Barely An Angel (Completed)

15~ Hello, Ramona

The school week passed blissfully, with no Demeille or Adrien to cause any more trouble. I didn't have any plans for the weekend, so I asked Nathan if he wanted to hang out.

"Sorry, I can't. My mom wanted to take me camping, she knows I've been pretty stressed lately," he explained. "I would love to do something next weekend though!"

"Oh, have fun then!" I beamed. It was probably for the best, anyway. A week wasn't long enough for me to fully adjust to my new...lifestyle...anyways. Besides, my mom and I hadn't really spent any quality time together lately, and I needed her now more than ever.

When I got home that day, I threw open the front door and sing-songed, "I'm ho-ome!" I waited for a response, but there was none. Instead, I heard muffled laughter coming from...the basement? "Mom?" I called out, walking over to the basement door and holding my ear up against it.

"Oh, that must be Ramona, hold on," I heard my mom say. I could hear her footsteps get increasingly louder as she got farther up the stairs, until she grasped the doorknob and turned it, causing me to jump away from the door. "Hey, sweetie, you're home! Excited for the weekend?"

"I-I guess," I stammered. "Who's down there with you?" I poked my head around her, straining my neck to see if I could get a good view down the stairs. "I heard you talking to someone."

"Oh! Yeah, that's Demitri. He needed some blood bags, so I'm giving him some," she explained, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder. "Do you wanna come say hi?"

"Sure. Later though," I stated, grabbing her arm and pulling her over to the kitchen counter and resting my elbow. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something first."

Mom crossed her arms. "Sure, honey, what is it?"

"Well, I was just thinking that Dad hasn't sent any letters since the beginning of the school year, and he usually would check in often around this time to ask how school has been going. Have you heard anything from him? I'm a little worried," I expressed.

She shook her head. "No, he hasn't said anything to me. I'm sure whatever the cause, it's nothing to worry about," she assured me, resting a comforting hand on my cheek. "I'll let you know if I do hear anything, though."

I lifted the corner of my mouth in a half-hearted smile. "Alright. I guess I'm gonna go for a walk, clear my head. Maybe I'm just going paranoid," I joked, attempting a laugh. I headed to my room to apply a generous amount of sangyris lotion, as I could feel that morning's application wearing off earlier, and then I was on my way.

I stepped out into the crisp autumn air, taking a deep breath of its delicious scent. There was a faint hint of something else, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was. I began walking down the street my house was on, following the smell. I lost track of time as I turned down this street and that, having no particular destination in mind.

And then I smelled it again, only this time it was stronger. It was...blood. I felt my fangs emerge from my gums, a slight pain accompanying them. My throat started to burn as if I had swallowed the embers of a new fire, and instinct took over. I followed the direction that the scent was coming from, running so fast that my muscles strained with the effort. I hadn't even noticed that I was nearing the outskirts of town – becoming ever closer to the industrial district – until it was too late.

I hit a dead end in an alleyway, irritation building inside of me at how I hadn't yet found the source of the delicious scent I had followed so vigorously. What have I become? I could feel the rational side of myself slipping away as the irritation verged on anger. What am I doing? My sensible self was becoming buried by pure instinct, and yet she broke through a few times, clawing her way back to the surface only to be drowned again. I need to go home. As I lost more of my senses to my hunger, a voice broke through it all; one that wasn't myself. No, this was an outside voice. I turned to the alley's opening to see who in the world it was, and my heart dropped.

"This was way too easy," Demeille snickered, strutting down the alley closer to me. "I guess it's because newer blackeyes have a harder time resisting blood's inviting call. Even for you, after some temptation, it becomes too much to bare. Am I right?" he asked with a whisper, stopping so close in front of me that I could feel his breath on my face. I picked up the scent of blood when he breathed, which revealed to me why I had smelled blood in the first place. He must have been hunting.

"Wh-what are you t-talking about?" I stammered, reaching one hand up to hold the side of my head, in which I had a raging headache due to my blood thirst.

Demeille laughed out loud, looking up at the gray sky. "Wow, it's really getting to you now, isn't it?" he scoffed, before reaching down next to his feet and picking something up. I glanced down to see what it was, but couldn't discern anything in time, as he swung his arm up with lightning speed and connected whatever it was square with my jaw. And then all I saw was darkness.

When I came to, after what felt like an eternity, I was again fastened to a chair, only this time my hands were tied behind my back, and with chains instead of rope.

"What...where am I?" I babbled, barely able to understand myself. All I could make out was that I was in dark, musty room with a lot of space, expanding into an uncertain infinity. There were old metal chairs, and sofas, and bed frames scattered about. Fluorescent lights hummed here and there, casting faint, yellowed streams of light throughout the space we were in. It wasn't until then that I had noticed the tall, slender, masculine silhouette about five feet in front of me.

"Well, well, well. She's opened her eyes," its deep, sinister voice echoed throughout the large room. As soon as my eyes adjusted to the dimness, I saw that the man who stood before me had dark hair that was slicked back, and he wore clothes of very out-of-date fashion. By that, I don't mean "so last season;" more like, "so Victorian era."

I was fully awake now. I tried yanking my hands free from the chains, but only succeeded in tightening their hold.

"Ah, ah, ah," the mysterious man chided, stepping ever closer. "I wouldn't try that if I were you."

"Well, who are you? And why am I here?" I demanded, doing the best I could to mask the shakiness in my voice.

"Oh, of course, what a good idea to give my identity to a hostage," he sighed. "I suppose it's no matter, since you're not making it out of here anyways. Many know me as Anton, although they've never seen my face. Lucky you," he chuckled, as if it were some sort of inside joke. "You might've heard of me, if you've been sneaking around this area as much as my son tells me you have."

"I don't even know where this area is," I scoffed. "And I don't even know who your son is."

A menacing grin spread across Anton's face. "Son, why don't you show yourself now?"

A figure emerged from the shadows. When I saw who it was, I gasped.

"Hello, Ramona." 

~

Who do you think it is?  I want to hear your thoughts in the comments! And please, don't forget to vote if you enjoyed this chapter. See ya in the next one! :)

~R.J.♡