Blanche's blood

Part 2

Sun was streaming through a dirty window into a cell. There was a simple bed, and a table with four chairs in the middle. Currently, three chairs were occupied: on one side, there were two nuns. On the other- a bald man in nightshirt. His skin was marked with many wounds, which seemed to be either infected, or already necrotic. His fingertips were bloody, and upon closer inspection one could see that he didn't have nails.

"...my help would have been requested; it would have been difficult to refuse that..." said the man.

"Difficult?!" a young nun asked.

"Unacceptable."

Suddenly, the doors opened, and a young woman walked in. She was wearing a beautiful brown dress, adorned with lace, and had heavy earrings in her ears. Her stride was confident, and she was smiling politely. "Sisters," she said and curtsied briefly, flipped her long, dark hair away from her face and went to sit next to the man. All three heads turned to her in confusion. The woman sat relaxed and turned fully to look at the man next to her. She was still smiling as she closely scrutinized his face. She did not look surprised or disgusted at all by his unusual appearance.

"Ah, mister Harker. You don't remember me, do you?" she said. "Well, we'll wake your mind up, fear not. Especially, since I remember you very well."

"How do you know mister Harker, miss ?.." The older nun asked the woman in a thick accent. The guest turned to her so quickly, she must have gotten a concussion.

"Blanche Cascien," said the young woman, her own bubbly voice laced with a French accent. "Blanche Marguerite Cascien," she then added, her voice disdainful when pronouncing the middle name, but she quickly returned to her usual gleeful self. "I've met mister Harker when he first arrived at the castle. We did not interact much, unfortunately. Dracula was very interested in him. And he prefers if I stay away from his guests anyway, especially men."

***

Blanche observed the young man as he wandered through the dimly lit halls desperately trying to find one of Dracula's brides: she had started leaving messages in the corners of his room, fuelling man's growing unease, all while Dracula insisted that there were no others dwelling in the castle. Blanche approached him, and when Harker turned a corner, he nearly collided with her. She stood there, a vision in the gloom, her dark hair cascading down her shoulders, and her eyes, though wary, held a curious glint.

Harker was taken aback by her unexpected presence. "Who are you?" he stammered; his gaze unable to escape the notion that she was remarkably pretty.

The woman regarded him with a bemused smile. "I could ask you the same question, monsieur," she replied in a lightly accented voice. Her eyes darted around as if she expected someone else to appear.

"Have you seen anyone else in this castle? A woman, perhaps?" Harker asked urgently.

Blanche's smile grew enigmatic, and she shook her head. "No, monsieur. There is no one else here but us."

Harker pressed on. "What are you doing in this castle? Do you serve Count Dracula?"

Her response was vague, "I have my reasons for being here, just as you do."

"Tell me, miss, have you noticed anything... unusual about Count Dracula?"

Blanche's eyes locked onto his, and there was a hint of something in her gaze, something he couldn't quite decipher. "Unusual, you say? Monsieur, this castle is full of mysteries."

Harker felt frustration bubbling within him. "Please, I need answers. I've seen him change, grow younger before my eyes. Can you confirm it? Is he gaining strength from us?"

Blanche's remained cryptic. "Strength, youth, and power are fleeting, monsieur. Perhaps Count Dracula gains a lot more from our presence here than English skills."

***

The nun studied Blanche briefly.

"How long have you been a vampire, miss?" Asked the nun. If Blanche was surprised at quick observation, she didn't show it and simply shrugged.

"Couple of years. It's been fun thus far."

"How did you get in?"

"The sisters let me in."

Blanche then pulled a stack of of Harker's writings from the middle of the desk to herself and quickly flipped through, then hummed in approval.

"Right, I had somewhat similar thoughts when I was just getting aquanted with Dracula. But I had a diary, and only wrote "Dracula's will is my guide." She then put the papers back and looked at the man again. "I indeed feel very sorry for you, mister Harker, but I couldn't help you in any way. Your fate had been decided when count first laid his eyes upon you. My Dracula needed you. Life was leaving him."

"I'm sister Agatha Van Helsing," the nun spoke again. "Why are you here, miss?"

"Mister Harker ran away. And I can move faster that Dracula, thus, I've arrived here first." She turned to Harker. "We didn't even have time to discuss you properly, mister Harker."