Catch Them

Traveling

I tighten my corset as Ace yells for me to come out of the room because we will be late.

"Five more minutes!" I respond, making great effort to hurry. We're going from Moscow to some part of Transylvania and back to London. "You should try to put this torture machine on, you ungrateful little shit."

It's been a while since I have worn a dress, but they insisted I dress more feminine. I sigh. Three more pulls, and I'm done.

"You know, if you don't hurry, I will leave without you!" He teases, and I tie my laces. I put a bolero over the dress.

As soon as I went out, I realized a pair of pants and a shirt would have been a much wiser decision. I see he was leaning on the door. When I opened it, he almost fell on me.

He takes a few steps back, studying me from head to toe. This is one of the dresses I love. He babbled. I knew it would work on every man, even on him.

It looks like the dress I wore when I turned 14, only this one is white: it has a short skirt, being covered in a leaf pattern made out of thin thread. The bolero is black, being one of the only black things I found in the dresses and suits shop. I chose to wear thigh-high boots, so I'm not dressed like a true lady.

"Uau. You look..."

"Amazing, I know."

I don't like where his eyes are, but, overall, I like his reaction. He's shocked and amazed. I don't dress in this kind of clothing that often, but I have to make him my slave. Guess he's a simp.

"Do you have the tickets?" I ask, almost running, trying to catch up with him. He's much faster. He pulls two red pieces of paper out of his pocket.

"Yes, I do. I'm not that incompetent."

______________

"Do you know what a vampire looks like, Japeth?" Ace asks, looking outside the window, lost, while little snowflakes gather on the ground. 

I nod, and I feel the train is going faster than it did before. The boy's shoulders untense, and he sighs. He's thinking about something: maybe he's remembering an event from a long time ago. I put the coat he gave to me when we went to our seats around him. He needs it more than me.

"I can describe them to you if you don't, you know? I grew up surrounded by them." He continues, murmuring the words. "What do you know so far?"

I don't know that many things. vampires are pale, skinny, with an ugly face and an ugly bone frame. When I tell him that, he giggles, continuing to admire the white snow falling from the sky.

"No, silly. Vampires are the most dark and beautiful creatures you will ever see. Forget the mermaids. They don't even come close to what you will see in Transylvania."

Good, good. Who doesn't like strong, evil, murderous, handsome men who want to drink your blood? Clearly, not me. I yawn, and he finally looks away from the window. He puts his feet on the empty seats in front of us, kicking mine down. I frown, and he turns towards me, closing his eyes.

"Goodnight, Japeth."

I smile, and he stretches more. I think he's a nice guy, but I'm worried. I'm a kind of monster, too.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I ask, and he opens one eye, searching his bag.

"Yes. Sorry. Here's your five pennies. You were right. I can't go without sleep as much as you can."

_______________

We arrived at our destination after two days of switching trains and boats. We snuck on more than three quarters of them. The carriages themselves were pretty expensive, so if we hadn't, we would've had -30 crowns by the end, not to mention we had to have three meals a day.

It was pretty exciting, but the boats were a pain in the ass. I was very careful, trying not to be touched by water. It happened one time, and I hid in the bathroom with Ace. I don't want to know what the other people thought we were doing locked up in there.

I left Ace behind with the luggage. I need to find something to eat. But look how my appetite goes when a girl comes running towards him and hugs him.

"Atanasie!" She laughs, and he drops all he has on his hands to hug her. "Oh, I've missed you so much!"

I feel sick when he points towards me, and she comes to shake my hand, telling me her name is Maria. I've decided. I don't like Maria. I hope she chokes on her saliva right here. I don't like the fact that she's dressed like an old peasant, with a long skirt with an ugly floral model, I don't like how her shirt is tucked in, revealing her small waist, and I don't like how he touches her. I hate all of those things, especially the last one.