Little Miss Vampiress

Chapter 5: Voices

Later, while I was reading The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet in its original form to Larten, something in my head started going off. Some sort of alarm, nearly silent whispers from indefinite voices that said "Hey! Pay attention, someone else is here!" I stopped when this little warning started happening. After a minute or so, they stopped. Larten asked, "Hey, Delia, why did you stop?"

"Huh? Oh, I thought I heard something." I shook my head and, coming to the decision that I had been imagining the whole thing, I began again.

Suddenly, the voices came back, shrieking and wailing like someone who was in immense pain, chanting the warning over and over. I can't remember, but I think I screamed. I know my hands went to my ears, trying desperately to block them out, as if it would do any good. I doubled over in pain, feeling like my brain was going to explode. I remember Larten looking confused and scared- an expression he doesn't wear very often. I remember him yelling, asking if I was okay and what was wrong.

I was sure he knew he wouldn't get an answer. I was too occupied with the sensation of getting my head severed with a machete from the inside. I guess it was the small amount of "humanity" he had left that caused his reaction. He tried multiple times to calm me down, but I was apparently too far gone.

And, just as suddenly as they came, the voices were gone. As soon as I heard dead silence, I opened my eyes. I had closed them, too afraid to open them, afraid of the possibility of seeing actual people with the voices. That would've sent me over the edge.

Luckily, when I did open my eyes, all I saw was Larten, sitting on the ground on his knees right in front of me, wide-eyed with concern. "Delia, what happened?"

I was so shaken, I didn't even answer him. I just lunged and pulled him into a tight hug. I respected the fact that he didn't enjoy physical interaction of any sort, but in that moment, I needed it. I needed the feeling of security, the paternal Larten to come out and help me. Anyone who knows me knows I hate getting upset in front of anybody, even Larten. If I get upset in someone's presence, I feel like I'm begging for sympathy. I feel weak and dependent. I was raised to act otherwise.

He just slowly wrapped his arms around me. "Shh, Delia. It is alright. I am here. Shh, it is okay." He whispered. He was really good about being there when I needed him. There are many situations that I don't know what I would have done if he weren't there.

Anyway, when I calmed down, he pulled me back so he could look me in the face. He used his thumb to wipe away a tear and he asked, "Delia, are you okay? I do not think I have ever seen you lose your composure like that. Did something happen?"

I contemplated telling him. I couldn't think of a lie that could justify it, so I decided to let him hear the truth and if he thought I was crazy then so be it.

"What were the voices saying?" Larten asked in a way that made him sound like he believed me.

"It was a warning. I think it was saying someone was-"

"Hello?" We heard from another part of the theater. I looked back at Larten, and finished, "Here." We both got up and I followed him out onto the balcony. On the floor, I saw Darren, looking around for us, assumingly. Larten turned to me. "What should we do?"

"Well, he's probably looking for us for a reason. We should go down and see what he wants." He nodded and in a second, he was on the stage by Darren with a deck of cards in his hand. I decided to flit down and stood beside him until Darren needed me. I knew he would need me, due to Larten's terrible temper.

Larten was the first to speak. "Good morning, Master Shan." Darren whipped around and looked with wide eyes at me and Larten. He studied us both closely. He cleared his throat and said, "It's not morning. It's the middle of the night." I chuckled a little.