Out of the Shadows

5. We live in a rainbow of chaos

Grace hummed quietly to herself as she casually strolled down yet another alley in the streets of Volterra. The city was absolutely stunning in her opinion, with its medieval winding alleys, picturesque views and relaxed atmosphere she honestly never wanted to leave. Fortunately it also had plenty of hotels which meant she should be able go between them unnoticed for quite some time.

This was her third day in the city and after spending the first two days familiarising herself with the area and identifying the most convenient hotels she was finally ready to visit some of its most notable attractions. Luckily for her it was a cloudy day with a high chance of rain, which meant she could remain going unseen, hidden in the shadows and get into any attraction free of charge.

She wasn't really sure where to begin, she definitely wanted to see the Roman theatre, the Pinacoteca art gallery, the Etruscan museum and the Cathedral of Santa Maria assunta.

Perhaps first she should go back to the Piazza dei priori, the main square considered the heart of the old town, which she had only briefly seen. She was pretty sure it was the closest to her current location as well. She'd have plenty of time afterwards to visit another location.

Just as she had made up her mind and realised she was heading in the wrong direction, her attention was drawn to a large group of what appeared to be tourists that were heading straight towards her. She swiftly moved to the side, hugging the wall to ensure none would bump into her.

As the group grew closer she couldn't help but notice that the woman leading the group was exceptionally beautiful. The most beautiful woman she had certainly ever seen and the woman was dressed to emphasise that beauty.

Her amazingly long legs, darkened with tights, were exposed by a very short red minidress. While it was long-sleeved and high-necked it was extremely close-fitting. Her long lustrous mahogany hair was covered in a wide brimmed black hat and her eyes were the strangest shade of violet.

Grace frowned when she noticed the six inch heels the woman was also wearing. Something felt off about the entire situation, she just couldn't put her finger on what it was.

The woman looked like she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine and definitely didn't look like any tour guide she had ever seen. Confused but intrigued, she waited until the entire group passed by her before discreetly following, joining at the back, making sure not to get too close.

She had learned a lot about her gift in the time she had spent in the facility and in the years since. Now that she was using it almost constantly it had also seemed to have grown in strength. Not only was she completely invisible to those around her, she also couldn't be heard or smelt, it was as if she wasn't even there.

As long as she didn't step into direct sunlight or an extremely bright light, she would remain that way. Of course she had to be careful not to touch anybody, she could still be felt if she bumped into someone and people could see if she moved objects around. She had quite a lot of people believing in ghosts these days much to her amusement.

''How long until we get to the castle Miss?'' A woman near the front of the group asked the 'tour guide'.

Castle? There was a castle? This was the first she was hearing of it. She was pretty sure that it wasn't on any map she'd seen. She realised they were getting closer to the town square and after a quick mental debate decided to stick with the tour group. She didn't see any reason as to why not and was far too interested in seeing this castle that may or may not actually exist.

''Not much longer, I promise it will be worth the trip,'' the tour guide replied, flashing them all a simpering smile.

Growing increasingly confused, Grace began tuning out the others in the group and kept her eyes on the guide. Ever so often the guide would look back over her shoulder seemingly to check they were all still following before flashing them a beaming smile and turning to continue on.

The woman continued leading them down several alleys before eventually coming to a stop next to a wide wooden door which she quickly opened and began to usher everyone into. Grace just managed to slip inside before the woman closed the door behind them.

They were now in what looked like a posh office reception area with no windows, in their place instead were many large brightly lit paintings of the Tuscan countryside, hung everywhere you'd expect to see a window. Pale leather couches and glossy looking tables with crystal vases full of vibrant coloured bouquets adorned the room and in the middle was a high, polished mahogany counter, behind which stood a very pretty woman, whom she assumed was the receptionist.

''Good afternoon.'' The receptionist smiled politely in welcome.

Our guide smirked in reply as she moved forward to continue leading the group. As she moved towards a set of double doors at the back of the room the group proceeded to follow. Through these doors was a wide ornate hall, which was rather stunning if she did say so herself. Others in the group seemed to agree with her as she heard many of them gushing over the elaborate decorations.

The guide stopped halfway down the hall, just beside a plain wooden door, which was opened from the other side and held open by someone she couldn't see while their guide gestured them inside. They passed through what seemed to be a stone antechamber that led into a large cavernous room, perfectly round like a castle turret, which she assumed it probably was.

It was two stories high and had long window slits that lit the room and reflected thin rectangles of bright sunlight onto the stone floor below. She would have to make sure to avoid those spots she thought with a frown. Thankfully there was no other lighting and plenty of dark shadows in which she could remain hidden. Her frown only deepened when she noticed that in the very centre of the room, in a slight depression, was a drain.

As the door slammed shut behind them, she jumped startled, as did many of the tourists who all began to look wary and uncertain as to they gazed around the room. Grace edged closer to the wall as she finally noticed the room's many occupants. Most were dressed casually but a few were wearing long cloaks in differing shades of grey, but it was their red eyes and paleness that made her own uncertainty increase.

"Welcome, guests! Welcome to Volterra!"

A male voice which was smooth and rich greeted them and it immediately drew her attention to the very back of the room, where standing flush with the curving stone walls were three wooden chairs that looked like thrones. Upon said thrones sat three very pale looking gentlemen.

In the middle sat a raven haired man who was clasping his hands together and smiling a wide smile in welcome. To his left, a platinum blonde sat with little to no expression and to his right a dark haired brunette sat looking bored and disinterested.

Grace felt a strange twisting sensation in her chest as she looked at them, she wanted to get closer to see them properly and she almost took a step forward before she came to her senses, shaking her head at her thoughts. What was wrong with her?

The raven-haired man stood suddenly and began walking towards the group, who all shifted uncomfortably exchanging bewildered looks when he stopped just as suddenly and closed his eyes. He then grinned, flashing his teeth and in one quick motion reached out towards a woman on the edge of the group, grabbing her by the hair, pulling it aside and revealing her neck, where he then proceeded to bite her.

Faster than her eyes could see the others in the room lunged towards the rest of the group, grabbing them one by one before sinking their teeth into their exposed flesh. The few people that had not been grabbed began screaming as they rushed towards the door trying to get away, only to panic further when they failed to get the door open. It was utter chaos. One by one they too were grabbed and their screams silenced.

Grace watched with her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide in shock, as she stared unbelieving at the scene that had just played out in front of her. It was completely and utterly insane. She couldn't quite believe it, if it wasn't for the events that she had previously seen two years earlier, she would be pretty sure she had hallucinated the entire thing.

She didn't know what the hell was going on but the one thing she did know for sure was that she had never been more thankful for her gift in entire life. Without which she was sure she'd be just as dead as everyone else was.

*****
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''We live in a rainbow of chaos'' - Paul Cezanne