The Vampire and the Orphan

Chapter Twelve

It was just shy of dusk, and Lettie was returning from the little creek in the valley, she and Nathanial had been calling home.

It had been nearly a week, and they had fallen into a routine. Lettie would stay awake most of the night with Nathanial. She'd usually fall asleep at some point before him and would always wake before him.

When the sun would go down, they'd sit and chat under the moonlight, and he would build a fire to keep her warm. They bathed in the creek, and since Lettie would wake before the sun had gone down, she took their clothes to the stream and washed them. She would then leave them to dry in the late evening sun. Many things had fallen from the streets above into the valley down here. They found a tarp and cut it into makeshift clothes to cover themselves while their clothing dried.

Walking around like that was a tad awkward, but they became more comfortable with each other daily. She slipped her newly-dried clothes and left Nathanial's folded clothes near the cave entrance.

He was pensive and lost in his thoughts the prior evening, and she knew it was because he was trying to decide what to do next. No matter how well this valley was hidden, they could only stay in one place for a short time, which posed an important question.

How did they get back up? She craned her neck to look up at that steep rocky cliff, the memory of Nathanial free-falling down it fresh in her mind.

"Those wings would be nice," she said, directing her words toward the sky.

She'd been practicing by healing Nathanial's wounds all week, along with various flowers and shrubs around the island. She'd also slipped in and out of the 'faux 'cave" she'd made several times. She'd always known there was something about her that was different than the other kids at the orphanage. Now at least, she knew what it was, or some of it. She was enjoying starting to hone the abilities she did have.

"Could I exit somewhere else?" she spoke out loud, pacing as she thought. "I always come back right here, but does it have to be? Can I find a way, so my exit is up there?"

With that in mind, she pushed through the invisible barrier and found herself in the void again. This time she paused before returning to the faux cave she'd initially created for her and Nathanial. She stood in the nothing and tried to envision the road; maybe if she made a replica of that, the exit would be on it.

Just like that, she found herself standing on a familiar rough surface. It was as dark as the cave realm she had created; however, she could use the light from her necklace to see she was on the street. She sought out the void again and stepped through it. She was back outside the cave where she'd started when she emerged.

"Darn," she mumbled, "didn't work."

So no matter what she created, she'd always return to where she was. Did that mean that she could get into other realms from that nothingness?

If she could, perhaps she could find the woman that belonged to the voice she couldn't stop thinking of. With that in mind, she jumped through once again. This time she stood in the nothing or the void as Nathanial called it.

She stood and stayed still, letting her senses take over. She started walking slowly and carefully; it was bizarre walking through this void. One couldn't see or feel a thing. It felt like an odd dream; however, you were awake. She continued to move forward with no real direction in mind.

After what felt like a long time, she suddenly stopped. She felt something ahead of her, sensed it.

Did she find a realm created by someone else? Could it be her?

"Hello?" she called out.

"Child, come," came the voice in an instant.

She froze as she knew this voice. She usually heard this voice in her head, her dreams of this place. Only this time, it was real. It sounded like a male voice but very smooth, almost musical.