Fatal Attractions : The Masquerade

Chapter Eight

I slowly opened the door and looked inside, worried of what I might find. What would a child be doing at a vampire ball? Even if she was vampire herself, I'm pretty sure children aren't allowed at these types of events.

Maybe it was the child of whoever owns the manor. Maybe their bedroom is in this hallway, and they couldn't get to sleep with all the commotion coming from downstairs. Maybe they had a nightmare. Maybe I should've just walked away from the door and minded my own business. I'm sure their parents wouldn't be happy with me intruding like this.

And just like that, all my recent thoughts were washed away. The room was completely empty, it wasn't a bathroom like Vanessa said. There was a small table and chair placed in the center of the room. Sitting in the chair was a little girl with shoulder length blonde hair, all disheveled and wet with tears. Her blue eyes captured mine as she looked up at me, and a look of fear suddenly came across her face. Her teddy bear pajamas made her look even more out of place.

I slowly approached her, and with each step I took she seemed to get more and more frightened. What in the world was she doing here?

As I knelt down in front of her, she began hiccupping, grasping onto the front of her shirt as more tears streamed down her red cheeks. She couldn't be more than four years old.

"Hi, sweetheart," I said, giving her a small smile. She stared at me, giving a little hiccup every few seconds.

"It's okay. I'm not gonna' hurt you," I assured her, but she didn't seem to trust me.

"What's your name?" I asked, trying to sound as friendly as possible. I still remembered when Ally was this small. Looking into the eyes of this little girl, crying and frightened, made my heart hurt.

She let out another hiccup and then said, "Chloe."

"Chloe?" I asked, smiling. "Well it's nice to meet you, Chloe. I'm Lena." I slowly stuck out my hand, but she just stared at it. After a few moments, she placed her tiny hand in mine and I gave it a gentle shake. I noticed a colorful bracelet made of small wooden blocks around her wrist.

"That's a very pretty bracelet, Chloe." I continued smiling at her, hoping she was getting more comfortable.

"How old are you sweetie?" She held up three fingers, then slowly pulled her hand back and placed it at her side.

"I want my mommy," she mumbled, her voice squeaky and mouse-like.

"Well, where is she? I can take you to her."

She let out a shaky breath and then looked at the floor. "She's home. The man took me."

My smile dropped and I felt my heart begin to race against my rib cage. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. As I knelt there, staring at the little girl, the reality of the situation began to sink in.

"What man, sweetheart?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible.

"The man," she repeated, another tear streaming down her chubby cheek.

"You don't live here?" I asked. She gave a small sniffle and shook her head.

"Oh my God," I whispered. That explained why she was crying. That explained why she was stuck in this empty room with nothing but a table and chair. Not to mention why she was in only her pajamas. Someone must have kidnapped her while she was asleep in bed. I had my fingers crossed that this wasn't some sick tradition for the vampire balls.

"Okay, honey... Okay. Where do you live?"

"Organ," she mumbled. I felt my breath catch in my throat.