The Girl & The Vampire(A prequel to A Haunting Face)

The Rose

The next several days had been rather quiet, Elyse had noticed. She hadn't seen Vladislaus in a while. Part of her was relieved, but part of her also feared that he was doing something that Elyse wouldn't be fond of. Whatever the reason for his absence was, she hoped she saw him again so he could bring her and Cassie back home.

She was back in the library, skimming through the shelves of books. She wasn't really sure why she was in here. She supposed that she just needed something to take her mind off of things for a little bit, something to distract her. The longer she kept herself distracted, the less time there was before time was up. There were only three days left. When that day ended, her fate would be decided. Elyse didn't know what would be waiting for her when she returned, but she suspected that there would be a lot of questions for both her and Cassie.

It had been months since Elyse had disappeared. How would people react when they returned? What would her and Cassie tell people? It wasn't like they could just straight up say they were kidnapped by Dracula, could they? No, that would be ridiculous. People would think they were crazy.

Elyse shook her head. It was best to not think about it. She had a feeling things would be complicated when they got back, and she didn't want to bother wasting time on thinking about how things would go when she already an idea. People don't usually react calmly when someone who's been missing for a long time suddenly return. People always want an explanation, which Elyse knew she would be unable to give without sounding insane.

After awhile, Elyse finally settled for a book she found hidden between two giant books. The one she chose was a thin book, not many pages. "The Warrior's Call," she read aloud. Sighing, she sat down in a chair and opened the book. She must have been in there for hours. After finishing the book, she had chosen another one. Then, another one. Then, another. When she finally tired of reading, she decided to go talk to Cassie. Vladislaus had allowed her to see Cassie since discovering what had happened. He knew it was best not to try to keep Elyse and Cassie from talking. They were friends, after all, and Vladislaus didn't want to do anything else to make Elyse hate him. After all, he was trying to win her heart.

She walked through the now familiar halls until she got to where Cassie was. When she got there, the door was locked. Vladislaus always kept it locked. "Cassie?" She asked. She heard Cassie's voice from inside.

"Elyse?"

"Are you okay?" She asked, leaning against the door.

"Yeah, I'm okay. How much time is left of the deal you made with Dracula?" Cassie asked.

"Three days. Don't worry, Cassie. We'll be free very soon," Elyse replied.

"Do you really think he'll let you go?" Cassie asked. Her voice sounded louder to Elyse. Elyse figured that Cassie had maybe moved closer to the door. "After all, he seemed very determined to be with you. Do you think he'll keep his promise?"

"He has no choice," Elyse said. "If he tries to keep me here without my consent, I will never forgive him. I will make him regret it."

There was only silence between the two for several minutes. Cassie was the first to speak up. "I'm scared, El." Cassie's voice had dropped to just barely above a whisper.

"He hasn't hurt you since... you know. Has he?" Elyse asked.

"No. He hasn't done anything to me since then," Cassie said quietly.

Elyse nodded her head ever so slightly. "Good. Let me know if he hurts you again within the next few days. I'll make him suffer if he does." She meant every word that she said. If Vladislaus hurt Cassie again, she would make sure that he suffered in the worst ways possible.