The Paris Escapade

It had been weeks and I was still in Paris. My wanderlust was itching me, telling me to forget about the girl and just leave; find the next town, the next vampires.

Nora’s ability, I had to have it, that was the reason I stayed. She was so powerful, that power could be in my hands. I would drain every ounce of it out of her.

Saliva collected in my mouth at the thought, my fangs yearning to tear into her flesh. She looked like a child, I wondered if she would taste like one.

I wandered around Paris yet again. The streets were familiar to me now, I could navigate it blindfolded. I had been here much too long, it was stifling, but how could I leave? I wanted to control lightning with a gesture. I wanted it so badly it consumed my thoughts.

I walked down the narrow streets, head bowed into my collar to partially conceal my face. It was a windy night, so my behavior did not stand out. All of my senses were on alert.

I passed by a shop and a familiar scent wafted past me. I halted in my tracks, finding myself outside of a tailor.

The lamps were out, but the door was ajar. I approached it stealthily, hooking one finger around the edge, pulling it open just another inch so I could peer inside.

The scent of blood was strong in the air, but underneath was a sweet scent, like freshly turned earth. It was Nora’s scent.

A voice floated on the darkness to my ear. “Which do you prefer, Jacques, the red or the blue?”

I pushed the door open just enough for me to slip inside. Keeping to the shadows, I crept further into the shop. In the back, one lamp was lit, illuminating a man and woman. The male, Jacques, turned to the woman briefly, then shrugged.

The woman had her back to me, but her scent was unmistakable. She had grown into a young woman, but this was Nora. Her long brown hair fell straight and loose down her back. She studied her reflection in a large, full length mirror. She held a dress in each hand and alternated holding one up in front of her, then the other.

“I’m tired of wearing white all the time. Father never buys me anything interesting.” Nora pouted at her reflection.

Jacques just shrugged, not really paying attention. At his feet an old man, the tailor, presumably, was dead and bleeding. Nora rolled her eyes, then paused in front of the mirror. A smile spread slowly across her lips. “Jacques, we have company.”

Jacques was at her side instantly, looking alert. There was no point in trying to hide, so I stepped into the light calmly. Nora turned to face me, her smile wide.

“We meet again.” I observed casually.

“Did it take you long to find me?” she asked, tilting her head to the side coyly.

I rolled my shoulders in a lazy shrug. “I was just passing by.” I turned my attention to Jacques briefly. He regarded me with narrowed eyes. “Enjoying the night out?” I asked Nora.

Nora pulled both hands behind her back, dragging the dresses behind her. “It’s no fun when you have to have a bodyguard with you wherever you go.” she sighed.

“Does your father not trust you?” I asked.

She looked to the side. “Father loves me most in all the world. It’s everyone else he doesn’t trust.”

“Even Jacques?”

“Well, Jacques has his uses. He is quite in love with me.” she spoke as if he wasn’t standing right next to her. His expression didn’t change; he kept both eyes on me. “He can’t talk, you know. He asked to marry me, and Father ripped his tongue out. It was quite upsetting.” Her expression showed that she really wasn’t upset at all.

“Poor little girl, whatever will you do?” I asked dryly. “Your father seems to keep you on such a short leash.”

She turned her eyes back to me, they were narrowed threateningly. “What about you? What are you planning by approaching us?”

“I have a purpose.” I smiled warmly at her. “I came in here to kill you.”

Jacques took a step forward, but Nora held up one hand and he paused. She tilted her head slightly, giving me an appraising look. “How interesting. Why would you want to do that?”

I slipped my hands in my pockets. “It’s very simple. I want what you have.”

“You plan on stealing my power?” She arched a brow in disbelief. “Did you not learn your lesson the last time we met?”

“I learned not to underestimate you again. Nothing else really matters. You can hide yourself again, but I will sniff you out. You’ll never get away from me.”

Her eyes widened slightly. They were a rather attractive shade of emerald, I discovered. “You seem quite taken with me.” she smiled. “But I can’t cavort with you. I already have company.”

“I can change that.” I declared.

Before Jacques could react, I attacked. It was over with quickly, Jacques head separated from his shoulders quite cleanly, his body dropping to the floor next to the old man’s.

I could not resist the urge to feed. I glutted myself on Jacques blood while Nora watched in mild interest.

She looked down at her dresses again. Blood had splattered the blue one. She frowned at it. “I’ll just have to take the red one.” She tossed the blue one aside.

I turned on her, grasping her wrist and forcing her backwards into the counter. I held her arm tightly behind her back, tight enough to break it if she moved.

She appeared unconcerned, even bored. “You kill your own kind, for their abilities?” she asked.

“Of course.” I answered. “That and killing humans isn’t any fun.”

“Jacques had a nice talent. Would you like to know what it was?”

“You’re trying to save yourself.” I accused softly.

“If only for a moment.” With her free hand, she reached behind her back. My hand tightened threateningly, but she only retrieved a flower from a bowl on the counter. She held it up to my face. “Breathe.”

Curious, I inhaled slowly. The flower shriveled before my eyes, drying to a brown husk within just a few seconds.

“You just fed, so you didn’t notice it, but now you can drain the life out of plants.” She twirled the brittle stem between two fingers.

“Plants don’t have much in the way of life.” I told her sceptically. “How is this ability useful to me?”

“It will get more powerful over time. You could drain larger plants, even trees. It could keep you alive even if there is no source of blood around.”

I regarded her a moment. She focused her gaze right into mine. Her emerald eyes were clear and very bright. I felt myself being drawn in, slipping down into their depths. My grip on her arm loosened, but she didn’t pull away. Instead she lifted her head up to mine, kissing my bottom lip with a feather touch.

It was at that moment that I was lost completely.

********

I stared hard at this tiny girl before me. How dare she stand there, looking so naive, while she blithely spouted the name of the only woman I had ever loved?

“Are you joking with me?” It took all of my willpower to keep myself calm. My fists were clenched at my sides. They trembled slightly with the feelings I was trying to contain.

The girl frowned in confusion, her outstretched hand faltered. “Joking? About what?”

“You’re not Nora.” I whispered harshly. “You’re nothing like her.”

Her frown deepened into dislike. “That’s a mean thing to say.” She put her hands on her hips. “And after I was nice and didn’t call for Montblanc; he would rip you to pieces if he thought you were being mean to me.”

“Montblanc won’t come now.” I said quietly.

“Of course!” She threw up both hands in exasperation. “He probably playing with Frederick. Those two are so strange.”

“Did you like them?” I asked, careful to keep my voice calm. “Were they your friends?”

Her expression softened back to a perturbed frown. “Not especially. Father sent them here to watch me, but Montblanc always looks at me weird. Frederick isn’t so bad, but if he talks to me, Montblanc beats him.” Her eyes widened. “They’re dead, aren’t they?”

I nodded and her expression saddened. “Montblanc attacked a girl that was with me.” I said defensively, though I wasn’t sure why I was explaining myself to her.

“So you thought you had no choice.” the girl sighed. Slowly, she took a step towards me. Warily, I stepped back, ready for anything. She looked up at me with her soft, liquid honey eyes. “Why are you here?”

My Adam’s apple bobbed uncomfortably in my throat. “I came here looking for answers about Nora.” I told her.

“But you’re not here for me.” she said.

I shook my head. “I knew a different Nora Manigault. She... died recently, so I came here looking for information.”

The girl put a finger to her full bottom lip. She looked at me calculatingly. “If you get your answers, then you’ll leave?”

“That’s right.”

“And you won’t hurt anyone else?”

“Not unless they try to hurt me.”

She sighed heavily, bowing her head. Her shoulders slumped, her white dress falling off of one shoulder. She straightened up and looked back up at me. She held her hand out to me again. “Come with me. It may not be what you’re looking for, but I’ll show you something.”

I unclenched my fists with effort. I held out one blood and dirt-stained hand out to her. She took my hand without hesitation and walked towards the door, pulling me around gently. “If you hold my hand, no one will try to kill you.” she told me. “If you let go, you will die.”

“How old are you?” I asked her. She had to be older than she looked, she acted like no child I had ever seen. Nora had taught me that visible age meant nothing. “In years.”

“I never bothered to count them.” she answered. “Twenty, perhaps? More?” She led me out into the hallway and turned left. “You can call me Nora. I’m not your Nora, but it’s still my name. I earned it.”

“I don’t think I’m ready to do that yet.”

“Well, can you tell me what your name is?”

“Gabriel is fine.”

She glanced up at me. “That’s a nice name.” she said demurely.

“You said you ‘earned’ your name. What did you mean by that?”

She looked to the ceiling thoughtfully. “Well, there can only be one Nora at a time, right? It would be strange to have more than one.”

The more I spoke with this girl, the more I felt I was walking willingly into quicksand. The more questions I asked, the more that arose. I chose my next question carefully, picking from the myriad that flooded my mind. “How did you earn your name?”

“Father loved me the most.” she answered matter-of -factly.

“I see.” I replied, though I was more confused than ever.

“We’re here.” She stopped in front of a door and looked up at me. The door was red, with a heavy gold latch instead of a door knob.

“Ladies first.”

She reached up to latch, pulling it down. The door opened and she released the latch, letting it open on it’s own.

The room was pitch black, I hung back, waiting until my night vision kicked in. The girl lifted one hand, palm up. Fire flared and a small flame sat in her hand, flickering like a candle. She brought her face close to the fire and blew it gently. The flame went out and suddenly the room was filled with light. A large chandelier hanging from the ceiling, filled with dozens of white candles, had lit itself.

The girl was looking at me, gauging my reaction. My mouth was dry, I swallowed before speaking. “That is your talent? Fire?” I asked. She nodded. An icy finger of fear climbed up my spine. “That is a dangerous talent. Has anyone told you how vulnerable our kind is to fire?”

“I know.” she answered. She looked down at her unmarked palm. “I learned not to let it touch me.”

For the first time in all the years I had been alive, I had found an ability I did not crave, in fact I was utterly repulsed. At that moment I wanted to fling her hand away and run in the other direction. Powers were not easy to control; mastering a new one took decades. The thought of having that power inside of me, wild and hungry, made my stomach tighten.

I tore my eyes away from the girl. “What is it you wanted to show me?” The room we were in wasn’t very big, but it was tall. The chandelier was a good two stories away. The back wall was covered completely with a large red velvet curtain. The only stick of furniture was a red leather armchair in the middle of the room, facing the curtained wall.

The girl’s hand tightened around mine. Again, I had to suppress the urge to drop it like a dead fish. “I’m not going to hurt you.” she told me.

“You could.” I said, not looking at her. “And you have every right to. I broke into your home, and killed your family. It would be very easy for you to kill me.”

“Just because I can kill you simply, does not make it easy.” she said petulantly. I hazarded a sideways glance down at her. She was looking at the wall, frowning deeply. “I’ve hurt others before. It’s not a good feeling.” She stepped forward, and I let her lead me to the wall.

A long golden cord hung down one side of the curtain. She reached up and pulled it gently. The curtain slid back, revealing a wall made entirely of black marble. Golden veins ran over it, thicker stands breaking off into thinner and thinner threads.

I peered closely at it, names in French ran along the threads. “This is the Manigault family tree.” The girl explained.

I blinked in amazement. “This is impossible, it’s huge. This must go back centuries. Very few human families even last this long.”

“I am a seventh generation Manigault, born the last of twelve sisters.” She pointed to a branch of the tree that was low on the wall. “The Nora you knew was the last one. She was a sixth generation Manigault, with no sisters.”

“Why do you mention sisters?”

She gave me a patient look. “It would be strange to have a boy Nora.”

“Nora never told me any of this.” I mused aloud. “I always thought she was just a girl running away from her father.”

“Father can be a but overprotective, but he would never do anything to harm me.”

“Yeah? Is that because you’re the new Nora?” She nodded. “What about your sisters, then?”

Sadness crept into her eyes again, she looked at the floor. “They are all dead.”

“What happened to them?” A feeling my gut told me I could guess.

“When I was chosen to be Nora, they were killed so that I could drink their blood and become even stronger.” She placed her hand on her chest.

“Nora? What are you doing in here?” A sultry female voice came from the hall. We both turned to it immediately. “If Father finds out you are in here, then he will be very upset with me.”

“I was just looking, Véronique.” The girl said calmly, but she gripped my hand tightly. I recalled what she had said that no one would try to kill me while I held her hand. I decided to wait and see what would happen next.

Véronique stepped into the room then. She was a tall vampire, and rather shapely. Her black hair hung down her back like a sheet, a good portion hiding half of her face. Her eyes were a deep, smoldering violet. She wore tight black pants with calf high vinyl boots. Her blouse was white and looked to be designer made, though it couldn’t quite contain her bosom, as several buttons were undone.

She flicked her eyes around the room suspiciously, before frowning at the girl. “Have you been playing in here?” She didn’t look at me once, she didn’t even glance in my direction.

The girl shook her head. “I just wanted to see my name again.”

Véronique sighed in exaspération. “I understand your excitement, but if you want to see your name, then you have to ask Montblanc to come with you.” She folded her arms across her chest and looked out into the hall. “Where is Montblanc?” She tapped her long black nails on her arm.

“He is with Frederick.” the girl answered, her expression dull.

“Of course he is. Well, come on, back to your room.”

“Yes, Véronique.” She stepped forward and I did as well, letting her lead me out into the hallway and back to her room.

“You stay here, I will go find Montblanc.” Véronique said, closing the door firmly behind her before the girl could respond.

I looked down at her. She stared down at the carpet. I felt an echo then, not of Nora, who was nothing like her, but of myself. She was caught under the thumb of her shadowy Father, watched over all the time, caught in the form of a child for who knew how many years.

She had no choice in what happened to her. She had no freedom, most likely just like every Nora before her.

“Why didn’t she see me?” I asked her. “Did you use your influence to hide me?”

She nodded, dropping my hand. “You have to be close though, or else it doesn’t work.”

“Why did you bother to hide me? I am an intruder. Your father wouldn’t like it if he found out I was here. In fact, I’m pretty sure he would have me killed immediately.”

She shrugged her shoulders sadly. “You’re interesting. This is the first time I’ve met someone who wasn’t a Manigault. You needed something from me, something else that’s never happened before.” She looked back up at me. “Are those enough reasons?”

I thought for a long moment. “When was the last time you were outside?”

She put a finger to her bottom lip. “I think that would have to be... never in my life. I’m not allowed.”

I had guessed as much. “Would you like to go? Your bodyguards can’t stop you.”

She thought for only a second. “I don’t want to be here when Véronique finds out what happened to Montblanc.” she decided. “You’ll bring me back later, right?”

I nodded. “I promise.” I opened the door and gestured for her to step through.

“Ladies first?”

“Of course.”

She walked out into the hall, the paused. She turned and looked at me. “Why are you doing this for me?”

“I think you might have something I’ve needed for the last six months.” I told her.

“What in the world could I have that you need?”

“My salvation.” I was telling the truth, I couldn’t lie to her or anyone. I truly felt that if I could save this Nora, deep down, I could forgive myself.

********

I stretched my legs out on the bed, checking out my poor, battered ankle. The swelling had gone down, at least.

Time to get some reading in, I decided. Nothing soothed quite like lounging around reading a good book. I had picked up the latest vampire related novel at the airport. It was time to crack it open and give it a try.

Last year I had started really getting into vampire fiction. It had started out as research, but now I just found it amusing. It was funny how many things were put into these stories that were just a reflection of the Author’s own desires. I could guarantee that not one of them had ever met a real vampire in their lives.

I was barely two pages into the book when I heard a strange noise outside of the window. I looked up just in time to see the curtain thrown back and a familiar figure climbing into the room. “Gabriel! Haven’t you heard of a door?”

He ignored me, heading to the bathroom, unbuttoning his shirt on the way. He threw it aside and put his hands to his belt. I covered my eyes with my book immediately, not looking until I heard water running in the shower.

“Ello.” a small voice said right next to me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I turned, seeing a young girl standing at the side of the bed. Before I could speak, she held her hand out to me. “Ello ‘zere, my name iz Nora.”