The Paris Escapade

I didn’t wake so much as come to. Consciousness trickled into my brain like rainwater into a muddy pond. I opened my eyes as I wondered why everything hurt so much.

High ceilings with ornate molding greeted my eyes, the harsh scent of astringents filled my nose. The lights were way too bright. I struggled to push myself up on my elbows, not noticing the heavy blanket weighing me down at first. With effort, I managed to push it off of me.

My clothes had been changed, I was now wearing a pale green dressing gown. My ankle throbbed painfully. I bent my knee and inspected it carefully.

It had been wrapped securely, but it was twice the size it should be. I groaned loudly; it would take weeks for this to heal. How was I supposed to be of any use now?

I looked around, taking in my surroundings. I was laying on a clean white cot, which was just one in a row of about five. Against the opposite wall were five more cots, only one had a white curtain around it.

The rest of the room was sectioned off with sliding partitions. I sensed slight movement from the other side.

"Hello?" I called out. There was a shuffling sound, then a woman hurried over to me. She wore a long white coat and her dark brown hair was tied back in a low ponytail. Before I could say anything else, she shone a light in my eyes.

“Uh... excuse me.” I squinted against the light. “Where am I? Am I back at the school?”

The pushed me back down onto the cot. I was too weak to really protest. She pulled a cellphone out of her pocket and pressed a button on it. “Elle est éveillé, s'il vous plaît venez ici.” She looked down at me and smiled reassuringly.

The sound of quick footsteps echoed outside of the room. The door opened and girl wearing the school’s uniform stepped in. “Je vais le prendre à partir d'ici.”

The white coated woman nodded and disappeared back behind the partition. The girl stepped over, smiling at me cautiously. “Hello there. I’m Daisy. How are you feeling?”

“Hello Daisy, I’m Angie.” I said politely, sitting back up. Daisy was on the short side, with round cheeks and shoulder length, dark red hair. Her eyes were a gentle sea green, fringed with dark brown lashes.

“I know who you are.” Her smiled deepened, a dimple forming on one cheek. “I asked how you were feeling.”

I grimaced sourly. “I’m trying to avoid that question. You don’t want to know.” She laughed lightly. It was a gentle sound and I relaxed a bit. “So, where’s Kieran?”

“He is working. I’m supposed to take care of you till he gets back.”

“I guess I kind of do need looking after...” I frowned.

“I’ll show you around, and take you to all of your lessons.”

“Lessons?”

She nodded. “Ms. Brun said that you will join the lessons while you are injured.” Her expression looked worried. “Are you upset?”

“Well, yeah. I’m twenty. I thought I was done with school.”

“Have you ever been to a vampire hunter’s school?” she asked pragmatically.

“Of course not. This is the only one that exists, right?”

“As far as I know. So, you see? You’ll learn something.” She knelt down beside the bed and retrieved a pile of neatly folded clothes. “Besides, I’m older than you, and I’m not done quite yet.”

“You’re older than me?” I asked suspiciously.

“I’m twenty-two.” She unfolded a shirt and skirt for me. “We’ll have to skip the boots, they won’t fit over that ankle. I brought some flats.” She showed me a pair of black slippers. “Shall I help you get dressed?”

I almost declined, but my body ached and every muscle has stiffened to the point of almost being impossible to move. “Yes, please.” I answered humbly.

Daisy laughed lightly again. “All right, let’s close these curtains.” She grabbed the white curtain near my bed and pulled it closed.

********

“You don’t look French.” I teased Daisy as I limped down the hall.

“Sharp eyes. I’m Scottish, actually.” she said. “I moved here after my Grandfather passed away. He was a hunter.”

“What about your parents?” I asked, then realized that asking after loved ones in this place was not the most tactful thing to do. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer. I’m stupid.”

She shook her head. “It’s all right. My parents died when I was little, so I don’t remember them. My grandfather raised me.” I gave her a sympathetic look. She laughed. “Don’t look so tragic, I’m all right. I was just a baby at the time.”

“No, it’s just...” I took a deep breath. “I don’t know my Dad either. Only, mine didn’t die, he just left.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” She put a hand on my shoulder.

“No, don’t comfort me!” I exclaimed in surprise. “I should be the one comforting you. I’m fine, really.”

Daisy shrugged. “Then, we’re both fine.” She smiled broadly, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

We stopped outside of a door just as a loud bell chimed overhead. “Oops.” Daisy said. “Looks like we missed Crossbow Training.”

The door swung open and a flood of girls poured out, all talking to each other at once. They each carried a brown leather book bag in their hands, and they all seemed to be around my age.

A few saw Daisy and their expressions lightened as they approached. They talked to her excitedly in French. She answered them in kind, then hooked one arm in mine, gesturing to me with her other hand. They turned to me. Some expressions were kind, others were curious, one tall blond looked calculating.

“Hallo, my name is Amie!” one tall brunette with short hair greeted me. “How are you, today?” Her accent was quite thick, but she was smiling.

“Hi.” I said with a small wave, trying a small smile that I hoped wasn’t too nervous.

“Shall we go to Professor Barnes’ class together?”

“Okay.” I nodded.

Amie hooked her arm through my free one, then she and Daisy turned me around and helped me back down the hallway.

A few other students joined us, walking at my slow pace. They chatted amongst themselves a little, though mostly they just looked at me. One pair of eyes not as kindly as the the others.

I leaned over to Daisy. “Is there something on my face?” I asked her. “Everyone keeps looking at me.”

Daisy let out a giggle-snort. “There’s nothing wrong with you.” she reassured me. “They are just fascinated by the person who was on patrol with Kieran last night.” She lowered her voice. “And who was also carried home by him.”

Understanding dawned then. “I’m guessing he is pretty popular around here?”

“You could say that there are two camps here at Saint Katrina’s.” she explained. “One could be called Camp Kieran.”

“And the other?” I asked.

Daisy’s cheeks reddened ever so slightly. “Camp Dexter.” She pointed down the hallway.

A group of girls were already crowding around a doorway up ahead. Professor Barnes opened the door. “Is it time for class already?” he asked in confusion.

The group of girls giggled, which only seemed to make the professor more confused. He checked a digital watch on his wrist. “Everyone inside.” He pushed the door all the way open and stepped aside as they filed in.

“Ah, hello again, Miss Stanton.” he greeted me as I hobbled up to him. “Will you be joining the lesson today?”

“It seems that way.” I answered. “I’m kind of looking forward to it. I have to admit it’s my first vampire lesson.”

“We welcome you, I hope you learn much while you are here.” He gave me a little nod as we walked past.

Daisy helped me into a seat near the back, and took the chair next to mine. The desks were black topped and held two seats per. Professor Barnes’ desk stood in front of a huge white board. It was covered with scribbles that were in at least three different colors.

“Good evening class.” Professor Barnes intoned as he picked up an eraser and began cleaning the white board.

“Good evening, Professor Barnes.” the class responded.

“Please pass your essays on ‘Ancient Vampire Figures’ to the front of the class.” There was a flurry of movement as papers were pulled from bags. Daisy had hers in hand already. She passed it to Amie, who sat in front of us.

“Ancient Vampire Figures?” I whispered to her. “Like... Dracula, or something?”

“Like that, only real ones.” she whispered back, keeping her eyes on the board.

“Oh? Who did you do your essay on?”

“Armando Lesane. He terrorized London in the fifteen hundreds. He created many newborns and even took on the Royal Family. There were rumors at the time of him escaping hunters and moving to Paris, though there is nothing written about him since that time.” She glanced at me briefly. “Do you know what I think?”

“No idea.” I whispered.

“I think he is the one who fathered the Black Rose.” She bit her bottom lip. “I put that in my essay, I’m hoping Professor Barnes agrees.”

I crossed my fingers, holding them up so she could see. She smiled broadly at me.

Once the essays had been collected, Professor Barnes began the lesson. “Today’s topic is...” He wrote a word up on the board in bold green letters. “Hatcheries.” he looked at the class, making sure all eyes were on him. “Can anyone tell me about Hatcheries?”

A few hands raised. “In English.” he said, and a couple went back down. “Amie?”

“Vampires are born there.” Amie answered.

“Good, what else?” Underneath the word ‘Hatcheries’, he wrote ‘birthplace’. He looked around the room again. “Anyone?”

Daisy’s hand shot up, along with a few others. “Franceska?” Professor Barnes called on the blond that had been giving me the evil eye earlier in the hall. She brushed her long, platinum blond hair off her shoulder. “They are usually in cimetières.”

“That’s ‘cemeteries’ in English.” Professor Barnes reminded her. His class seemed to be a mix of Vampire Lore and English; it would have to be, since he didn’t know very much French. I wondered why Headmistress Brun had gone to such lengths to hire him.

“Now, what you may not know about Hatcheries, is that they are sentimental to vampires. Usually a vampire will turn a newborn in the same place that he was also turned. Places hold great meaning to vampires.” He looked around the class. “Does anyone want to hazard a guess as to why?”

No hands raised. A few of the girls looked around to see if anyone would answer. I looked over at Daisy, who was biting her bottom lip in concentration. Hesitantly, she raised her hand.

“Daisy?” Professor Barnes called on her.

“Well. It’s just a guess, but...”

“There are no wrong answers here, we’re just surmising.” Professor Barnes said gently.

“Well, then I guess it would have to do with a papillon’s, a vampire’s I mean, immortality.” Barnes’ eyebrows raised and Daisy pressed on. “They live for an incredibly long time, forever if they’re not killed, and their territorial nature prevents them from forming relationships with each other. To an ancient vampire, a human’s life span would just be a few blinks. But places don’t change, they don’t disappear like people do, a building can be torn down, but the land underneath is still there. To something that can live so long, it must be comforting to be attached to something as ageless as they are.”

Everyone was looking at Daisy now, some in complete shock. Franceska looked horrified. “Comforting?” she asked incredulously. She looked like she was having a hard time swallowing. “Why should we care what those monsters find comforting?” Daisy ducked her head.

Professor Barnes took control of the situation then. “Vampires are the enemy, we mustn’t forget that fact. That is why knowing what is comforting is important. When they have so many powers and advantages over us, we need to know every weakness they have.”

Daisy raised her head a little and smiled in relief. I took that moment to raise my hand. Professor Barnes looked at me in surprise. “Yes, Miss Stanton?”

“I was wondering, would places also have to same attachment with vampires that were born the old fashioned way?”

Professor Barnes’ eyebrows pushed together. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Well, vampires born like that are supposed to be better at passing off as human, since they were born with the blood lust, and thus are better able to deal with it.”

“No, what do you mean by ‘born the old fashioned way’?”

I circled my hands as I explained. “You know, baby vampires, born from two vampires.” There was a scraping of chairs as everyone in the class turned to look at me. Expressions ranged from surprise, to disbelieving, to disgust.

Professor Barnes shook his head. “You’re mistaken, I believe. A newborn is a human that’s been turned by a vampire. That’s how all vampires are made.”

I frowned. “No, I’ve met a vampire who had a mother and a father who were both vampires.” I said, thinking of David. “It’s supposed to be rare, but it does happen.”

The professor was still shaking his head. “I’ve never heard anything like that. Vampires don’t behave that way, they are incapable of becoming close to each other.”

“But I’ve seen an attachment like that with my own eyes.” I protested. “I met a vampire who was so obsessed with another vampire that she was driven insane with jealousy. They were even married.”

Professor Barnes blinked rapidly. “That is... certainly an interesting theory.”

“It’s not a theory!” I snapped. “What about the Black Rose, the vampires in your own backyard? Last night I was in Montmarte Cemetery. There was a tomb with the name Manigault. Inside was a dead vampire by the name of Nora Manigualt. Another vampire calling himself Montblanc Manigault attacked us. Now isn’t it possible that the Black Rose is a family, or a group of families? That could be why they are so organized!”

A stunned silence lay over the classroom. I blinked slowly, looking around. “I can’t be the only one who’s thought of something like this.” Realization dawned slowly. None of the people here had actually sat down and talked with a vampire before. Not like I have with Gabriel, or with Callie. The only experiences the residents of this school had were when they were being attacked. “I apologize for my outburst, Professor Barnes.” I said meekly.

“It’s quite all right.” Barnes said smoothly. “What you say is frankly impossible to believe, but we cannot ignore what you have experienced. Please see me after class and tell me more.”

“All right.” I nodded.

The professor turned back to the white board. “Now, where were we?”

********

After class was over, everyone packed up for lunch. I loitered by my chair, waiting for an opportunity to talk with Professor Barnes.

Franceska, the blond with the cold stare, approached me. Her face was perfectly sculpted, with soft cheekbones and a delicately pointed chin. Her makeup was thin, save for smokey coloring around her eyes that made them smolder.

She looked me over challengingly. “I thought it was just your looks, but now I have to admit it’s more than that. I can see why he likes you.” She muttered the last sentence begrudgingly.

I smiled weakly. “I am completely confused.”

Her frown lifted a little. “Well, that’s all right, then.”

I held my hand out to her. “I’m Angie Stanton.”

She hesitated only a second, and clasped my hand lightly. “Franceska Larouche.”

“That’s a lovely name.” I told her feelingly.

The corners of her mouth lifted a little. She seemed to relax a bit. “Merci.”

“What did you mean? About my looks?” I asked. Perhaps things were different in Paris, but back in America I wouldn’t be able to hold a candle to a tall, platinum blond beauty.

“I will show you when you get to the Cafeteria.” she promised. “Au revoir.” she said as she turned to go.

“Au revoir.” I gave her a short wave.

Professor Barnes still had a crowd of students around him, asking questions, or just looking at him shyly. He didn’t appear to notice that they probably weren’t interested in the lesson as much as they were in him. I sighed, deciding to wait it out.

********

“How was it?” Daisy asked me when I finally arrived at the Cafeteria. “I got you a lunch, over here.”

She led me to a circular table. Franceska was already sitting there, along with a black haired girl I hadn’t seen before. “I told him everything I knew, but he still wants me to repeat it all to Ms. Brun later tonight.” Daisy pulled out a chair for me and I sat down in relief. I was utterly exhausted, my ankle throbbed and my back muscles were a wall of stiffness.

I looked over at the new girl, who was appraising me in return. She had short black hair that fell messily into her eyes. Her eyes were ringed with heavy black makeup and her lips were also black. I looked down at her hands. Even her nails were black. I guessed Paris had goths too.

“Angie, meet my sister, Aiden.” Franceska gestured to the girl.

“Bonjour.” the girl said roughly, holding out a hand whose wrist was weighed down by many silver bracelets. I shook it briefly.

“You two are sisters?” I asked in disbelief.

Daisy grinned, as if she were privy to a spectacular joke. “They’re twins.” she revealed.

I looked back at the pair. “You’re kidding.” Then I could see the similarities. They were the same height, with the exact same eyes. Underneath their individual makeups, their mouths were the exact same shape. “Fraternal?”

“Identical.” Daisy corrected.

“I wouldn’t have guessed if no one had told me.” I admitted. Franceska frowned lightly, but Aiden smiled. “I’m here in the cafeteria.” I told Franceska. “What is it you wanted to show me.”

“The reason why I thought Kieran was so interested in you.” Franceska answered. She pointed behind me. I turned in my chair, looking up at the wall.

The Cafeteria was a huge place, two stories tall, with a balcony wrapped around three walls. The fourth wall housed two massive, stained glass windows. One depicted an angel knelt in prayer, the other an angel standing tall, a burning sword in hand.

Between the windows was a tall portrait in a thick gold frame. The woman depicted there was tall, her stance strong. Bright red hair shone like liquid fire over her shoulders and down her back. Her sapphire eyes burned in her pale face. Her shoulders were square and her jaw was set. The artist had not spared the tiniest detail, and it made her terrible and beautiful at the same time.

I was looking up at Great Aunt Katrina in her prime.

“Kieran comes and looks at that portrait every day.” Franceska told me. “There are more than a few girls here that are in love with him, but the only one he is in love with is Katrina Riley.”

********

The tunnel was dank, the damp air filled my nostrils, dulling my senses. It was pitch black, so that not even my eyes could pierce the darkness. Still I hurried blindly ahead.

My clothes were torn, bloodied, and filthy. I tried to push them out of my mind, focus on my goal, but I had really liked that shirt. The fact that I cared at all was a good sign, light had broken through the darkness of my despair.

Blood sang in my veins, my body was young and whole again. I felt confidence surge inside of me. Not even this blackness could dampen this new feeling.

I halted as my senses screamed at me. I reached out, my hand finding a wall. With both hands I felt around, till my fingers brushed a door knob. I grasped it and turned it at once. The door made not a single sound, the hinges well oiled.

Light fell on me, golden and warm. Cautiously I crept out, looking all about.

I was in a lavish hallway, deep red carpet underfoot and white and gold wallpaper on the walls. Black iron chandeliers hung from the ceiling. I listened hard, but there was no sound.

Carefully I closed the door and brushed off my clothes as best as I could. I felt out of place here, in these rags. Perhaps when I was done here I would have Evangeline take me shopping again. That would give me a laugh.

I chose a direction at random and headed down the hallway. It was long, with many doors leading into it. All of them were closed.

I heard a sound and halted. I listened intently, straining my ears. Someone was humming lightly.

I moved swiftly to the door that separated me from the sound, pressing my ear to the door. There was only one person on the other side. Perfect. I was so full of blood, I could take on any one vampire. I would capture this one and finally get some answers.

I opened the door slowly and stepped into what appeared to be a large nursery. The carpet was pale pink, the walls golden yellow. There were a couple of small tables in the center of the room, with tiny chairs. A small, canopied bed was to my right.

Papers and drawings covered the wall. Toys were old fashioned and abundant. I spotted an old dollhouse, with wooden dolls; a set of painted wooden blocks; and a rocking horse.

A small girl sat at one of the tables, her back to me. She hummed to herself lightly as she bent over the table in concentration. Pieces of paper and large crayons were strewn out over the table.

I approached cautiously. Appearances were always deceiving when it came to vampires. I studied the girl carefully. Her hair was deep gold, running down her back like honey. Her arms were long and thin, pale as death. She chose each new color deliberately, her tiny fingers holding the crayon carefully.

Her shoulders straightened as she sat up. She held her drawing out in front of her, examining it. “If you’re going to lurk, you could at least tell me what you think.” she sighed in French.

“Who are you?” I asked. Danger warnings ran through my brain. My body was tensed and ready, my fists clenched.

The girl spun around quickly, her golden eyes wide. “You’re not Montblanc.”

“No, I’m not.” I answered stiffly.

“Who are you?” she asked. Her face was round and cherub-like, her mouth perpetually pouty.

“I asked you first.”

“You’re the one intruding in my room.”

I looked to each side. “Fair enough. My name is Gabriel.”

She tilted her head to the side. “Just Gabriel?”

“Yes.”

She stood up and turned to face me. She wore a long white dressing gown that fell past her ankles. “Are you here to kill me?” she asked suspiciously.

I didn’t blink. “Not unless you try to kill me.”

Her mouth twisted into a wry expression. She walked over to me and held out her hand. “My name is Nora Manigault, pleased to meet you.”