I looked out the window, blinking slowly. Raindrops pelted the glass and dripped down like little torrents. Walter walked by carrying a tray of tea. I lifted my head from the windowsill lazily and looked over in his direction.
"Walter?" I asked. He stopped and looked over at me.
'Yes, Rikki?"
"How long have you believed in vampires?' I asked softly. It seemed an appropriate thing to talk about. After all, he had been working with one since..who knows how long?
'Well, I must say, quite a while. I guess I've believed that vampires exist ever since I met Alucard. What about you?" I coughed.
"Actually, I'm still trying to deny the fact. I was never really big on the supernatural. Catherine was the one who was always afraid of ghosts and goblins." I admitted. Walter laughed nervously.
"Well, I'm afraid they are real, and we have Alucard and Miss Victoria to prove it." He chuckled. I sighed.
"Yeah." Walter perked up.
"Oh, I almost forgot, Sir integral wanted to see you. I'm bringing her tea right now, why don't you come with me?" he asked. I shrugged and nodded. Anything but staring out the window for another hour.
"Rikki Myran, I have a test for you tomorrow. It will not be an ordinary written test. It will be a test of wits and logic. I hope you'll be prepared." Sir Integral announced. To put it bluntly, I almost fell over.
"WHAT?" I yelled. Sir Integral chuckled.
"I understand you're surprised. But don't worry. It should be pretty easy for you." she said, giving me a reassuring smile. Walter smiled as well, though I sensed a hint of pure evil in his expression. This wasn't going to be good.
I walked wearily down to the hall to my room, yawning. The occasional lamp cast an odd yellowish color around the floor. I rubbed my eye with the back of my hand and shook my head. The air was filled with a damp, metallic odor from the recent rain. I had my doubts that this old manor wouldn't begin to leak. For an old Manor, this place was full of suprises. During the past week, I had been trying to predict just when Alucard would pop up. To my dismay, he still popped up even more randomly than before. I decided to give up on that and get some sleep. Sir Integral had a test for me the next day, and I needed to be well rested. The fact that she told me it was not a normal written or oral test concerned me. Why would she give me a test on such short notice? What kind of test would it be? How will she grade it? What if I fail? I tried to dwell on the reassuring smile she had given me, but all that ran through my head was the last thing she had told me: "I look forward to your evaluation. Do not let me down."
I closed the door to my room and walked to the bathroom. Hopefully a nice warm soak would calm my nerves. I sighed as I turned the knob for the hot water. I had everything laid out on the bath mat; my towel, a robe, and fuzzy slippers that Sir Integral had provided for me. I added a bit of cold water so as not to scald myself. I did have an insensitivity to heat. I had a burn scar on my hip to prove it. I was about to take off my shirt when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I yelped in surprise and my hand slipped from the rim, plunging into the water and to the bottom. I stiffened my arm to stable the rest of my body. My other arm flailed and knocked down the shower head. Coincidentally, it landed on my head. Soft, deep laughter followed.
"Alucard! You bloody cretin!" I roared. suddenly, my mind birthed an idea. My face softened.
"Yes?"Alucard replied.
"Why don't you slip into something more comfortable?" I asked sweetly.
"Like what, Rikki?" he smiled, leaning closer. I couldn't tell whether he understood me or he was getting turned on. I shuddered at the thought.
"Like a coma!" I barked. Upon barking, I threw a bottle of conditioner at him.
"Clam down, kiddo. Yelling isn't going to make your cuts heal any faster than they are now. And they're healing pretty slowly as it is." I hiccuped. If you haven't guessed, yelling gives me the hiccups. Without another word, Alucard sat on a stool and put me in his lap. I jumped, afraid of what he would do. He lifted my arm and turned it over so my wrist was facing him. He traced a long gash with his gloved finger. I shivered. He opened his mouth. I could see his fangs. I shivered again. Here I was, in the most dangerous room in the home, with a 567 year old vampire holding me hostage. What was I to do?
"Wha...what are you doing?" I questioned shakily. Alucard smiled and began to lick my cut. I flinched, trying to get away, but his tight grip showed me no mercy. Why hadn't I brought the whistle in with me? WHY?
"Don't struggle. You're only making it harder." Alucard warned. I whimpered at the sting and the fact that I had no idea when the hell I was going to get home. I missed my mum, and above all, Catherine. I sniffled as Alucard stopped licking my cut. It was gone. I felt hot tears at my eyes. I closed my eyes tightly, praying they wouldn't fall. It was one of those moments when all these memories come crashing back like a runaway freight train going down a hill carrying tons of brick. Every memory of Catherine that I could remember surged through my head, pulsing, and I couldn't stop them.
"Hey, Catherine! My mummy says we can go to the forest after school today!" I cried happily. I was but eight years old then. Catherine was seven. She turned and laughed as I tripped on a rock, then ran over to help me up.
"Look what I bought yesterday!" she smiled. She opened her clutched hand to reveal two necklaces. They were one of those pair necklaces that come together to form a word or phrase. One charm said 'Best', the other said 'Friends'. "You get the one that says 'Best' 'cuz you're so smart and stuff." she giggled. I shook my head.
'It's s'posed to say 'best Ftriends Forever' '"I corrected. Catherine laughed.
"Best friends..!"
"...Forever!" I announced. We locked pinky fingers and shook our hands.
I turned away from Alucard. He must have read my mind, because the next thing he did was pull me into a hug. He stroked my hair and finaly let me move around. At this point, it was painful to hold it in. I fell into his chest and sobbed.
"I miss her so much! It's all my fault! I should have listened to her! I should have listened...why am I so fucking stubborn? It's my fault she's dead! Why is it always like this? Why? Why? WHY?" I cried, pounding at his chest with my fists. Alucard patted my head and pulled away. I kept my head down. He lifted my chin with his hand and smiled. Alarmed, I flinched as he moved closer. Without another word, he softly kissed my forehead and disappeared. I sat on the floor, dumbfounded. I looked upwards. "I'm so sorry, Catherine."I whispered.
A warm soak wasn't going to help at all now.