The Vampire Mansion: Shiki and Rima

I had to admit, it was very dark out on the streets and I could barely make sense of what moved and what didn't. Yet that didn't stop me from walking, walking so much that I collapsed eventually. I had collapsed in front of a foggy forest that read danger all over it, figuratively of course. My head was spinning and I could almost see a small light emerging from between the clouds. The sun was rising up. I didn't want to be found, me, the most known girl in all of town, crawling in front of a forest, struggling to stay awake.

I had to get away quickly, before anyone could see me. It would be the end to my reputation and my mother's trust. I suddenly got an idea; not a good one, but I had to try. There was no way I was about to be found in such an embarrassing situation. So, I did as I planned. I slowly stood up, loosing balance every once in a while as I walked, and went inside the forest. As I stepped inside the foggy forest, my eyes traced every object around me, from the branches, to the leafs and even the fog. It was breath taking, how such a spooky place could feel so much like home. Now, I was sure I was as weird as I thought I was.

"Wow..." I looked around in the enormous forest and felt the corners of my mouth twitch. "What's this?" I placed my hand on my mouth, wondering why it was twitching. I figured it had to do with the fact that I hadn't eaten anything. But shouldn't my stomach be the one twitching?

I balanced myself on the trees and struggled to keep walking, my legs barely holding on and my eyes slowly closing by themselves. My eye sight was beginning to become blurry, and the lines I once traced around everything around me were slowly disappearing. Human bodies shouldn't last this long, but I figured with my stubborn mind, things should turn out alright. Suddenly, without any struggle, without any other movement to interrupt, my body fell against the ground. I had passed my limit, my body was now useless and tired. It was time for me to get some sleep. But now, and here? No, I can't! I told myself. Get up and keep walking! Find refuge! Find....

"My, my, my," I heard a unfamiliar voice say. I was too tired to look at whoever it was. Luckily, it wouldn't be one of those drunken men and I would be fine. If I was lucky. "What an interesting sight."

I could hear the quiet footsteps coming toward me, almost too light. It was as if whoever was walking towards me, was floating. I pushed that idea out of my head, as soon as I realized it was incredibly ridiculous. Floating, what a joke. The footsteps suddenly stopped leaving behind absolute silence, but I was sure, maybe, I could hear the sound of the sun rising up from its hiding place, like lava. It was weird, I knew that.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me, almost sounding confused in my ears. Yes, his voice was that of a man's. I could hear the faint footsteps again, coming closer but they stopped again. Silence filled the air once more, until he spoke again. "Can you talk? ...I'll take that as a no." I was quiet so he had no choice to believe so.

His sweet gentle but firm voice took over me. I wanted to hear that voice again, hoping it would lead me up so I could see his face. I couldn't move though, only my mind was working. The ground, filled with old leafs, felt cold against my body. That soon got even worse. What's this? I wondered. It feels a lot more colder than before. Almost ice! Finally, I realized that I was not laying on the ground anymore. My body felt light and I was now laying in two arms. He had picked me up in his arms and walked on with me. His body was so cold, yet...so warm.

Before I left consciousness, I had heard his sweet voice once again. "Yes, she's the one."