by P. L. Kurup
Inside the room, Amelia was awakened by the sound and looked half dazed to the door.
“Amelia, it’s Clara. I have to tell you something.”
Amelia shuffled to the door and opened it to find Clara standing before her. The woman looked distraught and Amelia’s forehead creased wondering what happened.
“What’s wrong?” asked Amelia.
“I found something in the attic. I’m afraid Samuel’s been hiding secrets from you. You have to see for yourself.”
“I’ll look at it tomorrow,” Amelia said, closing the door when Clara slammed her palm on it.
“He won’t let you tomorrow. You have to go now.”
“Fine I’ll go and see what he’s hiding,” Amelia replied.
xxx
She eased passed Clara and trudged upstairs. On the way she questioned why Clara would be so insistent that she do this. It seemed a bizarre request in so many ways. She skulked passed his room and climbed the remaining six floors to reach the attic door. She opened the door without difficulty and stepped inside. Unlike before, she was able to see the paintings of the two women hanging on the wall. She walked up to the portraits slowly, not at all perturbed by finally seeing their faces. Nevertheless, when she reached the centre her sturdy footsteps faltered and she came to an abrupt halt. Her eyes captured the impossibility of two portraits resembling her exactly. She told herself he could’ve painted them after he met her, although her instincts told her otherwise. Her gaze moved to the large grey chest with its lid wide open. Her heart thumping she walked to the box.
Peeking in, she saw an aged diary. Amelia picked it up and opened it to a random page. She found that it was written in French, a subject she excelled at in school.
‘Count Samuel d’Orleans Paris 1799’
My darling Alexandra is lost to me and I am a monster. It has been a week since the transformation and I find I can consume no food without suffering violent convulsions. The only food I can eat is blood. She flicked further on in the diary. ‘I am in love with another. Her name is Anna St Martin. Within a second of knowing her I knew that it was my beloved Alexandra returned to me.’ Amelia flicked close to the end and read the last entry. ‘After a century of searching I have found her again and her name I am told is Amelia Thorpe and she is an orphan.’
Amelia dropped the dairy and looked deep into the trunk to see the dress she handled once before. She plucked the dress from its resting place and unravelled it to see a bloodstain near where the heart would be. She dropped the dress and turned to find Clara a metre away from her.
“I told you he kept secrets from you,” she said.
Clara walked forward and her eyes turned black resembling two elliptical caves. Her face encompassed a look of ravenous desire and her hands clenched into ball.
“You should’ve listened to him when he warned you about me,” Clara said.
“What are you?” Amelia whispered, staggering back.
“We have many names the undead, succubus, Nosferatu, but I prefer the most common of these titles - vampire.”
Amelia slammed against the wall, and before she could react further, Clara looked deep into her eyes and mesmerised her into a catatonic state. From that moment on Amelia Thorpe was unable to move, speak or think. Clara lunged open mouthed to Amelia’s neck and stopped when she saw the scar from a previous bite.
“Disgusting.”
xxx
Samuel awoke and noticed straight away that he couldn’t sense Amelia’s thoughts. There were only two reasons why that was. The first because she was no longer alive, and the second that her mind was being held captive.
“Clara,” he garbled.
He jumped out of bed and heard the sound of her breathing; something Clara couldn’t stifle. The noise came from the kitchen so he leapt from the window and landed near the south wing. A couple of strides later he arrived at the kitchen threshold. The longer he stood there, the more he dreaded what he’d find inside.
He pushed open the door and saw Clara feeding from Amelia’s wrist. The vampire looked up at him and grinned revealing her blood soaked teeth.
“Have you tried her? She’s truly delicious,” Clara uttered.
“Let her go and I won’t kill you,” replied Samuel.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. You see, I’ve been seeking revenge for your betrayal since the 1800’s.”
She was about to dig her fangs into Amelia’s other wrist when Samuel tore up to her and yanked Amelia free. He placed Amelia gently on the ground and was in the midst of stroking her face when Clara jumped on his back and shoved him to the floor.
“This reminds me of old times,” she quipped.
No longer entranced by Clara, Amelia watched Samuel and Clara battle.
Clara scratched Samuel’s face drawing blood, though the gash healed right away and left no trace. Next she punched him on the nose and the force made him stumble back. Her eyes bulging, she jumped onto his body and bit and scratched him again and again.
“Your pathetic sentimentality has always been your downfall,” Clara said, continuing to attack him.
Samuel took a swipe at Clara’s head. Shortly thereafter, her head separated from her body and rolled to within an inch of Amelia. As she gawped at Clara’s head and torso, it disintegrated into smoke leaving nothing behind. Amelia scrambled to her feet and dashed out of the kitchen while Samuel stood in silence amidst the chaos.
She went upstairs to her bathroom. There, she placed her wounded wrist under a running tap, then bracing herself, smeared the cut with soap. The sting of chemicals brought tears to her eyes yet she persisted until the wound was as clean as she could make it. After which she returned to her room, picked up the dress she wore on Christmas day, and tore a small section into a lengthy strip. Taking a breath, she wrapped the cloth around her wrist and tied it into a knot. She was no longer in danger of infection however she knew a tetanus shot would be required. This could only be done after she went home, a place she intended to return to forthwith. Hence she packed her suitcase, rolled it out her room and went downstairs.
Waiting for her near the open front door was Samuel. His face racked with guilt.
“Lucas is after you. You will not be safe away from me,” he said.
“I don’t care.”
“You have to care. Lucas is pure evil and he will stop at nothing to destroy you.”
“Then you better stop him before he finds me.”
He offered her a wad of cash and said, “That’s for your work.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Take it. You have nowhere to live and not a penny to your name.”
She took the money, stepped into the courtyard, and got into her car. She drove away and glanced in the rear view mirror for one last glimpse of him, but he cast no reflection. She turned back at the manor and saw he still stood by the door. Turning to the road again, she gripped the steering wheel and drove onto the bleak and desolate road that would take her home.
xxx
That evening, Samuel tore down the portraits of Alexandra and Anna from the attic wall and tossed them out the window. He raced out of the attic and travelled down five floors to reach her bedroom door. Samuel charged into the room almost dislodging the door from its frame, and wasted no time in removing the bedclothes from her bed, the shampoo and soap from her bathroom, the hair follicles that had fallen from her brush, and flung them out the window too. Once everything that had touched her had been eradicated, he stormed downstairs and entered the living room. He looked up at the Christmas tree which still had one of her presents beneath it. To make things worse, Amelia’s scent lingered everywhere. He set about ridding her stench by opening every window circumventing the room. The tree was dismantled branch by branch and taken to the courtyard along with the last present. He threw the items onto a pile along with all the other objects he’d got rid of earlier. The last room to be cleansed was the kitchen so he raced back into the house and made his way through the long c
orridor.
He wandered into the kitchen and transferred the plates and cutlery she had eaten from into a sack, then lit a rolled up piece of paper on the hob before leaving the kitchen. When he returned to the courtyard, he hurled the sack in such a way that it landed on Alexandra’s portrait. Samuel lit the bottom of the mound using the paper torch and watched the blaze turn the possessions into ash.
Chapter 21
It was close to 10 pm by the time she drove into the city. She’d spent the last few hours reliving the events that took place at the manor. The revelation that vampires existed seemed ludicrous yet she saw it with her own eyes. She looked at the bandage around her wrist and noticed that it needed changing so she drove straight to the hospital.
She parked her car and got out of the vehicle praying that no one would recognise her. So frightened was she of being discovered that she ran into the hospital building and headed straight for the emergency ward. As usual the place was a flurry of cuts, bruises, life and death. None of the staff saw her as they were far too busy tending to patients. It gave her the chance to skulk into one of the treatment rooms. Following this, she removed the makeshift bandage around her wrist and poured a disinfectant onto the gash. She screamed at the excruciating pain. Once the wound was treated, she bandaged it a second time with a proper dressing. The final stage saw her administer a tetanus injection into her arm. Amelia cleaned up the mess feeling a sense of unease regarding how she’d gotten the bite. She left the treatment room knowing her ordeal must never leave her lips as her competence would be brought into question.
She was almost at the exit when someone slammed their hand on her shoulder. She turned half expecting it to be Samuel and sighed when she saw Adrian. She hid her bandaged wrist behind her back.
“I can tell you had a nice Christmas,” he remarked.
“It was uneventful,” she replied.
“I hope you forgive me for not giving you the money,” he said.
“I forgive you with all my heart. I know now beyond a shadow of a doubt what kind of person you really are.”
Amelia walked away and heard him yell, “I didn’t help you because I wanted you to find a solution on your own. I helped you indirectly.”
She left the hospital as fast as she could and started to appreciate how kind Samuel was in comparison to Adrian. She returned to her car and drove on knowing that finishing medical school was an impossibility as her fees couldn’t be paid.
xxx
Later that night, Amelia rented a room in a rundown street using the cash Samuel gave her. As soon as she entered the room, she cringed at the torn wallpaper, sparse furnishings, and the smell of rotting food. She dropped her belongings near the door and crossed to the window. The view was of the city and she drew the curtains to give herself some privacy.
Munching on a sandwich she bought from a roadside shop, she sat on the bed and tapped the word ‘Vampire’ into the browser on her computer. The top results comprised of books, films and posters about vampires and little else. She typed in request after request about the creatures, but all she discovered were fables and fiction.
Then she keyed ‘Samuel d’Orleans’ into the computer and when the results came up she noticed the majority related to Count Samuel d’Orleans (10th December 1775 – 11th November 1799). She clicked on the first result and the image sharpened into an oil painting of a man in 18th century clothes.
“Samuel,” Amelia muttered.
She hastily read the inscription at the bottom; ‘Self Portrait of Count Samuel d’Orleans, circa 1794’. Her fingers searched for other paintings by Count Samuel d’Orleans and the request revealed one result. Her heart pounding, Amelia clicked on the result.
In a fraction of a second she saw a painting of a woman adorned in an elaborate 18th century silver gown. Like the portraits in the attic, this picture resembled Amelia exactly. Her gaze drifted to the bottom where she read the description, ‘Countess Alexandra d’Orleans. Beloved wife of Count Samuel d’Orleans.’
Amelia placed the laptop on the bed and struggled to understand what she’d discovered. She gaped at the bite marks on her wrists and noted that they had a familiar shape. She rushed to the mirror and moved her hair to expose her neck. Doing so, she discovered the birthmark on her neck was a near identical copy of the scars on her wrists, proving that they were nothing more than teeth marks.
She peeked through the curtains, hoping to escape from all that’d happened and focused on the dozens of people rushing about the street. She was on the verge of turning away when she saw something curious. Sitting on one of the benches was a man watching her with great interest. He was tall and thin and wore a long dark coat. Her face paled as she recognised him as the person who attacked her in the café.
She stepped back and after a short pause looked out again. The ominous-looking stranger had vanished. Amelia scrutinised every facet of the street from the quaint cafes to the dreary houses. The prowler had indeed disappeared so she sat on her bed contemplating what to do next. Time passed and she wished for something unthinkable; Samuel d’Orleans’ presence. She fell asleep thinking of the dance they shared on Christmas Day and how happy he made her feel.
xxx
The next morning, she rose early and left her dismal room clutching her laptop close to her chest. She entered the reception area and noticed the owner, a well-dressed man wearing a bow tie, standing behind the counter.
“Did anyone come here asking for me?” she asked him.
“No one.”
“You didn’t see anyone waiting for me either in reception or outside the hotel,” she enquired again.
“I didn’t notice a single soul either asking about you or wandering back and forth outside the hotel in anticipation of meeting you.”
“Thanks,” she said.
She walked out of the hotel and noticed the sky was grey and downcast and the weather chilly enough for snow. A feeling of contentment washed over her thinking that the stranger would never bother her again. She got into her car and started it only to find the fuel gage was empty. The cash she had wouldn’t stretch to paying for fuel meaning a drive to the city must be sacrificed. She got out of the car and slammed the door still clutching her precious computer. Soon she began the three mile walk to the city. Since it was December 30th the streets were overrun with people getting ready for New Year’s Eve. The teeming pavement was difficult to negotiate and she was jostled to and fro.
xxx
A couple of hours later, she paraded through Oxford Street in search of an empty café seat. Every shop was full of people and she despaired of finding somewhere to rest. She looked ahead and saw a young couple leaving a crowded restaurant. Amelia darted into the shop, took the last seat there, and rejoiced in something going right for once.
She ordered a coffee and a croissant and paid for it using the remaining cash. She had just opened up her laptop when Priti Patel pulled her chair up to Amelia’s table.
“Fancy seeing you here,” remarked a fresh looking Priti.
“Yes, fancy that,” Amelia replied.
“How are you, Amelia? I haven’t seen you since Professor Stevens threw you out of his lecture.”
“I’m fine,” Amelia mumbled.
“I want you to know that I thought Professor Stevens was heartless to ask you to leave for not paying your fees. The least he could’ve done was tell you in private.”
“So how is the course?” Amelia asked discontentedly.
“The usual. See patients, take histories, prepare for exams. I can’t believe in six months’ time I’ll be Dr Priti Patel. So what are you doing now?”
“At this time I’m trying to ration the money a vampire gave me as payment for working for him over the Christmas holidays. Good luck with your degree.”
Amelia closed her laptop and rushed from Priti’s side holding her computer and stepped out into the overcrowded pavement. The crowds shoved her here and there and at one point she almost dropped her laptop. In her haste t
o get away from the haughty Miss Patel, she darted across the road forcing several cars to swerve. She was too flustered to react to the cacophony of cursing drivers and retreated down another street. A man in torn clothing eased her into a deserted side street and she knew at once something terrible was about to happen.
“I was watching you in that café. It seems you carry a great deal of cash with you. Not a clever thing to do in London,” he remarked.
“Please don’t hurt me,” Amelia pleaded.
She wished for Samuel’s presence. It seemed inevitable that he’d take her away from all that was wrong as he’d done so many times before.
“No one’s going to help you,” the man remarked, as if reading her thoughts. “Where do you keep the cash you had in the restaurant? Mmm?”
He dug his hand into her pocket and took out the roll of cash and snatched the computer from her grasp. Using his free hand he touched her face and moved down to her chest. Amelia kneed him and ran hastily to the main road where she pushed her way through the masses of people.
xxx
It was nearly five pm by the time she walked into the hotel foyer. She passed the owner on the way to her room.
“I assume you’re leaving tomorrow?” he remarked.
“No I thought I’d stay a few more days,” Amelia replied.
“Then I expect you to pay me before the eleven am deadline.”
“Of course, Sir,” she said cheerfully.
She returned to her room and drew comfort at being alone. Lying in bed, she contemplated the horrendous events of her life. Her medical career over, penniless and hungry, and never seeing Samuel again.
Chapter 22
Amelia was woken the next morning by her mobile phone. She checked her phone and saw it was nearly eleven am. She answered it and heard a high pitched voice.
“Hi Amelia. I have good news,” the person began.
“That’s wonderful, but who are you?” Amelia asked.
“Oh, my dear, it’s Caroline from the finance office. I wanted to call and tell you that your university fees have been paid in full.”
