Hope

Phase I: Gentleman, Jacob.

Chapter Three

The sky was thick with clouds, just like Jacob's chest was thick with nerves and fear. Jacob stepped on the front steps of the manor, his hands shivering. He stared at the ebony door as if it was a ghost, his eyes were glazed over as he began to feel rootless. He felt like a daisy being pulled from the ground. He struggled to accept the way he felt, and he struggled to accept the fact that he could no longer see his grandmother. What is she thinking of him now? He indeed got what he desired, for the most part, but that was now out shined by the fact that he was trapped into slavery once again. A heavy weight made him slouch slightly, a chain around his neck making his head bow.
The dead man opened the door for him again, and with a deep and raspy voice, he spoke,
"Welcome home," he said. Jacob looked at him, and his stomach twisted at the sound of that. This was not his home, and for many a reason. With a simple nod he stepped in. The master was most likely asleep, as the curtains were closed, because of the sun, and because he was nowhere insight. The dead fellow gestured for him to follow. He lead him upstairs, to where the servants quarters were. Being upstairs for the first time made Jacob's eyes scan the area.

Once one made it to the top of the staircase, they were presented with a dark, looming hallway. All along the walls were portraits, of ancient creatures of the night, and of modern ones. There were two chandeliers that would light up the hallway, but from what Jacob saw the previous night, they never would. The muffled sun fingered its way through the curtains whenever the clouds gave it a chance to peer through, and in those brief moments of light Jacob could see dust fly.
On their journey to Jacob's new room, the man spoke again, his voice heavy and lagging,
"My name is Equius. My brother and I tend to the horses." Jacob nodded. The man was incredibly tall, and his long black hair - like before - was pulled back tightly, not a strand of hair free. He was a broad man too, muscles making the shirt he was wearing too tight. He was a foreigner to England, it was easy to tell. He had very dark skin, and his accent was something Jacob had never come across. He made his Rs more apparent, and his As were prolonged.
"The Prince wants you to have your own quarters, which are across from mine," Equius stated, stopping in front of a door. He pushed it open, and it revealed a luxurious room - by Jacob's standards at least. He stepped inside after silently thanking his fellow servant, and Equius replied with
"Be awake by six this evening." And with that, he closed the door.
Jacob's eyes looked through cracked lenses as he examined the room. It was a green, floral wallpaper covered room, with a soft beige rug covering the entirety of the floor. On the ceiling hung a small, yet still magnificent, chandelier. When Jacob slipped off his glasses, he could see dust cover the chandelier. The place was neglected, and did not equate to the beauty and nobility that Dirk presented himself with. It was most likely that Jacob would be preoccupied with maintaining the place for a while.
With a sigh, Jacob placed his belongings on the large bed, "At least I have a bed now."
He pulled off his emerald jacket, and tossed it aside before opening the curtains, resulting in a wave of dust awakening. Jacob swatted the particles away before looking out of the massive window. He had a view of the skyline of London. He stared for sometime, licking his lips. He knew well enough that home was not far away, but from where he stood, he felt cuffs keeping his feet restrained to the floor, and home felt dreadfully far.

Jacob knew he could do nothing else but sleep now, and when he did, he struggled. As he lay in bed any type of sound would bring him to sit up, and his heart always skipped a beat or two. By the time the sun began to retire, Jacob did not sleep at all. He could not rest now, knowing it was day, and that three vampires were keeping him captive. It was enough to keep anyone awake, knowing what Dirk, as well as the other servants, had done to his fellow humans. He sat up and slipped a cigarette between his lips. After lighting it, he left the room, and stepped silently and cautiously through the manor. He explored every room, finally ending up in the salon. In the corner of the small room was a piano, and it did not come to Jacob's surprise to see it dusty. He stepped toward the grand instrument, and sat down on the bench. Running his fingers across it made him think. He had always wanted to learn to play an instrument, but he always felt he never had the talent for it. His grandmother would tell him stories of a dear friend of hers, and how he played the piano like an angel. He could play anything, his grandmother told him, and he could not even read music. Jacob never quite believed the latter, oddly enough. Jacob had listened to Jade's stories of adventure; sailing rough seas and exploring islands. He could easily believe those, as his grandmother had the scars to prove it, but he was unsure of this supposed marvelous friend who could not read music. Jacob lifted the lid up, revealing ivory keys that were untouched. He placed a finger on one of the keys, which produced a deep, soothing tune. The piano, albeit old, produced quality sounds. Under the lid, Jacob noted, was a small gold plaque, with the name David Strider Lalonde II engraved on it. He continued to press on the keys, not making any tune in particular. He seemed like a child playing on the instrument, and uneven echoes floated through the manor. Soon Equius awoke. His brother had drifted off to the stables earlier. His brother seemed a lot more mysterious, of course because of the lack of his presence. He seemed to be one that had more interest in the equestrian rather than other people.
The man followed the noises of the piano. Jacob heard the man approach the room, with the creaky floors and his massive weight, it was easy for anyone to hear him come. He turned around, closing the piano gingerly.
"So sorry. It is a gorgeous instrument, and I could not help but want to play it," Jacob stated, forcing a nervous smile. The man stared at him blankly,
"Yes," his royal blue eyes glared coldly at the human, "I do believe you found your uniform?"
"Uniform? I did not come across anything of the sort," he replied. Impatiently Equius gestured for him to follow. He took him back to his room, and presented him to a large wardrobe holding butler-type suits. Jacob pulled out the jacket, and attempted to try it on. He could not help but chuckle when the jacket barely fit him.
"Sorry, old chap. I am afraid this can't fit," he stated, turning to look at the mirror on the door of the wardrobe.
"Then we will have to get you new clothes," another voice - the prince's voice - spoke. Jacob flinched at the sight of the man enter, his brilliant eyes glowing with cockiness. Jacob in return only nodded, pulling the jacket off, and putting on his emerald one.
"Are you ready?" The prince asked. Jacob raised both brows, blinking in small surprise,
"Will we be heading off now?"
"Yes. There is no better time to do it." Dirk spoke bluntly, and turned to walk out of the room. Jacob licked his lips and finished off his cigarette, simply placing the dead smoke in his jacket pocket. He trotted over to follow Dirk, who had hurriedly moved to the steps.
"We will purchase proper clothing for you, this attire is unacceptable," Dirk spoke again as they exited and made their way to the ebony carriage. Equius followed closely, greeting his brother when they reach the stables.
Equius' brother, going by the name of Horuss, was the complete contradiction of Equius. He was a minuscule man, scrawny limbs keeping the man together. He did not let a word slip out from his lips. He seemed to only speak to the horses, and whenever his brother, or his master approached, a somewhat creepy smile would emerge from his thin lips. He appeared weak, and when Jacob saw the servant, he had a suspicion that he knew why the man was always in isolation. Immediate judgement came to Jacob's mind, as it would to anyone else. The man was odd looking - almost freakish. He was indeed the runt of the family, and Equius was the only one to not reject him.
Jacob stepped to the front of the carriage, ready to sit next to Equius. Dirk clicked his tongue,
"You will be sitting with me," he commanded before stepping into the ebony car. Equius looked down at Jacob with a cold, almost envious look. He ignored the look, and bit his lip hard as he stepped into the carriage too.

The perfection that Dirk was blessed with was the ultimate source of jealousy. His hands, thin and nimble, were touched with what Jacob concluded to be tattoos. They were small, and were markings of a language the human could not recognize. Dirk, too, had similar marks on his face. Two triangular shapes - one for each eye - covered Dirk's eyes, looking like intense, dark makeup. Those marks only made his eyes more apparent, and more difficult for prying eyes to turn away. He sat up straight, looking outside to the world going passed them. He - as well as any other vampire - was prone to watch the time pass on. Time still had an effect on the immortal. While their skin never wrinkled, and their bones never weakened, their expression and eyes held many years of age, pain, and bloodshed. No vampire would live a life of peace, especially if one was unlucky enough to be known as a prince. Yet Dirk seemed to take his position in stride, in terms of his own presentation and attitude. There seemed to be something lacking in other aspects, though, causing the home in which he lived to be treated with little to no respect. It was something that caused Jacob distress. He imagined the interior to be that of grandiloquence, full of servants and overall beauty. What Jacob had come across was that of a sorrow nature, and he knew that there was a cause for it.
Jacob peered out the window, and looked around the carriage too. He seemed to have an overall awe for the inner shell of the carriage. Dirk noticed, looking at him for a time,
"I expect you to groom yourself regularly now, Jacob. I am sure you are aware of what you are to me?"
"No, I'm not," Jacob replied, loosening his shirt collar. Dirk glared at him, though it looked as if his regular glance was almost always a glare.
"You are my little toy now," he started, "and servant, of course. But you are attractive, and I intend to show you off, so wherever I go, you come too."
Jacob chewed his lip even more after that,
"While we are at home, though, you will clean and serve me, as well as entertain me if I have no other entertainment," he added. He smirked a tad as he talked, and Jacob was beginning to fear that smirk more and more. Before he could show any sign of protest, the carriage stopped. Once they exited, Dirk ordered Equius to go purchase butler uniforms for Jacob, assuming he would be a similar size to Dirk, and he moved with his servant to purchase more of the casual outfits. All the while, the pairing received a number of looks, many from other vampires. The long time the two spent on the shopping spree involved little to no conversation. Jacob had many thoughts in his mind, many questions that he wanted to ask, but outright fear tied his tongue into a knot. Dirk did not speak for he saw no reason to. He would occasionally ask if the outfit he had chosen was to Jacob's liking, and all he would do in return was nod, even if he did not give the outfit a glance.
Near the end of their spree, five new outfits were bought, along with a few butler uniforms.

The immediate instruction that Jacob received once they returned to the manor was that he was to bathe, and brush his teeth, and he did so. Equius then gave the man a haircut, making him appear more neat and tidy than before. He was instructed to then put on one of the party outfits. He decided to go for the more dark coloured suit; it was a dark grey type of suit, with ruffles emerging from his collar and sleeve ends. Equius provided Jacob with a badge showing the family's emblem.
"Be proud," Equius instructed, "you are part of this clan now."
Jacob pinned the badge to his blazer, and let out a shaky sigh. Within a few moments he joined his master downstairs, who nodded in approval of his new human.
"Where are we going?" Jacob managed to ask, his bottom lip burning red from him chewing it.
"To a party," he started, turning around and grabbing his large fur coat, moving to push the doors open dramatically, "I'm going to show my family my new prize."