Beyond the Prophecy

I must’ve passed out after that, because the next time I opened my eyes I found myself in an unfamiliar bedroom. I sat up from the bed I was in, but I had to use my arms for support. The white goose down comforter dropped from my torso to my lap. The only light in the room, which was faint, emanated from the table lamp, keeping part of the room in darkness. There was only one window, and thick drapes kept it covered.

“Where the hell am I?” I mumbled to no one in particular. Maybe I should’ve been freaking out, but I felt too jaded.

“I didn’t expect you to wake up so soon,” said a voice in the room. “But then again, I didn’t expect you to actually strike me either.”

I spotted a silhouette by the door that started moving closer to me. When I saw him in the light I eyed him curiously, trying to recall where I’ve seen him. Then the memories of what went down in the alley came up. I started getting angry. “You son of a bitch. What do you want and what the hell did you do to me?!”

When he sat beside me, I moved away from him. He smirked. “You sure you want to know? You won’t believe me if I tell you.”

“Try me,” I said with a glare.

His smirk grew. “I was still a bit…thirsty, after I fed tonight. So I searched for a midnight snack. Fortunately, I got what I needed after running into you.”

“What do you mean?” I’m still dressed, and the only pain I felt was my headache. He didn’t do anything to me while I was unconscious, did he?

His hand reached towards me and I fought not to move. He brushed some strands of my hair behind my ear and traced his fingers down my neck. There was a spot on it his fingers touched that made me wince from pain. When he moved his fingers away, I touched that spot carefully. Slightly frantic, but mostly curious, I reached for my pocket mirror in my jeans, which to my surprise hadn’t been cracked. I saw two puncture marks on my neck through the mirror, along with the dark discoloring surrounding them. My olive skin looked a little pale, and my green eyes look darker in this light.

“What the hell?”

“The marks will go away in an hour or two.”

“Why would you put them there in the first place?” I said in a louder tone. “Why did you do this to me?”

He smirked again. I want to wipe that smirk off his face. “You asked me before about what I am. I’m a vampire. A vampire prince, specifically. And you, Natasha McFadden, are meant to be my queen.”

How does he know my name? He probably saw my I.D while I was knocked out. And did he just say that I’m meant to be his queen and that he’s a vampire? I can’t believe what this lunatic is saying.

Just goes to show that even attractive guys can be psychotic.

“Do you have any idea how insane you sound right now?” I said. Even if he is a psycho, I’m not afraid to speak my mind.

“Like I said, you wouldn’t believe me.”

“You’re damn right.” You psychotic deviant, I added mentally. I raised an eyebrow when he smiled. “What?”

“I’m glad you think so highly of me. So you think I’m a psychotic deviant?”

“What makes you so sure that that’s what I think of you?”

“I can read minds. I can also sense emotions, so I can tell you’re not very happy with me.” His smile turned sour as he moved closer to me. “But I don’t give a fuck what you think of me. We’re stuck together regardless.”

“So says you. Dickhead.”

“My name is Chris.”

“Good for you.” His tone told me he’s not happy with me either. Good. Now he knows how I feel. “As wonderful as your hospitality has been,” I said before sliding off the bed, “I’m afraid I have to go.” I grabbed my jacket off the chair beside the bed and slipped it on. Thank God my cell phone was in its pocket. “So, if you can point out where the exit is, then I’d greatly appreciate it.”

He stood off the bed and blocked the doorway. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“And why not?”

He crossed his arms. “Because I said so.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You’re not my guardian, so don’t tell me what to do.” I tried to move around him but it didn’t work. “Move.”

“No. Challenge me further and I’ll remove your free will.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“Then you’re foolish.”

I managed to get around him and walk down the hall. But the moment I pulled out my cell phone, I froze and dropped it. It wasn’t even on purpose. I could still think and all, but the rest of me was out of my control. How, and why, was this happening? My answer came when I was forced to turn, facing Chris once more. The smug look on his face said it all; he was the one doing this to me, whatever it was. I have to fight it.

“One of the perks of being a vampire prince is that I can control anyone whose blood I’ve tasted, whether or not they’re alive. That now includes you. Just be thankful I allowed you to have control over your thoughts.”

He forced me to walk towards him, but my stride was labored. I used as much strength as I could to stop myself. When I was back in the room, he closed the door behind me.

“I’m impressed,” he said. “No one’s ever been able to resist my control. I underestimated your strength. And now that you’re under my control, I can do what I want with you.”

He walked up to me and lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. I still tried to fight his control, but it was too strong. He made me put my arms against his chest while his arms moved around my waist. Then he moved his lips to my ear.

“Perhaps I should finish what I started last night. Or maybe I can use this moment to do more than that.”

He unzipped my jacket. I felt his hand slide beneath my shirt and up my back.

“I’ll take more blood first. Wouldn’t want you to be strong enough to escape in any way.”

His teeth brushed against my neck. Shit, shit, shit. How can I get out of this? His teeth tightened more on my neck. Just when I thought he was going to sink them into my skin, he pulled away. I felt my body loosen up little by little. The moment I had all of my free will again, I glared at him and spoke obscenities under my breath.

“Think twice before challenging me. Now stay here, or else I will finish what I started.” He left the room, closing the door behind him. I nearly went after him, but then the doorknob started to turn.

A girl, who seemed to be about my age but was at least half a foot shorter than me, walked in. Her short, blonde hair flared to the right and her honey eyes were smiling. She wore a pair of dark wash jeans and a gray graphic tee. In her hand was my cell phone. She smiled before handing it to me.

“Thank you…um…”

“Calista. I’m Calista. And you’re welcome. I’m one of the servants that work here.”

“You, work here? I’m surprised that there aren’t any chains or shackles locked around your limbs.”

She laughed. “Me too.” Her smile grew when my eyebrow rose. “Master Chris may be a little…eccentric and anti-social, but at least he pays well.”

Master Chris? “No amount of money could convince me to work for that feckin’ eejit.”

She chuckled. “I’ve been ordered by him to tend to you.”

“I don’t need tending. I need an escape.”

“There are things outside these walls that are worse than what’s within them. I learned the hard way. Anyway, come with me. I’ll lead you to the bathroom.”

I followed her until we reached a large wooden door. Calista stepped inside and I followed before closing the door behind me. She approached a wooden armoire as I took in my surroundings.

The bathroom floor was covered in cerulean and white tiles. To my right there was a large white Victorian-styled tub with four clawed legs. A matching sink with silver knobs and faucet was on the wall across from me. The toilet sat between it and a window. A blue rug sat before the toilet, tub and sink.

Calista grabbed a few toiletries from the armoire and then turned the tub’s faucet on. “How warm do you like you baths, Mistress Natasha?”

Mistress? “How do you know my name?”

“Everybody here knows your name. Master Chris told us. He found out about you through a woman that has the power to see the future.” She turned off the water and grabbed a towel from the armoire. “We call her ‘the oracle.’ She was the one that told his parents about the prophecy.”

“What prophecy?”

“One that says Master Chris is supposed to marry a human. Together, they’d conceive a very powerful child. The oracle didn’t know who she was at first, but then she had a vision of her before she was born. She only saw a face; no name or anything. Master Chris went to find her after a while, and did.”

“What’s it got to do with me?”

She smiled. “The girl from the prophecy is you.”

I glanced at her for a heartbeat or two, not sure if she was being serious or if she was just slagging me in some way. Then I laughed. “If you think that gobshite and I are supposed to be together, then you’re either fluthered or just as psychotic as he is. Besides, there’s nothing special about me.”

“You’re kidding right?” She looked at me incredulously, her mouth gaping further as I shrugged it off. “You don’t know? But…you were born that way. How can you not know?”

“Know what?”

She bit her fingernails, a nervous look crossing her face when she shook her head. “If you don’t know, then there has to be a reason for that. And if that’s the case, then I can’t tell you.”

“Well someone better. All of this is too weird for me. I shouldn’t even be bathing here. I don’t know anyone well enough to.”

Calista glanced at the bath and then at me with a smile. “This does seem kind of weird.” She pulled out the cork in the tub and picked up the toiletries.

“Sorry you went through the trouble, love.”

Her smile grew. “It’s okay. I don’t think I would’ve bathed at a place I’ve never been to either. But something tells me that that’ll change. You’ll see.” Her grin made me raise my eyebrow again. “Do you need me to lead you back to the bedroom?”

I shook my head. “Nah, you don’t have to wait for me. I’ve got to pee anyway.”

We chuckled. “If you need anything, then just say so. You don’t have to shout or anything. Someone will hear you in a normal tone.”

I scanned the room again, including the ceiling. “Hidden cameras? That’s disgusting.”

She laughed. “No, nothing like that.” Once everything was in its place, she waved goodbye and left the bathroom. I locked the door behind her, just in case.

When I finished, I cautiously left the bathroom. The first time I walked down the hall I wasn’t paying much attention. This time, my eyes wandered. The floor was a checkerboard pattern in white and gold, though the dim lights from the wall lamps made the white seem yellowish. What is it with this place and dim light? Each wooden door I passed was stained dark enough to look almost black. The ceiling arched and was painted white, matching the walls.

“This all looks so…majestic,” I said to myself.

Surprisingly enough, I made it back to the room without getting lost. The first thing I did was to lock the door. The second was to sit on the bed and gaze out the window. I had an idea, and I tapped my foot on the ground, contemplating it. Should I do it? Would I dare? I don’t know where I am, so maybe I shouldn’t. But then again, I can’t stay here either. No, I have to escape. I’m going for it.

I walked towards the window and looked down. I’m too high up to jump. So I did what I’ve seen done in several movies. I grabbed the sheets and tore them into strips. Tying each end, they formed a rope. When I slid part of it out the window, I knew it was long enough, so I tied the end I held to the bedpost. I tugged the rope to test its strength. It’ll hold, I hope. But the moment I started to climb down, the bed started sliding across the floor. I panicked and climbed up as the bed made its way towards the window. When the bed banged against the wall, I took a deep breath. As relieved as I was that the rope still held on, I was also scared. The sound of the bed moving, and the loud bang when it hit the wall, wasn’t subtle in the least. Someone would’ve heard it. I have to move quickly.

Stay calm, I told myself. Deep breaths. Little by little, I was closer to the ground. The windows I passed on my way there were, thankfully, part of rooms that were dark and unattended. Once my feet touched the ground, I took a deep breath. My hands and arms hurt, but I didn’t care. I turned to see where I landed.

The only area was a forest up ahead. From here, I could tell that there’s a path, probably one meant for cars to use when they come here. No time to waste. I have to move. A light behind me caught my attention. I looked into the window behind me and saw someone walking into that room. Shit. Without delay, I turned back and sprinted into the forest.
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Feckin’ eejit: basically means “fucking idiot.”
Slagging: to make fun of someone
Gobshite: idiot
Fluthered: drunk