A Lonely Prince with Fangs (completed)

Hands as Cold as Ice

I shut the door as quietly as I could.

How creepy. There could be a dead body in there! I bet this castle is haunted!! If there is a dead body in there, I wonder if it's his mom or dad ... maybe even a lover. Why else would a man who was in the death business have a coffin left in the center of an abandoned room? The coffin was so intricate in design and it looked smoother than a cupboard door.

Overall the castle is pretty cool. But not one TV or even radio was found. Well, there was one of those old phones in the servants quarters and there was an old Radio from the 1920s.

There was an old grandfather's clock in the foyer and from there I saw that it was already six o'clock.

I decided to go back into the ballroom.

As I looked at my reflection in the walled mirrors, I realized that these were the only mirrors in the entire castle.

I sat down at the piano and lightly tapped the ivory. The next thing I knew my fingers were dancing across the keys.

I played piano back at home to pass time. I became really good but I didn't want to do any recitals or auditions. My parents wouldn't have been able to make them. And the months that they were in town, I would rather spend it with them than at concerts.

I closed my eyes and allowed my muscles to remember their movements. I thought of my parents, and of never seeing them again. I convinced myself that their deaths weren't my fault. I tried to think of the happiest moments I ever had with them.

The piece I was playing ended, and I felt like I got all the rocks out of my sack. I opened my eyes and admired the beauty in the room.

Long, stretched, rectangular blankets of light shone on the floor. I look out of their source, the windows, and catch my breath at the silver forest below me. Transylvania is so beautiful.

"I didn't know you could play piano," came a soothing voice in the night. As if it were made to keep sound with the silence of darkness.

I instantly turned around and discovered the Count standing in the doorway of the ballroom with his hands behind his back. Why must he be so formal? I didn't even hear him come into the room.

"Alex—uh Count, I didn't hear you. I'm terribly sorry if I wasn't supposed to touch this. It's just, there's not much to do in this castle but read, but I could hardly read any of your books," an awkward silence grew for a moment, then, Alexandru looked about the ball room in approval.

"There hasn't been sound in this room since 1924." He said. I looked around in unbelief. "Oh, and please, call me Alexandru if you like. If you are to live with me we should be more formal." He said as he walked over to the piano and sat down on the bench.

"You play?" I asked. He stretched his fingers which were very long and sharp-nailed across the keys.

"Yes, although I might be a bit rusty. I haven't played for a very long time."

He began to play a piece I had never heard before. It was very soft although very gloomy. His playing would have made one sad. But I was a bit angry with him.

"You're amazing!" I said. He chuckled and just kept playing. He then turned his gloom and doom into a very happy circus song without stopping, even making the two diverse pieces blend when switching.

I watched as his long nails didn't make a tapping sound when touching the keys. He moved with such elegance and grace.

"You have to teach me!" I said. Alexandru abruptly stopped and scooted to one side of the bench. I took it as an invitation and sat down beside him.

It was a bit awkward. I had never been this close to a man before except my dad. He smelt of peppermint and...blood? Does blood even have a smell? A metallic smell, Yeah, that's it.

"I'm going to show you a chord and you're going to copy." I nodded and he showed me. I copied him and then he began to play while I kept repeating his chord. It was very fun playing piano with someone else, I'd never done it before.

Part of the fun tune had our hands brush against each other.

I gasped and dramatically jumped off the bench. The count, though, looked down at the piano keys in a sorrowful way.

"I am terribly sorry," he began to say.

"Your—your hands are incredibly cold." Like ice. I didn't believe a human hand could be so freezing. It shot chills up my spine.

I stood up and gently brushed his hand, which was still on the keys, with my own. He looked a bit shocked at my action. I then lifted his hand up like a child and twisted and turned it in my hand. I stroke my thumb across his nails. They were so sharp and smooth ... I wonder if I just touched the tip ... .

I began to bleed. "Haha, I see someone doesn't like filing his nails." I joked while holding my hand in my other.

Alexandru stood immediately, almost knocking the bench over.

"You're bleeding." He said with concern in his voice. "Come with me to the kitchen, I can get you a bandage and some dinner." I nod and follow him out of the room.