Nostalgia Ch. 13

Ana had hollered and thrashed herself to exhaustion. Her voice was gone. All that remained was a burning throat and a twitching body. She was on her belly on the bed, almost falling asleep.

Vlad was kneeling close by nearby, his arms folded on the mattress like it was a desk, his cheek on one of those arms. He had scratches on his face now. Ana had nearly gouged his eyes with her fingers, but he wasn't angry.

Her world had been flipped upside down, and he felt that he was at least partially responsible for it. She once was a source of tranquillity for him, an escape from the bloody arrangements in his existence. Now she was tainted with the morbid knowledge.

But he still loved her. How could he not? She craved privacy, and she could be very quiet, but when one goaded her she'd give the fiercest and loudest words. She was affectionate, and mostly open-minded about people and their lifestyles. And she was fairly intelligent. Not a genius, oh no, but certainly not a moron.

She'd grown on him like beautiful creeping vines with flowers, but he didn't feel captured nor strangled. He felt embraced. Even with a bleeding face, even while emotionally depleted, even knowing that Ana might hate him right then, he loved her. Maybe it wasn't a sensible love. Maybe all the reasons he'd listed in his thoughts weren't enough to justify his love. Maybe he only wanted her around because she was young and refreshing.

Vlad's head rose an inch or so as he rubbed at an eye.

Maybe he was a delusional old man.

The Old Man.

The Sad Old Man.

"Ana, are you awake?"

Her fingers twitched and she mumbled something sandy. He could still see the buildup of skin and blood under her fingernails.

"Those photos I showed you, family photos, do you remember them?"

Ana's brow wrinkled.

Vlad sighed. "I don't know who those people are. I've never married anyone named Sorina, or if I did I don't remember it. The little boy you saw wasn't Mihai. I doubt he's related to the woman."

Ana grimaced and snuggled her face into a pillow.

"Would ... would you like to know the most disturbing facts about my age?" He almost never talked about it. Most vampires didn't want to.

Her legs folded up in a fetal position.

Vlad closed his eyes. "The earliest memory I have is from ... perhaps the first decade of the 20th century. I don't know what happened before then. I only have limited evidence to learn from. So," he gulped down a knot of pure sadness, "in reality, I don't know if Mihai's my son or not. Perhaps Brun brought him to me to have as a companion, and we told everyone he was my son. I don't remember. He doesn't remember either. As for Brun, she certainly doesn't remember."

Saying these words ... it hurt him more than he'd like to admit.

"Time ... goes on. Every society changes. Some even disappear. Standards change. We must change to survive. I have no idea what sort of person I was before I became a vampire. I have no idea what sort of person I was in the 1800s. Now consider this, please. If you don't, you won't be able to justly scrutinize me, and your love will be incomplete ... assuming you do still love me."

He didn't hear Ana make any noises except for her breathing.

"I'll place two examples of humanity's past here for clarification," Vlad said. "It was once common and considered acceptable in some cultures for a husband to kill his wife if he learned she'd had an affair with another man. Also, in some cultures, if a child was born with any deformity, it was perfectly allowed, even encouraged, for the parents to abandon the child in the wild or even kill them. Sometimes I wonder what sort of person I'd been during certain eras, and I wonder what I'd have likely done. Is there an afterlife? If so, will I be judged for anything modern people consider to be cruel? Will I be judged for actions I can't remember? Actions I would currently call evil?"

His voice turned fuzzy. "And now, I wonder what you'll think of me, knowing I might have done unspeakable things."

Silence.

He opened his eyes and pushed his torso up.

Ana's face was still on the pillow. He reached over to nudge her shoulder. She turned her head to give him a completely "done" look. She'd had her fill of upsetting things.

"Did you hear what I said?" Vlad asked. He didn't want to repeat it all.

She licked her lips, wiped her eye with a corner of the pillowcase, and nodded.

Vlad made a tiny smile. "I have many benefits to share with you, if you want them."

Ana put her face back on the pillow.

"Although it should be quite obvious to you that you shouldn't spread all this secret information." Vlad ruffled her hair. She was oddly cute. "Not only will Brun arrange an expert cover-up. She'll kill you in the meantime."

Ana sniffled as if she was close to weeping.

***

In the kitchen, Chouko was operating a coffee maker, but not for coffee. She was using it to make some tea. She consulted a small notepad with Japanese notes on what the labels on each button meant. It was there just in case a few English words were forgotten. At the bar area, Dalca-san was reading a page of a spiral notebook someone had given him. Sometimes, in this era of electronic information, it was safer to write facts down than type them out.

"A few more of my knights have been attacked," he said with a disappointed tone.

The coffee maker was loud, but not too loud. Chouko heard him clearly. She said, "For this brand new colony to be attacked, that's terrible."

One of the spiral notebook's pages made a dry flapping noise as it was turned.

"Is it possible that Dalca-san has made an enemy?" Sometimes, in Japanese, one would address a person without literally saying an equivalent of you, but using a name or title instead. Chouko turned the coffee maker off and pulled the glass pot out. "But I can't imagine such a thing." She poured some tea into a white mug.

"It's possible that the lord of one of the older colonies here wants to cause some trouble." When Chouko walked to him and offered the cup of tea, he smoothly took it. "When Brun figures out who's responsible, she won't be merciful."

Nodding, Chouko said, "The fact that they've been murdering unrelated people is shameful."

"That's what I don't understand," Mihai said as he put his cup down. "Why would they do that? It's so dangerous."

Chouko couldn't think of an answer, or at least not a good one. She was still new to this world. She didn't understand most of its aspects.

***

Morning.

It was a morning that hurt her eyes and outer ears. Ana had slept hard and woke up limp.

All her luggage was in the guest room. So was her laptop. She had everything she needed, at least every physical thing. On a nightstand, she found a handwritten note from Vlad ... and a huge wad of cash, many twenty and one hundred dollar bills.

"Go out and have a nice day. Go shopping. Maybe have steak and fries. Whatever you'd like."

Ana was tempted to throw the money across the room, which would've caused an explosion of green banknotes. But she thought if she returned the cash to Vlad, he might turn angry, which would've irritated her.

Shouldn't she be frightened?

Her nose and brow wrinkled. Her lips puckered up.

Three quarters of her mind wouldn't accept this odd version of reality she was living in. The remaining quarter was highly worried. Ana was always fighting to keep that quarter from invading the rest.

Ana got dressed and brushed her hair. Then she went to the connected bathroom to wash her face. In the mirror above the sink, Ana saw tired eyes.

Was she going to see more violence from now on? Would she forced to attend a weird vampire party in which helpless humans are attacked in a greedy display? When would Brun decide she'd turn Ana?

That paranoid quarter of her mind was at it again. Ana held a towel to her face and reminded herself that she was lost in a fantasy world. None of this was real.

She went back to her luggage to find some deodorant. Her eyes fell back to the money on the nightstand.

Retail therapy was good for short term pleasure, at least.

When she was dressed up for shopping, Vlad's gifted cash in her purse, she left the mansion, noticing how empty it felt. Were the so-called vampires all sleeping? Ana hid her eyes behind a pair of old sunglasses and marched over to her car.

In the nicest local shopping district, Ana wandered around, unsure of where to go. At one point she stopped and flipped a coin. Heads, she'd go to the store on her left. Tails, the right. When it landed with the tails side up on her palm, Ana shrugged and went to her right. It was a jewelry store. She thought she might be able to buy some of the smaller, less costly things and still have plenty of money leftover. Not every good piece of jewelry costs thousands of dollars.

Inside, she found a man kneeling before a woman. That woman was making thrilled statements while jumping. "Oh my god! So awesome! Yes!!" It made Ana smile. Then she realized the woman was Brook Williamson. Ana shrugged. She hadn't known Brook had given up on Mihai and starting dating someone, but now she had a fiancé. Good for her! No sarcasm.

Brook noticed her within seconds, and she pranced over to Ana, holding her hand out. "Anna! Anna! Look at this! I'm engaged!"

Ana congratulated her with a giddy voice. She hoped everything worked out for her. That ring was absolutely gorgeous with a huge pear shaped diamond. Personally, Ana thought diamonds were never worth what you paid for them, and it was better to get a sapphire or a ruby, but she didn't say any of that. Brook had every right to enjoy diamonds. Ana grinned and congratulated her again. Then she waved at the couple as they left the store.

Marriage might be good for Brook, honestly.

Ana looked at a few things and picked out a pair of simple golden studs for her ears. Then she went off to do some more shopping. Later, she ate the suggested steak and fries at a restaurant that smelled warm and spicy. More shopping after that. It was a tiring day. It distracted her very well, and she liked having new things. She was a human after all.

Back at Mihai's mansion, Ana started the process of getting her shopping bags into the house. That Nakahara Chouko woman was the first to greet her. She waved and said, "Hello Ana-chan! Would you like for me to help?"

Ana's feet paused as she thoughtfully looked at the other woman. She tried to hold onto a blank face because she didn't want to get riled up and pitch another embarrassing fit. "Mmmmmm ... if you want to help then I won't stop you."

Lightly smiling, Miss Nakahara took two bags from Ana and walked with her.

A few quiet seconds passed, and Ana found the courage to say, "Ne," which in this context was sort of like saying, "Hey."

Miss Nakahara met her eyes for half a second and then looked back ahead. "Eh? What is it?"

"Who are you? Honestly?"

"Nakahara Chouko, formerly Takagi Chouko," the Japanese woman answered very easily.

Ana shrugged. "Okay. What are the Dalca men doing?" The women were moving up a set of stairs and down a hallway.

"Dalca-san, that's what I call the son, is out for business." Some of Miss Nakahara's shiny hair fell over her shoulder. She reminded Ana of pictures of Heian aristocrats. "Mr. Dalca, that's what I call the father, was in the reading room when I last saw him." Basically, there was a room that functioned as a small library.

"Do you like being Mihai's personal assistant?" Ana didn't want to know the finer details, but she was curious about whether or not it was a pleasant job ... aside from the violent aspect that had been suggested the previous night.

With a firm nod, the other woman said, "Dalca-san has treated me very well, and he's been kindly teaching me many things."

Ana didn't think she wanted to know what he'd been teaching her. "Is it difficult to understand people here?"

"Sometimes, but every day I learn more English. I'm grateful to you." She turned to give Ana another little smile. "I was inspired by you to keep studying on my own."

Ana's cheeks flushed as she remembered a time when Takagi Chouko had meekly asked her to help with her English homework. Later that day, Ana had shown Takagi-san some useful and cheap materials for personal studying. That sweet girl with almost goofy glasses had nodded and said, "Every day, I'll work hard."

As they put the bags in the guest room, Ana said, "I'm glad you're doing well."

The women kept working to get the rest of the bags in that guest room, and during that time there was little to no words. When the last bag was settled, Miss Nakahara put her palms together, with closed fingers, and pointed them towards the door. "I have some free time. Would you like to drink tea with me?"

Ana looked away. "I think I want to rest here and watch something on my laptop, and Vlad might want to come to see me."

"That's fine," Miss Nakahara said as she started walking away. "We'll chat later."

Ana sat on the bed after the Japanese woman had left the room. She reflected on some memories for a while. Then someone knocked on the door.

Vlad's voice. "Ana? It's me. How are you?"

"You can come in," she said.

Funny thing, she couldn't see any scratches on Vlad. That was weird, but she pretended not to notice. He was wearing tight jeans and a just as tight T-shirt. He had his little man-bun, but Ana was pretty sure she liked that. He sat down beside her and put his thick arm around her shoulders. He smelled like mountain flowers and pleasant fabric softener. Despite her bitterness, Ana leaned into his one-armed embrace. She even put a palm on his chest.

"Did you have fun shopping?" He purred the question down to her.

"I guess so. I saw Brook."

Vlad nuzzled her hair and held the hand on his chest. "Oh? How is she?"

"She just got engaged, ring and everything." Ana didn't know why saying that made her feel melancholy. Her eyes nearly closed and the fingers in Vlad's grasp flexed. "I can still remember the day I met her in junior high."

"What was she like?"

Ana snuggled against his throat and whispered into his skin, "A little bitch." She felt his snort quake in his chest and belly. She continued. "But I wish the best for her."

Vlad's voice grew even warmer, coating her ear and making her shiver. "Do you want to get married?"

Automatically, she replied, "No. There's no point in that."

"Oh? Perhaps not."

Quiet. Just quiet snuggling. It felt harmless and good.

He let go of her hand to pat her head and play with her hair. "Are you adjusting well?"

Ana's voice tightened. "You mean adjusting to all this vampire bullshit?"

Playfully, Vlad let his fingers weave in her hair and he gave short little tugs. It didn't hurt, but it did jerk her head a bit. "I'd rather not have to worry about you doing anything rash."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to jump off a bridge ... or push someone else off a bridge." She clawed at his shirt, wanting to make sure he was paying attention. "But you need to promise that you'll try to keep me away from all the violent stuff."

The first response he gave was a closed kiss on her lips. Ana thought of short hikes and wildly affectionate dreams. The second response was a quiet statement. "I'll do everything I can, but my influence has its limits. The world is a miserable, vicious place."

She felt like a mafia godfather's wife, and she wasn't even married.

***

No. Seriously. What the fuck was that?

The house she'd been inside, it was out in the countryside, so far out that were were no neighbors, and they were practically surrounded by a forest. Thankfully, there was sufficient space between the house and trees.

This house ...

It wasn't really a house anymore.

It was a smoking collection of debris, now quiet in the morning.

At first, Brun's collapsed, disassembled, and and charred remains were much like all the other people that had been killed.

But Brun wasn't like them.

The ashy, black parts were left alone, but the parts that were still fleshy and bloody ... as if guided by invisible strings they slid over and under the piles of wood, sheet rock, and other people's chunks. They all moved towards a single, basically unharmed thing, something that beat hard enough to make the tiny bits of rubble on top of it pulse.

Pieces of bone elongated and expanded. The same for muscles and bits of organs. After a time, Brun's female form was remade, nude and with long red hair. With a completely embittered and shriveled expression, Brun swept and brushed pieces of exploded house off herself and sat up. Then she snarled as she realized a horrible truth.

She was unable to revive most of the dead ones here. Their brains were too damaged.

They weren't like her.

Her bare feet were sliced and dirtied by the rubble as she walked to the spot where a hospital bed had once stood, where the prisoner was once whole. His finger and toe nails had been pulled out. His nipples had been cut away. And he had quite a bit of electronic pain sent to his brain. But he hadn't been damaged enough to not be called whole.

And suddenly, there was an odd clicking noise as he licked between his teeth.

Then came the explosion.

Brun searched the place to see which of her babies had enough of their brains left to revived. She'd have to hotwire her jeep, assuming it hadn't been fucked up, because she had no clue where her car keys had been blasted off to, and she didn't think she had the time to look for them. She needed to get the salvageable parts to the jeep and take them to a freezer. It was best to preserve what could be preserved to extend the time for revival from hours to days. She only had so much blood to give at a time.

As she scooped up bits of gore, Brun wondered why the prisoner hadn't detonated this mysterious bomb in the beginning. Clearly, it had been placed somewhere in his body. It was meant to be detonated, and it was. Why did he wait? He'd stubbornly refused to say anything worth anyone's time during the interrogations. Did he simply give up?

***

Vlad received a coded email later in the afternoon. It was Brun, explaining the problem to him, keeping him updated. It was enough to have him wonder about the unknown enemy. Had they raised an army of willing suicide bombers? That seemed counter-intuitive. What, exactly were the enemy's goals? If they wanted Mihai's colony, that would be pointless. Brun appointed the lords of each colony. Going against the hierarchy was the same as going against Brun, and nobody was stupid enough to go against Brun.

And yet, Vlad thought as he rubbed his closed eyes with his fingertips, that seemed to be what the enemy was doing. Going against Brun. Something like this hadn't happened since ... maybe World War II. The rebellion Vlad thought of had been snuffed out so quickly yet brutally that everyone had been intimidated.

Vlad rose from his private little desk and left his office. Then he made thoughtful steps as he went off to Ana's room. Considering the fact that she'd been fairly traumatized, she was doing very well. He was glad to have her nearby. He wanted an outlet for his frustrations and worry, and he thought snuggling and sex were fine outlets.

Inside her room, Ana was sketching something at a desk that was normally bare, but she stopped when Vlad came in. She rose from her seat and smiled up at him. When Vlad opened his arms, she walked into his embrace. Her hair smelled like cherry blossom shampoo and creamy conditioner. Her skin was blushed and warm. He thought he could feel the rushing of blood there.

Rivers and rivers of life.

***