Angel of the Night

"Are you Polish? German?" asked Martine, her mouth full of potato.

"British," was Kya's curt answer.

"Were you stranded in Europe when the war started?"

"Yes."

In reality, that was at least true. Prior to the hostilities, she paid little attention to human affairs and the window of opportunity for her to flee to England or America closed rapidly. Instead, she was forced to wander from city to city, hoping that the conflict would soon resolve itself.

Again, Kya could feel Martine eyeing her with curiosity. She must be wondering what I'm doing here, she thought. Kya's appearance didn't fit with the doomed souls who were forced to reside inside the pathetic walls of despair. She herself realized she had a strange air about her...

Kya sat on the wood chair next to the table, undecided on whether she should stay with Martine or disappear into the shadows.

Martine was clearly exhausted from her ordeal and openly yawned.

"Thank you, Kya...I owe you my life. If you hadn't rescued me those men would have raped me and then killed me..."

Martine rose to hug Kya in gratitude but she suddenly lost her footing as a feeling of lightheadedness overcame her. Kya caught the pretty mortal and held her effortlessly.

She gazed up at the beautiful vampire seeing her gleaming eyes and alabaster skin and, noticing for the first time, the sharp teeth, especially the elongated eye teeth.

Curiously, Martine reached up and touched the white porcelain surfaces. Any other time this would be construed as extremely rude behavior but Kya was compliant with the girl's inquisitiveness. And, in an odd way, it made her feel closer to Martine. As she gazed down at her, the young girl's body went limp and she lost consciousness.

Kya's human emotions ran riot inside her cold body. A big part of her wanted to help the girl survive this terrible ordeal. The feeling resonated inside her and she realized that as conflicted as her disparate parts were, certain feelings would not be denied.

If it was within her scope of power, Kya resolved to protect Martine from harm. She clutched the sleeping girl to her bosom and rocked her gently, humming a song she remembered as a young girl.

****

Kya was born Victoria Elizabeth Grantley in London, England when Queen Victoria (her namesake) was at the height of her reign. An only child, her parents adored her and she adored them. Her upbringing was typical for the strict ethics of the times but was tempered by her folk's lenient ways.

When she was sixteen, her father, a colonel in the British Army was assigned to a post in Africa. In accordance with regulations, he was permitted to bring his family with him and opted to do so.

However, Kya's mother was a frail creature and the long journey proved fatal when she developed a fever and died en route to their destination. Kya and her father were heartbroken.

"I should have left you both at home...safe and secure," he lamented.

Kya's Indian amah, or nanny, became the surrogate mother figure in her life and she watched over the teenage girl as though she were her own.

Kya disliked life on the army post but sought solace in books. The nearness to her father and her amah's tender loving care filled some of the void from her mother's absence.

By the time of her nineteenth birthday, Kya's beauty had reached its apex and many young officers vied for her affections. She had serious romantic feelings for a handsome cavalry officer but as fate would dictate, he was killed along with her father while on a routine patrol, ambushed by insurgents.

Kya was an orphan and it relegated her to a life with a less than attentive relative: her mother's brother, Archibald Grevel. Uncle Grevel, as he preferred to be called, had a very severe, no nonsense demeanor. He was a widower, having lost his wife and son during one of the epidemics that swept through London in those times.

Several months after her father's death, a letter arrived from Uncle Grevel informing Kya that he expected her to be packed and ready for the return journey to England. She would take up residence with him at his home in Chelsea and considering her high degree of education, he would obtain a teaching position for her.

In Victorian England, teachers were a vastly underpaid and poorly respected lot. With her lower social status, Kya's marriage prospects would suffer as well. Coupled with her perception that her uncle was indifferent to her welfare, she dreaded her future chances for a happy life.

Still grief stricken over the loss of her mother and father, Kya contemplated running away. But life on the run was an even bleaker choice with little hope of survival, especially in Africa, the Dark Continent.

Kya's amah comforted her with the love a parent has for a child. She had watched the girl grow into a beautiful young woman and it pained her greatly to see her sorrow and dejection.

Late one evening, Kya sat on the patio outside her quarters on the army post watching the clouds race in front of the full moon. As she wiped bitter tears from her eyes, she heard her amah calling her name.

"Victoria!"

"I'm here!" Kya exclaimed.

"You should be in bed. It's very late," her amah scolded.

Kya's amah had a strange expression on her face and was looking at her neck.

"What's wrong?" Kya asked.

"It is dangerous to be outside so late and you are alone," amah said warily in her thick accent.

"Why? I'm not afraid of wild animals," Kya said with the confidence of youth.

"It is not wild animals that concern me. There are more dangerous things that lurk in the darkness," her amah said in a frightened voice with an eye cast to the shadows.

Reluctantly, Kya retired for the night but her amah's words ignited her inquisitive nature.

The next night Kya lay in bed until her amah was asleep. Stealthily, she crept to the patio and sat in the darkness with only the moonlight for company. She was lightly dozing when she perceived a shimmering shadow of white approaching. In the center was a beautiful African woman with glittering eyes.

The shadow perceived great sorrow in Kya and regarded the beautiful mortal with something akin to sympathy in human terms.

"Why are you sad?" the figure asked in a lilting musical voice.

Kya recalled the events that reshaped her life. By the end, she grieved anew and heaving sobs wracked her body.

The African vampire was moved by the tragedy that enveloped Kya and embraced her. She gazed at the sad eyed, slender human with compassion. So young and yet...

In an entrancing voice, the apparition explained to Kya how her life could be altered forever. She had a choice, life with her uncle or an entirely different and powerful existence, one that would last many lifetimes.

"Think carefully about the choice I offer you," the shadow advised and gradually dissolved, leaving Kya alone in the darkness.

Kya sat in stunned silence. Was it just a vivid dream?

The next day Kya replayed the events of the previous night over and over in her head. She remembered the comforting arms, luminescent eyes and beauty of the transparent spirit.

Kya dared not mention a word to her amah but as night approached she was certain of her decision: better an existence in the shadows than life with her uncle in London.

Kya waited patiently for the specter to appear. Several times she nodded off only to wake alone in the dark. When she heard her amah snoring in the adjoining bedroom, the room grew brighter until the beautiful vampire appeared at the foot of her bed.

The figure moved silently towards Kya and intuited her desire. It wasn't until the shining face was inches from her own that Kya saw the sharp teeth and for a brief moment, fear played across her mind. She recalled nothing more.

When Kya woke, she was instantly aware of the change inside her. The night enveloped her and she found peace in the shadows. Her hearing, sight and all her senses were greatly heightened. Befitting her new existence, her maker gave her the African name Kya which means diamond of the night sky.

Consumed with a hunger for human blood and under her maker's watchful eye, Kya found a youth tending his flock of sheep. As soon as she entranced the boy, she sank her needle sharp fangs into his neck and sucked his life's essence until he expired. The sight of his lifeless body caused her great pain. She resolved to restrain herself and only take an amount that would satisfy her hunger, keeping her victim alive.

One evening after sunset as the shadows lengthened, Kya observed a very handsome man at the riverbank. He was washing his body and singing a song that she recalled as a mortal. The sight of his nakedness caused a sexual excitement inside her that perplexed her maker.

Kya's mortal emotions and desires had survived the transformation intact and it imbued her with a humanness that co-existed with her undead identity.

While Kya embraced her new existence, she was inexplicably drawn to the small quarters she had occupied with her father on the military post. With the stealth that typified her kind, she entered the room as an imperceptible shadow.

Kya's Uncle Grevel was seated at the desk her father once occupied. His face was cradled in his hands as he looked at a cabinet photo of Kya and her parents. Tears ran unabated down his cheeks as he lamented their passing.

Kya was thunderstruck and moved by his display. Privately he was a thoughtful, compassionate person who had suffered through two tragedies.

"Victoria, I would have loved you as my own," he mourned without restraint.

Using telepathic suggestion, Kya tried to ease his pain and while it succeeded to a small degree, his sense of loss was too great. She withdrew and regretted her irreversible decision.

*

Kya gazed fondly at the delicate human girl in her arms. She was treading on dangerous ground. Contact with mortals, except for feeding purposes, was extremely risky.

Martine was obviously malnourished and Kya decided to find some food before she woke up. Carefully she laid the dozing girl in the cot, making sure that a blanket covered her.

Variations in temperature meant little to the caring vampire as she experienced neither heat nor cold. But in the unheated room, Martine was certain to feel the biting chill in the air. Kya removed her coat and placed it over the still form.

Kya exited the Ghetto and searched for the army barracks she had seen earlier. Next to the barracks was a mess hall. With her ultra sensitive hearing, she could detect no human presence, only mice scurrying within the walls.

Inside the kitchen area, Kya found potatoes, turnips, carrots and several smoked sausages. She stuffed everything in a burlap sack and with the swiftness that typified her kind, re-emerged in front of the battered door to the secret room.

Kya listened for any telltale noise but discerned only Martine's breathing. She deposited her booty on the dismal table and sat staring at Martine wondering when she might awake. Daylight was only an hour away and she needed to find adequate shelter.

As the minutes ticked by, Martine gradually stirred and when she saw Kya gazing at her, she smiled.

"Hello," she said in German.

Kya returned the pleasantry.

Martine sat up and her eyes settled on the bounty atop the table.

"Where did this come from?" she asked, disbelief on her face as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"For you," Kya said bashfully.

Martine reached for a potato, grasping it to see if it was real.

Kya was keenly aware of the impending dawn.

"I must go now..."

"Where are you going? You're safe here..."

The offer was tempting but Kya, from her years of undead existence, knew that she should find a hidden place in the many deserted buildings and rest undisturbed until sunset.

Overcome by the virtual feast in front of her, Martine wept with joy.

"I don't know how you did it...but...thank you...thank you..."

Martine rose and hugged Kya with all her might. Kya felt the waif's ribs through her coat.

"You must eat something...I will return later...after dark," she said.

After leaving Martine she found an acceptable place at the last minute as the eastern sky turned a bright pink. She lay curled up in the tiny attic of an abandoned building and rested fitfully. Fear of discovery in this part of war torn Europe was a big problem and disturbing a sleeping vampire would most assuredly lead to the discoverers death

*

After Kya had gone, Martine relaxed and she sampled part of a sausage. Nothing on God's earth tasted better to her at that moment. Her brother Peter would share in the treasure and instantly she thought of her parents. Six months had passed since she last saw them, suitcases in hand walking toward the train depot and the transport to a labor camp.

Peter had insisted that she hide with him among the resistance fighters. He'd heard the rumors, the innuendo that the trains were a one way ticket. After the uprising in January, the SS had stopped the deportations and they spent most days going from one safe house to the next hoping to avoid any round-ups.

Just then, Martine heard foot steps and a familiar knock on the door. Her brother Peter stuck his head in and gawked at the feast next to his sister.

"Where did you get all the food?" he asked in a shocked voice.

For a moment, Martine thought about speaking the truth but would he believe her?

"It was here last night," she lied.

Peter grabbed a potato and bit into the crisp vegetable.

"Maybe it was Margot or Zeljko. They work outside the Ghetto," he told her between mouthfuls.

Later, Martine picked her way through the dark streets, making sure that she kept out of sight. During the day, she'd been with Peter and shared the provisions with the other freedom fighters. They seemed to buy her story and assumed it was an anonymous benefactor to the cause.

However, Kya dominated her silent thoughts. Who was she? Where did she come from? She was out of place in the Ghetto, that much was blatantly obvious to Martine. And how did a slender girl not much older than eighteen or nineteen overpower two imposing SS soldiers?

None of it made any sense and all it did was raise more questions. An image of Kya's pointed incisors flashed across her mind. Although she couldn't recall at the time, Martine was certain that she'd seen images in a book that reminded her of...

Martine stood before the familiar door wondering if she'd ever see Kya again. The entire affair seemed so incredibly surreal that it defied logic.

*

Kya thought about acquiring more food for Martine and found a grocer's that had closed for the evening. Easily she broke the lock on the back door and made off with a loaf of bread, a couple of potatoes and a tin of condensed milk.

When she entered the room undetected, Kya gazed at the lovely girl with affection. Martine was seated at the table reading a book and her introspective look just added to her beauty. As if sensing another presence, she looked in Kya's direction and gasped.

"How on earth do you did you get in here?"

Martine saw the victuals that Kya brought.

"More food?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes. Are you hungry?"

"I haven't eaten like this for ages!" She broke off some of the bread and took a small bite savoring the richness.

"Oh...it tastes so good," she exclaimed.

The girl's happiness appealed to Kya but when Martine offered her some bread, she refused.

"No, no thank you, I ah...don't eat bread..."

Kya could see that her refusal to eat had intrigued Martine. They stared at each other, the atmosphere tense.

"I remember reading a book once," Martine said, her words no more than a whisper.

"About legends and myths...my father didn't approve but I was headstrong then and did what I wanted."

Martine paused.

"I read about vampyr's...the creatures of the Black Forest...I wanted to believe they existed and my father laughed at my imagination. I remember feeling foolish, but now..."

Another silence and Kya watched Martine as she struggled to put her fears into words.

"You don't eat food, do you?" Martine enquired nervously.

Kya realized that the moment of truth was at hand. It was useless denying who and what she was.

"No," Kya answered.

Martine gazed at the undead beauty curiously.

"Why did you help me?"

Momentarily, Kya was speechless but she knew why...her human side...

"You were in danger...I wanted to..."

"You're not what I imagined a vampyr to be...you're nothing like the creatures I read about when I was young..."

She surprised Kya by embracing her affectionately.

"I was starving and you brought me food...how can I possibly repay you?" Martine's eyes welled up, and fat tears spilled onto her rosy cheeks.

Kya traced a finger along the wet trail. She relished the physical contact with Martine and was acutely aware of a sexual attraction.

"Why do the Nazis persecute you?" Kya asked innocently, she had no point of reference for Anti-Semitism.

"I don't know..."

She told Kya what had happened to her. Martine and her family had fled Germany in 1936 because of the harassment. When her father lost his professorship at the University, he decided to pull up stakes and moved the family to Poland where his wife had relatives. For three years they lived in quiet obscurity until Germany attacked Poland in 1939 and the nightmare began anew.

As Martine shivered from the icy dankness in the room, Kya drew the trembling girl inside her coat. While she could do little to warm the youngster, the heat imparted by the human was enormously comforting.

Kya held the young beauty for a long time. No words were exchanged but none needed to be. The emotional connection between the two was established and would only grow stronger as time passed.

With dawn approaching, Kya kissed Martine's forehead. The dear girl was snoozing contentedly in her arms and the last thing she wanted was to disturb her. Gently, she shook the still figure until the eyes opened, heavy with sleep.

"I must leave now..."

"Why?" Martine enquired innocently, and held the lonely vampire very tightly.

"I sleep during the day."

Kya tenderly kissed the pale cheeks and loosened Martine's hold on her.

"I'll miss you..." Martine sighed sadly.

The beautiful girl looked so forlorn that Kya embraced her once more.

"I'll come back after dark...don't worry."

Martine gazed at Kya and gave her a dazzling smile.

"No-one will know you're here, I give you my word. Anyway, they won't understand..."

****

The enormous stress of life within the Ghetto was eased by Kya. Just having food to eat on a daily basis was far beyond what anyone in such dire straits could expect.

Martine regarded Kya's actions as an immeasurable act of kindness and compassion. Provisions appeared with regularity and Martine gave thanks, always sharing with her close knit group.

"You're my angel of the night..." Martine often said to Kya.

But, on the evenings when Peter was with her or the other freedom fighters, Kya stayed away. Intuitively Martine realized that, considering Kya's true identity, the need for secrecy was paramount.

It was on those nights that Martine keenly felt Kya's absence and pined for her. Many times her comrades stated that she looked distracted during their meetings.

"Where are you, my angel of the night?" she would say silently to herself.

*

Kya required nourishment every two or three days at the maximum. Hunting in the city proper, she prowled the various cafés but finding victims in war torn Poland was no easy feat.

Inevitably, Kya would appear in the tiny room, usually bearing food when no one else was around. Martine would hug Kya with gratitude and gaze into her gleaming eyes with heartfelt sentiment.