zircongirl

Not a sound except for the dripping of water in the dungeon. She closed her eyes and took a small nap until the sound of grunting and scraping woke her.

It seemed like the sound came from inside the walls around her. “Stay calm. Its just rats.” A rather loud grunt followed.

“Alright really big rats!” The next thing Michelle knew, small red creatures were attacking her! They got tangled in her hair on her shirt and every other place they could hold onto.

She bolted up off the floor and ran around the cell like a chicken with its head cut off. Trying to catch some of them she got scratched by them when she even got close.

“HHHEEELLLPPP! Someone Please! Help!!!” She ran strait into a solid form and the creatures’ squealed in fright as they let go of her.

The solid form stopped her and she looked up to see the boy snarling at the creatures that now disappeared into the shadows.

“Don’t worry, pretty one. My creatures wont hurt you again.” Michelle just buried her face in the boy’s coat as he led her out of the dungeons.

Michelle noticed that it was nighttime and that Mama and Becky would be worried about her. As she sat down on the steps again, the boy looked at a scratch she had gotten when she was running around like a maniac.

He lifted her arm gently to his face. Michelle was about to tell him to let go when she noticed the scratch also. Watching him as he opened his mouth and cleaned the wound with his tongue until it was gone.

Smiling at her he let her arm go when it was clean. “Your blood tastes good, pretty one.” Michelle made the fake barfing motion and laughed.

“My name’s not Pretty One; It’s Michelle. What’s yours?” The boy stood to his full height and put his hands on his boney hips.

“I am prince Radu, son of kin-“ Michelle had doubled over from the fits of laughter that seemed to erupt from her. Radu’s composure deflated and he hung his head, grumbling under his breath about stupid girls.

 After Michelle got up her laughing fit, she saw that his pasty white cheeks were stained red from embarrassment.

“Oh. I’m sorry. It’s just that your name sound weird that’s all.” Michelle said. Radu’s shoulders began to shake and she got a little worried that she might have upset him.

He lifted his head and she realized that he was laughing. “Yours sound odd too!” She couldn’t help that the corners of her mouth began to twitch.

Then both of them burst into hysterical laughter that brought tears to their eyes.

Catching their breath they sat on the steps and just let the silence cover them both. He liked having someone to play with, other than the subspecies. She was nice to him, unlike his mother or father who both looked down on him like a dirty rag.

They both stood up and Michelle dusted her pants off saying ”I should see if Mama is looking for me, Radu. I bet their worried sick.” He suddenly got nervous and grasped her arms tightly.

 “No! I don’t want you to go, you’re the only person except mother and father who’s around. I like you! Please stay, please!” He was pleading with her! Michelle felt really bad for him, he must feel so alone she realized.

“I’ll come back, I promise. But you have to let me go back to my family first.” Radu hung his head in disappointment but nodded in agreement. Taking Michelle’s hand he closed his eyes and with all his strength melted into shadow and flew over the battlements.

Michelle had never flown before, except on the plane here from the U.S. but the feeling was exhilarating she saw the town and trees fly by as they approached the inn they were staying at.

They landed in a patch of woods near it; Michelle got her footing and walked to the inn. But before she left she turned to Radu and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you!” And ran off.

He just stood in the shadows shocked that a girl had done that to him. Lifting his fingers to the still warm spot on his left cheek he smiled and slowly disappeared for the evening.

A little girl sat down on one of the stones in front of the big castle her mama had taken her and her baby sister to. Her mother was taking pictures of the Romanian vacation she had been planning for three years. Ever since Michele had turned seven and Becky had turned four they had wanted to go with their mother to Romania and see what they had heard from mama.

“Michele, honey skootch over next to Becky.”

The seven year old did as her mother said and moved over on the small rock. Mrs. Morgan took the picture, and looked at her watch suddenly.

“Girls, time to go, it’s getting late and the sun just set.”

“ Maybe a wampire wibes in the castle mommy!” Becky had her thumb in her mouth and was talking around it. Michelle looked at her sister.

“ Vampire, not wampire! You should stop sucking your thumb silly, mama said you’d suck it right off some day.”

Mrs. Morgan looked at her daughters and rolled her eyes. They always did this, but it was so cute and funny when they did!

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Did not!”          

“Did too!”

Michelle stood up from the rock and ran from her sister and mother as fast as she could to the castle. She ran through the grounds and into the castle ruins. Her lungs burned and tears pricked at the edge of her vision. Finally after a long run for a seven year old she stopped on one of the old battlements and looked out over the grounds. Her face crumpled and she covered face with her hands and began to cry. She broke from the stress of last year when her mother divorced her father and they had to move from California to New York with her sick grandmother Sofia. Her sister had been as scared as she had been, but Michelle stayed strong for Becky, Grandma, and Mama. But now she just wanted to cry and be left alone from Mama and Becky. She squatted down and wrapped her arms around her legs for support and cried some more. She did not see the little black shape next to her, with pasty unnatural fingers splayed out.

The boy was a ghoul! His reddish brown lank hair, pasty white skin ton sunken eyes and pointy cheekbones made him look sick and frightening. And beneath his thin lips where two oversized canines that stuck out and over his lower lip if he opened his mouth to wide. He wore a black over sized jacket and old fashion pants to match. His age was unreadable and yet he looked to be the same age as Michele regardless of his features. He looked unsure about the situation but stood there nonetheless, looking at this girl who was crying for some unknown reason to him. Michelle realized she was not alone and looked up slowly from her squatting position.

“Ahem!”

His voice sounded terrible, like he had a bad cold and was congested, or an old and rusty door hinge. Michelle’s eyes got as big as her mothers china plates she used for thanksgiving, and her mouth was agape from the shock of his form.

Michelle stood slowly up and braced a hand on the ledge of the battlement. He took a step closer. She took a step back. He took another step. She stepped beck again. He cocked his head to one side and she copied him. Michelle took a deep breath and tried not to be nervous in front of him.

“ Um, H-hello. My name is…” The boy looked behind him with a scared expression. Michelle was suddenly yanked by her arm and was running with the boy into the castle and up a flight of spiral stone stairs, through a solar and into a large throne room with fires lit in the fireplaces. He pulled her back behind the throne and put a long boney finger over his lips to signal ‘Be quiet!’ She nodded and waited. An old man with white hair came into the room, Michelle saw in his hand a beautiful bright red stone on a gold pedestal. The boy squeezed Michelle’s arm hard, she looked at him as he stared at the stone with a look that Michelle recognized. It was the look Becky made when she wanted Michelle’s favorite necklace, or her doll, and even her cloths on occasion.

‘What does he want with it, and why did he bring me here?’

The old man passed out of the room and was gone for good. He pulled her out from their hiding place sharply and looked a bit relaxed for once. Michelle had enough of this game if it was one, and puffed up her chest.

“Who are you, what are you, and why am I here!” she screamed at him.

He was taken back at this and was back to looking nervously around for signs of life. Michelle found a step to sit on and hunkered down on it waiting for him to say something.

“ Who I am is none of your concern, you are here because, and what I am is none of your beeswax!” He shouted at her.

She didn’t want to look like a baby but a tear slipped down her face without a fight, so she laid her head down again on her knees and tried not to look like a fool. The boy saw this and was unsure how to address it, but made a small effort to try.

“I didn’t mean that, it’s just that…you’re a human, and we all hate humans. My mother said if I ever laid eyes on one that I should capty…chapter…”

“Capture?” Answered Michelle who had looked up from her huddle. He puffed out his chest with pride and continued.

“Yes. And know you’re my captive. So kneel before your new master!” He said with a grime satisfaction in his voice. This got Michelle really angry, she stood up and marched over to him, about to say how rude he was to say that to her. But she stopped and looked at his teeth instead; they were long and bloody and he had bloody spittle hanging out the corner of his mouth.

“ You’re a v-vampire!”