathias face now took on a serious expression, “I’ll have to kill you, sweet one. It will not be pleasant at all. I will rip out your throat just like I did to your father, and then I will bleed you until you shrivel up and die. After I bleed your carcass dry, I shall throw you into the forest for the wolves.”

She gulped. It seemed she had reached a dead end.

After a moment of silence, Mathias rose, “There is a room prepared for you. I would prefer it if you would not seek out your sister, just for right now. For safety reasons. I cannot have you turning before it is time,” He chuckled out of amusement, “I will give you a few days to compose yourself. After that, I expect you to be ready.”

Christabel stood as well, resigned. After acknowledging his requests, Mathias bade her goodnight and began to stride back the way he came. When he reached Eleanor, he commanded that she follow. She complied, crawling on all fours, and the two disappeared into the darkness.

Christabel turned away from the disgusting display. Was that how she was going to behave once she became like them? She still did not quite believe what was happening. She then realized that another passageway was now lit with lanterns. To give her exhausted brain a rest, she dismissed how this magic was possible and followed the lights down several hallways.

At the end was what she assumed to be her room. It was also furnished lavishly. The four-poster bed was covered in satin, as well as the canopy. The portraits that clung to the walls were similar to those hung elsewhere in the castle. There were many carpets covering the floor, and she had a fireplace on the far wall, already lit. To her left was a handsome wardrobe.

Christabel was grateful to discover that she also had her own bathroom. She eagerly drew a bath for herself, and soaked in it for almost hour. Afterwards, she found that there were many elaborate outfits in the wardrobe for her to wear; she chose the simplest nightgown she could find. Simple was an understatement, however. It was made of black silk, with lace lining it. She crawled into bed and found her new bed to be the most comfortable she had ever known. She quickly fell asleep, dreaming of times at home, when she used to be a part of a happy family.