Dracula And Anna: Finding The truth

Ch 10: Emotional And Mental Stress

Dracula was trying not to make a sound in the comfortable waters of the spa bath. Little did he realise that this tranquilness was about to be shattered, like glass, into a thousand pieces.

Anna didn't know how long she slept, all she knew was that she didn't dream. The smallest noise bothered her. She could hear the water moving as if someone was trying not to disturb her.

She started to wake, and her eyes slowly opened...

A sudden scream in shock caused the Count to jump - which causes him to drop the soap into the water - as if Igor had just zapped him on his bottom with his cattle prod. He turns to stare at Anna, who is staring at him as if she thinks she's crazy or is seeing things.

She covers her chest by folding her arms, since she doesn't have a towel close at hand, and looks away from him, to her right, becoming still, and quiet.

After what felt like several minutes, Anna realises that Dracula is still staring at her, so she turns to give him a look of intense hatred, but notices that his eyes are higher than she'd expected.

Anna knew all the rumours and stories about Dracula. She'd had to learn, like her father used to always say, "Know your enemy." And that's exactly what she'd done. She'd gotten to know him from every bit of information she could find. How he was a womaniser, and only liked women for their beauty and strength. Had the rumours and stories been wrong?

It wouldn't be the first time.

He had been looking at her face, but now that she was looking at him, he was looking into her eyes. She felt really strange like she wanted to go to him, but couldn't.

She felt torn inside.

She tried to relax; the Count couldn't be all that bad, he was considered a gentleman after all. And even though they had been enemies, Dracula had – to some degree – been a gentleman towards her, even when she'd tried to kill him with a wooden stake the first time they'd met, when she was sixteen.

And hadn't she made a promise?

Yes, she had made a promise, but not just one, that was the whole problem. To Lily, she had promised to love Dracula and to care for him, but she'd also made a promise to her brother, Velkin, to destroy Dracula. These two things alone were tearing at her heart.

No wonder she felt so torn inside...

Anna was so caught up in her thoughts that she'd almost forgotten that Dracula was there – though that was an impossible feat – still staring at her.

Anna remained with her arms crossed, staring right back at him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was fighting, not to "look" at him, but in the edges of her vision, she couldn't help but "see" him.

Dracula didn't seem to notice, or at least, he paid it no mind, for the Count was now looking for the soap he had lost, while he did this, he sensed that Anna was leaving.

Anna, full to exploding point with embarrassment, had grabbed her clothes on her way out. In the living room, she rushed to put them on, then sped out the door that led to the rest of the castle.

Dracula, after finally finding the soap, continued to wash until he smelt like wildflowers, from all the washing. Like Anna, he hadn't had a bath either...

Lily and Rose had left to hunt, while Anna spent her night trying to avoid Count Dracula, to no avail. After only an hour and a half, she ran into him, literally.

The force, with which they collided, caused her to fall to the floor. Had the Count not been a gentleman, and had so fast a reflex, Anna would have landed on her bottom.

Instead, the Count caught her in his arms.

There was a brief tender moment where they looked into each other's eyes. Dracula, before he could stop himself, came closer to her lips. Anna was doing the same thing, and just before their lips met, Anna suddenly realised what she was doing and pulled herself away from him.