Town Chapter Three Three Hospital

Doctor

Melinda had been in the hospital for a week and a half. Her wounds were healing, but she suspected that they were healing slightly slower than they should have been. In fact she had many injuries from bullies that healed faster than this. Yet there was the fact that she felt tired. Not because of nightmares or the lack of sleep as she was sleeping quite well and soundly. She was so deep in her dreams that she did not even notice what was going on around her and had overslept many times.

Throughout that time in the hospital whenever Matilda and Jaden visited, she found it quite shocking. She also found it strange every time that her eyes were kinder and softer than they were. She knew that Matilda was not the same girl as Victoria and Dorothy but it was difficult to see past when that same face with cruel eyes whipped her arms and legs that put her here, however her sweet personality helped make it easier. 

She had a good night’s sleep every time, regardless of how many times Danté came in to feed. He would always make sure that she was really alright and not just saying so just to make it easier for him before he took a bite. In fact, she could not help but notice, he had a way with him that was always able to tell whether or not she was really alright. He would ask whether or not she was alright and he was able to tell if she was lying and never fed upon her when he knew that she was far too weak to feed him. He would even take less than he knew that he needed in order to help her recover better.

She would have been at peace in her room had there been one thing that kept unnerving her. The one thing that made her feel uncomfortable whenever they were in the room. Doctor Morty and Nurse Noranna Stephiene. There was just something about them that she neither liked or trusted. In fact, whenever they came in she would feel an overpowering fear. She could not place why but she felt this irrational sense of fear. Was it the shrewd icy crystal blue eyes, or their metallic silver hair cut into a bob without a hair out of place, which made them look older than she knew they were? Or was it the cold beauty that their wrinkle free faces carried? Maybe it was the precise way they did things? Like as if everything they did was deliberate and purposeful right down to the last tiny detail?

All things about them and everything they did seemed so robotic and isolating, which made her feel cold. Even their bedside manner was cold and held no comfort or love. It was as if their very presence dropped the temperature of the room below zero degrees. It always made it so whenever Jaden and Matilda and even Danté came they brought the warmth with them and whenever they left they would always take the warmth with them. Leaving her alone in the ice of the room. Along with her icy hosts.

Then there were the hushed whisperings she overheard whenever she was in a state of self consciousness. They were mainly about her health and about DNA tests being conclusive. Saying that she was related to someone that she had the feeling that they did not like. This made her suspect that she would not like what this would mean one bit.

“Now, Miss Narcissa, I am going to inject you with a new drug into your system. I would like it if you did not discuss this with your visitors, alright?” Doctor Morty said in a whisper, like he was talking to a younger child.

He then injected a paralytic in her arm to stop her from moving. He then put something in her arm. Suddenly the vanes in her arm felt like it was on fire! She could not look down to see what it was, but she knew that it must have come from whatever it was that Doctor Morty had injected into her. She soon found out that she could not move her eyes at all! She could not even let out a scream in pain as the fiery feeling spread across her body causing her to suffer in silent agony. Then to her disheartening dread she felt another injection in the opposite arm. This made her body feel like it was an inferno!

No! Stop it! Stop it! I don't like it! I don't like it! I'm certain that this is not how it’s supposed to go in Britain! So stop it! Let me go! Let me go! She wanted to scream yet the only thing that she could do was think about doing that.

She wanted to scream out in pain and the tears that fell felt like acid on her temples. She must have looked like she was an ordinary girl looking at her doctor. Just crying to herself. Almost like he had given her a diagnosis that she did not like. Yet as she forced her eyes upon him she focused her mind off the pain and on him. This helped calm herself down and push away the pain for a while until, to her horror, Doctor Morty placed his finger and thumb and forced her eyelid closed. Now it looked as if she was asleep, having a terrible and heartbreaking nightmare. Then the pain became just too much for her and she passed out.

When she woke the first thing that she did was get out of bed, even though her legs were still healing she then broke out into a run. She knew that if she didn’t then that doctor would inject more of that stuff into her vanes and she knew that whatever that was it was not good for her. So she ran and ran. She turned corner after corner. She ran even more until her legs cracked and gave way underneath her. Then she collided with the ground below. She caught herself with her elbows. She then got to her feet and then went back to running. She was at the top of the stairs. She slid down on the rail and then her feet landed on the floor and she was about to pass the lift but then she felt a hand push her in as the doors closed behind her. She looked up and saw Doctor Morty above her. He looked down at her with a cold ice anger. 

No! No!

“Get away from me! You’re not going to do that to me again!” She screamed as she tried and failed to pull her arm out of his hand.

“Help! He-”

He quickly gripped her arm and yanked her up. He gripped her by her throat and she could speak no longer. She was about to fight back when she felt the sting of an injection in her side. He let go as she fell. The last thing that she remembered before everything went black was hitting her head on the wall of the lift.

The following day Jaden and Matilda walked in with a smile. There were new bandages over her arms and legs. She looked paler but she looked at them with a smile.

“So, how was your eleventh day in the hospital?” Asked Jaden.

“Same as all the other days!” She sighed as she yawned.

“When did they change your bandages?” Matilda asked.

She looked down and frowned.

That’s a good question. When did they change them?

“Probably while I was asleep. Although, I must admit everything from yesterday is nothing but a blur.” She admitted. “Must have been weaving in and out of sleep.”

Then Doctor Morty walked in.

“Hello Miss Narcissa. How are you this morning?” He asked.

“Very well.”

Nurse

The following day Menlida had felt off as she lay there. She had a sick feeling but the one thing that she had in her most and deepest of thoughts was how little she remembered of the day before yesterday. In fact, every time she tried to think about it, it was nothing but a blur. She remembered seeing Doctor Morty and nothing more. 

The only thing that she could recall of any of it was the intense desire to get out of the hospital as soon as she could. She could not place why she had such an irrational thought. Yet however she tried to put it away, it persisted in her mind like a song stuck in her head, and like a song stuck in her head, it would not go away. It seemed to repeat like the annoying words of that song. She wondered if there was a rational reason, but for the life of her, she could not come up with one. So, she had no choice but to let it stay, as she could do nothing about it.

Her injuries did not seem to be healing any faster. In fact she could feel that the ones done to her legs seemed to have become worse, and there were the new bandages that seemed to have been changed even though she had no memory of them being changed. She could also feel that she felt slightly hot too.

She looked at her legs as she wondered how they became worse. Did she sleep walk and then Doctor Morty woke her up and put her back to bed as she had damaged her legs.

“Are you alright?” Asked Jaden as she looked at her.

She snapped back into reality.

“Oh, yeah.” She replied absent mindedly.

“You don’t look it!” Remarked Matilda.

She frowned as she felt a dull sense of shock.

“I don’t?” 

“No, you don’t.”

“Must be coming down with something then.” She said as she placed a hand on her forehead. 

She then spotted that Nurse Noranna came in. Suddenly she felt a knot in her stomach. Yet her heartbeat started to increase. She could feel her body becoming cold as the nausea increased and clung to the back of her throat. She placed her hand on her stomach. She tried massaging it to help it become less painful but as Nurse Noranna came closer the knot only hurt more.

“Urm, Nurse, could you see if I’m coming down with anything?” She asked, hoping not to sound too awkward.

She looked at her with a cold type of concern and, for a moment, her features softened. Yet she looked at Matilda for a moment and then Jaden. Yet she pulled out her bag. She took out a thermometer. She put on a strange smile.

“Open.” She said as she put it in her mouth. She sucked on it for a moment as she thought about this strange bit of behaviour that her body was displaying. She then pulled it out again and took a glance at it.

“You seem fine, but your temperature does seem to be slightly high. However I am pretty sure that it’s nothing to worry about. Maybe you just need more rest.” She said, trying to place a sympathetic smile on her face. “Speaking of which, I’m sorry to say that visiting times are over. So I’ll let you have a moment to say your goodbyes and leave.”

They nodded as Matilda looked at her suspiciously but said nothing.

“Alright, goodbye.” She said, hugging her.

“See you tomorrow.” She said, as she pulled away.

“Get well soon, sis.” Jaden said.

“Will do!”

She smiled as she waved at them as they left. However as they did she could not help but have the ever increasing dread build up inside of her.

“Now, lie down.” She said, her cold hard look had suddenly returned.

She did what she was told. She then injected something into her drip. She soon found that it became difficult to move. Yet as she did her body soon no longer moved. Then she felt two needles in her arms. Soon her vanes felt like they were on fire. Then the memories of the day before yesterday flooded her mind. She tried to scream out and shout for help but she soon realised that she was paralysed. She knew that this was not normal for British hospital behaviour.  She felt her pain penetrated her mind, flaring up all of her pain receptors.

Why? Why’re they doing this to me? What’re they doing to me? Are they doing this to any other patients? If not, then why? Why me? Is it because I’m not from here? No, that couldn’t be it, after all my parents were both from here. So then, why me? Why is all of this happening to me?

Please stop! Please get this to end! Oh why won’t it stop?! Why? Why me? Why? Help! Help! HELP! HELP ME! SOMEONE JUST HELP ME! GET ME OUT OF HERE!

She cried and cried as she could only wait for the pain, yet again, caused her to pass out. However, when she came too she could still feel the burning in her vanes. When she woke, she slipped out of bed as silently as she could. She could feel the pain as the wounds in her legs flared up like fire. She knew that they would soon start swelling and that it would cause them to get worse but she knew that she had to get out of here.

She bit her lip as she ran across the corridor, she flew herself on the bannister and flew down it. She did her best to make sure that there were none around as she arrived at the bottom she then ran and, as she did, she could feel herself getting hotter and her legs felt like there were over a thousand needles in her legs. She felt the tears fall as the pain was getting to her. Yet she pushed herself on and on, knowing that if she stopped then she would never get out of this place.

She could see the exit ahead. She felt her hope rise within her. She could feel herself pushing on. She could feel the tears of hope and joy rise up, until she felt herself being pulled back. Then she felt something over her mouth. Immediately she held her breath as she already knew what was over her mouth and nose. She had seen enough movies to know where this was going. She fought and fought but it did nothing.

“Shh, come on. You can’t hold your breath forever.” Nurse Noranna whispered in her ear.

She tried to keep her breath held but then she knew that she was right. She could even feel her lungs hurting as she tried to stop herself from breathing. She then hit her abs again and again.  Then she could not take it any longer and then she took one deep breath and her eyes closed.

Then she was paralysed and she soon felt the injections of fire. Yet even though she was completely in agony, she must have appeared to be sleeping soundly and sweetly. Nothing to show anyone that she was in what she could have called nothing an inferno. However, she did all that she had to to keep her mind clear. Yet the pain became worse and worse.

Then she woke up however as she did she did all she could to pretend that she was still asleep. She had to wait for the right moment to be able to fight back. She could hear two people talking, it took her a while for her to hear what they were saying.

“And what if he finds out before-”

“Look, Nor’, we have her for that!” He shouted.

I knew it! They’re trying to kill me! Why are they trying to kill me? What’ve I done to them? I have got to get out of here before they do.

“And what if he finds out about that? What will he do then?” She heard Nurse Noranna shout.

“Oh please, as if he cares for that girl! If he did, wouldn’t he be here?” She heard Doctor Morty shout.

“And what if he’s already here?”

“We’ll just have to find that out once we come to that bridge. He’s not going to hurt you like he did Sue.” 

“I still see her...in my dreams...what he did!” 

She felt a nudge in her bed and a tear hit her forehead. She even heard a hiss. 

“I know, but we have her, and if we can’t find a way to kill him then we’ll just have to find a way to make her do it.” 

What? But I don’t want to become a killer! And who are they talking about?

“Yeah, you’re right. I think that we should. Also I think we ought to get that sister of hers too. Just in case.”

What? No Jaden! Why do they want to involve her in all this?

She felt a hand on her forehead. She knew that it was the nurse. She did not want her to touch her. She wanted her to get her off her as soon as possible. 

Just get off me! Just leave me alone!

“Aw!” The Nurse exclaimed as she whipped her hand away. 

“What?” 

“I-I don’t know...Suddenly her forehead became really, really hot just now!” She shouted as she showed her hand. His eyes widened.

“Your hand! It’s burnt!”

“Yeah, it is...”

“How?”

They looked at Melinda. Suddenly she felt slightly scared that they would soon find out that she was awake. She then felt something in her mouth. Judging by the feel of it she could tell that it was a thermometer. Soon the red rose higher than it not only than it should have been but rose almost to the top! Then it was taken out.

“What? But that's impossible! If this is right then-”

“She should be dead!”

“But then why isn’t she? And why is she so hot?”

Experimentation

She was put under a heavy sedation to a point that she could not wake up, not even a bomb could wake her. She could not tell anything that was going on around her as they rolled her to another part of the hospital that was secluded and private. A place where they could do what they wanted to to her and regardless of how much she screamed or cried for help and they would be confident that they would not be disturbed whatsoever. In fact little of the people that worked in the hospital knew of this section of the hospital. Windowless and empty it would have been dark if it had not been for the ice cold lights.

They then placed even more of the strange drug in her drip when they had secured her in place. She soon woke up in absolute agony as her whole body felt like it was on fire, soon it felt like her body was on blue fire. She screamed and screamed and screamed. She was soon weeping as her body twisted and turned in agony. She pulled as writhed against the cuffs. She wanted desperately to get them off and get this to end but they were too strong. She could only scream and scream. She screamed and screamed until her throat hurt and there was saliva running down the corners of her mouth.

“Stop it! Please stop it! Just stop it! Why are you doing this to me? Why are you doing this to me?”

Then it ended. She just wept when it was over. Then she saw orange under her eyelids. Her eyes soon caught sight of fire surrounding her. She could even feel the heat as it caused her to break out into a sweat and her hair had dried. Her gut dropped as the heat caused a hot breeze to rise from the flames. She then could see the smoke rise to the top! 

She tried to scream but she soon felt the sprinkle of the fire extinguisher. This helped cool her body. It was welcome as the water soothed her. She felt relief as the water drenched her body, but to her surprise it steamed on her body and evaporated. 

What? Why is that happening to me?

She soon could feel a burning power rising within her.

Nurse Noranna walked in and then looked at her. She then turned off the fire sirens.

“What are you doing to me?” She whispered, weakly as she felt dread rising within her.

She flinched as she placed a hand on her forehead.

“Just rest.” She said, almost motherly.

“Please just stop it!” 

“I’m sorry, we can’t. You might, you just might be the key to defeating this really bad man.” She said as if she was speaking to a younger child.

She could feel herself already tearing up.

“What? Why? I don’t want to! I’m supposed to be at school, living my life.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that yet. Now rest.” She said, kissing her on the head.

She found her eyes closing and she drowned in sleep. With a tear falling down the corner of her eyes. She saw a man in front of her. He looked very much like her but his eyes were a deep shade of crimson and filled with evil and danger. She suddenly felt like whoever she was looking at was by far more dangerous than anything that was in this town. Yet she had the suspicion that even though he was not in the town but he knew all that happened in it. She could even sense that he was coming to the town and there would be nothing that would be stopping him.

“My, my, you have grown!” He said as he looked directly at her. “You look as if you take after me.”

She then opened her eyes and she screamed again and again. She could not get him out of her head. 

Who was he? How did he know that I was looking out of his eyes? Why did he look so much like me?

She then stopped screaming as she felt her body was locked in place. She could not look around, yet she knew that she did not have any paralytics running in her vanes. It was a similar feeling when she first met Danté or like when Matilda, when she was Dorothy and Victoria, had paralysed her. This told her that this must be Danté coming to take a drink of her blood. Maybe he could get her out of this and then protect her from these two monsters that wanted to turn her into a weapon.

“You have to get me out of here Danté!” She could barely whisper.

However she heard a chuckle from someone that sounded similar to Danté but his voice was higher in his pitch, but only slightly and gave her such an icy feeling that she knew that this was not Danté, for his voice did have an icy air to it, it still had a bit of warmth to it. Not to mention it had a tender fatherly tone to it too. However there was a much more cruller air to this one and sounded like someone who would kill a child right in front of their parents.

Then she felt a hand on her neck. She then saw that she was looking at a man that looked almost identical to Danté, however, he had silvery platinum blond hair and deeper crimson eyes. Which looked cruller too. In fact, there was something about this man that made her hair stand up on end. Almost like every part of her being knew that she should do all that she could to get away from this man. No, this vampire. He was completely clean shaven, like every hair was cut within an inch of its life. His thick white eyebrows almost blended in with his snow white skin and his eyelashes were long, giving him a more effeminate cat-like look.

He then leaned in close to her revealing his pearly fangs, confirming that this man was a vampire.

“Could you tell Danté that Vytautas is coming for me?” He asked, his voice like that of a silky serpent. Almost like a snake curling around its victim and soothing it until it relaxed for the constricting.

Yet she felt her body start to relax as her heart was in a strange state of panic and relaxation.

He smiled as he placed a kiss on her cheek. He then leaned in and then bit deep into her neck, too deep, if she was to be honest. It hurt far more than Danté, which was always gentle. She screamed, hoping that someone would help her. Until she realised that she was in the hospital and there was more of a chance that the doctor and nurse would only watch with a smile than help her. 

Stop. Please, stop!

She could feel that he was sucking on her neck, clearly intending on making his bite hurt her. She could even feel her heart racing, which did little to help her. She could not move. She could not get up. She was utterly powerless. She lay there as she felt her body become colder and colder as she had to endure the painful feeling of this other vampire, without her permission, drink her blood. She started to feel faint and she was close to passing out when he pulled away. Her breathing had become faint as every thought slipped away.

“Peppery, yet there was a hint of mint.” He commented as she passed out. “No wonder he likes that taste so much.”

 When she woke up again she saw Norse Noranna looking at her. She looked at her neck and looked slightly unimpressed. She pulled out a needle and a string. She then stitched it up and then made sure that she checked her blood pressure. She let out a sigh of relief. She placed a stethoscope over her heat. She kept it there and suddenly she felt very exposed and vulnerable.

She put more of the drug into her drip. She then turned to her. She had a determined look in her eyes, which was filled with an ice cold rage. She then injected more in her vanes and she was soon writhing in pain as she felt like she was in a furnace and she soon started to feel like she was in the middle of blue fire. She could do nothing but endure the sensation of the drug burning through her veins and setting her heart on fire.

Soon that wave was fortunately over. She thought that would be the last of it and they would leave her alone for a while. Yet her gut told her that she was not going to get the rest bite that she wanted.

She then saw that Doctor Morty came in. He then looked at the girl’s neck. He then moved his hand to her. She moved away to keep him away and she felt herself shaking as his hand touched her jaw. She closed her eyes trying not to cry as her head was tilted away, forcing her to expose the wound in her neck. 

“Please stop it! Both of you! I can’t take this anymore! Please leave me alone!”

He then slowly picked the string away. 

“I know you can’t but it doesn’t matter what you want.”

He then stuck something in her neck and then she felt the fire coming from the neck area and she was soon screaming and crying in pain as she felt like her head and brain were on fire. She heard herself crying out for help again and again until her throat hurt. She then felt the fire flaring up from her drip and then in her arms. She soon felt like she was in the middle of the sun. She then felt foam flowing from her mouth. She then closed her eyes and the last thing that she heard was their laughing.

When she woke up next. She saw the nurse and the doctor sitting next to her.

“Stop it! Please stop! I can’t take it any more. I can’t take it any more. I’m begging you! Just leave me alone.” 

“Shut up” Norse Noranna snapped. 

She then slapped her with nothing but ice in her eyes, like she was looking at vermin. 

“You have no right to speak! Especially after what that father of yours did! Have you got that?”

She looked at her astonished at what she had just said. 

“Wh-what?” She asked.

But my dad’s dead!

She rolled her eyes.

“Never you mind.” She snapped. “Now, time for the next dose.”

“No! Please just, no!” She shouted. “Just stop! My dad’s dead! My dad’s dead!” 

She then rolled her eyes again as she injected even more of the drug into her vanes and she was soon feeling the fire of what felt like the sun. She cried and cried, knowing that this would not end unless they wanted for it to. She was never going to get out of here too either. She knew that they, for whatever reason, hated her because of what her father had done, but he was dead! He was dead!

Why is this happening? What the hell had this got to do with my dead father? He’s dead for goodness sake! Oh how I wish that he was alive! I wish that he was here with me, to protect me. Oh I miss America.

She then passed out even though she woke up, she only woke up to the fire again. She went in and out of consciousness like waves on the shore. When the course was over her mind and body were both so tired that she was completely weak and her throat was throbbing. Her body was sweating and her hair was drenched. 

Nurse Noranna then lowered her into a bath and started to clean her. She felt the cool water ease her body. She soon felt slight relief as she welcomed the cool water. She then started to clean her and then looked at her.

“So, you’re awake.” She cooed.

She would have let out a scream, but she was far too weak.

“Help!” She whispered, her voice too weak to speak.

“What was that?”

“Help. Just please help!” She whispered.

“Listen, we’re about to come into the final stage. Then you will be turned into a weapon against that man. Then we’ll find out more about your powers. But fear not, You’re almost complete so you’ll have a good break after this one.” She said as she wiped away the sticky face.

“Please...no...Dad...he’s dead...” She whispered.

“Shh...It’s alright. It will be all over soon.” She said as she placed a mask over her mouth and nose. She then was soon asleep. She then felt like she was on fire and she had dreams of fire and then blue fire. Even when she was seeing through other peoples’ eyes she saw fire eclipse her sight. Even her mind felt like it was on fire. 

She woke up feeling so weak that she could barely move or speak. She could not even move her eyelids. Yet even they could only twitch. Informing them that she was awake.

“Now we stop.” She heard Nurse Noranna say.

“We will let you rest, our little weapon.” Doctor Morty said as he stroked her head.

Recovery

After goodness knows how long she was taken back to her old room. She did not know how long she could handle all of this. She had her eyes closed. The frown demonstrated that she was still in pain as her body ached from the head to her toes. There was a trail of blood flowing from her nose as her throat saw raw and sore. 

Then, when all had cleared out of the room, Vytautas walked in wearing a snow white suit. With a silver tie that had been decorated with a floral pattern and a silver fob watch in the pocket of his waist coat. He had a scarlet silk napkin that was covered in crimson roses in the breast pocket.

“Well, I thought that she would have died by now.” He said as he sat on a seat next to the girl and put one leg over the other. “It seems like I was wrong.”

He licked his lips as he took a deep exaggerated breath. Doctor Morty let out a tut as his lip curled.

“Vytautas, didn’t we tell you-”

He shrugged passively.

“I know! I know! I just couldn’t help myself! I just want to see the look on his face when he sees that I drank from her.” He said as his eyes narrowed and his smile widened. “Now is it time for us to wake this sleeping beauty up? Although, admittedly I do wish to leave something in there.”

“What? Why?” Doctor Morty snapped.

He laughed lightheartedly.

“You need not fear, it is only just a small message, that is all.” He said, as he looked at her, his throat was already getting dry.

They wished to challenge him but they soon saw that it was not worth it, so he placed a balloon next to her ear and popped it with a bang. She woke up with a slight jump but she was far too weak and could hardly do anything. She was breathing deeply and rapidly. She was sweating so much that her nightgown was glued to her skin. Her hair was drenched that she would have never known that it was dried only half an hour ago. She was still strapped.

“Please just stop...” She whispered.

“Have we not already explained?!” Nurse Noranna snapped as she slapped her.

She gasped for breath and she started to cough. She knew that her voice was far too damaged to cry out. She then started to shake as the mild hypothermia started to sink in. She felt her teeth chatted together as she shook. She just could not get warm but yet she felt the core of her body still felt warm. However she just looked directly at her in anger.

“Why’re you doing this to me?” She snapped as she felt like there was a hand over her voice box.

The Doctor and the Nurse both looked at each other and without a word the two gripped both of her arms and pinned her down. For a moment she felt her heart start to race as she feared that they were going to inject her with that strange drug. However they looked at the vampire, suddenly she thought that he was going to inject her with the drug.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” He said as he took out his silver fob watch and then looked at the time.

“Danté should be visiting in an hour’s time.” He said as he put it away. “We need to make this quick. And do take care to remember to spray afterwards.”

He looked at her and smiled. 

“Tell me, do you remember what I told you?” He said as if he was talking to a younger child. 

She looked at him and nodded. 

“Can you keep my message in your head and only my message?”

No. He’s gonna make me forget! I can’t forget! They’re gonna hurt me again!

She found her thoughts were slipping from her as he placed his fingers in front of her eyes. All she could think about was that night when Vytautas came to visit. She could hear those words that he spoke to her like he was right next to her. In fact, she tried to remember why she did this but she could not remember. It was like all her memories were slipping away.

“Now, you will forget everything that happened to you other than what I have told you. You were in intensive care as the Doctor and the Nurse found that your wounds had been infected and it was almost too late but they got the infection just in time.” He said and he moved his fingers next to her ear and then her eyes snapped shut and she was unconscious. They let go of her and looked at her.

“Tell me was that really necessary?”

He shrugged. 

“What? I gave her a message to deliver. So how can she deliver it if she has forgotten what she was supposed to deliver?” He asked.

“Oh you vampires! I never get what’s going on in that head of yours.” He said.

“I think that I ought to keep you guessing.” He said. “Now we ought to leave.”

When she woke up she saw Danté staring right at her. She looked at him with a weak smile. She could not guess or know why she felt so weak. She felt ill and there was something around her voice box. It was like someone had drained her of her energy. That and her throat hurt and she knew that if she spoke then she would only whisper. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, with concern and alarm in his eyes.

She shook her head.

“No, I was attacked by a vampire last night.” She said as she rubbed her head. 

She noticed that her bandages had been replaced. 

“Tell me where have you been? I came here last couple of nights and even during the day and you were not here!” 

“I-I think I was in intensive care. I remember that the wounds had become infected, but that’s not the strange part.” She whispered as she rubbed her aching head.

“What?”

“I don’t think that I was.” She mumbled as she had a flash of a needle which struck her with an irrational fear.

He looked at her and frowned. He had a protective look in his eye, like a father protecting his child. 

“How come?”

She frowned.

“I-I remember...that the vampire said something to me...he told me to tell you that Vytautas has come.” She said, weakly as she could feel like it was taking all her strength just to tell him this. 

His eyes widened as he came close to her and gripped her shoulders so hard that she was afraid that he would crush them.

“Vytautas! Are you sure?”

She nodded. She then had a bizarre sensation of deja-vu. She frowned as she wondered who could have possibly held her like that? She knew that it was someone that caused her distress but she could not remember who. She knew that it could not have been the twins, no they didn’t need to pin her down. Then there was this feeling like she was being suffocated.

“I think that he might have hypnotised me.” She admitted. 

He looked down for a moment as she caught sight of a look that was a mix between anger and despair.

“That’s him alright...”

“What do you think that he wants?” She asked.

He bit his lip and shook his head.

“Tell me, how do you feel blood wise?” He asked, trying to sound as lighthearted as he could.

She touched her neck.

“I don’t know...”

He looked slightly concerned

“Should I wait until it’s a better time?”

She shook her head.

“N-no, I think that you have waited long enough.” She whispered.

He smiled at her sweetly. He then drew in and just as he took a gulp he pulled back in alarm. He looked at her in a state of alarmed suspicion. She placed her hand over her damaged neck as she looked at him confused.

“What?”

“Who are you?” He growled like a predator. “What have you done with Melinda Narcissa?”

“What? What do you mean?” She snapped, her throat feeling like there were needles in them. “I am Melinda Narcissa!”

“No! You are not! Her blood tasted like Turkish Delight! Yours tasted like chilli and peppermint! So tell me, who are you and what have you done with her?” He snapped, gripping her hard.

She looked at him completely outraged and confused.

“What do you mean?” She snapped. “You know who I am!”

His hands gripped her shoulders harder and sniffed. He then looked confused. He sniffed again, which seemed to confuse him more. Which led him to sniffing again.

“You do smell similar to her but you-you’ve got the scent of another. So again who are you?” 

She looked at him angrily. 

“I told you I am Melinda Narcissa. Why do you think that I’m anyone else?” She asked.

“No you are not!” 

“Yes I am!”

“Then why do you not prove it?”

She then looked around and then gathered all her strength to move to his ear.

“When I was scared by the twins it was you that I confided in. And you’re the one who told me that I had the magician’s powers.” She whispered as she flopped back down.

“So you are her.” He exclaimed. 

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!”

He then thought for a moment and then placed a hand over her eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but then Doctor Morty barged in. 

“That’s quite enough!” He shouted. “She needs rest! Not a vampire taking away her chance to live.”

He looked back with a guarded face. He rushed to her as he looked at her neck and then her eyes. She flinched for some reason. She suddenly felt that overwhelming fear of him that she had been feeling ever since she had come to this hospital. 

Get off me! Get off me! She said in her head as they tilted her head to the side. He then let out a sigh of relief as he turned back to Danté.

“What were you doing to the poor girl?” Asked Nurse Noranna.

“Get out of here!” The Doctor said.

“Why?” He asked, his voice as cold as he could make it. “What are you doing to her?”

“Never you mind! Now get out of here! Or am I going to have to call the police?” He asked as he looked at him sternly in the eyes.

“Oh please do. I think that they would find it most enlightening. Either way I am going to find out what you have done to her.” He growled.

“Nothing to do with you, vampire.”

“Considering that she is my food supply. I think it does.” He said in a dangerous tone.

He let out a sigh.

“Find another food supply for she’s not any more. Now leave! You are no longer invited in this hospital, Danté Dracula.” He snapped.

He sighed and shrugged.

“Alright, however, Doctor Morty, Nurse Noranna, please take note that a hospital is no home.” He told them. “I shall see you tonight.”

He then faded into smoke and left through the window. They then put a plaster on her neck.

“Come, time for you to get your sleep.” She said as she injected her with a sleeping drug. 

She closed her eyes and then as if the next moment she opened her eyes it was dark at night. Her eyes slid to Danté.

“Good night.” He said as placed his fingers over her eyes. 

He then clicked in front of her eyes twice and everything came to mind. She told him everything.

“If that's all true, then we need to get you out of here.” 

Escape

He came back in the evening and appeared in her room. He then placed a hand over her eyes to make sure that she remembered everything that had happened to her. She woke up and the first thing that she did was hug him tightly. She could feel herself shaking. He hugged her back but he made sure that he held back his strength so as to not crush her. Yet he still held her firm and kept him from seeing his angered face.

“Please you’ve gotta get me out of here! You’ve gotta get me out of here.” She whispered. 

He pulled her away and smiled falsely. Yet upon looking at her, he saw her puffy and sore eyes and cheeks. She was even more deathly pale than she already was. 

“It will be alright. Just hang on a little longer, just stay here. I think that it will be best if they think that I am not here.” He said, stroking her cheek.

She nodded but she looked upset. He could see that she was dying inside. He knew that she would have cried if her tear ducts were not swo. He placed his finger under her chin and smiled encouragingly. It took everything within him not to let her see how angry he was. His throat tightened but not out of the thirst of blood.

“It will be fine, you’ll be out of here by the end of tonight you will be sleeping in your own bed.” He said encouragingly.

She smiled weakly.

“And what will you do if they check?” She asked, slightly worried.

He gave her a wink which inspired both confidence and fear.

“I would hardly need to worry about that if I were you.” He said.

“What are you going to do?” She asked sternly, despite her silent voice.

He chuckled coldly and lightly.

“What is it to you?” He asked as he opened a small box. 

He turned into a cloud of bats and then they hid in the box.

“Danté what is it that you’re gonna do?”

She was about to press further but she spotted Doctor Morty and Nurse Noranna were coming in the window. She quickly lay back down and pretended to sleep. She tried to pretend to relax. She tried not to flinch as the doors opened. She had to not show any dread as he came closer and closer to her.

“Strange, I thought that I heard her shouting.” She said as she turned away from her. “Guess I was just hearing things.”

“Or maybe not.” Doctor Morty said as he came closer to her. 

She had to do all that she could to keep herself from flinching as he placed a hand on her head and smiled. 

“It seems that she’s stronger than we thought.”

“Must be down to her genetics. She is his daughter, after all.” She said as she too placed a hand on her head. “What do you think that we should do with her once he’s dead?”

She started to stroke her forehead with her thumb.

“Should we kill her?”

 He shook his head.

“I don’t know. Maybe let her go? Although, we would have to make her forget everything.” He said. “After all, we shouldn’t let her kill us. Not even at her age.”

Nurse Noranna narrowed her eyes as she leaned in as she looked at her.

“Yeah...Why don’t we let Vytautas have her? After all, he is interested in her.” She suggested. “Maybe he will have a good use for her.”

“True, but wouldn’t that be a little too cruel? After all, she hasn’t done anything to us. She doesn’t even know.” He asked as he leaned close to her to a point that she could feel his hot breath on her forehead. “Although, speaking of which, I don’t think that she’s asleep.”

“What? How do you know?”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. He was about to open his mouth and explain but he looked behind her and froze. Almost like he had been hit by something and it made him feel cold.

“What?”

His eyes dropped to the box.

“She was shouting. Who was she shouting at?” He asked.

She widened her eyes as she realised what he was getting at. They then started to look around. They looked around the room, searching thoroughly and then they finally came to the box. They opened it only for the cloud of bats flapped up and then spun around making Danté’s form.

“W-what?”

“I did tell you, a hospital is not a house.” He said, shrugging.

“But it’s-”

He put up his finger.

“Shhh....”

Suddenly Melinda found that she could not move. It was all too clear that this was Danté keeping her very still. It was all too clear that he did not want her to interrupt during whatever it was he was about to do. This also told her that she would not like or approve of it either. This told her exactly what he was about to do as he placed something over her ears that shut out all sound.

“What are you-” Nurse Noranna started to say as he raised his hand to her, she did not get to the end of her sentence before she fell into a deep hypnotic trance. Her body rose up erect as the rest of her body moved to him and dropped everything beside her. She walked up to him and he placed a hand on her cheek. He kept his eyes locked to hers. She then moved closer and placed a hand on his cheek. 

“No, Nor’ get away from him! Snap out of it.” He shouted. “Vytautas! Help! Help!” 

He smirked as he leaned in close and his lips locked with hers. They kissed each other deeply and passionately. He pushed her in closer as she took another step towards him. He pulled away as her hands fell to her chest and unbuttoned  the top two buttons and then flattened her collar exposing her neck.

“No, stop it! Just stop it! I’ll do anything! Just stop it!” He shouted as he tried to run to her but his body was held in place.

“Did you when she said those words?” He asked, pointing to Narcissa with his thumb.

He closed his mouth and he smirked.

“I thought so.” He said as he dug his fangs into her neck.

He sucked and sucked and Doctor Morty tried to run to her but his body was still frozen in place. So all he could do was see him drink all the blood from her. He could feel tears falling. Then, when her body fell there was not a drop of blood in her body and as an effect she looked old. He then moved to him.

“Go to Hell vampire.” He whispered. 

Danté smiled.

“No, it’s you that is going to Hell. Also, it seems like Vytautas has betrayed you.” He said as he got close to him. “It seems like he’s set his eyes on something else.”

His hands rose and he unbuttoned his shirt, soon he joined the Nurse. He then walked over their corpses and walked to her. He then looked at the wounds that the twins had inflicted to her. It was all too clear that they were in their final stages of healing. He then placed new bandages over them and gathered her things in a rucksack.

“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t let you see that.” He admitted. “My dark side can sometimes get too far. It wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine.”

She opened her eyes and she was about to look but he placed his head away from the dead bodies as he took off the earmuffs. He turned her head to him and shook his head. She knew that he was protecting her from an ugly sight even though a part of her wanted to see. He knew that she had seen far too much and she had lived here for only three months. It seemed that one thing led to another. 

“Don’t look. Now, can you walk?” He asked.

She placed her feet on the ground but she felt the pain in her legs. She tried to take a step forward and she felt like she was walking with needles in her legs. She shook her head. He nodded and he put her things on his back. He then picked her up and carried her. He walked up the stairs and then he came to the roof. He then rose up and held the girl in his arms tighter. 

He flew her over the houses and as he looked down she wondered how many people are sleeping in those old homes. She saw how big the town was and saw that it was the shape of a heart with the dip leading into a large lake. There she could see that there were metal foundations of extensions all around. She could see the carnival next to the heart. She then spotted that, in the heart of the town, was a small castle. By the looks of it it looked like it was built in the Mediaeval era, however there were Viking parts that hinted that the Mediaeval parts were extensions.

“Who lives there?” She asked out of curiosity.

“None at the moment, but it sometimes is used by a man that you don’t want to know anything about.” He said, with a protective tone.

She looked down and nodded. They lowered to a street in the middle of the castle and the lake. There she recognised that they were flying to her house! She had not seen the house in over a month. She felt tears of joy fall down and burned her cheeks. She never thought that she would never see it ever again. She was overjoyed and relieved to see it. After all this time she was finally home!

He landed and walked on and slowly dropped her so that she would feel as little pain as she could. He then raised his hand and knocked on the door. The door was opened by Matilda who looked at her and she rushed at her and hugged her. 

“Melinda! Are you alright?”

“Am now.” She said her voice was almost gone as she gave her a weak smile.

“Jaden! The doctor lied, she’s alright!” She shouted.

“What are you- Melinda? What are you doing here?” She asked. “Doctor Morty said that you were taken to intensive care.”

“He lied.” She started to sob.

Then she noticed Danté.

“What did you do?” She asked angrily.

“I got her out of there. And if you were smart, never let her go back there again.”

“What? Why?”

“Because Doctor Morty and Nurse Noranna were experimenting on me.” She shouted, bringing more harm to her throat.

“What? Why?” She asked. “How do you know?”

She grabbed her hand and then she whipped her hand out of her looking shocked.

“But still why?”

She shook her head.

“I-I don’t know. I-I think they wanted to kill someone. I don’t know who but they said that he had killed this woman Sue.” She whispered, pushing herself as hard as she could. “They thought that by killing me, it would help them kill this person but when that didn’t work they wanted me to kill him!”

She frowned and then her eyes darted to her and Matilda. She looked aside with a frown but she shook her head. 

“And that’s not all, my younger brother, Vytautas Dracula, is back in town.” Danté said gravely.

Melinda’s eyes widened as her sister’s became jaded. She let out a grief stricken sigh. She rubbed her eyes out of stress. Her eyes dropped to Melinda.

“He’s interested in her isn’t he?”

His eyes darkened as he nodded. His eyes slid to her but she knew that it was not her that he was seeing. Jaden placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her in close. She held her tight, but still conscious of her healing wounds. Her eyes dropped to the wound on her neck and pulled her back.

“Did he do that to you?” She asked.

She nodded. She pulled her back in and held her tighter like she was afraid of letting her go. 

“Look, I know that you are getting a lot on your plate, but even though Doctor Morty and Nurse Noranna are dead, you must know that there might be other Doctors and Nurses that would do the same thing to her if they had the chance.” He said, warningly.

She looked up at him and nodded.

“Thank you for looking out for her.” She said, as she hugged her tightly.

Melinda spotted the clown looking at her and waved his hand to her. As Matilda saw him her attention turned to Melinda.

“Jaden, I think we need to take her inside.” She said, with a hint of protectiveness in her voice. 

She nodded as she pulled her away. 

“Go and help her to her room.”

She nodded and helped her in. 

“Speaking of which, why are you looking after her?”  She asked, her eyes narrowed. “She reminds you of her doesn’t she?”

He looked down with sorrow in his eyes.

”Good night.”