Sequel: The Blue Scales ›
The False Vampire
Incubi
Dr Treacle held the small disks in her palms, running them over my body. After a few nerve wracking minutes, the disks seemed to emit a beeping noise and the light fizzled out.
“Well, dear, you’ll be happy to know that everything is in working order,” she smiled at me “it’s all completely normal”.
“So wait, I’m not… pregnant?” The words seemed to taper off, I couldn't bring myself to say the word pregnant, no matter how much I knew I was. Dr Treacle looked at me oddly.
“Of course you are, dear. I already told you that you were last time,” I stared wide eyed at her, shaking my head vigorously “what do you mean? Of course I did! It’s what always happens in an incubi wedding ceremony.”
“Wedding?” I gulped. Jae, who I had forgotten, clenched my forearm.
“And if I remember correctly, Dr Treacle, these wedding ceremonies is generally against the persons will” Jae’s voice was low, cold, and I knew he was very, very angry.
“Yes, it doesn’t work otherwise. Those incubi, brutal race they are,” Dr Treacle let out a delicate shudder “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last time, dear, I could’ve sworn that I did.”
She tapped her forefinger against the skin between her eyebrows, as if trying to press it into her brain.
“No you didn’t. You just declared everything was fine and dandy!”
“But it was. You’re perfectly healthy. The baby was perfectly healthy. He’ll bring you great happiness with no complications. It’s just like a regular incubi marriage.” Dr Treacle seemed to be getting more and more confused. It dawned on me that she may not be completely there in the head.
“But I don’t want to be pregnant Doctor!”
“Oh, don’t worry about raising the child, as custom dictates the father will raise it.” My eyebrows felt like they were going to shoot through the roof. I glanced outside, at the light, at the sky, even though I felt like it was going to burn my retinas. I felt like I was getting used to the pain.
“I couldn’t do that,” My eyes welled with tears, spilling over onto my cheeks. My empty stomach spasmed, causing me to rush to the bathroom, gagging over the toilet.
Jae with me instantly, probably using some fairy talent he hadn’t told me about yet, rubbing his hands over my back in soothing circles, holding back greasy lengths of hair.
“It’s okay. I’ll always be here for you, ” he murmured in my ear. The tears, which hadn’t yet stopped, began to flow harder, obscuring my vision until I felt like I was swimming.
I sniffled, and it wasn’t pretty. My arms wrapped around my stomach as I sat back, leaning against the tiles. Jae shuffled me so that I was laying against him, and he cradled me. I felt safe in his arms. Always.
Dr Treacle burst into the bathroom, one of the last people I wanted to see. However, what she was holding was something I was definitely interested in. Swathes of fabric covered her arms, glimmering in the sunlight. In her hand she held an amulet, shaped like a sun, I instantly knew what it was for. I grasped the items from her with a small smile.
“Jae, I’m having a shower. Scoot!” I pushed him out of the room before stripping to nothing. I glanced in the mirror, turning this way and that. I peered closely. What I had assumed was weight gain was in fact a baby bump. Small, noticeable but something easy to pass off. I frowned. It hadn’t been all that long.
As I was underneath the scalding water, my fingertips massaging my hair, I had what could be called an epiphany.
One, three and eight.
One had to be one month. So the numbers were passages of time. One month had passed since the oracle had told me those specific numbers, so when would three and eight come true? Could it be hours? Days? Weeks? Months even? I had no way of knowing.
Finishing the shower, I wound the fabric around my body, slipping the amulet around my neck. The outfit came together nicely, and after drying my hair, I padded out to the hall barefoot. Walking back to the bedroom, I sat cross legged on the bed. Others streamed in the room, as if waiting for me. Elisa was the first to jump on the bed, her blonde waves wet, as was normal. Jae stood against a wall on the other side of the room. The only ones left were Anita and Dr. Treacle. Dr,. Treacle seemed to be busy pulling out an infinite number of bottles out of a black bag that was sitting on the floor, lowered into a crouch, she muttered endlessly to herself.
It struck me that she may be crazy. We all watched her in silence as she withdrew glass vials, lining them up according to colour and size. I think I wasn’t the only one to think that either. Should she really be treating me? I remembered Elisas statement the last time we saw her.
‘They really are crazy you know.’
Thinking about it, I didn’t believe I was too sure about her qualifications. Wait, did the Folk even have schools? I watched her warily as she continued to mutter. Her muttering ceased when she stood up straight, oddly absent of the disks that she seemed to love. Instead, she held four or so small bottles in her hands. They varied in size and colour, with only a cork to hold the liquids in inside.
“All right, Adrienne, you need to take all of these, okay?” she shook the bottles at me before placing them in a line on the table, “using a dropper, place two drops of each into a cup of hot water. Drink them once of twice a day. You should be fine then,” Dr Treacles face split into a smile.
With a dramatic gesture, she spun to her bag and snapped it closed. As she left, the air in the room became lighter, seemingly making it easier to breathe. I placed a shaky hand on my throat, taking in a few deep breaths. My pulse fluttered wildly beneath my fingertips, betraying the desperate panic that I felt inside of me.
“It’ll be all right baby,” Jae said as he wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me close to his body, nestling his face in my hair, “We will be fine. I’ll take care of you.”
I cried.
————————————————————————————————
I held her close to me as she cried, stroking her long, red hair. My heart felt like it would tear open any second at the sight of seeing her in pain. She was my anamchara, and I would do anything for her. Even if that included taking care of that incubi’s son. I would be the child's father, even if he wasn’t my own.
“Well, dear, you’ll be happy to know that everything is in working order,” she smiled at me “it’s all completely normal”.
“So wait, I’m not… pregnant?” The words seemed to taper off, I couldn't bring myself to say the word pregnant, no matter how much I knew I was. Dr Treacle looked at me oddly.
“Of course you are, dear. I already told you that you were last time,” I stared wide eyed at her, shaking my head vigorously “what do you mean? Of course I did! It’s what always happens in an incubi wedding ceremony.”
“Wedding?” I gulped. Jae, who I had forgotten, clenched my forearm.
“And if I remember correctly, Dr Treacle, these wedding ceremonies is generally against the persons will” Jae’s voice was low, cold, and I knew he was very, very angry.
“Yes, it doesn’t work otherwise. Those incubi, brutal race they are,” Dr Treacle let out a delicate shudder “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last time, dear, I could’ve sworn that I did.”
She tapped her forefinger against the skin between her eyebrows, as if trying to press it into her brain.
“No you didn’t. You just declared everything was fine and dandy!”
“But it was. You’re perfectly healthy. The baby was perfectly healthy. He’ll bring you great happiness with no complications. It’s just like a regular incubi marriage.” Dr Treacle seemed to be getting more and more confused. It dawned on me that she may not be completely there in the head.
“But I don’t want to be pregnant Doctor!”
“Oh, don’t worry about raising the child, as custom dictates the father will raise it.” My eyebrows felt like they were going to shoot through the roof. I glanced outside, at the light, at the sky, even though I felt like it was going to burn my retinas. I felt like I was getting used to the pain.
“I couldn’t do that,” My eyes welled with tears, spilling over onto my cheeks. My empty stomach spasmed, causing me to rush to the bathroom, gagging over the toilet.
Jae with me instantly, probably using some fairy talent he hadn’t told me about yet, rubbing his hands over my back in soothing circles, holding back greasy lengths of hair.
“It’s okay. I’ll always be here for you, ” he murmured in my ear. The tears, which hadn’t yet stopped, began to flow harder, obscuring my vision until I felt like I was swimming.
I sniffled, and it wasn’t pretty. My arms wrapped around my stomach as I sat back, leaning against the tiles. Jae shuffled me so that I was laying against him, and he cradled me. I felt safe in his arms. Always.
Dr Treacle burst into the bathroom, one of the last people I wanted to see. However, what she was holding was something I was definitely interested in. Swathes of fabric covered her arms, glimmering in the sunlight. In her hand she held an amulet, shaped like a sun, I instantly knew what it was for. I grasped the items from her with a small smile.
“Jae, I’m having a shower. Scoot!” I pushed him out of the room before stripping to nothing. I glanced in the mirror, turning this way and that. I peered closely. What I had assumed was weight gain was in fact a baby bump. Small, noticeable but something easy to pass off. I frowned. It hadn’t been all that long.
As I was underneath the scalding water, my fingertips massaging my hair, I had what could be called an epiphany.
One, three and eight.
One had to be one month. So the numbers were passages of time. One month had passed since the oracle had told me those specific numbers, so when would three and eight come true? Could it be hours? Days? Weeks? Months even? I had no way of knowing.
Finishing the shower, I wound the fabric around my body, slipping the amulet around my neck. The outfit came together nicely, and after drying my hair, I padded out to the hall barefoot. Walking back to the bedroom, I sat cross legged on the bed. Others streamed in the room, as if waiting for me. Elisa was the first to jump on the bed, her blonde waves wet, as was normal. Jae stood against a wall on the other side of the room. The only ones left were Anita and Dr. Treacle. Dr,. Treacle seemed to be busy pulling out an infinite number of bottles out of a black bag that was sitting on the floor, lowered into a crouch, she muttered endlessly to herself.
It struck me that she may be crazy. We all watched her in silence as she withdrew glass vials, lining them up according to colour and size. I think I wasn’t the only one to think that either. Should she really be treating me? I remembered Elisas statement the last time we saw her.
‘They really are crazy you know.’
Thinking about it, I didn’t believe I was too sure about her qualifications. Wait, did the Folk even have schools? I watched her warily as she continued to mutter. Her muttering ceased when she stood up straight, oddly absent of the disks that she seemed to love. Instead, she held four or so small bottles in her hands. They varied in size and colour, with only a cork to hold the liquids in inside.
“All right, Adrienne, you need to take all of these, okay?” she shook the bottles at me before placing them in a line on the table, “using a dropper, place two drops of each into a cup of hot water. Drink them once of twice a day. You should be fine then,” Dr Treacles face split into a smile.
With a dramatic gesture, she spun to her bag and snapped it closed. As she left, the air in the room became lighter, seemingly making it easier to breathe. I placed a shaky hand on my throat, taking in a few deep breaths. My pulse fluttered wildly beneath my fingertips, betraying the desperate panic that I felt inside of me.
“It’ll be all right baby,” Jae said as he wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me close to his body, nestling his face in my hair, “We will be fine. I’ll take care of you.”
I cried.
————————————————————————————————
I held her close to me as she cried, stroking her long, red hair. My heart felt like it would tear open any second at the sight of seeing her in pain. She was my anamchara, and I would do anything for her. Even if that included taking care of that incubi’s son. I would be the child's father, even if he wasn’t my own.