by Pet TorreS
I remained silent, still in shock. I couldn’t take my eyes away from my father’s face, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak. I didn’t have any words for what I was feeling, and I was paralyzed by all the newness.
From the corner of the room, Valeska interjected, “Won’t you speak to him?”
My father dropped his hand from my chin and snapped in Valeska’s direction, “Leave her be!”
Valeska opened her mouth to speak again, possibly to apologize for her outburst, but my father held up a hand to silence her. She shut her mouth quickly and he continued, “I have all the time in the world to speak with her. If she isn’t ready yet, she isn’t ready. I can only imagine how hard this is for her.”
Valeska nodded and averted her eyes. The longer I stood there, the more awkward I felt that I had not yet found anything to say. Eventually, nearly inaudibly, I managed to mumble, “My father…”
My eyes began to tear up as I looked at him, and all the emotions that I’d suppressed over the years welled up. A smile played at the edge of his lips and he drew me towards him for another quick hug. He reached down and stroked the tangle of hair on the top of my head. “What a soft voice you have. Soft and lilting, like your mother’s.”
When he released me from his embrace, my father turned to the two people who’d been guarding me. He swept his arm exaggeratedly in their direction and said, “Valkyrie, I don’t believe you’ve been formally introduced to two of my highest ranking servants, Valeska and Bizak. They are like family to me, and now you as well.”
Valeska and Bizak both gave me a half bow. Quietly, I told them, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for guarding me.”
“It was our pleasure,” Valeska said with a smile.
My father turned to me again and said, “Anything and everything you need, Valeska and Bizak will be there to serve you. They can get you anything you need.” He placed a cold hand on my shoulder and instructed Valeska, “Valeska, please take Valkyrie to have a bath. It seems her escape from Earth was not entirely without its consequences.”
My father gazed down at my dirty, ripped dress and the knots in my hair. I felt myself blush under, once again ashamed that the first time in my life that I saw my father, this is what I looked like.
Valeska inclined her head slightly and then crossed the room and took my arm. “Yes, master.”
I turned and glanced at my father as we left. Valeska pulled me along behind her briskly, guiding me through a confusing set of cold, half-lit tunnels. Suddenly, we turned one last corner and she directed me into a room. I went inside when she ushered me in and she followed, closing the door behind us.
She left me standing near the door and went to light the torches on the walls of the circular room. As the torches were lit, I could tell that the room was domed, and there was a huge circular pool in the center of the room. There were a few springs along the walls. The sound of rushing water echoed through the room, and upon further inspection, it seemed that the water in the pool was bubbling straight up from the ground.
The ‘water’, if that was what it was, was thick and had a dark greenish hue. The cresting bubbles made a layer of foam across the top, white and frothy. Valeska guided up towards the pool by prodding the small of my back lightly with her finger. I stood on the edge, gazed in amazement at the strange liquid I was expected to bathe in. At this point I thought to myself as Valeska helped me remove my dress, anything is better than being covered in all this dirt and grime.
Once my dirty dress had been removed and tossed to the side, Valeska swiped her hand from side to side, indicating that I should climb down into the pool. I stepped into the pool carefully, and jumped back as soon as my toe hit the liquid inside. It was freezing. There was no way I could stay in there for any extended period of time. I’d get hypothermia. I glanced over to Valeska, who had a small smile on her face.
“I know it’s cold, and especially so for you I’d imagine. But don’t worry, you’ll adjust. You’ve got our blood in your veins, remember?” She told me reassuringly.
I glanced back down at the water skeptically and mumbled, “But it’s too cold,” under my breath as I took another brave step in.
“Keep going,” Valeska said, “It’ll be uncomfortable at first, but I promise you’ll get used to it.”
Taking a deep breath and readying myself for the shocking cold as best I could, I slide the rest of my body into the ice-cold pool. I sucked in a shocked breath as the cold liquid splashed against my skin and engulfed me. But, Valeska was right, and after a minute or two, my temperature began to equalize. The pool was definitely still cold to the touch, but I no longer felt like I was in danger of hypothermia.
After my temperature adjusted, I spent a long time scraping dirt and grime from my skin and hair. The liquid was thick and strange, but it did an adequate job of cleansing me of the remnants of my journey to Neptune.
~~~
When I got out of the bath, feeling clean (and much better for it), Valeska handed me a towel to wrap around my body. Once I was covered, she led me by the arm again, out of the bathroom and down another series of dimply lit halls until we reached a huge wooden door.
Valeska unlocked the door and pushed it open, holding out her hand to usher me inside. “This room belongs to you. Your father has set it aside specially for your use. Go on in.”
I walked into the room, glancing around at the strange otherworldliness of the place. There were heavy, dark curtains on the windows, a deep reddish purple. In the far corner of the room was a bed that appeared to be made entirely of polished stone, much like the table I’d laid on earlier.
The rest of the furnishings were minimal, cold and Spartan. There was a chair that was also hewn from dark gray stone, and a slab of rock had been cut out of the wall to serve as a closet. I turned to Valeska, hardly able to hide my concern, “Where’s the pillows? And the blankets?”
Valeska raised an eyebrow and looked around the room. “We don’t need anything like that. Everything we need is present in this room. But…if there are things that you will need, I’m sure that I can talk to your father and we can acquire them for you.”
I narrowed my eyes at the ‘bed’. “How do you sleep?” I asked Valeska, genuinely curious. “Do you just lie down on top of it? It just looks like a hard table tom me…”
Valeska shrugged. “There are a few different ways we sleep. Once your transition has been fully completed, I’m sure you will find which one you prefer.”
My eyes went wide, and I turned away from her to avoid showing her that I had been frightened by what she’d said. Even after all of this, no one had yet explained to me exactly what my transition would entail. I didn’t know in which ways I’d be similar to my father’s race and in which ways I’d be different. Maybe they didn’t know. Maybe there’d never been a half-breed before.
I shook my head, dispelling the fearful thoughts as best as I could. Valeska didn’t bring up my transition again. I think she knew it had worried me. Instead, she brought me over the le expansive stone closet and lit a torch on the wall. Light washed into the closet, illuminating a beautiful array of clothing and shoes of all kinds.
With Valeska’s help, I chose a long salmon-colored dressed that felt like it was made out of a material similar to silk. It felt almost weightless as I slipped it on over my head. As Valeska fastened the back of my dress for me, I heard her gasp, “Your symbol, you have it on your back! It’s placed beautifully, there!”
“Thank you,” I responded quietly, then turned to her when she was done with my dress. “Where’s yours?”
Valeska placed a hand on her neck and tilted her head to the side. “Here,” she said, removing her hand from her neck to push back her hair. “We all have one like this, but it appears in a different place on each person.”
My eyes slid along the curve of Valeska’s neck and fixated on her tattoo. “What’s it for?” I asked abruptly. “I mean…why do we all have them?”
Valeska si
ghed and paused for a moment, as if she was trying to figure out the best way to explain it. Eventually, she began, “The symbol appears on a body when that person has been chosen by your father to be part of his lineage. It also protects, from light and from other dangers to our bodies. It’s especially usefully for protection against the sunlight on Earth.”
I smiled a small smile, now that things were making more sense. “That explains how Eros could come to school with me during the day. I had always been taught that vampires would be killed by daylight. I considered asking him about it a few times, but I didn’t want to pry.”
Valeska returned my smile, “We’re only permitted to go out in daylight on Earth if we can cover the symbol on our skin. It draws too much attention otherwise.”
I nodded, “And that explains why he was always wearing long sleeves, even though it was warm out most of the time.”
CHAPTER 3
Once I was fully dressed and my hair had been brushed and fully restrained in a ponytail, Valeska guides back through the winding corridors to a humongous, cavernous room. It seemed vaguely familiar, as if I’d been there before, but I was having trouble fully grasping onto my memory of it.
When we arrived, the room, large as it was, was completely empty. I wondered how many people lived here, and if I would get to see and know them all. I followed Valeska to the center of the room, where we stopped abruptly. She glanced around like she was searching for something that she’d lost.
I frowned at all, “Where is everyone?”
Valeska glanced back and forth another time, but then responded nonchalantly, “They’re probably just resting. Honestly, if you let them, I’m sure they’d sleep all the time.” A huge smile crossed her ruby lips. Explanatorily, she continued, “You see, a good sleep helps to restore a vampire’s energies, and we, by the nature of being vampires, need quite a lot of energy.”
Avoiding Valeska’s eyes, I asked, “Do you think that’s where Eros is, too?” I nearly choked saying Eros name, and I tried my best to not let a blush color my cheeks. I wondered if she knew what I was thinking.
Valeska smirked, but responded kindly, “Yes, I imagine he’s resting, too. After the journey he’s had, I can hardly blame him.” Glancing around once more, Valeska instructed, “Here, come with me. I’ve got an idea. I want to show you something”
I followed Valeska down yet another hallway, but despite my incessant questioning, she refused to tell me what it was that she wanted me to see. Once I realized that there was no use in arguing with her and I wasn’t going to convince her one way or the other, I decided to hold my tongue, and we walked in silence the rest of the way.
Our steps echoed ominously as we walked down the corridor. I looked around everywhere we went, trying to get a better feel for the layout of the enormous underground complex.
Valeska turned to me and pressed a finger against her lips, “Tray and make as little noise as possible. Vampires have extremely acute hearing. We can hear noises from even miles away, but we’re also very grumpy if we’re awoken from our sleep prematurely.”
I nodded and from then on did my best to step with a lighter foot. I walked on my tiptoes and glanced around me, wary of making any sounds that might disturb any of the sleeping vampires in the complex. I had a feeling that I didn’t want to see them if they were awoken against their will. As I walked along behind her, Valeska came to a sudden halt.
I was looking off to the side when she stopped, and nearly crashed into her before I came to a halt myself. I didn’t know what I was so worried about- this was my father’s castle, after all. It shouldn’t be dangerous for me. As I was pondering just how much danger I could potentially be in, Valeska turned to me and placed a slender finger on her lips once again. “Remember, not a word.”
We had stopped in front of a large wooden door, very similar to the one that led to my own bedroom. Once she was sure I’d gotten the message to be quiet, Valeska grabbed the handle and slowly pushed the door open. The room behind the door was dark inside, and I couldn’t tell how big the space itself was.
Valeska strode confidently into the room, silently beckoning me in after her. When I entered the room, the air felt heavy and dark, and I could make out only the vaguest outlines of strange objects situated on the walls. I followed Valeska a little ways into the room until she stopped again. She stood very still, as if she was trying to make sure she had stopped in the correct spot. She glanced up at the ceiling and tapped my arm lightly with her hand. I turned my eyes up toward the ceiling as well, intrigued.
My eyes went wide and I had to cover my mouth to muffle an involuntary gasp of amazement at what I saw. In the darkness, I could only see a faint outline of his shadow, but I was sure of what I was seeing nonetheless. Eros was hanging from the ceiling of the room, upside down, with his hands crossed over his chest. He was sound asleep, though I couldn’t imagine how he could sleep at such an angle.
I was still staring at Eros, transfixed, when Valeska tapped my arm again and motioned toward the door. We left the room in silence, and Valeska shut the door behind us softly, with the power of her mind. I was still reeling from what I’d just seen, and fought the urge to go back and look at Eros again. He had looked so serene, so perfect. I could only imagine what effect the sight would have had on me if I had been able to see his face clearly.
Once we were back in the hallway, I leaned against the wall, wondering if that’s how I’d be sleeping soon, too. The idea of it fascinated me, but I also found it somewhat disconcerting. Everything I had ever known about myself and about my body was about to change. Would it affect my mannerisms and my personality? Would it affect my feelings? Was it already affecting my feelings?
Valeska leaned one hand on the cold wall and placed the other casually on her hip. “So, what do you think?” She asked with a small smile.
I shrugged, as I was still debating the answer to that particular question. Valeska was patient and waited for me to find the words. Slowly, I admitted, “I was surprised. I mean, I’ve never seen anyone sleep like that…with their head down. Doesn’t all the blood rush to your head when you do that? Or is that just something that happens to humans?”
Valeska’s smile widened. Proudly, she confirmed, “Yeah, as far as I know, it’s only vampires that can rest like that. Not that I have much personal experience in the area, but I’m given to understand that humans don’t work that way.”
I glanced at Valeska, raking my eyes across her distinct form. “I don’t understand how vampires can look so similar. They’ve got to be closely related to humans somehow, I mean…they can breed. But, I don’t understand—“
Valeska held up a hand, waving off my confusion. “The real difference between vampires and humans is the same as the difference between dark and light. Humans are of the light. Vampires on the other hand, we are creatures of darkness.”
Narrowing my eyes, I nodded, but I still wasn’t sure that I understood what she meant. I ventured an additional question in the hopes that it would clear up some of my confusion, “How did you become a vampire?”
Valeska grinned at me, flashing bright white teeth behind her ruby lips. She ran a hand through her hair, tossing it to the side of her face. “The real question is…when did your father turn me into a vampire?”
I raised an eyebrow, but quietly waited for Valeska to continue her explanation. She pushed herself off the wall and motioned for me to follow her as we walked back down the hallway. As we turned the corner into the adjoining corridor, she continued, “For my entire life, I had been a troubled person. I didn’t live well, and I was angry all the time. I didn’t get along with my family, not my parents and not my brothers. One day, quite long ago now, when I was especially fed up with everything, I decided the best thing for me to do was to leave home.”
“You abandoned your family?” I interjected, doing my best to reserve judgment on her character for that particular act. Unlike her, I got along well with my mother, and it wasn’t my place to
decide how someone else should react to arguments with their family.
Valeska’s voice lost just a little bit of its regular friendliness when she answered, “Yes, I suppose I did. But I didn’t regret it then, and I don’t regret it now. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I’d do the exact same thing. My family members were terrible people, and they mistreated me my entire life.”
“I’m sorry,” I responded quickly. “I didn’t mean to imply you’d made the wrong decision. In fact, it seems very much like you made the right one.”
Valeska’s lips curled into a small smile, and she was not as cold with me when she continued her explanation further, “Once I had left my family, I had nowhere to stay for the night. I found myself wandering alone as the sun began to set, and I wasn’t sure what I should do for a place to sleep. I found my way to a grove of trees. It seemed to have been abandoned long before I got there, so I found as comfortable of a spot as I could at the base of a tree and huddled up. For a long time I sat there, leaning against a tree half in and out of sleep, but unable to get any real rest.”
