Bloodstains and Betrayal

Febuary 28th, 1850: Tara, Russia

I don't know what I would do if we lost another of our group. I'd just be a pointless death... That in the end, would be my fault.

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"Vlad, where are they?" I whispered under the dim light of the candle. It was the only source of light in the basement we sat in, a safe haven given to us by a man who had once known my father.

"I don't know..." He said, voice groggy. "You told Arkadi how to get here, right?"

I nodded, comparing the blaze illuminating on my hand to the candle's flame. He looked at it too, dazed off in some sort of trance.

"You should cover that before they get here." Ivanna commented, reminding me of her presence.

"Right..." I sighed, giving a fake smile. Vlad slipped his glove out of his pocket, sliding it onto my fingers.

"But I burned through this..." I said, dumbfounded.

"An illusion." Vlad responded, taking a strand of my hair into his hands. "It came off when Leo took you. Figured you'd like it back."

I smiled, thanking Mother Russia that the material rested on my hand again. It felt safe. It felt secure.

I listened intently to Vlad as he explained to Ivanna exactly what I was. She seemed very scared, but promised not to tell anyone. I could tell something horrible had happened to her, just by the way she nervously flicked her eyes around the room.

"Thank you..." I whispered, getting a little sleepy. I saw Ivanna give a smile as fake as the one I had given minutes ago. I found myself curled up in Vlad's arms, listening to his voice as he spoke to Ivanna.

It's funny if you ask me. I used to hate him. Used to want to just be friends. Used to feel really uncomfortable when he was close to me. Look at us now.

Footsteps echoed down the creaky staircase, as the man who owned the house came into view.

"Isn't that cute." He laughed, gesturing to Vlad and I. "I'm sure your friends think the same, right?"

It was then Arkadi barreled down the staircase, tackling Ivanna in a tight hug. He was followed by Roman, who held Sabrina in his arms.

"She's not dead, is sh-" I said, blood pressure skyrocketing.

"Relax... She's only unconscious." Roman reassured. "Someone decided it would be a good idea to use her to break through a door."

Arkadi smirked when he said this, giving away that he was said 'someone'.

The man offered a small chuckle, walking back upstairs and leaving us to ourselves.

"See? Everyone's okay..." Vlad whispered, seeing that I was still in shock from seeing Sabrina. Arkadi held tight to Ivanna, afraid that she would disappear if he let go. I don't blame him.

I tugged on the glove I wore nervously, pulling it down over the tiny pieces of flame the curled around the outer rim of it. Roman casted me a suspicious glance, but then just shook his head, as if he was seeing things.

"So what now?" Ivanna timidly asked. Arkadi still held onto her tightly, running his fingers through her hair as she leaned onto him.

"Well...Kozhva and Vorkuta are out of the option, they'll be looking for us there." He said, frowning. "We can't go home..."

"What about Finland?" Roman offered, along with Vlad.

"Finland? That'll take forever..." I mumbled, half awake.