Nightmare City

“So, Gabriel is back, and he’s tiny...”

“Shove it, Dimitri!” I glared up at him resentfully.

I was back in that dark, featureless place, that spot in my mind where Dimitri’s influence lurked. I never remembered him when I was awake, but my subconscious knew him well.

“This is absolutely delicious, it’s an utter shame I cannot avail myself of such a ripe opportunity.” He looked so giddy, I thought he would start giggling to himself any second now.

“That’s right, because you’re still all the way in Paris. You can talk big all you want, while you’re body is safe at home.”

He looked down at me, his violet eyes glaring. “The trip would be an easy one, if I had time to make it.” He shrugged. “Sadly, Father has tasked me with a far more important mission than petty revenge.”

“What’s that? Babysitting Nora while she’s at school?” I guessed.

His mouth twisted and one eye twitched, and I knew I had guessed right. “In the end it doesn’t matter.” He smoothed his face into a calmer expression. “Because, in the end, I have a far more fitting death for Gabriel in mind.”

“And you’re so sure of your success, you won’t mind running it by me?” I asked, one brow raised.

Dimitri smiled widely. “If you wish, and only because it’s too late for you to stop me.” He reached down to me and placed one finger on the tip of my nose. “Why should I go to all the trouble of flying to New York and ripping Gabriel’s heart out of his chest... when you’re going to do it for me...”

I leaned away from him. “The hell I will!”

He brought his hands together, bridging his long fingers. “You’re going to kill him. It’s absolutely brilliant, isn’t it?” His smile was gleeful. “Betrayed by the only woman he trusts, the only person he cares about. Such a fitting end for the one that destroyed my sister.”

“Except for the part where I’m not going to kill Gabriel.” I said firmly.

“Not yet, no... but soon enough. Less than a year.” Dimitri knelt down in front of me. “Don’t you understand? Don’t you see how much influence I already have over you? Why do you think you’re on your knees, right now?”

I looked down at myself, suddenly realizing that I was on my knees, and I had been this whole time. Also, my hands were handcuffed behind my back. Why was I just noticing this? “What the hell am I wearing?” I asked incredulously. It looked like the black tank top and jeans I had worn today, except the top showed off more midriff than I was comfortable with, and the jeans had somehow cut themselves into very short shorts.

“A visual representation of your mental defense.” he replied. “There’s nothing but the two of us here, so it’s manifested itself as your clothing. The more I break your defenses, the less you wear.” He pondered for a moment. “That’s accurate to you waking life as well. You tend to dress down quite a bit, trying so hard not to be noticed. Your sweatshirts and your baggy denims are your armor, aren’t they?”

I didn’t answer, I just glared at him, hating how close his face was to mine. He reached behind me, grasping the handcuffs. “These too, are a representation. Of my control over you.” With his other hand, he reached up and ran the back of his fingers down my cheek. “It’s a small binding, for now. But... the more we have these meetings, these lovely conversations, the more of yourself you hand over to me. One day soon, it will carry over to your waking consciousness, and you will be little more than an instrument of my will. I will finally have broken you.”

********

The weight on my chest threatened to crush me. Was it guilt? Had I not tried hard enough to make sure Gabriel was dead or alive? Had I given up too soon? What would have happened to him if Dr. Smythe’s pupils had not found him?

Was this weight due to the shock of seeing Gabriel alive wearing off? Was I now trying to come to terms with the fact that he was radically different than when I last saw him? Just how much had he changed? Was he as different on the inside as he is on the outside? Was the Gabriel I knew gone forever?

As I slowly awoke, I realized that the weight on my chest wasn’t an interpretation of my internal turmoil. It was an actual weight pressing down on my ribcage.

I shifted on my bed, trying to discern the source of the weight, and my fingers met soft hair. I moved my hand down to a pair of small shoulders.

Sometime during the day, Gabriel had come into my room while I slept and gotten into bed with me. I found this to be insanely creepy and to the opposite of Gabriel’s character, but I found it less creepy than I would have if he didn’t have the body of an eight year old boy.

It was at that moment that I felt him turn his head to the side and nuzzle my chest with his cheek.

Electricity shot down my spine as every part of my body said ‘This is not okay!’. I put my hands under his shoulders and pushed, discovering then that he had both of his tiny arms wrapped around my waist.

“Get off of me!” I yelled. Thankfully his grip wasn’t tight. I managed to pry him off rather easily. The bed was narrow, and the room was pitch black so I couldn’t see. The only place he had to go was right off the edge.

He fell to the floor with a thump, letting out a cry of surprise. “What’s wrong with you?” he whined irritably.

“What’s wrong with ME? Why are YOU in my bed?” I exclaimed. “And why is it so dark in here?” The head of the bed was against the wall next to the door, so I sat up and reached for the light switch in the dark.

“I covered up the windows. Do you think I want to be caught out in the sun again.” His voice was heavy with sleep.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re in my bed in the first place!” I leaned over the edge of the mattress and looked down at him.

Gabriel sat on my floor, frowning at me under his messy dark hair. His brown eyes were flecked with red, which glowed like sparks under the light. He was still wearing the clothes his new friends had given him, minus the shoes, which sat neatly on the floor next to the bed. “The more time I spend with you, the more I remember.” he said, pouting a little.

“That doesn’t mean you can crawl into my bed and grope me!” I exclaimed, my voice going high. I was letting myself get a little hysterical, but after everything that’s happened, I was probably due.

His eyes widened in indignation. “I was not groping you!” he shot back hotly.

“My chest says otherwise!” I pointed at the door. “Out!”

Just then there was a loud banging on my door. “You two can bicker and shout like old crazy women in another four hours! Go back to sleep!” Chris roared.

I kept my finger pointed at the door, though I lowered my voice to a hiss. “You have you own room, get out of mine.”

“I’m not going out there.” Gabriel said, just as quietly. His eyes darted to the door and back to me. “Have you seen him? He’s a bear wearing human skin.”

“Chris is not going to hurt you, just go back to bed. YOUR bed.”

Before my eyes, Gabriel’s expression changed completely. His eyes grew wider, almost pleading. His cheeks looked rounder, cuter. His lower lip stuck out ever so slightly. “What I said was true, the more I’m around you, the more my memory comes back.” His voice was soft, almost heart breaking. “I’m sorry that it inconveniences you. I just want to remember who I am.”

As I stared at him, my jaw slackened slightly. It was like my heart was being beaten repeatedly with a stuffed animal. I turned away, before those eyes could suck out my very soul. “Fine, you can stay here, this ONE time.” I covered myself with the blanket and faced the wall. “But no more grabbing onto me.”

Gabriel got to his feet and turned off the light. Then he crawled onto the bed next to me and immediately wrapped both his arms around my waist. “What did I just say?” I half turned, even though I couldn’t see him in the dark.

He was still, his entire body completely relaxed. He was already back to sleep. I gave up then, wrapping one arm around his thin shoulders. He had duped me good, with those eyes of his. Just how long was he going to be this small? This was why I hated kids.

********

After a good six hours of sleep, my body decided it had enough, and kept tossing and turning till I finally rolled out of bed. Gabriel was gone, and my door was ajar. I pulled on my robe and decided to look for the little brat.

Chris was on the couch downstairs, controller in hand, eyes on the TV. “You know, if you got an XBOX, I might never leave. Ooo! Or a Wii, can we get a Wii?””

“I’ll keep that in mind. Where’s little Gabriel?”

“Kitchen.”

I turned and headed into the kitchen. Gabriel stood in front of the fridge, the door wide open. He was pulling white bottles out of their drawer and draining them one after another. I counted eight empty bottles lined up neatly on the counter next to the fridge.

“Don’t you think you’re going overboard?” I asked, a little concerned. I rarely saw Gabriel drink pig’s blood straight from the fridge. He absolutely hated it cold.

He finished his ninth and tenth bottle and placed them on the counter. Finally, he closed the door to the fridge. “We’re almost out of blood.” he said, his voice strained.

“I’ll bring up the emergency case in the basement.” I stepped forward and peered at his face. His eyes were bright red, all traces of brown gone. “Are you okay?” I put one hand on his forehead. “You’re warm, you’re never warm. What’s wrong?”

He bent down quickly then, untying his shoes and pulling them off. He placed them carefully next to the counter. When he stood up straight again I looked at him closely. Something was different. “Are you taller?” He was still pretty short, but I could of sworn I looked down a slightly longer distance at him yesterday.

“I’ve been growing.” his voice a hoarse whisper. “It hurts a little.”

“You’re clothes are getting tighter, that’s why.” I took his hand in mine, noting that the sleeve now came down to a couple of inches above his wrist.

He shook his head. “It’s not that. My bones are growing. It’s not... comfortable.”

He looked like he was in pain, and my heart went out to him. “Come on, we should still put you in bigger clothes, or you’ll rip the ones you’re wearing.”

I led him up the stairs, and down the hall to his room. I sat him on the bed, then pulled open his closet doors. “Everything in here is going to be big on you.” I called out to him. “But the good thing is... that you’ll grow into them.”

I returned to the bed with black pants and a white button down shirt, Gabriel’s go-to choice of clothing. He was starting to look worse, pain much more pronounced on his face. “Let me help you.” I said gently, reaching for his shirt buttons.

“No!” he shouted, and slapped my hands away. I blinked at him in surprise. “I’ll... do it.” he said, his voice growing weak. “I don’t... want you... to see...”

“I’ve seen you naked before, Gabriel.” I said frankly. There had been a lot of steam blurring my vision at the time, but it was still technically true.

He shook his head, one hand clutching at his chest. “Not like this... You can’t... see me... like this...”

“You’re being silly.” I said. “Just let me help you.” Why was he being so stubborn? Was he really that embarrassed by how he looked? It wasn’t his choice to look like this, didn’t he know I understood that?

“No!” he yelled again. “Get out!”

“Fine.” I said, turning away. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.” I walked out into the hall, closing the door behind me. I stayed by the door, listening to make sure he was all right. He was stubborn, and I couldn’t afford anything else happening to him.

My ears were merely human, so I didn’t hear much of anything for several minutes. I was about to check on him when the door opened.

Gabriel stood on the other side, his expression sour. He was wearing the shirt and pants as best he could, but the legs were bunched up at his ankles, and the sleeves of the shirt fell several inches past his hands. “I hate the entire world.” he announced.

Well, you’re looking better, at least.” I knelt down in front of him, and started rolling up his sleeves for him. “It’s only temporary, right? How long will it be till you get back to your normal size?”

“I’m not exactly sure, this has never happened to me before. All I know is that I’m going to need a lot more blood.”

The buttons on his shirt were all uneven. I re-buttoned them carefully, one at a time. His collar slipped off one thin, white shoulder, and I fixed it, making sure all the buttons were buttoned.

“You never have any of your quick barbs on you when I am weak.” he said thoughtfully. “You’re always unbearably nice at these times.”

“You expect me to kick you when you’re down?”

“So it’s just pity, then?” His voice sounded a little disappointed.

As I was kneeling, I was slightly shorter than his height. I looked up into his face, placing my hands on his chubbier-than-normal cheeks. “Oh, Gabriel...” I said soothingly. “Yes, yes it is. So much pity.”

He narrowed his red eyes at me. “I hate you.” He looked so adorable when he said that, I couldn’t help but smile.

As I stood up, I kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair “The feeling’s mutual.”

He scrubbed his forehead with the back of his sleeve. “I’m going to remember this when I’m big again.” he warned.

“Bring it on.” My smile grew into a grin. “I’m glad you’re back, even if you are pocket-sized. Things get so boring when you’re gone.” I turned to the stairs. “Let’s have a meeting with Chris, that way everyone can get up to speed on what’s been happening.”

********

“My memory has mostly come back.” Gabriel explained once we were all downstairs and seated comfortably. “There are still holes, though. I don’t remember how I got to Doctor Smythe’s clinic, for instance.”

“What’s the last thing you remember before that?” I asked.

“Meeting your mother.”

“So, you don’t remember the hunter at all?”

He shook his head sadly. “Hopefully that is one of those things that will come back.”

I nodded. “Well, while you were... gone, Chris and I continued investigating. Desyre was helping us for a bit, but she had to go to L.A for some awards ceremony. There’s been no sign of David at all. I called his wife several times, but she’s not worried yet. We still don’t know who broke into the fertility clinic or where Great Aunt Katrina is buried.”

Gabriel sat in the sofa chair across from the couch Chris and I sat in. He was so tiny, the chair looked unnaturally huge, like it would swallow him up. He squirmed uncomfortably at Katrina’s name. He had his hands thrust between his knees to try to keep from fidgeting. “Your great aunt isn’t buried anywhere.” he said softly, staring down at his lap. “She visited the clinic last night.”

“She’s alive?” I asked in surprise.

“Are you sure it was her?” Chris asked.

“She called herself Katrina, and she looks like her.” His entire body tensed. “She’s different now, though.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, as gently as I could. Excitement and worry were ballooning in my chest.

He looked up and focused his eyes on mine. “She’s been turned. She’s not human anymore.”

My chest hitched painfully. “She’s a vampire?” I whispered.

Gabriel nodded. “Due to Lucien’s extended absence and her appearance, I’m going to assume he was the one that turned her. She might even have been the one that attacked the Fertility Clinic.”

The world reeled in my head as I tried to process all of this information at once. Katrina was a vampire now. She hadn’t died, she had been turned. David was most likely the one that had done it. “That means...” Thoughts swirled in my head and I grasped onto whatever I could. “I never really inherited the house.”

“That’s your main concern here?” Chris asked. “Really?”

I stood up then. “I should talk to her.” I announced.

Gabriel jumped up. “No, don’t go near here!” he cried. “She’s different now, you must not approach her.”

I looked down at him. “I don’t care if she’s a vampire, Gabriel. She’s still my Great Aunt. So many times I’ve wished I could meet her, hoping she could help me make sense of things. I need to see her.” She held the secret behind Kiernan’s eye, after all.

Gabriel grabbed both of my wrists. “You don’t understand, you can’t go anywhere near her!” He was distraught, intense worry in his eyes. “If she comes here, I want you to run away from her!”

The boy started to shake in fear. “Gabriel, what’s wrong?” I knelt down next to him.

His red eyes pierced me to my soul. Tears collected in the corners. “Promise me you won’t go near her. She’s dangerous, more dangerous than you can ever guess. Please, promise me.” he begged.

I pulled my hand out of his and rubbed his hair soothingly. “All right, all right.” I hushed. “I promise.”

Gabriel bowed his head and I wrapped both arms around him, holding his small body close. He buried his face in my chest, clutching my shirt tightly. His body trembled from panic and fear. I looked at Chris over the top of his head, our faces were identical with concern.